Eleanor?!

I think Ezra says "Eleanor" at least half a dozen times a day. It usually ends with a "?". Eleanor? Eleanor? As in, when are we going to see Eleanor mama????

We've been trying to get together with Eleanor and Jess about once a week which has been really nice.

Here they are gallivanting around the park. I love that Eleanor is as much of a climber and explorer as Ezra. It makes me feel like I have a normal kid vs. the crazy kid who tries to climb everything and then jump from unreasonable heights that he is.







*Oh, I guess I should also mention that Jess just got a new minivan that E and E enjoyed exploring, we didn't just put them in the van without carseats to go for a drive around the time. :)

Picnics at the park...

Ryan usually works 5 evenings a week teaching private guitar lessons. There are definitely pros to this; mostly that it means we get to spend time with him during the afternoon! But, the one downside that I've had a hard time with, is that I don't know when to eat dinner. He usually gets home right at about Ezra's bedtime.

Sooo...do I eat dinner with Ezra or do I wait and eat dinner with Ryan?

I had been waiting to have dinner with Ryan, but then I realized that I think Ezra would eat more if I was eating with him. So, I've often been eating with Ezra (and then having seconds with Ryan).

Last Friday however Ryan had a gap in his lesson schedule so we decided to meet at the park and play. And then it hit us, "why don't we have a picnic and eat dinner all together at the park during the break?!" So, we did. And, it was wonderful. I have a feeling we'll be having a lot of picnic dinners at the park on a regular basis.

I left my camera in the car for our picnic dinner, however we were back at that same park today (because I thought we had a family gathering and we showed up at Ryan's aunt's house...only to find out that the party is next weekend...oops!)...so we decided to go and play...

Ezra's new bed...

So the transition to a full-size bed for Ezra has gone remarkably well. Most days he just falls right to sleep in his bed. There are a few days here and there where he gets up for a while and plays, but then falls asleep without making a peep. We are totally fine with this, and find it to be quite cute actually. We just desperately wish we had a video monitor just so we could watch what he was doing...or how he goes from playing to be suddenly sound asleep.

Does he go from active playing to just lying down to play for a while?
And, does that turn into just staring at his toys?
And then closing his eyes?

Or is he running in circles and then suddenly crashes out of exhaustion?

Oh, I really do wish I knew.

The other day we had to finally wake him up because it was 4:30 and he was still sleeping...and I wanted to make sure he'd be tired at bedtime. (We normally don't put him down for a nap with his coat and shoes on, but he had fallen asleep in the car and we just transferred him to bed, where he appeared to remain sound asleep...my only guess is that he woke up at some point to play, but then realized he was still tired, and fell back asleep on the floor...surrounded by toys).

oops...

So, I just received a friendly comment notifying me that I haven't posted in a week (again!)...oops, sorry friends.

As for the house updates...I haven't taken pictures yet.

Okay, I take that back. I just took a little break to take some photos...I now present to you our kitchen of convenience...

A rack to hang our pots and pans...


And, a magnetic knife strip...


Ryan installed both of these while Ezra and I were still in Michigan as a surprise! Needless to say, I was super excited by them both, and love how convenient our kitchen feels because of them.

The following aren't new, but I don't think I have talked about them yet, and since I was taking photos in the kitchen, I decided to take some of these too...our reusable "paper" towels.




We LOVE them. I made them out of flannel on one side and terry cloth on the other. If I did this again, I'd probably use terry cloth on both sides. The flannel looks cute, but we use them so much that it's starting to look a little faded and the terry is just so much more absorbent.

I think it would be fair to say that Ryan was a little hesitant about them at first, but I assured him that they were to be used just as paper towel and to not worry if they got gross and dirty. And, tada...we use them all the time now. From spills, to blotting bacon grease, to wiping off the counter...they are our "paper towel" of choice, and much more absorbent than their disposable cousin.

New things...

A friend of mine recently did a blog post series where she let us in on three new things happening in her life. It might sound silly, but I was honestly on the edge of my seat waiting for each post wanting to know what all of the things are! A new workout routine, growing their family, and a new house in their ideal neighborhood...all very exciting things!

I started thinking about it, and she inspired me to write about some new things happening here as well. None of them are quite to the same scale, but they are new happenings... (Oh, and I'm not going to write them as a series, because even though that is more exciting, I'm horrible at keeping secrets (my own secrets that is, I'll keep yours just fine)...and I just want to say everything at once.

NEW THING #1: Ezra has officially graduated to a "big boy" bed (a.k.a. a double size mattress on the floor of his room). You may remember from a couple of weeks ago that Ezra has learned how to climb out of my parent's pack 'n play. Turns out he now can also climb out of his baby bjorn travel bed that we use at home.

The first time we laid him down for a nap in the big bed he just climbed out and walked out the door. Hmmm....I guess we knew that would probably happen, smart boy that he is. So, Ryan went to the store and bought the gadgets you can put over door handles so that you can't open them. It was kind of sad at first when we put him back down for his nap, this time without a way to escape, because he just stood at the door trying to open it and then cried. Luckily it was only for a few minutes, and then he busied himself with playing....finally it was quiet, and I peeked in to see him sound asleep on the floor with toys literally on all sides of him.

Day 2: I laid him down, he tried to open the door, whimpered for less than a minute, and then wandered back to his bed and slept for 3 hours. Score!

Day 3: I laid him down, no crying...sound to sleep.

Day 3 was also the first time he went to sleep for the nighttime in his big bed...not a peep until morning! (I think part of this has to do with the stars Ryan stuck to the ceiling...they are a huge hit by the Ez-man.)

...and Day 4 has also continued to go quite smooth with sleeping and it's new arrangements.

NEW THING #2: Ezra has been sleeping through the night!!!!!!!! Ezra is one of the best nappers I know, however when it comes to sleeping at night, with the exception of a few times here and there, up until last week he'd still wake up once a night to nurse (sometimes more...). However, for the last 4 nights straight he has slept from about 7pm to 7am without a peep. 7am is about 1.5 hours earlier of a wake up time than we've been used to, but it's a pretty darn good trade-off. (And, his naps have remained as long as ever...yay!) I'm not really sure what started this sleeping through the night thing, but I'm loving it...and would love your prayers that it continues (preferably for the rest of his life :).

NEW THING #3: Good-bye diapers! While we were in Michigan Ezra developed a rash around his belly and legs. I'm not sure what caused it, but it looked really really painful and raw. So, we decided that the best treatment was to not wear diapers. (At home he has gone without diapers for quite some time, but we almost always still put them on him when we are away from home.) He did great telling us when he had to go, and only had a few "accidents". And, I think it was the boost of confidence I needed to realize that even if he does wet his pants, its not that big of a deal. So, we have been totally "diaper free" for a couple of weeks now..at home, at the park, in the car...everywhere...and we haven't had a single "accident" since we've been home. (He still does wear them for nap and bedtime though.)


There are a couple of other NEW THINGS pertaining to our home...but those will wait for another post since this one is already getting pretty long and wordy.

Good Night!

The Human Brain

Watching Ezra grow and learn everything from walking to feeding himself to expressing himself verbally has been absolutely amazing. Ryan and I have said almost everyday for the last week and a half that we are totally in awe of how a little human being learns a language. Not a new language, but a language. To go from coo's and giggles to saying "I fall down", or to touch something new and say, "sticky" because he remembers how tape feels and that it is also called sticky.

How does he know that when I say "You did it!" translates to him saying "I did it!"?? Or that it is appropriate to say "thank you" not only when receiving something physical (a toy, food, etc), but also an act of service (having his hat put on, being put down so he can run, etc.)? It's amazing how they learn and learn so fast!

Over the last week his vocabulary has probably quadrupled, and anything we say gets repeated. The other day Ezra started coughing after he took a drink of water and I said, "Are you choking?" and now every time he coughs while eating he says, "I choking." ...oh dear. :)

Vote for Ryan David Green!

Ryan wrote a new song to enter a contest to win a new Martin Guitar. The song had to have the word "lifespan" in it...I think he did a marvelous job...I'm glad we get to spend our lifespans together. :)

It's super easy to vote. No registering, or any shenanigans...you simply click this link, enter an email address, and then press "vote". You can do it everyday for the month of January, should you choose (and I think that would be a very wise choice to make).

Just remember, a new guitar means new inspiration, which means new music...and who doesn't want new Ryan David Green music to jam out to???

That's right...now go vote. :)

week 12...

As of yesterday I am 12 weeks pregnant. From what I've always been told (and even experienced with Ezra) this is supposed to be the time when I start feeling better, having more energy, and perhaps even showing a little vs. just feeling constantly bloated.

Up until this week, I feel like this has been an easier pregnancy than it was with Ezra. Yes, I've had days of feeling carsick all day, and most days I did take a good nap, but I've also been able to eat most meals.

Before Ryan left Michigan to go back to Arizona to teach we even discussed how "I made it!"...I'm over the first trimester yuckies.

Spoke to soon. Two days ago was my first time in pregnancy "getting sick"...and today I couldn't keep anything down until almost 7pm. Not to mention I had a migraine for almost 24 hours. What? Ugh!

I put Ezra down for his nap today (largely because I needed to lay down myself) and he snuck out of his bed not once, but twice (this is becoming a regular occurrence). Luckily my dad was home and watched Ezra while I slept...and he was even able to get Ezra down for a nap (without climbing out of his bed...super Papa!).

A hard day's work...

It snowed!!! Only a couple of inches, but if it had snowed this much in Tucson, the town would have for sure been shut down for at least a couple of days. So now that we are Tucsonans, a couple of inches is worth making a big deal about.

I bundled Ezra up in his snowsuit so that we could play outside. He wasn't the biggest fan of his snowsuit...I think it had something to do with the fact that he could hardly walk or move his arms...







...Followed by a hard day's play...

My mom and I took Ezra to Chuck E. Cheese (his first time...). At first he was totally content just running around and watching other kids, and sitting on the "rides" without them even having a token in them to make them move.


...and even playing on the indoor playground...


However, then the inevitable happened. I decided to let him put a token in one of the rides....


It wasn't that he then wanted to have all the rides "on"...its that he became obsessed with putting the tokens in. He didn't even wanted to ride the rides, he just wanted to insert the tokens and then pretty much let other kids take a free ride.

I then learned to sneakily put the token in myself, and he became more interested in the game itself. Especially the "ball games".

Luckily for me and my mom, he was a big fan of skee ball (my all-time favorite arcade game)!! He didn't like throwing the balls, just watching them roll down once we put the token in...and then handing them to us.

He also loved basketball, football, and baseball...




I almost just concluded this with, "Chuck E. Cheese, where a kid can be a kid!", but then I realized that that's the wrong slogan...oops!

A day at the cabin...

On NYE we went up to the cabin. No snow there either. But, soo much to do!

Ezra helped Papa put out corn for the deer...


...and scattered apples for the deer to find...



...turns out some deer like to be hand-fed...


...swinging solo...


...and tandem...


...planting bulbs with grandma (the benefits of a mild winter)...


...and petting the horses at the cafe nearby...



**this just in**
My dad has some motion censor cameras at the cabin, and he got this one of the deer eating the apples that Ezra scattered for them to find...

swimming in michigan in december...

...indoors that is...

Christmas in Michigan...

Christmas in Michigan looks a lot like this...

Puzzles...

(me, Emma, and my dad)


Family...

(Lydia, Roger, and Nik)


(Barb and my Grandpa Echelbarger)


And, games!

(Ezra and Lizzy)


...we also added to Catch Phrase to the gaming mix this year...I highly recommend it for diverse age game playing (we had 7 year olds to 60 year olds playing).

I'm still dreaming of a white michigan...

The morning after we arrived in Michigan, I woke before both of my boys and ducked out for a run. Little did I know at the time that it would be a run in the snow!! I was one happy runner out there with white stuff in my hair.

I returned home to see this...

...they too were quite excited about the snow!

We warmed up by the fire with tea and the often requested as of late "cocoa" in hand...


That afternoon my sister's family came over and the ladies made sugary treats, while the gentlemen went to the movies...


It's been a nice Christmas with family here...though I'm still praying for more snow! :)

Merry Christmas to all....

After totally writing off the idea of making Ezra a stocking this year, I remembered that if I don't make it this year, then I will have two that I need to make next year! So I sat down, picked out my best "boyish" fabric from my stash and sewed away.

I'm happy with the simple results, although I was commenting to Ryan that seeing the three together makes ours (the outside ones) look so dated! Really, after just 6 Christmases together are our stockings already dated? Oh well, they are here to stay...that is the beauty of a stocking I suppose, it's kind of like a time capsule.





We had many a celebrations this year...

Christmas Eve morning we had brunch at Papa David's (Ryan's maternal grandfather). Quickly his calm grandfatherly bachelor home became over run by these two very fun toddlers (Ezra and his second-cousin, Miri)...




That afternoon, friends of Ryan's (and now mine :) from high school came over to hang out. This is the closest thing I got to a group shot...Katie with Ezra and Emily...


We went to church that evening and Ezra had fun playing with Miss Erika in the nursery. It is so heart-warming that he now loves going to the nursery. He talks about Miss Erika (and Phoebe, his friend who is often in the nursery with him) when we tell him that we are going to church.

Christmas morning...

Ezra slept in until 9am (score!). I love that he doesn't know yet that children all over America usually wake up anywhere from 1-4 hours "earlier than usual" on Christmas morning, but rather Ezra decides to sleep in an extra 30 minutes or so...

GG and Sara came over for cinnamon rolls and tea. And we passed out a few gifts. Ezra loved handing the gifts out...


Ezra was very quick at learning how fun it is to tear paper off of things...


...especially once he realized that underneath the shiny paper was his very own guitar from GG...


Our neighbors, Roger and Marlena, stopped by. It was nice to get to spend part of our morning with them since they have no family in town, and recently experienced the death of a daughter to cancer...


Then it was onto Aunt Terri's (Ryan's maternal aunt) for another Christmas celebration. Ezra loves to play in the kitchen, and early on, I gave in to letting him play with a butter knife when he is helping me... But now he has his own cutting kit, and is totally enamored by it and it's ability to "really cut" through hard things.




We stopped at Mary and Ray's on the way home and had a nice visit.

It was a wonderful and full weekend of celebrating and spending time with family.

We are now in Michigan. I'm sitting by the fireside as I type... I will post more on the happenings here in the next few days...

The Escape Artist Strikes Again...

...this time he succeeds!

We arrived at my parent's house in Michigan on Monday evening.

On Tuesday afternoon we put Ezra down for a nap, and about 2 hours after we put him down (though I'm sure that he had not fallen asleep since I could hear him reading/talking away the entire time), he showed up in the living room. He managed to climb out of his pack 'n play, open the difficult-to-open bedroom door, and climbed down the stairs. When I went to investigate his tactics, I discovered that our boy is smarter than I often realize. He folded up the pack 'n play mattress, leaving the covers over the mattress though so that when folded it would stand higher than normal. Used that as a step to fling his body over the side of the pack 'n play and then landed onto our bed which was nearby.

Deciding that I could out-smart him, I moved his pack 'n play to the other side of the bedroom wall so that he would not be able to use our bed as help to sneak out.

Wednesday afternoon we put Ezra down for a nap, and about 45 minutes after laying him down (he still hadn't fall asleep, because again we could hear him talking and singing away), he came downstairs, this time in Papa's arms. My dad thought that Ezra was waking up (vs. never having fallen asleep) so he "rescued him".

Thursday afternoon we put Ezra down for a nap, and about an hour or so later (I don't think we ever realized how long he talks for before falling asleep because at home we don't use a monitor)...he was still carrying on conversations with his book and giraffe. My mom stayed home with Ezra to babysit while he was napping, and Ryan and I snuck away to go out for lunch. We came home to Ezra eating lunch with Gram at the table. Apparently, he had once again folded up his mattress and climbed out of his bed (even without the help of our bed to land on) and was running up and down the hallway.

Luckily after each breakaway, he would settle down for a much needed nap, but man he is tricky...does this mean the beginning of a big boy bed is in sight??