Recent Entries
Ethan Dances When He Gets Excited
April 5th, 2010
Here are a couple of videos showing Ethan dancing because he's so excited. This was a favorite game of Ethan's for a while. Dad has to have patience with the noise, but it's worth it to see how...
Rock Kid Video Catchup Extravaganza!
March 12th, 2010
It's been a while since we posted any videos, so here's a bunch at once. ...
Luke, I Am Your Father!
October 11th, 2009
Ethan's latest obsession is with Star Wars. He loves playing Lego Star Wars and he throws a bit of a tantrum every morning if he doesn't get to wear his Star Wars shirt. NOTE: He is wearing the shirt...
Ethan and Alex Videos
September 25th, 2009
This first video is of Ethan reading a 123 book the Grandma Rock got from him. He was reading each number in several different ways/volumes. We caught the end when he was reading about the number...
Videos of Ethan
September 15th, 2009
Just getting a few of our videos up online. This first one is inspired by the video game Street Fighter II. After doing this with him, I showed him the actual game. For a while he loved watching...
D is for Drums
August 2nd, 2009
Ethan really likes drums. He's always walking around hitting things and saying "Play the Blums! (drums)" One of his favorite videos on his They Might Be Giants DVD is "D is for Drums" (video shown...
Alex 0.3 - Baby Blessing, Hands, and Smiles
July 19th, 2009
Dear Alex, It was a big month for you. We blessed you on July 5th. You smiled through the entire blessing. Lots of family came down to enjoy this occasion with you. At the gathering afterward,...
Ethan 2.3 - Keep Talkin' Happy Talk
July 19th, 2009
Dear Ethan, Your language skills are really improving this month. You're really good at parroting what Mom and Dad say to you. This has led to some interesting times--for instance at IHOP when...
Presents!
June 26th, 2009
My aunt made some new pajamas for Ethan and Alex. You can see pictures of them on her sewing blog, Sew Forth and Sew On. Recently they went to Sea World and we got some nice postcards from them. ...
Ethan 2.2 - The "Better Late Than Never" Edition
June 15th, 2009
Dear Ethan, Since we last wrote to you, there have been a lot of changes in your world. You got a new brother, for whom you have mixed feelings. And you also moved into a new house. Moving into...
Welcome Alex!
June 15th, 2009
Dear Alex, You'll be two months old in a couple of days and this is the first blog entry we've been able to write about you. We promise we love you very much! It's just been a busy couple of...
Ethan 2.0
April 16th, 2009
Dear Ethan, Congratulations, you're two years old! With your new year comes new growth and new challenges. Your vocabulary has really increased this past month--mostly because you've taken to...
Ethan 1.11
March 15th, 2009
Ethan, You are really close to becomming two years old. Only one more month to go. When people would talk about the "terrible twos" I'd try not to believe them. But this month you've become...
Ethan 1.10
February 15th, 2009
Dear Ethan, You've been really fun to be with this month. Your personality is really starting to develop, and we are beginning to see what you're going to be like. This month you seem to be...
He Who Is So Wise in the Ways of Science
February 10th, 2009
A quick video just for fun. Those unfamiliar with the reference from Monty Python and the Holy Grail can watch it here. ...
One Little Monkey Playing on the Bed
February 1st, 2009
Lately, Ethan's favorite place to play is on our bed. It's a little scary because the bed is taller than he is, but he hasn't fallen yet. There's no much to do up there, just play with the desk...
Puzzles
January 21st, 2009
Today Ethan got a new puzzle. Alyssa had noticed that he enjoyed the puzzle he got for Christmas, and we like giving him toys that improve his cognitive skills. Here's a video of him putting it...
Apple Beer
January 17th, 2009
When I was still in college, my roommates got me hooked on Apple Beer, a non-alcoholic soft drink that's really fizzy, but tastes great and is lots of fun to drink out of a bottle. Recently we...
Ethan 1.9
January 12th, 2009
Dear Ethan, We haven't written a monthly letter to you in a few months. During that time you've grown substantially, especially in you ability to communicate with us. You've learned a number of...
Playing Around
January 5th, 2009
Ethan is getting more and more active. Here are a couple of pictures. The first couple show him playing outside. He's got the idea of basketball down. Ethan has been doing this pose since...
Playing Inside - The Little Gym
January 4th, 2009
Alyssa signed Ethan up for a semester of "The Little Gym," which is a place where little kids can go to play. They have all sorts of structured activities for toddlers and it's a good place for kids...
Playing Outside
January 3rd, 2009
Ethan loves to play outside, but as it's gotten colder, he hasn't had as many chances. In early November, the leaves had all fallen off the trees giving our driveway a nice, late-autumn scene, which...
TV Addict
January 2nd, 2009
Ethan loves to watch TV. His favorite shows are Sesame Street (especially the honkers), Pitagora Switch (which he calls "ball"), Veggie Tales (especially the Silly Songs), and Wall-E. Ethan...
Two Month Catch-up
January 2nd, 2009
It's been a while since we posted last so here are some things to catch us up with what's been happening with Ethan. Halloween Ethan was dressed as a Meerkat for Halloween and was really cute. Too...
Honker Duckie Dinger Jamboree
November 2nd, 2008
Like we said in a previous entry, Ethan really likes to watch Sesame Street. His favorite is the Honkers. He gets really excited whenever he sees this clip. Now he has his own sign for Sesame...
Morning Walk
October 25th, 2008
Ethan and I went on a little walk this morning while Mom was sleeping in. He really likes to be outside, even when it's a little chilly. He first explored the recycling bins right next to our back...
Ethan 1.6 - Enhancements, But Few New Features
October 19th, 2008
Editors Note: This month's edition of the Ethan Letter will be done by Chris, because Alyssa isn't feeling very well. For those of you who don't know, we're expecting our second child, who will be...
Ethan 1.5 - The "You Are 17, Going on 18" Edition
September 14th, 2008
Dear Ethan, Looks like you've decided that there will be no more gender neutrality for you. You are most emphatically a BOY. This month you've started taking a keen interest in cars. Our neighbors...
Photoblog: The Living Planet Aquarium
September 13th, 2008
We took a trip to the Living Planet Aquarium today. It technically wasn't Ethan's first trip to an aquarium, but the last time he was still a fetus. Even so, it was probably still a little...
He Can Talk!
August 24th, 2008
Here's two new videos showing Ethan's latest linguistic development. First of all, we were teaching him how to say "on" and "off" yesterday morning and he did a pretty good job with it: After...
Ethan 1.4 - The "Okay, People---We're Walking, We're Walking" Edition
August 14th, 2008
Dear Ethan, The big news this month is that you've officially joined the world of the walking. Last month you had started taking small walks from object to object. (What's funny is that whenever...
Mamma Mia!
July 23rd, 2008
Who knew that movie advertising for last week's musical was targeted at toddlers? For the record, we only own 3 songs by them, so I have no idea where this came from. :) ...
Ethan 1.3 - The "I'll Walk When I Feel Like It, Dangit" Edition
July 20th, 2008
Dear Ethan, Sorry for getting this blog entry out a week late, little buddy. For some reason, blog-writing has felt like mentally trying to swim through a pool of peanut butter the last little...
Walking Man
July 5th, 2008
Ethan's been taking a few steps on his own lately! Take a look at a few videos of him standing on his own and walking a little. Ethan also loves to go to our neighbors and play with their two...
Ethan 1.2 - The "Happy Father's Day" Edition
June 15th, 2008
Dear Ethan, Well, we've been trying to teach you sign language since you were 6 months old with only moderate success... Until now! This month your use of sign language increased dramatically....
Ethan 1.1 - The "License to Pig Out" Edition
May 14th, 2008
Dear Ethan, This month started off with a little bit of a scare when we took you in for your 12 month checkup. When the nurse put you on the scale and told us that you only weighed a little more...
What Ethan Will Miss About California
April 30th, 2008
Continuing our three-part series about California (see my entry from yesterday), Chris and I developed a list of the things we thought Ethan would probably miss about California. So, without further...
Ethan 1.0 - The "Let Them Eat Cake" Edition
April 13th, 2008
Dear Ethan, You turned one year old today. Congratulations! You've come a really long way in just one short year. That was then and this is now... We had a great time celebrating your first...
Say Dada
April 6th, 2008
Ethan is getting a little better with his words. Check it out. ...
Ethan's First Steps
April 1st, 2008
It's not "officially" walking yet, and he needs to use support, but he can take a few steps on his own now! #comments { ...
Hodgepodge Developmental Steps
March 30th, 2008
Ethan had his first taste of ice cream this week. As with all things, he made a face when first trying it, but he soon got used to it. Ethan is also crawling all over the place now. He hardly...
Playing with the Keyboard
March 19th, 2008
66666666 ffff d cc cccccccccccccccc ccccccccccccccc cccccccccccccc ccccccccccccc mk7777 7777777 77777777 77777f zx zzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzz xxxxxxxxxx Dad's Note: Ethan loves to...
Ethan 0.11 - The "No Animals Were Harmed In the Making of This Blog" Edition
March 16th, 2008
Dear Ethan, T-minus 1 month until you're 1 year old! Yay! This last month has been fun and busy. I was worried we were going to go another month without any "real" crawling (as opposed to army...
New Do; New You
February 24th, 2008
The big news this week is that Ethan got his first hair cut. Chris needed one too, so we went to Great Clips to get one together. As you can see, it was getting a little shaggy. Mom sat on the...
Ethan 0.10 - The "Pandora's Box" Edition
February 17th, 2008
Dear Ethan, It's official! This month you started crawling! Uh... sort of. You've been doing this thing that we call "army crawling" where you drag yourself forward on your belly with your...
Peek-a-Boo
February 10th, 2008
Ethan's really gotten into "Peek-a-boo" lately. He's even been able to initiate a few games himself. Ethan Fan Club Bonus Video: "No Cameras Please" ...
Green Jello
February 3rd, 2008
Here's Ethan showing off two of the new skills he learned this week (opening cupboards and going from crawling to sitting): Bonus Video - Definitive proof that Ethan's favorite toy was made by...
Come on Baby, Do the Locomotion
January 27th, 2008
Ethan has finally figured out that he can use these new pushing and moving skills to get places that he wants to go. He can't technically "crawl" yet, but he can "creep" or "army crawl." Alyssa...
If You're Happy and You Know It
January 20th, 2008
Ethan learned to clap this week. At his most recent doctor's visit (no shots!) we were asked if he had started clapping yet. I had noticed him banging blocks and things together, so I knew it would...
Exclusive Entry for Ethan Fan Club Members Only!
January 20th, 2008
This entry is full of cute videos of Ethan, but they're kind of long and might be a little boring to anyone who isn't a hard-core Ethan fan. First up, we have Ethan's attempts at crawling around. ...
Ethan 0.9 - The "Reluctant Crawler" Edition
January 13th, 2008
Dear Ethan, Another month older and you are no closer to crawling! What's up with that?! You often get up on your knees and rock back and forth. You can swivel your body around on your stomach to...
The Bee's Knees
December 30th, 2007
Ethan is fast approaching mobility. He's figured out how to get up on his hands and knees. He's been doing it for about a week now, but we've finally been able to capture it on camera. (Alyssa...
That's Sick!
December 23rd, 2007
Ethan has had a pretty bad cold since last Saturday that gave him a raging fever and put him in a sour mood for several days. On Thursday he started to smile again. Yesterday he started to sleep on...
Ethan 0.8 - The "Give Peas a Chance" Edition
December 14th, 2007
You're so wiggly! Dear Ethan, Yesterday you turned 8 months old. Congratulations! In terms of big milestones, this month you started eating solid foods exclusively. You like just about everything...
7 Facts For 7 Months
December 7th, 2007
My mom tagged me a little while ago, so now it's my turn to share 7 facts about myself. 1. My Aunt Marin and Uncle Ammon came to visit me this month and so we got out the blow-up bed for them to...
Ethan's First Day at the Beach
November 25th, 2007
On the day after Thanksgiving, Alyssa's coworker Bob invited us to visit a beach house that he and his family were renting for the weekend. We stopped by and got to spend some time on the beach...
Ethan 0.7
November 13th, 2007
Dear Ethan, Today you turned 7 months old and it's amazing how far you're coming along. In terms of big milestones, you've learned how to sit up all by yourself. What was really sweet was that the...
That's Some Serious Sit!
November 7th, 2007
Ethan's getting better and better about sitting up on his own as evidenced by this video. However, he's not quite perfect. ...
Hallowethan
November 4th, 2007
We had big plans for Ethan on Halloween. We picked his costume out a while ago. In case it's not immediately apparent why we chose a lobster, listen to the following song. Alyssa's costume...
Ethan 0.6
October 13th, 2007
Continuing with last month's tradition... Dear Ethan, Today you turned 6 months old. Milestone-wise you got your first tooth a couple of weeks ago and today your second tooth should break through...
New Tooth and Sushi
October 7th, 2007
Ethan's got his first tooth recently. We thought that two of them were coming in (and one is still one the way) but only one has broken through so far. Here's a picture of it. Another...
Sitting Up and Eating Solid Foods
September 30th, 2007
Ethan's reaching some new milestones lately. He's getting better at sitting up all by himself (but he's not perfect yet). We also introduced him to solid foods. Here's a video clip of his first...
That Darn Ethan
September 16th, 2007
Ethan's been going through a few changes this week. He's starting to take a long nap in the morning (which is nice), but he's fighting every bedtime in between (which is frustrating). One of the...
Laughing Till It Hurts
September 10th, 2007
Ethan's becoming more and more responsive to our efforts to make him laugh. He loves when we talk to him by going "Huh-huh-Hi" over and over, as you can see in this video: He also likes being...
Three Views of Ethan
September 2nd, 2007
We had three quick videos of Ethan I put them all together in one video montage. The first is of Ethan stretching. Every time we unwrap him he does a cute little stretch. The next shows his love...
I Can Touch My Toes 1-2-3
August 29th, 2007
On our walk this morning I noticed Ethan playing with his toes. It looked so cute that I had to take some pictures. You can see the pictures on our photos page here. ...
I Am Your Father!
August 26th, 2007
Partially inspired by my friend Bruce's blog in which he includes his daughter in a Star Wars scene, I thought I'd try my hand at a little image editing myself. Mouse over the image to see the...
Ethan Video Extravaganza!
August 26th, 2007
Three videos of Ethan today. The first is a short video of his "Tummy Time." He's getting really good at holding his head up when he's on his tummy. This second is a vocal performance showcase. ...
Gifts from Grandmas
August 20th, 2007
Here are a couple of pictures of Ethan wearing some of the clothes that he got from his Grandmas. A wiener dog onesie from Grandma Whipple. A Curious George sleeper made by Grandma Rock. A funny...
Ethan Tubeyhands
August 12th, 2007
Fun with trash! For some reason, he really liked this. ...
Developmental Milestones
August 11th, 2007
Ethan has been a busy boy lately. He's learning to manipulate objects with his hands and he's learned to roll over to his stomach. Here are some videos showing his progress. ...
Tree Watchin'
July 30th, 2007
I had mentioned before that one of the things Ethan and I do to pass the time is do go outside and lie under trees. We do this because the bright bright sun bothers Ethan, and the trees shade us...
Shiny Happy Baby
July 29th, 2007
Ethan is just full of laughs lately, making him a lot of fun to be around. Here's an example of him laughing at Dad's funny faces. ...
Rolling Rock
July 27th, 2007
Ethan has started to do a sort of half-roll lately. I caught this on camera for those who would like to see, although it's really boring. Ethan is becoming more and more high-maintenance. He's...
Gifts from Aunts
July 20th, 2007
Ethan's Aunt Noelle brought this hammock back for us from her mission to Brazil. We've been enjoying it a lot so far. Yesterday, Ethan got a package from his Great-Aunt Lanita. More bibs! ...
Ooshy Gooshy Mushy Mush
July 15th, 2007
Alyssa and I were snuggling with Ethan one evening and he was enjoying it so much that we decided to get it on film. ...
Fluffy Zoo
July 12th, 2007
I took out some of Ethan's stuffed animals to see what he'd think of them. He had so many that by the time I was done, he was surrounded by them, and I knew I had to take this picture. He wasn't...
I Love to Laugh
July 10th, 2007
I was playing around with Ethan and I got him to start laughing. It was so cute! Luckily I was able to film it later. ...
Swimming and Sleeping
July 8th, 2007
This week we took Ethan for his first swim. In the end, he wasn't too excited about it, but we hope that he'll get used to it soon. Doesn't he look so cute in his swim trunks? WARNING: This video...
This Week in Ethan
July 1st, 2007
This week we left Ethan with a babysitter for the first time. This is a picture of Ethan with Sarah, who watched him while Alyssa and I went to a movie. She did a really good job. Life with...
Ethan Cooing
June 23rd, 2007
Ethan is starting to get more and more vocal. His attempts at communicating with us are so cute. Here is a video of him making his cute little sounds. ...
Ethan's First Sacrament Meeting
May 21st, 2007
We took Ethan to church for the first time today. Everyone in the ward was excited to finally see him, and we got lots of comments on how cute he was. Here's a photo of Ethan and Dad taking a...
Also Smiled Ethan
May 1st, 2007
Like I mentioned in our last post, babies first "learn" to smile and giggle in their sleep. We were lucky enough to get one on film. He's doing really well. He eats a lot and sleeps a lot. ...
What do you dream about?
April 27th, 2007
I'm sure that you're all wondering where the latest updates of Ethan are. Well, we've been pretty busy with taking care of him, and all he really does is eat and sleep, so there's not much to video...
Fun Time with Ethan
April 21st, 2007
Grandma and Grandpa Whipple just left yesterday and now it's just the three of us. It's nice to be able to spend time as a family, but because Ethan is so small, we're limited in what we can...
Splish Splash
April 19th, 2007
Ethan had his first bath a couple of days ago and I recorded part of it for those who would like to see it. Grandma Whipple is showing Alyssa how to sponge-bathe him. His next bath went much...
Dr. Mario and More Hiccups
April 17th, 2007
Alyssa chose her OB/GYN based on the recommendation from a ward member. We've loved having Dr. Medina and we're so grateful for everything that he's done for us. He has a great bedside manner and...
The Ethan Channel
April 16th, 2007
Ethan and Alyssa came home today. We're excited to be home, although Ethan has been just sleeping and eating the whole time. He's been a really easy baby so far, let's hope that it lasts. Being...
Ethan Report: Day 3
April 15th, 2007
Just another video that describes what's been happening with Ethan and Alyssa. He got his picture taken by the hospital today, a well as getting circumcised (ouch!). ...
Hiccups: The Rock Family Curse
April 14th, 2007
For some reason, our family has been cursed with severe hiccups. My Dad would get really bad hiccups and each of the three kids would as well. We're also noticing that it's been passed on to...
Rock A Boy
April 14th, 2007
It's a Boy! Chris and Alyssa are proud to announce the birth of Ethan Christopher Rock. Birthdate: Friday, April 13, 2007[1] 9:53pm Weight: 6 lbs. 5 oz. Length: 20 in. Description: Brown,...
Clothes, Glorious Clothes!
April 8th, 2007
The Young Women leaders in the ward threw a very thoughtful baby shower for me yesterday. The food was excellent and so was the company. We had a very nice time and some good laughs over the games....
Ethan's Latest Haul
April 3rd, 2007
We just got a package from my parents today containing a number of baby-related items contributed from friends and family. Here's a picture of most of the items. This kid is going to be...
Baby Room Tour
March 21st, 2007
We recently purchased a new video camera and one of the first things we did was to video the baby room. The video didn't turn out that well, the color balance is a little off (too dim, I think) and...
Baby, Baby, Can't You Hear My Heartbeat?
March 18th, 2007
During a recent doctor visit, we recorded the heartbeat of the baby. Since we don't have a real recording device, we had to use the laptop with a microphone attached. It was kind of awkward to have...
Ultrasound Pictures
March 18th, 2007
Here are the latest ultrasound pictures of Ethan. When we got the ultrasound, the doctor told us, "This is going to be like going into a dark garage, where I'll be showing you your brand new Ferrari...
Welcome to the Sandbox!
March 18th, 2007
With the arrival of Rock Kid #1 looming just on the horizon (only 4 weeks away!), Chris and I have created the Sandbox, a blog where our friends and family can come to find out the latest stuff...