HeAPPENINGS

Ethan did pretty well today. Ryan had the day off, so it was a little different having Dad there. He took Goofy again and we found a turtle water toy for him to throw. Ethan preferred his Dad, as usual, and Ryan was able to get Ethan to participate in the circle activity. We are still disappointed in the instructor and continue to attend only to have dedicated time in the day to swim with Ethan.

After swim lessons, we headed to Desert Oasis Pool in Chandler to swim for fun. None of our friends came this week, so we took Ethan into the deeper end and dunked him a few times. He was ready to head home, but after comfort time in the towel he enjoyed stomping in the shallow end of the pool. At least he is still interested in it after the abuse from his parents.

Our sister-in-law, Crystal, knows a lady who teaches swim lessons that are effective and not just fluff. Ethan will be starting 'swimming boot camp' on Monday, so we'll update on those swim lessons as well. Poor kid is going to be sick of the water or will absolutely love it when we're done.

Ethan's goal for swimming today was to get his feet in the water without crying. Before we left the house, he found a floating Goofy toy and Addy decided to pick her battles and let him bring it. It turned out to be a lifesaver! Ethan threw the toy in the water and then walked deeper into the water to get it. He went in all the way to his waist. Other parents suddenly stopped giving us evil stares and commented on how happy he was. Funny thing, other kids started fussing today. He did awesome and we're hoping he will continue to get comfortable and confident in the water.

More screaming... Addy talked to Ethan and he is going to try to put his feet in the water without crying. Ethan's response - "Water. Feet. Towel?"

Ethan started swim lessons today at the new pool by our house. To sum it up... screaming... the whole time. With the cooler temperatures last week, the water was pretty cool. Not bad if you are used to swimming, but when you are just beginning it can be quite uncomfortable. It also didn't help that the instructor really didn't know what she was doing. The class is designed to get the kiddos used to the water. She had them lying on their backs and tummies; a little too fast in our opinion. Ethan was very happy to get out of the water and warm up in the towel. He also was able to see his cousins, Ainsley and Corrine - they have lessons just after his. When we were leaving, Addy told him that we would see the pool tomorrow... he cried the whole way home and insisted on holding the towel, his new security blanket.

For a graduation gift, Ryan surprised Addy with a quick trip to Los Angeles, CA to see the musical Wicked... without Ethan. Addy's sister, Anjie, volunteered to watch our little one while we dashed off to see the play. We left Saturday morning around 9:00 to drive to California. We checked in to the Radisson in Culver City, changed into nicer clothes and headed to Hollywood. We enjoyed dinner at P.F. Chang's... Crispy Green Beans, Chang's Spicy Chicken, Wok Charred Beef, White Rice, and Mini Desserts. It is rare for us to get appetizers or dessert, so it was special to get both and indulge without a fussing toddler at our side. We then headed a few miles away to Pantages Theatre to see the show. It was amazing!!! Neither one of us had heard the music and we kind of knew the story line, but we thoroughly enjoyed all that it had to offer. The stage, costumes, and lighting were extravagantistic, the music and dialogue were comicalicious and lively, and the talent was superiorality. We loved it - highly recommended and we would both go see it again in a heartbeat! Maybe not drive to California again - thanks to rising gas prices - but would pay for tickets. After a few hours of sleep, we headed out early to make it home on Sunday early in the afternoon. We enjoyed the time together and like many other couples who have an opportunity to get away from kids, work, etc., we were able to see why we like each other. Thank you Anjie, Daniel and Aidan for being willing to hang out with Ethan and chill at our house while doing so... now it's your turn!

At the beginning of this week, it was dry and hot - typical Arizona. This is what it looked like outside of our house this afternoon. Not only is it very wet, with water collecting in our street, but it was cold! By the end of the day, the temperature had dropped about 30 degrees. We are loving it, but know that we will quickly be experiencing triple digits once more.

Cooler temperatures in the forecast allowed for our unexpected outing to the Zoo. Earlier in the week we were dreading triple digits, but today was extremely pleasant. We usually spend our Thursday mornings playing with friends from our old ward at a splash pad in Chandler. It was too cold, yes, too cold in Arizona in May to play in the water, so we invited our friends, the Scholes, to go to the Zoo. Addy enjoyed visiting with Natalie as Ethan and Bryson had fun running on wooden bridges, splashing in a fountain of water, and gazing at giraffes, turtles, and orangutans. We had a blast and hope that we have more opportunities to enjoy the Zoo this summer.

Tonight we had the privilege of attending an open house for Stewart Ferrin, one of the kids Addy babysat when she was younger. He was called to the Chile Concepcion South Mission and reports to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, UT this Wednesday. Thanks to Ethan napping late, we arrived near the end of the scheduled open house and Addy was able to be there while the Stake President set Elder Ferrin apart. It was a lovely blessing and we know that Stewart is going to be an awesome missionary! We're proud of him for choosing to do the Lord's work!

Stewart's younger twin siblings, Mitchell and Taylor, also have a big event this week - they are graduating High School! Addy can't believe how grown up these kids are! It seems like yesterday that she was hauling all 3 of them to Circle K on her bike, watching Disney Sing-Along-Songs, and exposing them to wonderful things like They Might Be Giants and Poncho's Tacos. Ferrin's - parents and kids - you guys are awesome!!! Thanks for making such a big impact on Addy's childhood/adolescent years!

Ethan has recently been fiddling with his belly button and has become more interested in them. This evening after dinner out and a walk around Chandler Mall, we came home and watched Charlotte's Web. We were all lying on the floor when Ethan felt his belly button under his shirt - a great opportunity to show him that other people have them too. He was thrilled! He was smiling and giggling - apparently he's easily amused. It was a great moment and a must-catch-on-film.

As a former teacher, Addy knows how much they can go unappreciated. We wanted to show one of our friends who teaches Kindergarten that we appreciate all that she does to make our world and future better. We missed National Teacher Appreciation Day, so we decided that late was better than not at all.

This is how we decided to show our appreciation. What better way than Post-It Notes!

The culprit.

Here it is... this is what our backyard looked like in March.

Now it looks like this! It doesn't even look like the same backyard. We are loving it! We're trying to spend as much time as possible out there before it gets too hot.


Here's a closer look at the playground set. Ethan is still trying to learn how to use it (climbing), but his cousins and friends seemed to enjoy playing on it at the parties.

We were getting ready to take a picture for a gift for Grandpa and Ethan was sitting on our bed. He turned and said 'cheese'... What a handsome boy!

When we post an entry, it is written as if both of us did so. It's our family blog, not mine. This entry is mine... I have a lot to be grateful for. After much preparation on both of our parts, we celebrated my graduation with some family and friends. It was a great day - well worth the physical labor! I know how amazing and supportive they all are, but when there is an opportunity to have a day dedicated to one individual, it shines. Thank you to all those who sent words of encouragement, came to support, and for all the wonderful gifts that were given. Thanks to everyone who is in my life... sometimes I wonder how I ended up blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing people. Thanks to all and a huge thanks to an incredible, supportive husband who puts up with my procrastination of doing classes/assignments that I'm not thrilled about, deals with my lists of projects, adjusts his schedule so I can go to class/do homework, and takes care of a fit-throwing 20 month old when a Suns game is on. It was a day that I'll never forget... thanks for celebrating with me!

Addy is a happy woman. She is going to class for the last time tonight, at least towards her Master's Degree. She is looking forward to enjoying life without school. It will be the first time in our marriage that school won't be a part of our lives... until Ethan starts Kindergarten.


She is also ecstatic that she completed her Master's with a 4.0 GPA... you go girl!

We're back after our short blog break. Things are still a little crazy, but we managed to find a little time to update our blog. There are some new entries posted, but since they occurred before our short break they are after the entry about the New Temple and continue into April. Take a look!

Ryan and Ethan packed up the car with lots of food and blankets and headed up North to Fathers and Sons. Each year, the Elder's Quorum/High Priests in our church plan a camp out for the men. Ryan, the brave, has taken Ethan to the camp out for 2 yrs. in a row. They had a great time, despite it being really cold and a lack of sleep. Ethan didn't want to sleep in his pack-n-play, so Ryan shared his air mattress. Ethan didn't want Ryan on the air mattress, so he ended up sleeping on the ground of the tent. What a great Dad!

Addy also enjoyed the time that the guys were away. She went to the Temple, got her hair cut, hung out with a good friend - dinner at Abuelos, dessert at Cheesecake Factory and a Movie, and went shopping without a toddler. It was a nice break, but she was glad to see her boys back safely.