Sunday, December 11, 2011

Things Pondered, Part 5

One

Two

Three

Four

FIVE!!
Five.

One hand.

That's how old my baby is today. One. Whole. Hand. Sigh.....

Five years ago today, at 3:29pm, Evelyn Joy was born. A 6 pound, 11 ounce bundle of beauty. My life has never been the same.

My prayer for my sweet pea for this new year is that her joy for life will continue, and that she will continue to bring joy to others. I pray that God will foster in her a spirit of gratefulness, kindness, and goodness. I pray that she will be the kind of girl He wants her to be.

Mostly, I pray that she would truly know and believe that she is fully and deeply loved, by her mom and dad and by her heavenly Father. Because we do love her. So very, very much.


These past five years are ones that I will cherish forever, and hopefully there will be many more years ahead for me to enjoy this amazing little girl.

Evelyn Joy, my heart overflows with love for you! I am so excited to see what God has in store for you! I love you baby girl!

One. Whole. Hand.

Thank you, God.

.. and Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Luke 2:19

for previous "things pondered" posts, click here, here, here and here!

Friday, December 9, 2011

A Cinderella Story

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Evelyn who LOVED princesses, especially Cinderella, her very favorite.

Evelyn was turning 5 soon, and in the kingdom where she resided (Beaverton) there happened to be a drama production of, you guessed it, Cinderella, being performed at the local high school. So her mommy and daddy thought it would be a fun treat to get tickets and take her to see it. Her first play. Her first "night on the town". Surely it would be an enchanting evening for her.

On the morning of the play, her mom told her about the fun surprise (mostly to convince Evelyn to take a nap that afternoon!). Needless to say, Evelyn was overjoyed with the plan. All day she was all smiles and was very curious as to what it would be like. Her mommy told her that it would be a night to remember.

The time came for Evelyn to get ready. She even let her mom curl her hair, a rare occasion indeed! She posed for some quick photos and then her and her mother were off.

She is quite the beautiful subject, don't you agree?

A lovely curtsy for her mother...

Excited = Goofiness!

One lucky mom, I am!

When Evelyn arrived at the theater to the time we left, she was just awestruck. Not many words, lots of looking around in amazement. She couldn't wait for the show to begin!

We're here!

"Is it time? Is it time?"

Taking it all in...

Evelyn sat on her mom's lap for the first half of the performance, wanting to get the best view of the stage. She held her mom's hand tightly. Her mom asked if she was having fun a few times and got a very strong nod of the head, so all was well! Even during intermission, she was silent, looking around and not wanting to miss a thing.

The play ended, a lovely show indeed, and the lights came back up. Opportunity to meet the cast was made available. Evelyn had brought one of her Cinderella books to have signed by, of course, Cinderella. Evelyn became quite shy and I think a bit overwhelmed at the sight of her favorite princess that her mom had to to most of the talking. Evelyn did, however, get an autograph and a hug. She managed to say a kind "thank you" as we left.

A moment to remember!

Upon returning home (quite late for her, although thankfully before the clock struck midnight), Evelyn quickly fell asleep. She was sure to have dreams of epic proportions after her thrilling night. It was a grand evening, indeed, for one almost five year old little girl, and her mom, who thanks God every day for her sweet Evelyn Joy.

She surely will live happily ever after....

Thursday, December 8, 2011

BIrthday Celebrations!

Matthew was well loved on last weekend. While he may not totally get what all the hoopla was about, my now TWO year old knew he was the center of attention! :)

Here's a look at how we celebrated!

Friday, his birthday:

Birthday cinnamon rolls... of course!

"Sissy" enjoyed them, too!

Crazy after nap hair... the craziest it has even been I think! Oh.. and he's wearing his new shirt he got from Jody!

I asked him what he wanted to do after his nap, and he immediately went to the back door! Outside it was!

Gotta teach 'em young! (Hey.. she offered!)

When Doug got home from work, we had wiener wraps and french fries (Matthew's pick!) and then he got to open his present from us!

He is a slow unwrapper.. he takes it off in little pieces, much to his sister's dismay!

Pretty excited about his new tools and tool bag!


Saying good bye to his toys an going to bed was HARD for him that night!

On Saturday, we had a small party with a couple of little buddies of Matthew's as well as both sets of parents coming to celebrate. It was the perfect size get together and we all had fun!

The spread!


Sweet Grant!
Evelyn loved the hats!

Cutie pie Parker, Grant's little brother!

Colin being a monkey!

My mom and her husband couldn't stay long so Matthew opened their gift. Mom put lots of tissue paper in the bag, and he took out each one very slowly! It was pretty cute.

The gang...

Matthew attempting to hug Colin... silly boys!

High fives with Grant, who is 3. Matthew thinks Grant is a pretty cool big kid!

A HUGE digger from Grandma and Grandad!

Which led to this sweet moment! Big hugs for BOTH of them!

Time for singing and treats!


Cupcake goodness!

Surveying the "damage" after everyone had gone..haha!

After being in hiding when everyone was here, Sam came out to play!

Oh my... I have a TWO year old!!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Matthew is TWO!

He's two today, my sweet Matthew. There aren't enough words to express just how much I love this little boy. As much I as feared having a boy, God knew he was JUST what I needed, and I cannot imagine life without my son.

He wakes in the morning about 7am. He is a good sleeper, 12 hours and night plus a 2 hour nap. He is like his daddy in that it takes him a while to wake up (unlike his sister, who, like me, is ready to go once her eyes are open!). He usually will ask for one of two things: "Dadda?", wondering if Doug is home. If he is home and still asleep, Matthew will put a finger to his mouth and says the sweetest and quietest "shhhh".. it really is the cutest thing that comes out of his mouth! Or "Mi Mo?" meaning "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse", his FAVORITE show. The kids watch one show a day, and the smile that comes to my son's face when he sees that famous mouse is pretty huge!

After a show its breakfast time, where oatmeal, bananas or cereal are his top choices. He always asks if something is "haaaaaaa" (hot) and will still blow on it even if you say it isn't. Silly boy. He uses a spoon and fork very well now and does NOT like his food cut up. He wants to do it himself!! Lately he has been boycotting lunch and dinner foods that he has usually eaten without a fuss. Like chicken, corn, even some breads... crazy kid! Truly, though, if he could live on fruit, oatmeal, granola bard, pizza and hot dogs, he would be happy! We are working on that.... *sigh*

Between meals, he is all about his toys, being a monkey, and books. He LOVES his "diggers", fire trucks and hot wheels cars and I love the noises he makes for each separate one. He is starting to get into leggos and even some pretend play with our play "food" (he and Evelyn play "restaurant" a lot). He loves to read books, especially "Hot Rod" magazine (seriously) and sometimes will go into his room, close the door and read. Of course, usually he will fill his pants during that time (he prefers privacy apparently) which makes for a lovely surprise when I go check on him. He simply adores his "sissy" and wants to play with her as much as possible. Whatever she is playing with, he wants to join in, at times to her dismay!

Matthew is my active child, but at a level that I can handle (thank you, Jesus!)! He loves to run, climb, jump and tumble. He loves being outside, finding sticks and taking in the fresh air. Give this boy a soccer ball and he will kick it around the yard with pretty good skill. He likes to play basketball, too. He can be a maniac on his trike... seriously, the faster he can make that thing go, the better (I think this activity will give me the most gray hair...haha). I have a feeling he will be my athlete!

Unlike his sister, who was speaking clear, full sentences at 18 months of age, Matthew isn't talking a bunch yet. He has come a LONG way the past few months, though! He is smart and knows exactly what you are asking/talking about, tho. I love it when you are taking to him and he shakes his head when he understands.. its pretty cute. He does have plenty to say.. he just uses his own language. Thankfully we have learned how to decipher his "code" and can understand him. I am sure he will be talking our ears off in no time!

Matthew is the happiest, kindest, sweetest soul, who already shows love to those around him. He is social, and is more than willing to give you "knuckles" or a high five. He is quick to give you a hug if you are sad, and is such a good sharer. I love how he just grabs your hand and leads you to go play or snuggle. Gosh, he is just so sweet.. I can't even find words to describe it. He is gonna be just like his daddy: kind, caring, and one who serves. I love that! He loves his mommy and daddy, that's for sure, and likes to know where we are at all times. And his sister is the apple of his eye.. he really loves her so much! We have had some pretty severe separation "issues" this year, but the past 2 months we have conquered those and we are so thankful for that!

That's my two year old in a (kind of rambly) nutshell! We know God has big plans for our boy!

I'll end with a look back....

Dec 2, 2010

January

February

March



April

May

June


July

August



September

October

November

Today, Dec 2, 2011

Happy Birthday, son... you are a treasure worth more than gold!! We love you, Matthew!