Friday!

Ethan and I went out with Melissa and Nathan. You can read about it and see a photo on Melissa's blog. We had the most fun!
http://krause-melissakevin.blogspot.com/

4 months!

Happy four months, Ethan! Check your email for some fun new pics! If I don't have your email, post it and I'll forward them to you.
We went to the doctor for his 4 month check up today! He also got four more shots. The doctor's office was packed with sick kids, so we had to wait much longer than usual. We were gone from home nearly 2 hours. Ethan was quite the trooper. He fell asleep waiting for the nurse to administer the shots and had to be woken up to get them. Poor guy, that was the worst wake up call ever! He cried so hard and he was so mad. He's doing much better now that he's home and warm and has a full belly. The doctor said we could start introducing solid foods. We'll try some rice cereal tonight: ) Here are his stats:
Weight: 15 lbs, 12.5 oz 70%
Height 24 1/2 in 40%
Short and fat! We love all of him!

Hip, Hip, Hooray!

I am home with Ethan today! We went to the grocery store, exercised, met our friends at the park, and cuddled A LOT! Being a mom and getting to do mom things is awesome. I am so happy that I am working part-time. Life has been so unbalanced for me. And you know what they say, "When moms happy, everyone's happy." The opposite is also true. I have been hard to live with the last several weeks. I have a testimony that the Lord blesses you when you try to do what is right. Look back soon. I had Ethan's 4th month pics taken today. Believe it or not he'll be 4 months on Friday! He's getting so big and strong. He's started doing "crunches" in preparation to sitting up. He is also reaching out and grabbing toys, looking in the mirror, and loves to grab mommy's shirt, his shirt, and anything that crosses his path. I know Phoebe's ears will be next!

Oh My Goodness!

Here's Ethan being cute and enjoying a lazy Saturday morning and Grandpa and Nana's house!

Well, Jared and I had our first Ethan free weekend ever! It was very strange, sometimes sad, and pretty awesome to have my husband all to myself for an entire weekend. My mom and dad met us halfway between St. Augustine and Orlando and we entrusted them with our most precious cargo. Ethan loved being with his Grandpa and Grandma Hesson and his Aunt Stacey. Stacey made fun of me for calling to check in. Which I did do excessively, about 5 or 6 times, because I was starting to miss him and wanted to know what he was doing. He was a good boy and slept through the night for his grandparents despite the change of scenery. I look forward to seeing him today when he comes home.
Jared and I spent our weekend doing tons of fun stuff. We went shopping (so much faster without a baby and all the baby gear), on a boat ride, out to lunch, to a movie, and to our friend Patti's house. So much fun. This morning we'll get to enjoy the church meetings and not spend any time in the hallway. That will be fun too!

New Layout

Just wanted to comment on the new layout. First of all, I wanted something a little more unique. Although according to pyzam.com, about 400 people have this layout. Anyways, I chose a green layout in honor of my cousin Tara. I used to claim blue as my favorite color, but I mind lately I'm more and more in love with green. Green was also Tara's favorite color. (Lime green to be specific.) Anyways, Tara sent little Ethan to us early (For those of you who don't know, Ethan was born on the day Tara passed away. I think she sent him to us early so we could celebrate that day instead of dread it.), so I thought it would be appropriate to have her a part of our blog in a small way. It makes me smile when I see it and think of her.

Three months

Ethan turned three months old on 1/29. He is growing so fast! Smiling and laughing and cooing. These are the best parts of my day. Here are some photos to enjoy of 3-month-old Ethan.

Airboats, Alligators, and Answers to Prayer

Well, last week my boss and director from SLC were here in Orlando. We had an eventful week! Our week started with a tour of a 300,000 acre citrus and cattle ranch the LDS Church owns outside of Orlando. It was beautiful! We had the opportunity to take an airboat ride with one of the staff of Deseret Ranch, Mark. He was a great driver and we had a blast. The airboat ride allowed us to see many crocodiles and other local wildlife, birds, otters, etc. The coolest thing was we were able to hold a baby alligator. Mark stopped the boat in the thrushes and jumped down. Before I knew it he was holding a two-foot alligator. (Michelle took pictures. Once I get a copy, I'll post it.) We all took turns holding him and since I was the last to hold him, I had the job of tossing him back in the water. Well, I wanted to make sure he cleared the boat and that I didn't get bitten, so I really tossed him. He flew about 20 feet and on the way down spun around and hissed at me! I felt so bad, but it was pretty funny!
The best part about the whole trip was the opportunity I had to meet with Michelle and Rich in prayer about my workload. Now that I'm a mom, I just can't bear to leave Ethan. The Spirit was so strong and the Lord truly answered my prayers. Starting 3/3 I will be working part-time and earning enough to support our family. Heavenly Father takes good care of us. We are so blessed.