Ethan's 9 months old

Ok...so I'm really late posting this, seeing that Ethan was 9 months old on May 9. But I still had to have my pictures in the chair, and I'm just slow getting them on here.
At 9 months Ethan:
- is crawling at breakneck speed, once he started and was confident, he hasn't slowed down yet!
-is pulling up on everything and walking around it. He has taken a few steps holding on to mommy and daddy, but he's not "trying" to walk yet
-is trying SO hard to stand up in the middle of the room with no furniture help. He gets on all fours, straightens his legs and then kinda wobbles b/c he doesn't know what to do with his arms.
-weighs in at 24 lbs 1oz and is 29 1/2 inches tall.
-has 5 teeth in, and is cutting 3 more at the same time
-can say mama and dada...but prefers dada as his party trick to impress people
Brandon and I are so blessed to have such a sweet baby with such a pleasant disposition. Every day we love him more and just enjoy each new surprise with him.

Daddy's Birthday!

look how much fun we're having with cousin Reagan!

Happy Birthday daddy!

This is the face that earned him his new nickname "MJ" because he keeps that tongue stuck out all the time!

Sunday was Brandon's birthday...so we had a pool party to celebrate at my parents' house. My dad had turned the heater on the pool, so it felt like a big bathtub and Ethan was SO excited for his first time in the pool! He had a big time splashing around and chewing on his floaty. So we're looking to a big summer of days at the pool!

Family Trip to Shreveport

Ethan telling Mimi he's ready to lay down!

Ethan with his Aunt Erika
Saturday morning we loaded up the whole family in 2 vehicles and made the drive to Shreveport to visit with my dad's sisters and their families. Somehow we didn't catch any photos of the extended family, but we had a nice visit with them and Ethan had so much fun with his cousin Kaylee, tackling her and pulling her hair. So much excitement, he slept almost the whole way home!

super stander

We had to lower the bed last week because Ethan went from crawling, to pulling up, to standing up. As you can see, he's sooo proud of himself. Sometimes when I come in, he keeps lifting his leg like he wants to climb out. Oh...let the fun begin.

Here Comes Trouble

Look at me mom...I found you again

Hey mom, I was just exploring that other room....

This is how he likes to hold his cup, upside down and shaking it!

Now that Ethan is crawling everywhere, he wants to explore everything and attempt to get in every nook and cranny. The other night he had his sippy cup under the coffee table, then it slid to the other side on the floor...instead of going around, he chose to go THROUGH the coffee table to get it. Poor baby couldn't figure out how to get back out though because it came down too low for his head. So after this picture, his daddy helped him slide out.

Terri's Bachelorette Party

This cake looks JUST like Bracy :)

Terri in her beautiful veil and fun shirt w/ backwards letters

Terri and the hostesses

Friday night we celebrated Terri's bachelorette party in Hot Springs. We had so much fun telling embarassing stories about Terri and embarassing her with fun gifts! I can't believe it's only 3 weeks til the big day!

Baby neighbor

We had our backyard neighbor and her 2 little boys come over last Sunday night while her husband was at Memphis in May. Her and her 2 year old were outside on the swingset, Brandon was on the deck grilling, and I was in the kitchen with the babies while I cooked. Ethan found a paper bag and started playing, then Luke wanted it too....luckily I had another one so they could each play and not fight over them.

Sunday School Picnic

We had a picnic last Sunday out at a couples' parents' house in NLR and they had a great playset and backyard for all the kids to play on. We've been talking about getting Ethan a swingset for the backyard and so we wanted to see how he liked the swing. He liked it pretty well, but only if you swing gently.

Toad Suck Daze

Every year since Brandon and I have been together, we had gone to Toad Suck Daze....mostly just to get him some tamales from this one booth that comes every year. I know Brandon really loves them since we go rain or shine (mostly torrential rains the last several times we have gone). So we thought it would be so fun to go and take Ethan this year. Well....Ethan was very upset by he crowds at first...he even cried when the cheerleader held him, which NEVER happens so we knew he was overwhelmed. By the end he was fine, but the whole trip was worth it b/c Brandon got his tamales and I got to stay dry this year :)

Flower Shower

This afternoon I went up to Petit Jean Mt. for a wedding shower for Terri (and Bracy). It was such a neat idea! We had a wonderful lunch and then headed over to Winrock where we put together hanging baskets that will be used at the wedding and then Terri and Bracy will get to take them home. We had so much fun, even if I discovered I should never be allowed to plant flowers or arrange them!