Growing up fast!

Hi there.  This is my first post since Christmas.  If you’re reading, thanks for always coming back to read up about our family.  My brain has finally had room to think about creative writing and my body has finally gotten around to actually sit down and do it!  So here we go.

We had a good holiday, complete with a lot of family time and extended family-Ethan-lovin.  Nick and I had a great early Valentine’s date by going to watch Les Miserables the broadway production 25th anniversary tour at the Palace Theater in downtown Cleveland.  Then on actual Valentine’s day we had a family valentine’s date by going to La Kabob, our favorite local Lebanese restaurant.  Upon hearing the Middle Eastern style music in the restaurant, Nathaniel started shrugging his shoulders and dancing a shoulder dance.  He’s never done any dance with his shoulders, so we think that Middle Eastern music must necessitate moving of the shoulders.  At least with Nathaniel.  Then the third part of our Valentine’s day celebration was at our friend’s house on the weekend following Valentine’s.  Kasia, a fellow mom friend, and I had both gotten the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook for Christmas, so we wanted to make a Family Valentine’s dinner using only SK recipes!  It was delicious and fun!  Thanks, Deb, for making it possible.  Follow Deb for great family friendly recipes!

We celebrated Chinese New Year (and Nathaniel’s 2nd bday)!  We had about 25/30 people over at our house.  Good food, good music, awesome people.  We invited some Oberlin College Chinese international students over to our house for the celebration.  Such a fun time!

Mostly, I’ve (Lydia) been starting to get used to toting around 2 kids on errands.  It’s a daring feat us 21st century moms have to tackle:  lugging a carseat on one arm, diaper bag across the body/on the shoulder, purse on the other shoulder and holding the hand of a toddler.  And that’s just with 2 kids!  How do you moms of 3+ do it?!  Anyway, I’m starting to get the groove with 2 kids.  Ethan’s easy-going personality has made it so easy to transition!  Praise the Lord, thank you, thank you, thank you!  God knows what I can handle and Ethan is it.  The next step is to find a consistent time everyday to work out!

There have been some major milestones in Nathaniel’s development since Christmastime:
1)  He said his first sentence:  I see a bull-doh (bulldozer).
2)  For the first time, he knelt down on the parking lot asphalt and did not want to walk anymore because he wanted me to hold him (ah, the hardships of becoming more independent)
3)  His vocabulary is exploding- he is retaining so many new words every day and speaking them so much more clearly than before!
4)  He steals apples from our fruit basket.  I never thought I’d be disciplining a kid for stealing apples.  He also eats whole cucumbers plain.
5)  He tried Siracha hot sauce for the first time!

Ethan’s also been growing by leaps and bounds.
1)  When you talk to him, he will coo and smile back at you.
2)  He had his first “laugh,” which was an inhale followed by a relaxed exhale coo.  Cutest thing ever!
3)  He’s 16 pounds.  He’s 2 months old.  He’s Ethanator, the monster baby!!
4)  His eyes follow Nathaniel’s every move.  Older brothers are so influential!
5)  Nick has been teaching him outward, inward, downward and upward blocks and punches, to prepare him for Kajukenbo in the future.

I will leave you with a few photos to enjoy.

Just chillin’

Sometimes you just need some of this in your life

What’s that smell??

Beady eyes!

Saturday morning snooze with an owl and a hat

Family dessert

Nick caught this before I even woke up…I guess I fell asleep with my glasses on…

Clapping for himself!

Nathaniel’s a pro at blowing out candles; such a pro that the candles were blown out even before we sang Happy Birthday…and then he blew them out 4 times more after that!

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