Fun with our Cousin

These pics are from a weekend in July that we spent with family.  Hannah and Isaac love playing with their cousin Ethan!  

 their favorite snack to share is Aunt Beth's smoothies  

 There is something very fun about having a lazy morning in jammies

 love you!

 fun outside

Isaac had fun exploring too :)

Ethan is ONE!!

It's been a while since we've been able to make the trip to visit family. It was so much fun to stay with Beth, Adam, and Ethan. Hannah slept in a sleeping bag for the first time and did great.

Friday, we enjoyed the day with Beth and my mom. We went to Chuck E. Cheese (all the pics are on my sisters camera :)). Hannah thought it was great that Chuck E. Cheese gave her a hug, blew her kisses, and caught the kisses she blew.

Saturday was Ethans first birthday party. We were so excited to be there to share in the fun! The theme was baby animals, so Isaac wore his monkey outfit (thanks Eli! :)).

Can't believe it's already been a whole year!

what a big boy! We got to watch him take a few steps while we were there for the weekend...this guy is going to be walking anyday!

Ileene was excited to meet and hold Isaac. Ethan wasn't too sure about sharing his grandma.

He was happier when he got to check him out...

Ethan put that cupcake away. It was SO much fun to watch him eat it. He picked up the whole thing...and in it went! It took him just a minute or two to polish it off...yum!

Hannah is showing off her monkey cupcake (minus the ears). Beth and I had fun making monkey and lion cupcakes the night before. They turned out so cute (again more pics on my sisters camera).

and of course...a birthday party isn't complete without presents!

Hannah gave him a monkey book because she loves the story and it fit the theme of the day perfectly!

she had fun naming the letters in Ethans name

Ethan is having a ball with his new walking toy. On to year number two!!

Hanging out with Aunt Beth and Baby Ethan

We had a great few days with my sister Beth who came to stay with us this week. It was such a blessing having her here. It was nice to have sister time together, to watch our kids enjoy each other, and to have the extra help while I'm on bed rest.

While they were here Ethan learned how to climb the steps...and he was a champ at it!

Hannah had fun teaching Ethan how to play the drum...are you proud Uncle Adam?

and play ball...don't you love Hannah's fashion statement with her headband?


Ethan loved the Johnny Jump up

I know that Hannah has been missing her daily stroller ride since I've been on bed rest. She was SO excited to share her new double stroller with Ethan..Beth took them for several walks while she was here.

those blue eyes sure melt my heart!

cousin love...

I love this precious face..


Beth did such a great job caring for these two VERY busy little ones this week. You better believe she went home a very tired Momma..thanks Beth for all your help!

A week with my sister and best friend

We got home on Monday, and that same day my sister arrived with Ethan. I was so excited to get to see both of my nephews in the same day! My sister stayed from Monday until Thursday. We had a great week together. It was fun to take her to my MOPS group on Tuesday and Crosstrainers on Wed. It's nice to have her share in some of the experiences that I always talk about and meet some of the people here that are so special to me. We took both of the kiddos and ventured out the the Thrift store on Thursday (found some great deals), and did some organizing all through the week. Beth helped me organize my clothes (I think I filled 3 huge bags of clothes to get rid of..yes I have that many clothes!) and she helped me organize my kitchen pantry. It's always nice to have an organizing buddy...and I love that my sister is mine! It was also a joy to see Hannah help take care of and play with little Ethan. What a great week!

Ethan having a little bit of tummy time. He is starting to pick his head up now...unfortunately, I didn't catch in on camera.

What a cutie pie!

I love that he's full of smiles now!!

Hannah just LOVES her Aunt Beth! They played and read lots of stories together. When Beth told Hannah she was going home...Hannah even cried. The next morning she woke up and said "Where's Aunt Beth?" We both adore her and enjoyed our time with her so much...it's hard to see her go home...but at the same time we are so thankful for the moments that we had with her this past week.

Great Grandpa meets baby Ethan

We love our Grandpa! One of the great things about my Grandpa is that he is a faithful prayer warrior. He has been praying for his Hannah Grace since she was in my belly, and the same goes for little Ethan. He prayed and prayed for Ethan while Beth was pregnant. It was really neat to see Grandpa meet Ethan for the first time. He was so proud and thankful for the gift of this new life. He's so excited to see his family growing. It was so sweet to see Grandpa just stare and him, and completely adore him. These pics still bring tears to my eyes.

Grandpa with his great-grandchildren

He was nervous at first to hold him, but did a great job!


new life and old...

A week long visit with Ethan & family too

What a joy it was to spend a week with my sister. She is a natural mother and is doing great with baby Ethan. We enjoyed lots of sister talks, changed diapers, gave baths, played with Hannah & Ethan, and enjoyed time with our family too. I thank God for a wonderful sister/best friend and for the precious time we had together last week.

I enjoyed going to church with Beth, Adam and Ethan. It was their first Sunday back to church with Ethan...aren't they a beautiful family!?

My dad enjoying some cuddle time with his grand kids...one grandson and one grand daughter...perfect!

Hannah is crazy about her Uncle Jeremy...and looks up to him so much already. He is a great piano player. It was neat seeing Hannah try to play the piano just like him.

this is my favorite thing about infants...I was able to enjoy lots of cuddle time with little Ethan this week!

having so much fun building with Pop

we all loved to watch "skating bear" when we were little...now Hannah enjoys him too!

adoring cousin Ethan

what's not to love about this sweet face?!

sporting the teddy bear hat I made for him.

Hannah quickly learned to be gentle with her baby cousin...and did a great job! She loves to rock him in his bouncy seat.