HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Today is my mom's birthday and we hope she has a good one!! We were able to celebrate this weekend when she came over to hang out with us:) Ethan loved all of his grandma time! Enjoy your day mom!

Fall is in the air...

Today felt like the first day of fall. Ethan and I went to the park on this crisp morning and you could just smell that fall in the air, the leaves in my yard also gave a good indication as well. That is not going to be such a fun job this year. Anyway, Ethan is growing like crazy and is so much fun these days. He is saying so many words now and has learned some new body parts. I have been trying to teach Ethan where is nose is for the longest time (he knows pretty much every other body part except his nose and his eyes), I ask him all the time and he always points to his hair or ear, but I keep showing him and it just wasn't clicking yet. Coming home from church on Sunday I asked Ethan again where his nose was and I turned around to see what he was going to point to and he had his finger up his nose!!! I was so excited and thought, well maybe that was just an accident so I asked him again and this time he put the other finger up his nose! Well at least he knows where his nose is, right??:) He also can tell you what a cat, dog, and tiger say. He is really cute and gets in this high voice when he sees a pictures of a cat, makes me laugh every time!I am not going to lie and say that Ethan is a perfect angel because the fact is a naughty streak has begun to arise. I knew that this day would come and that he was not going to listen to everything that I said all the time. Adventures of motherhood! His favorite naughty thing to do, is take daddy's books off the shelves and tear the pages if he can get to it before mom catches him! He also likes to throw his food on the floor, but we are being consistent with him and slowly he is doing those behaviors less and less. Sometime though, you just can't help but laugh because you can predict his every move!

This month Ethan will be 17 months old and that is hard to believe! He is so curious and is just a little sponge soaking up everything! He definitely makes being a mom the best job in the world!

Jim and I are doing well. Jim just finished his plastic surgery rotation and started his rheumatology rotation today. I am excited that he will have another laid back month with no call because after this month, it goes back to those nasty 30 hours shifts every three days. I have joined a mom's group and have fun with that and I am excited to be going on a 24 hour scrapbooking marathon weekend this month. I need that time to devote to Ethan's book or it will never get done! Ethan and I have several play dates a week and we loves going to the library, parks, and anything else there is to do around Kalamazoo. We are going to have a fun month picking and carving pumpkins with Ethan who thinks every pumpkin is a huge ball! I don't know if you remember but last year we put Ethan inside a pumpkin for Halloween and it was so cute, this year I am afraid that there is no pumpkin big enough to do that:)

HAPPY FALL EVERYONE!!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Biener

Last Sunday Grandpa Biener came over to celebrate his birthday with us. Ethan enjoyed reading books and playing "boo" with grandpa. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Fun with Forts!

Ethan and daddy have been having fun building forts together when Jim gets home from work at night. At first Ethan was scared of them, but soon learned that they were fun to go in and out of and play "boo" with :) He is our silly little boy!"This is fun!"

Birthday Weekend

Last weekend was my 27th birthday and I was able to celebrate with my mom, grandma, and grandpa! Ethan and I headed there on Friday and my mom took me out to eat and then to pick out some scrapbooking supplies for my birthday present. We had a great time! My grandma who is about to celebrate her 84th birthday Saturday was there as well and we had a nice dinner on Sunday to celebrate her birthday. Jim and my brother went Salmon fishing last weekend up in Baldwin at my grandparents cabin, but had no luck, so they joined us on Sunday for dinner. It was nice for Jim to get out and enjoy some guy time while he had the weekend off. Ethan had a great time with great-grandma, great grandpa and grandma!!! He is such a big ball of energy and is non-stop, but I would not have him any other way! I can not believe that he will be 17 months next month, that boggles my mind. It is true, they do grow up so fast! Ethan loved the "balls" at Target!

Ethan helping great-grandma open her present :)

My grandma looking pretty in her new sweater!

My Aunt Lyn and grandma sitting outside, it was a gorgeous day.

Ethan making sure the tractor was working properly!:)

Thanks for a great birthday and for all the birthday wishes everyone!

Mr. & Mrs. Zelski :)

On Saturday September 13 our good friend from high school Stephanie married Bryan, a great guy that she met while attending MSU. They had a beautiful wedding and it was so nice to see everyone from high school again. Congrates you two....you were meant for each other!!

Trevor, Lindsay, Katie, and Dan

Courtney, Elissa, Cherie, and me!

Cherie and Me!!:)

The Lowell Gang!

Camera Fun...

The middle one is my favorite :)

A blast from the past....

Stephanie (on the right, who just got married this weekend, congrates!) and Katie (on the let) stopped by while they were in the area to see Ethan, who they have never met before. It was great seeing them! We have known each other for quite awhile. I have known Katie since I was a little girl and Stephanie since middle school. Thanks for stopping by girls....Ethan loved you guys!

Pig Roast 2008

Each year Jim's parents throw a pig roast party at their house for anyone who likes a good time. We always have a blast and this year was no different! Ethan had fun playing with the red wagon that his daddy had when he was a kid! Jim's dad welded a pig roaster this summer and tried it out this weekend. We always see lots friends and family who do not get to see very often and of course, eat some good pig!

Grandpa giving wagon rides!! (you see the roaster in the background.)

ETHAN'S NEW TRICK....

"Hmmm the dogs keep going through this???"

"Maybe I can too??"

"Yup, I sure can! Lets do it again!"

The Jackson's Visit Kalamazoo!

Tonight another very close friend of mine who I have known since middle school, Angie, her husband Matt and their adorable daughter Amaya came to visit us in Kalamazoo! We had great food, went on a walk, played with the kids, the guys watched football, and then we finished the night off by playing Settlers of Catan, a fun board game that we can't seem to get enough of. It was great to see them and now that we are closer it is much easier!! I sure did miss them when I was living in Marquette and we seem to get together about once a month since I have been in Kalamazoo, which has been great. Thanks for coming guys, we had a lot of fun!

Sweet Amaya

"Umm who is this girl on my dad's lap?"

Ang and me!

Ethan gets VERY jealous when I hold another baby so we are trying to calm him down .

And She's off !!

My very dear friend Amy is moving to Chicago! We met our freshman year of college, for those of you who do not know, and we hit it off right away (literally!!). We were playing euchre and bumped heads (don't ask!) the first day we moved into the dorms and we have been the best of friends ever since. Through all that college and life had to offer, we were always there for each other. It was great to have a companion like Amy to spend some of the best years of my life with. Not only is Amy great , but her family is as well. They are the most giving and caring people and it has been wonderful to be surround by them as well. After graduating, getting married, moving, jobs, and a baby, Amy continues to be there for me and I know she always will:) We don't get to see each other as much as we hope to, but we always catch up where we left off when we do. Have a great time in Chicago Amy, I am proud of you for following your heart!!
Just a couple pictures over the course of eight years! (Trust me, too many to even try and post!)