Just wanted to share some cute video that I took of the boys today. I couldn't resist as they were so cute. I was working on the computer and Eli was "talking" so loud that I had to capture it. Ethan was so captivated by Eli's squealing that he wanted to get in on the action.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Christmas
We had a very special Christmas this year as the Stern families came for a visit. It was so much fun to see all the cousins together! Uncle Ben and Aunt Karen, along with Oliver and Mason stayed at our house for 4 nights. It was a blast and Ethan and Oliver got along so well, it was clear that they understood that being cousins meant something different and couldn't get enough of each other. Christmas morning was great, Santa left stockings for all the kids. Amazingly we were able to hold the boys from ripping open their presents until 7a when Meme and Poppa Don got to the house to watch. It didn't last long as it was all over in about 20 minutes!
Meme and Poppa Don posing with their four grandsons! They were in heaven with everyone being together. We did so much while they were here...stay tuned for more pictures from the Stern family invasion!
Hannukah
We had a nice Hannukah this year and it was a bit crazier than past years since it coincided with Christmas making it hard for Ethan to truly grasp that it is a separate holiday from Christmas. To him, it is just another time to get gifts! I took him to the Ladera menorah lighting which was a disappointment from last year since there was no games, booths and food this time. Regardless it was nice for Ethan to see the menorah being lit and he was so excited when the Rabbi led the group in the only jewish song he knows "O Hannukah, O Hannukah" and joined right in!
Eli posing with his first Hannukah gift, clearly he is not impressed.
No worries Eli, your big brother will be happy to help you open you gift!
Eli posing with his first Hannukah gift, clearly he is not impressed.
No worries Eli, your big brother will be happy to help you open you gift!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Ethan had his preschool holiday performance this week and it was just about the cutest thing! He had been practicing with his class and at home for weeks and was so proud. The whole concert lasted about 3 minutes but our little Ethan was so excited (and a bit nervous) to sing and we couldn't have been prouder!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Holiday Activities
Three weeks since my last post and there is so much to share. We've been busy getting into the holiday spirit over the past few weeks, putting up lights on the house, decorating the tree, dusting off the menorah, going to holiday festivals and finishing up holiday shopping! Whew, are the holidays over yet? Ethan is full into the Holiday spirit this year and is very excited for Hanukkah and Christmas. He seems to have a love/scared relationship with Santa, he wants to see him but when given the chance does not want to go anywhere near him. It is so funny, the kid will walk on water to get away from Santa if he thinks he is coming too close. .We've tried to explain to him that Santa is the one who gives him presents but doesn't work.
Eli has started using the bumbo and although is not totally sitting up, does a pretty good job. He loves it and just sits there with his eyes glued to Ethan. Eli is just getting over a fairly serious skin infection that he was placed on antibiotics for and finally it is all cleared up. Unfortunately, being on the penicillin wreaked havoc on any sleep progress that he had made so after 10 days of newborn-like sleeping we are getting back on track now that he is finished the penicillin.
Best Buddies
A few weekends ago, Ladera had a winter festival at one of the local parks where they brought in drum roll....real snow for all the CA kids. Ethan enjoyed it and ran around like a crazy man. They also had a little hill for the kids to sled down. After some convincing, Ethan finally agreed to go down and loved it. It just makes me laugh to see all the kids loving the snow and knowing that they think it is this magical thing, just wait until they have to shovel it for hours!
The funny part is that after Ethan frolicked in the snow he went over the the park to ride the swings. Only in California!
This was the first year that Ethan was able to get involved and decorate the tree. It was so much fun and such a nice family activity. It made me think about all the years down the road that Ethan and Eli will be decorating the tree and the holiday traditions that we are creating for a lifetime!
We also had our 2nd annual Red Rail holiday party. It was a blast but definitely crazier than last year's party as there are FOUR new babies to the group this year and next year there will be 2 more! We had a nice time eating pizza and watching the kids exchange gifts.
Last weekend, Bryan and I took the kids to the Irvine Park Railroad Christmas event. The entire national park is decorated with lights and you ride on a train through the park to go to the North Pole to visit Santa. Again, Ethan wanted nothing to do with Santa once we got there but it was all for the experience right? I have to say that after living in Southern California for just under 2 years, my blood has totally thinned as I was freezing on the train. Given it was 50 degrees and there was a cold wind but back on the east coast, a 50 degree night in December would be considered balmy!
We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Meme and Poppa Don as well as Uncle Ben, Aunt Karen and cousins Oliver and Mason next week. They arrive on Tuesday night and no doubt it will be a crazy fun-filled week with all the cousins. It will be the first time in a long time that the Phillips/Stern family has all been together so it is truly a special time and makes it even more special to be able to celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas together!
Eli has started using the bumbo and although is not totally sitting up, does a pretty good job. He loves it and just sits there with his eyes glued to Ethan. Eli is just getting over a fairly serious skin infection that he was placed on antibiotics for and finally it is all cleared up. Unfortunately, being on the penicillin wreaked havoc on any sleep progress that he had made so after 10 days of newborn-like sleeping we are getting back on track now that he is finished the penicillin.
Best BuddiesA few weekends ago, Ladera had a winter festival at one of the local parks where they brought in drum roll....real snow for all the CA kids. Ethan enjoyed it and ran around like a crazy man. They also had a little hill for the kids to sled down. After some convincing, Ethan finally agreed to go down and loved it. It just makes me laugh to see all the kids loving the snow and knowing that they think it is this magical thing, just wait until they have to shovel it for hours!
The funny part is that after Ethan frolicked in the snow he went over the the park to ride the swings. Only in California!
This was the first year that Ethan was able to get involved and decorate the tree. It was so much fun and such a nice family activity. It made me think about all the years down the road that Ethan and Eli will be decorating the tree and the holiday traditions that we are creating for a lifetime!
We also had our 2nd annual Red Rail holiday party. It was a blast but definitely crazier than last year's party as there are FOUR new babies to the group this year and next year there will be 2 more! We had a nice time eating pizza and watching the kids exchange gifts.
Last weekend, Bryan and I took the kids to the Irvine Park Railroad Christmas event. The entire national park is decorated with lights and you ride on a train through the park to go to the North Pole to visit Santa. Again, Ethan wanted nothing to do with Santa once we got there but it was all for the experience right? I have to say that after living in Southern California for just under 2 years, my blood has totally thinned as I was freezing on the train. Given it was 50 degrees and there was a cold wind but back on the east coast, a 50 degree night in December would be considered balmy!
We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Meme and Poppa Don as well as Uncle Ben, Aunt Karen and cousins Oliver and Mason next week. They arrive on Tuesday night and no doubt it will be a crazy fun-filled week with all the cousins. It will be the first time in a long time that the Phillips/Stern family has all been together so it is truly a special time and makes it even more special to be able to celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas together!Sunday, November 30, 2008
A Thanksgiving to remember
For the second year in a row, Bryan's parents came out to celebrate Thanksgiving. Being that we are so far away from family, it was so special to have them here. Brett is a fantastic cook and made an unbelievable feast. Ethan was glued to the kitchen and wanted to watch all the preparations.
In addition to Grandma and Poppa being here, we also had our good friends and neighbors, the Dunning and Corris families share in the holiday fun. Ethan was so happy to have his friends Mason and Rowan to play with and the boys were FULL of energy. Eli had his eyes set on Sarah who is a few months older than he and it was adorable to watch the two babies together.
It was a Thanksgiving to remember and such a nice evening where I was reminded of how wonderful my family and friends are and that I have so much to be thankful for.
In addition to Grandma and Poppa being here, we also had our good friends and neighbors, the Dunning and Corris families share in the holiday fun. Ethan was so happy to have his friends Mason and Rowan to play with and the boys were FULL of energy. Eli had his eyes set on Sarah who is a few months older than he and it was adorable to watch the two babies together.
It was a Thanksgiving to remember and such a nice evening where I was reminded of how wonderful my family and friends are and that I have so much to be thankful for.A visit from Grandma and Poppa
This past week we were lucky enough to have a visit from Bryan's parents, Grandma and Poppa Brett. Ethan was so excited and we had been counting down the days for weeks. It was also a special because it was also the first time that they had met Eli, who quickly won over their hearts.
We had a busy week and took Ethan to Knott's Berry Farm which Ethan absolutely loved. At first he was really tentative and just wanted to take everything in, but after a little while we could barely keep up with him running around the amusement park!
We had a wonderful time with Grandma and Poppa Brett and the week flew by. Ethan was so sad to see them go as were we as it was nice to have two extra set of hands to help out!
We had a busy week and took Ethan to Knott's Berry Farm which Ethan absolutely loved. At first he was really tentative and just wanted to take everything in, but after a little while we could barely keep up with him running around the amusement park!
We had a wonderful time with Grandma and Poppa Brett and the week flew by. Ethan was so sad to see them go as were we as it was nice to have two extra set of hands to help out!
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