We are still here!

Well it has been quite a while since I've blogged... Same on me!
Right now we are in the swing if planning and gearing up for sweet Abby's 3rd birthday! She is growing up so fast! She is so smart and so sweet...most of the time!
Ethan's will be 15 months old next week and we cannot believe how big he has gotten! He has 10 teeth and loves to eat! He has quite the vocabulary for a Lil guy his age. Can say all of our names, Elmo, (ba)nana, hot dog, more, no, yes, cheese, thank you, hello, bye, bath and my favorite MINE! :-) tonight he learned to climb up on the couch so that should be fun!
Anyways we are just waiting on better weather and very much looking forward to summer and some beach time! That's all for now!

Playing Catch Up Part 2 - What Ethan's up to at 13 months old!

Yep, 12 months came and went and Ethan is already 13 months old! Crazy :-)! He is all over the place and is really starting to get the hang of walking. He is still crawling some, since he is the Jimmie Johnson of crawling...wink,wink! He loves most of the food he tries, including chicken salad, blueberries, peaches, strawberries, grapes, bananas, apples, turkey, macaroni, cheese,yogurt, crackers...you name it! He is weird about vegetables but will eat sweet potatoes and carrots...he will still eat most any baby foods, even though I don't buy them often. He loves his sister so much, and can be found shouting her name if she isn't in a close radius! He is talking up a storm (including right now, as I type this) He sounds like he is a smart pants, if only i could understand what it means :-) He can say Mama, Dada, ABB-EEEEE, Oscar, Nana, Papa, Pop Pop, Mimi, Melly, Nana (banana), kaker, More, Shoe, Baby, Bath, Beep Beep! My favorite thing he says is "abejubejubejube" and moves from side to side...not sure what it means, but I love it!

He is a tub baby like Abby and myself! If you ask him if he wants his bath right after dinner, he will crawl or walk all the way from the kitchen to the big tub in our master bath! I so enjoy having the big tub to bathe both kiddos at the same time. We have a great routine, Abby is my big helper and gets the wash cloths (burp cloths as she calls them). I have had to start getting ABby out first because Ethan would get hysterical if he got out first!

He is such a momma's boy and I love it, except for the following me around crying to be held...I made him rotten that way! Overall, we are having alot of fun and the futures only getting brighter :-)

Playing Catch Up Part 1 - Christmas

Christmas came and went in a hurry, but we had a blast this holiday season! This year was alot different than last year - Ethan was only 2 weeks old last Christmas so he slept & ate and Abby really got the hang of presents. Well FAST forward to this year, and little man is already 1 and trying to walk and Abby is so hyped up that Santa came! We spent our morning opening presents, eating, opening more presents with Nana, Papa, Aunt Cindi, Aunt Lois & Gigi, then more eating, then opening presents at Mimi & Pop Pops with our cousin, and of course more eating!

They were both tuckered out when we got home that night! SO were Ev & I!

Oh What Fun, Our Little Snowman is Turning One!!

Well he we officially be one on Friday, but this past Saturday we celebrated our little Ethan with family and friends. Everyone had a great time, enjoyed the nice weather (what's happening December...haha!), ate cake and enjoyed watching the kiddos play. Abby was nice enough to stand in for her brother to open presents since he was zonked out from sugar-overload...you will see why in the pictures!

A special thank you to my bestie aka my own personal Martha Stewart - Leah for all her help in making cookies and taking a zillion pictures on Saturday! Also to my mother and father-in law for letting us borrow their house for the 3rd time, and to everyone who came to celebrate our little man! He is a funny little guy and he makes the world a little bit brighter. Hope you enjoy the tons of pictures!

 When/If I ever write a book...this would be on the author page :-) HA!

 Marshall family recipe

 Mommy & her Bday Boy!!!

 Daddy & his boy

 Aunt Cindi & the tickle bug!

 Had to share this one of my sweet nephew Marshall...what a cutie!!

 My beautiful little girl! Such a genuine smile!

Now the fun really begins...take a deep breath and prepare yourselves!

 I think Ethan liked his cake... Man Vs Food here :-)

 My newest love...Maggie! As you can tell, everyone loved her too!

Abs loves cake too!

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

Well it has for a few days now! Like last year, but for different reasons, I got the hubbie to get all our Christmas loot out! Last year we didt it so just in case our little boy came early that Santa woul know where to drop off Abby's presents. This year it is because we will be celebrating our little boys 1st birthday. To say that I cannot believe it is an understatement.

This year has been one of the best and worst of my life. I have struggled with Post-Pardum Depression, and felt completely different than I did after Abby was born. I am much better now, but I know what it is like now to not feel yourself. I never wanted to hurt myself or my sweet boy, I just had a harder time adjusting to my new role. As we celebrate this little boy, I felt it was the right time and place to share the few sentences I just wrote. For so long now I never told anyone this...my close friends just knew that I was going through a hard time. I am glad to be on the other side now.

Okay...no more Debbie Downer...haha! We are in full party-prep mode for this weekend! I cannot wait to come back and post pictures from Ethan's party. I found a fabulous momma of 5 (i think that's the right number) on Esty. She made a snowman themed winter ONE-derland party invite and all the fixins that go with it. We are attempting to make Shorter (my inlaws house) look like a winter wonderland...hopefully we will succeed. Check this gal out, and make sure you tell her I sent you...I have another b'day (Abs) coming up so....her store is called ciaobambino on www.etsy.com.

Tootles for now!

Tub Time!

My kiddos clearly get their love o' the tub from their momma!

Happy little squeaky clean boy!!

This is his newest face and it goes along with his clenched fists and long grunt! He is a BOY! Such a Boy!

Growing like a weed!

I'm Back

It has officially been a month since my last post...far, far too long! I am supposed to be keeping you entertained, family updated and myself from forgetting the funny things my kids say or do. For now here are a few things that we have been up to, and because I have my dad's thumb drive....I stole some pictures from their trip to show you!

Halloween came and went, but you wouldn't know it if you talk to Abby. She still talks about trick or treating and candy, and when we are going again. She is a hilarious little person and tests my patience alot because she is soooo like me and soooo like her daddy! Right now she is loving Calliou, Dora, all music, and anything to do with animals or trains! She isn't a big eater, so besides pancakes, and cream (butter) and syrup - like she tells me every morning when I ask her what she wants for breakfast, she likes Chick-O-Lay (chick-fil-a), chips, pretzels, "orange" cheese (cheddar) and bananas. Some of the memorable things she has said recently is "I laxing", "don't worry mommy" (for whatever she things I am getting my panties in a wad), "You a fish-killer" (thank you Nemo!). She is a beautiful and funny girl!

Little Ethan is 11 months old! I am in complete disbelief that I need to hurry and address first birthday invitations for my sweet boy! Time has flown by so much faster (tear) anyways...he is eating a TON! He likes everything, and enjoys his food, enjoys his bathtime with Sissy, loves when his Daddy comes home, and loves his Sissy so much. He loves to talk...Momma, Dada, Papa, Nana, Ghee (?) and SiSI are some of his favorites. He has 6 teeth and they are BIG ole teefs :-) Not walking yet, but that is fine by me.

We have finally gotten our cootie shot (fingers crossed) ! It seems we have been passing things around our little family of four for the last month! Ethan and I both had colds, got over them, then got them again. Poor little guy had his first ear infection...this is a first for either kiddo, as Abs still has never had one (knock on wood) and then Abby also came down with a 24ish hour stomach bug. Thankfully she didn't share it with anyone else, but also that it was so short as our last one went on for over a week. So we are on the mend...YAY!

 My little pumpkin

 Nana "The Good Witch" with her little pumpkin pie!

 We got to see our Gigi too! She even got to feed Ethan and hold him for the first time since her surgery! We are glad she is feeling better!!

 Practicing trick or treating at Nana & Papa's

 Papa, Ethan and I - I think E knew something was up, and there was no candy to be had for him :-)

 Digging for Candy

 Abby and "My Cindi" as she calls her

Here are some pictures of my adorable and wonderful parents trip to Italy:

Ciao for Now...haha!