FIRST SNOW FALL

On December 17th we finally got an accumulation of snow...It was beautiful outside. So right after we finished breakfast I took Ethan and the dogs outside for some play time. Ethan smiled and gave a chuckle when he saw the white snow outside.

I got Ethan all decked out in his winter wear!  My grandmother bought the red mittens for Ethan at a craft show...He actually kept these ones on!  I bought the Christmas hat from my neighbour who is selling them and the snowsuit and boots came from my cousin Joy!  Nothing is cuter then a little man all bundled up!

Ethan especially loved taking the sled down our road!

I think we will have many more fun winter days outside...

Ethan loves the snow!

My Attempt at Getting a Christmas Family Photo

So this year I really wanted to get a holiday family photo of our family...In Late November Nathan gave me an early Christmas present...A Canon SX20 IS camera and expansion drive. He gave it to me on a very hormonal day to cheer me up but also so I could learn how to use it before Christmas and before the baby arrived.  Nathan hit the mark big time with this gift...I love it so much and will get many years of use out of it!  Thanks again honey!

Anyhow back to my story...I really wanted to get a holiday family photo because I wanted to send out those cute picture Christmas Cards...Doing this was much more difficult then I anticipated.  Number one finding time to dress up at the same time was a challenge (between work schedules and such), Number two...finding someone to take our photo, Number three...Ethan!!!! Need I say more...It is hard to get a 1 1/2 year old to actually look at the camera! The best of the bunch are below...Wow is all I have to say...I guess the second one is alright...I like how Ethan looks in it! The only way we could keep him happy was to let him have a cookie...This is what he is holding (haha)!

So no Hofstetter Family Christmas cards for 2011...Maybe next year!  I refuse to pay someone to take our picutre now that I have a nice camera...One day I will learn the secret!

But please know that we really hope all our friends and family had a Merry Christmas and all the best to you in the New Year (haha)!!!

This photo is hilarius...The sun was super bright...But of course I wanted a picture...
Ethan could not look up because I am sure he was scared of being blinded...Nate tried but no eyes...
Somehow I kept my eyes open but it is super forced!  Also it was freezing out...
I believe Nate ran inside right after this photo!!! I almost peed myself and this is when I gave up! 

Decorating Our Christmas Tree 2011

This year we were quite late decorating our place for Christmas...Nathan and I usually decorate the day after Halloween...Yes we are very early but we don't care because we love Christmas time and we also love the feeling of Christmas in our home.  This year however was different because we had a number of renovations around our house that we were trying to finish before baby number two arrived...I am due Jan 4th!  On top of this working full time and caring for a little munchkin (aka Ethan) did not spare too much time to decorate this year.
So on December 4th we got it done! Thank goodness...I would have been sad if we didn't get a tree up!  My plan this year was to get a real tree...pick it out on a snowy day...cut it down and go for a hot chocolate but that didn't happen.  Number one we didn't have snow, number two we really didn't have the time and number three Nathan did not seem to understand this great traditional idea...He thought putting up the fake tree was just as good! (Not even close)  He even used the excuse that it was his families fake tree and wanted to keep the tradition.  Oh boy...I love how sentimental he can act just to get his way. Can you tell I am hormonal!

Anyhow Ethan just loved the Christmas tree...He loved the lights and pulling off the decorations...Yes our tree was very top heavy...Everyday I was finding decorations around the house and putting them back on the tree.  In the morning when Ethan woke up the first thing he would do when we got downstairs is grunt and point at the tree telling me in his "Ethan language" to turn on the lights.  I would say "Ethan do you want me to turn the tree lights on" and Ethan would reply "ya".

As I write this blog it is Dec 30th and we just took the tree down yesterday. This morning when I brought Ethan downstairs he was a little confused...He looked for the tree behind the couch and looked at me with a confused look.  I think Ethan is going to miss all the beautiful Christmas trees and lights...I will too, I do every year!

I can't believe that next year I will have another little munchkin that will be almost one years old helping us to decorate the tree!  Crazy!!

Decorating the tree

Ethan thinks the tree is pretty cool!

Taking a decoration off already!

The Hofstetter's Christmas Tree 2011

Santa Claus Parade 2011

 This past Saturday, November 12th was the London Annual Santa Claus Parade in downtown London.  It started at 6pm.  It took a while for the parade to reach us so Ethan got to wonder around while mom and I followed...This lasted for a good hour while my dad saved us a good spot on the curb.  We got some hot chocolate and treats to help pass some time.  There was no snow on the ground but man did it get chilly as the night progressed.  Ethan was getting a little irritable just before we could see the floats approaching but once the parade reached us he was in awe....Ethan was wide eyed and happy for the full parade which lasted at least an hour.  Ethan's favorite part was the music, bands, lights and candy that was being handed out.  He was also really excited to see Aunt Shayna in the parade!

Munching on a Timbit

Wondering down Dundas Street

This is Ethan watching the parade

My mom held him the whole time...
Because I am pregnant she is always worried of me lifting anything.
Thanks mom!

My sister Shayna was in the parade...I made her stop for a picture! I love her face in this picture!

Ethan with Santa in the background!

Ethan in a tux

I dressed Ethan in a tux this past Sunday for church...

I really wanted a picture but he fell asleep on the way home from church...

So I got a picture of him sleeping in his tux because I wanted a shot...

What a handsome little fella.

My Messy Little Eater!

I couldn't resist taking a couple pictures of Ethan after this particular meal...

As you can see he was a mess!!

For the last few months Ethan has been quite involved in feeding himself.

I love that he wants to be independent however it is quite messy at times.

He tries his best to use utensils but often will eat with his hands which means they get really messy...

He tends to rubs the food in his hair and face for some reason...

Not sure why...

My hope is that he will get less messy as he grows...

For now it is bath time after meal time!

And I am ok with that because he loves baths!





I ended up taking a few more pictures of Ethan eating his favorite breakfast choice...

Egg and cheese on toast...He can say "eggs" and "cheese" now!

He loves to watch me as I crack the eggs and put them in the frying pan...

Luckily this meal is not as messy as the meal he had in the previous pictures.

Halloween Night 2011

Note to self in future...If I am a working mom on Halloween day in the future...Book day off!

Halloween day was a little cold and damp but Ethan had on a nice warm costume so it wasn't a big deal. I took Ethan around our cul de sac while Nathan handed out candy. My plan was to go to a few of Ethan's friends houses on our Street but we ended up going to most of the houses on our cul de sac because Ethan seemed to love getting the candy (even though he can't eat most of it)...A lot of our neighbours had special treat just for Ethan like play dough, bubbles, toys, goldfish, granola bars, rice crispies and etc...so he actually got some treats that he could really enjoy! 

After trick or treating we took Ethan to see Pop's (My mom had to work), Gramps and Kathy Hofstetter, Great Grandma Boland, and Aunty Karen at work.  Everyone was very excited to see our little man on Halloween. By the time we got home it was around 9:30pm and Ethan was very ready for bed!  Even though he was a little unsure about seeing everyone in costumes I think he thought it was a pretty fun night!

A couple of Pictures with our little guy on Halloween!

Ben, Ethan and Jake

Scary Pirate Faces

Best wig ever!

Ethan checking out his candy...Best part about Halloween is dumping the candy out on the floor after going trick or treating and looking at all the loot!  I remember dividing my candy into different piles as a kid (a chip pile, a rocket pile, chocolate pile, etc...I even remember making a pile for the candy I didn't like so I could try to trade with my friends!
Oh the memories!

Us on Halloween after putting little munchkin to bed...
Nathan getting a head start on his Movember stash....
oh boy!

Halloween belly shot!

Shayna has a few pictures that we took of Ethan while going around to the houses....

I will attach them later!

 

Carving the Pumpkins...A Family Tradition...hehe!

I love traditions and I think they are important for families...Nathan and I both grew up in families that had many family and holiday traditions...I love that with my own family we can continue on with and create new family traditions.  However I am learning that with the hustle and bustle of everyday life it is sometimes difficult to pull off my "perfect" vision of how I see our family traditions playing out!  In my perfect little bubble of a world I pictured Halloween day going a little different then it did....I picture something like this...Making ghost and witch shaped pancakes for breakfast, having plenty of time to carve our pumpkins, making spooky cookies, roasting pumpkin seeds and decorating the front of our house all scary. Then I pictured Nathan and I taking Ethan out on a beautiful fall evening to go trick or treating around our neighbourhood then driving around to our family members houses to show off our cute little man in his Halloween costume! Sounds perfect eh!

Unfortunately I just couldn't fit it all in this year! The craziness started on Halloween Eve when I ended up realizing that we had to carve our pumpkins that night because I worked Halloween day and would not be home until 5:30pm....So on the night before Halloween after a yummy family dinner we quickly carved pumpkins at my moms because I had a youth fireside I had to attend at 7pm that night...My mom, Shayna, Ethan and I got around to this activity at about 6pm...Nathan was not around because he had to work...Anyways we carved  those orange suckers super quick because "Ethan needed the experience...right??"...I couldn't have un-carved pumpkins on Halloween Day...."Could I??"  Anyhow my vision of Ethan loving this activity was slightly off as well...He didn't really care too much...He came and looked at the pumpkin guts but that was about it...He wasn't even interested in touching the gushy mess! Even though I coaxed him into it for a few minutes for a "perfect picture moment"...haha.

Before you look at the pictures I would like to point out the obvious...The pumpkin faces were brutal this year...Remember we only had about 10 mins to carve these vegetables so please don't judge...However the one my mom carved is hilarious...I told her I would tell people Ethan did it as it is not far off what he could probably produce if I would allow him to hold a knife...Oh well it was actually really fun and we couldn't stop laughing at the fact that I felt we had to carve the pumpkins and give "Ethan this family tradition".  Also when Shayna and I saw what my mom's pumpkin looked liked we almost peed ourselves.

He loved holding the spoon of course!

Mine on the left...I know brutal...But not as brutal as my mom's!  Haha

I would like to report that at 6:25pm I got dress and did my hair while my mom and Shayna bathed and dressed Ethan. I made it to the church by 6:55pm with 2 carved pumpkins in my trunk!

A little stressful but we got it done...It is so nice to have help!

Stay tuned for Halloween Day picutres!