Wow...where has this year gone? I can not believe it is already July 2011. Seems like only yesterday we were ringing in the new year...but here we are in the middle of summer and counting down until our little boy turns three years old. I am constantly amazed at the things that this precious young boy can come up with to do and say. He is a little chatter box and has a wild imagination. He still loves to paint and color, read, and draw but now he is more interested in role play games too. Not a day goes by now that we do not have to play "robot" as he calls it...and it usually revolves around the robot (played by mom or dad) taking a toy away from a boy (played by Ethan) and turns into a tug of war match. I love to watch him play with his cars, trucks, and planes and listen to the sounds that he makes as he goes along. Ethan loves to climb on anything or anyone who will let him. I am currently in search mode for a swing set with a climbing wall because I am certain that my right arm is now 4 inches longer from having to "swing the climbing monkey" as he calls it.

I have read that toddlers at this age can be considered "air-o-tareans" because they can live off of air at times it seems. I have found this to be mostly true...except that along with that air, Ethan needs chocolate milk too. He eats like a bird now and it drives everyone around us a little crazy. I am constantly reminded that he needs to eat to grow. I have spoken to the pediatrician about it and he said it is perfectly normal and to leave him alone. He said a toddler will not starve and will let you know when he is in the mood for something in particular or just wants food. I have found this to be true. Ethan is about 26 pounds...he is a little bean pole and I can not keep up with him half of the time. I honestly do not see where this kid gets so much energy!

His favorite foods have not changed too much since the last few posts. He still loves noodles in any shape, form, or color as long as they have NO sauce...as he calls it. He still likes fresh fruit
and vegetables. I do not think that we can go two days without a hot dog or the world will ultimately come to an end (or at least in his eyes). His favorite ice creams are vanilla and coffee. He only wants to eat orange popsicles and that is it...no other color will do. His favorite candy is anything gummy but especially gummy worms. He is not a big cookie eater but when he does have one or two, it will be an oreo. He loves cheese but only wants the orange kind...he has a thing for orange. It is his favorite.

I have asked Ethan what he wanted to do for his special 3rd birthday. I asked if he wanted a party...NO. Did he want a Cars/Lightning McQueen cake? NO He told me the only thing he wanted for his birthday was "to go to the aquarium and pick out an orange fish...and to have an orange cake, with orange icing, and an orange candle".....so we will see how that goes. I think that I can make that birthday wish come true so long as they still have the stuffed orange Nemo fish for sale... :)

The pictures below are from our first family cruise. It was on the Carnival Dream and we were at sea for 7 days. It was fun for us to watch the amazement in Ethan's face and eyes when he saw the boat. As soon as he got a good glimpse of it he said "mommy that is my boat"...

He loved the room and the fact that he got his own lamp to turn on and off as many times as he pleased. He liked going to dinner each night and getting room service. Mommy loved that part too and has missed it dearly since we got home. LOL We did not book any shore excursions because I wanted us to enjoy the trip on our time and take Ethan into consideration because he still needs a good nap each day. On our 3 stops we would just get off of the boat and walk around or once we took a taxi ride around to see the sights. At one of the ports we found a small butterfly house that we went in and saw many different types and colors of butterflies. Ethan loved it. He wanted so badly for a butterfly to land on him. He walked around calling "here butterfly....come here little buddy"....it was really cute. Overall Kris and I were pretty happy with our little vacation. Our main gripe was the pools on the ship. Think about a king sized bed....filled with salt water....and about 30 people floating in that bath of salt water....now add about 4-5 kids diving in at the same time....let's just say that we got in the pool ONCE...and it was for maybe ten minutes...or until we could "bob" over to one of the sides to get out. Ethan's favorites on the ship were the 24 hour ice cream machines, the super sour lemonade, the child sized chess set, pushing the elevator buttons, and the sweet little towel animals created each night on his bed. It was a good experience and I cherish the 7 days that our little family had at sea. I hope that we can go on another cruise with Ethan again one day. He really enjoyed himself and has since asked "when can we go on that big boat again mom?"...must be something in the blood...I could live at sea.