Ethan Runs for Fun

Every Friday night here in town they have a kids "Fun Run" where kids through age 12 can run against other kids their age. Last night, David and I took Ethan for his second run.

The first time Ethan ran, David said he felt so proud! He impressed his dad by weaving in and out of the crowd and eventually finishing before many others. I was sad to have missed the event! So last night, the whole family went so I myself could witness Ethan's running prowess, ha ha ha.

Here is a short video clip of the finish! There were lots more kids this time around, David said, and they were a lot faster, too! Ethan finished the half track in one minute and five seconds. Is that good? I don't know...

Afterwards, he was quite thirsty! They have cookies, water and juice for the runners. There were lots of our friends and their kids, too. It's quite the social event for parents! There are only two more weeks for the fun run, with the last one being trophy night. Every child will get a trophy. Isn't that cute? Too bad we didn't start going earlier this summer!

Expecting

As the weeks go by, the reality of another baby sets in. There is some fear and apprehension of the delivery, of juggling nursing with running after Ethan, of running on very little sleep!

But then the excitement and anticipation sets in, too. When I'm out running errands or shopping, I will often pass by the baby section of whatever store I'm in and look at the baby clothes. Such tiny shirts! Such tiny pants! Such tiny feet! And what an array of options for dressing a baby girl! The pinks and yellows and lavenders and green--they all tickle me with delight. It's hard to resist!

And then when I lay down to go sleep, or even just for a nap, I will feel this little baby squirm. She moves very differently than Ethan did. Ethan kicked me in between the ribs A LOT. This little one wiggles, depending on my position, and it actually tickles sometimes. Or when I watch TV, out of the corner of my eye I will see my belly wobble from one side to the other. Every move she makes reminds me that she is coming very soon and just makes me all the more excited for her arrival. I hope and pray that she continues to grow well and healthily.

28 Weeks

Baby and I are doing well! I am officially into the third trimester now, and so my doctors visits are now every two weeks.

It seems like time is going by VERY fast. Before we know it, our little girl will be here! We have lots to do before her arrival. Right now, the basement is being drywalled. When that's done, we have to paint, then move everything back into those rooms. Ethan's room needs to be finished. That means the closet needs to be cleaned out to make room for his stuff, and there's still some decorating to do :) Then the nursery closet needs to be cleaned out, girl clothes laundered and inventoried (I don't even know what I have or need!), and if I have time I would like to redecorate that room just a little bit. It could use some pink!

One thing at a time, huh? Can you tell the nesting instinct has gone into full swing?

Water Sliding

Ethan has finally started to enjoy some slides. I've been trying to convince him to try this water slide since last summer. It's the perfect size and incline for little toddlers, but he remained apprehensive for the longest time! See how fun it is?

Happy Fourth of July!

The Snyders took a brief camping trip last week with two other families to celebrate the Fourth. Ok, by brief we mean overnight! We had never been camping with Ethan before, so we weren't sure how long we could last! We had a great time! The Owens are on the left, and they joined us the day after we got there, essentially taking the overnight spot of the Snyders (we even left our tent and pack n play for them to use). The Alkires are in the center.

Setting camp the afternoon we got there was fun. We grilled chicken and garlic toast for dinner and served it with salad and baked beans, heated right in the can. After putting the kids to bed we all roasted marshmallows over the fire and had some s'mores.

The next morning we got up EARLY! One of the rv's next to us decided to rev up his generator which was so loud that the kids woke up.

This is me realizing that it's 5:45 in the morning after getting to bed at about midnight.

But this is one of my favorite parts of camping: open fire cooking. Katrina made us some french toast and eggs, while I prepared coffee and sausages. Doesn't this look yummy?


The kids couldn't really wait, so Kayela had some yogurt while Ethan had some instant oatmeal.

After breakfast the dads took the kids to the lake while Katrina and I cleaned up and had a rest.

Later that morning, David and I took the kids to the nearby playground while Katrina and Andrew (Kayela's parents) tried to catch some fish. We are so glad Ethan had a playmate with him. It made the trip so much more enjoyable for him!

Riding around in our van, the two kids goofed off a bit. We kept hearing them giggling and squealing.

At lunchtime, the Owens joined us for sandwiches, chips and homemade, camp ice cream! It was Dave O's birthday, so this was our special celebration. Here is the video clip of how we made vanilla ice cream in gallon freezer bags.

After lunch it was time for us to go. The Owens stayed one more night, while the Alkires stayed two more. We enjoyed our time, but boy were we worn out! Ethan fell asleep about two seconds after he got in the car!

Congratulations, Val and Narss!

Another Chicago wedding! This one was unique for us in that it was held at an art studio--West Loop Studios. It was a beautiful ceremony setting and chic reception site all rolled into one! Good job with the planning, you guys! It turned out beautifully!

While Mom and Dad were celebrating, Ethan had some fun playtime with his friend Lauren. Her parents, Liz and Jace were kind enough to watch Ethan that afternoon. Thank you for helping us out!

Peoria Zoo

It was a lovely Friday morning for the Snyder family last week...

Ethan finally likes slides, too! Most kids his age can't get enough of them, but not Ethan. So it's been fun seeing him warm up to this playground staple. There was a whale shaped slide at the zoo where he played for quite a while! We had to resort to all sorts of tricks to get him off the slide to see the other exhibits.

Check this out this video clip...this was a pond full of aggressive koi.

The first time we approached this pond, not only did the fish approach the edge of the water, but they were splashing and frenetic. I thought we had approached a pond full of piranahs!