Ethan Turns 1 Year Old

Ethan's first birthday on February 3, 2014 came faster than I could have ever imagined. In a blink of an eye he became a crazy little toddler. He has been much more of a handful than his sister ever was, but we couldn't love him more. My absolute favorite things about him are his laugh and smile. It melts my heart when he walks to me with arms wide open after I ask him for a hug. And when he flaps his hand up and down to wave 'hi' and 'bye'...nothing could be cuter. He definitely keeps me on my toes and there is no time for relaxation with Ethan running around. I have a feeling he is going to test every ounce of patience in the years to come. Happy birthday little guy! We love you so much!

1 year portrait taken by Mommy

 

 

Ethan's 12 month bear picture

January Instagram

Here are some of my favorite images that I captured on my phone and posted to my Instagram account (http://instagram.com/tanyajolaf#) during the month of January:

 

Below are the written remarks that were included with each picture (beginning with the top left image):

1. Wanted her hair cut like mommy. #firstofficialhaircut #shelovesit
2. My boys can't wait till golf season. #needwarmweathernow
3. Finally eating breakfast. Mom always eats last, right? #steelcutoats #blueberries #stevia #cinnamon
4. My sick little cuddle bug. #onlycuddleswhensick #maybefirstyearmolars #lovethecuddles #hatethecrying
5.  1st birthday party preparations under way. #toomuchwork
6. Claire put her tiara on Ethan. Erik immediately said take it off. #boysmustbeboys #sofunny
7. Way to go Hawks! #12thman #seahawksbaby
8. Braved the cold and the smog for our first walk of the year. #wishingforspring
9. Squirmy boy wiggles out of the regular shopping cart. #thankyou5pointharness #target

Catching up with Claire - January

It's so sad that I am so far behind on blogging. I try to remember all of the fun and exciting things that goes on in our children's lives and unfortunately, I have no idea what new/interesting experiences Claire had in January 2014. Thankfully, I do have these pictures to help jog my memory. From what I can gather from these images, Claire: 

1. got her first hair cut
2. loved sleeping with her baby blanket in her new Dora the Explorer bed
3. enjoyed wearing necklaces, playing dress up, and doing her chores so she could buy something at the dollar store (like this tiara)
4. liked smiling silly for the camera after putting on Mommy's lipgloss
5. expressing her creativity with coloring on her new easel that she got for Christmas
6. sprawling out on her bed her very loved "Baby O'Murria"

Claire's 1st Official Haircut

After 3 1/2 years, it was finally time for Claire to get her first official hair cut. I gave her a few trims here and there in years past and she was so excited to finally get her hair cut at a "salon". "Salon" is used very loosely here. We actually took her to a place in downtown Salt Lake where they give hair cuts for $5. It was more like a barbershop than a salon. I think she was the only girl customer in there. I was a little nervous about how it would turn out, but figured it would be okay. How hard is it to cut a straight line?

We sat down in the chairs and waited for Claire's turn. She could not contain her excitement for what was about to happen. It's so funny how the littlest things are so fun to young kids.

 

Eventually, she climbed up onto the chair and patiently waited while I told the woman what I wanted her to do. Claire thought it was so interesting and watched very intently as the woman snipped away. 

After a few short minutes, Claire's hair was transformed into a shoulder length bob with slight layers. She was over the moon and loved her new look. Before we left, we went across the street to Banbury Donuts to get a special treat.

When we got home, Claire asked that I curl her hair so that it looked like mine. She loved it! And we loved how happy she was with her first official hair cut.

 

Our Little Guy - 11 Months

On January 3, 2014, Ethan turned 11 months old. Apparently, not much went on during the month of January, because I don't have many pictures. We were probably exhausted from all the holiday activities. The only two things I wrote down regarding his development were that:

• he loves to play with cell phones and television remotes (we have to hide them now)
• he said "Momma" for the first time on January 14th, but it was just a one time thing

 

Regarding the photos below (beginning at the top left):

• having fun at the dinosaur play area at City Creek mall
• I can never resist a cute sleeping pic; he's just too adorable
• for a moment, he liked to eat broccoli
• began scooting around on Claire's old bike and loved it
• wearing his Seattle Seahawk fan colors during the division championship game - he did not like my cheering and got scared
• practicing his walking skills

And here a some photos that were taken on my phone in January:

 

Ethan's 11 Month Bear Picture

(others are viewable here) 

Look Both Ways

2013 was our most memorable year yet. Like I said in my last Instagram post of the year, "we experienced extreme highs (birth of Ethan), the lowest of lows (my cancer diagnosis), and everything in between. 2013 was definitely one for the record books."

 

12 Highlights + 1 Lowlight from 2013

1. Ethan was born
2. Two new nephews and one niece (Roman Moffat, Evelyn Lane, Jace Lopez)
3. Claire learned how to use the potty (no more diapers!)
4. Took a family vacation to Laguna, California (with the Olafsson's and Moffat's)
5. Celebrated our 10 year anniversary
6. Went on a no-kid trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (with Ben and Julie Hertz)
7. Claire started preschool (at Challenger)
8. I got a makeover and chopped about ten inches off my hair
9. I said goodbye to my twenties and turned 30 years old
10. Ethan began to walk (at 9 1/2 months)
11. My cancer diagnosis and immediate surgery
12. The Johansen's (my parents) came home from their mission to Oslo, Norway (a couple of weeks early due to my surgery)
13. Erik got a new car (a Toyota 4Runner)

I am so excited to see what 2014 will bring for our family. Hopefully it will be filled with lots of joy and happiness.

 

Anticipating These In 2014

1. Ethan will turn one year old
2. We might move to a new house
3. Erik will most likely acquire a new business
4. I will probably get a new car (Porsche Cayenne is too small for multiple kids)
5. Ethan will begin talking
6. Claire might start playing sports
7. My cancer will be in remission

New Years Eve

For New Years Eve this year, we went over to Erik's sister's house (the Moffat's) for what was going to be fun games, good food and great company. That is what happened initially, but about thirty minutes into our evening there was a terrible accident.

The older kids were playing downstairs and apparently Emma through a silver bowl at Soren's head causing a large, one inch gash near his hair line. We all panicked and the Lane's immediately left. Steve and Erik spent a good twenty minutes trying to find an insta-care that was open, but couldn't find any so Steve and Liv took him to the emergency room to have stitches and we went home.

So much for that. :)

December Instagram

Here are some of my favorite images that I captured on my phone and posted to my Instagram account (http://instagram.com/tanyajolaf#) during the month of December (I took out the photos that I've already including in various blog posts):

Below are the written remarks that were included with each picture (beginning with the top left image):

1. So glad my parents are home from Norway. I was nervous about how Ethan would act having never met them before, but he's been almost too good....cries anytime my mom puts him down. #familylove
2. My babyproofing failed. #christmastrain #kidsloveit
3. Trying to entertain this little guy until daddy can come home and lift him out. Good thing he's happy. #doctorsorderssuck
4. I asked Claire what I should write to go with the picture and she said "I love you". Love my #clairebear.
5. How can such little bodies create such big messes? #drivesmecrazy #fiveminutesagoitwasclean
6. Love the free Saturday craft at Lakeshore Learning. #polarbear #herfavoriteanimal
7. Shopper in training. #loveswholefoods #posedallbyherself
8. Selfie with my nieces. #loveitwhentheyvisit
9. What a year it has been for Erik and I! We experienced extreme highs (birth of Ethan), the lowest of lows (my cancer diagnosis), and everything in between. 2013 was definitely one for the record books. So excited to see what 2014 brings for our family.

Last Minute Fun

The final day (day five) with the Lopez's was spent cramming as many activities in as possible. In the morning, we visited the Natural History Museum. Claire's favorite part was looking at the butterflies and the wolf (behind the glass of course) as well as playing with the sand, which was a favorite among the other kids as well. Ethan on the other hand, saw this as an opportunity to practice his walking skills. He had Erik and I running after him the entire time.
 

The photo below is my favorite picture of him. It was a moment of stillness, which is probably why I like it. He seems to be pondering what might be the solution to all of the smog. (You can see it in the photo below the clouds - yuck!)

 

 

Once we finished at the museum, we went sledding one more time. I failed to mention in the last sledding post if I went down the hill at all; and the answer is 'no'. Since having my surgery just a month prior, I was instructed to be very cautious with activities that might injure my one remaining kidney. I'm sure nothing would have happened, but I was nervous of falling and getting hurt so I sat opted not to.

 

This second sledding excursion was a lot of fun (just not for me or Ethan). At this point, Ethan was so tired (he had missed many naps and gone to bed late almost every night) that all he did was cry if I wasn't holding him. I tried my best to keep him happy so that Claire could enjoy spending the last few hours with her cousins. She went down the hill as many times as she could before I told her it was time to go.

 

 

 

While Claire was having some last minute fun, I immediately put Ethan down for a nap. She enjoyed one more time in the hot tub and a game of Sorry with Kayla. A couple of hours later, we finally called it a night and said our dreaded goodbyes. Claire was so sad that everyone was leaving (as was I). Family time is the best! As we drove away, we made a quick stop at a neighbors house that had an amazing show of Christmas lights put to music. It was the perfect way to end the holiday season.

Say Cheese!

December 29, 2014 - the Taylor's departure day

 

gathered all of the grandkids (minus Ethan who was sleeping) for a photo with my parents

 

it's crazy how many kids there are now and how big they've gotten

 

 

I convinced Erik to take photo after photo of us girls until we agreed that there had to be one that turned out decent (I couldn't decide which one turned out better, so by posting two, hopefully everyone is happy)

 

 

also made Erik take a photo of Claire and I which surprisingly turned out very well

 

love this pic and being able to spend time with my family 

 

 

it was sad to see the Taylor's leave, but thankfully, we had one more day with the Lopez's

Keeping Busy

After lunch, my Mom got out supplies for an art project. She always does such a great job thinking of activities for the kids to do when everyone is in town. The first project of the day was making pine cone bird feeders. It was a good thing the kids enjoyed it, because it was a mess! Sticky peanut butter fingers and bird seed everywhere! But, what can you expect? The kids had fun and it kept them occupied for thirty minutes.
 

Next, was something for the older girls: bracelet making. They did a great job and I was very surprised at how creative they were with their designs. They even made a couple of bracelets and rings for Claire, which she loved.
 
While the older ones were busy, Claire, Brooklyn, and Blake played with Legos. Claire has never played with Legos before, but she seemed to have fun doing it with her cousins.
 


Before long, the kids were getting antsy again and wanted to play outside. One of the best parts of having Claire's cousins around, is that she has a lot of swing-pushers at her disposal.  
 

That night, we had dinner and hung around the house. The kids helped make chocolate covered popcorn and fondue. The fondue didn't turn out too well (the consistency was really thick), but it tasted delicious.

Every night, the kids want to go in the hot tub and the adults argue over whose turn it is to be the supervisor. This time, it was Trent's turn. They loved splashing around and getting out to jump in the snow.

Before bedtime, the kids got a little hyper (as they always do). They thought it'd be fun to chase Erik around the house and wrestle. He's such a good sport when they gang up on him and the kids love doing it.

One of Claire's favorite things to do when her cousins are here is to have sleepovers. Every night she slept at my parent's house and I'm sure stayed up way too late causing a ruckus. I'm sure she loved every minute of it. (Erik and I did too.)

On Thin Ice

The next morning, we all met at the Cottonwood Heights Rec Center to go ice skating. Unfortunately, Erik was occupied with work and couldn't make it so I was on Ethan duty.

The ice skating police (imagine my eyes rolling) wouldn't let me walk on the ice with him (even in our shoes), so we were pushed to the sidelines while everyone else had fun.

Thankfully, my Mom jumped in and helped Claire skate around the rink. She had so much fun, even if she was moving at a snail's pace.








The older kids skated around for a couple of hours and Liisa tried her best to coax Brooklyn onto the ice. She was pretty uneasy about the whole experience and ended up on the bench within a few minutes. 

 
 
I tried my best to capture photos from the day, but that was pretty difficult with Ethan on my hip and no skates on. Thankfully, I was still able to capture a few behind the glass wall.

After a couple of hours, it was time to head back to my parents house. Within seconds of being in the car, Claire fell asleep. She had been going to bed very late and missing all her naps, so she was exhausted.

Smiles All Around

Our first full day as an entire family was spent sledding of course.

This year, we decided to try out the hills at Murray Park. It was a little icy, but ended up being perfect for all of us.

The adults and the older kids enjoyed the big side of the hill and the little ones slid down the other side that was much smaller.

Everyone was having a blast. The smiles were plastered on their faces for hours. To my knowledge, no one got hurt and there may have only been a couple of brief cries by the little ones.

I was pretty much the photographer on duty that day and managed to capture some great photos. It's always a challenge with sledding, because they are moving so fast.

Thanks to my parents, basically every child had their own sled, which kept the kids very busy. All of the photos are kind of self explanatory (you can tell we were all having fun), but I will mention a few of the notable moments from the day as needed below.
 

Claire had such a big smile on her face the entire time. She really loved every minute of it. She had lots of people to help give her a little push down the hill or pull her back up when she kept sliding down. It was probably her favorite thing we did all winter.

 

Jace, the youngest of the bunch, didn't really like being all bundled up and sitting on the sled. I love the top-left photo where Ethan is just starring at him as if he's saying: "dude, why are you crying? You just gotta lay here and they'll pull you around".

Ethan enjoyed sledding as much as a little baby could. I think his favorite was laying on the sled and relaxing while someone pulled him around slowly. His Daddy gave him a big push down the hill a few times, but he seemed to like the slower rides better.

I think we spent a good three or four hours sledding that day. Jace eventually figured it out and fell asleep on the sled while the others were still enjoying themselves. I believe the only one that didn't care for it was Brooklyn, but that's okay. We all had enough fun for her.

Full House

The day after Christmas, my sisters and their families (Lopez's and Taylor's) arrived at my parents house. We only see each other a couple of times a year, so it's always a special treat to spend time with them. One of the best parts about them coming is that my nieces and nephews are old enough to take care of and play with my kids without close supervision. They will seriously leave the room for hours on end and I don't have to check on them. And since they aren't really close in age, they don't fight either! Amazing!

The Lopez's usually drive through the night from Arizona, so without fail, Eddie always falls asleep upon arrival. I can't blame him. The rest of us hang out around the house and in the case of the new babies, meet each other for the first time. Ethan and his cousin, Jace, are only a couple months apart (Ethan~10 months and Jace~8 months).

Erik is the resident "teaser" of the family and all of the little girls think he is hilarious (as do I). I'm not sure whether they thing he's awesome or totally immature, but he gets them laughing either way. He got in on the "girl picture" below and had them laughing for a while.

 

Now that the kids are getting older (the oldest is 13 years), they tend to play on the Wii a lot, especially the boys. Claire was very interested in watching them and trying it out for herself. She has no idea that we have one. I've never shown it to her, 'cause then we'll have to battle "electronic time" even more.

 

 

The first thing the kids want to do every year is go sledding. Living in Nevada and Arizona means that they only see snow when they visit Utah. We didn't get much snow this year at my parents house, but the kids still managed to have fun pulling each other on the sleds and trying to make a snowman. Claire loved having her cousins drag her around the yard. It makes me so happy watching her face light up when she plays with them.

 

Whenever my sisters visit, we generally spend every waking minute at my parents house, which means the kids also get to spend a lot more time with their Mormor and Morfar. My Dad is an avid bird watcher and Claire always wants to join in on the fun. Inside Claire's Dora the Explorer backpack that she got this year for Christmas was a pair of play binoculars, which meant Morfar didn't have to share his. She loved imitating his ever move and pretended she saw exactly what he did.



The Last Few Presents

Before our Christmas celebration came to a close, we drove to my parents house for our last gift exchange. Claire was thrilled to find out that she had MORE presents to open.

Once we got there, Erik created a fun scavenger hunt for her to find some of the presents. It was a great way to prolong the process and not have it be over in 10 seconds.

She was definitely spoiled by her Mormor and Morfar this year (as she is every year). Among many other things, she received a world map puzzle, a darling Dora the Explorer pillow case (made by Mormor), and a new sleeping bag. She was ecstatic!


Of course, Claire wanted to help Ethan open his presents. One of which, was a really neat "busy tower". He loved exploring all of the different pieces. 

Claire had a blast opening her presents, taking pictures of her Mormor and Morfar, and helping the rest of us open our presents. I hope she realizes some day soon, how truly blessed and fortunate we are. It was a wonderful holiday season and I'm looking forward to next year.

*Note - I turned the pictures black and white because for some reason, they came out terribly.

I don't know what my issue was, but almost every single picture was blurry and out of focus. :(