It's A Beautiful Day!

Friday was absolutely beautiful outside. I still can't believe (sometimes) that I live somewhere where it is January and 70 degrees outside. I LOVE it. Though next week these temps will go back into hiding and the 40 degree weather will show its unfortunate face...again.

We decided to soak up some sun and exercise Evan's perpetual moving legs into exhaustion (by the way it worked). We go to North Park Mall on Fridays and meet some of my mommy friends for Baby Bounce at the Library and then we do lunch. After lunch we took the kiddos out to the courtyard and let them run around to their little heart's content. It was so fun to watch Evan enjoy the fresh air and running around in an open area for the first time. He really really liked it. He just kept going and going. His reaction when I first put him down was entertaining. There was so much to take in and it was such a new experience, that you could see in his face that he was overwhelmed. His eyes kept getting a little bigger and he would tuck his lips in as if he were thinking hard about everything that was going on. After about 5 minutes, it was like he had been outside a 100 times before and he was running around with his friends having a great time!

Walk, Walk, Walk...Walk and Never Stop!

Evan started walking on his birthday (for those of you who have the misfortune of not knowing his birthday it is December 31, 2009). Therefore, he has been walking for about four weeks. I swear, it feels like he has not stopped walking since. I think he would walk in his sleep if it would allow for adequate rest. The upside is he can walk, the downside is he can walk. I find it wonderfully helpful that he can walk from the elevator to the apartment door, negating the need for the stroller on quick outings. But now that he knows that he can make such a trip, the minute he hears my keys rattle, he runs to the front door, even if we are not leaving...which then requires a great distraction. And in the middle of being carried he will decide he needs down. It is a good thing I have been working out my biceps because it takes great restraint to keep this kid from getting down. I am thrilled he is walking. I love this bit of independence from which I benefit...and after careful analysis for the sole purpose of this blog....the pros of the walking definitely outweigh any cons.

Little Helper

Lately when I am doing things around the house, Evan thinks he should "help" me. Generally speaking, this "helping" usually results in more work for me. If I am loading (or unloading the dishwasher) Evan will either stand to the side of the dishwasher door or climb upon it to pull out all the utensils and whatever dishes he can get his hands on in the lower rack. For some reason, I don't always remember to pull the utensil basket up to the counter while I am loading or unloading dishes, but even when I do, he still finds a way to be involved.

When I sweep out the kitchen, as soon as I lean the broom against the counter or wall he hustles over to it and starts to push it around the floor and, of course, spread the pile of crumbs all over the floor. The predicament with this situation is that if I do not cover the pile with the broom, he crawls over to the pile and picks through it for cheerios that broke lose from the pack, or raisins that fell astray. I usually end up distracting him long enough to break out the vacuum and hurry and suck up the pile of crumbs, but I am not always on top of it with that much efficiency. So, success is his for the taking.

It is a lot of fun to see him explore and gain interest in the things around him, but also a bit frustrating. Oh well, if this were a job out in the workplace, it would be called job security, so I guess I will look at it the same way.

Sweet Boy!

I really don't have much to say in this post, other than, could you say no to this face!?

Milk...It Does a Body Good

When Evan turned one, we transitioned him to cow's milk. He is pretty easy going about things. There wasn't so much as a hiccup when we transitioned from breast milk to formula, but the transition was not such a smooth one from formula to cow's milk.

It began with adding an ounce of milk to 3 ounces of formula and 2 ounces to 8 ounces of formula, and then slowly increasing the amount of milk until we removed the formula completely. Then Evan decided that milk was just too cold. Most of his bottles were at least room temperature or warmer. So we decided to microwave the milk for a bit to get it just warm enough and slowly decreasing the amount of time so that he would acclimate to a cold drink....maybe he is harboring some British tendencies, which I normally think to be awesome, however, the child must learn to consume his drinks cold.

Now, after compounding milk and formula, warming and semi warming, the child has decided the a nice cup of cold milk is the way to go. Thank you Lord!

I must also add that during this same time we transitioned off of bottles to sippy cups which made it all the more interesting. We are down to no bottles during the day - and I must give myself a pat on the back here because I have my share of moments where I wanted to cave - and just one bottle to put him to bed at night. I am not quite ready to tackle the night time bottle. Don't worry, I am sure you will hear about it when I do.

Play Date

I didn't actually take an photos of the kids playing, but I did get a before and after shot of the play area.

Today we had a couple of Evan's friends over to play. Unfortunately, some friends couldn't make it, but we will catch them next time.

I moved the new play mat to the middle of the floor and hauled out ALL of Evan's toys. Normally I rotate his toys in and out of the main room. This way, as he grows tired of the toys currently on display he thinks he received a whole slew of new toys...a modified version of out with the old, in with the new...er...almost new. It seems to work, and it keeps the chaos to a minimum. But today, it looked like a toy store exploded in the main room of our apartment.

We had a great time. The kids played, though I think they were more interested in some of the non toy items than the actual toys. Larson found is entertainment in hauling around 2 liter bottles of soda, what cheap entertainment. Though, as moms we know that the minute Larson's mama hands him 2 liters in their home the fascination will subside and it will be back to trying to figure out what toy will provide at least 5 minutes of entertainment so that she can do things like...I don't know...go to the bathroom by herself. Seriously, I really don't think I realized during my pregnancy and at the outset of deciding to have a child that I would be giving up some everyday privacy. Sorry, I digress.

Like I said, no actual pictures of the kids. But the top photograph is before and the bottom is after.

A New Purchase....That's a Hit

I am sure my mommy friends can relate, I always feel like there is some new purchase to make for Evan. Seriously, just when I think there cannot possibly be anything else that we could want/need, I find myself stumbling across something more. For me, it becomes a bit of hunt for the best product for the best price. I have certainly had my share of hits and misses in this arena. There are things that I would definitely fore-go if I were to do this all over again, and there are things in which I would invest a bit more money. However, my most recent purchase is a hit!

Currently Evan LOVES to play with cars, trucks, anything with wheels. He loves to push them along and he says "k-k-k Car"...or at least that is what it sounds like, so I am going to go with it. It is consistent enough that I believe he thinks he is saying car. So I say"car" back to him in hope that he will eventually put a solid "R" sound at the end.

This passion for the automobile led me on a quest for the perfect play mat to put on our carpeted floor so that his cars will easily roll along, and so the cars that he can pull back and then they go forward on their own will actually move....maybe if this happens he will stop looking at me like I am an absolute putz when I pull the car back and tell him to watch and absolutely nothing happens.

Well....I found the perfect play mat and he loves it. He loves to play on it, sit on it, walk on it and, of course, try to figure out how to pull it apart. It is the Skip Hop mat and it is my most recent hit on the list of baby/toddler purchases. A definite recommendation.

If Jesus Came Back in 2011, What Would You Change About Your Life?

This question, or something similar to it, was posed by our Sunday School Teacher, Reed Ashwill today. We were discussing Christ's return as set forth in 1 Thessalonians. We discussed this question with the others at our table. My first thought was I would just be nicer and love on my munchkin and hubby as much as possible. But, that seemed a little Pollyanna to me, and not quite up to God's expectations. Then the answer that I didn't want to accept came forward. I would be more confrontational...or maybe evangelical is the more appropriate word. I think I would put aside what others may think of me, and just come out and share the gospel and what it means to me and what it COULD mean to them.

After Sunday School I went to service, where Dr. Jeffress preached about putting on the Spiritual Armor of God. This Sunday he specifically discussed Ephesians 6:15, "Putting on Your Soul Soles." During his sermon he said, "the right spiritual boots are a Christian's ability and willingness to share the gospel with other people."

This statement hit home with me as only moments ago, I discussed that if I knew Jesus was returning this year, I would be more evangelical, and then my pastor is teaching me about putting on my "soul soles" and that part of my unique purpose given to me by God is to share his word.

It was a good Sunday for me. One not filled with some of the same old stuff I have heard for years, but good food for thought...convicting food for thought.

Is There Anything a Nap and A Nilla Wafer Can't Cure

Evan is currently cutting all 4 molars and I believe I see the the beginning of his "I" teeth. Poor guy. To treat his teething he has decided to nap a little bit more these days (hey, I am not going to complain) and he eats all things cracker and cookie (which seems apropos). This afternoon, he decided that the two should be combined and, hopefully, the teething pain may subside. Little does he know, the white grape flavored syrup he likes so much may have helped do the trick.

Normally, Evan is content to wait until I hand him a cookie from the box. However, today, he needed cookies and he needed them RIGHT NOW. This need to delve into the box on his own could also be the direct result of his continued need to show Kyle and I just how independent he is.

While watching my little man try to cure his ailment, I realized that even as an adult there are just some days that a nap and a Nilla Wafer could just be the cure to whatever is ailing me.

So...here it is!

I have been toying with the idea of starting a blog since Kyle was in law school...now 5 years later I am actually doing it. In all honesty, I set up the account, blog name, html, etc. back in 2009. One law school graduation later, a move to another state and the birth of a child here I am, finally making my first post. I must admit that Evan is my main motivation for starting a blog. He is just to adorable to keep all to ourselves. Of course, this commits me to actually posting about all is adorable-ness. I promise not to go overboard, but I confess I am a very proud mom who thinks her son is son is absolutely wonderful, not perfect, but wonderful.

So here it is the first post. I have many ideas for other posts, and I am sure Evan...and maybe Kyle, will provide plenty of fodder for my blog.