My Mom was on Winter break last week, so she was here all week long. It was fabulous! Mark and I had Valentine's Day date night with a free babysitter! That Monday evening, we had a Paris Party at a friend's house. There are 12 of us here from Memphis going to Paris with a group from Georgia (well, actually just a few from GA now and some from Nashville and Chattanooga). So we got together to discuss the trip and eat some wonderful food. Mark started baking and making his pastry dough on Sunday. Monday morning he started in the kitchen and didn't turn the oven off until we walked out the door at 6pm to go to the party. His class at Viking paid off!
Thursday (the 19
th) was Ethan's 4
th birthday. I know people say this all the time, but seriously, where does the time go? It seems just like yesterday Mark and I were at the hospital when Allie was born....now she's 5 1/2 (Ethan's birthday is her half birthday). Anyways, he's such a fun and loving child and Mark and I enjoy being around him. He loves preschool and has quite the imagination. We are so blessed with an extremely healthy and happy little boy! Mom read to his preschool class that day - "Drummer Hoff", one of his favorites. That evening, we picked
Ro Ro up at the airport. Mark was at work that night, but we started celebrating Ethan's birthday.
Friday morning we met some of his friends at Chuck E Cheese! It's so nice going there during the week when no one is there. The kids had a great time - and so did Mark and Ben. They had so much fun that Mark missed Ethan blowing out the candles on his cake.....well, he missed the first couple of times....Nona and
Ro Ro left a little early to get the cake and run a few errands. I called them and asked them to pick up candles too -
Ro Ro ran in a store and grabbed some. Well, she grabbed the trick candles, but we didn't know it until they kept relighting. It was seriously the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. Ethan did not know what to think. We had a great time!
It's always so nice to have Nona and
Ro Ro here with us - it's even nicer when they're here at the same time! Happy Birthday to our Ethan!
Chocolate Eclairs filled with vanilla pastry cream
Prosciutto and
Parmesan palmieres (puff pastry dough)
Almond
palmieres
This is an outfit I made Nina for Valentine's Day - she was showing it off.
Ethan playing in preschool
Nona reading to Ethan's class
Ethan showing Nina the birthday chair that he got to sit in
Ethan showing off his birthday hat and shirt (
Ro Ro had the shirt made for him)
Happy Birthday to you!
Can you tell I couldn't find my candles....thus the tea lites!
Nona and
Ro Ro with Ethan and Nina
The kiddos enjoying pizza at Chuck E Cheese
Any excuse for Mommy to get a Cookie Cake! Although, they didn't quite follow all of my instructions - I asked for more chocolate icing. Oh well, still incredibly good!
Ethan blowing his candles out
He literally took a huge step back as they
re-lit. It was hysterical!
Having cake with Gracie and
Macie
Nina and Sydney are serious about their cake
Playing some
skeeball!
Ethan and
Macie Mae loved playing air hockey together
Ethan loved the Monster Truck, but Gracie wasn't so sure about it
Trying to get a group shot....after 4 hours at Chuck E Cheese wasn't the best time...Sydney wasn't happy when the Mouse started talking behind her. Gracie wouldn't sit on the stage because of the Mouse.
Ethan loves playing with
Ro Ro's glasses
This is the shawl that
Ro Ro made for Nina - it's gorgeous and she had so many oohs and
aahs over it this past week
Another BIG truck in the house
Lots of dollars for the birthday boy
This was our first trip outside. Ethan loved riding his motorcycle around. The second time he got his Jeep out and that was funny. 
This was the second time out and we were about to go back inside but I thought I could get a picture of them together. It didn't work out so well.
Happy Birthday to you!
Can you tell I couldn't find my candles....thus the tea lites!
The kiddos enjoying pizza at Chuck E Cheese
Having cake with Gracie and Macie
Playing some skeeball!
Ethan and Macie Mae loved playing air hockey together
Ethan loved the Monster Truck, but Gracie wasn't so sure about it
Ethan loves playing with Ro Ro's glasses
This is the shawl that Ro Ro made for Nina - it's gorgeous and she had so many oohs and aahs over it this past week
Lots of dollars for the birthday boy
Ethan and Nina enjoyed watching the Inaugural Parade and were waving as President and Michelle Obama got out of their limo. Ethan loves telling everyone about the parade and the new president and the other day saw Michelle on tv and asked why she didn't have her yellow dress on.
Nina enjoying the snow
Ethan loved using Ro Ro's shovel to clean the driveway
On the Metro heading into DC
Ethan and Daddy in front of the Capitol - can you believe how few people are behind them? This was Friday after the events on Tuesday - no one was in DC and it was fabulous!
Ethan playing in an airplane in the Air and Space Museum
Going to see an Imax movie in the museum
Ethan and Mark took a spin on the carousel on the Mall
A much different view of the Lincoln Memorial - and if you notice the reflecting pool is frozen over and there are some people walking across
Ethan petting Stonewall at the Washington Monument
Outside the back of The White House
Ethan was so excited because planes were coming into Reagan right over the city and that's all he wanted to watch
Standing on the driveway at the gate used during the Inauguration events
The front of The White House
Ethan loved DC and was exhausted coming back on the Metro - so tired he fell asleep leaning backwards on his seat
Jane and Erica came for a visit
Mrs. Chedester and next door neighbor Nicole, taking Nina for a walk
At the Old Ellicott City train museum
While there, a real train was coming by, so they went outside to check it out
Mark and Ethan enjoying the dolphin show at the aquarium in Baltimore
Ro Ro and Nina at the dolphin show
