365 Photo Project

A few people n Ben's squadron are just getting into photography and wanted to  start a photo a day project. So since the beginning of January I have been taking a photo everyday (I have only missed 3 days so far)  and uploading it to my flickr account. It has been a lot of fun and a great way to capture everyday happenings in the Shaub household! Some of the photos are really good... some are an 'oh shoot I forgot to take a picture today'. It has been great to have my camera out on hand, trying new things and using different editing techniques.

Since the beginning of the New Year, some of you may have noticed a link to Flickr Photo sharing site on the right hand of my blog. For some reason the link isn't showing up anymore. I have tried to fix it... but I don't think Blogger supports it anymore (at least that is what my search has turned up). I have added a manual link that you can copy and past (I know its not as handy) and get to my photostream. OR just click the link below.
natalieshaub's photostream on Flickr.

natalieshaub's photostream on Flickr.

Ethan's 2!

Can you believe he's TWO?!? Oh how time flies... It's crazy really. We had a small party for Ethan when my mom was here. He LOVED every second of it. Especially the candy buffet and when we sang him Happy Birthday to him. He grinned from ear to ear the whole time. Ethan definitely knew the day was about him. It was great. 

To think that when we moved here 6 months ago, all he found say was "dada" and "bye"and was just starting to walk. Now... Ethan can say over 70 words and is ALWAYS moving! He's our bruiser... always bumping into things and falling. A daredevil at heart... always climbing, jumping and pushing the limits. 

His favorite saying in the last few days is... "no mom"! CHeck out the list of words Ethan knows at the bottom of the post.

BUT... this little boy has such a sweet  and tender heart.  It doesn't take much to discipline Ethan. If you put him in time out in the corner, as soon as you turn around and leave him there, he usually starts crying crocodile tears and wants to be hugged and picked up as soon as his timeout is over.

He LOVES his little sister, his blanket and pacifier, LOVES brushing his teeth and anything sweet (good combination). He LOVES his bedtime stories and being sung to. He points to our mouths and says "sing" before he will let you leave the room.  And he LOVES wearing his shoes and going down slides. 

He dislikes his jackets and mitts, shirts being pulled over his head and getting his face wiped off (but who likes that?).  Ethan doesn't like being dropped off at the church nursery or wearing bibs!

We are so thankful for this little guy! From the moment he was born, I knew that Ethan would hold a special place in our hearts. And he most certainly does. 

Here is a list of words that Ethan can say now:
clock            hair              cheers      dog              go          boy
star               bear             cow          bowl            more     uncle
moon           cup               moo         poo poo       help       coke
up                spoon           open        bath             amen      vitamin
down           cracker         oh no       boot             hat         hand
ball              sure              cool          sing             baby      bahh
chocolate     no                treat          hat               hot         mouth
cookie         milk              snack       off               cold  
cheese         egg               two          like              this
car               all                 neigh       hot dog        pillow
shoe            what's that    stop          eye              apple
cat               we're home                   nose            banana
               

Grandma Susie's Visit

Playing catchup a little bit here... My mom was out for a visit for Ethan's 2nd Birthday. 

The week she was here it was cold... like REALLY COLD. So we didn't do that much. WE had planned a few outings, but ended up just sticking around home. 

Grandma had her hands full with 2 crazy toddlers to play with and a cute baby to cuddle for the time she was here. 

Thanks to Auntie Liz watching the two older kids, my mom and I were able to get away twice. Once for Leonardo white cappuccinos and once for lunch. It was really nice to escape the business of home and sit down and just chat with her. Lots to talk about when you live so far away! 

Thanks for coming Grandma Susie! We all had a great time. Love you!

St Anton Arlberg, Austria

Never thought I would ever say "I snowboarded in the Austrian Alps"! But I did and it was awesome. Ben, Emalina and I went with another couple and their 2 month old little girl Elin for three nights. Auntie Liz stayed home with Bella and Ethan. 

I was a little worried about snowboarding, especially on such an intimidating hill. But we all were injury free and survived the hill. Kim and I were a good match and skied/boarded together, in the afternoons, while the guys skied/boarded in the mornings. 

The views were AMAZING! 

It was a fun filled 4 days and I feel blessed to say that I snowboarded in the Austrian Alps! 

4 Months Old!

This sweet girl turned 4 months on the 26th. Didn't I just write about her 3 month stats!?!?! Time is just flying by! Emalina is the sweetest little baby. Easy going, happy, inquisitive, cuddly, and the list goes on! 

Sometimes I look at her and it still blows my mind that we have three kids and that Emalina is apart of our family. She really does fit right in though, and I couldn't imagine life without her now. 

Here are some things that she is up to these days:

• She has found her hands. She loves sucking in her knuckle or her index finger. Sometime she sucks on her first two fingers... which was exactly like her mama. At time... she even tries to get a whole fist in!
• She has started lifting up her legs/knees when she is on her back
• She is getting a bald spot in the back of her head
• She loves watching Bella and Ethan play
• She DOES NOT take the bottle (poor Ben found that out the hard way on our trip)
• Even though she loves her susu, she pops it out of her mouth a lot to suck on her finger/knuckle and a few times I have seen that she is able to put her susu back in her mouth all by herself
• She reaches for her toys and brings them to her mouth to suck on
• Loves her Taggies blankets and has started playing with the taggies
• Still loves being swaddled
• Sleeps through the night 
• She has strong abs... in the third photo below you can see that she uses her abs to pull herself forward. We have to make sure that we strap her into her bouncy chair and swing... so she doesn't launch herself out
• As you can see, she is definitely scouting the mohawk! 
• She LOVES covering her face when she goes to sleep
• In size 2 diapers
• Fits into 3-6 month clothes... but they won't fit for much longer
• She has baby thunder thighs! LOL!
• Sometimes Emalina really reminds me of Isabella at the same time period. Here is ISABELLA and ETHAN's shrinking Bear links. Check them out.