We're off to see the monkeys...and the "terrible 2's" have arrived.

Today we took advantage of the dry, almost sunny day and went to the zoo. We met Mommy's friends Jen & her daughter Rubie and Lisa & her son Brennen. Everything went great until Mommy let Ethan out of his stroller to see the Monkeys and he was NOT going to get back in the stroller. Thankfully Brennen was a great help and let Ethan hold his hand and walk with him. He did really good staying with us most of the time, but figured out that he could run away so Mommy put him back in the stroller kicking and screaming. The "terrible 2's" have arrived. I absolutely refuse to put a leash on my child. He will either learn to stay with me and hold my hand or he will be strapped into his stroller and crying.

I find it amusing as well as annoying at the staggering number of people that stare at you when your child is having a tantrum as if it is something foreign and that their child or grandchild never did that. I can understand the stares from people who don't have children as I was once there myself, but seriously we were at the zoo where there are many many children and I'm sure I wasn't the only Mother there whose child was having a crying fit and getting looks from other adults as if I was beating my child. Oh well, I am sure with the "terrible 2's" in full swing there will be many more to come. For a positive note...he did take a 2 1/2 hour nap after we got home.



Rubie Smith - 5 1/5 months old.

Brennen (9) walking with Ethan. What a great helper.



I am sure both of his Grandma's are sure that his cute little face couldn't be so unhappy, however, before this past Saturday his tantrums weren't too bad. Saturday evening Jeff was changing the oil in our cars with Ethan's help. He was very good at carrying around a wrench for Daddy. Soon bedtime was drawing near and he was filthy from playing in the dirt and climbing under the car to help Daddy with the oil so I told him we needed to go inside and have a bath and get on our pj's. Now normally Ethan loves bath time and if I say it at all he is running to the bathroom door and trying to get his clothes off, but on Saturday evening he was NOT interested in going inside or having a bath. He was screaming and crying so loud I thought our neighbors were going to come see what was wrong. After I finally got him in the house it took me another 20-30 minutes to get him undressed, still screaming and crying of course, and in the tub for which he spent the entire time in the tub trying to climb out. He was screaming and crying so hard that he bit either his lip or tongue and then we had blood everywhere as well.

He likes to cuddle with Copper and Riley.