San Jose Mission

Since we were able to find a house in such a relatively short period of time, we were able to do some sight seeing with Chris before he had to start work. I really wanted to check out the missions here--the Alamo and the other 5 missions. The day we went to see the Alamo didn't work out too well. It was about 103 degrees that day, and after walking around the River Walk, we decided to come back to the Alamo another day.

The other day we did make it to the San Jose mission. It was fun to get out and enjoy our time together. Ethan loved not having to be in a car seat driving around to check out houses!

The San Jose Mission

Ethan decided that he was big enough to push the stroller all by himself.

This little lizard was the highlight of Ethan's day!

This is one of the wells there. By the end of the day, the heat and running around had drained Ethan, so he actually asked to be pushed in his stroller. I think this was a first!

We've finally arrived!

Okay, so it's been over a month since I've last gotten on here! It's been super busy here in for the Baldwin family. We finally made it to Texas and finished our house hunting adventure. It actually went pretty quickly. We found a house in about 4 days, and are super excited about moving into it. The only catch is..it's not quite done yet. They've said it will definitely be done by October 9th, but there's a possibility it will be done by the end of September. We're all praying for September.

The novelty of staying in a hotel has definitely worn off for Ethan. When we're out driving now, he'll first ask if he can go to Ethan's "new house." When I explain that they're still building it, he will then tell me it's time to go to Nana's house (grandma's house where we were for most of the summer). I then explain that we will go there as soon as our house is finished (to pick up Inca). Usually, this then leads to a melt down unless I can find a fire engine, bus, truck, or tractor to distract him. He's definitely having a hard time understanding this move. But, we've already found a new story time program at the library, made it to our new church, and try to find something super fun to do every day.

Our backyard! Thankfully, they are going to put sod down when the construction is finished. The realtor said it's very unusual to have this many trees in a backyard here where we live. I know we're all going to enjoy the shade they will provide!

The front of our house.

Daddy and Ethan walking down the hall....I think.

The family room going into the kitchen.

Ethan looking out of his future bedroom window.

The great thing about picking out a house that isn't built yet is that we got to make some changes in the interior decor. We got to check out wall paint color, faucets, and all that other good stuff. My highlight was being able to pick out the flooring throughout the house. Since we've got Inca, I was pretty excited about this--no carpet! Well, we'll still have carpets in the bedrooms, but not in the living areas, dining area, hallways, and study. I picked out a tile flooring that I really liked for those areas. (Inca is just not going to be in the bedrooms.) We also got to pick out the appliances, which Chris was excited about. He got to get his gas stove, and I got a microwave that mounts above the stove, to save counter space. It's been a lot of fun!

Kids Carnival

Ethan got to go to a really cute "Kids Carnival" tonight. It was actually put on by a friend of Vincent's, who also has a bunch of nieces and nephews that are 2-3 years old. The idea was so cute that I think I'm going to use it for Ethan's next birthday party! They had it all set up in the backyard and had a bunch of games/projects that are perfect for kids 2-5 years old.

They had a ring toss game (where the younger kids could actually just put the rings on the pole), someone making balloon animals and hats, a cake walk game drawn on the patio area, a face painting station, a mini golf game (where the kids only had to hit the golf ball into a hula-hoop), and fishing.

The fishing was by far the most popular. One of the girls helped the kids throw their "pole" over the blue sheet that was hanging on the fence. The pole was a dowel rod with string and a clothes pin as the hook. The dad was behind the sheet, and would attach a toy to the clothes pin, then tug on the string to make the kids feel like they had a fish.

All the kids got a prize for every game, no matter how well they did. They even had the toys divided into "2 years and under" and "3 years and older." It was so sweet of them to invite Ethan, and he had so much fun!

Sewing Projects

So ever since we found out that Ethan's going to be getting a baby sister, I've been busy sewing. I finished the baby quilt, then decided to keep going. I found a pattern online for the Maya Sling. It was super easy to make--literally it only took about an hour, if that. The hardest part was finding material that didn't have a "wrong" side at the fabric stores.

Then, when I was in a fabric store I saw the cutest tote that I thought would make the perfect diaper bag. I never really found one I liked with Ethan, so I got the pattern, made a few alterations myself, and here's the result. It was by far the hardest thing I've made so far, so it's not quite perfect, but I'm still pretty proud of it. There are four pockets in it. One on each of the outsides, where the "dips" are. Then, there are pockets on the inside where the pattern dips again. (I know that is a horrible, description, but I'm not sure how to explain it any better.) I'm still looking for buttons to cover up where I stitched the straps on, but haven't found any I really like yet.

My next project is to make burb cloths. I have some extra fabric from this diaper bag, so I'm going to pair it with a soft pink terry cloth and try to whip up about 5 or 6.

4th of July

This year, Ethan had a blast with the 4th of July.  We went down to where "Uncle T and Uncle V" had scout camp to get Nehi floats.  (They're sort of like rootbeer floats, but you can get them in peach, grape, strawberry, and other fun flavors.)  Then we came back to do fireworks.  It was the first year that he was able to do fireworks "all on his own"...with lots of help from mommy and his uncles.  

He got to do some sparklers and other fireworks before it got dark, and had a lot of fun.  We promised him that after we went and watched the big fireworks, he could come home and do more fun fireworks with his uncles.  So, the whole time during the firework show he kept saying "All done?  Go home?  Fireworks done, go home with Uncle T."  He really couldn't have cared less about the big firework show!  Oh well!  I'm so glad he's got such great uncles that are so patient with him!  It was a great 4th for us!  

What we've been up to....

Just some random photos from our activities over the past week or so.

We went back to DeAnna Rose Farm and Ethan enjoyed driving on a old fashioned tractor, just like Harold! (For those of you who've read or seen Thomas the Tank Engine.) 

I also finished "baby sister's" quilt. We still haven't settled on a name, so Ethan and I are just calling her baby sister right now.  We've narrowed down names to Mia (well, Chris doesn't like this one, but I do!), Kailee, Kaylee, and of course we're still debating new names every day.  Who knows!  

Soccer Camp- The Final Results

Ethan really loved soccer camp this summer!  He woke up almost every morning asking for "soccer class".  That is kind of a surprise to me, as he would never really follow what "Coach Mica" was telling him to do.  All of the other parents always laughed at Ethan's little antics; he does seem to entertain people!  He would frequently stop to wave not only to me, but to his other "fans" in the crowd.  What a ham!  

I had to attach this one video, as it really showed his true nature of soccer camp.  You'll frequently see him running in whatever direction seems to suit him at the moment, regardless of where the goal is or if he even has a soccer ball.  About 1/2 way into the movie he kept running up to a little girl named Carly and calling her "Mia."  (I think he's chosen that name for his baby sister.)  She kept trying to tell him that wasn't her name, and almost kicks him!  That's what Ethan was busy doing during soccer camp!  

Had a Great Birthday!

Obviously, Chris wasn't here for my birthday this year, but boy did he make it special all the same!  He ordered a super colorful bouquet of my favorite flowers and sent me a griddle pan that I have been eyeing for quite some time!  He also got Ethan to sing me Happy Birthday...or at least his own version!  It was a great day! Thanks, Honey!

Ethan's Little Sister!

We are so excited to announce that Ethan will be getting a little sister this November!  I've got tons of ultra-sound pics, that I promise to try to get up here soon!  But, until then, I just thought we'd let everyone know!  

DeAnna Rose Farm

Okay, so it's been a long time since I've updated anything on here.  It's not that we haven't been doing a ton of fun things, Ethan's having a summer jam-packed full of great activities.  I've just been so busy doing work on the computer that when I'm done writing at night I don't even want to look at the computer anymore!  Sorry!  I'll make a renewed effort to get more pics on here!

We went to the DeAnna Rose Farm a couple of weeks ago.  It's a HUGE place that has a petting zoo, a fishing pond, and all sorts of fun activities.  Kids can climb on real tractors, race around the track on little tike-sized peddle tractors, see Long Horns, take pony rides...you name it!  We were there a couple of hours and didn't even get through half of it.  We're definitely going back.  Anyway, here are some of the pictures I had time to snap when Ethan wasn't trying to lick the pig's snout, climb through the fence to see the pony, or throwing sticks and growling at the bobcat.  (Yes, I think he keeps be pretty busy!)