Disney World 2011...Day One

Since we booked our vacation months ago we were so excited for this day to arrive!   We woke up last Friday morning beyond eager and excited to start our first family vacation to Walt Disney World.   E was all smiles, as you can see in the picture above, as we drove to the airport.  When we were talking about going on the airplane, E kept saying "E too, E too".  He has been saying that for everything that he wants to be included in. 

E waiting with us to go through security

Waiting at the terminal...

very excited to get onto the plane (as Evan says "E happy")

Evan sat in the middle of us but wanted to look out the window as it was taxiing

After we got our rental car we drove 15 miles to our hotel.  Evan didn't stay up long in the car.  He was exhausted!  He got a short nap in before we stopped for lunch.

We checked into our hotel and headed to Downtown Disney for dinner.  What a fun and lively atmosphere!  E enjoyed it as much as we did.

Luckily we saw Buzz at the beginning of our trip.  

It wasn't the first nor the last time we saw him at Disney :)

We can't leave out Woody!   E loves Toy Story...it's all he talks about these days!

E got a kick out of the Buzz hat...

and the pluto hat!

Had to get a picture with Evan and me 

(I'm usually the photographer and am rarely in any)

So...we decided to take another!  Love my little man!

We called it a night after checking out all of Downtown Disney.  

We had to get a good night's sleep for our big day following a long day of travel.

Lil' Kickers Summer.2011

Daddy came to watch Evan play soccer this morning!  He was so happy!
Evan, Dave, and I kept cool in the shade before practice started today.  It was a HOT one.

Evan heading down the field with the other kids.  He has done a great job following the coach's instructions
and keeping up with the practice.  We are SO proud of him!!!

Kicking the ball.  Running down the field.   Laughing.   

After soccer E always asks for more.   He's surely an athlete!

A Special Day

 Happy Birthday Grandma!!!

We know you are watching over us...

 We miss you and love you!

summer time

we having been enjoying the long lazy days of summer.   well not lazy really, more like fun filled.   e and i have been park hopping.  we have found a few parks that we have now labeled our favorites.   luckily they are all close by and have water (for the hot hot days) and sand boxes.   e has really taken interest in the sand box, and if there are trucks to play with, he won't care much to roam the park, go down the slide, or swing on the swing.   sandboxes or no sandboxes, water fountains or no water fountains, trucks or no trucks, e and i have definitely been making the most of full days together.  

e's still talking up a storm and he is talking more and more clear every day.   we are amazed at how social he is and how much he loves being around people.   he has great manners and is a happy energetic little boy.   he definitely continues to test his boundaries and has recently started playing both dave and i.   if one of us says no to something that evan asks for, he goes to the other one and asks them.  smart little guy.   as of  the last month, e's been waking during the night about 2-3 times a week.  at first i thought it was his cold and/or me not working this summer and being home with him, but now, i think it's him wanting to see what we are up to, cuddling with us, or nightmares.  whatever it is that wakes him and urges him to get out of bed and find us, must stop.   it is making for a tired little boy, mom and dad.   i even think dex is feeling the effects of the interrupted sleep ;0)  hopefully it's just a phase.  we miss our sleep trained little boy.   please come back!

e started 2 new classes this summer...lil kickers and wiggleworms.   he loves both of them!   lil kickers is a soccer program for kids of all ages but is broken into age groups.   it is hilarious to watch a whole bunch of 2 year olds run around.  i am really impressed with how organized the program is and how well e has taken to it.   he's surely an athlete!   wiggleworms is a music class held at the old town school of music and folklore.   our play group friends have spoken highly of it so we were eager to give it a try.  with evan's interest and ear for music, i am so glad we are partaking in the class.  

so glad to be able to be home with my little man this summer!   looking forward to what fun stuff is to come!!!!

Happy Father's Day Daddy, Papa, Grandpa, Yi Yi, and Uncle Steve!!!

Kissing Yi Yi

Grandpa and Papa

Daddy!

Uncle Steve

Hoping all Dad's enjoyed their special day!

Evan and Grace...Best of Friends

Summer BBQ at the Wrobel's

Schools out for Summer

Today officially marks my first day of summer holiday!!!  Yay!!!!   I am so excited that I will be home every morning, day, and night with my little man, AND to not have to wake at the crack of dawn to beat the traffic.  The thought of sleeping in until 5:30a is wonderful!   Although after this morning events, I doubt I will be sleeping late.   This morning E came into our bed at 5a with a bright smile on his face, ready to play.   He must have been eager to celebrate my first day of summer holiday.   Um, ya...I'm excited too but 5a on a Saturday, AND my first day of summer holiday,  it's just a bit too early for me.   Despite my exhaustion and wishing I had gone to bed earlier last night,  I took the morning in stride.   I knew I couldn't make it through the day without a caffeine fix and enough activities to keep us occupied, so E and I took a leisurely stroll to Starbucks.   {Thank goodness for living around the corner from Starbucks and more importantly, thank goodness for CAFFEINE!}   After getting E's chocolate milk and my LARGE coffee, we relaxed on their couches while we sipped our drinks, talked, and enjoyed each others company.   Moments like these are ones I cherish.   We then took a walk around our neighborhood looking for squirrels and birds.  E loved the two squirrels chasing one another.   He kept asking for more.   How E and I got through the morning is beyond me.  It was no surprise that I found E on the couch like this....

E passed out well before his usual nap time...sleepy boy

E came out of his room like this after his nap...

enjoying 26 months

i love this age!  evan is loads of fun!   the little things he does or says just make me smile and laugh.  there is never a dull moment when e's around :-)

e has now moved past the "no" stage and is officially in the "mine" stage.  not sure if i prefer one over the other.  he is always talking, whether we understand or not, he's a chatter bug.   still loves his milk.   prefers to drink it over eating.   he's a grazer when he does actually eat food.  he loves trains (choo choo's as he calls them) trucks, and basketball, baseball, football-basically anything with a ball.   he has really taken an interest in airplanes.   he notices them in the sky, even when they are so far away that they look the size of an ant.   evan and dex are still the best of buds.   e has learned how to cuddle with him and be gentle. however, on occasion he still likes to pull dex's tail.  when we take dex out for a walk, e likes to pretend like he is a dog and sniffs the tree, sometimes even lifting his leg.   it's a sight to see!

we have been park hopping in the afternoons whenever the weather cooperates.   it's about the only thing, aside from our night time dance parties, that burn evan's energy.

only 9 days left before our summer holiday!!!

 

Busy Busy Busy

Hard to believe it's been over two weeks since my last blog entry.  I am so wrapped up in work these past 2 1/2 weeks that I have pushed aside my hobbies of scraping and writing.  So this weekend I made a huge effort to get at least one page of Evan's book scrapped and to update this blog.   Well, the page was scrapped but the blog, not quite complete.  Both my hobbies are so relaxing and a great outlet (aside from exercise) for me.  I need to make a more conscious effort to do it more regularly.  

I am glad that the school year is coming to a close in less than 25 days, but, eh, who's counting.   I have had enough of the paper work but tis the IEP season and my profession.   No surprises here, just terribly exhausting when you are not only a part time teacher and a full time mom.  I credit those parents who raise a child on their own and work full time.  Whew!   I appreciate all of Dave's support this year and everyone who has lent an ear, or just endured my craziness at times.  

Evan.   Boy is he growing up!  And, he is a ham.   He's his usual self, trying to run around, climb everything while laughing and talking a mile a minute.   He is talking in phrases and has a couple of sentences down, although, it's not always the clearest, he knows how to get his point across.   He's back to his biting phase and starting to think it's funny.  Geez, we have our hands full now.

Dex has healed from his surgery well and is back to his energetic, food begging ways.   E missed Dex terribly while Dex after we dropped him off at the hospital.   He was so happy to have his Dex back after asking for him at least a 100 times for the 2 days he was recovering.  Luckily Dex was at the hospital for an extended time because E didn't give him much of a chance to relax and heal.

Easter was lovely.  We had a wonderful time with our families.  We were sad to see the festivities come to an end.  The company and weather all Easter weekend was perfect.   Hoping to have some more of these weekends this summer.

I am hopeful that all our craziness is behind us!   We are very much looking forward to the couple of vacations we have planned for this summer.  Now... if only we get some spring and summer like weather!  Fingers crossed!!!

Here are a few pictures from our family photo shoot taken in March that I have finally posted.  Enjoy.

I found this picture captured us all too well!

i need to remind myself... every now and then to stop. breathe. listen. and take it one step at a time.

what's e up to? well...

e's latest and greatest happenings...are you ready???  climbing out of his crib!  oh yes.  the day i have not been looking forward to.   luckily we don't have too much to worry about.  one...because he doesn't do it all the time, and two, he is so careful and skilled at climbing that he doesn't fall.  he gracefully lowers himself to the ground using his upper body strength.  it's fun to watch.   originally i thought we'd have to move evan into a big boy bed once he climbed out, but since he doesn't do it often, we are safe for now (or so i think).

e is also pulling down his pants and diaper.  jeez.  he sure knows how to keep us on our toes!

2 year wellness check

evan is a healthy little boy.   he is in the 90th percentile for his height and weight.  he is 33 lbs and 35 inches tall.  he didn't like the visit all that much.  cried as soon as the nurse came in.  it took both dave and i to hold him still while she and the doctor checked him out.   god help us if he ever has to go to the hospital.  i hope and pray they will sedate him or something.   poor little guy.   after he was all checked out he got his iron levels tested and the hepatitis a shot.  next visit is in september.

Words to remember...

Jesus said “peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you, not as the world gives, give I to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”

 (John 14:27)

A Birthday Celebration with Friends

 Evan's Birthday Party with Friends

Shayla, Evan, Naila, Tyler, & Oliver

 Tyler & Evan-Best Buds

Shayla & Evan

Evan had a blast at his birthday party this year!  No double ear infections and in perfect health.   

He ran around the house with his balloons while some of his friends followed.  We all enjoyed good company and yummy treats.   So sad to see his birthday celebration end.   

Thanks friends for coming to celebrate his special day!   

Evan's 2nd Birthday Party

Happy 2nd Birthday Evan!!!!  

 Evan loved the balloons, company, and, of course, all the attention.

 He had SO much fun playing with his cousins...

 he liked playing the guitar with Uncle Matt...

 and playing the piano with Uncle Steve.

 Opening his presents was LOTS of fun!

 Eating his birthday cake was even better...YuMMy!!!

 Kisses from Nana and Grandma...

and a guy picture with Grandpa and Papa!

Dear Evan

you are no longer a baby.  you are a toddler now.   i can't believe how fast the time has gone.   i remember the day you born.  march 5th was the best day of my life.  daddy and i were so anxious to meet you.  it's hard to believe that today you turned 2.   you amaze me everyday.  you are such a happy, friendly, and energetic little boy.  you know how to make anyone smile and lighten up any situation.  you have the greatest personality.  you love to dance.  play the guitar.  build towers with your blocks.  play basketball.  build and play with your train set.   you also like trucks.   you are into blocks, stacking and knocking them over.  you know how to wrestle with Dexter.   you feed him and are good at bossing him around.   you love climbing and aren't afraid to try new things.  you jump right in.  you have a smile that can light up the room.   you love your milk and would drink it all day long if you could.   you sure like to help out.  you love hearing the hum of the vacuum and actually don't mind using it.  you have a great ear for music and sure know how to boogie down.   your favorite shows are sesame street, yo gabba gabba, and fresh beat band.   you are very determined.  you still have chubby legs, feet and hands (love them!).  you love to cuddle.   you love your blankie.   you can't get enough of playing with water...bathing in it, drinking it, or walking through it, it doesn't matter.  it's your favorite.  your a little chatter box.  and are quite a good listener.  you let us know what you want when you want it.  you don't like to sit still.  you are always on the go.   i am so proud of you!   thank you evan for changing my world!  i love you with all my heart.

each day i see you, i thank God for you.   i am so blessed to have you.   sometimes when i stop to breathe you in i can't imagine having loved anyone as much as i love you.  i can't believe what a miracle you are.  how you are even possible.  you are an incredible person and i cherish every moment with you.   as much as i want time to stand still, i am eager to see what your life will bring.   the possibilities are endless and i hope all your dreams come true.  happy 2nd birthday little man!  love you!

my little chatter box

although not everything is completely clear yet...evan sure has a lot to say.  each week i am able to recognize new phrases but sometimes i just have to nod my head, smile, and say "uh huh" or "okay".  he's adamant in what he says.   it's so easy to see that his mind is thinking faster than his mouth can speak.   he's hysterical.  he sure knows how to lighten up any situation by making us laugh.   thank you evan for being you.

Snow Day

Today was fun again but we definitely started to get cabin fever. 

Evan and I set up his train set and made a few bridges out of his blocks and flashcards.

Our bridges didn't stay up for long.  E had more fun knocking them over.

After playing with E's train he wanted to take out his bath toys and play with them.  

Evan did not like me taking all these pictures.   He kept telling me all done because
he wanted me to put the camera away.

Dave came home around noon so we spent some time catching up with him before Evan went down for his nap.  When E woke up we went to get some lunch for Dave and then Evan and I went outside to help our neighbor shovel part of the alley.  Evan played with the little boy Oshush while his mom and I shoveled.  The boys climbed up the mounds of snow and slide down them and they even found some big blocks of snow and were throwing them so they could watch them break.  Evan did not want to go back inside.  He wanted to play but it was getting dark and I was bushed.  I was ready for dinner and some warmth so we headed back inside to warm up and eat.   The rest of the night was relaxing.  We watched a few of E's favorite shows before sending E off to bed.  If only tomorrow we had another snow day!   At least it's Friday and we have the weekend :0)  Yay for snow days and short weeks!!!