Practice

 I haddn't really given much thought to practicing with E for our Easter Egg hunt. Growing up we never had an Egg hunt probably because there was a 90% chance there would be snow on the ground and the Easter Bunny isn't really fond of hiding eggs out in the snow. We always got a big basket of goodies and had a lesson on the real meaning of Easter. Now that we live where snow is usually a non issue (I say usually because 2 years ago it totally snowed!) my Easter spirit has kicked into high gear!

 I tried hiding eggs around the house and E just wasn't interested. Can't blame her. Why gather up plastic eggs when I could be playing with my princess castle? It wasn't until Mom and Dad came back from FL and told me about the Jeff and Amy hide little treats in P's eggs. HELLO, why didn't I think of that. Now E loves gathering up all of her eggs. Well.... perhaps gather isn't the right word. It's more like pick up, open, eat and throw the shell on the floor while she runs to the next egg.

Sh'es totally a Tobler. If there's food to be had.... there is no waiting!

Later that day she rocked her first set of pig tails. So cute! I think we'll wait until her hairs a bit longer to try it again. We're excited for Sunday! Should be a blast!!!!

What a Q-T-π

I just {love} Sunday's. Ethnie has so many dresses it's unreal! I love getting her all dolled up not to mention Mama likes to look pretty too. This Sunday E was wearing a dress that was a gift from Uncle Al and Aunt Val Lubbers. Al was the ward mission leader while Jakob served in our ward. Needless to say Jakob and Al became very close. E looked so cute in her brightly colored dress I had to snap a few pictures. 

E just adores being outside. I really think she'd be happiest if I just stuck her crib out there. I'm trying to let her soak up as much vitamin D as possible before it get's too hot. The weather has been just perfect lately! Ahh how I love Vegas! One of her favorite activities is picking up rocks.

She is also in love with all of the barking dogs in our neighborhood. Mama doesn't exactly share a love for our furry noisy neighbors. Especially when they are barking at 4:00 a.m. E really enjoys "Woofing" back. When they bark during her nap I can hear her over the monitor going "Woof, Woof!" Moments like those I don't mind the noise so much. She makes everything so much better with her happy personality! I'm one lucky Mama!

Kicks for Daddy

For some reason I have felt a little bit disconnected from this pregnancy. I obviously knew I was expecting and we are beyond excited but I think that all got dulled down a bit by our crazy lives, callings, work and spending every available moment with little E. I found that during my pregancy with E, it was all I could think about. I would count down the days until my next ultrasound or Dr's visit. Everything was so fresh and new! This go however, I am still super excited to get updates but I find myself much more focused on my busy life. Time is zooming by. I figure this baby is happy, healthy and growing. Needless to say the bond I felt right off the bat with E was a bit slower to evolve this time. 

Yesterday however, everything changed. Last night was the first time I truly felt any repetitive movement and I was thrilled. I instantly felt as if this baby was saying "Hello Mommy! We're half way there! Only 20 more weeks and I will get to see you!" The kicks were strong enough for Jakob to feel and we both just laid there feeling our newest little addition to our family wiggle away! Words cannot describe how much I love this precious child already. Words do not seem to do my joy and my gratitude justice. I am so beyond thankful for the opportunity my Father in Heaven has given me to be a mother of not only one but two of his precious children. This is life's greatest gift and I am loving sharing the joy in our journey!

Yummy Yummy

E isn't a fan of yogurt. As a matter of fact she really isn't a fan of anything that has to do with protein aside from her bottle before bed. In an attempt to get more protien in her diet I decided to stop trying to feed it too her and let her feed herself. She was rather excited to have her very own spoon and bowl.

 It didn't take long before the chaos began, but she was happy and although most of it was now smeared all over her face at least some of that was making it to her mouth. Not to mention she was having a ball!

 She eventually decided to ditch the spoon and get right to the goods. Success! Yogurt's a winner!

 Messy yes but I secretly love it.

Our Little Leprechaun

 Does anyone else love the holidays more now that they have kids? I know I do! Things are so much more fun with little ones. I just love our little Leprechaun! Thank you to Aunt Janet for the dress! It was absolutely perfect. My favorite feature however would have to be her tights. They are adult knee high socks made into tights. It took me a solid five minutes to do. I just love projects like that! Not to mention her pot of gold shoes. Golly I can't get enough of her!

 I didn't decorate this year or have any fun Leprechaun tricks. I'm saving that for next year once E undertsands a bit more. No fear plans are already in the works. I'm pretty excited about it! 

 We headed over to Gramma and Grampa's after church and little E found a bag of cereal in the pantry and just started chowing down.

 Poor thing. She is just too cute! This next baby is going to have some stiff competition for cutest baby ever. Hope your day was as LUCKY as ours was. We're so lucky to have you little E. 

Date Day

The weather has been so nice I decided to take E to the park for the first time since she started walking. At first she was a little bit wary. There were a few big kids running around and every time E would get close they would scream "AHHHHH IT'S A BABY!" and run the other way. Needless to say she was a bit confused. After a minute or two she started to explore and then this girl a few months older arrived. It was wonderful to have someone her age show E what to do. I think we will be frequenting the park more often while it's still cool enough. Peanut just loves the outdoors!

Boy or Girl?

 This afternoon I got to go in for our 18 week ultrasound. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty excited. I just loving being able to see our little one wiggle around. It is such a bonding experience and this was no exception. 

 We were able to find out the gender however we will be doing another reveal party which is scheduled for the 12th of April. Why so far away you ask? Because Jakob decided that we had just had E's Bee-Day and we should take a break and do this little gathering in a few weeks. Plus my Mother and Grandmother will be here visiting from Canada and Jakobs Gramma will be here visiting from Idaho. I know it will make things all the more special but waiting is tough!

As far as our little one is medically everything is looking wonderful! *Phew* I am so blessed to not only have one but two healthy little ones! I'm the luckiest Mama ever! I would like our readers/ family/ friends/ visitors to join our poll to see what everyone thinks we will be having this time around. The poll is located over there -------------> (top of the page). Things were pretty even last time so we'll see if there is a clear victor this time around. Personally, I think it's a boy. Not that I've felt much different this time around, I've just been dreaming about a boy a lot. Jakob is convinced it's another girl. So since we're undecided we will exclude our vote. T- 31 days and counting.

12 Months

•  

• Height: 29 1/2 inches (50th percentile) 
• Weight: 20.0 lbs (20th percentile)
• Head Circumference:  46 1/2 cm (75th percentile)
• Nicknames: Peanut, E, Boo Bear, Muffin, Ethiella

• Her second tooth just broke through. It took 6 weeks. Her top two are starting to push through. Hopefully they aren't as slow. 
•  Some of E's favorite foods include: grapes, avocado, strawberries, pomegranate (any fruit really), fruit leather, pasta, pizza, PB & J,
•  Her favorite toys include: Baby Doll, Bunny, and silky blanket. Other toys vary. She likes things that make noise.

• This girl is cruising!!! I very rarely see her crawl. She is 100% go go go!
• Like mentioned before E is busy. I'm just in awe at how her feet aren't sore from walking all over. She is always doing something.
• She was not a fan of glow sticks or birthday candles.

• She really likes Skyping with far away family. She loves the laptop!
• Most toys have to remain scattered on the ground. If you start putting a toy away she all of a sudden becomes VERY interested in whatever you have. We're going to have to work on this one toy at a time thing. :)

• She loves to open cupboards. The ones in our kitchen are baby proofed but upstairs in the bathroom she gets all exited as she runs to the cupboard and starts throwing things on the floor. 
• She can use her words but she chooses not too. I haven't helped the situation, I normally know exactly what she's after so I just hand it to her. It's a work in progress.

• Chase is still her favorite game. Heck if I look at her funny she bursts out laughing. She thinks Mama is quite the comedian. She doesn't exactly give Daddy the same reactions she gives me which I find funny. Poor Daddy just can't be as cool.
• She is starting to dance a lot more and I love it! Hilarious!

• She is a little bit vain. E loves looking at pictures of herself. On my phone, in a frame on the LCD screen on the camera. She'll pose for a pictures and then come over to take a look. So funny. She also really enjoys looking at pictures of herself on the wall.
• Nap time is heavenly! Some days she will let me rock her to sleep but most of the time she grabs her silky and her sue and I put her in her crib and she's out. She is on a pretty rad schedule. Up at 7:00. Breakfast at 8:30. Nap at 10:00. Up by 12:30 (she usually wakes up by 12). Lunch at 1:30. Nap at 3:00. Up by 5:00. Dinner at 6:00. Bath at 7:40 and bed by 8:15. It's routine now and she is really doing well.

•  She knows that you have to point the remote at the T.V. for things to work. It's hilarious to watch her point and try to push the buttons. 
• Someone discovered outside recently and she loves it. The weather has been so nice! I mean like 70 degrees light breeze nice. I'm trying to let her be outside as much as possible and E is super happy.
• Someone is becoming quite rebellious. It's a difficult thing to overcome, or at least I feel it is. I feel she's too young to go to time out as she doesn't understand. If I smack her hand she hits me back which I feel is totally contradictory. Trying to find an age appropriate punishment is a trial. Not that she is a bad kid, I mean she's pretty stinking perfect. It's just for times when she will not stop playing with the blinds and so forth. Parenthood is confusing.

This photo shoot was rough. She was really upset because I wanted her to sit instead of stand. Poor girl.

In summation we have the best one year old ever. She is super happy, loves to play and is beyond adorable! This past year has ZOOMED by. It feels like just last month I was writing her 1 month update. I have been so blessed over this past year. Ethnie is my sunshine and I am so grateful to be her Mama!

Birthday Shoot

 A few weeks before E's Bee-Day party I headed over to Mom's to get a few pictures for her invitations. It was super windy and E was more interested in playing with the grass then looking at the camera. Nevertheless we got a few good ones!

 The adorable matching hat and a small peek at the bloomers. 

 Another favorite activity was sticking the string in her mouth! It was a fun, simple and quick shoot. Good gravy I love our Little Peanut!

Ethnie's Bee-Day Party

Are you ready for an overwhelming amount of pictures of mostly the decor? As soon as I decided the theme for Ethnie's party back in January my head just started buzzing with ideas. I really feel that difference between fun and awesome parties are all in the details so I went all out. I have officially crossed over into "crazy mom" territory. I would always make fun of Mom's who made this HUGE event for their one year old but now I understand and boy it was fun! 

 This is the main wall. I've seen many streamer walls at birthday parties and I just fell in love with the idea! Super simple and an awesome effect! The idea of a canopy I came up with on my own however. I wanted the streamers to come from somewhere so I settled on the canopy. 6 hours later I had a somewhat symmetrical canopy and streamer wall. So worth it! 

 One of my favorite features was the beehive pinata. Once again super simple but insanely time consuming. The pinata part took me the better part of 6 hours to complete. Each bee took an additional 1/2 hour and we had them buzzing all around the house. They were so stinking cute! I'd like all to know that I started prepping for this party a month in advance so I wouldn't be so stressed. This was a labor of love and worth every second. I don't think I could have been so detailed had I thrown it together within a week.

 Mmmmm the food. We originally had planned a Bee-Bee- Que but we were unable to borrow a grill so we had sandwiches instead which worked out better for everyone! They were delicious! A big thank you to Mom Tobler for helping slice everything up!! You are so wonderful!

 We had some chips in the little bee bucket. He was so cute!

 The desert table. 

I would like everyone to take a minute and just sit and admire the cake for me! *Insert choir of angels here* I asked Mom Tobler to create a beehive cake and she far surpassed my expectations. It was so cute and so prefect! I just love all of the little bee's. Thank you so much Mom!!! (To see the creative process visit Mom's blog here.)

 So I was perusing blogs and Pinterest and I came across a site that had fabulous ideas for a bee themed party. (Link here) I fell in love with the printables and decided to look into how much it would cost to order some.... $40. And I had to print them and use my own ink. Not happening. For some it would be totally logical, no hassle, worry free, not me. I knew I could make something along the same lines myself. After several hours of cutting, pasting, and resizing I came up with my own patterns and I was very pleased. 

 I ordered the honey bear containers and filled them with honeycombs. These were additional little favors. They were so cute! 

 The drink bar. Mom Tobler found the pitcher for a steal of a deal and it was perfect!

 A quick picture of E's highchair that she didn't even sit in. Tutu and wings. It was lame but meh, it worked. 

 I scrapped up a banner of all Ethnie's monthly photos. Love the end result! 

 I was super stoked about this banner! It came out so perfectly! 

 I just had to have some bee nails too. They were a last minute paint job so they were pretty shaky but it did the trick.

 What her invitation looked like.

 On to the party. Phew! E is finally warming up to balloons. She really enjoyed toting these helium ones around.

 Gramma was so wonderful and made Ethnie a special dress for her big day. Not only that, she made E's baby a matching dress. They were so cute together! 

 Just recently E has discovered outside. She really wanted to play in the rocks while we were setting up.

 Okay guys! I'm ready to paaaaaar-taaay!

 As mentioned on several occassions before, I work of a children's birthday party company. Originally I had planned to simply twist some balloons for the kids. After speaking with my boss however she suggested that we have an entertainer come as her gift. I was so glad that she convinced me to do it! Bella was amazing as per usual!

 They did the hokey-pokey and other fun dances! E really enjoyed the music and even started to dance along until she got distracted by the rocks. Silly girl!

 Then they face painted! E sat so still for Bella. I've never painted on her before so she was pretty excited about that! 

 Then it was time for some magic!! We made a cupcake! All of the kids were such good helpers!

 After balloons it was time for Bella to leave! It was such a relief to have her there! The kids just loved her! It was a strange feeling being on the other side of the party. I've never been the Mama before! I couldn't have asked for anyone better! Thank you Bella!!

 Then it was time to smash a pinata! The kids really got into it. Unfortunately the hole ripped before the pinata broke so the boys got creative.

 Candy for everyone!

 E wasn't too fond of people beating up the pinata. Poor girl. Violence just isn't her thing. 

 Singing Happy Birthday, this time without a candle. 

 That was a wrap for the party. E was super tired and needed to go for a nap. We made sure to say thank you to her guests on her behalf. 

 Once she woke up Gramma and Grampa were still around to help open presents. Boy this girl was spoiled. A huge thank you to everyone! I just loved the wrapping on this gift! Karen is so creative!

 And that's the end!! (Please admire the bum cover Mom made for E's dress... so cute and totally unseen now that she's walking.) We had such a fun time and are so grateful for all those who came to celebrate with us!!!