Life with E and A

2 and a half...

2011-11-03T12:09:00.003-04:00

My little baby is growing up! Ainsley is now 2-1/2. She is growing every day and she's so much fun to be around. I love seeing how she'll surprise us next! Ainsley is..

Completely potty trained (both day and night)
In her big girl bed.. which means hardly any naps
She LOVES to draw
Loves to have dance parties with Evan and to sing
More outgoing, but still gets pretty shy
She talks like crazy and knows what she wants
Still loves her bubby
Starting to really play with other kids, especially her cousin Mya
Loves the color pink
Her sweet smile, big brown eyes, and dimples get me every time!!

Doug, Evan and I love this little girl so much!

6 Years Old!

2011-11-03T11:58:00.001-04:00

I know I post it every time, but seriously, we have a 6 year old! Unbelievable!

I don't know how to even start describing our little man. Here's just a few ways to try to capture a little part of him..

- Evan is so sweet, yet all boy.

- He loves school (especially the social part), numbers (adding and subtracting), and reading is even growing on him.
- He's an awesome big brother, and is almost always patient and kind with his little sis.
- He learned to swim on his own this summer, and the water is still one of his favorite places to be.

- He saved up his money for his first big purchase - a DS. Doug and Evan searched ebay and found a great deal. All that obsession with money was great for this "project"
- Evan still likes to watch Scooby and Phineas and Ferb, but will still watch Curious George and other "kids" shows with his sister.

- He loves to be around other kids.
- His favorite toys are his legos and anything else to build with.
- He is still cautious but is getting more adventurous

- Evan had his first sleepover recently - a campout with his best friend (Doug was there too)

- He has tried out soccer and t-ball, and thinks he is going to stick with soccer (and he's trying out basketball this winter).

We are extremely blessed! I am so glad that he only goes to kindergarten half the day so I can still have time with my little man! It's awesome watching him grow up into the boy he is becoming.

Double Appointment - 6 and 2-1/2

2011-10-27T09:26:00.002-04:00

We just had the kids well checkups last week with our favorite Dr. Joe. Doug and I both got to go, it's just too much fun listening to the kids interact with him. Both kids did great, Evan chatting away and Ainsley playing shy. The are both growing great and are right on track.

Here are their stats:

Evan - 47 pounds (50%) and 44 3/4 inches (35%)
Ainsley - 27.5 pounds (30%) and 35 inches (30%)

Bike-Ki-L

2011-07-22T17:26:00.002-04:00

In the tradition of wanting to do everything that her big brother does, Ainsley has learned to ride a bike. (We got her a pink one at a garage sale a few weeks ago.) She is very fast, but she hasn't quite got the steering down yet! Picture us, running down the street after her, trying to keep her from going off the road!

Here is the fun:

My Little (Big) Fish

2011-07-22T17:11:00.003-04:00

Evan has done amazingly well with swimming this year. I was worried about getting him in lessons, but he has pretty much taught himself. He absolutely loves the water. I love watching him in the water! He totally lights up whenever we are at the pool, KI, etc.

This past week, he showed off his skills, check it out:

Potty Trained

2011-07-22T17:01:00.004-04:00

I haven't posted in awhile (obviously), but there are a few things that I wanted to catch up on.

The first is that Ainsley is completely potty trained. I had hesitated posting, but she is doing awesome, and we are completely out of diapers!! I have to say, it was all her. About two weeks after her second birthday, she told us, "no more diapers". I figured, it was worth the shot and I put her in panties. She did amazingly well staying dry, with few accidents, so we decided to give it a shot. Ever since then, she has been in big girls - and is now even wearing them through the night and telling us consistently when she needs to go. So, thank you Ainsley! It was quite a wonderful gift!!

Family Vacation - Part 1

2011-04-27T17:40:00.008-04:00

It's been awhile since we went, but I wanted to capture as much as I could remember from our family vacation! We took off on Wednesday from cold Cincinnati in late February to warm, sunny Florida! The kids were great on the plane - eating lunch and hanging out. We finally got to our hotel room in the late afternoon - and after a few technical difficulties in the room - we got a beautiful 2 bedroom suite on the corner. We were nervous about the weather, but it was perfect - 80's - great for swimming, but not too warm. After we got settled in, we headed down to try out the pool. It was awesome of course! That evening we headed over to Boardwalk at Disney to look around. We had a perfect night, and it was fun to see all that was going on.

The next day, we took advantage of the pool and also headed over to Downtown Disney. Evan loved checking out the Lego store, looking at the Disney toys, and most of all, running through the fountains! I think he might have stayed there all day if we would have let him. We headed back to the hotel and headed to bed early to get ready for our trip to the Magic Kingdom the next day!

On Friday, it was the big day - heading to Magic Kingdom! We caught our shuttle from the hotel at 7am to arrive for the 8 am opening. We made it right in time to watch the train pull into the station, Mickey arrive, sing Zipity-Do-Dah, and open the gates! I must admit, watching the kids get their first glimpse and seeing the excitement in their faces made me tear up a little bit. We were off for a very fun day!

First up was a picture in front of the castle and a ride on Dumbo the Flying elephant.

Next up was Pooh's adventures. This was the first real Disney ride, and surprisingly, Evan loved it and Ainsley was completely terrified! After that, any inside ride, Ainsley was completely not interested in riding! The crowds were really light to start, so Evan rode again, then tried out Snow White while Ainsley rode the carousel (which she absolutely loved). We then all tried out a Small World, which is one of the few ride that I remember. Ainsley was okay with it, and the rest of us enjoyed watching and singing along. We checked out Peter Pan (with rider swap), which was really neat. Evan really enjoyed it, especially since we had just watched the movie.

We headed over to Tomorrow Land and the crowds started to pick up. Buzz Lightyear, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, super proud - Space Mountain, and Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor.

We were able to catch our first parade in the afternoon, and Ainsley loved dancing along.

In the afternoon, we got Ainsley to fall asleep in the stroller. (My dad was awesome, keeping her asleep for almost 2 hours.) During that time, we took a break and had some ice cream. Evan even tried out Big Thunder mountain. By the way, the FastPass is awesome! We never had to wait in any lines! Next full parade, highlight was Evan getting a pat on the head from Pluto.

Then headed over to Swiss Family Robinson, then the Jungle Cruise, then Pirates of the Caribbean. Dinner and then Mickey's Philharmonic. Headed over to the Electric parade. Magical and front row seat. Fireworks and smashed pennies. Left the park at 9:30 at night. Wonderful exhausting day!

Two Year Stats...

2011-04-20T14:42:00.006-04:00

Sigh.. a two year old post.. wow..

But really, Ainsley is the sweetest thing. I am loving every minute I get to spend with this little girl! Ok.. it's all about Ainsley at 2...

- She is talking really well - 3-5 word sentences. We understand her almost all the time, and she lets us know what she's thinking.

- Ainsley is beginning to try out the potty. She loves her Dora big girls.. so we're trying it out. If it works, great.. if not, no big deal!
- She follows Evan around all the time and tries out everything he does. The fighting has started too :P

- I think one of her favorite phrases is "self". She likes to do everything - from buckling, getting dressed, putting shoes on, pouring cereal, and sitting on big chair - herself. It makes for quite a challenge sometime :)

- She will only drink from an open cup

- Ainsley loved sweets - seriously. Evan could take them or leave them, but this girl has a serious sweet tooth! Ice cream, fruit snacks, jelly beans, sprinkles. All other food (except cheese) is hit or miss.

- Ainsley loves to dance, loves princesses and her dolls, and is now into playing hairdresser and doctor. She also likes to draw and color. She recently started drawing and then will say, "Look Mommy" and tell me what it is. This is her first drawing, a strawberry:

- She is sleeping well - a 2 hour nap (I wake her every day) and about 11 hours at night. (She still has her bubby in her bed only.)

- Ainsley says her numbers to 13, sings the abc song, and is still working on the colors - except she knows pink!

- Her stats were: Weight: 25 lbs, 13 oz (40%), Height: 33 1/4 inches (40%), HC 48.5 cms
- She just got her first haircut and first pedicure (at home).

We love you Ainsley!

Ainsley is 21 Months Old

2011-01-18T14:05:00.000-05:00

21 months.. can't believe my little girl is on her way to being two!
She has grown so much in the last few months, I hope I remember it all.

- One of the biggest things Ainsley has done is to start to talk in 3-4 word sentances. She'll ask for "some juice please" or "hun (honey) nut cheerios please". She also is pick up on our language.. one of her favorites is "there you go" (just like Daddy). A few others that we love are "thank you, welcome" (all one phrase for thank you) and "uuuh - huh" (a very exaggerated uh-huh).

- She is getting pretty opinionated :) She lets us know what she wants by telling us. She also loves Evan, but doesn't like it (screams) if she thinks he might be taking something from her.

- A month ago, she climbed out of her crib. When I found her, I asked, "How did you get out?". She replied, "self" and proceeded to show me how she escaped. Thankfully, the mattress could go down one more space and the bumper pad is gone, so it has contained her for now.

- Ainsley had a great Christmas... definitely girly! She loves playing with her babies. She rocks them, feeds them, and strolls them around. She also loves the dollhouse - calling the people mommy, daddy, and baby and helping them move around the house. There are lots of kisses and rock-a-bye babies too.

- Her sleeping has been all over - for a few months, she was waking up at 5:30 every morning! Hopefully she'll grow out of that one! She still loves her bubby (pacifier) for naps, bedtime, and car rides. Her eating has been all over too - she always eat breakfast, and after that, who knows. I think her favorite food is cereal.

- Ainsley loves to dance, sing, and draw. At night, we have dance parties in the living room. Her favorite songs to sing are "twinkle, twinkle", "hap birthday", "rosie", and "mary had a little lamb".

It's been so fun to watch her grow up. I'm trying to enjoy every minute, because it's been going too fast. My baby can't be 2 soon, right?

A few more pics:She loves to make crazy faces.

She wasn't too sure about the snow (didn't like that she couldn't walk around.)

She did enjoy eating the snow though :)

Cheesin' it up with Buddy

Ross Family Christmas

2011-01-12T10:16:00.003-05:00

We celebrated the Ross family Christmas a little late this year due to the flu hitting Dave, Mya, and Grandma all around Christmas. Once everyone was well, we gathered for our fun Christmas celebration! We headed over in the afternoon to open gifts.. it was quite a sight:
(Everyone always goes overboard.. so those are everyone's piles all over the room!)

The kids started first and they wanted to play with their new gifts instead of opening an more :)
(Uncle Dave & Ainsley with her BuckleyBoo from them)

(Mya, Evan and Uncle Doug playing hot wheels)

Evan's second or third gift was this dog tent. He had to open all the rest of his presents in the tent. Since then, he has slept in the tent 4 different nights. You could say it was a hit!

He also got a Nerf target set, complete with these cool glasses:

The girls got tired of the presents, so they decided to do some coloring instead...

A few pictures were taken...

We stopped for Larosa's dinner and kept opening presents into the night. (It takes a lot longer with the kiddos.) The night was capped off with a bubble bath for Evan and Ainsley in Grandma & Grandpa's giant tub!

We had a great time with great memories celebrating with the Ross family!

Weis Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T23:08:00.006-05:00

On the 26th, we celebrated Christmas with the Weis family! We arrived early and were treated to a delicious brunch of pecan rolls and breakfast casserole! Evan was super excited to get to the gifts ;)
We were so blessed by our family with so many wonderful gifts both for us and the kids. One of the highlights was this cool bike that Evan got from my parents. It's like a big wheel, but it can spin out and do 360's. He was squealing in the basement riding it around!

Jen and Chad made Ainsley an adorable dress up kit. They re-did an old suitcase and filled it with fun stuff. As you can see, she loved it!
Evan also really liked his shooting game, just like Chad had when he was little..
Here we are in an intense game of Qwirkle:
We stayed the whole day and played, talked and hung out! It was so much fun. An awesome day with great memories. Of course, no Weis Christmas would be complete without a wrapping paper fight ending with Evan in the trash bag :)

Christmas Morning 2010

2010-12-27T22:59:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas (so far) this year! Doug and I felt so blessed this year by our family and our two awesome kids. I have to say, watching Evan this year has to be one of the biggest joys. He loved all his presents, and made sure to say thank you after opening each one. (Seriously, it was too sweet.)

Here was our tree, all set for the kids:

A slept in until 6:30 and Evan was up at 7 and they were super excited to see what was under the tree!

We rushed downstairs and Evan and Ainsley each opened up their first present. A few weeks ago, Evan had bought us presents while staying at my parents house. He was so excited to give them to us that on Christmas morning, that after only opening one of his, he wanted us to open our gifts from him.

After a few presents, Evan spotted a big blanket hidden behind the tree. It was his one big wish from Santa - a doggie he could sit on. He hasn't stopped playing with it and has taken it with us everywhere since.

Ainsley has been super sweet as well. She got two different dollhouses, and hasn't stopped playing with them. She loves to play with the mommy, daddy, and babies. She likes to rock the little babies and put them to sleep under their blankets. It's too cute to watch.

After all the excitement of presents, we sat down to eat breakfast, but not before hearing the story of Christmas and singing Happy Birthday to Jesus with our cinnamon rolls.

What a wonderful Christmas. I hope I never forget it!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-27T22:44:00.008-05:00

On Christmas Eve, we all went to my Aunt Diane's to celebrate with the Chandler side. We had a great time! After a yummy dinner, we first started off with family pictures, complete with 6 dueling cameras... (while explains why we are all looking in different directions) :)

The whole "Weis" family:

Our family: The cousins (plus a few, minus a few):
We then sang Christmas carols with Evan leading us on the guitar:

We exchanged gifts and the kids got some really fun stuff from my Aunts! We wrapped up the night with our annual white elephant exchange - which I think Evan was more excited about then anything.

We got home around 9 and Ainsley was out. Evan has some work to do however.. setting out the milk, cookies, and carrots for Santa and sprinkling the reindeer food (oats and glitter) outside! He even decided to sprinkle it on the walk so he could check and see if they ate it the next day. We finally got him to sleep around 10.. although while snuggling with him, he just kept telling me he couldn't wait for tomorrow.. I had to agree :)

Ainsley is 18 Months Old

2010-10-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

Wow - in one week Evan turned 5 and Ainsley is now 18 months. Time is flying! A few things about my sweet 18 month old:

- The stats - weight: 22lb 10oz (25%), height: 31.5" (50%)

- She is quite the talker! I haven't tried counting, but it has to be at least 200 words. She'll try saying anything! Some of my favorite words she says are: by-kick-lul (bicycle), hold-you, love u, hap-bir-day, and up-sight-dow (upside down). She also knows how to say yes and no, and she knows how to use them!

- Some of her favorite things to do are to look at books, coloring with crayons, and playing with her baby dolls (feeding them, putting them to bed, strolling them around) I have recently started taking her to story time, which she loves. Ainsley also loves singing songs - especially the Elmo cd in the car. And, although I wish she didn't love it so much, Ainsley loves Elmo's world on tv.

-Ainsley loves to be upside down and it almost always does the trick to make her happy.

- She has the most expressive faces, loves to squeal, and is very girly!

- She is warming up to daddy, but is still a momma's girl! She also has crazy stranger anxiety, which she will hopefully grow out of soon.

Ainsley is turning into our sweet little toddler!

My 5 Year Old Boy!

2010-10-12T13:47:00.008-04:00

A few days ago, Evan turned 5. I can't believe it. Wasn't he just a tiny baby? Where did my little guy go? Seriously though, I love my little BOY so much! He is so much fun. I feel thankful that I get to spend my days with him.
I don't know where to start about him.. I guess first the stats. He went to the doctor and he weighed 40lbs (35%) and was 42-1/4" (25%) tall. It was actually super fun at the appointment because the doctor asked him all the questions, instead of us, so we got to see him "show off" all he knows. He is doing great :)

Evan is so much more of a boy now then ever before. He likes silly knock-knock jokes, nerf guns, being crazy with his friends, wrestling, jumping, carnival games, and anything with water. It's fun to see him by so boy-ish (and a little adjustment for me too :)). He is also so much more grown up. You can have a real conversation with him or ask him to help with Ainsley or the grocery, and he does!

He is doing really well with preschool. He really likes going and I even get more details this year about his days. So far, they have been really focusing on penmanship, beginning reading, and math skills. He really enjoys math and numbers. We are always adding numbers (up to 20, in the 100s, 1000s) and counting, counting by tens and any other patterns.

Evan does get frustrated when he can't do something right away (like learning to ride his new scooter), so we are working on that! We have turned him into a thrifty little boy - wondering how much everything costs and telling us that things we buy are too expensive :)

He still loves Scooby Doo, silly bandz, and playing the wii. Over the summer, he went from being afraid to even ride the little coaster at KI or go on the the little slide to riding almost all the rides and swimming like a fish. He has definitely found his confidence.

On the night of Evan's birthday, after he was in bed, Doug and I just looked at each other and agreed - how did we get so lucky? Evan is such a sweet, caring, fun little boy. We both feel so blessed!

Cousins

2010-07-23T15:37:00.000-04:00

We feel so blessed that Ainsley has her cousin Mya!
The girls are only 15 days apart, and we hope that as they grow up, they will be great friends.
For now, the girls are happy to swing together...
And just hang out...

15 Month Stats..

2010-07-20T11:57:00.003-04:00

We went to the doctor yesterday for Ainsley's 15 month doctor appointment. It was crazy! She was completely scared of everyone that touched her.. I don't know if she remembers being there? I couldn't even get her to sit on the scale with the nurse across the room - she was screaming her head off! I guess she knows what she likes and doesn't like!

Anyway, here are her stats:
Weight: 21 lbs 12 oz (30%)
Height: 29 1/8 inches (30%) - I highly doubt this measurement, Ainsley was kicking and screaming
Head: 46 cm (50%)

Hopefully we won't have to go back for another 3 months!

Mini Trip #2: Dayton

2010-07-19T22:52:00.001-04:00

On the Tuesday after the 4th of July, we took another mini-trip. Doug took the day off, and we headed with kids to Dayton. The first stop was the Wegerzyn Gardens. I had read about this park in a book and it was free, so we decided to check it out. It turned out to be awesome!! There was a special Children's garden with plants that the kids could touch and smell, and also an area were kids could water fruits and veggies that were being grown.
The grounds were beautiful, and we spent some time walking around. The kids loved it!

The highlight of the garden for Evan was the stream leading to the waterfall that he could play in! He would have run around for hours if we would have let him.

Ainsley even posed for some pictures for daddy..
After we left the gardens, we headed over to the Boonshoft Museum. We got to watch a cool laser show in the planitarium that felt like you were riding amusement park rides. Evan played with the locks at the water table:
Ainsley had a great time dancing in a crazy room that projected the outline of your image on a wall: She had a blast playing on the air table with daddy:

Check out the video of her playing:

We had another amazing day and made more great memories!!

4th of July (well, really the 3rd..)

2010-07-18T15:57:00.001-04:00

We had a wonderful 4th of July this year. The day with all the festivities was actually the 3rd.. It was a really hot day, but we made the most of it. The day started off with the neighborhood bike parade. Evan was all decked out and Ainsley liked watching the other kids. My brother Chad biked from his neighborhood (8+ miles) to see the parade - which was really cool!

The hot afternoon was spent playing in the backyard pool with Avery next door. Later in the evening, we headed to the Mason 4th celebration. We met up with our niece Mya and the girls got to play.

Evan got a really cool Scooby Doo balloon animal..
Ainsley tried to play some games..
and she got to watch the crowd from up high...

As we were walking out, Evan saw laser tag and at the last minute decided to play. At first he was telling us the gun was too heavy and that he couldn't do it...

Then, by the end, he was really into it..
We headed home around 9, and everyone got showered. After Ainsley was in bed, I asked Evan if he'd like to go back and watch the fireworks. Doug stayed home, and we went and parked in the back of the Mason High School. I let Evan sit on the roof of my car. He was so excited, I could tell it would be a fun night! As the fireworks started - he kept saying, "Wow, that one almost touched me" and we played that's my favorite. On the way home, Evan asked me if there were fireworks in heaven. Priceless.. what a wonderful day!

Mini Trip #1: Columbus

2010-07-16T15:35:00.001-04:00

We've recently taken several mini-day trips and had so much fun! Doug has taken off a few days, and we've been able to do so many fun things. Plus, Ainsley's car ride tolerance seems to be 2-3 hours, so it's been working out well.

First, over Memorial Day, we took the kids to Columbus. We went for two days and pricelined an awesome hotel. The hotel had a indoor and outdoor pool that connected, so you could swim between the two. (I missed pictures of this!) Evan was in heaven at the pool! We also took a tour of the Anthony Thomas Chocolate Factory (also missed pictures). Evan was super interested and it was fun to watch the chocolate being made. We even got free Buckeyes at the end!

The rest of the time, we went to Cosi using our Cincinnati Museum Center pass. So much fun!! Here are some pictures from our two day visit:

First up - the water table in the Kid's Zone. We spent the most time there - Evan playing with the locks and Ainsley spraying water:

The kids also loved the Kidspace - it was for little ones 5 and under and it was strictly enforced, which was really nice:

Evan tried to pull himself up using a pulley system:

And lift lots of heavy weights: Of course, there was the big kid water area too:

And lots of fun to be had playing on the bed at the hotel:

We had such a great time on our little adventure!

Butterfly Show & Ross's House

2010-07-16T10:14:00.000-04:00

Then, we did a great little day trip to the Butterfly Show with Grandma and Grandpa Ross. We had a wonderful time - the kids loved the butterflies and they were landing all over them.

After the show, we headed to Five Guys for a late lunch (Evan loves the cracking peanuts) and the headed over to Grandmas and Grandpas. Of course, Evan had to play water balloons, with Grandma and Grandpa. Ainsley even got to do a little swimming in the little pool. We ate dinner and had Grandma & Grandpa's slushies!! Yum!

At the end of the night, Evan needed a bath, so he took one in the Grandma & Grandpa's big tub (with jacuzzi jets). Grandma added a little bubble bath, combined with the jets, made a crazy amount of bubbles everywhere. Evan was completely covered!! He was squeeling and having so much fun. I don't think the pictures even come close to showing how full it was.

We had another fun day trip and made lots of great memories!!

15 Months

2010-07-12T16:11:00.004-04:00

Little Miss A is 15 months old! We are having so much fun. Ainsley is full of personality!

She is now saying so many words, maybe 50+. Some of my favorites are brush, baby, up, all done, night night, bye guys and whoa. She has also expanded her animal vocab - elephants, roosters, birds. Another favorite is "Twinkle, Twinkle" where she will sing "up above the world". So much fun! She is going to be my chatty one for sure.

Ainsley is finally sleeping through the night (yeah!!) and has transitioned to one nap a day. I just got her down to nursing twice a day - morning and night, and she loves regular milk as well. I though we'd be done nursing by now - but she looks as me with those big brown eyes and says/signs mama milk - if I say yes, she gets so excited.

She loves to try/do anything Evan does - which is sometime good ;) Ainsley loves to bounce (and say bounce) in the tramopline. She even likes to bounce with Evan. She also loves the water - and has no fear. She will walk right into a pool! We'll have to watch that. She would watch Baby Einstein all day if I'd let her - but she usually only gets 15 minutes every other day. Ainsley also loves to dance whenever the music is on.

Ainsley is also getting strong. If Evan takes something from her or we tell her no, she defitinely lets us know she doesn't like it! It's going to be interesting disciplining the second child!

We are so in love with Ainsley! She cracks us up on a daily basis and is always quick to smile with those big dimples! Now, if I could just freeze time for a little bit...

Too much water??

2010-07-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

Seems like everything that we've been doing this summer involves water. Evan is obsessed. It might be why we are on third round of really bad swimmer's ear! Hopefully we can figure out how to stop it from developing.

We have been going to KI water park, the pool, slip-n-sliding, running through the sprinkler, water balloons, water table, and making waterfalls. I can't imagine what our water bill is going to be :) It's all worth it!

Animals...

2010-05-19T14:04:00.002-04:00

Ainsley loves reading her books. Some of her favorite lately are the ones with animals. She's been practicing her animal sounds - check out the video!

We have also been going to the Mason Library story time with Miss Alice. Ainsley LOVES it! It's so cute to see her moving along with the songs and listening to the stories. She gets so excited for the shakers at the end and the bubbles!

Walking & Talking

2010-05-13T09:00:00.000-04:00

Ainsley is a little over 13 months old now, and what a transformation we have seen over the last month. It's been all about walking and talking!

She took her first few steps a few days before her birthday and now she's a full time walker! She can get up from sitting down without holding onto anything, so, anytime, anywhere, she's ready to walk! It actually is nice in some ways - when we are outside, she's not stuck in a stroller or being held. However, my life is much busier now! She loves to get into everything - especially Evan's tiny toys!

The other big change with our little one is her language! She is definitely talking! It's so amazing that she can now really communicate with us. She says lots of words - mama, dada, pat pat, ball, go, baby, uh-oh, wing (swing), bird, bro (bother), down, up, tickle - tickle, bub (our word for paci), woof (for what a dog says), and all done. She also lets us know what she wants by pointing and smiling.

One fun thing that we did with Ainsley was to let her ride on one of the big kid rides at Kings Island. It was the cars that go around in a circle. We would have never done it with Evan, but it's going to be a long summer there, and she should have some fun too. She absolutely loved it, and rode 3 times with her big brother.

Ainsley is still so sweet. She gives us hugs and kisses and will even walk over to greet Doug at the door. It's been fun to see her growing and getting to see her personality more and more!

Mother's Day Tea

2010-05-12T14:46:00.005-04:00

I had the privilege of going to Mother's Day Tea at Evan's school this week. I will definitely remember it for a long time. I arrived at school and got the biggest hug and kiss from my little man. We then did a craft together and we got to look over this sheet about me. Here is what Evan had to say about some of my favorites:
The kids then sang us a special song - You Are My Sunshine. There where definitely a few tears. I got a video of the whole thing, but it's too big to uplaod. We then got to have tea and cookies with the other boys in his class, followed by lunch with several classmates and McDonalds. It was such a special, sweet day with my little boy. I am so blessed!

Swimming Class

2010-05-06T16:32:00.000-04:00

Evan just finished up another session of swimming lessons. He has really been improving! He will now put his head completely under water for several seconds - something he would never attempt in the past. He has a ball in the water too! It was so fun to watch him swim and I'm really looking forward to this summer!

A's 12 Months

2010-04-16T09:16:00.004-04:00

I take a picture of Ainsley in our red chair every month. Hope you enjoy watching her grow...

Ainsley is 12 months old!!

2010-04-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

Our little girl is one! Wow - that went fast! I have to admit, I had a little cry on her birthday morning, but we had such a wonderful day. So, here are some things about Ainsley at 12 months...

1. At Ainsley's 12 month appointment she was 20lb 6oz (40%) and 29-1/2 inches tall (60%)
2. Two days before her first birthday, Ainsley took her first steps. She is still very shaky, but practicing all the time. She even squeals when we ask her to walk.

3. Ainsley's really starting to communicate with us. She says Mama, Dada, uh-oh, ball, baby, go and pat-pat. She'll also sign more, eat, and milk. She also seems to be much more expressive, good and bad. If she gets frustrated, she'll let us know!

4. She loves to be outside! Just say outside, and she'll go right to the door. She likes to swing and slide, and to crawl around in the grass.
5. Ainsley also loves her bath, and will crawl up the steps and straight to the bathroom if you ask her to take a bath.
6. She loves Itsy, Bitsy Spider and throwing kisses!

7. She now has 4 teeth - two top and two bottom.

8. Ainsley loves baby dolls. If she sees a baby across the room, she gets so excited and loves to hug and pat them.
9. Her eating is getting better. She only eats finger foods and some of her favorites are - cheese, mac & cheese, grilled cheese (see a theme?), turkey, bread, bagels, grapes, peas, and hummus. She also loves whole milk, although she is still nursing a few times a day.
10. Ainsley celebrated her second Easter - we had a wonderful day with family, and got some great pictures outside.
11. I have a little monkey! Ainsley is into everything - and is a climber. She can easily get up steps, Evan's step stool, and her new favorite is getting into the bathroom and the pantry. I have to keep an eye on her all the time.
12. I know that I have said it a bunch - but Ainsley is such a blessing! She's so sweet, and calm, and just a joy! Doug and I both love her more than we could imagine!

Smarty

2010-04-14T21:09:00.001-04:00

I know that we've posted a bunch lately about Miss A, but we've been having just as much fun with Evan lately :) I have to record a little about my math smarty! A few weeks ago, we started playing a numbers game with Evan. We would "buy" a certain number of items and pay for it, and Evan would tell us the change we'd get back. It started off easy, buying 1 item, and giving him $3, him telling us the change. We quickly discovered that he really liked this game and wanted to challenge himself more and more. Now, on a pretty consistent basis, we can give him any combination of items we are buying and dollar amount, with numbers between 1-12, and he correctly gives us the change. It's been pretty fun to watch him grow in confidence - and maybe he will have my love of math too :)

Steps

2010-04-13T16:23:00.002-04:00

Two days before her 1st birthday, Ainsley decided to try out some new moves...

Now all she wants to do is practice!

1st Birthday Party!!

2010-04-13T15:54:00.006-04:00

We had Ainsley's 1st birthday party on Sunday. It was a fun, wonderful day that we all got to enjoy. Here are (lots) of pictures from the day...

Some of the easy preparations - princess highchair and homemade hat:
Easy butterfly cupcakes:

We had a small family party, and it was fun to enjoy all our guests and the birthday girl (and our neighbors trampoline too):

Ainsley had so much fun with her cake. We were able do everything outside, since it was such a gorgeous day!

Singing:
What is this??
The cake part is much better

We were all there to cheer her on

Then came the presents! Everyone was so generous! Lots of sweet girl things - a purse and tea set from Mya, pink walkers from Grandma and Grandpa and Nani and Poppy, clothes...

Crawling tunnel from Aunt Jen and Uncle Chad..

And a charm braclet from Mom & Dad..

We had so much fun celebrating our little girls first year of life!

Blessed!

2010-04-11T08:43:00.001-04:00

Today is Ainlsey's first birthday. Over the last few days, I have been thinking about this past year. The one thing that I have realized is how blessed I am. I have an amazing husband who is also a wonderful dad. I get to stay home and spend my days (the good and the bad) with my kids :).
Evan has turned into such a sweet, "grown up" little boy. I can't believe how much he understands and how he can make us laugh. He has turned into my helper and he's just fun to be around! And, he's learning and growing like crazy!
And Ainsley.. my now one year old. What a gift she is!! Such a sweet little girl - always smiling and making it easy for me. And having her as my second baby - I have enjoyed this past year so much, not bothered by all the worry. I feel like I've been able to soak up all the minutes as she grows up.
I feel so blessed to be able to parent a boy and a girl. They are so different! And, I do love having a little girl to dress up :)
So, today, I am going to enjoy every minute the best that I can. More tomorrow about Ainsley's progress and Evan's soccer.. but today
I am so blessed.

Soccer

2010-04-05T16:30:00.001-04:00

Evan started his first organized sport last week - soccer! It's exciting for both Doug and I since we both played and our dad's coached growing up. Evan had a great time chasing the ball around - and we'll need to work on those jumping jacks. Can't wait for this season!

11 Months..

2010-03-11T14:01:00.005-05:00

It's time for Miss A's 11 month blog post - yikes! This is her last "baby" post. Ainsley has been such fun, so we are soaking in every minute!

So, here's what we're up to..
- Sleeping: Still just okay. She takes good naps, but likes mom to come in for visits several times a night :P
- Eating: finally.. a little. Ainsley only likes finger foods and refuses baby foods. Her favorites are bread, pasta, and cheese, and fruit smoothies! Other than that, she would still prefer mom's milk. Or, of course, water through a straw!
- Moving around: A is pulling up, cruising along, getting on and off toys, getting herself down (without falling), and standing for a few seconds.

- Teeth: She finally has some! The two on top are coming in, and just today I felt one coming in on the bottom.
- Activities: She still loves to read, and had now mastered putting the rings on and off the ring toy. She also loves to play with the Wii remote!

- Talking: It's always difficult to know, but I'm pretty sure that she's said mama, dada, pat-pat, and baby. Also, she is signing milk, all done, more, and drink pretty consistently.
- Favorites: Ainsley loves going in the basement to play. In fact, if I say basement, she crawls to the door and pounds on it. She loves to ride in Evan's little car and swing on the swing hanging from the rafters. The past few days, she has discovered outside too. Same reaction - except anytime we walk by the door outside, she gets excited. She loved her first bike ride and just being outside.

Lastly, a few days ago Ainsley gave me the sweetest hug. She wrapped her arms around me and even gave me a pat on the back.I've gotten several since. So sweet!

Videos from the past month with A..

2010-03-11T11:32:00.002-05:00

Here's my popper...

and apparently both my kids love video games...

My Little Prince

2010-02-18T10:53:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago, we went to Evan's good friend Avery's birthday party. The theme was a princess party, and everyone was to dress up in their princess costumes. To help Evan understand what all this princess stuff was about, we rented Snow White from the library. He didn't like the movie. To get in the spirit, we let Evan dress up as a prince for the party... complete with sword and crown.

Avery was so welcoming and they had activities for Evan as well, but he was still the only boy with eight other princess girls. It was too funny to watch, because at one point, he was just sitting on the couch staring at 8 little girls twirling around like princesses. :) He did have a great time, and we are so thankful to have our friend Avery next door!

My 10 Month Old Baby

2010-02-11T21:40:00.003-05:00

Ainsley is 10 months old today! What a fun age! Ainsley is waving all the time, loves to give big, open mouth kisses, and is giggling away! She is still my happy, sweet baby!

A few things about the last month:
~ Ainsley is finally eating.. a little :) She has discovered finger foods, and seems to like them much better than baby food. She's still nursing 5-6 times a day, and now enjoys cheerios, yogurt puffs, cheese, noodles, and of course, water from any straw cups! Interestingly, she will eat baby food from anyone except me :)
~ The past month has been pretty rough sleeping wise. I think it's mostly due to separation anxiety, but Miss A wants to make sure that I'm around. We have had lots of time in the middle of the night hanging out and early morning wake ups. I hope we are back on track now!
~ She is still a Momma's girl, although she's starting to warm up to Daddy too!
~ She is starting to really communicate and understand us. She's starting to say ma-ma, da-da, pat-pat, and up. She's signing milk occasionally, and definitely knows what it means.
~ Ainsley has been pulling up, cruising, and getting herself around everywhere. She's getting pretty good at her walker too, figuring out how to turn it around.

~ She is finally over her snotty nose - yeah!!

~ She plays so well by herself, especially if she has a stack of books. She will sit and look at books forever! Her favorite book is Pat the Bunny, along with any other touch and feel books.

Ainsley's hair up (for our church tailgate party)!

Loves to swing - either outside or in the basement

Dressed up from her 1st (of many) princess birthday party!

Park

2010-02-04T11:32:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, the forecast was 50 for Saturday afternoon. Doug was busy moving a pool table, so I asked my parents to join the kids and I at the park. Although the temperature was 50 - it didn't feel that warm since the sun was missing! We had a great time anyway. It did make for some great pictures at the park of the kids and my parents. (Btw - I am so lucky to have them in our lives! They are so loving and giving and Evan and Ainsley adore them!)

A singing along

2010-01-23T09:00:00.001-05:00

Ainsley loves to sing along with this toy... I caught a little on camera:

Evan making Ainsley laugh

2010-01-22T09:00:00.001-05:00

Nothing better...

Making Pizza

2010-01-21T21:03:00.001-05:00

Last week, Evan and I got to go on a field trip to Domino's for pizza making! (Thanks to Aunt Robin and Mya for watching Miss A!) Evan got to put his order in the computer, wash his hands, and then make a pizza. He rolled out the dough (not sure about that one), spread the sauce, and put on the cheese. He then made their own pizza box while the pizza cooked in the oven.

Evan got to eat his work at the end of the field trip - it looked pretty delious! What a fun day with E.

My Sweet Boy

2010-01-21T14:18:00.003-05:00

So, I have found that parenting so far has gone in phases - all the phases (so far) have been fun - but some are more challenging than others. :) Everyone says that 4 is fun (after those "tough threes") - well, I have definitely found that to be true so far. It also seems true that when it gets tough with one (Ainsley has decided not to sleep at night), the other "steps up" for me.

Self portrait

Anyway, Evan has been in an awesome "phase" lately. I am just enjoying him so much and feel so blessed to be his mom. He just seems so grown up! I can ask him to get ready for school and he'll go potty, wash his hands, brush his teeth and put his clothes on all by himself. I just look at him and think, when did you become so big? He thinks about everything, and every night at bedtime, he's asking Doug or I a ton of questions about his day. He loves school and has re-learned to write his name. (We taught his to write in all caps, now he can write it correctly.) He loves his art table. He is getting really good at amusing himself. He is obsessed with the Wii (Super Mario Brothers) and that is all he wants to do with me while A is napping. He makes the funniest faces and has the best reactions. He still loves to pretend to be Scooby Doo.

I love him and I am so super thankful for my grown-up little man.

9 months old

2010-01-11T22:30:00.000-05:00

Ainsley is 9 months old! Another post again - I can't believe it! I wish I could slow down time, but for now we are just enjoying every minute of it!

1. Ainsley has become a huge Momma's girl this past month! She is usually fine if she doesn't see me, but as soon as she does, "ma-ma-ma-ma"! However, in the middle of the night, daddy just won't do. If I'm around, she's by my side. I am enjoying it too - because I know she's going to be daddy's girl soon enough.

2. The girl loves ice cold water, especially from mom's big pink cup. (She drinks from a straw.) If she sees my cup, she'll jump out of my arms to get it. Still breastfeeding, and we are lucky to get 1/2 jar of baby food in a day.

3. Ainsley is way on the move - she crawls, pulls up, cruises across her toys, uses push toys and is starting to climb. It's fun, but we definitely have to keep an eye for small objects.

4. At her 9 month appointment today, she was 18lbs, 8 oz (50%) and 27in (50%). Her head was 50% too.

5. She loves looking at books, with or without us. Evan never seemed that interested, but she'll crawl over and look through a book by herself. She loves Pat the Bunny and books that have pictures of babies.

6. Ainsley is starting to say her first words.. so fun! She will usually say "pat-pat" to pet dogs and "ma-ma" for me. She also repeats the songs on some of toys. She loves peek-a-boo and "So Big".

7. She lets us know what she wants with her "ah-ah" noise and jumping in the direction of the thing she wants.

8. This past month, it's been so fun to see Evan playing with her. He has been a great big brother, and he gives her lots of love.

9. Finally, Ainsley's 1st Christmas was this past month. It was so fun to get her dressed up and she had a great time pushing and climbing the boxes. She didn't take many naps, because she didn't want to miss out on any of the excitement!

New Year's Eve

2010-01-01T11:36:00.000-05:00

Once again, we got to spend New Year's Eve with our fun neighbors. Matt & Genie hosted another fun party with duck racing at Ducky Downs. Evan was so excited all day because he remembered the previous year. He picked the same duck that he has last year - WonderDuck. All the kids lined up along the side to watch the ducks race down the water. When his duck won (after several rounds :)), Matt and Genie gave him a prize - a Spiderman bat and ball. He loved every minute of it. We had a great time visiting with friends as well.

Christmas

2009-12-27T11:58:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year!! One Christmas Eve, we went to my parents house to celebrate with the extended family. The kids were spoiled and we had lots of fun with the whole family there. My favorite part was singing Christmas carols, with Evan "leading" the band with this guitar (along with Jon - the real leader of the band). We acted out the Twelve Days of Christmas and Evan sang Rudolph more times than I can count!

We then had Christmas morning at our house, and it was super special. The kids slept until 8 (present for Mom & Dad) and Dad went down to get a picture of the presents that Santa had left..
All the food for Santa and the reindeer was eaten, so he must have come :)
This is the funniest face that Evan kept making - the I don't know what it is - but I'm excited to find out face. He did end up getting his telescope and hand-held video game, and he was so sweet and excited about everything.
Evan was also so sweet and made presents for me (a necklace and spoon). He helped Daddy and Ainsley open their presents too.

We then headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's house for the day. The kids were so good and everyone was so generous. Ainsley had so much fun that she decided not to nap at all :P She also decided that crawling on the boxes was way more fun than opening them!

On the 26th, we celebrated Christmas at Nani & Poppy's house. We had brunch and opened presents..

oh, an Evan got tossed out in the trash. What a wonderful Christmas!!!

Christmas Festivities

2009-12-22T11:44:00.000-05:00

We had so much fun in the weeks leading up to Christmas. I got to take Evan and Ainsley downtown to eat lunch with my co-workers, and then we got to check out the Duke Trains. Evan loved it! We ended up staying for over an hour just watching the trains go around.

We also decorated a Gingerbread House with Aunt Jen and Uncle Chad. Evan was really into it, although he was hot - so he's not wearing a shirt in any of the pictures :P He favorite part was tasting and placing the candy!

We also had lots of fun with our annual cookie decorating with Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma made us super-cute matching aprons and we all got to work!
Evan helped roll out the dough and cut out cookies. He also iced and decorated quite a few. His are the ones with lots of icing and "hots" (red hots).

Ainsley spend most of the time chasing after Buddy - or as she likes to call him.. pat-pat.

We were so lucky to have so many fun things to do this Christmas season.

First Snow

2009-12-20T11:30:00.001-05:00

Right before Christmas, we got our first snow - thankfully on the weekend. The snow was perfect for building snowmen and forts, and Daddy and Evan did just that. They made one of my favorite snowmen - and he lasted for a long time!

What Evan doesn't like...

2009-12-11T10:02:00.003-05:00

Straight from preschool...

Eight things about Ainsley at 8 Months...

2009-12-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

Here we go again - another month older. Ainsley is growing sweeter by the day. Here are 8 things about our little princess as she turns 8 months old..

1. We have a baby on the move!! Ainsley is now crawling, sitting from laying down, standing (often with just one hand), and bending over. There is no stopping her now. It's so fun to watch her crawl around - but I definitely have to keep a much closer eye on her!!

2. Her favorite noise to make is a popping sound. I'll hear her around the house all day long - "pop, pop, pop". She has done it so much that her bottom lip has actually turned purple from all the practice!

3. This is her favorite toy by far! She loves to sit and play at the table forever, and now she loves to crawl all over the table.

4. Ainsley's hair is growing like crazy! It's getting really long all over and mommy's getting excited because the bows are staying in better... now, we just have to decide if we are going to trim her bangs. It's always so hard to know what to do with the little one's hair!

5. She loves to wave hi and bye, and is always giving up big smiles! She also loves to kiss mommy and the baby in the mirror!

6. Ainsley is finally breastfeeding every 4 hours (yeah for me!!) It just makes it so much easier to go anywhere for either of us. She's still so-so on soild foods, but of the few she likes, her favorite is pear-blueberry.

7. Ainsley had her First Thanksgiving (actually two Thanksgivings). She did great! However, we have now discovered that she doesn't like to nap on the go :P

8. Recently we gave her a bath with Evan. She had a great time and so did he. She didn't mind getting splashed in the face a ton, and tried to suck on the wash cloth the entire bath .. why do babies do that?
Next up.. baby's 1st Christmas!!!

More Fall Fun..

2009-11-21T09:00:00.002-05:00

We have been really enjoying all the wonderful fall weather lately!

Painting a birdhouse with Poppy:

Enjoying "water" boots given to us by a neighbor:

Ainsley's Dedication

2009-11-20T15:51:00.001-05:00

On November 1st, we had Ainsley dedicated at our church, 4 Corners. It was a special day for us all - thanking God for our special blessing, celebrating that she's here, and promising to raise her with our Christan faith. We had all the Grandparents and Aunt Robin, Uncle Dave, Mya, and Aunt (to-be) Jen attend. During church there was a thoughtful blessing from Ben and a slight mishap with A's shoe flying off. We then went back and celebrated at Nani & Poppy's house with lunch. It was a wonderful day!

Beautiful Fall Day

2009-11-19T11:09:00.006-05:00

Last Saturday, we had nothing on the calendar and forecast for a beautiful day! We decided to take the kids up to Youngstown, Ohio for a little day adventure. We had so much fun!! We made our way up to Young's Dairy first. Evan got to check out the scene - there were tractors to play on, goats to look at and feed, and farm animals to watch.
We had lunch at the store, and, of course, homemade ice cream!

Evan picked bubble gum ice cream - and to his surprise, it had real gum in it!

He was also waiting for the cows - which were outside - we had to come back later that evening to see them get milked.
We then headed over to Clifton Gorge to do a little hiking. The scenery was beautiful and we saw lots of waterfalls. There were lots of leaves to jump in too. Evan found a walking stick and Ainsley just hug out in the front pack and enjoyed the outdoors and took a little nap!

We then headed back to Young's Dairy to feed the goats and watch the cows get milked.
Evan definitely thought that seeing the cows get milked was the coolest thing ever! We probably watched for about 30 minutes.
This was one beautiful, fall day that we'll remember for a long time!

7 for 7 Months

2009-11-11T10:14:00.005-05:00

Here are 7 things about Ainsley as she turns 7 months old today:

1. She has mastered sitting (which I love)!!! However, she's not content with just sitting anymore. She likes to lean over and get herself into the crawling position (and sit back up again.) She is up on all fours for awhile and then gets mad and plops down. She's also figured out how to scoot backwards, even though it's not the direction she wants to be going in! I was hoping that she wouldn't be interested in crawling - but we'll see what this month brings!

2. Ainsley is not so sure about "real" food. So far we've tried: oatmeal, rice cereal, green beans, sweet peas, carrots, sweet potatos, apples, bananas, and pears.. and her favorite food is... breastmilk! She will eat a bite of almost anything, and then clench her mouth shut. I know she'll figure it out one day, and it's been interesting to try. One thing that she does like is drinking water from a sippy cup - and we discovered she could use a straw to drink as well.

(Don't let the picture fool you - she is actually eating bananas - it was a one time thing :P)

3. She has been doing a lot of dress up lately - for her first Halloween and some super girly 6 month pictures.

4. Ainsley figured out how to play peek-a-boo with us and it's so cute!

5. She is a very good nature and easy baby - poor thing is always on the go, never getting naps in her crib, and she hardly ever makes a peep! She loves to be outside, be in just her diaper, and to watch her brother.

First bike ride!

6. Ainsley has been practicing sounds and noises like crazy - making popping sounds, rasberries, rasberries with her bubby in, ma-ma-ma, da-da-da, ahhh.. I love her sweet little voice.

7. Ainsley was dedicated at church last month. We had our whole family there to celebrate. She is truly a blessing from God. I look at her (ad Evan) every day and wonder how did I get so blessed?

Evan's Video

2009-10-13T09:06:00.004-04:00

On Saturday mornings, when we don't have anything going on, my awesome hubby lets me sleep in! One Saturday, Evan, Doug, and Ainsley were playing and making videos with our camera. When Doug took Ainsley up for a nap, Evan decided to make a video all on his own.. so, here it is, Evan's video directing/acting debut..

My 6 Month Old Baby Girl...

2009-10-11T17:45:00.004-04:00

My sweet little baby girl is now six months old! Unbelievable! The past few months have flown by - and all I know is that Doug and I both feel so blessed to have Ainsley in our lives. She is so happy and sweet and just goes with the flow. She has the biggest smile - so big that she actually "falls" over when she gets a really big grin. Her eyes light up all the time. She is also such a studier - watching everything that goes on.

She is still talkative, but loves to observe. She is pretty good at sitting - going for a minute or two before tumbling over. She still loves the exersaucer and she's really good at the jumparoo. She has started playing "shy" when she sees someone new. She loves her brother and tolerates all his love. She is a good sleeper, just waking up once a night. She rolls everywhere - forward and back and is able to roll/reach herself to whatever is interesting nearby. I love my little girl!!

Enjoy some pictures from the last month:

New trick - sticking out her tongue!

The whole family.
My little sweetheart!

Still smiling with Evan love :)

Don't start crawling yet!!

Every once in awhile she will still fall asleep in our arms.

First swing ride on the new swingset.

First cold :(

Ready to go!!

4th Birthday Party!

2009-10-11T11:01:00.003-04:00

Evan has had one dog on his mind lately - Scooby Doo! So, of course, he wanted a Scooby Doo birthday party! It was so much fun to plan a party with a theme that was easy :) We had a great birthday party with our friends - and 4 of Evan's closest friends - Brayden, Avery B, Avery J, and Olivia! Here are some pictures from the fun day:

Scooby Cupcakes and Scooby Snacks!

Fun with party horns! (They were Evan's request)

All the kids helped Evan open up his presents. Evan would ask them to help and then say that he'd want to open them. It was too cute.
Singing Happy Birthday!
Turning Doug into a Mummy - the kids were then chased by him. This game went over a little better than pin the nose on Scooby!

Our "Baby" is 4!

4 Year Appointment

2009-10-08T17:39:00.004-04:00

I took Evan to his 4 year appointment today. First, his stats: 35.5 pounds and 39.5 inches.

I loved his 3 year appointment because he was so chatty with his doctor. I was looking forward to this year's appointment so he could show off his 4 year old "skills"... well, Evan didn't come to the doctor today - Scooby did. The whole appointment Evan would answer everything "roh" and "reah"... He was also jumping all over like a dog. Oh well! At least he showed off his imagination! I just had to laugh - life with a 4 year old is already definitely fun and I keep learning to expect the unexpected!!

Oh yeah - and the shots. I didn't tell him that he was getting them ahead of time, but he took the news better than I thought. He cried for about two minutes and then all was well with a Scooby sticker.

Another Birthday Post...

2009-10-08T11:24:00.002-04:00

On Evan's actual birthday, we asked him what he wanted to do. Without hesitation, he decided that he wanted to go to Johnny's Toys. On his birthday, a Wednesday, he got up and went to school. I got to take in treats for his classmates (pumpkin cookies) and got to sing with them. Evan was slightly embarrassed, but really like it. Doug then took off a half day off work and we headed straight for Johnny's Toys (with a stop for Wendy's in the car). We got to Johnny's Toys around 12:30 and Evan was so excited!! He loves that place. We played, and played, and played - all the way until they closed at 5. It was so fun to see him have so much fun! We ate dinner down in KY so we'd miss the traffic, and on the way home, around 7, Evan fell asleep in the car! It was a fun, exhausting day for us all.

Evan is 4

2009-10-06T19:18:00.001-04:00

Today my little boy turns 4. I can't believe it - 4 just seems so old. I remember the days when it was just the two of us all day - I would hold him and let him nap in my arms.

Evan has been so much fun to watch grow up. The last year has been even more enjoyable and more challenging than any other. He loves school! He has been acting older since he started 3 weeks ago. He loves his sister so much. (He tells me he loves Ainsley more than me :P.) He has been obsessed with Scooby Doo the last few months - books, videos, pretending to be Scooby. He makes us laugh all the time and is really starting to become his own person. He is very slow getting out the door. He likes to play Wii and wrestle with Doug and loves to play any type of games. He's really interested in how things work. He is super cautious about new things. I can tell he's really into other kids now - as opposed to just wanting to play with us. If he doesn't want to do something, it's really hard to convince him otherwise. He cracks us up with his vocabulary. He has been a blessing in our lives and has taught us so much. Happy Birthday to our sweet BIG boy!!

Water!

2009-09-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

We learned a lesson while we were away in OBX... always have someone watch your house while you are away! Thankfully, my parents were watching our house. On Tuesday late afternoon, they discovered water all over our kitchen floor, leaking from the refrigerator. They cleaned it all up and tried to figure out where the leak was coming from. They checked back again on Wednesday and.. more water! My dad worked and worked on the fridge, and kept checking to make sure the water wasn't all over. After trying all kinds of things, going through the manual, etc, he figured out that it was the replaceable filter leaking. It was an easy fix once he figured it out, but had they not been checking, we would have come home to a very soggy house!

OBX Trip

2009-09-20T15:00:00.000-04:00

At the end of August, we took a family vacation to the Outer Banks with our friends who have two boys Evan & Ainsley's age. We had a great time of relaxing and enjoying time with the kids and our friends. The first day (Sunday) we had hot, sunny weather, and went to the beach and the pool (which was at the house we were staying in). Evan was tentative about the ocean, but eventually got in, and Ainsley enjoyed a nap on the beach as well as watching the boys play.

The next few days were cooler (in the 70s), so no more swimming. But, we enjoyed going indoor glow bowling, eating at Five Guys Burgers and Fries, visiting the Kitty Hawk sand dunes...

We also enjoyed the local shopping center and the playground there..
The boys had fun hanging out..
doing arts and crafts (paper bag masks)...
and later in the week, walking the beach to find shells and build a sandcastle...

We couldn't let the boys only swim once, so they enjoyed the "warm tub" the last two days...

And Evan picked up a souvenir too..
At the house there were a few boogie boards that Evan got to play with in the pool the first day. He loved that they had a string attached to them that he could hook up anywhere. So, on the last night, we let him get a mini-boogie board. It was so cute - he waited at the cash register and the cashier handed it to him. He asked, "did you buy it yet?" We said yes and he immediately ripped off the paper and put the strap on. He was so excited that he even asked to keep it in his bed that evening.

All in all, it was a great vacation in the Outer Banks with great friends!

First Day of Preschool

2009-09-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

Evan started preschool this week. He went last year, but only for 1 day each week. This year, he's going 3 days a week, so it's a big change for us all. I was preparing myself for a rough time since Evan's not big on new things, but he did great! He has been talking about school every day (happily) and has had the "Days of the Week" song stuck in his head and has been singing it all the time.

Here are some pictures from his first day:

Portland Trip

2009-09-15T14:05:00.008-04:00

In early August, Ainsley and I, along with my parents, went to visit my brother in Portland. We had an amazing time. Ainsley did awesome on the plane ride out (thanks to help from my parents). We got there on Friday night and my brother took us around his town, Lake Oswego.

On Saturday morning, we got up for a day of adventures. We checked out Multnomah Falls (see pic above). We then took a hike on another path up a super steep path. (Chad and my dad carried Ainsley the whole time.) At the top, there was a beautiful "punchbowl" water area where we dipped our feet into the cool glacier water. The scenery is absolutely beautiful. After our 3 hour hike, we took a scenic drive back to Portland. That evening, we were also so tired we just hung out at Chad's house and played cards.

On Sunday, we got up and went downtown. We first visited the Pittock Mansion overlooking the city. We made our way down to the Rose Gardens, which were absolutely beautiful! We then headed down to Saturday market, were we ate lunch and browsed through all the homemade items. It was such fun! We headed out to Cupcake Jane and enjoyed some delicious cupcakes. We came home and rested, and then headed out for dinner at The Farm for a wonderful birthday dinner with my dad.

On Monday and Tuesday, we headed down to Depoe Bay to visit my aunt and uncle. They have a beautiful condo looking over the bay. There were whales in the bay and you could just sit on their porch and watch the whales blow and then come up. We also visited the neighboring town, Newport, had yummy homemade lasagna (thanks Tricia!), watched the sun set over the ocean, visited Cape Fowlweather, and just got to hang out.

We came back on Tuesday and had dinner with Chad at Five Guys. On Wednesday morning, I got to meet up with Karen and her kids and catch up on their life in Oregon. I then headed home with Ainsley to see my guys. (Ainsley was great again on the plane, but we did manage to fly through a storm, which was not so fun.) Evan and Doug were at the airport waiting for us (at 10:30 at night) and it was so good to see them both. I had a wonderful trip and am so thankful to everyone who helped make it possible.

You can check out more pictures here

Labor Day Fireworks

2009-09-12T14:21:00.005-04:00

Doug and I got to take Evan to the WEBN Fireworks again this year while Ainsley stayed home with my parents. We had an awesome time once again. (You can read about last year here.) We went down around 7:30 and parked in Broadway Commons. We found a nice place on the grass at the P&G Pavilion and had so much fun watching the fireworks and watching Evan :) (The people watching was very interesting too!!) We got out of there right away and even made it home by 10:30. Here is the only picture we got of the 3 of us:

And a video.. this is what Evan was like the whole time:

5 Months Old

2009-09-12T11:23:00.009-04:00

Ainsley's 5 months already. What a fun summer it's been. This past month she has been quite the traveler! Ainsley traveled with me to Portland to visit my brother and then a few weeks later traveled with our whole family to the Outer Banks. We have learned that she's very flexible (great), but she likes the airplane way more than the car. (The road trip was a little rough... more about that later.)

Some other things about Ainsley this month:
- She loves her new Exersaucer (thanks to Evenflo and Uncle Dave)
- We haven't given her a bottle in awhile and when my parents tried while babysitting, she completely refused. (She refused breastmilk, formula, water..) Oh well, only a little longer until she starts food.
- We just started sleeping without her swaddle blanket. She is doing great! She loves to sleep on her belly just like her brother.
- She is still very vocal -her favorite noise is a loud screeching noise, probably to compete with Evan :) She also likes practicing raspberries.
- She has been drooling like crazy.

- She is a great napper, especially when she gets to sleep in her bed. You can just lay her down drowsy and she'll sleep for a good hour or two. She's always on the go with us though, so she doesn't always get to nap in her bed.

Ainsley at the Portland Rose Gardens.

Check out those thighs!!

After a hike

Loving the exersaucer!

Ainsley upgraded to the duck tub!! She loves it.

Hiking in Portland with Chad.

Daddy and his princess!

On the go...

2009-08-13T17:50:00.000-04:00

We've been on the go a bunch lately, especally at night. We've been having lots of fun - and it makes for an easy bedtime :) Here is the scene in the back of our car.

Swimming Lessons

2009-08-12T17:54:00.002-04:00

Evan took swimming lessons at the outdoor pool for the last two weeks. He did awesome! (Much better than the last swim class :).) It was freezing several mornings (in the 60s), but he was a trooper. He now will finally put his face under water, which is a big step for him! Now onto preschool 2 swimming lessons!

On the last day, the kids got to go off the diving board and slide to celebrate:

Ainsley - 4 months old!

2009-08-11T17:50:00.004-04:00

Ainsley is now 4 months old and we are loving every minute of our sweet baby. Here are some of the things about Ainsley at 4 months:

- She's a happy baby, and still loves to talk
- She has started taking naps in her crib (on her belly) and sleeps for 1-3 hours at a time.
- She has officially rolled both ways, but she doesn't do it very often.
- She's a crazy drooler and loves eating her hands
- She loves toys and grabbing objects
- She is still swaddled at night
- She wakes up happy, but not from naps
- We can get her to laugh and it's the sweetest thing ever!

Here are a few pictures from the last month:

She loves pointing her toes together like this!

Putt-putting in the Bjorn for Nani's birthday

Getting some love from her brother.

Ainsley moved from her bassinet right before she turned 4 months. Do you think it was time?

Pouty lip!

Not a huge fan of the Bumbo, but she looks cute in it!

Loving Her Bath..

2009-07-16T10:39:00.003-04:00

Check out the crazy, chubby legs.. Ainsley loves bath time - and I manage to get completely soaked every time :)

Father's Day!

2009-07-13T17:24:00.000-04:00

We had a great Father's Day at my Aunt Chris and Uncle Barry's pool. It was a nice, hot day, and all the guys got lots of pool time. Here are some pictures from our fun day:

Thinking about diving in

Raft ride

Poppy, Grandpa, Evan, and Daddy

Doug trying out water surfing

The Ross Men

Evan swimming solo

Watching Poppy jump in

Thinking about diving

4th of July

2009-07-12T17:09:00.002-04:00

Doug went to his friend Doug's wedding in NYC over 4th of July weekend. It was just me and the kids, along with LOTS of help from my parents. (Thank you!!) We ended up having a fun, busy weekend!

On Friday, we got to play outside with our neighbor Avery in the morning, and then Poppy and I took Evan to Mason's Red, Rhythm, and Boom. (Ainsley stayed home with Nani.) Evan got to jump on bounces, ride a pony, and play games with little prizes. We had a great time. Later that evening, I took both kids by myself to see the fireworks at 10:30pm! (We drove up around 9:45, parked in the back of the parking lot, and Evan got to sit on the trunk of the car while Ainsley snoozed in her carseat.) The fireworks were great, and it was super easy to put Evan to bed.

On Saturday, we went over to my parents house and played. We even got to all stay the night. We decided at the last minute to take Evan to the KI fireworks since he had enjoyed them so much the night before. They weren't quite as good due to all the rain, but it was still a fun time! On Sunday, Evan got to play with all my parent's neighborhood kids. He had a great time and even got to roast a hot dog! Then on Monday, my niece Amber came up to play with the kids. She's a great help! It was a great weekend, but we missed Daddy a bunch!

Watching the Mason fireworks on the trunk of my car.

Hanging out with Poppy

Ainsley looking cute on the 4th!

Watching the fireworks at KI

Evan asking to roast hot dogs with all the kids

Roasting the hot dogs

Ainsley and Nani

Amber and the kids in the backseat with ice cream. She's the only person that I know who is small enough to sit in the backseat between the two carseats.

Ainsley is 3 Months

2009-07-11T15:44:00.002-04:00

Our little girl is now 3 months old. It's been absolutely wonderful having her in our lives. I couldn't ask for a sweeter little baby and I am so thankful for how she just fits with our family. We are so blessed!!

Here are some things about our little 3 month old:

- She is still a great sleeper - usually eating around 10:30 and waking up to eat at 5 and then around 8. She still loves to snuggle with me in the morning too. I haven't moved her out of the bassinet yet - mom just isn't ready!!
- Some of our nicknames for her are: Peanut, Sweetpea, Precious, A, Baby Girl, and Beauty
- Evan still loves her so much. He has also picked up on our nicknames and high-pitched voices. It's so sweet to see the two together.
- She now loves her bouncy seat and play gym.
- If she's fussy (especially at night), the trick seems to be to take her outside, especially on a walk. She'll just sit there in her stroller looking around, no need for her pacifier.
- She still loves to talk and look at faces
- She weighs around 12-1/2 pounds - almost exactly the same as Evan at his age.
- For the past few weeks, she's really been working on grabbing for things. She concentrates so hard, and she'll usually be able to reach out and grab a toy that she's looking at.

Here are some pictures from the last month:

Playing in the playgym

After a bath - Ainsley loves her bath!! It makes such a mess because she loves to kick the water everywhere!

Happy 4th of July!

I love her dimples.

My sweet baby girl!

With Great-Grandma Evelyn. Ainsley loves her (and loves to fall asleep in her arms).

Showing off during tummy time.

Daddy and his little princess.

Taking a walk outside.

A bow Evan made for Ainsley.

Ainsley checking out her cousin Mya.

It takes a village...

2009-07-09T17:24:00.010-04:00

Doug and I are so thankful to have our families live close by! We are so spoiled by both our parents and so grateful for how much help we receive. Our parents are part of our kid's lives, and it is such a gift for us all. Thank you Nani and Poppy and Grandma and Grandpa!! You are the best!!!

Grandma and her Grandkids

Swimming with Grandpa on Father's Day

Swinging with Nani

Laughing at Poppy's stories

Swimmies

2009-06-19T22:18:00.002-04:00

On Monday, Evan, Ainsley, and I visited my Grandparent's house. They have a pool in their neighborhood, so Evan and I got to go swimming. Grandpa Bill and Nani came along to watch. (Ainsley got to stay in the air conditioning and was well taken care of by Grandma Evelyn and Aunt Cathy.) Last year, Evan wasn't so sure about big pools because he needed to be held the whole time. We tried out swimmies this year, not thinking that he would be able to swim by himself. Well, he started off very scared, but slowly realized that he could do it. After about a half hour of practice, he was telling me that he didn't need my help anymore! He was swimming from one end of the pool to the other with no problem at all. He was so proud of himself and smiling and giggling the whole time. He just seems so grown up - swimming without me.

Here's the only picture we took that day, right off the camera phone:

What a wonderful day with my little guy!!

2 Months

2009-06-10T20:49:00.006-04:00

I can't believe I'm writing a two months blog post.. here are some more things we've learned about little A..

- She wakes up almost every morning at 7am and wants to snuggle in bed with her mom :) She'll sleep for at least another hour or two. I love the mornings!
- She always gives the biggest smiles in the morning
- Ainsley is very social - her favorite thing to do is look at faces and talk to you. She could study faces all day! Sometimes she'll fuss and then you go over and talk to her and she gets the biggest smile. She will also have a "conversation" with us. She'll coo, we coo back, and she varies all her little sounds. She even tried to talk to the doctor yesterday who was impressed with her verbal skills :)
- She is 11 pounds, 4 ounces and 22 3/4 inches tall. (Right above 50% for all her measurements.) (I checked Evan's 2 month weight and he was 11lb 14oz! Not bad for a guy who started at 5lb 6oz.)
- She keeps getting heat rash :( We are trying to keep her cool!
- She is getting on more of a schedule - eating mostly every three hours during the day and then having alert time and then a nap. At night, I can count on her sleeping from 9pm-3am, but often will go until 4 or 5. She still loves to be swaddled at night.
- We were telling Evan how she was going to get shots, and he decided to give her some band-aids (Scooby and Diego)to make her feel better. He's the best big brother!

Couldn't say it better myself...

2009-06-09T15:38:00.000-04:00

Sisterly Love

2009-06-05T14:23:00.001-04:00

Evan just loves his sister. He wants to hold her and kiss her all the time. He puts bow in her hair and gives her a bub if she cries. Luckily, she doesn't mind him being all over her. Here are a few shots showing his "sisterly" love:

Memorial Day

2009-06-04T14:35:00.005-04:00

On Memorial Day weekend, we had a great surprise. My brother, Chad, came in for a visit. Evan loves to play with Chad, especially in the water! (I seem to remember Chad loving the water growing up too!) So, when we got to spend the (warm) day Saturday with Chad, Jen, and my parents, we had to bring the water toys! We brought over the water shooters and the guys had a great time. Here are some shots of the action:

They then started playing in the water bucket used for the water shooters:

Chad got to spend some time with Ainsley too:

And Evan ended the night with a bath in the laundry tub.

It was a wonderful day (and weekend). We are so thankful that we got to hang out and make some fun memories!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

2009-05-28T00:07:00.005-04:00

Some friends offered us tickets to the Reds game tonight, so I was able to take Evan to a game for the first time. I wasn't sure how much fun he would have, but he had a blast. First, he got to have his friend ride in the car with him and they both loved that and were screaming and laughing the whole way down. Walking into the stadium, he was very interested in everything, and was even excited to ride up the huge escalator.

We got to our seats and he enjoyed checking everything out. He wasn't exactly following the game, but sort of interested in what was going on, especially after the Reds got a home run and there were fireworks. After an inning or two, it was time for peanuts. After that, bathroom break. Then popcorn, which was one of the highlights of the night for Evan.

We actually made it to the 7th inning stretch and we got to sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". He was practicing it with Erica earlier in the day, but I didn't think we'd last that long. After that, we stopped by the playground on the ground level for a few minutes before heading back to the car.

We had a lot of fun, and I can't wait for more of these great father/son activities in the future!!!

Home Run Reds!

Last Day of School

2009-05-24T15:15:00.001-04:00

Evan finished up his last day of school on May 22nd. He went one day a week for the past year in the toddlers class. He loved going to school and especially loved his first teacher, Mrs. Maggie. In fact, he wishes that she could be his teacher again next year. He had a great first experience that will hopefully continue in the years to come.

On the last day of school, there was a school picnic, complete with bike parade! Evan loves biking (he's so fast that we now can ride with him instead of walking). Here are some pictures of his decorated bike. (Yes - the balloons are pink and purple - his choice.) The bike parade was pretty long (about a mile) and mom had a tough time keeping up. It was a great way to end the school year.

Tandy

2009-05-24T15:09:00.001-04:00

If you ever here us talking to Tandy - it's not our imaginary friend.. it's Evan's dog name. He occasionally started pretending he was a dog a few weeks ago. After he did this a few times, we asked him what his dog name was. He thought about it a few seconds and answered, "Tandy!" We have no idea where the name came from - he just made it up and it stuck. Since then, Ainsley has been born and she has been given a dog name, too - it's Speedy.

When Evan is pretending to be Tandy, we can't call him Evan. He either ignores us or tells us that he's not Evan, he's Tandy. If we call him Tandy, whistle, or say things like "Here boy!", he'll do what we say. He also likes to do tricks (giving us his paw, rolling over, etc.) and he gets an imaginary treat after he does them. Sometimes we "run out" of treats and we pretend to take him to Petsmart to buy new ones. Like a dog, he even likes to have us scratch behind his ears and rub his belly, and crawl up onto our laps and snuggle.

6 Weeks

2009-05-24T13:16:00.002-04:00

Ainsley was 6 weeks old yesterday - time is going so fast!! At her one month appointment, she was 9lbs, 13ozs and 21.5 in. (The 70% for height, weight, and head size.) She took her first bottle with no problems from Evan. She also not only has dimples on each check, she has the cutest dimple on her forehead. She loves to grab onto things tight - especially my hair. I think she also tries to bat at toys. And - the last two nights - she has slept for 7 hours straight (from 10pm to 5 am)!!

Photo Shoot

2009-05-13T14:51:00.003-04:00

We thought it would be a good idea to take a picture of all 3 grandkids for Doug's mom for Mother's Day (Evan, Ainsley, and Mya). The marathon photo shoot lasted about 4 hours, interrupted by baby feedings, diaper changes, 3-year old antics, and lunch. After all of that we ended up with a few decent shots (and plenty of outtakes!).

1 Month Old

2009-05-11T14:08:00.002-04:00

I can't believe my little girl is 1 month old. (I still can't believe that I have a little girl!) Here are some things I've discovered about Ainsley this first month:

- She is awake and happy almost every morning for a good 2-3 hours. Its a great time to feed her of course, but to talk with her and really connect. Luckily, we don't have a lot of places to be in the morning, so I've just been enjoying the time with Evan and Ainsley.
- She smiled for the first time over the weekend :) I love her little smile.
- She also like to coo and "talk" and is a very alert and happy baby throughout the day
- She loves to look at her black and white pictures
- Ainsley figured out her nights and days really quickly. I think it's thanks to Evan making sure the days are full of noise and activity :)
- She loves to be swaddled. She quickly broke out of her blanket and now loves the SwaddleMe just like her brother. She's also in the bassinet next to our bed.
- She is almost grown out of her newborn clothes - Ainsley is growing like crazy. She is a great eater! We haven't gone to the doctor yet, but we're guessing she's 9-1/2 to 10 pounds.
- She likes her baths, but doesn't like getting out
- Her little cousin Mya was born 15 days after Ainsley. They don't look that close in age (Mya was only 5 lb 6oz at birth), but we are so excited that she's always going to have a friend so close in age.
- Ainsley loves her pacifier (bub), especially at night. I thought I might try no bub, but there is no way. She loves her bub!!
- She is definitely a second baby - she has already visited the zoo, preschool, Kings Island, gone shopping, and had several (short) babysitters. I hadn't left the house with Evan at this point.
- I have started dressing her up. I think I appreciate the girl clothes even more after having a boy. Doug just laughs - but he's already head-over heals in love.
- Evan loves his little sister very much. He hasn't been jealous at all. He loves to give lots of hugs and kisses and get right in her face. She doesn't mind at all. Every morning, he comes in and helps me wake her up by unwrapping her swaddle blanket. He's the best big brother!!

Some day soon I will get around to updating the format of the blog.. it's now definitely now Life with E & A!!

Ainsley's First Week

2009-04-18T22:01:00.006-04:00

Ainsley is 1 week old today. Wow - what an amazing week!!! We spent Easter at the hospital, where Evan and Ainsley got to "bond" for the first time. Evan was pretty excited to meet her, but slightly more excited about his big brother present (craft scissors). He was very sweet and gentle, and we are very happy with how he's doing with the transition.

Ainsley has been such a sweet baby - when she is awake, she is so alert and just loves to look around. She's also been sleeping well (3-4 hour stretches at night) and eating well. We just can't stop holding her, snuggling with her, and just enjoying every second of having a tiny, perfect newborn.

She has also been the subject of several "photo sessions". We are just trying to capture as many sweet moments as we can...

Ainsley Marie is here!

2009-04-11T23:38:00.007-04:00

Our little girl, Ainsley Marie, was born today! She came at 4:19 pm and was 7 pounds, 9 ounces and 21.5 inches long. She's got a nice head of dark hair and has dimples like her brother and mom. Everything went well with the delivery and both mom and baby are doing great. Here's a couple of her first photos. More to come soon!

3 & 1/2

2009-04-09T13:38:00.001-04:00

Evan is now 3-1/2 years old. I can't believe it!!! (He will actually tell you that he is 3-1/2 now, not just three.) He's turned into such an amazing person. I love to see what each new day will bring. Some things about Evan at 3-1/2:

- He is 38 1/2 inches tall and weighs 32 pounds
- He loves to say "actually"
- He likes us to come snuggle with him as he's going to sleep and we'll often hear a "mommmm-e" "dadddddd-e" from his bed
- He loves to practice writing his name
- His favorite two thing so far this spring are riding his bike and digging for worms and bugs. If he finds a bug, he'll pick them up and talk to them in his "baby" voice. It's too funny
- He's still pretty cautious when it comes to new situations
- He's very into using his imagination
- He loves to hear made up stories and contribute to them
- He's still into art and doing "projects". He also likes to help me cook and "reads" the ingredients from the back of the box

I love my little man so much!!

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-08T22:24:00.003-04:00

Some really nice neighbors of hours invited us to their house for an Easter egg hunt last Sunday. Evan had a great time. There were a ton of eggs to find, he got to color eggs, and jump in a trampoline. After it was finished, he couldn't wait to get home to see what was inside all of his eggs.

Kite Flying

2009-04-08T22:21:00.001-04:00

We attended a birthday party over the weekend with a kite theme. All the kids got to fly kites, which was a lot of fun, especially since it was a beautiful day outside. Evan picked out a Spiderman kite (even though I don't think he actually knows who that is) and did a great job flying it. We're looking forward to more kite-flying this spring and summer!

New Bike

2009-03-29T22:34:00.007-04:00

We got Evan his first bicycle. He's already been out on it a couple of times this year and he's been doing great. The first time riding down the sidewalk on it, he said "I love it!" with a big grin on his face. After that he started singing a song while riding - "I love riding on my bicycle. It's a special time...". Then his training wheel hit the grass and he fell over. I caught him though so it wasn't a big deal and he kept on going. Here's a few pictures of him riding this weekend.

Bye Bye Bubs

2009-02-24T16:32:00.001-05:00

Last spring, when Evan was 2-1/2, we attempted to get rid of his "bubbies" or "bubs" (pacifiers) for falling asleep at naps and bedtime. He had shown an interest, and we figured it was a good time. After 32 days of going cold turkey without the bubs, we gave them back!! It was taking him 2 hours to fall asleep with one of us sitting by the bed - a different bad habit that we didn't want to start! Anyway, we decided to try later.

Then, when he turned 3, he dropped his nap, so he was only using his bubs for 10-15 minutes to fall asleep. I felt like a bad mom for having a 3 year old with a paci - but at the same time, wasn't willing to fight the battle for the short about of use..

Fast forward to January. Doug and I noticed that he wasn't asking for his bubs when he was going to sleep. After a few nights of this, I asked Evan if he's like to trade in his bubs just like he traded in his diapers. (He traded in his diapers for toy gummy lizards.) He agreed, and we sent off the bubs to the Bubbie Post Man - and he got some toy gummy frogs and a big lollipop as his trade in. He was so excited and hasn't said a word about it since. It was so easy! Kids definitely do things in there own time :)

Name

2009-02-24T16:24:00.001-05:00

Evan has really been practicing writing his name lately and he's doing really well. I wish I could say it's due to my awesome parenting/teaching skills, but I think it's really from his new favorite show, Word World. I was able to catch this practice session on the camera, although he's usually embarrassed when I get all excited about him writing his name - he tries to erase it before I can every get a picture!

Baby Girl

2009-02-16T09:49:00.001-05:00

It's getting closer and closer for Baby Girl Ross to be here!! Here is my belly with Evan at 8 months. :) Evan is starting to get excited. We talk about the baby every day. (It's usually things that Evan can do that the baby can't do - sitting, coloring, eating cookies, etc) He hasn't asked too many difficult questions. He does say that the baby takes all of mommy's energy (which is sorta true). Also, at lunch the other day, I said that I need to eat for the baby. Evan corrected me that the baby can't eat - they eat through their umbilical cord. I guess he has been listening to the baby books we read him. He's not really interested in feeling the baby kick. We ask have a name that we've been trying to decide on, but Evan is convinced that's her name. Maybe he'll be right?

I think he's going to be a great big brother!

Birthday

2009-02-16T09:48:00.001-05:00

On Friday, I celebrated my 30th birthday. Everyone made it a special weekend, especially Doug and Evan. On my birthday, the boys got up to make my birthday surprise. They made me yummy cinnamon rolls and Evan made me a special card. They also went shopping for me - I guess Evan wanted to get me a pencil with a fuzzy top (his idea), but they ended up with two pencils with heart erasers and crazy candles for my cake. Doug then surprised me with a night away!

On Sunday, we celebrated with my family by going to Soho. They cook at your table - Evan wasn't so sure about all the fire and smoke at our table, but he hasn't stopped talking about it since. We then came back and celebrated my birthday and Chad's birthday. It was a wonderful birthday weekend!!

Animals

2009-02-16T09:06:00.001-05:00

Since Evan has been about 2, he has always loved his animals - carrying them around, playing games with them. I think his first animal "love" was Blue Bear.. then Soft Doggy (which was borrowed from Grandpa). Now he has all his animals that he sleeps with and plays with. Different animals get to play each day, although I think Soft Doggy holds a special place. His animals in order are: Spotty Dog (or Dalmatian), Blue Bear, Big Bunny, Little Bunny, Soft Doggy, Pups, Daddy, Monkey, and Sheep.

Snow!

2009-01-31T23:45:00.003-05:00

We've had quite a bit of snow this week. I worked from home one afternoon because of the weather so Erica took Evan outside to play. He really wanted to go out, but when he got out there, he was getting upset about everything.

I took Evan outisde the next day and he was in a much better mood. He helped me shovel the driveway, although most of the time he helped with his lawnmover and a toy backhoe. He had a lot of fun playing on the slide in the backyard. A little snow on the slide and clothes makes it nice and fast!

I also took him to go sledding. He had been wanting to do it ever since it snowed so we went. When we got to the top of the relatively small hill, he really didn't want to go down. He kept wanting to fill up the sled with snow, have me get in, and he pushed me down. He said all the snow in the sled made it more slippery. He only went down the hill once and he had enough. So, we headed out and he probably had the most fun of the evening pulling the sled back to the car.