A Thanksgiving to remember

We had such a nice Thanksgiving this year though it was very different from the past few years. This year, instead of having 20 people at our house, we had a nice, simple and quiet Thanksgiving with Bryan's parents who came to visit. We had a blast with them and miss them already. We went to the San Diego Zoo, the beach, the park, music class and just hung around the house. Ethan remembered them very quickly and was soon following them around asking them to either read to him or play trains! Check out the video of Grandma and Ethan, I think it was one of the highlights of the whole week!

Man on a mission

Ethan got a new bike for his birthday and couldn't really ride it too well since the wheels were a little tight. Once we loosened the wheels he was off and pedaling, literally. He flies around on the bike, steering and all. He loves riding it and it is crazy how well he rides it considering he just turned 2!

Kodak Moment

Every Friday morning for the past few weeks, our next door neighbor Dylan comes over to play for a few hours in the morning while his mother works from home. Dylan is about 10 months older than Ethan but the two of them have a blast together and I get a break from having to entertain Ethan. So today I was puttering around in the kitchen and the boys ran upstairs to Ethan's room. I did not hear any screaming or crying and took that as a sign that things were going well. After a little while I did not hear anything and decided to investigate. When I went upstairs I found the cutest sight, Dylan and Ethan had crawled into Ethan's bed and Dylan was "reading" to Ethan. They then noticed me taking a picture and as if on cue, they turned back into the crazy boys that they are and started jumping all over the bed. Oh well, at least they were cute and cuddly long enough for me to snap a picture!

The wonderful world of potty training

Well, I think it is safe to say that we have entered the world of potty training, though purely by Ethan's lead. For the past 4 or 5 days, Ethan has successfully used the potty 2 or 3 times a day. Ever since he was 18 months old he has always been interested in the potty. When we moved out to California we bought him a little potty which I think he has sat on maybe 3 times total. Just showed no interest in it and in fact would say that the seat hurt his bottom. Things cooled off for a while and then a few months ago he started to want to sit on the "big" potty so we would let him when he asked. Then I went out and bought the little toilet seats that fit on the toilet and he loved that. Every so often before his bath I ask him if he wants to use the potty to which he usually responds "no" and we leave it at that. However a few days ago he wanted to sit on the potty when I asked and actually went. Even better, there have been times when he comes to me and tells me that he has to go potty. Then of course there are the times where he stalls trying to go to sleep or take a nap by telling me he has to go only to sit on the toilet and play or sing! As always, he is very proud of himself wanting to call Meme and Grandma to spread the good news as well as tell anyone who will listen, even the grocery store cashier!! So, I think we have started the road to toilet training but think it could take awhile, but that is the latest and greatest from the Phillips household.