Ethan's First Christmas

Ethan's first Christmas brought many blessings. Most notably for us, Ethan himself. Ong Noi and Ba Noi came to town to help us spoil the boys. Ethan is our little chunk of love. We were going to try to take the popular photos of "baby in a stocking" but E is just too darn big for that.

Unofficially, he's probably weighing in at about 15 or 16 pounds. He's nearly four months old and he's stretching his 6-9 month clothes. For Christmas, Ethan got a few more toys, some books, and a tray for his Bumbo chair.

Ethan is a very alert baby. He'll give you a smile without any prompting and he's generally a very laid back little guy. He doesn't take a nuk as much as his older brother did (or does). Ethan is still not very accepting of the bottle yet, but he seems to be taking it well at daycare. I haven't had much luck with administering a bottle myself. He much prefers bellying up to his mother's "bar".

Overall, we had a wonderful first Christmas with Ethan. We look forward to many more blessed Christmases to come.

Christmas 2008

Santa was good to Camden and his brother Ethan this Christmas. Ong Noi and Ba Noi came up to brave the cold Minnesota winter with us again this year. Although not fully aware of what Christmas means or how he can best benefit from the holiday, he certainly had fun unwrapping his gifts. He also enjoyed everyone else's gifts as well. He quickly latched onto Mommy's new running gloves and hat and paraded around the living room as if they belonged to him.

On Christmas Eve, the Slipkas came over with their kids (Jack, Charlie, and Lucy). They shared in a Sindt family tradition of ham and fugens (pronounced foo-jin). If you don't know, fugens are a kind of bread sort of like a dense pancake ball. We make them with raisins and chocolate chips.

On Christmas day, we woke up to a nice bounty of gifts under the tree. We opened our generous presents from family and friends and then we enjoyed a Nguyen family tradition which consists of a nice steaming hot bowl of phở. Phở is a traditional Vietnamese soup made with a beef broth and served with fresh herbs and slowly cooked beef. The broth takes about 5 hours to make, but it's so worth it and it makes about 12-14 servings. Camden seemed to enjoy it and even tried his hand at chopsticks...Rather "chopSTICK" in his case.

Camden and Ethan are the best Christmas gifts we've received in the past two Christmases. We truly feel blessed this holiday season and with the same for all of you. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy [insert holiday here], and Happy New Year!

Camden prepares to tear into his presents.

Camden draws on his new truck book from Aunt Lisa and Uncle Tony.

Camden thinks his mommy's new hat and running gloves look better on him.

Camden and Ethan on Christmas morning.

Santa Baby

Winter Fun

Winter weather came hard and fast to Minneapolis this year. That doesn't put a damper on Camden and Ethan getting bundled up and enjoying the snow. Grandma and Grandpa Sindt came to town for a quick visit this weekend. They, of course, enjoyed some time with the boys while it allowed mommy and daddy some time to put up the Christmas tree and spread some holiday cheer.

"Hm. Not bad."

This reminds me of the kid in the "Christmas Story" all bundled up to go out and play.

Camden's smiley brother, Ethan.

A little taste of Christmas with Grandpa "Papa" and Grandma Sindt.

Enjoying the Chaos

Here's a quick post of a chaotic day in our household:

12:00 AM -- Camden's awake! Mommy performs a midnight diaper change and a little post midnight cuddle time.
12:30 AM -- A little shut eye for everyone.
3:15 AM -- Ethan's awake... hungry little man.
3:45 AM -- Ethan thinks it's play time... what a happy baby? Where's our sleepy man?
4:30 AM -- Ethan gets handed off from mommy to daddy.
5:15 AM -- Camden wakes for the day. A little more snuggle time with mommy.
6:00 AM -- Baby swap. Mom and E get a 30 minute nap while daddy and C get ready for daycare.
6:30 AM -- Snow Shoveling (daddy!).
7:00 AM -- Feed Ethan, Feed Camden.
7:30 AM -- Pack for daycare: Ethan's bottles, Camden's soy milk and snow pants, mom's pump, mom's computer, hats, mittens.... and more!
8:00 AM -- Out the door... late (but we're using the weather as an excuse).
8:15 AM -- Drop off: Coats off, Mittens off, Hat and scarves: check, check. Sign in, get Ethan out, get Camden into his breakfast chair (second breakfast of the day for him).
8:40 AM -- Finally, at work. Let the day begin!!!

So much fun, so little time! We were a little grumpy this morning but managed to overcome our sleepy states. The workday passed, for me anyway, in a blur. Then it was time to finish the day:

6:00 PM -- home late! (Daycare pick up took extra long to get out of the daycare door).
6:30 PM -- Soup's on. Literally... the microwave is broken. Healthy choice veggie soup was the selection for the evening.
7:00 PM -- Bath time. Camden first in the tub. Lots of play... while I managed to clip Ethan's fingernails.
7:30 PM -- Camden's prayers, books and nighttime bottle.
7:45 PM -- Camden protests sleep because he could here lots of noise in the hallway.
7:46 PM -- Ethan's bath time.
8:15 PM -- Ethan's bedtime meal.
8:30 PM -- Impromptu webcam with Mike and Mindi Myser.
9:00 PM -- Mommy succombs to a lifetime movie for the first time in ages... daddy is working on projects.
10:50 PM -- Mommy is wishing the laundry fairy put away the five loads of laundry that are unfolded in baskets.
11:50 PM -- Wondering why I'm still blogging. We're also wondering where the TV remote could possibly be. It's been missing for three days!

A little shut eye before our 3 AM feeding!

What's Your Sign?

Camden's vocabulary continues to grow, both verbally and physically. He's really good at letting us know what he needs, whether it's by hand or mouth. At daycare, they work a lot with the kids on sign language. When he wants more of something he signs "more" by pointing his index finger to the palm of his hand. Or he'll sign "please" by rubbing his belly. Or "help" by patting his chest. He signs for milk by squeezing his hands together as if milking a cow.

His current vocabulary includes words such as:

• "ba-naaa-na" (banana)
  
• "bah-ble" (bubble)
  
• "bow bear" (for his book "Brown Bear")
• "da!-deee" (daddy)
• "papa" (he says this when he sees Grandpa Sindt)
  
• "mama" (mommy)
• "moo" (moo)
• "dah!" (done)

He's said a couple of other random things that he hasn't repeated again, but funny nonetheless. On the day of the Michigan game (11/23/2008) Camden came up to me and said "Go Buck!" I was on the phone with a friend of mine and he said, "Did he just say what I think he said?"

Another time I came home from work and Camden comes to the top of the stairs to greet me by saying "Yer back!" Kim and I looked at each other in amazement and just laughed.

Camden texts his friends :)

Ethan's First Day of Daycare

Today marked Ethan's first day of daycare. A bittersweet day for both Kim and me. There are a couple redeeming qualities that make us feel a bit more at ease about this transition. First, Kim is going to be working a part time work schedule, so she'll be at home with the boys for two days of the week anyway. Second, we absolutely LOVE the teachers at our daycare. Traci, Denise, Sheila, Carol (now retired), and Jamie are tremendous. They have given Camden so much love and we've seen Camden develop in so many ways and we believe that much of that is attributable to his care givers.

We're sure that Ethan will receive the same care from his teachers. Kim and I feel so comfortable having our boys there. It'll be interesting to see Ethan and Camden in the same infant room together. I imagine that it's pretty rare to have siblings in the same room, except in the case of twins of course.

In general, we're thankful to be happy with our daycare provider. It makes going to work a lot easier not having to worry about the care your children are getting when you're not with them. If Ethan is anything like his brother, he'll make all kinds of friends and charm all his teachers in no time.

"Don't worry, E. I'll protect you."

Ethan's Baptism

As part of a whirlwind Thanksgiving weekend which included a Thanksgiving feast, a wedding reception for Aunt Lisa and Uncle Tony, we took advantage of having the whole family in Holstein to have Ethan baptized. Like Camden, Ethan's Godparents were Aunt Paige, Aunt Lisa, and Uncle Tony.

Ethan did great. He wasn't phased by Pastor Benson calling him "Ethan George" versus "Ethan Zachary". It's interesting because last year during Camden's baptism he called Camden "Camden Harry". It's even more interesting if you know that the name George is Grandpa Sindt's father, and the name Harry is Grandma Sindt's father.

Following the service, we joined members of the church for some breakfast snacks and coffee. Camden really hammed it up for everyone making sure to keep people entertained. I think Ethan slept. We returned home to the farm for a late morning brunch and took some time to snap some pictures while the boys were still dressed up. Soon, Tony and Lisa would have to hit the road for the long trip back to Chicago.

It was a jam packed weekend with all kinds of significant Sindt family events. But we're happy that we were able to use our family's time together to celebrate such an important milestone in Ethan's life. We're so excited and proud to support Ethan in his relationship with God and hope you will be too.

Thanksgiving in Iowa

We packed up the minivan and headed south of the border to Iowa for Thanksgiving this year. Aunt Paige flew into Minneapolis from Phoenix and we made the four and a half hour drive to Holstein on Wednesday evening. The boys did great both ways. A stop was necessary on each leg to feed all members of the family.

Aunt Lisa and Uncle Tony got to Holstein on Thanksgiving Day after visiting with Camden's Great Grandma Daleske. The weekend was packed with activities. Thursday, of course, was a day to feast. Then there was Black Friday so a couple of us packed up for Sioux City to battle the crowds.

On Saturday there was a belated wedding celebration at the country club for Tony and Lisa. That was really nice since we missed Tony and Lisa's wedding in September as we awaited the arrival of Ethan into our lives.

Finally, Sunday was Ethan's baptism. He did great and you can see some more pictures from Ethan's big day on his blog.

Happy Thanksgiving 2008 onsies courtesy of Aunt Lisa and Uncle Tony.

Aunt Paige and Aunt Lisa posing with the boys.

Camden and Daddy match!

Celebrating Ethan's baptism.

"Jazz Hands!"

The MacLagan's Visit

Camden and Ethan got a visit from their buddy Jack MacLagan today. After getting to watch and enjoy another monumental Buckeye victory over archrival, Michigan. We enjoyed some playtime with parents Brent and Melissa, and of course Jack. The MacLagans were in town for the Iowa/Minnesota game and it was so nice that they could squeeze in some time to visit with us.

Halloween 2008

The Nguyen Family Zoo...We put our family zoo on display for Halloween this year. Camden was a giraffe and Ethan wore Camden's lion suit from last year. We paraded the boys around daycare and at my work. We took them to a few houses in the neighborhood too. Our cute little animals turned heads wherever they went. It was a beautiful Halloween night.

The Nguyen Family Zoo...The Zookeepers and their prized lion cub and giraffe.

Grandma Sindt and our sleepy little lion cub. Or is that a roar?

The giraffe tamed himself and put himself in his crate.

Our giraffe "in the wild".

October Moments!

Daddy's going to Florida for a couple days..... what are we going to do?

We'll call Grandma and Grandpa!


"I'm only one month old.... I need an adult to baby ratio in my favor!"

"I'm the little brother.... protect me!"

"Ah, I could do this all day!"

A little stroll at dusk!
Needless to say... .it was a successful trip!