Back to Easter, 2007

Let's go back a month. To Easter weekend, the weekend that we don our Easter bonnets and beautiful spring clothes and begin to shed the winter. This year for those of us in Northern Virginia, it snowed! Yes, snow on Easter weekend and we aren't north of the Mason-Dixon either! Granted it was just a dusting AND it did melt shortly after about 10 am but for a while it was snowing on Easter weekend 2007. The kids loved it and it sure did make Easter egg hunting at the church that day interesting! Anyway this is just a quick look at our back yard that morning.



So that day at the church we had an egg hunt and Ben, Ethan and Elli all got prize eggs and won a little goodie bag of "stuff". They also got to watch a puppet show put on by our youth group. I think most of it went over Ethan's head but as you can see from the photo of him it certainly got to his heart!


That night a little r & r, for the little ones, was in order. They got horsie rides from the grandparents! What fun it is to have them so close to us! Not only can the kids bond with them they can also use them in a myriad of ways, horsie rides required!





So this is "my Ethan". He is ham in front of the camera. Rarely can I get a straight face out of him with the cameras on. There are the rare occasion when he does a "nice" smile and I have the camera ready like the photo here with his brother. They really are a sweet pair! They get along famously, most of the time!
Then there are the times...
Ah but it is late and Ferdi has turned off the light and Ethan is crying that he needs his mommy!
We'll write more later.
Thanks for reading

Spring Break is over

We had fun at the zoo! Ben brought a friend from school, Jamieson. We had a pic-nic near the gorillas. The little ones had a blast. Elli ran the whole way up the hill from Rock Creek to Connecticut. She was tired when we decided to make our decent. Ethan took a more moderate course and enjoyed the lions at the end of the day. He kept saying, "for Narnia Farnia" where the lioness was. It was a BEAUTIFUL Tuesday! The rest of spring break was COLD!

My friend Chelsea and her husband Joe had an Easter egg hunt and lunch at their house on Friday. I didn't think it was that cold! By the end of the event Ethan and Elli were in the car warming their hands! They had a blast "hunting" eggs. They really enjoy being around each other.
Not sure what Ben is up to here. He kinda reminds me of Monty Python in some way. He was a good helper at the egg hunt!
There was a mini goal and some soccer balls at the party and Ethan honed his skill for Soccer! He sure is a sportsman! Uncle J surveyed the practice to make sure Ethan's skill was right.:)
I will post more photos next week of the SNOW...yes snow we had on Saturday!
Over all it was a great first spring break since College!

New Nephew

J, Karen and Elli welcomed their newest edition on March 23rd at 11:00pm
His name is Aaron Joseph.
This is a photo I took with J's camera of Aaron getting some vitamin D.

Ethan knows that he won't be a real rock-n-roll star until he is potty trained but that doesn't seem to get in his way! He still likes to rock out any chance he gets! This is one of the last photos I have of him before his hair cut. He sure liked to rock the fro!

First real snow of the season! The boys had fun. It was to light and fluffy to do anything with though so running around and making snow angels was about all it was good for. Look for future posts with real snow fun!

Ethan and yogurt! This boy loves his yogurt! He would eat yogurt every day all day if we let him. He especially loves it with granola. Don't you dig his new haircut? He loves it! It is not a messy as it was before and it doesn't get in his way anymore.

Ethan tested Feb. 23rd for his orange stripe belt in Tae Kwon Do. This is a photo of Ethan and Master Jhoon. He was breaking a board with his foot. He did a great job and is continuing to enjoy T.K.D a lot~

Slowly, I learn. You must post photos in backwards order of how you want them to appear and if you want to type in between you need to post and type them next photo. If anyone knows a better way to do this let me know!
We are having another snow day but it only effected our church-going today. We have had another lazy day!
See y'all soon!
Syn-D

I thought I would load the photo of Ben earning his yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do. In this photo Ferdi is helping him break his board. What an honor to assist your child in earning their next level in rank.
Then we have an updated photo of Ethan's cat doing what she does best...grooming!
We have been off from school for the last 4 days but because Ethan has been sick with an ear infection and very high fevers we have not been able to enjoy the snow or much of the days off.
Today he is much better and singing in my ear. I think we will have a great 3 day weekend.
We are going to Richmond to see Karen for her baby shower.
I hope to have some more recent photos to load next week.
XOS

The cousins 12-31-06

It is fun to have a birthday on a holiday when all the family is around! Ethan turned 3 on the 31st and boy did we have fun! Ethan, Elli and Ben get along so well and when there is cake to be had well everyone is happy!
Yes, I made the cake. I know it looks a little whacked out but Dr. Oetckers (or something like that) makes a mean boxed cake, it is organic and I can pronounce all the ingredients! That is important!
Happy New Year to all.
PRAY FOR SNOW IN VIRGINIA!
Not as much as Colorado has been getting but enough...
You know what I mean
Enough I am shutting up now
See you all soon!
XOXOS

A few holiday photos

Top photo is Ethan and his best friend Tonito. They are like brothers!
Photo two is Ben and Justin a good friend!
Then we have my brother Chris and Ethan. Ethan LOVES uncle Chris! He is always so excited to see him!
The lsat two photo's are of the boys and their stockings!
We had a fun holiday!
I'll write more later!
XOS

Where to begin?

TURBO!!!
Turbo is crazy!! She is tolerant of Ethan but no-one else. I don't mean to say that she is mean. By no means, she is a lovely cat she just knows what she wants, just like her master, Ethan. They also like to nap.

We went as a family to West Virginia. There is a beautiful spot called Seneca Rock that is perfect for a weekend away from the hullabaloo. We rented a cabin with Karen, J, Mom and a friend of Karen and J's, Chris. The kids had a blast! The leaves were beautiful. We went horseback riding in the mountains. Ferdi and Ben went hiking. Ethan and Elli had a apple and cheese pick-nick in front of our cabin. We roasted marshmallows. It was great to get away and be with people that know you the best.

I enrolled the boys in Tai Kwon Do. They love it!! Ben is gaining self worth by the day! Ethan is just having F-U-N! That is what Ethan's do best! They have only been practicing for a month but they both have their white belts. Ethan will test this Friday for a stripe on his belt to progress him on to the next level! It has been fun watching the boys enjoy a sport for the first time!

BOOST!
She sure has gotten big in the last year. I can't believe that we have had the girls for almost a year now! I can't imagine our life without them. It is funny how laid back she is. Ethan can do anything to her and receive no reaction.


Then there is my little cub scout, Weblos. He is really enjoying this activity! He is loving the challenge. He has already asked about the Eagle Scout project, how long does it take, what do I do, etc. This photo is of Ben, Jamison and Richard at the rain gutter regatta. That is where the boys make boats and race them in a gutter filled with water. It is really a fun event.

Well that is about all.
I know I promised you all an update in October, but life has just been packed! I am loving being home with my children.
I hope to update again over Thanksgiving break! I get a break at Thanksgiving!
Oh, one more thing before I go.....
I am not exhausted and you all might get Christmas cards this year~!!!
Look for more soon.
Maybe even about my new job, though I don't want to jinx it.
XOXO~~S

Finally an Update

On the top is, of course, our family. Yes, that is me finally, a photo of me with my boys! They are wonderful!! The bottom photo is my Uncle David, dad's brother, with my "little" Ethan. We were in the mountains for both photos for the Esterline-Carter Family Reunion. We went to Shenandoah National Park. It is but 3 hours from our house. It was unseasonabally cool for the weekend which was refreshing after the heat we had been enduring in the valley. We went on several hikes. J, Ferdi and several others from the group caught the last two games of the World Cup in the T.V. room that was VERY small! It was a lovely weekend with people of like mind and blood :). I can't wait till next year in Yosemite.
The boys met "new" cousins, uncles and aunts. It will be fun to stay in touch and see them all again next year!

To cute for words

What else can I say? Ethan loves to imitate Ben. Ben can do no wrong. This day they were waiting for the ice cream woman. They were waiting so patiently and I thought what a cute photo! I couldn't resist. They are such a joy in my life and they sure do keep me grounded!

Sister Kiss

Turbo, the grey one, is the groomer. She grooms both herself and Boost on a regular basis. As thanks Boost, the black one, is very affectionate of Turbo. She watches out for her and on occasion, kisses her. Yes, that is Turbo's paw in the immediate foreground.

Artificial Color Added

My kids are so natural in the foods they eat that when they do get a hold of something artificial, from school or grandmas, they really love it. Take for instance the fruit roll-up that Ethan just finished, it was a "snack" from school. He shoved it in his mouth when he saw me coming. He was either ready to go home or afraid that I would take the contraban away from him. I couldn't resist then snapping this photo of him and his tongue for my blog. After I saw the photo I thought that it might be something I take to Art-O-Matic this October.

WE BE LOyal Scouts

Ben is now a WEBLOS. He had his crossing over ceremony with Richard, Nahum and Jamieson. He has been with those boys since he started at Rockledge Elementary School in the first grade. Actually, they were all together in first grade with Mrs. Lingamfelter. Now look at them! They will be going into 4th grade and they are making the transition from cub scouts to boy scouts as they start with the Weblos program. I am so proud of Ben he has really become a little man this year.
As you can see in the photo on the bottom, so has Ethan! All of my boys (Ferdi included) have had a great year so far. Ben and Ferdi are planning to go back to El Salvador this summer without the Mom factor. That should be fun. Ethan and I will have about 3 weeks of together time without any interuption except school and work. I will keep you posted as to what happens and maybe some photos when he returns.

Have you met the girls?

This is a photo of our kittens. The black one is Boost and the grey one is Turbo. You get it? Turbo is Ethan's cat and is an animal image of the boy, MISCHEIF! Boost is Ben's cat and again a mirror image of our older son, laid back, chill and loving. It is cool that their personalities match so well. We chose whose cat was whose before they even came to our house. They are both so patient with Ethan who always wants to hold them and love them. We couldn't have gotten better girls!! To top it all off they were rescued from Katrina which makes it all the sweeter to have them around. They are here to sty, even Ferdi is growing attached to them. Turbo LOVES Ferdi. She grooms him on a regular basis. :)

THE COUSINS!
The three little wonders on Easter Sunday after church. They really love each other. This was not a set up they were holding hands on their own and everything! They are so wonderful together. It really is a blessing to have had the two youngest so close together and Ben to watch over them when they play!
MY BOYS!!

I love them so much they are my heart! I don't know what I would do without them! They are so close! Ben truely love being the "big brother". This is in front of mom's house with her azalea's. I didn't get a chance to do the crocus photo that I like to do every year. The weather was just to weird with HOT and COLD days right next to each other. The crocus died before I could take the yearly photo. ANYWAY>>>

2nd edition birthday

Finally a new photo of Ben. Here he is with his birthday present from his Tia Gilma and his primos Clara, Jen, Eliseo and Elias. He was pretty excited to get some new shoes, the first in the series of Avatar DVD's, some books, an ice cream cake, a Nintendo DS and just general all around fun! Who doesn't like a good birthday?

Where is Ben?

Like I said in my first post I am new to this whole thing! I still haven't figured out how the choose the photos I want for the blog so I am selecting photos from numbers and dates. When I finally figure it all out there will be many photos of both my kids and the two cats turbo and boost (sisters) on the blog. I am not doing the baby thing I am just inept!
Syn-D

window

My Ethan loves to "drive" with the window down and arm hanging out! He gets mad when I lock the windows on cold days and he can't put it down. We were lucky to have a fairly mild winter.

Ethan and Bread

This is my carboholic 2 year old, Ethan. Whether it is pasta, bread or rice he will reach for the carbohydrates everytime before protein!

1st edition of Birthday Fun

Ben turned nine this year!
It is amazing that I have a nine year old!
We ate at Jimmy Buffet's resturaunt Cheeseburger in Paradise