Ethan's First Steps

Ethan decided to start walking on his birthday 7/30/09:

Ethan's First Steps from Ian Ball on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday little man!

Well it's been a while, but here we are. Ethan's almost first birthday. Wow, how did that happen and where did the time go? His first birthday party was SO fun. Thank you to all our friends and family who made it so special. Thank you for making the first year such a special one as well!

Summer Days...

Since it's been a while, here are a few new photos of the little man!

Kisses, claps, and no!

So many new, fun, exciting things going on lately I don't know where to start!

Ethan seems to be learning something new everyday. He is so fun. A few weeks ago mommy made the mistake of shaking her head back at him when he was doing it, and saying "noooo" and now, Ethan is doing it on his own. He doesen't quite get the "nooo" but he has the head shake down perfectly! :) Daddy is less than thrilled by this new achievement.

Saturday the Ball's traveled back to Lansing to cheer on our team! GO STATE! Ethan learned how to clap his hands on the way there! Mommy sat in the back seat and was teaching him how to clap and say "go green!" He's now clapping on his own!

Last but not least, definitly not least, Ethan gave mommy kisses last night. He's always sort of had a thing for attacking my face but I said "kiss" and gave him a kiss. He looked back at me for a second, then I said "Kiss" and he leaned forward and kissed me back.
oooh such a sweet little boy. So many new things and we are loving every minute.

HAPPY EASTER!!

Drum roll please..
Well our kitchen it seems is finally finished. All except for maybe the later addition of a new kitchen Island. We thought it was done a while ago, but then decided to paint a wall green, which led to this weekend FINALLY getting window treatments done. We had blinds cut for the kitchen window. Then Ian didn't want curtains over the slider, thinking they would be in the way, but we compromised. I got my curtains, and he got to build his custom curtain rod. He hates that I spend $50 just on the curtain rod alone so he made one out of 1/2 inch iron pipe from Home depot, totalling around $14! Here are some pics!

Heres what it looked like when we moved in...






















And finished!

Camping...and rambling

Searching the internet I found an amazing blog of someone who camps in the winter! Totally not for me, I would freeze! The pictures though were amazing. Sights you don't see unless you are brave enough to venture out. I put a link to the website to the right so you can check it out!

Summer camping is more our style, and I just cannot wait to go this year. Ethan will be a little older and we can introduce him to what camping is all about! I am so excited to just get out with him and let him just be a boy and explore Michigan! I'm sure we will throw in a trip to a few lighthouses along the way too...just for mommy...Ian is always good about stopping when I see one off the beaten path!

We are planning four trips so far for 2009.

Ludington State Park- http://www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/wildlife/viewingguide/nlp/37Ludington/index.htm

Munising http://www.buckhornresort.com/

Silver Lake- http://www.silverlakejellystone.com/

Evart- http://www.campandcanoe.com/

Ludington is a new one this year for us. We usually spend most of our time at Silver Lake but with Ludington being the #1 rated campground in Michigan, we figured we'd give it a shot. There are some amazing trails near by that I can't wait to hike, and also re-visit Big Sable Light.

Munising is a favorite of ours. Im almost cautious to give away the campground info as it was almost empty the last couple of times we went, and was just amazing, right in the middle of the Hiawatha National forest! But I'll share so others can enjoy it too!

Evart and Silver lake are every-year spots for us but we have a great time visiting with family every single time and they never get old!

Well back to the cold. Hope everyone else gets a chance to get out this year! There are some amazing places to explore in Michigan!

Snow days...

Dear Ethan, I know that you want to be a big boy, but please know that you don't have to grow so fast. I heald a 6 pound baby yesterday and couldn't believe that you too, were once that small. You are now three times that big, and I feel like it is flying past me so fast I can't keep up. I want to stop time and watch you get big slowly but I know I can't.

So, Ill just enjoy each moment. Each smile, each little Ethan Kiss, each hug you give me. I'll stop in the quickness of the time we spend together and just enjoy being your mommy. Thank you for being such an amazing little boy and happy half birthday! :)

Here are a few pics of my creations from a Saturday full of trying to figure out the new sewing machine. I made a few washcloths/cloth wipes, which didn't turn out completely square, but good enough for what they will be used for! :)
I also made some blue burp cloths and two pink ones. I will be listing three blue and the pink ones on the etsy store!

5 Months old!

Another year is here and I have been snapping away. I love playing with my camera and my favorite subject these days is no surprise! Here are a few recent shots of Ethan. I cannot believe he is on his way to six months old. Such a big boy and growing so fast every day!

Holiday Fun

Over the Christmas and new year's weeks Ian and I had a few days off and had so much fun spending time with Ethan and our families. We also found time to work on our entry way project that has been neglected for some time! Here are some recent photos! I realize they are out of order...but scroll down to see the new front door and the new tile flooring! :)