Say "Cheeze"

Ethan has been getting so big lately. I can't believe that he is 7 months already. Wow! Time flies when you are having fun learning and growing. He has become such a cute little person. He has been sitting up on his own now for quite some time. He loves it! He has even began discovering his legs and trying to crawl. He has mastered the backwards "army crawl", but has yet to master forwards. He gets so upset when we try to get him to go forwards. He cries when he finds himself going farther and farther away from where he wants to be. It is quite comical!


He has also become quite a comedian! Anytime someone smiles at him, he will usually give the cheeziest grin you could possibly imagine. It is quite funny. Here are just a few shots of his cheese! We just love having his fun personality in our home. What a difference your children can make in your life. He has brought such joy to our lives.

And...just this week he has learned the word "Ma Ma Ma". Of course he isn't quite sure what he is saying, but it has made his mommy quite happy to hear that every day, all day long!

Ha! The parental roles have changed...

I think it is quite funny to look back and realize that we are getting older, hopefully wiser, and that sometimes our lives take turns that remind us of younger years...yet, they take a different aspect.
I seem to have forgotten than as we get older the roles that we thought we were supposed to play change quite a bit. For instance, my Dad had surgery the end of February and my Mom had foot surgery (on both feet) last week. Since they have both been "out of commission", our family has taken a turn on the roles that we have always played. Instead of Mom and Dad being the care-takers and watching over us as children, we have somehow managed to switch roles and take care of them. It has been incredible to watch how our family has just jumped in and have taken care of our parents. I have been spending quite a bit of time at my parents home, making sure that my dad doesn't stress himself out, and that mom gets meals like she should, her feet stay elevated, and that the house stays clean and they have clothes to wear.
I believe that I thought it would be quite a few more years before we started taking care of our parents, but it has been a great opportunity to give back the many things that they have given us over the years. So, Mom...don't worry, I enjoy helping where I can!
Thanks Mom and Dad for showing us as children how to serve others and to be there for our family. I feel like our family has just gotten stronger through these challenges and opportunities for the roles to switch!

I love my family! Thanks for being great friends!

This one's for you Grandpa Rasmussen!!

Ethan was so cute in his outfit yesterday, that we thought we would give a little "shout-out" to grandpa Rasmussen! Someday when he is bigger, we will have to make a special trip out to grandpa's work to see a real fire truck!

A Tribute to our Soldiers!

One of our family's great friends, Kerry Stauffer and Kayce Clark, came home from Kuwait yesterday. This was Kerry's third tour of duty. We are so excited to have both of them home safe. Our thoughts and prayers have been with you and your families, Kerry & Kayce! Thanks for being so willing to defend our freedoms and serve our country! You guys are great!

God bless America!

Happy New Year!

Well, Happy New Year everyone! I am excited to start fresh and begin a new chapter in my life and see what great things happen in 2009. As I look back on 2008, I can't even imagine anything better happening that what we experienced last year...but never fear, the Lord always has surprises in store- whether good or bad. Here is a quick look back on 2008 from our point of view~

~The Rasmussen family 2008 Review~

1. Sara turned 25 in January

2. We found out we were pregnant with Ethan in January

3. Sara's brother, Kyle married Chelsea in March

4. We found out that we were having a boy in May

5. Mike got his new job in August

6. Mike left for a 4 week training in September

7. Mike surprised Sara at the hospital for Ethan's birth in September

8. Mike and Sara celebrated their 3rd anniversay in October

9. Ethan was blessed November 2nd

10. Mike turned 29 in November

11. We celebrated Thanksgiving with my extended family!

12. Mike and I went with my family to the "Forgotten Carols" again

13. Mike's sister, Sara and her family, surprised us by coming out for Christmas in December

14. We celebrated Christmas with Mike's family

15. We had a "rockin'" New Year's Eve with my family playing Guitar Hero!

That's what we were doing last year! What a trip!

Ethan's 1st Christmas

We were so overly excited this year, we spent a small fortune it seemed on Ethan...knowing full well that he would not even know the difference. But, as it turns out he is very happy about one of the gifts that Santa brough him. He got a play mat, and these pictures are of Ethan trying to figure out what this contraption is and how he can reach all the fun toys! We were thrilled!

Ethan's 1st time in his winter get-up. He isn't quite sure how he likes it yet and as you can see, it is a little on the big side right now...but I am sure he will be filling it out very soon!

Ethan is all ready to go visit Santa! He was very excited about getting his picture taken today at home, but he was too facinated by the flash on the camera...so, no big smiles...but cute anyway!