Ray and I will be out of town on Ethan’s 2nd birthday, December 14th, so we celebrated today instead. Unfortunately, Ethan’s daddy, Ron, is sick in bed with the flu, so he missed the festivities. (Hope you feel better soon, Ron. We missed you.)

We started the day with an all-morning visit with Papa and Meemaw (Ethan’s name for me and his other grandmother). We ate oatmeal with lots of berries, fresh pineapple, and a piece of whole wheat toast. Then we headed outside, where my little helper and I did various chores. We scooped up dog poop, blew the leaves, filled dog food containers, took out the trash, and tidied everything up. Then Ethan played with the rocks and his dump truck for quite a while before his mother let us know that she had made a quiche for lunch.

Late this afternoon, we met to visit downtown Ojai for a Christmas celebration in the park. We heard singers, saw dancers, and even Santa made an appearance. After that, we headed to a local restaurant, where Ethan had a bowl of delicious pasta. Finally, we returned home, and Ethan opened his gifts from Papa and Meemaw. These were all art supplies, which included a drawing tablet, Ethan’s first pack of 24 crayons, a package of clay similar to play dough, and a box of markers, all in animal shapes. Ethan was very pleased with his gifts and wanted to try each out. So adorable.

We sang Happy Birthday and celebrated with cookies from a local bakery. Ethan looked very pleased with his birthday celebration, and I was happy as well. It was the perfect day to honor our darling little Ethan Arthur Betty. I feel so blessed to have him in my life.