Our first day at the pool

Today was Ethan's first time to the local pool. I was surprised to find that he wasn't all that afraid of the shooting fountains, the running kids (and adults) or letting go of mommy in the deep end! Don't worry, we held on real tight. Here he is taking a break before heading back home for dinner.

As mommy took a break, father and son continued to explore the pool and all its delights! Oh, we are going to have SO much fun this summer! I can't wait!

Congratulations Ben and Colleen!

I love weddings. With my posse up in Chicago it's not only a joy to celebrate new stages in life, but it's also a fantastic opportunity to catch up with friends. I LOVE WEDDINGS! David and I had a little night out, thanks to Grandma Cuesta who is visiting this week. She watched Ethan while we were dining and dancing the night away. My only regret is that we had to leave! Here is the beautiful bride with her posh posse, heh heh heh.

In between the ceremony and reception we went to the local Starbucks for a treat. Gorgeous weather allowed us to lounge outside. What a funny site to see such a dressed up crowd all having coffee outside. It was great to sit and chat and hear about everything that was going on in our friends' lives since we last met. Here are Emily and Amanda. Amanda is 6 months pregnant!



The guys seemed to keep to themselves as the ladies went on and on :)

Here is a picture of Heather and me. As my husband was taking the picture, I said, "wait, this is not a good angle fo r me!" And she says, "oh well, too bad!" She made me laugh so hard as the picture was snapped :)


This was also my opportunity to finally meet my friends' new arrival, their first baby, Lauren. Liz and Jace were VERY brave new parents bringing out their 3 week old to the wedding. But they had some good help with their grandma who watched her throughout the evening.

A Pool Party Primer

For Ethan's birthday several months ago we got an inflatable baby pool that we thought we'd try out. It's got a nifty shade covering so the kiddies have some protection from the sun. We had to fill it with some warm water so Ethan wouldn't get too cold! He loved playing WITH it, but wasn't too crazy about playing IN it. Nonetheless, we're looking forward to summer fun in the sun! I think we'll have to get him some new swimming trunks, though. The poor kid has got some plumber pants thing going on here...

It's a mother's day special!!!

Very cheesy, but the timing of this discovery was something out of a PBS kids' special! David was trimming some bushes on the side of our house the other day, but he hadn't noticed this magical secret treasure inside until after. Praise God he didn't trim down any further! What you see is a cardinal's nest, just a few inches into the top of the bush. Since this picture was taken one more chick has hatched. I think I will look in from time to time to see how they're doing.

We really have been enjoying the warm weather and we think it's finally here to stay. Here's Ethan enjoying the outdoors as dad does some yard work near by.

He's walking!

Yes, the dreaded day has arrived! Well, okay not DREADED, but we are nervous about all the tumbles and falls our little one will face now that he's on two feet! We were so excited to see him stand on his own, then take one step. This was just last week! Little by little he took more and more steps, and now he can take about 15 steps before crash landing. Here is some of the footage.

Mom flyin' solo

Ethan and I flew to NY a couple of weeks ago to visit with family and to witness Andrew's first communion (my nephew, Ethan's cousin). It was a great trip, but definitely full of some challenges. For one thing, Ethan was still battling his FOURTH ear infection since December, and a virus that was keeping him at a 101.5/101 fever. Not fun!

The first few days we stayed at grandma's house in Queens. This was a great opportunity for me to meet up with some old highschool pals whom I hadn't seen since 1996. Wow...I love to hear what's up with old friends, and visiting with them is even better. I was so grateful that grandma could watch Ethan while I went to the city for all my "little reunions". The second half of the week we stayed with my brother and his family. What a fun time getting the cousins all better acquainted! Ethan really took to his older cousins Andrew and Elena! Here's a picture of them on the trampoline. The dark-haired kids are the related ones :) The fair-haired boys are their friends Alex and Mark.