Happy Birthday!

Hooray! Today I turned 23! The first bit of fun I had was going out to eat with Jonathan and his parents. They took us to the Olive Garden and to Rao's bakery for a slice of birthday cake. It was deeeelicious! After that, Jonathan and I spent some time together before he had to go to work. Then, Ethan and I went to my parent's house for the after party. We went for a stroll up and down the road until he fell asleep. I think he enjoyed it. I got some great presents and very sweet cards, some were even homemade! That's the cutest kind! Then, my mom made me a pound cake (with ice cream on top), so I got to blow out the candles and everything! It was almost a perfect day, the only thing I would've changed is Jonathan having to work. I wish he could've been able to party with us all day, BUT he doesn't have to work tomorrow, so the celebration continues.....!!! (Thanks to everyone for the gifts and cards. I know I missed a few phone calls, so I apologize and I will call you back.)

Just chillin'

We love to swim at my in-law's house, and go as often as we can. Ethan likes to just chill in the pool. He and his dad usually work on their tans while I get sunburned.

The ABC's of me

A- Attached or single: Attached, of course. I love being attached.
B- Best Friend: Jonathan, my sisters, my mom, and Caroline (she counts as a sister).
C-Cake or Pie: How can you choose? I love all desserts. Some may say I'm addicted. I'm actually in counseling.
D-Day: Probably Monday, because Jonathan's always off work on Monday's so that's when we get to do stuff.
E- Essential Item: My flat iron for sure! I would be a frizzy mess without it.
F- Favorite Color: I'll go with pink, but for some reason I find myself wearing black a lot. I just like the way it looks.
G-Gummi Bears or Worms: Worms, I love those Brite Crawlers at Wal-Mart.
H-Home town: Big V-town in the lovely Golden Triangle. Why do they call it a "Golden" triangle? No, seriously. (translation: Vidor, TX)
I- Indulgences: Going out to eat at Tokyo. They have the best sushi rolls. It's my very favorite.
J- January or July?: July, I like the summer because we can swim and stuff. There's just more to do.
K-Kids: 1...so far. I'm hoping for a few more.
L-Life is incomplete without: Mi familia. (That means my family, sorry, sometimes I speak Spanish without realizing it. It's the Mexican in me.)
M- Marriage Date: June 24, 2005. Almost 3 years.
N- Number of Siblings: 10. (2 brothers, 8 sisters)
O- Oranges or Apples: Apples. Jonathan and I discovered "Pink Lady" apples. They're the best. We just love 'em, and the name is cute!
P- Phobias or Fears: I fear lots of stuff. Like someone breaking into our house or something bad happening to Jonathan or Ethan, or my family.
Q- Quote: "It's soupa chocolatey!" - Travis Sellers
R- Reason To Smile: My sweet baby boy, and my husband. (He's sweet too, I guess).
S- Season: The one with my birthday in it. I guess it's technically not summer, but it feels like it. (FYI, it's this Saturday!)
T- Tag Three: Caroline and Cari, everyone else has done it I think.
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I have 3 tattoos. (Just kidding, I couldn't think of anything juicy). Hmm...my favorite bedtime snack is a half sandwich of peanut butter and honey. I always want that before I go to bed.
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: I'm a meat eater. Delicious!
W- Worst Habit: Getting in a bad mood when my plans are changed. I like to know what we're doing ahead of time. If things don't go as planned, I get bummed. Very bummed.
X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds. That's the best part of being pregnant!
Y-Your favorite food: Peter Pan peanut butter, and dark chocolate. (Yes, it must be Peter Pan).
Z- Zodiac Sign: Gemini. I know nothing about Zodiac signs. I don't see the point.

Laugh out loud

Today Ethan, Rachel, and I went swimming at the Moore's house with David and Kelli. Every time David went under the water and came back up, Ethan would laugh and laugh. It was the cutest thing! Thanks, Melissa, for letting us swim in your pretty pool! (and for letting me borrow your oh-so-cute tankini, AND for being our photographer).

Rolling over

Ethan has been able to roll over from his front to his back for awhile now, but he recently discovered a new trick...he can roll from his back to his front! Yea, Ethan! Every time he gets up on all fours and starts smiling, he's so proud of himself!

The water boy

Don't you just love those squishy legs in that tiny speedo!

This week we got Ethan a little pool and he loves it! Jonathan has tried several times to dip Ethan's feet into his parent's built in pool to see if he likes the water, but he usually starts crying because it's too cold. So, we bought a little inflatable pool and made the water shallow enough that it could warm up. It's obviously big enough for us to get in and play with him, and could easily fit a couple more kids (like his crazy cousins). I used to not be an outside person, but I'm trying to change now that Ethan's here. I think kids like to be outside and it's good for them, so I take him for walks in his stroller, and swing him outside at my in-laws. We try to go outside with him as much as possible, even though it can get pretty hot and humid. I'm kind of proud of myself, actually. Anyone who knows me, knows I don't like to get sweaty and go for a walk. I'm sure we'll get a lot of use out of the little pool this summer, so I'm excited about that. With all that time outside, maybe I'll start looking Mexican! (...hey I can dream)

The best Mother's Day ever!

I was so excited to celebrate my first Mother's Day, and it was perfect. I woke up early for a Mother's Day breakfast at the Ochoa's and it was delicious! They went all out with biscuits and sausage with gravy, and crepes with rasberry filling and cool whip! The perfect way to start the day. Then that evening, when Jonathan got home from work, we went back to the Ochoa's because Todd was going to be calling from Russia. When we got there Jonathan said I had to wait outside so he and Ethan could put the finishing touches on my present. (I was afraid I might not get anything, I've heard stories). After a minute, they let me in and I saw something big with a sheet draped over it, but there was something moving underneath. I took the sheet off and it was a rocking chair with a baby in it! How cute! Jonathan got me a glider rocking chair and Ethan was the finishing touch. I just loved it. I would've been happy with chocolates just to show that he was thinking of me, but this was way more than I expected. Jonathan's so good at surprises! Later, we got to talk to Todd and we had some more delicious food. David Jr.'s wife, Michelle, made some really good gumbo. After that, we brought my mom her gift and saw all the great presents she got. Oh, I also got a really cute diaper bag from my mom, a pretty hanging plant from my mother-in-law, and Rachel gave me a coupon for a whole year of free babysitting, she might end up regretting that one. So thanks to everybody for the presents and the fun, it was the best Mother's Day ever!


(Don't worry, we aren't keeping the chair in front of the door, we still have to rearrange the furniture)

Hemphill

Today we went to Hemphill with my mom and Rachel. It's about an hour and a half away from Vidor. I haven't been to visit the Ratcliff's since I was pregnant, so it was fun to let the little ones play together. Baby Bryn is so tiny, it was hilarious to see her legs compared to Ethan's! I could tell Jill and Johnny have been working on their house, it was decorated so cute! We stayed until supper, and it was a good thing, because Jill served us key lime pie for dessert, yum! Thanks Jill, we had fun!

Johnny jump up

Ethan got this Johnny Jump Up as a gift when he was born, but we forgot about it 'til the other day! (I remembered because I saw one on Caroline's blog, so thanks for the reminder). It took me awhile, but I finally figured out how to put it together. He doesn't actually "jump up" in it, but he seemed to enjoy being able to stand up and look around. I love seeing his squishy legs hanging out the bottom! They're so cute!

Here's the recipe

Since the cake balls were such a hit, I thought I'd post the recipe so everyone can try them. (Don't worry, it's not hard, just a little time consuming.)

~Red Velvet Cake Balls~
1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)

*After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.

*Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but it will get messy.)

*Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (I ended up with about 50 balls.)

*Chill for several hours. (I put mine in the freezer.)

*Melt chocolate (use microwave or double boiler)

*Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

When the chocolate starts to cool, it gets hard, so make sure you keep it hot enough to work with.

*Then finally enjoy!

Red velvet cake balls

Last night Ethan made Red Velvet Cake Balls...well, I helped. I've been wanting to try these out, so we finally got around to it today. It took awhile, but they turned out pretty good. For those of you who don't know what red velvet cake balls are, it's a red velvet cake, mixed with cream cheese frosting, then dipped in chocolate. (I tried white chocolate with 2 of them, but it was too thick and wasn't working). They are very tasty and can be made with pretty much any combination of cake and frosting. As you can see, even babies like 'em.

He found his feeties

It seems like most babies have found their feet by his age, but he's kinda had a problem reaching them with his belly in the way. This is about as close as he can get them to his mouth. Poor little guy, he wants to chew on them so bad.

He's growin' like a weed!

Ethan's turning out to be a pretty..."husky" boy. In the first 2 months he doubled his weight! So of course we're getting ready for football, it's never too early.

Here are his measurements:

At birth: Weight- 7 lbs. 7 oz.

Height- 19 1/2 in.

At 2 mos: Weight- 14 lbs. 6 oz. (90%)

Height- 24 1/2 in. (88%)

At 4 mos: Weight- 17 lbs. 14 oz. (93%)

Height- 26 in. (85%)