Pulse Family Journal: September 2011

We had a wonderful summer and unfortunately it is coming to an end. I ended up having some of July and all of August off of work and was able to spend lots of quality time with Ethan and we went on some amazing outings. At the end of July we went to a petting zoo here in Park Ridge; we found out quickly that Ethan loves the outdoors just like his daddy and was immediately comfortable letting the animals eat right out of his hand!

August was crazy for Ethan. In the beginning of August mommy went to California with some friends so Ethan got to hang with his daddy and Grandma Pam. It was hard to be away for Ethan even for a short trip, but when I got home I got a HUGE hug and smile. I also came home to a little boy who had learned the word NO - I couldn't believe how cute he sounded saying it.....I got over that pretty quickly and he hasn't stop saying it since. How we are working on him understanding what it means. This month we also went to our first water park with Auntie Michelle and Carly; Ethan loved it. The park happened to be 2 minutes from our house and they had a separate area for kids Ethan's age. He ran through the sprinklers and by the end of the day was able to go up the stairs and down the water slide all by himself. Later in the month we went to Brookfield Zoo with Carly and her cousins Gavin, Michael, and Molly. It was a nice visit we got to see lots of animals but most memorable was a beautiful lion roaring on his "mountain." After the lion finally stopped roaring Ethan started, it was adorable. After mommy's trip, daddy went away with the boys to Michigan for the weekend and mommy took Ethan to Green Lake with Busia and Auntie Jan. Ethan finally got to meet Charlie Peterson and they became fast friends; I worry about what they will be like together when they get older.....trouble! We visited Lamb's Farm in August with Carly, Aunt Michelle, and Busia. We had a nice time, but unfortunately it was a little run down, although Ethan and Carly didn't mind. Our last outing in August was to Papa's old firehouse. Ethan got to check out the fire truck and the fire pole and even meet some firemen. He was a little small and still a bit intimidated by the huge truck but we will definately be going back there again when he can slide down the pole and go on for a ride. I should also mention that Lucy turned 5 this month so we celebrated her birthday and Ethan gave her a birthday gift! Told you we were busy.....

Ethan has been surprising us everyday with the things he knows and understands. His vocabulary is growing like crazy some of his new words include cookie, garage, mower, please, and boom. I should explain that Ethan has become obsessed with the garage and mowing. The kid NEVER sits still and then one day we put him in his wagon and were doing yard work for like 40 minutes; he just sat and watched Adam mow. Since then, he points to the garage and asks whoever will listen to mow. Ethan now has 7 teeth and half of a molar is in...I think a lot more are on the way because his mouth is pretty swollen. Okay I think that is everything; check out pictures from the month.

Park Ridge Petting Zoo