HeAPPENINGS

Today was quite eventful. We all woke up around 9:00 this morning and lured Ethan downstairs. He first saw a Little People Garage that Santa left and really wasn't interested in anything else. We helped him open his stocking, but he continued to get excited about one item and didn't want to move onto the next. Santa was generous and brought Ethan some Disney figurines, a Yo-Yo Ball, a Microphone like Sid the Science Kid, a coloring book, Skittles, and his beloved Red Vines. Ethan continued to play with each toy after opening it and spent almost an hour opening gifts - Mr. Potato Head Silly Suitcase; Pixar Storybook; Fridge Phonics; Mack the Truck w/ Wingo, DJ, and Snot Rod; and a homemade fleece blanket. Ryan scored some new movies - Iron Man and Indiana Jones, a full-color Dilbert desk calendar, and some Transformers from Ethan. Addy got Get Smart, some wrist weights, and a Santa Potato Head from Ethan. Lots of fun things for a low budget Christmas.

We then enjoyed some cinnamon rolls and quickly got showers and packed up to head over to Ryan's parents. We were able to visit with family for a little while, Ethan had full reign of the toy room upstairs, and we enjoyed some homemade waffles. We knew we wouldn't have much time, but wanted to spend some more time with family. Time flew by and we packed up and headed back home to make mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing. Ethan had a moment to play with all of his loot and watched part of the Christmas Story on TV. He was actually laughing... quite funny. Ryan also got a moment to call his Mom in Oregon and enjoyed visiting with her.

After we got the food prepared, we headed over to Troy & Crystal's for some Bowman family time. Shortly after arrival, we enjoyed a scrumptious meal and good conversation. There are lots of cousins on the Bowman side and the kids had fun playing with new toys and running around in the dance room. The cousins did an ornament exchange - Ethan was so happy when he opened his green, hand painted turtle from Alyssa. Every year the Bowman's rotate, so our gift exchange doesn't last long. The highlight is usually watching Grandma Louise open her gift. This year we all chipped in and got her a neck massager and massage chair that she has had her eye on. The grandkids got her some Lincoln Logs. She was thrilled and looked like a kid on Christmas morning. She insisted that everyone try the massagers out... clearly a much appreciated gift. After some ice cream and pie we packed up and headed home.

It was a busy day... we felt bad that Ethan didn't have much time to play with his new toys, but we enjoyed all the time we had with family. Thank you to everyone who made it a special one!

Every year Ryan's parents have a party that is a little more formal, so we got Ethan all dressed up in his new Church clothes. We took advantage of the photo opportunity and got a shot - fruit snacks and all. With Church at 8:00am, we failed to get pictures of him last Sunday. It was lunch time by the time we got home and there was no way of catching him on film, at least in a pleasant mood.

We headed over to Ryan's parents house and were surprised that we were the first to arrive. Ethan enjoyed playing with a singing plush snowman and penguins, Ryan tried avoiding human contact (he was sick), and Addy visited with Grandpa & Grandma Zoratti while Ethan was happy (she is on Ethan duty while we are with the Heap side of the family). Family and friends slowly arrived and we all were able to enjoy a variety of delicious food.

The adults visited, Ryan played Christmas Hymns on the piano (one day Santa will bring one to our house), kids played, some ventured out to the backyard to shoot the potato gun for a little while (a visit by the Police in the neighborhood required a short break... the potato gun makes a very loud noise), Ethan enjoyed a bath in Grandpa & Grandma's bath tub that makes for a sweet slide, and then came the presents.

This year it was all about the kids. All four (Justin Zoratti, Ainsley & Corrine Dendinger, and Ethan) had a fun time ripping into all the gifts. Excitement filled the room. Ethan was beyond spoiled... he got Mega Blocks; a Mickey Mouse book and plush toy; Mr. Bubbles; Crayons for the bath tub; a Yellow Duck (he had to show everyone); a plush Camel; a Clifford book; puzzles; a wooden Penguin puzzle from Argentina, a Buzz Lightyear shirt; Cars - Mater, Luigi, Guido; Trains and track; Wall-E figurines and books; a Mickey Mouse ornament; and some green. Needless to say, he was in heaven.

After a little playtime, we decided to head home. Ethan was on a toy high and wanted to play with toys all night. We have been doing a Christmas Advent Calendar and wanted to put in the last picture - Jesus. We got Ethan to calm down and were able to have a great end to the evening. Ethan opened his last gift of the night; a new board book about Jesus. The First Presidency also delivered the Heap Family a new book about the Doctrine and Covenants. It was a very different feeling than the rest of the evening, but it was nice to share the Spirit with Ethan and teach him about the true meaning of Christmas.

For those of you who think that Addy always has a clean, organized house and a clean dressed child who always has his hair brushed...


This is for you.

(Notice the Star Wars T-Shirt w/ the Cars Pajama bottoms, 'Pirate' shoes, dirty face w/ a sticker from the soap dispenser, uncombed hair, and eating a cookie for lunch.)

Ethan loves to chase Edith. He also loves to torment her. He also loves her and will often meow at her in his sweet tone.

Edith loves Ethan. She visits him while he is in the bathtub. She comes to him if he is crying. She really enjoys him, even if she would never admit it (that is if she could speak).

Today Edith was lying on the arm of the couch, a spot where she often sits. Ethan was going through some of his movies and pulled out Ice Age. He apparently thought that Edith might enjoy it, so he walked over to her and showed her the front of the movie. The visual was accompanied with, "Ice Age. It's a good movie."

Love is precious.

Ethan has recently been working on his computer skills. He enjoys playing on Sesame Street's web site. Some of his favorites include Big Bird's Letters, Big Bird's Numbers, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with Zoe, and Elmo's Key Board-O-Rama. His all time favorite is a Halloween game where you decorate a pumpkin, witch, or scare-crow. The unfortunate part is that this game is done solely with the mouse (aka... Mom and Dad have to help the entire time).

Today, it clicked. Ethan has figured out how to use the mouse with minimal fits. We love our son, but it is so nice to have an activity that Ethan can independently enjoy. As Ryan got home from work this evening, Addy was finishing up dinner and Ethan was happily playing his game. Needless to say, Addy is happy and relieved that Ethan has found something he enjoys to do and gives her time to work on things that used to be taken care of during nap time.

Ahhh... it actually feels like winter. We have been enjoying the cloud cover, cooler temperatures and rain. Gorgeous! (The photo doesn't do it justice.)

Last week we went to get the oil changed at the Chevy Dealership. Every year they have a Santa and you can get your picture taken with him for free. Ethan wanted nothing to do with him, except for getting a candy cane. Since this encounter with Santa, Ethan will tell you that he wants Santa to bring him a candy can when asked.

Today Ethan and Addy were in the car running some errands. With Christmas quickly approaching, we have been asking Ethan questions and talking about all things Christmas. The dialogue went as follows:

Addy: Ethan, what do you want Santa to bring you?
Ethan: Candy cane. -pause- Santa bag?
Addy: Yes, Santa has a bag. What's inside his bag?
Ethan: Presents? Toys?
Addy: Is Santa bringing Ethan toys?
Ethan: Yes!
Addy: What toys does Ethan want Santa to bring?
Ethan: -thinking- Trains!
Addy: Anything else?
Ethan: -thinking, with a finger tap on his lips- Balls!
Addy: Anything else?
Ethan: -more intense thinking- Cars!
Addy: -thinking that we didn't get him any of those things- Anything else?
Ethan: -stretching into the depths of his desires- Rock Band!!!

It was so fun to see Ethan really thinking about it and having the idea that Santa would bring him presents. We recently watched the end of Polar Express and have been singing Up on the Housetop, so maybe he put things together and... click!

Where have we been? Busy.

We updated the blog... all the way back into October. So, if you're bored and need something to do, have a look.

Earlier this week our friends, the Scholes, called us to see if we wanted to go to the APS Boat Light Parade at Tempe Town Lake. They were coming from another place than their house, so we arranged to meet at the Park by the Lake. Unfortunately, we couldn't find them and don't have cell phones to call them.

We walked all around the park looking for the Scholes and a place to watch the Parade, but couldn't find anything that wasn't completely surrounded by people. We decided to watch the parade from the Mill Avenue Bridge. We found a great spot and got pretty cold waiting for it to start. Ethan enjoyed seeing all the lights, Santas, snowmen, reindeer, and candy canes on the boats. After the parade, there were fireworks. We were so glad that they were right after the parade... it was really cold (for Arizona).

Thanks for inviting us Scholes... maybe next year we'll plan better.

General Dynamics gives out awards to individuals who have gone above and beyond what they have been asked. Since Ryan typically doesn't work extra hours, he felt that he would never receive the award. On Thursday, there was a short meeting where he and another co-worker were given the Silver Eagle award. Ryan was so excited that his efforts had not gone unnoticed and enjoyed reading comments from his teammates.

He was also excited about a small bonus that came with the award. Who doesn't like unexpected money? Ryan usually does not splurge, so when he wanted to get some fun things with the money Addy quickly called it his 'report card money'. As a child, he got money when he got good grades and would buy video games... kind of the same thing.

After researching online and looking around Best Buy, he concluded that he would purchase a BluRay player and Rock Band for our PS2. He is so excited about his new toys and looks forward to sharing it with friends and family.

Good job Ryan!!! We're so glad that you were recognized for all your hard work.

A few months ago we posted on Edith's obsession with a particular blanket. She has since moved on and has settled for the bean bag.


She can be moddy at times, but she's a cat and female. What else would we expect? She's a great part of our family and we're glad that she has taken a liking to Ethan.

Anjie and Aidan invited us to go to the Zoo today. After dropping Daniel off at ASU for a study group, we headed to the Zoo. We went the usual path, but quickly discovered that several of the animals were not in their exhibits due to their annual check-ups. We decided to check out the new Discovery Farm and enjoyed seeing some animals in that area of the Zoo. Ethan usually doesn't like touching the animals or going near them, but as a chicken walked around Aidan and Ethan's strollers, he seemed to get a kick out of it (as long as it didn't come too close). Addy also learned that Ethan is definitely more of a visual learner. He did not want to touch some displays that gave you the feeling of touching the animals. After walking around for a little while, the boys enjoyed playing on the farm. Ethan had fun on the slide and playing with plastic pumpkin slices. He enjoyed it so much that he thought it was his and screamed when a child would come to play. After some swinging arms, Addy decided that it was time to get a snack. Ethan inhaled a cup of milk as we headed for the Carousel. Last time Ethan rode on one, he insisted on sitting on the bench. Addy got him to sit on a dolphin and he enjoyed the ride. After a look in the Gift Shop, we headed to Barro's where the boys played and we enjoyed some pizza. Another fun outing to the Zoo... thanks for the invite Anjie and Aidan!

Five years of marriage and this is the first time that we have the opportunity to plant winter grass. Ryan read up online, got some information, and got to work. A few weeks ago, he spent several hours mowing the lawn on each setting to get it as short as possible. He quickly discovered that it would have been easier if he had a different kind of mower. He laid the seed and manure... mmmm, it smelled sooo good. Hear the sarcasm? We watered the grass several times each day and stayed off the lawn for 4 weeks. Ethan was awesome and walked around it on the rocks to his play area. We thought that the grass looked a little thin, so thanks to some warmer weather Ryan laid down some more seed in hopes of making it look better.


Today, the lawn was nice and long... ready to be cut. Some seeds got out of the cement edging and started to grow, so Ryan and Ethan started out by pulling the 'weeds' out of the rocks. Ethan was so cute sitting next to Ryan and helping him. They were out there for over three hours. It is amazing how Ethan's attention span can be when he hangs out with his dad. After pulling weeds most of the day and dusk quickly approaching, Ryan mowed the lawn. It is a little thin in some areas, but overall looks awesome. It is so nice to have a place for Ethan to run, play, and explore.

Today is Grandma Louise's birthday and Ethan took her out to lunch at a favorite, Red Robin's. We were also lucky to have Anjie and Aidan join us. To celebrate an awesome Mom, Mother-in-Law, and Grandma, we decided that we should share things that make her who she is...

- She is willing to do anything for anyone.
- She treats all her kids' friends just like they were her own.
- She is a hard worker and taught Addy to be too.
- She loves her grandkids.
- She always gives Ethan hugs and kisses just above his nose.
- She is a strong daughter of God and is an example to everyone around her.
- She works at the Temple 2 days a week and the Family History Center in her Stake 1 day a week.
- She always remembers special events (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.).
- She calls you on your birthday to sing TMBG's 'Older', even though she doesn't know all the words.

We love you Grandma Louise! Thank you for teaching us so much and being an example to us. We're lucky to have you! Happy Birthday!

Ethan’s vocabulary has been expanding a lot lately. He has started putting sentences together and using larger words, for a 2-year-old. He will comment on things, for example, he will say that the Christmas lights are ‘so beautiful’.

Today he was in the car and said, “Christmas lights… impossible!” It was hilarious to hear him say something like that. It made no sense, but it probably did to him. The best part is that it is so clear. He says all the syllables. We really have enjoyed each stage he goes through.

We thought that Ethan loved Halloween... little did we know. He loves Christmas just as much, if not more. Before Thanksgiving there were a few homes with lights and blow up figurines outside including a snowman, Santa, and a turkey (Ethan called it a chicken). Ever since he has been sooo excited about looking at lights and every Christmas display in the stores.

Addy has been working on teaching him what Christmas is really about. Our conversation typically goes as follows:
Addy: Is Christmas about snowmen?
Ethan: Snowmen? No.
Addy: Is Christmas about Santa?
Ethan: Santa? No.
Addy: What is Christmas about?
Ethan: Jesus? Yes.

It has been so much fun to see the excitement of this season increase as Ethan gets older. If he is this excited about the lights, music, Christmas movies, etc., can you imagine how he will be on Christmas morning?