More Fall Fun

I was really looking forward to Halloween this year to see how Ethan liked being in costume and trick-or-treating. But before we could do any of that, we had to get pumpkins!!! We decided to go to our local fruit stand again because we were a little crunched for time. I think Ethan was overwhelmed by all of the orange "balls".

He just kept saying, "ball" as he looked around!

Trying to be a strong boy

Pictures with mom and dad

We have really enjoyed getting to plan playdates with our friends, especially since the weather has been so beautiful. We decided to meet up with some friends at the Baton Rouge Zoo one afternoon. This was actually before our trip to the New Orleans Zoo, but it was still another great day to be outside and looking at the animals.

Standing on tippy toes to see into the tank

The tigers were so much fun that day...they were playing with each other and hiding and attacking each other...it was a great day at the zoo! After playing for a little while this tiger needed to take a rest in the shade! I love how Ethan's mouth is open in this picture!
Turtle pond!!!

My big boy walking and snacking

The giraffes were definitely a highlight of the day. It came right over to us and was letting the kids feed it leaves and grass and even pet it! We could have stayed there all day enjoying this beautiful creature!

After the petting zoo-like experience with the giraffe, we headed off to the actual petting zoo! At first I had to fight to get his attention on the animals instead of their droppings, but eventually he came around.

I think he was trying to decide if they were dogs (his favorite) or not...

He seemed like such a big boy as he wandered around just petting the goats.
We ended our day by stopping at the playground so the kids could run around and get all worn out!
It was a great day with good friends! This kid can't get enough of the zoo!

Fall in Louisiana

The fall is, hands-down, my favorite time of year in Louisiana. The weather is great and you can actually go outside without sweating your brains out. I'm just sayin'...We got a chance to get out and enjoy the PERFECT fall weather with some good friends at the New Orleans Zoo. We joined Nathan, Jill and Drew for the day and we ended up (well, Jill ended up) picking out the perfect day and we had a great time. I can't believe we didn't get any pictures together, but I promise, we were there with the Britts! As you can see, Ethan was too enthralled by the Who Dat monster to look at the camera!

Checking out the white alligator

This statue looked so real! Maybe we have a future gator wrestler on our hands? I sure hope not!

Hanging out with Dad by the Black bears
Stopping for a photo op!

The boys watching the jaguars "play"...I'm just glad Ethan's not old enough to ask questions yet.

I can't believe how much of a little boy Ethan is now! He got out of his stroller periodically and walked. He did a really good job of holding my hand and sticking by me.
I LOVE this statue. Of course, we had to get a family picture in front of it.

By the afternoon it had warmed up a little bit, so it was nice to get some relief from these water stations. Ethan was thrilled!

Toward the end of our day we found this little watering hole. Since it had gotten kind of warm and Ethan and Drew were kind of restless, so we decided to let them wade in the water. Well, wading turned into swimming, but it was a much needed break and lots of fun!

Ethan was soooo happy to be in the water! I'm pretty safe to say that this was his favorite part of the day.

Two happy boys!

We had fun getting a chance to pet some of the animals while we were there. Ethan did pretty well, but he wasn't too sure about this hedgehog. I can't blame him, though, I rubbed it the wrong way on accident, and it was SHARP!
He liked the goats a little bit better...maybe because he had seen them before.

These pictures are mostly for my parents. They have a picture of each one of us kids with our "spaghetti face" on and have been wanting one of Ethan. Up until recently, he never had a REALLY good spaghetti face--but this one was pretty good!

We really enjoyed the beginning of the fall season and the fun that it brought with it!

Pre and Post Washington

The month or so leading up to our trip was kind of crazy. Tristan had been training to fly a larger helicopter, which required him working overtime. Right before we left he was at work for 3 weeks straight--which was exhausting not only for him, but for me also! To try to break up the time Ethan and I made a few trips over to visit him while he was training and stayed the night at his hotel with him. We went out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary and my birthday (on our actual anniversary). Tristan also made a couple of trips home for the night and left early the next morning to go back to training. Needless to say, we were ready for 3 weeks of vacation after that!

Here's Ethan playing in the hotel room

Rough-housing with Dad!

Once we returned home, we just wanted to relax and try to get back into a normal routine after all of Tristan's training leading up to the trip. The weather in Louisiana is beautiful in September, so we decided to take advantage of it and go for a little walk around the apartment complex.

Watching the ducks through the fence
All the exploring wore him out! He just looked so cute and cuddled up on his dad's lap!
We really enjoyed being home in Washington visiting friends, but it was good to get back to Louisiana and back into a normal routine and see our friends here also! We are looking forward to our next visit home!

Ethan's Birthday Celebration

The last weekend that we were in Washington we decided to have a late 1st birthday party for Ethan. Much of my extended family hadn't met him yet, and we figured this way a lot of us could see each other all at once! We also invited just a few close friends and their little boys, who are close to Ethan's age. My parents were nice enough to let us use their backyard and the weather actually cooperated with us for the day! Here we are hanging out waiting for the party to start.

Time to eat!

Helping Grandpa grill (carefully!) the burgers and hot dogs

Anderson crunching on some chips
A mouthful of grapes!

After we ate we let the kids run around and play for a bit. Ethan has never really liked swings, and this one was no exception. I was glad that Skyler loved it so much--that way Grandpa Walker didn't go to all that trouble hanging it for no reason!

Going for a wagon ride with Anderson
Mowing the lawn like Grandpa with my Aunt Cec

Hanging out with our good buddies while the kids play...it was so good to be home!

We decided to take some family pictures while we had the chance. It was a little bright--poor Ethan!
Ethan with Grandpa and Grandma Walker

Ethan with Grandma Bernard

We decide to have a little pool out since Ethan LOVES the water so much. Grandpa Walker even filled it with warm water! Judging from this picture, I would say Ethan was glad we decided to have a pool at his party!

Ethan was wayyyyy into it, Skyler not so much! (In his defense, it was his first time in a pool and it wasn't all that warm out!)

Opening a few presents...as you can see, he got sidetracked by the previous gift, so I had to "assist"!

Reading the book that Aunt Kelly got him
Time for some cake!

He really wasn't that into the party hat. He played with the string the whole time it was on his head.

Since his enthusiasm was lacking, I decided to try to motivate him into digging into the cake with a taste of the sweet frosting.

He still never really dove into the cake...I guess we can try again next year! It was fun to get to celebrate Ethan's birthday with his extended family and friends--even if it was a little late! Here's to a great second year!