A Decade With Ethan

It’s hard to believe that just over 10 yrs ago I was just…me. I was someone’s wife, daughter and sister ,but still me. That all changed the day Ethan was born. I just became someone’s MOM. This little guy depended on me like no one else ever had. And would for the next 18 yrs. This was scary. And exciting all at the same time.

Today, that little baby turns 10!




I started telling Ethan 10 yrs ago on Mother’s Day that HE made me a mom. HE is why I have a Mother’s Day to celebrate. I still tell him that today. The smile he still gets on his face knowing that he alone made me so happy is priceless. It’s something I treasure. He was my first born, my first everything.

He was the first one I pee’d on a stick for. The first heartbeat I ever heard. The first movements in my belly. The first to put me in the most pain imaginable.

The first to hold. The first o kiss. The first to nurse(if only for a short time). The first to crawl. The first to talk. The first to walk. The first to tell me he loves me. To potty train. To ride a bike. To start school. The first to play sports. The first to make me laugh. The first to make me cry. The first to make me so mad I couldn’t see straight. The first to fill me with such love and pride…unlike anything I’d ever felt.

I’ve never in my life seen someone so stubborn, so determined, so rebeluos. Then, I look in the mirror and see myself. In some crazy way that brings me comfort, knowing he’s like me in some ways. He is sensitive, nurturing and has a huge heart(sometimes you have to look real deep inside him to see this, but it’s definitely there).
He’s so much like his dad too. The way he walks, the way he thinks, the way he looks. Mini Matt. The way he says “chwelve(12), chwenty(20) and chwice(twice)”…just like Matt. The way he has dreams bigger than life…like Matt.

He loves to sing. He loves to dance, skateboard, swim, climb trees, play chase, play football and loves making us proud. He simply loves being a little boy.



(Corbin got some shots too)


This little boy tests my patience and my sanity in ways I never knew possible. He makes me pray for the strength I need to parent him in a way God is proud of. He makes me cry out because this is not always an easy task. This little boy makes me look deep inside my faith to see that he is just that…a little boy. This little boy, that same little boy…yeah, he has my heart.

I look at pictures from the past and see a beautiful future. I remember all the great times and use the not so great as examples of how to improve our relationship. He has made my life full of joy. He alone, gave me purpose.

It’s terrifying knowing that one day he won’t need me anymore, but you can bet your buns, as long as he does, I will be there…heart and soul.

There’s a book I got back in elementary school(many, many moons ago) that sums it all up. It’s called "Love You Forever".

I’ll love you forever
I’ll like you for always
As long as I’m living
My baby you’ll be

No matter how big or how old he gets, no matter how upset he makes me, no matter how far away he is, he will always and forever be my pride and joy. He will always be my baby. He will always be my first.

Here’s to a great decade with an awesome little boy. Here’s to an exciting future with my first.