Normal Kid Stuff

My kids today... being them!

Matthew has continued the tradition started by my nephew Curtis. After his bath he runs naked and free out to the living room to see his daddy and sister. He laughs and laughs.. and sometimes tries to play some more. He is a crack up!

And Evelyn.. she is all girl. Nuff said..

What you don't see are her painted nails and "shimmery" lip gloss!

I love everyday with my babies!

Park Time

We have had some wet weather after the sunshine we have had and both the kids (and me, too) were happy to have a break in the rain to head to the park. This was the first time at the park for Matthew as a walker. In tennis shoes no less. I wondered how it would go.

He wanted to go in the swing first thing.

Then he saw his uber cool sister doing things like this.. and he was done with the swing.

He pushed the stroller.. the kid is strong!

He sat in the bark dust and waved at anyone who walked by.

He toddled around the play structure.

And then.. within minutes... he was climbing. To the top. TO THE TOP! No fear whatsoever. For him, anyway! He is ALL boy!

I told Evelyn that I wouldn't be able to play a game with her because I couldn't take my eyes off her crazy brother. Then I asked her to smile for me. And I got this. Shoulda known....

I managed to get Matthew back in the stroller so Evelyn and I could play.. she was pretty happy about that!

There is a bridge at the park that Evelyn always likes to run on. She also likes to climb the railing and have me take pictures. Its our thing. Here are some from today.

Looking forward to spring weather and more park time with my babies!

I should have posted this last week..

But just haven't had time. Matthew is walking everywhere and into everything. I can't leave him unattended for a moment. I love it... he is just so much fun.. but it is certainly time consuming! Therefore computer time is less these days!!

Anyways, my dad's birthday was last week. January 2oth. He would have been 70.

I usually don't have too hard of a time on his birthday, but this year was tough. I think because of the Ducks doing so well this year and wishing SO much he was hear to enjoy it AND that the Championship game was only 10 days before his birthday probably had something to do with it.

Anyways... I was a teary mess that day. Missing him something awful. I had left a message for my older sister just letting her know that I was thinking about her and I just lost it. I tried to pull it together to not let Evelyn see me but she did.

E: "Why are you crying momma?"

Me: "Well, today is Grandpa in Heaven's (that what she calls him) birthday. I miss him a lot and I am a little bit sad."

E: "Are Aunt Michelle and Aunt LoLo sad, too?"

Me: " Yes, sweetie, they are sad, too."

E (in a VERY mom-like tone): "Well, you and Aunt LoLo and Aunt Michelle just quit your fussing. Your daddy is in heaven and you are going to see him again someday. It's all gonna be okay, momma!"

Lately we have been really working on Evelyn not fussing and whining so much. It has become a big issue and to be honest driving me batty! Anyways.. apparently she turned it around and put me in my place, eh? Sheesh!!

It is true, though... we will see him again. I can't wait.

Happy Birthday, Daddy. You are loved and missed beyond words.

Every Day....

Sidewalk Chalk

Evelyn loves sidewalk chalk. One of the highlights of summer for her. In the other "rainy seasons" she walks past the tub of chalk in the garage longingly, hoping for a sunny day to go out and use it. A few weeks back we had a good week of no rain and even some sun, so we got to go get the chalk and play.

It's much funner with silly glasses on!

I have an idea...

Channeling his inner Elton John I guess!!

Pretty baby....

Silly baby...

Evelyn introduced her brother to this fun activity....

Needless to say.. he LOVED it!

Of course, my camera battery died so I didn't get pics of the final art, but trust me. It was amazing!

The Blanket Game

My friend Darcie made blanket for both my kids when they were born. Both of the LOVE their blankets. Evelyn doesn't go anywhere without "Purple", and Matthew is more than in love with his blue blanket (we haven't figured out a name for it yet!).

Doug started playing a game with Matthew that is now a common request from the boy once daddy gets home from work. Doug puts the blanket over his head, Matthew pulls if off, and Doug either makes a silly face or some sort of animal sound. It's pretty cute!

"Where's Daddy?"

"Peek a Boo!"

He LOVES his Daddy!

Another Last "First".. the Haircut!

Evelyn, with her beautiful brown locks (that I intend to keep long for as long as I can!), doesn't need hair cuts often. She has had three in her life (and let's just not go there! If you must, tho, click here and here). I know Matthew will need more than her for sure. I have actually wanted to get his hair cut for a while, but decided to wait until he was one (you're welcome, Jody! heehee).

I am thankful to have my friend Sallee (who I have known since Jr. High) cut/color my hair at my house. I love it.. makes it so much easier to manage the kids! Anyways, she was more than happy to give Matthew his very first cut. I thought I would be more nervous, Sallee was worried I would cry. But really, it was fine. He did SO SO good and looks SO SO cute!

We had him sit in Evelyn's booster seat (which he LOVES to take off the chair, put on the floor, and sit in!) on the dining room table. It worked perfect!

Holding still like a good boy.. but not too sure about what was going on!

Sallee's scissor/razor container (which was empty) kept him entertained while she cut!

Sallee loves babies..and Matthew is no exception!

All done!

So.. this was him before the haircut:

And after:


He is just too cute for words! He's probably wondering what all the fuss is about, cuz we all (Evelyn included) keep telling him how cute he is and what a good boy he is! But really.. isn't he just so handsome? Ok.. I AM a bit bias.. but oh, my!!

Another last "first" out of the way. Thankfully there are still more to come!! Love my boy!

I caved....

I have been trying to find the "right" time to finish weaning Matthew. He has only nursed at bedtime and in the morning for about 4 weeks now and I think both of us are ready to be done. Since the holidays were crazy, and then my sister was staying with us last week, I wanted to wait until things settled back to normal. He has been sleeping until 6 or so anyway, so I decided to go ahead and drop the morning feed first.

That was yesterday morning. Man.. he was off all day. Didn't eat much at all (which is SO unlike him), was uber clingy to me, and just fussy a lot. Since he kinda did this when I first started weaning him, I just kinda let him fuss and just loved on him as much as I could. He nursed last night.. but really didn't seem interested in it, and went to bed. My plan was to NOT nurse him no matter when he woke up.

He woke up at 2:30. AM.

Doug said he would go and try to get him back to sleep or give him a snack (I heart him!). Well.. Matthew wanted NOTHING to do with Daddy. He just got louder. And louder. Sobbing and screaming. Completely inconsolable. It was gut wrenching. And I was tired. And I am a sucker.

So I caved. I nursed him. Of course, he knew he had won and almost chuckled with delight as I took him to "our spot" on the couch. Stinker.

Hoping he sleeps until a reasonable hour tomorrow.

This might be harder than I thought..... *sigh*

Good thing he's so cute!

January So Far

It is almost half way thru January and I have only have one post in 2011. Not the best way to start off the year! It's time to do a bit of catch up...

First off, it has been COLD here! No snow.. *sigh*.. but oh so cold. I love it when it is cold and sunny. Perfect weather for bundling up and going for a walk.. which is good for a certain 4 year old who has lots of energy to burn!!

We usually walk towards the middle school and play in the tennis courts. Evelyn loves it when we chase her around. We love it that she runs and runs and runs!!

Is my nose running?

Despite the cold, my daughter could wear shorts and tees just about 24/7. She is so much like her daddy!!

She told me she wanted to "pose" for me... this NEVER happens!!

So, as some of you know, we got tickets to the BCS National Championship game. We made the heart-wrenching decision to sell them, as it was just too expensive to get airfare that met our scheduling needs. Instead, we used the money to fly in my sister Michelle (her and I would have gone to the game together) to watch the game with us. We had a great time, even tho the outcome of the game wasn't what we wanted. Still proud to be a Duck!

Evelyn was SO excited that her aunt was coming back so soon after being here for Christmas!

My future Duck linebacker!

GO DUCKS!!

Being silly!

This is my FAVORITE face of Matthew's. I love him so!! Oh.. and he is WALKING! Pretty good, too. I have a feeling he will be running around in no time.. and my life will NEVER be the same!

Enjoying the game with a good drink!
(Before you nag on me for this photo.. let me explain. When I was a little girl, my daddy would have a beer on occasion, and I just HAD to have a little drink. My dad, knowing full well that I wouldn't like it, would let me have a sip. And he was right, it was gross. But I still had to have a little sip whenever he had a beer! This picture makes me think of my dad!!)

I don't think beer is gross anymore, and there was a lot of beer consumption during the game. Here are my and my sisters trying to have fun watching the Ducks!

There. I feel better now that I am a little bit caught up... enjoy!

"You can walk on ANYTHING!" : The Prayer of a Lifetime

Last night Evelyn made the biggest decision she will ever make in her life.

She made the decision to have Jesus live in her heart.

For a while now, Doug and I both have been struck by the things she prays at bedtime. Things unprompted, things very insightful for a 4 year old. While she is too immature to fully understand the gift of salvation (and really, do any of us fully understand it?), she gets that Jesus died on the cross to save her from her sins and rose again to be with God forever. She puts faith in God's word, reciting it often in normal conversation, and sometimes pulls ideas from Bible stories that are just plain amazing. Doug and I both, separately, have been wondering if she was ready to ask Jesus into her heart.

Evelyn picks three stories out of her Bible each night for us to read. Last night she wanted to read the stories of the 10 commandments, Jesus' birth, and Jesus walking on water. She is always thoughtful about what she picks.. and Doug thought her selection last night was interesting, telling even. After reading, she prayed. Part of her prayer was:

"Jesus, thank you that you can walk on ANYTHING!"

After praying Doug, who is so good about talking to her about faith things on her level, asked her about her prayer and what that meant. He talked to her about salvation. He asked her some key questions, and when he asked if she wanted Jesus in her heart, she said "YES!" with a huge smile on her face. Then Doug prayed the sweetest prayer with Evelyn repeating after him. The Kingdom welcomed another precious one.

It was one of the sweetest moments ever. Both Doug and I were in tears... happy tears.

"If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
Romans 10:9-10

We love you, Evie Joy and know that God has great plans for your life!!