E² !

I had such an amazing summer full of warm, sunshiny days, out-of-state visitors, and ETHAN!  Yes, E graced us with his presence again this summer, and not just once, but TWO TIMES!  I'm not sure how I got so lucky, but having E at my house twice in a short period made those summer days even brighter.   

Both of E's visits (the first with his mom Micki, his GG, and his Uncle Jake and the second with just his mom and dad Tyler) brought so much laughter and pure innocent fun to my house.  Plus, I learned a TON from this two-year-old iToddler.  Like . . .

Ice cream cones and GG are summertime MUSTS!

But so are Coca Cola and strawberries!

Ethan says, "They're delicious and delicious and delicious!"  He likes to repeat words three times!!

Grams makes the coolest quilts--especially this car quilt with a "race track" on it!

Wearing a bike helmet for hours is just cool!

(Ethan is learning to ride a Strider bike.  No training wheels for this kid.  And yes, he's only two!)

Playing in the grass with Andy and Ana will result in a big kid attitude.

Drawing on this little table magically turns anyone into a Picasso! 

(This was my mom's table when she was a little girl.  She and her brother colored on it, I and my brothers and sisters all colored and had tea parties on it, all of my nieces and nephews loved having tea parties on it, and now Ethan, the fourth generation, is making it his!)

Dinner dates should be full of laughter and fun--that includes playing with Stretchables and ordering from the kids menu!

READERS ARE LEADERS!!!

but if course I already knew that!

(When you ask E what book he wants to read, he not only tells you the title but also the author--i.e "I want HOP ON POP by Dr. Seuss"! Plus, don't even think about reading the last line of a page--E will read it for you--even the line "Constantinople and Timbuktu"!!!)

Tea parties on the kids table--the only way to go!

(and if you've forgotten how to have a tea party, just watch this video.  E will teach you!)

All boys should get in touch with their feminine side!

(Ethan forgot Blue Bear  on his second visit.  Even though he had his blankie, nap time still seemed a little lonely, and so, when he saw my old dolls, he wanted them to sleep with him!)

It's okay to play in water.  Even drinking water!

(It's possible that, out of every ten water glasses E filled, he might have sipped one ounce of water.  But oh how fun that one ounce was!)

Always include homemade Brown Cows in any summertime slumber party!

(We made them with milk, half and half, sugar, and root beer in an ice cream freezer.  And--we got E all to ourselves when Micki and Tyler went to a Rockies game!)

and Happy Meals for supper!

(Come on--remember how fun those little boxes were??)

and nests of blankets and pillows!

(Ethan remembered exactly where I keep the makings for a "nest" on his second visit!  And what other movie would Ethan choose than CARS??)

Saying goodbye never gets easy :(

All too soon after summer goodbyes, I find myself back in teacher routine knowing that Ethan's safe at home in Kearney, and I'm already looking forward to the next time I see him.  When I'm having a particularly stressful day, I think about his laughter, his sense of wonderment and adventure, and his innocence.  Yes, Ethan took a little piece of my heart back with him to Nebraska, but he left behind a whole lot of love . . . and reasons to believe!

Oh, and . . .

a lonely tea party :(

a pair of big boy underwear!

a blankie! (Jewel misses E, too :(  

a "slug bug" car!  (the coolest car ever--it even has windshielf wipers!)

a journal entry (complete with mountains, a seashell, and a "big black snake"!)

Love ya, E!!