Fun with pumpkins!

Fall has quickly arrived and we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather we've been having here in Ames and take Ethan to get his very first pumpkin. We all had a blast as we picked apples from the orchard, pet farm animals, and road on the hay ride together. Ethan couldn't decide on a pumpkin so we helped him with one that was just the right size. Today we carved the pumpkins with some friends and had warm apple cider and mom's famous pumpkin bars. Thought you would enjoy seeing some pictures of the fam. Love you all!

What a handsome ring bearer!

Oh, I am so bad at this...really, I have no excuse! 5 whole months have gone by and there hasn't been even 1 post! I am truly apologetic especially to all my faithful viewers...anyone? Well, in a nutshell, this is the update. Since our last post in January, Ethan started walking, talking, dancing like crazy, and has really started to show us his fun personality! He loves anything that has wheels...trucks, tractors (especially his Grandpa Fawcett's red tractors), motorcycles, bicycles! He can't get enough of trains and airplanes. He is all boy that's for sure! We just adore him and he is such a wonderful kid, even during his difficult moments. He is growing up into quite a handsome young man, just like his father =). Since January Thomas and I moved out of our tiny apartment and bought a beautiful home centrally located to everything! WE love the house and and love having all the space. We have really enjoyed using some of our saved up money to buy things for our new home! I never thought shopping at Lowe's could be so much fun. Since January, my brother Jon has married a wonderful woman, Hanna. WE just love her and couldn't be happier for the both of them. The wedding was beautiful and a great opportunity to spend time with extended family that we haven't been able to visit with in quite a while. Since January Thomas and I have really enjoyed spending time together and with Ethan and have fallen deeper in love with each other. God has really been faithful to us and blessed us with so much and we give Him all the praise for taking such good care of us. We love you all and would love to hear from you! Take care and God Bless.

Rain, Rain and some more rain...

The title pretty much sums up our trip to California but despite the constant downpour, we had a great time being together and visiting some old friends. We didn't get off to a great start when we sat on the plane for an hour only to find out we would be have to get off and wait for several more hours in the Des Moines airport before our flight could take off. The weather was so cold that day in Iowa that there was a part that had frozen on the plane and we had to wait for the part to fly in from Denver. Thomas handled all the logistics while Ethan and I walked up and down the aisles of the airport pointing at all the people and the planes from the window. Ethan had a blast pushing his stroller around and I was all for him burning off some energy. We finally caught a flight to Denver around 4pm and we arrived in San Francisco around 9pm. Ethan did great on the plane and seemed to entertain everyone around him.
We were lucky enough to stay with a friend of mine, Shelly who lives in the heart of the Silicon Valley where all the hustle and bustle never slows. I took Thomas around to see where I grew up, what schools I went to, where all the local hangouts were, where I coached gymnastics and where my dad pastored a church for 10 years. It was all very nostalgic for me and I couldn't stop telling Thomas story after story of all the memories I had. Ethan was such a trooper. He wasn't on any schedule and had to take the majority of his naps in the car seat. He is sch a flexible kid and just rolled with our plans. We went to Santa Cruz which is along the coast where we had some great food and went out on the wharf. We spent a lot of time driving because of the weather but there were some great things to see from the car. We went hiking one day in the mud but it was an adventure and something I really wanted to do with Thomas. WE also spent a day in San Francisco where we experienced everything from bumper to bumper traffic to driving down San Francisco's windiest street. Thomas had his first In-N-Out Burger and we took Ethan to the Rainforest Cafe which was a great idea for a 1 year old. He loved the gorillas and the elephants and to our surprise, wasn't frightened by the loud sounds they made that seemed to shake the entire room. He just stared in amazement. I had a great time reminiscing with old friends and meeting their new families. The flight back home wasn't as eventful on the ground but once we were in route, Ethan decided he wasn't going to be as easy this time. It probably didn't help that there was a lot of turbulence and I don't care for flying too much so I'm sure he picked right up on my anxiousness. He is a smart kiddo. Fortunately, we made it without making too much of a scene and the flight back to Des Moines was a short 45 minutes in which Ethan was once again on his best behavior. Despite the 7 days of nonstop rain we still had a great time. I was really looking forward to getting back and being in Ames. I'm sure glad we were gone during the week of below zero temps! Brrrr... I missed all our family back in Iowa and I can't wait to see you all soon and show you some more pictures of our trip. Oh and Ethan isn't walking yet but sure seems like any day he might take that step. We will keep you updated. Love you all!

Jennifer