May 14, 2010 (134/365)

May 13, 2010 (133/365)

May 12, 2010 (132/365)

May 11, 2010 (131/365)

May 10, 2010 (130/365)

May 09, 2010 (129/365)

May 08, 2010 (128/365)

May 07, 2010 (127/365)

May 06, 2010 (126/365)

May 05, 2010 (125/365)

Put On A Happy Face
How can you not smile when you look at these silly expressions. We were having some fun and I was asking Etienne to show me a happy face, a scared face, an angry face, etc...
My boy loves to goof off and always wants the reaction from you when he does. I fear a class clown is in our future.

May 04, 2010 (124/365)

Swimming Again Today

Yesterday was our first day to swim in the backyard. Today was a repeat. Why is it that for the past year I had to force him to go to his swim lessons, but put a blow up pool in the yard and I can't keep him out of it?

May 03, 2010 (123/365)

Flip-Flop Flop
So I picked up these cheap flip flops for Etienne to bang around in. Easy on, easy off, you can't go wrong. Ha! Jokes on me! Once they got wet they turned his feet black. I can't believe the amount of time it took me to get the black off of his feet. I'm sure it went on much quicker! The husband's words echo in my head..."you get what you pay for".

May 02, 2010 (122/365)

Dinner in the Driveway

Sometimes it's just not worth the fight. Playing outside is so much fun and getting Etienne to come in for dinner can sometimes lead to a major meltdown. This evening I didn't even ask him to come in for dinner. I made him some food and brought it out to him while he was playing in the cul-de-sac.

Happy boy = Happy mommy.

May 01, 2010 (121/365)

Playing With Play Doh

No story, I just like all the bright colors of the Play Doh and tools :)

What a mess this stuff makes!

April 30, 2010 (120/365)

Play Ball!

I'm not too sure what type of ball this is, but it seems to help improve Etienne's hand/eye coordination. It surprises me how well he can hit a little ball with a bat or a paddle or even a stick and I can't hit the broad side of a barn with a canon!

April 29, 2010 (119/365)

Boys, Baths and Bruises

I've come to the realization that these all go hand in hand.

Etienne is all boy. Being that the weather is getting so nice and we are able to spend more time outside, we are up to 2 baths a day. Along with playing outside comes the cuts, scrapes and bruises. Watching him play and abuse his elbows and knees just makes me cringe. It amazes me to see him fall, get up, dust himself off and state "I'm OK!" and continue playing. You are one tough cookie little man!

April 28, 2010 (118/365)

Scrumptious Strawberries

Today we went to pick strawberries. There is a farm about an hour away. We loaded up the car with the essentials...DVDs, drinks, picnic lunch, and our friends Raymond and Donni. We had fun picking. We were given a great tip before we headed out to the fields. The nice red ripe ones like to hide under the leaves. Sure enough...that's where we found the best ones. It really took no time at all to fill our bucket. We headed in and bought some great fresh produce and yummy fried pies and found a picnic table under a great big oak tree to enjoy our lunch.

April 27, 2010 (117/365)

You Wanna Be Captain?

This is such a fun age! Etienne's imagination is growing rapidly and watching him interact and pretend with other children his age is remarkable! Today we met our friend Lilly at the park. Here they are taking a rest from being captains on a ship.

April 26, 2010 (116/365)

Picnic Prayer

We met a new friend today named Daniel. While his mom and I chatted at another table. I heard Etienne ask Daniel if he wanted to have a picnic. Sure was the reply. With their milk and snack they set up their "picnic" at the next table. Once all set up, I heard Etienne say his mealtime prayer. What an amazing little guy I have!

I snapped this photo with my phone while he was saying his prayer. Notice his hands :)

April 25, 2010 (115/365)

Pop Is Smiling In Heaven!

Etienne absolutely LOVES to play with play food, dishes, pots and pans. Anything cooking related grabs his attention. My dad was a chef and I think growing up, my lack of enthusiasm for cooking was probably a big disappointment for him. Add being a vegetarian and I was a lost cause. I remember him always referring to my meatless dishes as fu-fu (tofu). As I watch Etienne "cook" I can't help but to smile and think of my dad. I know he's up there smiling down on us.

April 24, 2010 (114/365)

Fun, Friends and Feasting
What a fun day with friends! The kids had a blast running, riding bikes and playing. The adults enjoyed beer, mud bugs, great company and some yummy dessert. Thanks friends for such an enjoyable Saturday afternoon!

April 23, 2010 (113/365)

The Naked Chef

What is it with little boys and loving to be naked? Fresh out of the shower or bath Etienne runs around like a maniac. If we have nothing to do or no place to go, I usually let him remain au naturel. Recently he received a cooking set. He loves to cook and serve dinner to us. It's so cute how he'll ask to take your order, go and cook it, and bring it back and serve it to you with a polite "enjoy" and a smile. Today Chef Etienne was serving up a lot of hugs with our orders.

April 22, 2010 (112/365)

What Goes Great With Ceramics?

Friends and Wine of course!

What a great night ladies! Thanks for a much needed night out with the girls! I can't believe how fast I found the bottom of my bottle of wine :)

April 21, 2010 (111/365)

Ant Farmer

I picked this little ting up at Target in the Dollar Spot. We got many of hours of fun from this little dollar treasure! The hardest part was trying to catch the ants without getting bit. They weren't too happy about being held captive, but it only took them a couple of hours to warm up and start digging their tunnels.