Ethan's favorite song is a little different from what you'd expect from your "normal" 4 year old! You know, most kids are walking around singing stuff like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", etc. . . NOT OUR KID!! He likes to RoCk!!! His favorite song is a little number by the band AC/DC called "Dirty Deeds"!!
His great love for this song came from Grampy! Grampy's favorite band is AC/DC and one afternoon this summer while hanging out together they watched an AC/DC dvd together. And Ethan was hooked!!!
Now he walks around singing it all the time! Blurts it out in random places {grocery stores, doctors office, school. . . }. And every morning when Daddy drives him to school they have to listen to the cd & he jams out playing air drums in the back seat!
Here is a video of him playing his drums {Christmas gift from Grampy} & singing. It's a little hard to hear him sing since he loves to beat on the drums real load! Enjoy!
This weekend we went apple picking for the first time. We finally were going to have a Sunday w/ good weather, & I really wanted to get out & enjoy it! I did some research online & found an orchard about 35 min. from us that allows you to pick your own, and they were having a "Sundae on the farm" day. They were giving free ice cream sundaes, had activities for the kids, horse drawn hay rides thru the corn fields, animals, and much more.
Checking out the pigs! They were named H1 & N1! {Seriously!}
And watching the hay rides go past. Ethan refused to go on one, until they stopped running. Then of corse he wanted to go for a ride!
Apple picking was so much fun! Ethan loved Daddy lifting him up into the trees!
Collin couldnt wait to get his hands on an apple!
And eat it!!! Yummy "bapple" {thats how he says apple!}
Then he decided he wanted to pick some too! He found one @ his height & decided to take a bite before taking it off the tree!
Ethan found a good one @ his height too!
Just hanging out in the trees! Fun!!!
After we finished picking we enjoyed some music on the lawn.
And free ice cream sundaes!
We had such a great time! Can't wait to do it again next year!
Today was Ethan's first day of Pre K. He has been very excited all summer waiting to go to "big boy" school. But of corse the when it came to the first morning, he decided he didnt want to go! After a few minor meltdowns, we finally got out the door & on our way!
Mr. Studmuffin gettin all spiffy for the ladies!
Future GQ cover model ??!!
Ok, I guess I'll go! But I'm not gonna like it!!
He seriously made every excuse possible why he couldnt go today! My 2 favs were "but I didnt finish getting growd up yet, I cant go til I all growd up!!" & as we were driving up to the school he noticed they havent finished the remodeling project, so he says "look, thems not done buildin it yet! I cant go to school today. . . . cause it's not fixed yet!!"
Dispite all of the excuses, the minute we walked into the school he marched right into his classroom, went straight to his cubby & hung up his stuff, & ran to join in on circle time! I actually dont think he even said good-bye to us! {sniff, sniff}
Schools out!!
& "mommy, I had fun!" {me} "so, do you wanna go back tomarrow?", {Ethan} "Uhhhh, YEAH!"
The school has been awaiting Ethan's arrival! Since Grampy {my step dad} just retired recently from working for the school, Auntie "A" {my sister} is now working there, & I have a bunch of school employees as clients, the school has known all about him. His teacher had already done a few great "homemade" adaptions in his classroom last year because there was another little boy in her class that also has achondroplasia. She had the hooks in 1 cubby lowered, strings attached to the door handles so he can open them himself, a stool attached to 1 chair for his feet to rest on so they dont dangle, & a back rest on the chair. But since it is Pre K almost everything is at his level right now. But if anyone has suggestions of good school adaptions that will be helpful in the few years I would greatly appriciate it if you'd share them with me so I can pass them along to the school. :0)
A few days after returning from NYC Fred's brother Bob, his wife Megan & their two adorable little boys Robert & Mason came home for a visit. They live near St. Louis so dont make it home very often. This was actually only our second time meeting Robert & our 1st time meeting baby Mason.
Cute lil Baby Mason . . . . . . . . . Ethan & Uncle Bob
We all went camping together for the weekend & had a ton of fun. We had a awesome campsite right on the pond. Great for fishing, but not as great for sleeping w/ the bull frogs! Bob, Megan & Robert (baby Mason stayed w/ grandma) rented a cabin that was right next to our site which was great.
Me & Megan . . . . . . . . . . . . . Collin & Robert trapped in the baby play yard!
Ethan showed Robert how he can fish. & Aunt Megan caught her 1st fish! She was very excited!
Saturday we all went to the beach, which was about a mile down the road from the raod from the campground, for the families annual gathering. Family came from all over, Bob & Megan from St. Louis, The Knox family from Pennsylvania, Aunt Gigi from Florida, Uncle Sam from NYC, and the reat of us didnt have to travel more than 45 min.
All of the Servello family. Grandpa with his wife, children, grandchildren, & great grandchildren! All of the Weissers.
And just our family!
Collin LOVES the water!
We celebrated both Bob & Robert's birthdays. Since Robert is a HUGE Cookie Monster fan, I attempted to make him a cookie monster cake. We ended up having to cut the party short, because the park attendents worned us of a sevear thunderstorm heading our way. We all packed up quick & we went back to the campground. Fred's Uncle Sam joined us camping for the night. Everyone took naps & relaxed during the storm, which didnt end up being all that bad. We enjoyed a nice dinner & campfire together.
This trip ended our vacation. We had a great week between NYC & camping.
I can't even believe our lil boy is already 4 years old! Seems like just yesterday that he was born! We've been through so many ups & downs since I was pregnant with him. But every moment with him here has been wonderful! He is such an amazing lil boy! I have always said "he may be small but he has a personality larger than life!'' & if you've ever met him you would agree! He enters a room & everyone knows it! And if it wasn't for him we wouldn't have so many new wonderful friends in our lives!
Here are some special pics I wanted to share.
Ethan minutes after being born.
Mommy & Daddy visiting Ethan in the NICU
Cutie!!
All wrapped up & finally rid of all of the tubes & wires.
But still in the NICU.
3 mos. old
11 mos. old. On his 1st camping trip!
Happy 1st Birthday!! Cake mess!
15 mos. old. Looking very handsome & he knew it!
At Uncle Bobby's & Aunt Megan's wedding.
17 mos. old. 1st time meeting his bestest friend Seamus!
This year we attended our first Little People of America convention. Since it was held in New York City it was the perfect oportunity for us to go for the first time. We only live about 4 hours from the city.
Since we live so close we were able to drive down. We decided to leave on friday July 3rd after work so we could drive a few hours & then spend the night somewhere so we could get up early & drive into the city. We didnt want to get stuck in a ton of traffic on the 4th with all the people trying to get into the city for the fireworks. Plus we wanted to have as much time there as possible. We were able to get into the city around 10 a.m. & unexpectedly our hotel room was ready for us. We were expecting to have to have the hotel store our bags until check in at 4 p.m., so getting to check in early & get settled in our room was great!
Fred's Uncle Sam lives in Manhattan and he was able to meet us as soon as we arrived at the hotel. He was our tour guide around the city for most of our trip. It was great having him show us around & especially teach us how to us the subway!
Saturday~ after arriving at the hotel & getting settled we decided that we'd set out to find the parking garage. We had a few hours to kill until the Camenga family would be arriving to join us. So I program the GPS w/ the address off of the parking pass we recieved through LPA, and we took off. We arrived at the address on the parking pass & there was no parking garage in site. We drove around the block 2 times, no garage! So I call the phone number listed & tell the man that answers the phone that we are on the street but see no garage. He repeats the address to me & I agree w/ him that yes that is where we are. Then I ask him the zip code, he says "no. . . that is Brooklyn. . .we are in Manhattan!" OMG!!! We just drove to Brooklyn when we were already in Manhattan, a half hour out of our way, through tons of traffic, into the "getto" FOR NO REASON!!! The zip code that the LPA had printed on the parking pass was WRONG!!! UGH!!!! So we then find the correct parking garage & then head out to find some lunch. We found Katz Deli, the deli where the famous movie scene from When Harry met Sally was filmed. It was very cool!
After lunch we decided to head to the Convention & check it out! With in just a few minutes of being there, Ethan needed to go potty. So I take him in to go potty & while washing our hands I turned to find one of my Facebook friends, Erin. What a place to meet for the first time! LOL. Ethan totally hit it off with her super cute daughter Emma. I think there might have been some sparks! He likes the older ladies, & she's 7! After spending a little while at the main hotel we decided to head back to our hotel because the Camengas had arrived. While on the way out of to catch the shuttle, Tonya happened to walk passed me. We got to chat for a few minutes while Ethan & Knoah ran around & played together. When we got back to our hotel & met up w/ the Camengas we all went out & enjoyed a nice dinner together. After dinner we took a nice walk along the water to scope out a nice spot to watch fireworks. We found a spot along the water where we were able to watch both NJ & NYC's fireworks. Unfortunatly I couldnt get a very good picture of the fireworks.
Sunday~ Early in the day we all spent some time at the main hotel & then took a trip through China Town. That was definatly quite the experience! Later that night we all went to the Welcome Reception Dinner. It was Coney Island themed & so much fun. They had a live band, games for the the kids, face painting, a juggler, clowns, a lady on stilts, & tons more. The kids had a blast! After the reception while heading to the shuttle bus, Emily spotted Amy Roloff & totally "pounced" on her! It was so funny! Ethan & Seamus had their pictures taken with her & we all talked with her for a few minutes. She was so nice!
Monday~ We went to Battery Park w/ the Camengas to see about taking the Statue of Libery Boat Tour. By 10 in the morning the line was rediculously long! So we ended up finding another boat tour that took you around the harbor but didnt stop @ the Statue or Ellis Island. This was fine sine the kids arent old enough to appreciate going to see those things now! But they all loved the boat ride! After that we went to the main hotel for a meeting with a bunch of our POLP (parents of little people), Blogging & Facebook friends. It was kind of a wierd feeling being in a room with a bunch of people you've never met but you know so much about. I think Mike described it best when he said it was like looking at a bunch of celebrities! It was really nice getting to meet everyone that was there!
Tuesday~ Well this was a big day! That morning we got exceptionally early and went to go see the Today Show. We met Trisha w/ Caden and Pam w/ her family there. It was really cool to see, in person, what we watch every morning. The only main cast member there that day was Matt Lauer, AKA "TV Matt" (thats what Ethan calls him). Everyone else was on vacation or covering the Michael Jackson funeral. After standing there forever & it seemed like nothing was really going to happen then Matt came out to do a segment near where we were standing. As he was walking past us Fred grabbed Ethan's hand & began waving it, not realizing that was the hand that Ethan was holding a bag of mini muffins (breakfast on the go). So he ended up whipping the bag of muffins on the ground right in front of Matt! He picked them up & handed them to Ethan. Not too long after that Trisha & Pam decided they didnt want to stay any longer, but Fred & I decided to stay a little bit longer. I am so glad we did, because about 5 minutes later the fill in weather lady came over & interviewed us on camera! Holy Crap was I nervous! I had no idea what to say! She asked us why we were there & I said we were there for our first LPA Conferance. I still cant believe they put us on the air! With in seconds our phones began beeping & ringing w/ messages from people that saw us! We decided that since we made it on tv that it was time to leave. We walked over to Times Square & Ethan spotted the M&M store, but unfortunatly they were closed, it was before 9 a.m.! But then we came across the Hershey's store & they were going to be opening in 10 minutes. So we walked around until they opened. Ethan loved it. They had a huge machine that filled buckets with mini chocolate bars! It was then time to head back to the hotel & pack up to head home. We had such a great time! The kids loved all the hustle & bustle of the city. And usually I get home sick by the end of our vacations, but this time I did not want to leave! I did learn that from now on to book the main hotel for the convention as soon as booking opens up! I feel like we missed so much not getting to stay at the main hotel. But still had tons of fun! And met so many wonderful people! Cant wait for next year! I've already started saving! Nashville here we come!
Below is a slide show of some of the pictures from the trip & the video clip from the Today Show. It's not a very good video because I recorded it on my camera while standing in front of our tv, & my hands are a little shakey.
Since last summer we have been looking to buy a small used camper to be able to take little weekend vacations here & there. It was really hard to find one that was in our price range, not a piece of crap & a size that we would be able to park at our house. Well after alot of looking, we finally found one a few weeks ago. I immediately began planning our first trip! I had a few people tell me about this camp ground in Cooperstown that has a small animal farm, a mini golf course, hay rides, a fishing pond & pony rides, all fun things to entertain the boys. & it is only 40 minutes from home.
We went this weekend. Being so close to home the plan was to go out on friday, I'd have everything packed & ready to go & kids bathed so after Fred was done working we could head out & get settle in for the night. Then saturday morning we'd get up & have breakfast together & then Fred could drive back to town & work for a few hours & come back up when he was done working @ 1:00. So we would then have all saturday afternoon & sunday to enjoy camping! Well it never fails things dont always work the way they are planned!
~friday~ I get out of work, go get ice, go home & pack up the last few things. Go drop the dogs off @ my parents house. Then go pick up the boys, bring them home & stick them in the tub quick & Collin decides to poop in the tub!!! AGAIN! So quick get them out, get the poop out, drain & sterilize the tub, stick them back into the tub & finish washing them. Well getting them dressed Fred gets home from work, hook up the camper, load up the trucks (we took both since he had to come back to work the next day) & we head out. I had to stop for gas & realized I forgot the camping chairs so I sent Fred home to get them while I got gas, ok NOW WE ARE READY!!
We get to the campground, get checked in & start to set up. We notice that the campround is not exactly as nice as people had told me! It took a little longer to get settled than we thought it would. We found out that the lights inside didnt work, good thing I bought a couple little lanterns! We couldnt tell if the fridge was working or see if there was any kind of on/off switch. & so now it's almost 9:00 & we are all starved!! I then ask Fred "where is the grill????" he replies w/ "yeah. . . . . I was waiting to tell you. . . " I immediately knew, HE FORGOT IT!!!! Well good thing the camper has a little stove & I packed frying pans! So by the time we ate we were all tired & grumpy & decided to just go to bed. It was a rough night! It was cold & rainy, kids were up multiple times & there was some sort of bird that was making all kinds of squawking noises every 20 minutes!!!
~ saturday~ After a night of not much sleep the lovely rooster decided @ about 6:30 he needed to tell me it was time to get up!! & for those of you that dont really know me, I am NOT an early bird!! So well the boys were all sleeping, I decided to walk over to the showers before everyone in the campground had the same idea! It was really nice getting to take a super hot shower for as long as I wanted w/ out being rushed or some one coming into the bathroom to go pee, ask me a question, or just come in to come in! When I got back we had breakfast & then Fred headed home to work for a few hours .
So while Fred was working the boys & I went to check out the animals @ the farm. They had quite a few different kinds of animals, cows, chickens, the rooster!, peacocks, pheasants, horses, a reindeer {it looked like it had mainge or something!} goats, sheep & ducks. When we finished there we went back to the camper to have some lunch. I open up the cooler to find that the chicken that I had marinated that was in a plastic container & wrapped in a plastic bag leaked all over everything! OMG!!! what a mess! I ended up trying to empty everything out & wash as much of it as I could down w/ disinfecting wipes. & unfortunately had to throw a bunch of stuff away. And that is about the time when it began to rain. We finished up lunch, and Fred came back from working. Over the next few hours it progressively rained harder & harder. The poor kids were getting stir crazy from only having a small area to play, so we decided to take a ride & try to find something to do. We ended up at a diner to eat dinner, and then found a Walmart to get them a new movie & toys. The best part of the day was all 4 of us sitting down together w/ some popcorn & watching a movie together before bed.
{Just being boys & having some fun! Ethan is trying to give daddy a wet willy!!}
~sunday~ The rain finally stopped!!! After breakfast I began to start packing up while Fred & Ethan went to the pond to go fishing. For weeks Ethan has been so excited about going fishing! He had never been before. I bought him a Lightning McQueen light up fishing poll! With in the first 25 minutes I heard them walking back calling my name. He caught his first fish!! YAY! He was so very excited! They went back to the pond to release it and in about 20 minutes he caught his 2cd fish! And then a few minutes later, the 3rd!!! I think he would have spent the entire day at the pond if he could have! But it was time to head home! And just in time to, as soon as we pulled into our drive way it began to rain again!
It was quite the weekend! Definitely a learning experience, figuring out what we should have & shouldnt have brought w/ us & finding out what worked & what didnt. Even though it was a rough weekend, it isnt detouring us from doing it again! We have already booked a site someplace else for in a few weeks.
Welcome to our family blog! My name is Jennifer and my husband's name is Fred. We have two wonderful little boys, Ethan and Collin. Ethan was born with achondroplasia, which is the most common form of dwarfism. He may be little but he has a personality that is larger than life! And Collin is a happy little boy! Hope you enjoy seeing whats going on with our family!
