My Genius Son

So Shaun and I (like most other parents) have decided that our little Ethan is a genius. My sisters and mom can vouch for the fact that I love to brag about all of the intelligent things he can do. It all started when we realized that he has a special talent for and interest in computers. We think he gets this from his Daddy. When he was about 18 months old he started to play on the computer. At first we thought it was really just playing, but we soon noticed that he was able to point and click on very small buttons. He also liked to change settings and create his very own new folders on the desktop. Now I don't know about anyone else, but I think that kind of hand-eye coordination can be difficult for even some adults to master. It took a while, but I finally decided to let him play some computer games on the internet. They are made for toddlers, but I was amazed at how quickly he mastered the Care Bears matching game (it has the same rules as "Memory") he plays on their website. He has actually become bored of that one I think. His other two favorite games are alphabet games. As a result of playing those games he can recognize all of his letters and knows that E is for Ethan. Ethan is also able to recognize and name all of the basic shapes and is learning his numbers and colors. Of course there are other things that show his intelligence like all of the new words he uses everyday, his ability to draw, and all of the ASL signs he has known for some time now. We are kind of hoping that he will be eager to teach his little brother all of the things he knows so that we can think we have a prodigy when Spencer is two. It has become obvious to me that if it weren't for computers our bright little buddy may not be so bright, so I am thankful for the advancements in technology that have been made possible by people like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Now if only the computer could teach Ethan how to use his potty...

My First Blog

So I (Emily) never thought I would do one of these things because I can never think of what to say in things like this, but my brother-in-law just started one and Shaun thinks maybe mine will be as good as his. Although I don't agree, I thought I'd give it a try. I guess for this first post I will just say what's going on in our lives right now. I am just trying to get used to the stress of having a 2-year-old and a newborn. It isn't easy, but it is definitely worth it. Ethan just took his first trip (with Mommy, Daddy, Spencer, and Grandma Dibb) to Lagoon last week. Of course, his favorite part was the train and he didn't want to get off. He and Daddy also went on their first camping trip this weekend (in Provo Canyon), and Shaun decided after getting only a few hours of sleep that it will be a while before they try that again. Ethan did love running around in the great outdoors and building a fire with Daddy, but was extremely tired when he got home. Spencer was blessed on the 19th. Shaun blessed him at Mom and Dad Dibb's house with just family there and it was nice. Spencer is getting to be a fun baby now that he has smiles and coos to offer. He's a little fatty and we just love him. Although Ethan does like to pick on him, we're sure he loves him too. Shaun just found out today that his is not one of the top 15 commercials submitted to Heinz for a chance to win $57,000. That was a bummer, but all of us who love him know he surely deserved a spot. He does have another movie that he is working hard on right now, so that is keeping him busy and motivated. All four (wow, really, four!?!) of us are moving in with Grandma and Grandpa Dibb this weekend, and, although it's not the most ideal of circumstances, we greatly appreciate them and are excited to be able to spend more time with them.

Memories of Spencer

--Spencer loves to make people laugh. He sometimes thinks he's pretty funny. He also loves getting into things and is starting to realize when he's doing something naughty. When he gets caught, he quickly stops what he's doing and smirks. (September, 2008)

--Spencer finally cut his 7th tooth (first molar) on September 20, 2008.

--One day I went to get Spencer from his nap and he was sitting bent over in his bed blowing raspberries on his own leg. I stood and watched him for a few seconds since he didn't know I was there, and he briefly stopped to laugh and then went at it again. (June, 2008)

--All on the same day Spencer (finally) cut his third tooth, learned to crawl on his hands and knees, and learned to drink from a straw (and had his first taste of cow's milk). It was a big day for him! (5/15/2008)

--Spencer's favorite way to dance is to shake his head. We can't decide if he likes music or not! :) (Spring, 2008)

--Spencer loves to play with his tongue. He sticks it out all the time, especially when he's happy. Most of the time he just sticks it out a little bit and it's pointy. It is so cute! (2007-2008)

Memories of Ethan

--Ethan is so obsessed with trains, it seem that's all he thinks about. He has started watching train videos on You Tube now instead of playing his educational computer games. He hasn't stopped learning, though. He is continually learning new words and different ways to use them. He can read a few words and when he's in the mood he can spell some, too. (September, 2008)

--Ethan has just started calling bugs "buggers". One day he was playing behind the couch, building his train track and we heard him saying, "Excuse me, bugger. Bugger, excuse me." over and over. Shaun went to investigate and saw a little ant crawling on one of the track pieces that Ethan was trying to play with. What a polite boy, I would have smashed the thing. (April, 2008)

--Ethan has really become quite the artist. He has always loved to draw, but his drawings have much more purpose to them now. He has started drawing faces (which are the cutest little bunch of circles I've ever seen!) and he has surprised me with drawing letters already. I don't know if this is all that early for that, I just can't remember knowing any 2 year old that could write letters, so I was surprised the first time he drew an H and it wasn't accidental. (March, 2008)

--While learning his lower-case letters, Ethan has decided that the lower-case K is a "broken K". Every time he sees one he says, "uh-oh, broken K". He has had us "shake" the house to break K's, and will then say "oh, no we broke the K". While we were driving the other day he saw a capital K on a sign and told us that that K "works". Well of course it works, it's not "broken." :) (January, 2008)

--Ethan really likes piggy banks. While we were visiting my sister in November 2007, I left him watching "Super Why" with Spencer on the couch just for a minute to put some laundry away. Ethan came running into the bedroom and told me something about a pig. There is a pig on "Super Why" so I didn't think much of what he was saying until Spencer let out an unusual wail. I went running and saw Spencer lying on the couch with drool all over his face, but he had stopped crying. He looked like he might be choking on spit-up so I sat him up. He was still trying to cry and looked like he was in pain, so I flipped him over and gave him a few pats on the back and out popped a penny. I then realized that Ethan was trying to tell me that Spencer was a piggy bank. Scary!

--At 2 1/2 (Jan. 2008) Ethan has started calling Mommy and Daddy 'Mom' and 'Dad'. Isn't he too young for that?!

--At 2 1/2 Ethan also loves to learn. He can recognize all of the letters of the alphabet (capital) and knows their sounds. He is learning the lower-case letters, too. He can also recognize all of the basic shapes and knows the colors red, green, orange, and blue. Ethan can count to 10 and can usually recognize the numbers 1-10 also. It seems like Ethan learns 5 new words a day. He surprises us almost everyday by using a word or phrase we didn't think he knew.