We went to check out a new park the other day and were pleasantly suprised! It was a very cool one! It even has these swings that you can sit on together and just watch the ducks, people, flowers...whatever. I think Ethan really liked swinging. It was a good day.

A Walk to Remember

Checking out the fishes with Daddy...
Playing with Mom's teeth...
Smiling for the camera...
Playing with Daddy in the grass...
It's all part of a walk to remeber!

Our Little Monet

The other night for dinner we gave Ethan some ravioli with Marinara sauce and he decided to show us what he could create with it. We thought we could see a landscape or perhaps even a lily pond in there somewhere, but we're not sure. It's a bit like finding shapes in the clouds or in ink blots - you have to have a good imagination. We now refer to him as "our little Monet" whenever he does this because it's a mess up close, but when you look back on it, it's just adorible. Needless to say, we think this kid's got a bright artistic future.

A Day At The Zoo

Ever wonder, "Why shamrocks?"

The story of St. Patrick's Day begins around 385 AD with a man named Maewyn. At age 16, the Pagan Maewyn was sold into slavery, which brought him closer to God. He finally managed to escape slavery six years later and headed to a monastery in Gaul to study, where he adopted the Christian name "Patrick." Upon ending his studies, he moved to Ireland, where he felt his calling in life was to convert Pagans to Christianity. For the next 30 years, he traveled throughout the country, setting up monasteries and converting the natives. After his death in 461 (on March 17) he was declared a saint.

Now when we think of this day, we usually get an image of the shamrock in our head. You see it on the sides of buildings, on hats and clothing, on balloons and decorations. Why? Its origins are rooted in Patrick himself. He used the shamrock as a way to show how he believed the trinity works: with three separate elements being part of the same entity.

Interesting, huh? Happy St. Patrick's Day everybody!

A Donation to the American Diabetic

The other day I got an envelope addressed to me from my sister Eliza. On the front of the envelope was a cute little pink address label, and on the back was a sticker that said "Paralyzed Veterans of America" along with a note that read, "You will understand inside".

Inside, was a check for $5.00 made out to me (Emma), a note, and a reciept from the American Diabetes Association. Apparently, my sister has been recieving free address labels from the PVA and/or ADA, feels guilty about it, and thought that she should make a contribution. Instead of sending the money to the ADA though, she sent it directly to me because she said, "....instead of 75% of my money going to them, I figured that 100% of my dollar could go to you!" She even gave me suggestions on what I could do with the $5.00, including buying "a new binky", "candy candy candy" (which I thought was ironic...:), "two jugs of milk", "1 1/2 gallons of gasoline", "lip gloss", "Ben and Jerry's" (also ironic...:), "a flower for your kitchen table", and a "hair pretty".

I just about peed my pants when I read this. Eliza, you are the funniest person I have ever known.

I love my silly sister.

An Afternoon Walk

Yesterday, Ethan and I went for a little walk together around our neighborhood. He loves our walks, but more often than not he tends to get a little impatient with having to "watch" everything instead of "experiencing" it. So, we stopped at a place that had a good bunch of green grass (which is hard to find in our area right now because it's all dead and itchy), and I let him explore. As soon as I put him down though, he looked at me with a quizzical expression and his little bare feet slowly started moving up and down, hands clinging onto me for dear life. I finally picked him up and he looked down at the ground as if in disgust. I guess the grass was a little dryer than we thought.

Flight of the Navigator

Sailing Out To Space

I dream of sailing out to space,

Upon a yacht of stars.

With port holes all along the sides,

I'd gaze amazed at Mars.

With mast made strong with spider webs,

And sail of fluffy cloud,

I'd watch the Earth go sweeping past,

As out to space I ploughed.

With stars in front and stars behind,

And planets far and near,

I'd sail my yacht around the rings,

Of Saturn with a cheer.

And onwards passing Jupiter,

To watch the big, red storm.

Then far around its outer moons,

And through an asteroid swarm.

I dream of sailing out to space,

To catch a star or two.

Exploring through the universe,

And just take in the view.

-Gareth Lancaster

Ethan's new sleeping position

The other day I went in to check on Ethan during his nap and this is how I found him; snuggled in the corner, bum straight up in the air. He's been sleeping like this ever since. I just thought it was too funny and had to get the camera. We sure love this kid:)

SHEAR EMMA :-)

Hello there family and friends!!! Sorry it's been a long time since the last post-age. For those that don't know Emma is back to doing hair again. She's been cutting hair on saturday's and has been working around the clock on getting a website and a bunch of other stuff put together to advertise for it. To say the least, Ethan and I are very proud of her! :-) Way to go, Idaho!

We love that red-headed wonder!!!

Check out her new blog it's at http://www.shearemma.blogspot.com/

WAY TO GO EMMA!!!!