Father-Son "Date"

The State Fair was here in Albuquerque the past few weeks. We were planning on going last Saturday but then forgot about it until it was already too late. Then on Wednesday a friend told me that it was free to get in that day. I had to teach an English class until 5:45 and then had a meeting at the church as 7:10 so that didn't really leave me much time to go with Trent and Ethan. I ended up going for just a half-hour or so but Trent and Ethan went for a few hours. They walked all around the fairgrounds looking at animals, exhibits, and watching people ride the rides. Trent said Ethan was just enthralled with all the people and commotion and just sat quietly in the stroller the whole time taking it in. He said Ethan barely said a word and hardly ate a thing. After they came home though Ethan kept saying things like, "tractor" (because he got to climb on a tractor), "horse", "chicken", "cow" and all the other things that they had seen. He woke up talking about them the next morning too!

I am glad that they got to have some time together to be boys and see the animals, which I am pretty sure Trent enjoyed just as much as Ethan!

 Ethan trying on a cowboy hat.

Part-time Jobs

I feel really fortunate to have a part-time job. For those of you who don't know, I was a Biology major for three years before switching to Linguistics with a minor in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). I absolutely loved biology but while completing my sixth semester I just really felt like I should do a TESOL minor. I signed up for the introductory TESOL class for my next fall semester and then during the summer I realized I didn't want to do biology anymore. I didn't want to work in a lab and I didn't want to pursue a masters degree in it. I felt very lost. I considered majoring in Portuguese since I was already minoring in it, but that too didn't feel right. I couldn't figure out what to do. I left my major as biology going into my fourth year of college, but i knew that I was going to switch it to something else. Only a few weeks into my introductory TESOL class I fell in love with Linguistics (the basis for TESOL) and I decided to make that my major. Two years later I graduated with my bachelors and then did the first year of the TESOL masters program and earned my Graduate Teaching Certificate in TESOL.

The reason behind this story is that I am really grateful that I made the decision to change my major. That was one of the best decisions I ever made. I really did enjoy my classes while in school, but now, as a college graduate, I have been able to find part-time jobs using my degree. I have never heard of a part-time, work from home, biology job. But that is what I do with my TESOL degree. I have a job teaching from home in the morning before Ethan wakes up. I teach English Korean students online via Skype. I am also currently teaching a class at Heads Up (where Trent works) to the men from Mexico that don't speak English. I teach twice a week there and each time I just drive with Ethan to Trent's work and then Trent takes Ethan home as I stay to teach. I work a little under 10 hours a week which is so nice because I still get to be a stay at home mom and take care of Ethan, but it has been such a blessing to have a little bit of extra income each month.

This post is just to say that I am just grateful for the help that Heavenly Father gives me in my life. And as much as I love staying home with Ethan it is nice to do some work that is a little more "intellectual" and where I can use other knowledge besides how to cook, clean, and entertain a two-year-old. These part-time jobs have been a blessing in so many ways and I know that Heavenly Father knew that I would need them and that is why He inspired me to question my choice of majors and help me find a new one. He really is a guiding force in my life and I am so grateful for Him.

Bandelier National Monument

On Labor Day weekend we decided to take a day trip to Bandelier National Monument. The plan was actually to drive to the monument and spend the morning there, then let Ethan catch a nap for an hour in the car as we drove over to the Jemez mountains, then go swimming in a hot spring and then head back home. As it was, we actually spent until 3:00 in the afternoon at the Monument, Ethan did not fall asleep in the car (probably because he had a 15 minute catnap on the bus that we took back from the Monument), and we never found one of the hot springs. Oh well, I guess that will be for another day.

The National Monument was really cool (although the name Monument is deceiving because I don't think there is an actual "monument" it is more like a State or National Park). Most of the hikes here in New Mexico seem to be opportunities to learn some of the history of the pueblo people. This was no different. Bandelier marks a place that was inhabited by Ancestral Pueblo people from about 1200-1400 AD.

In the valley the people built a huge village with over six hundred rooms that have been excavated.

(Ethan thinks that if you squat down then he should squat too)

Here is a view of the village, only some of the walls remain, 

but you can see kind of what it would have looked like.

 

In the cliffs behind this village the people carved caves for homes out of the soft rock. In addition to Trent and Ethan's muscles this picture shows hundreds of little holes in the cliffs because the rock is so soft.

The hike led us up in the middle of the cliffs and had ladders so that we could enter into some of the caves.

Ethan loved climbing the ladders and talked about it for days afterwards.

Here are the remnants of where they had one long village that extended along the cliff. The little holes are where they stuck logs to help support the structures the built onto the face of the cliff. The hike was just under three miles but it took us so long because there was so many neat things to see!

 

We took an extra little trail to a sacred area connected with these same people. We had to climb up a ton of high ladders, and even though Ethan was a real trooper, Trent had to carry him up some of these ladders because they were just too hot for his little hands.

 Up at the top we had a view of the valley and were able to climb down into a Kiva, which was a sacred room where they performed rituals and had meetings.

It is so fun to go on historical hikes like this and learn to appreciate the culture of New Mexico more and more. We are glad that Ethan is such a good hiker too. He walked all by himself for the whole hike except for the last fifteen minutes or so where Trent carried him on his shoulders. I guess we are putting all that energy to good use!

22 Weeks

Oh yeah, and I am 22 weeks along! Over half way. Super exciting, but kind of weird to think that we will have an addition to the mother-son duet of daily life. I, of course, am super happy, but it is a little sad to think that Ethan won't get as much of my attention. I am trying to really relish these days alone with him. I know that he doesn't understand how much I love him, but I hope that some day he will.

And I have been a slacker. It took me until 22 weeks to take a picture of my stomach!

Prayer!

Ethan is pretty good at praying with us. Normally when we announce prayer time he kneels down right away and then says, "Daddy kneel, Mama kneel." As he motions to each of us. Even though that isn't my favorite prayer position, I usually comply. In the unusual event that we can't get him to cooperate we just start to pray without him (normally when we are in a hurry). Almost inevitably, he runs over, folds his arms, and joins us shortly after we start. It makes me happy that at least he knows what is right, even though he doesn't always want to do it.

Trent and I try to help Ethan say his prayers everyday. We of course say mostly the same things since he doesn't have a very large vocabulary. He normally repeats only the last word or two of each short sentence, but as least he is participating.

This morning shortly after we got up Ethan saw an unopened jar of applesauce on the kitchen table and said, "I want applesauce!" He then climbed onto a chair at the table, folded his arms, and laid his head in his arms. "Father" he started, and then proceeded to say a bunch of gibberish with real words mixed in. It included most of the basic words we use when we help him pray-but I was most surprised by his intonation. I have never before noticed that we use a different rhythm when we pray, but it sounded exactly like he was praying except that I couldn't understand most of what he said! It was hilarious and although I at first closed my eyes, I just had to open them so that I could take in this scene. His prayer sounded something like this: "Thank you {gibberish} day, thank you {gibberish}, I love you tia (this is his Aunt Natalie), love you mama, love daddy, {gibberish}, food {gibberish} thank you {gibberish}, {gibberish},{gibberish}, {more gibberish}. It sounded exactly like sentences too! Then after rambling on for a good while and me waiting for him to say amen, he turned around and said with a big grin: "I pray Mama!" "Good job!" I said, "Did you say amen?" He quickly turned around, laid his head back down, and said "AMEN!" He was smiling so big and after I plastered him with lots of hugs and kisses he again declared: "I want applesauce!"

Sunday naps

Sundays are hard for us because Ethan's usual nap time starts only about 30 min before we leave for church at 12:45. Sometimes we try to put him down early, but normally he isn't tired enough and can't fall asleep. So, no nap. Ethan normally handles Sacrament pretty well and in nursery he does great, but shortly after we get home he crashes. It is hard because this inevitable pushes back bed time and I know he doesn't get a sufficient rest. The upside of it is that Trent and I then get to make and eat dinner together with no interruptions. It is kind of fun to remember what that is like! Here are some pics of Ethan sleeping on Sunday evenings.

He laid himself down on the couch and Trent propped him up so that he could watch us in the kitchen. 

A few minutes later...

He was bouncing off the walls when we got home this day and would NOT calm down. I made us a fruit smoothie to drink and put him in his high chair. Some people then came to the door, we talked and when I looked at Ethan I busted up laughing! I couldn't believe he had fallen asleep like this! Poor thing!

In other news, on August 21st, just two days before my 21 week mark, Trent was able to feel the baby kick! He seemed pretty excited. I think it helps make him realize a little more that we have a baby on the way. As a side note, when I was pregnant with Ethan I didn't feel him kick (or at least I didn't know that was what I was feeling) until around 22 weeks. It is amazing to me that it took me so long to realize it was a baby kicking then, when this time around Trent felt the baby kick a good week earlier!