Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Summer...




















...is flying by! Madi is here until Saturday, when we leave for Michigan. When she got here, we made our own version of a slip and slide, and Odin had a lot of fun with that. We have been swimming a lot this summer as well, except Odin is afraid. My sweet, good-natured boy is not quite a daredevil. While his male cousins will jump into the pool and turn into fish, he clings, like some sort of water monkey, to whatever adult is handy (usually me). It is nice that he is cautious around water, but how will I ever teach this kid to swim? We can't afford real lessons, so we are going to have to do it ourselves. Today Madi ignoring his crying and held him away from her body so that he could at least try kicking and getting used to not glomming onto one of us. He did okay, and I definitely think it was better for someone else to hold him. We also had Allison in the pool, and she seemed to enjoy it.


Saturday we went down the Salt River, sans kids. Madi...well...she had a few near-death experiences, but we won' t talk about those here :) We also got pelted by soggy marshmallows. Then we went to dinner and Jesterz, which was hilarious. (Jesterz is a comedy improv show here in Phoenix). Well, only a few more days until vacation!!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Backyardigans Birthday














































For Odin's 2nd birthday party, I decided to do a Backyardigans theme because he loves them, and his favorite is Pablo. Most people know I am NOT into characters- I won't buy t-shirts with cartoons on them, or shoes, or anything wearable. However, for a birthday party theme, I am happy to do it because I know how much he loves these guys. He just doesn't have to wear them. We had a lot of fun, all of Adam's family as well as James and Gina and Seth and Brandy were here. I hope someday my parents will be able to attend one of our kids's birthday parties, too! So, we survived despite lots of chaos, kids not wanting to share toys (especially the birthday boy!), me smashing Odin's hand under my chair leg, and some cousins turning the water table into a bath tub. Odin really enjoyed himself, and every time someone came in the door he said, "OOh, present!" He wanted to open presents all night- so next time, I think we will do that first instead of last! His favorite gift so far is the cozy coupe car, which is indoors for the time being; Arizona is too hot this time of year to play outside for long.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Happy 4th!





























Happy 4th of July everyone! Allison is officially 3 months now (how time flies, right?) We had a good time at the fireworks yesterday. First, we did some shopping for Adam because he needed new clothes, then we took nap (yep, all of us!) And then we went down to Tempe. We ate at Jen and Bill's, but didn't eat until late, so we were late to the fireworks. We all walked down to the bus stop (no stroller, so that was kinda hard), got on the bus, and rode to Mill Ave. Then we walked even farther to the fireworks. They started going off as we walked down to the lake, and when we finally sat down, we caught the end of the show. The fireworks were pretty good, though, and Odin really enjoyed them. He and his cousins had a fun time together, late at night, running around on the grass as fireworks exploded over their heads. Oh, and glow sticks were also involved. Getting home was interesting though. It was HOT, and I do not exaggerate, so we dragged our sweaty selves back through the streets, which were still quite lively, including a few people talking about Jesus- which is good, and I hope people listened! Anyway, we were back at the bus stop, and decided to take a different bus because the kids were sooo tired (especially Odin, Ally was remarkably alert and quiet). So we took the bus back, walked back to Jen and Bill's, and had some popsicles. Then we went home.







The kids slept in today and we didn't go to church. I asked Odin this morning if he had fun at the fireworks and he said, "Thank you, bus!" Which I took to mean he was thankful for the two bus rides, moreso than the fireworks :) Ally was a CRANKY girl this morning, and has been soundly sleeping for the last 3.5 hours. I should probably wake her up. Oh, and Odin just came up to me with two (wrapped) lifesavers and said, "Wow, candy!" :D Love these kids.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Odin's Birthday
















Well, here are some pictures from Odin's birthday. It isn't much, since we aren't doing a party until next weekend, but you can see he really enjoyed his new kitchen! It was a bit frustrating because he wouldn't eat his dinner, and Adam didn't want to let him have a cupcake, but he eventually ate some more dinner. And wouldn't you know he barely ate any of his cupcake?

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

2 Years Ago...

I became a mother for the first time :) Today is my son's second birthday. It is also my true mother's day. Let us go back in time to when he was born...
It was June 30 when my water broke, and even though it was Saturday, of course Adam was working. My water came out in a gush just after I got out of the shower (good timing, actually!). So, I abandoned my plans to eat a frozen pizza for lunch and got my hospital bag packed. (I'm not the type to do this ahead of time). Adam left his job, tools and all, and took me to the hospital. They gave me pitocin because contractions weren't starting yet. 22 hours, including 5 hours of pushing, Odin Nicholas Ebert was born.
Now, let's talk about my son. Ah, Odin. If you know this boy, you probably love him. Yeah, I know I'm his mom and I AM biased, but he is a special little boy. He is happy, adorable, and very sweet. He gives hugs and kisses freely, and until recently, has never met a stranger. (He is showing a little strange anxiety these days). Some of his favorite things are chicken nuggest, juice, cars, his "shows" (especially Backyardigans), and his cousins Bryce and Ashtis (his name is actually Ashton). He is also really enjoying swimming in the pool this summer, but he clings to me whenever we do. A very cautious child, he is. Oh he also loves baths and going to sleep (I kid you not). But, unless you know him in person, you will never get the full effect of Odin.
Tomorrow, I will post pictures from his birthday :)