A Peak Inside Our Christmas

We had a fabulous and blessed Christmas. Here are a few pictures from last night and today...

More Good News

Jayden has nearly put on a pound in two weeks - which is half of the amount he gained in nearly 7 months. Seems the formula is working well! He is even getting a little bit of baby rolls on his legs. It's funny because neither he nor Ethan have ever had any.

The boys are really excited for Christmas. Ethan keeps standing at the window saying, "Santa, oh Santa where are you?" and making little comments during the day about Santa coming when he is sleeping.

Everytime he sees a Christmas tree he says, "Happy dirday Jesus!" and he is so excited to celebrate Jesus' "Happy dirday."

We've been busy making empanadas, Christmas cookies and praying as we await Christmas. (Ethan and Jayden both LOVE the advent candles and Ethan reminds me if I don't light them for a meal).

Merry Christmas to everyone! May 2009 bring many blessings to you all:).

Santa

Ethan loved Santa - Jayden was freaked out, but we had a good time. The store near our house has a free Santa away from the crowds (and people with germs:). When we went, we were the only family there except for our friends who also came to see him. Bonus: we got to take our own pictures, so we didn't have to pay the crazy amounts for mall Santa pics.

Ethan and Ella enjoyed Santa's chair after Santa had to hurry back to the workshop to make more toys.

A Little Fun

The boys enjoyed hanging out with us and each other today and Ethan was thrilled with the tiny amount of snow we got last night and begged Jim to help him build a snowman. Jim said it was the tiniest one he has ever built:).

Videos

I just added two videos - one of Ethan and his "mamacules" and one of Jayden playing peek-a-boo. You can see them here.

Grandma and Grandpa Neels Visit

The boys had a lot of fun with Grandma and Grandpa Neels and Aunt Lauren and Uncle Paul. We took a quick family photo at a park near our house as it got dark. It actually too dark at the end so whatever:). You work with what you have.

Two New Movies

I put up a new video of Ethan singing songs (including one he made up) and Jayden doing all kinds of stuff. You can see them here. Enjoy!

Sleeping Boys

I love sleeping baby pictures! Ethan's cracks us up because he was sleeping with his sunglasses on upside down, his choo-choo blanket and the multi-colored blanket mom made him and it was 78 degrees outside. There's also a cute one with Jim and Jayden.

Just Hanging Around

You gotta love that smile:). I just had to post this picture!


And here is Ethan becoming as smart as his daddy reading Chemical and Engineering News - he refers to molecules as "mamacues."

My Boys

Manhattan With The Two And Under Crowd

We had a blast visiting Jim's cousin Chris who lives in lower Manhattan. We found some city playgrounds, walked around the neighborhood, visited Central Park after church and went to The Museum of Natural History (Ethan loved the dinosaurs).

We had a really rough start though because the "B" - Ethan's Bear - managed to get lost somewhere on the platform at Princeton Junction. We of course didn't know this until already heading to NYC, so we had to find a last-minute replacement. Friday night was rough, Saturday was a bit better, but he was relived when we got home to find his "B" (Thank God we have a replacement).

We named his bear we bought in NYC "Bob the B" and although he was liking Bob the B, he was very happy to find his bear when we got home. We had to file a report with the New Jersey Transit lost and found, but they couldn't find it. We told Ethan the B went bye-bye in the train. He kept waking up Friday night and moaning, "Oh no! The B!" He was also confused what was happening to his eyes and his nose (he was crying). It was sad, but very cute too.

Here are a few pics:

Down The Shore

So since we are Pennsylvanians now, we have to speak like Pennsylvanians. We didn't go to the beach for the past few days, we headed down the shore. Whatever we did, it was fun. We went to Ocean City, NJ - a great beach town with a fun boardwalk and lots to do.

Jayden enjoyed his first time playing in the sand and the water. Ethan and Ella had a blast and Luke was all over the place so we couldn't actually get him in any of the pictures.

Bath Time Together

Ethan and Jayden are loving doing new things together. One of the newest is bath time. They spend most of the time splashing and giggling (although Ethan looks confused in this picture).

Fun In St. Louis

We all had a blast going to Uncle Gabe and Aunt Rachel's wedding and hanging out with Hannah, Grandma and Grandpa Lozano and all the aunts, uncles, family and friends. Here are a few of our favorite pictures. My personal favorite is Gabe and Rachel with Gabe's L12 at the reception. Leave it to Gabe to have Wok Express for his wedding dinner:).

Summer Fun

We had a blast doing photos yesterday morning. I am working on building up my portraits in my portfolio so I can start doing more of that type of work.

Ethan Sings "Choo-Choo" Songs

This will make you smile:). Ethan got a book from his great Grandma and it plays songs from Thomas the train. He carries it around and has been singing all the songs, usually making Jayden "participate." Enjoy:).

Playing With Friends

Ethan and his best buddy Ella along with Jayden and Luke. Jayden and Luke were very mad at the time I took this because they both wanted lunch. The kids have been enjoying exploring the pools and rides Sesame Place. We are determined to get the most out of our summer passes.

Ice Cream

Jayden tried his first ice cream and Ethan enjoyed his bowl of cookies 'n cream when Friendly's gave away free ice cream last Saturday. Nothing like enjoying a cone right before dinner. I felt like when mom was away for a weekend and dad would let us choose "dinner.":)

Ethan's Birthday Presents

Here are some funny ones of Ethan playing and wearing some of his birthday presents.He has had a nonstop party since he turned 2 and we can't post all the pictures or we'd be overwhelmed on the blog:)

The Big 0-2

Ethan had a wonderful weekend celebrating his second birthday. It didn't rain during his party, we successfully made an Elmo cake and he loved blowing out his candles. Here are some fun pictures.

At The Zoo

So, we realized how spoiled we were with the St. Louis Zoo growing up - both how big and diverse and good it is as well as how FREE it is:). In the last few states we lived, we have visited multiple zoos only to be disappointed. They were nice but generally expensive and generally offered less than what St. Louis offers.

We hit the Philadelphia Zoo last Friday, a bit skeptical, but pleasantly surprised. We only made it through about 1/3 of the zoo, mostly because five moms had eight kids, but we enjoyed what we saw.

It is expensive - nearly $20 a ticket - but apparently it was the first zoo in the United States. They have a wide variety of each animal and lots of room for most of them to move as well.

Here are some pictures of my cutie boys in the stroller. Ethan loves his cheesy grin now and rarely gives me a normal smile, but it's still cute:).

Fun Picture

Ethan is so excited to have Jayden home he keeps trying to pick him up to sit with him. The funny thing is, Ethan only weighs 25 pounds and Jayden is more than 14, so he can't really pick him up.

Happy Easter!

We were so glad to have Jayden home from the hospital and breathing alright again. Later in the day, Jayden and I took off for our trip back to the Lou. Jim and Ethan will join us later this week.

Trouble Times Two

Jim's aunt gave the boys these matching outfits and so we decided we need some cute pictures with them.

That smile looks like Ethan's up to something....



Sometimes Ethan tackles Jayden and you can tell Jayden's just in for the ride and not sure what to do.

Ethan and Jayden on the Go

Jayden's still a little small for the Exersaucer, but Ethan loves it when he spends some time in there and is eager to share his toys.



Jayden is getting ready to take off....



Ethan and Jayden on our couch ....



High tech Ethan ...



So this is our last post of the day... we're catching up from the last few weeks.

Fun In The Snow!

Ethan was too young to truly enjoy the snow last year (see first picture in Minnesota), but this year after moving from the Mountains of Much Snowia (aka. Minnesota), we have had no snow and he couldn't play in it. Last night, we got a whopping 3 inches. While I know all my Minnesotan friends are laughing about this, in Philly, it is a BIG deal. I went to the gym at 5:30 this morning and not only was it nearly empty (there are usually more than 200 people there at that time), it took me forever to get there because no one had begun plowing the roads. We're not talking the small side roads, but the major almost highway ones.

Anyway, Ethan and Mommy went outside to play this morning while Jayden slept. Ethan was frustrated at first because he couldn't keep the snow off his boots, but then started to really enjoy it.

Two Of A Kind

I just have been enjoying watching the boys begin to interact with each other as brothers. Jayden lights up each time Ethan runs over to talk to him and Jayden tries to talk back. Ethan wants to hold him on a regular basis.

Up To No Good?

Ethan decked out as a shoeless fireman. He looks like he's getting ready to do something he shouldn't:). You can also see more videos I added last night and over the last few days of both boys at on our site.

Fun Tidbits - Ethan and Jayden

I am enjoying our time at home now that Jayden is home. Jayden is still sick and will likely be for another week or two, but is also improving, which is great.

The doctor said when he was admitted to the NICU his lungs were holding the most fluid they could hold without shutting down, which is why he was admitted into the NICU and not just the hospital. She said he was one of their most severe RSV cases they've had this year. Praise God for all the prayers and that he is recovering so well!

Now we just have to get through the rest of the cold/flu season without him catching something else. The doctor said that is the biggest threat to him and could be very harmful if he caught something. When it's put that way, it's not too difficult to become a shut-in for awhile.

Onto something not health related(it is so nice to be able to do that).

Many people have asked us about why we picked the name Ethan and even more about why we picked Jayden.
The biggest reasons were

• because we liked them


• we loved the meanings


• they were not too common, but still known (at least when we picked them)

Ethan means firm, enduring, strong. The origin is Hebrew.
Ethan was a man distinguished for his wisdom in the Old Testament. He lived during the time of Solomon. He authored the 89th psalm.

Jayden was derived from Jadon. It means thankful or God has heard. The origin is also Hebrew.
Jadon assisted Nehemiah in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem (Neh 3:7).

Getting Back To Normal

So we are starting to get back to normal, although Jayden may still be sick for a few weeks. We were very blessed this week to have both of our moms come up at different times to help with Ethan while Jayden was in the hospital. We would've liked it to be under different circumstances, but we were glad they were up here nonetheless.

Because of when Jim's mom came, we didn't get any photos since Jayden was much sicker when she was here. By the time my mom left, he was so much better and so we have a few photos to share.

Santa Here We Come

Our church held a lunch with Santa today, so Jim and I took the boys to see Santa Claus. Ethan wasn't sure what to think so he sat with Jim on his lap.

The Fun Continues

So we have just started what will be our "regular" routine. Ethan wrapped up daycare and is now home full time. He and I made cookies Grandma bought last week, we read the same book several times and danced to music on the iPod. I think he should be more tired, but doesn't seem to be even though mom is:).

We also took Jayden's photo to match a similar one I took of Ethan at this age. Jayden is now more than two weeks old already - craziness! Anyway, time for a walk.

Welcome Jayden!

On Thursday afternoon we welcomed Jayden Robert to the world. He weighed a healthy 7lbs 12 oz and was 21 inches long. Mom and baby are doing well. Ethan is slowly adjusting but I think he likes his brother alright:).

Mr. Independent

Ethan has decided he can do things for himself and gets quite frustrated when someone tries to help him (reminds me too much of Uncle Gabe and Aunt Teresa:). These are two of my favorites. He thinks he needs to wear mine and Jim's shoes or "ushes" (with a long u) as he calls them and he won't let anyone help him brush his teeth anymore. I think he's saying, "Mom, I'm not a baby anymore."

Our Little Lion

Here are a few pictures from the other night - Ethan LOVED it after he figured out what he was doing going door to door in our neighborhood:).

After A Long Day's Play

There's not much cuter and a more welcome sight than a sleeping baby. After a LOT of playing, running away from Jim as he tried to dress him for church and perfecting his random screeching noises at church, Ethan finally fell asleep. I guess it's difficult work being an 18-month-old...lol.

A funny note.... Jim and I finally figured out what Ethan was doing when he seemed to be doing the chicken dance (you know hands underneath armpits flapping up and down). He is trying to do the sign of the cross and each time we don't "help" him he looks like he's doing the chicken dance. We laughed so hard when we realized that. I bet God gets a lot of laugh over things like that with little kids.

Ria's Birthday

We really had fun last night for my birthday as well. We enjoyed goofing off in front of the camera. It sure can be challenging getting a family shot, especially if no one is standing behind the camera.

Celebrating Fall

We spent our Sunday at a nearby orchard and farm. We picked apples and got a pumpkin. Ethan of course thought all the pumpkins were balls and got quite frustrated when he couldn't pick them up and throw them, but he got over it.

Ethan and his cell in action

New York, New York - Ethan Hits The Big Time

Ethan, Jim and I went to NYC yesterday to explore a bit. We hung out in Lower and Midtown Manhattan and enjoyed getting to know where we were. We hit Times Square, Broadway and Battery Park. Ethan cracked us up because as we got to Times Square,w e checked on him and he was sleeping sitting up. We figured all the people wore him out.

Talking on the Cell

Apparently, it's never too early to use a cell phone. Ethan's been ahving animated conversations with himself on Jim's dead phone.

Camping

Ethan and I went camping last weekend in New York. We had a good time and Ethan loved playing with my friends' daughter, Audrey, who is only a few months older than he is. Youc an see the whole gallery at Kodak

Fourth of July

Ethan enjoyed going to Philly for the 4th of July. We headed to the Constitution Museum and the Liberty Bell as well as Ben Franklin's grave site. It was a new and interesting way to spend our 4th of July. Ethan even had his first Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich.

Right At Home

Ethan has made himself right at home at our apartment in New Jersey. He loves the pool and swimming and has figured out how to get into the pantry when it isn't fully closed.

Cereal Games

So Ethan is fascinated with all balls and, for that matter, anything round that could possibly be a ball. I bought him Kix the other day when we were at the store because there were no Cheerios and I had no energy to go to another store.

I was in the kitchen cleaning and looked over at him to find him playing "ball" with his cereal. He didn't want to eat them and just kept saying "ball," "ball." He is definitely a Lozano!

Enjoying Raggedy Andy & A New Cards Hat

This one is for mom:)

Ethan Destroys His Cake

Ethan enjoyed his birthday by destroying his cake and playing a lot....