Meeting Hannah Grace

At the beginning of March I was able to spend a long weekend in St. Louis, MO. I went specifically to meet my adorable new niece, Hannah, but seeing Laura and Jon was great too!! Hannah is so cute I couldn't get enough of her. She is such a good baby and we are so glad to have her in our family!

My dad flew in for a couple of days also so we all did some sightseeing there together. Laura and Jon took us to the gardens(beautiful) and then we headed downtown and saw the arch. It was a really nice day and fun to see where my sister is now living. While we were there they blessed Hannah(something we do in our church when a baby is born). I was so glad to be there for that; it was very special.

Here are some pics from my trip. Since it has been 7 weeks since I went I am sure Hannah has changed a lot, but these pics are so cute I still had to post them!

Me with my dad,Laura, and Hannah at the arch.

Isn't she beautiful?!! Hannah in her blessing dress.

Ethan's 3rd Birthday!

Last week my "baby" turned 3! We had grandparents over to celebrate the night before the big day. I asked Ethan what kind of cake he wanted me to make him and he said "surprise me". I didn't have to think too long to know that I should do a Lightning McQueen cake. He is completely obsessed with all the cars from that movie. He will sit for hours and play with them on his car mat. He was so excited when he saw his cake!! On his actual birthday we took him to Arctic Circle for dinner and then let him play on the indoor playground for a while. Definitely fun for a three year old!!

In honor of Ethan's birthday, here are my 3 favorite things about him:

*Ethan has the best personality. He is so funny and makes me laugh all the time. He knows how to make people laugh and LOVES to get a good laugh out of people.

*Ethan is so smart. I know every mom thinks their kids are so smart, and so do I!! He really understands so much; more than we realize sometimes. He has a great memory, he remembers everything I tell him. He never forgets anything so I have learned to be very careful what I tell him!!

*Ethan is such a loving and sweet boy. He tells me all the time that he loves me and is very generous with his hugs and kisses--which I love!! He gets upset if the kids leave for school before he has given each of them a hug and kiss.

Opening presents. He was SO excited to do this!

All the kids used their own money to buy him something. They were so excited to have him open their present.

Make a wish!

Ethan made sure to eat all the cake that was on the car toppers. He then decided it was more fun to dip the cars into his cake and eat it that way. No forks needed here!!

Mmmm, that was yummy!

Ethan couldn't wait to play with his new playdoh station.

Fun at Arctic Circle!

Happy Birthday Ethan! You are so loved! We can't imagine not having you in our family!!