Evan and Conner

Clothes to share

2011-02-02T20:48:00.002-05:00

The boys stayed with Mom today. When she got Conner dressed this morning at our house, she grabbed a shirt out of his drawer. Funny enough, this shirt looks like it fits but it's actually a 5T that belongs to Evan. Conner doesn't turn 2 until the end of March. He's getting too big, too fast!

Valentine's Day Cards

2011-02-02T20:41:00.005-05:00

Tonight we sat down and Evan wrote his name on 21 Valentine's Day cards for his teachers and fellow classmates. He did exceptionally well considering he just turned 4 in December. I'm so proud of my little man!

Check out his concentration! He also insisted on using a pen.

One of the finished products!

Fire!

2011-01-29T21:25:00.004-05:00

On Friday morning, I received two text messages from Mike. Each message was one of the above pictures, in front of our house, and with no explanation. I called Mike and asked what was going on. He proceeds to tell me that Conner knocked over a candle and lit the house on fire. As I mildly freak, he says he's just kidding. One of our neighbors fell and called Gwinnett County to come visit. Luckily, no one is hurt at my house and my kids enjoyed seeing the fire truck and ambulance in front of our house!

Fun with Firehouse Subs hats

2011-01-27T20:23:00.002-05:00

Evan watching tv with his hat on

We met Andrea, David and Wesley for a late lunch today and the boys all got hats at the Firehouse subs. Evan is enjoying his more than Conner but they look so cute!

Learning to knit

2011-01-25T22:33:00.002-05:00

My card reader is acting up so I couldn't upload a pic of the kids easily. I have taught myself the basics of knitting in the past few days. Here's my progress so far. I had started another project, which was slightly smaller than this, but Conner pulled the needle out. I had to scrap that and start over. I still missed a few stitches but I'm learning!

We're ready for our close ups!

2011-01-24T20:14:00.002-05:00

Getting a late start on the photo 365

2011-01-23T16:44:00.007-05:00

Here goes nothing! I will try and update each day.

Nap Time

Snack Time

Soccer!

2010-10-02T23:02:00.005-04:00

Funny enough, we're on the Tigers team again. We were also Tigers with T-ball. We practice every Wednesday and have a game every Saturday. Evan says soccer is hard work, but it's fun to watch him play.

This is what Conner does at most practices. He tries to escape. I think he just wants to play too!

Such a cute picture of the team!

My absolute favorite!

Today was picture day! Cheese!

More T-Ball

2010-07-26T22:05:00.008-04:00

A great mom who had three boys on our t-ball team sent me pictures of Evan from June. The pictures are fantastic and I'm thrilled to have them. I am already working on a print with a few images to send to family. Hopefully it won't take me until next June to send out.

This is the face I got a lot! T-ball was a slight struggle!

My all-star!

One of our favorite activities was chewing on the glove

The lone picture of Evan catching the ball. It did happen more than once!

Evan and his trophy

Conner at the party!

and the brownie bite cake I got for the team party. It was yummy!

My New Business Adventure!

2010-07-20T21:26:00.005-04:00

I have decided to become an independent consultant for Thirty-One Gifts. Amanda came over and did a party for me on July 9 and it was so much fun! This is definitely different from when I was doing Tupperware. I love the items and would love to share them with you...even if you are out of town! We can always do a catalog show. You can also order from my website, especially if you need a great personalized gift. Check it out at my website.

My little t-ball star

2010-06-11T23:12:00.002-04:00

Evan started t-ball towards the end of May. We are only playing games until the end of June but it's a great introduction. These pictures are from May, during the two weeks of practice, so they're a little old.

Playtown Suwanee

2010-05-25T20:06:00.006-04:00

Evan just loves the place he calls "Cow Slide." He calls Playtown Suwanee Cow Slide because there are pained cows around the property and it has slides. We go there at least once every two weeks. It's shaded and a great place!

Evan and Conner atop one of the cows

Lunch?

The joys of static!

Evan pushing Conner

Cheese!

Thumbs up!

Having Fun!

2010-04-20T20:58:00.004-04:00

There's always time for bubbles.

Even Conner can join in

and we love to sit on the counter tops

and take pictures with Mommy

and Daddy

Time for an update

2010-03-25T21:37:00.005-04:00

Conner is almost a 1 year old! We have one more short week. He isn't walking yet but he gets around the house pretty fast and never were two brothers closer.

Evan is happy to share his Thomas train with Conner. Who said it isn't made for two?

Evan also lets Conner take rides by himself, with assistance

Best Friends!

And here's a shot from tonight. Conner climbed into Evan's chair so we had to pull the other one out. Now they are kicked back in their red chairs drinking milk. One more week until party time!

A few of my fave pics from December

2010-02-09T19:28:00.003-05:00

For Christina

2009-10-19T20:53:00.002-04:00

It's about time...

2009-10-08T20:07:00.010-04:00

I know I haven't updated in two months, shame on me. A lot has been going on around here. Evan has started preschool. It's only on Tuesdays and Thursdays but he seems to be enjoying it.

Leaving for school

A lazy morning

Daddy and Evan at the Christmas Carol Train Exhibit at the Duluth Railway Museum. We waited a total of 3 hours to see a train exhibit and a clip of the movie. It wasn't worth it but the boys were good and Evan had fun.

My happy baby boy

On Wednesday, I had the day off and took the boys to Imagine-It, the children's museum. Evan had a blast! Here he is, exercising his creativity.

Checking out the tractor

Forklift

and then we stopped by to see Daddy at work. Here's Evan sitting in the firetruck.

I am having a blast with my boys. They change so much every day. Evan is still super into trains and Conner is almost sitting up by himself. I will try and update this blog sooner this time. See you soon!

Help Me Light the Night!

2009-08-14T19:28:00.004-04:00

Again this year, I will be walking to help The Leukemia Lymphoma Society raise funds for people with blood cancers. I will be walking in Centennial Olympic Park on Saturday evening, October 10. It's always a fun walk in the early evening around downtown Atlanta. The Leukemia Lymphoma Society also gives grants to patients with blood cancers to help with medical costs, and provides them with educational materials.

This year Mike is working on walk day so the boys, a wagon, and me will be walking. Please consider a donation, of any amount. Every little bit helps! The link to my page is http://tinyurl.com/qsj9ju. I would also love for you to join me if you can come out and enjoy a nice October evening downtown.

Hugs and love to you all!

Conner's Surgery Day

2009-07-28T17:50:00.004-04:00

Conner had surgery that should have been done when he was born. It was outpatient surgery at CHOA and luckily, it only took part of the day. These pictures were taken before the surgery so the poor little guy had no idea what was about to happen.

Suwanee Days

2009-07-23T21:03:00.001-04:00

Sorry I've taken such a long break from the blog. I have to shamlessly admit that Facebook is easier to update and you get an instant response back to a lot of things.

Lately, we've been checking out Playtown Suwanee and the Suwanee Town Center Fountains. Here are a few pics of my growing boys!

Happy Summer!

Pictures! Pictures!

2009-06-19T19:09:00.004-04:00

I took the boys to Target a week and a half ago for pictures. Conner was 10 weeks and Evan is 2 1/2. I posted a lot of them but I didn't order many. I mainly got Father's Day gifts. Here they are...

Cramming it all in

2009-06-08T20:00:00.000-04:00

I return to work full-time, at work, on June 22. We have been taking full advantage of my maternity leave (minus 4 hrs a day working from home).

Here's Evan on the Sunday before Memorial Day at the park in downtown Lilburn. It was a wet playground but there were a few things he could play on.

Last week, we got a deal and went to Panama City Beach. I had not been in 7 years but it was as nice as I remembered.

Evan was terrified of the water, both the Gulf and the pool. Here's where he decided to play the first evening.

Evan playing with Daddy as Conner sleeps. Conner slept so well beside the water!

My beach bum!

Here's Mike on the parasail. It's the best picture we could get sitting on the shore.

From our 9th floor balcony

Eating dinner on the pier at Pineapple Willy's.

Here are my boys, back at home, when we woke up this past Friday. Evan put Conner's arm around his neck.

Cole and Evan at the Coke Museum. I wanted to go since they reopened it, but I was not that impressed. The boys always provide a good time though!

Evan drinking his weight in Coke

and giving Cole the flavors he didn't like.

We are going to be cramming more activities into the next few weeks. It will be a while before I take another vacation. At least I get to spend my 30th birthday

(6/17) at home, before I go back into the office. I will hopefully post again by then!

Enjoying the weather

2009-05-22T21:53:00.004-04:00

We have been taking full advantage of the beautiful weather. Conner has enjoyed it some too!

Lounging on the back porch, watching Evan play

Evan and his new water table

Helping Daddy with the yard work

Quick smile break

Lola took us to Washington Farms in Loganville to pick some fresh strawberries. They are so yummy! It was my first time but we have to do it again, soon!

Lola and Evan showing off their prize berries!

Have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend!

Random pictures of the boys

2009-05-19T21:15:00.001-04:00

Here are a few random pictures of the boys from the past few days. Since the weather has been a bit cool, Conner has been able to wear some of Evan's old clothes.

On another note, tomorrow, the boys might not be so happy. We are enrolling both of them on research studies to help determine the causes of Type I Diabetes since they are both at a higher risk for the disease than an average child. Conner will have his blood drawn every three months until he's 4 then every 6 months until he's 15 or develops the disease. I'm not sure about the details of Evan's study. He is at a lower risk than Conner but it will probably involve blood draws every 6 months. Here's hoping neither of my children develop Type I diabetes. And if you're wondering, they distract the children, use EMLA numbing lotion to numb their arms, and take care to prevent the children from noticing pain. Say a prayer for us, please!

Have a fantastic week!

What a Weekend!

2009-05-03T22:40:00.002-04:00

Our weekend technically started on Friday. Katy, Derrick, Derrick George, and Leah stopped by on their way to Virginia. Evan had a great time playing with his cousins and the family got to meet Conner, who is already over a month old!

The boys blew bubbles on the new deck

Leah crawled all over the place

and the boys did some "cheers" with their juice cups

Saturday morning, the boys watched some Thomas movies together

Evan absolutely adores Conner

Our next trip was the zoo for Christina's 29th birthday. Why is it adult birthdays are for the kids these days? In this picture, Cole is looking at the map and planning the animals we are going to see.

Cole and Evan pose (the boy was hungry, couldn't drop the chips)

Evan feeding a Parakeet in the new exhibit

This is what Conner did

Evan with his Aunt Christina. Happy Birthday to my beautiful cousin and best friend, who will be a mommy again in December! Here's hoping she breaks the chain of boys on the Hart side of the family.

I took this picture because it was funny. Charlie, my cousin and Christina's brother, had to hold both boys to see the orangutans. There was quite a crowd.

and today was our long awaited trip to see Thomas the Train in Chattanooga. We left this morning at 8:00 AM to make the drive. Here's a shot of me and the boys on the train ride.

Evan and Conner riding the train

Mike and Evan in front of Thomas

Thomas

Sir Topham Hatt, Mike, and Evan

and Evan playing in the toy tent before we left for home.

Evan has a new love for Thomas. He didn't want to leave but we told him that we can see Thomas again next year. The rain threatened us on both Saturday at the zoo and on Sunday in Chattanooga but we avoided the heavy stuff. All it all, it was a very busy and exhausting weekend. I hope yours was as good!

Our New Deck!

2009-04-29T22:47:00.007-04:00

After three days of beating and banging, our new deck is finally complete and we are already enjoying it! We have added solar lights to the deck posts, which aren't in these pictures. This post has one picture of Evan and that's it. Other than that, this post is just homage to the new deck!

Who would have thought that this....

Could turn into this....

Stimulating the Economy

2009-04-25T16:11:00.007-04:00

First some pictures of my guys...

We have been spending money left and right around here the past few days. First, we have a new deck being installed on Monday! I am so excited. We have a POS deck that is coming off of the house now and Evan likes to stick his head in between the "not up to code" rails. The deck will be larger and more family friendly since our backyard isn't the best. I will probably have pictures of that next week.

Yesterday, we said goodbye to my Saturn. We needed a family car and Chevrolet had a nice 0% financing option and a new SUV that Mike and I both love!

This is our new 2009 Chevy Traverse. It's large and roomy and we are taking it to see Thomas the Train in Chattanooga next weekend, instead of the Prius or the aforementioned Saturn. We will have room to breathe!

and just for kicks.. we started with 6 miles but the camera batteries were dead last night. Have a great weekend!

Announcement and Our First Professional Photos

2009-04-14T13:10:00.002-04:00

Some of you will be seeing this announcement in the mail soon but I was proud of how it turned out so I decided to post it.

We also went for professional photos the Friday we got discharged from the hospital. We went to Portrait Innovations for their package deal. They did a good job but I wasn't impressed with the prices nor the way they scheduled their sittings. To say the least, we won't be going back there again. I will stick with Target and Babies R Us. Heck, I'll even go to Olan Mills if I'm desperate.

Enjoy the pics! Have a great week!

Welcome Baby Conner!

2009-03-31T17:19:00.011-04:00

Conner Allen has made his debut. He arrived this morning at 10:24 AM. He is a healthy 7 lbs, 13 ozs, much to my surprise. I thought he would be pushing 9 or 10 lbs. He has a little bit of bruising around his mouth where they think his face was resting against my pelvis, which I know sounds painful. Otherwise, we are all well, besides me feeling like a human pin cushion, but I'll survive.

By the way, he has some filipino features. He's not quite as pale white as Evan!

Learning about trains

Thanks to everyone for your love and support! We hope to see you all soon.

One More Week

2009-03-23T17:36:00.002-04:00

Everything was all set for Conner to arrive tomorrow, Tuesday, 3/24/09, but that won't be happening. His lungs aren't quite ready yet. It looks like his birthday will be 3/31/09 and I pray I can avoid another amnio because it isn't the most fun in the world.

Conner looks fine by all accounts though. Maybe he knew his brother is running a fever and he's letting us get Evan well before he debuts. I'll post if anything changes.

Family Weekend

2009-03-17T22:17:00.006-04:00

Katy, Derrick George, and Leah came to visit us this weekend, before Conner arrives. The boys had a great time together and played so well.

Here are Derrick George and Evan showing us their new horses from Grandpa Dick.

Sunday, my family threw me a surprise baby shower. Unfortunately, I figured out the surprise since I said I wasn't attending, due to family in town. We still had a great time though and the boys enjoyed time with Cole.

Trying out Evan's new Jimmie Johnson cups

Riding tandem

Leah jumping in on the fun (Leah was not run over!)

In other news, I am carrying around a baby somewhere between 7 lbs 5 oz and 8 lb 5 oz. Conner is right around the size Evan was at this time but Evan was already here. I am currently 36 weeks and 4 days. Conner will be here a week from now! I'm ready and then again, I'm not. I still can't imagine having two children but I have no choice but to be ready. I hope everyone else is well and special thanks to my great family for the fun shower and Katy for bringing herself and the kids to visit.

Evan's Haircut

2009-03-10T22:02:00.002-04:00

Evan got a haircut today, courtsey of Mike and me. We waited at Great Clips for a while and they were taking too long so we promised him a gift if he cooperated. He was better than we expected. His hair was a first try for us, but it didn't turn out too bad.

Showing off Cranky, his present, for his wooden railway set.

and Peter Sam, the newest addition to our huge Thomas family

I didn't edit the pics as I wanted to get them up to show mom. Special thanks to Christina for Cole's old clothes. I remember being pregnant with Evan and seeing Cole wear these PJ's on our vacation at Disney.

In other news, Conner will be here in exactly 2 weeks! We're ready and then again we're not. He's currently just under 6 lbs but kicking away. I will post more later this week and after the weekend. Katy and family are coming to visit and we can't wait!

Absence... for a little longer

2009-03-04T20:58:00.001-05:00

I promise to update this page by the weekend. Things are going great with Conner and he will arrive in less than 3 weeks! Stay tuned in a few days!

The Almost Finished Project

2009-02-17T18:21:00.009-05:00

We worked on Evan's and Conner's rooms on Saturday before Mike packed up and went to Haiti. He is on a medical mission with the church and will hopefully be home on Saturday evening, on time. Here are some pictures of the almost finished products.

Evan gave his bed a try during nap time

This is Evan's old room, Conner's room. Lola added the border and it gives the room something extra. I have already stocked up on diapers and wipes and therefore, you see all that stuffed in the corner of the room.

A lovely shot of the border above the disassembled crib, filled with sheets and clothes. Pardon the messes in these pictures! I am still working on the piles of junk.

One more shot of Conner's room.

Here's Evan's room with his new bookcase, already full of books. At least the books aren't in a closet anymore. You will also find more boxes of my junk in here. I have so many scrapbooking, art supplies, and Jimmie Johnson collectables but no room to store them anymore.

A picture of more of my junk, purses and things, beside Evan's new chest of drawers from IKEA, curtains borrowed from Conner's room, and a new lamp shade for the wall lamp. We also had to go buy Evan a new DVD player as my old one, from nearly 8 years ago, finally gave out.

Evan's firetruck name decoration has been moved to his train room. I want to get Conner one of these but they are quite pricey.

And I leave you with a few pictures of my budding train conductor.

The room still has a few things left, besides moving my junk out. I have ordered Evan a new toddler bedding set and wall mural so he has some more Thomas and Friends decorations in his room. I kind of blew my $25 in spending out of the water since I bought the few extras but I am still under $100! Have a good week and keep Mike and the Saint Monica's Medical Mission team in your prayers while they take care of the people of the sister parish in Haiti.

Remodeling

2009-02-09T20:45:00.005-05:00

We had quite a busy weekend. We have decided to kill off our guest room and now Evan and Conner will have separate rooms. We have more clothes and toys than space in one little room and half a bar/dining room/playroom so something had to give. We are still working on it but have already made plenty of progress.

Here's the latest self portrait of Evan and me. It doesn't get any better as I gain weight! By the way, my Conner is 4 lbs and 10 ozs and I am only 31 weeks and 3 days. I have at least 5 weeks to go but I'm on my way to another little brute!

This is a train table that I used to play on over 22 years ago with my little brother and neighbor. It belongs to our old friends and neighbors, Lucretia and Jonathan. They found out how much Evan loves trains and brought it over for him. This will be one of the first additions to Evan's big boy room.

This beautiful wall paper border was $0.25 a roll at Lowe's. For under $25, one gallon of paint and 4 rolls of border, Evan will have a Thomas the Train themed room.

This is the new paint color. This room used to be purple, sigh! We have affectionally named this color Gordon blue. Thomas is the same color blue but Evan is obsessed with Gordon. The color matches the border very well.

Another shot of the color

This is the lighter blue that the nursery, AKA Evan's old room, has always been. It will remain fire truck themed for Conner.

One last Lowes find, Firetruck border for $0.25 a roll. We are adding it to the nursey since it was a steal.

I hope everyone is well. I know most of you are on Facebook with me. That's part of the reason this blog has been neglected. I will post more pictures of Evan's new room next weekend when we have a finished product. Have a great week!

Trains in the tub

2009-01-25T22:05:00.000-05:00

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Belated Birthday Party

2009-01-20T17:18:00.010-05:00

Evan's birthday party was Saturday (only a month after his actual birthday). We had postponed the first party in December because my poor baby was sick and wouldn't you know, he's coughing, sneezing, and weezing again!

Festivities started with our all girl band

Evan waiting patiently to open gifts

Cole on the assist

Evan's Curious George birthday cake

Evan's all time party fave... candles!

Uncle Jerry being a good sport and playing trains

Both train cases are full! The poor kid can barely lift the boxes.

Cheese!

and one of our infamously bad self-portraits from Sunday!

Here's hoping you're staying warm, happy, and well. Say a little prayer that Evan recovers from this lastest bout quickly!

Teeth!

2009-01-14T16:42:00.002-05:00

Evan loves brushing his teeth and he also loves his bathrobe we picked up at the last Kidsignments. Here's a few shots we took a week ago.

Our 2-Year Pictures (a little late)

2009-01-08T21:07:00.002-05:00

Just like Evan's eventual birthday party, these pictures are his 2-year pics but a few weeks late. We went to Kiddie Kandids and spent too much but I figure this might be it for a while with Conner's arrival around the corner in 2-3 months.

Photos courtesy of Evan

2009-01-07T19:33:00.004-05:00

Evan periodically gets a hold of our camera. These pictures were just found on the camera a few days ago. They highlight his latest love... trains.

Happy Wednesday!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T11:01:00.016-05:00

I took a break from blogging but now I'm back with a lot of pictures! We have all recovered from the vicious cycle of germs that has been spread around this house. Evan is better from his double ear infections and I even had an ear infection (talk about fun).

This is our Christmas card picture. For those of you that received my vertically/horizontially challenged Christmas cards, understand that I got the best picture I could before Christmas, and as soon as Evan felt better.

Here are Evan and Lola at Cole and Christina's Kids Christmas Party. It was a fun little party with great weather!

Evan and 18-month old Carter took over the bigger kids toys. Carter was a little wild man but Evan was all about being involved.

Swing break

Evan and cousin Kayla take a spin

Christmas Morning! This was Evan's big gift from Santa. Actually, it's still from Mommy and Daddy because I spent a nice chunk of change on it and why should Santa get all the credit! I was even almost more excited about it than Evan.

Cheese!

Inspecting the track

Christmas Day at Great-Grandma's

Later Christmas Day at Lola's. Evan is helping with Christmas dinner.

and the last of the presents. We opened for days on end!

Christmas evening Guitar Hero entertainment, courtesy of our little star.

Pure bliss! Evan loves all of his presents, especially his trains.

and I leave you with the after-Christmas dance by Evan and Cole from their gift trading this past Monday.

Thanks to everyone for your beautiful Christmas cards and generous gifts. I could literaly open a toy store now! Here's wishing you all a Happy New Year!

A Birthday Party Fit For 4!

2008-12-16T19:27:00.009-05:00

Since we had to cancel Evan's party due to sickness, we had a tiny party on Friday evening. Uncle Jerry came over and celebrated with the three of us. Somehow, there are only pictures of Evan and me though.

I ordered a cookie cake with the plans of a Friday evening, real birthday, cake and candles celebration. I'm glad I did.

Doing the now infamous "choo-choo" (at least in our house)

The choo-choo and Mom

Evan's favorite part

Yummy!

Present time! (Mommy's out of birthday wrapping paper.)

Taking every last piece of paper off the box

More trains and more choo-choo!

Evan has a double ear infection and he has started on his antibiotics. He has been in a great mood for the most part, the entire time he's been sick. We are working on a new date in January to throw him a bigger party. Sorry to our friends that we invited then cancelled on. We would have loved to party with you too!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Evan!

2008-12-12T00:01:00.000-05:00

My darling little boy:

From the moment I knew you were with me, I have loved you dearly. I have experienced every joy with and about you, and some scares too. Motherhood has been the greatest gift and the wildest ride ever. I wouldn't trade a minute!

Happy Birthday to my handsome, smart, two year old! I'm sad that you're sick and we have to postpone your party but know I will give you anything and everything that I possibly can. I love you!

Happy Birthday!

Baby Conner

2008-12-05T15:47:00.002-05:00

These shots were taken Monday, 11/17/08. I have another ultrasound in two weeks. I think I've said it before, but the good thing (probably the only good thing) about being high-risk is seeing the baby monthly or more frequently. The top is a side view and the bottom is Conner waiving at everyone.

Have a good weekend!

We have a name!

2008-12-04T20:54:00.001-05:00

Our second baby boy will be named Conner Allen. We can't wait to meet him in April. I will try to scan and post some ultrasound pictures soon.

Tag, I'm It!

2008-12-02T20:09:00.002-05:00

My fourth folder was 2008 and this was the fourth picture. It's Evan doing one of his favorite things, brushing his teeth. I have no idea of the exact date of this picture as it was one of those that didn't get a date stamp when the camera went nuts one day.

I'll tag my sis-in-laws, Heather and Katy, and see what they'll post. I know they have lots of pictures. I see them on Snapfish all the time!

Trying to take the perfect picture

2008-11-29T13:07:00.005-05:00

I tried to get Evan to pose for his birthday party invitation but it was no easy task. Here are a few of our shots, in chronological order...

Why even look at the camera?

at least he's somewhat smiling

What picture is complete without red chair and grape in mouth?

and the ultimate winner. We just gave up after a while!

Here's hoping your Turkey Day was happy and the rest of the year is great!

Without a Title

2008-11-20T19:41:00.005-05:00

Since a few of you have checked on me, I figured I would throw up some pictures of my little man. It's hard to believe that he will be 2 in a matter of weeks. We are all good. Baby boy #2 is developing right on track and I am 20 weeks tomorrow. I will try to scan the latest ultrasound from Monday soon so you can see how big he looks at 11 ozs.

Doesn't everyone wish Happy Meals really made you this happy?

Mike said that this pic shows that Evan is just like his daddy... always on the box (meaning ambulance)

Have a good weekend!

P.S. We are close to a name. As soon as we nail it down, there will be a blog address and name change. Stay tuned!

Halloween

2008-11-02T21:04:00.006-05:00

We went to the Mall of Georgia for Trick or Treating this year. Evan was a lion. He figured out that the costume had something to do with candy so it was instantly a keeper. He didn't want to wear the top half when we ate dinner out, before trick or treating.

One of the few times Evan trick or treated out of the stroller

Signature Evan trick or treating

Poor attempt at a self portrait

The Lion, Woody, and Buzz (our friends Brandon and Ethan)

Hope your Halloween was happy!

It's a Boy!

2008-10-27T20:00:00.003-04:00

It looks like I will be saving money on new children's clothes and toys. We are having another boy. There is no disputing the ultrasound. It was as clear as a bell, both times I saw the goods. I think I emailed a lot of people and told them but wanted to put up a small blurb. We have no start to names, as we were really hoping for a girl this time...but maybe in the future. Maybe we will come up with something soon!

Photo Time

2008-10-20T19:06:00.012-04:00

I took Evan to Target last Wednesday for some 22 month pictures. I figured that I haven't been the best photographer lately so someone needed to be. I also couldn't pick just a few pictures so there's a slew of them below. Margaret at the Duluth SuperTarget is one of the best photographers ever. I know my old-roomie Jenn takes her daughters there and she always has super cute pictures too. Here's a look at my growing boy.

Wedding Weekend

2008-10-15T21:21:00.009-04:00

On Sunday, Christina and Jeremy tied the knot. This has been a long, 10+ years, coming.

Here's Cole walking the bride down the aisle.

Christina and Jeremy

The ring bearer, Evan

Toast time, with Grandma

Evan and Lola dancing the electric slide. Lola danced a few dances with Evan hanging on tight

Photo op, take one

The exit, on the Sweet Christina

Photo op, take two!

We are so happy that Christina and Jeremy are now happily married. We wish you many happy years and children! Love to everyone.. Have a good rest of the week and weekend!

Family Weekend

2008-10-06T19:52:00.013-04:00

The party started on Friday evening. Katy, Derrick, Derrick George, and Leah rolled into town and Evan was so excited. The boys got right down to business...

I think I startled Miss Leah. I didn't get another picture of her looking at the camera though, or I would have posted it.

Katy and the boys

Saturday brought a trip to Randy's Pumpkin Patch. The boys had a great time running through the rows of pumpkins

but didn't quite get the size chart

Nana Jackie treated the boys to pony rides. Derrick liked his better than Evan did

and Sunday was park day before everyone went home

Have a great week!

Kissy face

2008-09-28T21:21:00.007-04:00

Evan is quite the kisser. He comes puckered up and ready to plant one at a moment's notice.

And then there's chocolate. He got into a bag full of Dove chocolates on Friday evening. He was hiding in the computer chair, with the chair turned so we couldn't find him. It's amazing how quiet kids can get.

On another note, I am fully into my 12th week. I go for my first visit to the perinatologist in the morning. Here's hoping for no sausage to show up early on the ultrasound. First and foremost, I want a healthy baby, but a little girl sure would be fun. Here's hoping I won't know for a while, since we knew Evan was a boy at 13 weeks.

Have a great week!

My Wild Child

2008-09-24T20:02:00.002-04:00

Lola's been painting and therefore, there's a ladder out. As soon as I walked in the door today, Evan tried it out. There's no containing him sometimes.

There's a first time for everything...

2008-09-14T18:26:00.004-04:00

Well this weekend has been eventful, to say the least. All I can really tell you about Saturday morning is that I woke up with my husband, my sweet Evan in tears, and three Gwinnett County firemen/paramedics in my bedroom. I haven't been feeling too great lately because of the pregnancy or meds, not sure, and my blood sugar has been difficult to keep up. I haven't wanted to eat much of anything.

Mike arrived home from work on Saturday morning and I told him my back hurt and screamed out about something. He didn't think much about it and got a shower. When he got out of the shower, I was out cold. My blood sugar dropped so low that I passed out. Luckily, I was still in bed. He ended up calling 911 and saved the dispatch call for me (what a sweet hubby, right?). So when I came to, I was a little bruised and there were guys everywhere. As I started to realize what happened, I could only think about what I was wearing and what my house looked like. Neither were good, but at least I wore pants and a t-shirt. I rejoined consciousness around 8:30 AM on Saturday, just to rush down to Philips Arena for Sesame Street Live. I bought tickets on Wednesday for Evan and me.

Here's a quick shot from our seats. I couldn't get any better pics when the characters were out because all I had was my camera phone. Evan had a good time and I highly recommend it if you aren't passed out two hours before hand and slightly dizzy.

Just so you all know, I have never passed out in the 16 years that I have been diabetic. To make it crazier, my insulin pump was completely out so I wasn't getting any insulin. Mike and the great people in Gwinnett County told me the parasite living in my tummy (baby #2) is what's killing my blood sugar. I will be talking to the doctor tomorrow.

I hope you all had a less crazy filled weekend and I hope you have a great week!

An Unforgettable Anniversary Gift

2008-09-08T16:48:00.003-04:00

Friday was our 4 year anniversary of wedded bliss. We didn't exchange presents but Evan felt that he should give us something anyways. I came home from work on Friday and I was tired. I decided to take a short nap before Mike and I went out to dinner. I woke up to the smell of permanent marker. It was everywhere! Not only did my beautiful child tattoo himself and make some color adjustments to his clothes, but he also drew on the carpet and the bed sheets. Proof lies in the pictures below...

Carpet

at least he draws in straight lines

couldn't leave out the chair mat

the pillows I didn't have my head on

a sample of the sheets

Luckily, rubbing alcohol and a lot of patience pulls permanent marker out of carpet. By the way, no little boys named Evan were harmed after this incident. The gift was too overwhelming to say much!

Happy Monday!

Evan's Announcement

2008-09-06T09:57:00.004-04:00

Hopefully our families have all received their picture in the mail. If not, sorry! It's finally our time to share the exciting news. I am just over 9 weeks and baby has a heartbeat! This is a change from our miscarriage 6 months ago (which I didn't post about). Please pray for a healthy baby with me. My constant nausea says it will be. Love to you all!

Help me Light The Night!

2008-08-20T19:00:00.000-04:00

Dear friends and family,

I am asking for your help again this year to raise money for a cure for blood cancers (lymphoma, leukemia, and myeloma). Last year, I participated in The Leukemia Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk. I invite you to walk with me and the Northside Hospital team this year on Saturday, October 11, 2008 at Centennial Olympic Park. The Leukemia Lymphoma Society is one of three societies left in the U.S. that provides financial assistance to their patients. This is typically a $500 grant to each and every patient with a blood cancer diagnosis to help with medicine and/or health care costs. I will be walking this year in honor and memory of friends and patients that I have had and have the pleasure to know that fight blood cancers.

Click here to donate and here to find out more about the reason I support this society and all the patients affected with blood cancers. I thank you in advance for any donation you can make.

Love - Tara

Long Time, No See

2008-07-31T21:37:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone! I am so sorry for my extended absence. Things are good around here. Evan is a wild child, growing and learning everyday. Work is still wonderful for me too. I love my job as much as ever. I hope everyone is still having a great summer, or had one if you are already back to school like Christina and Cole.

Here are a few pictures from last weekend in South Carolina. I will post more soon!

Have a good weekend!

New Pictures

2008-07-02T21:15:00.006-04:00

Friday, we had pictures taken at Target. I gave them another shot after the no-show appointment 2 months ago. Since that time, they upgraded their photo equipment to digital and the pictures came out great. Here's just a few of the 15+ shots that our talented photographer, Margaret, took. She's the only one I will let take his pics at the Duluth Target from here on out.

Have a great 4th of July!

Birthdays and Father's Days...

2008-06-19T20:34:00.006-04:00

I was going to try and be better about posting but I haven't been. I'm still busy enjoying my new job. I am in week 2 and have a drive I was missing in my last department. That happens after 6 years though. This past weekend, we went to my Dad's house to celebrate Father's Day and my birthday, a little early.

I saw this cute cake at Publix and had to pick it up.

I also got a yummy cake to celebrate my 29th birthday. My real birthday was Tuesday, June 17.

Here's a quick picture of Evan this afternoon, complete with busted lip, from running into the wall yesterday. Oh, to be 18 months!

and to be king of the world...

So back to the job, I absolutely love it. I feel overwhelmed at times but I am learning a lot. I have joked a lot lately that it has taken me most of my 29 years to become a girly girl. Chris can vouch for the fact that I have been dressing up, wearing makeup, and have a ton of new shoes and purses. I think her words today were something along the lines of, "You've become a shoe whore." Love ya, Chris!

Anyways, thanks for the birthday wishes. I am going to make 29 a good year since it will be the last of my 20's. Have a great weekend!

One Hot Weekend

2008-06-10T18:41:00.006-04:00

Hi Blogger Friends and everyone else that reads this thing. How was your weekend? Ours was hotter than hot. Friday evening, we went to Folks and met up with Andy, Brandi, Ethan, and Brandon for dinner. Folks had no working A/C so it made for a long sticky dinner.

Lately, I am the queen of the camera phone. I either forget the camera or bring a camera with dead batteries. Here's Ethan and Evan sitting on the bench outside.

On Saturday, we went to the zoo for the hospital's volunteer picnic. My friend Jessa and her daughter, Aleina, went with us. We got there at 9:30 AM and stayed until right around noon. Jessa and I earned our Mommy awards for pushing those strollers around the zoo in 90+ degree heat. I came home and slept 3 hours.

Trying to stay cool

This bus was the favorite for Evan and Aleina. This was the last thing we did before we left the zoo but it wore Evan out.

Have a great week!

Assorted Evan

2008-05-28T21:54:00.007-04:00

Happy Wednesday! I'm glad it is a short week because I am so busy at work. I start my new job on June 9th, but until then, I am doing my regular job plus a little of the new one. Starting the 9th, I will be doing my new job, plus a little of the old one. I am also considering going back to Georgia State for 9 weeks and obtaining a Lean Sigma Six Ceritification. I hate the idea of going back to school but it is only 9 weeks and makes me more valuable in the long run. We'll see what I decide soon. The classes start June 12.

And now, on to the important part of this blog, that you all come to see...

Here is one of the previously mentioned photos that Evan took of himself. He took a lot more that are on the camera but they look pretty close to the same as this one.

Evan trying on Daddy's shoes

With good buddy, Elmo, watching Elmo Visits the Firehouse

This is a picture from the park in Lilburn on Sunday. We went to a picnic with Mom's (Lola's) filipino group.

Sleeping with Elmo

I hope you all have a good rest of the week and are happy and well!

Promotion!

2008-05-23T16:40:00.010-04:00

I can finally announce that I have been promoted! Actually, it is a new job being created at the hospital, with job functions similar to my current job, but I have more opportunity for growth and will play a large role in clinical research. I have been working with a couple of consultants while this job has been in the works and it's just a happy day!

I had my interviews on Tuesday, 5/13/08, and just got the final details about the job today. I still won't start it for a few weeks since they have to find someone to replace me at my current job, but I am so excited! I've been working hard and shopping harder (to look more professional) which will explain my extended absences from the blogs. I even chopped my hair off!

Here are a few pics of Evan from Tuesday, 5/13/08. Mike, Evan, and I had a mini-celebration dinner that night at Chili's. Evan is growing up so fast and hates high chairs. He wants to be so independent but I'm not quite ready for that yet!

and here's a quick self-portrait of Evan and me (with the new hair). It isn't great but Evan likes to take the pictures here lately. Another post of that soon!

I hope you all have a great holiday weekend!

Sunglasses

2008-05-16T19:06:00.000-04:00

Here's a few pictures from Lola's camera:

Playing catch up

2008-05-09T21:34:00.006-04:00

Well, I guess I've been away from the blog long enough. We have been so busy that we haven't even taken many pictures. Here's the quick rundown

Last Friday was Christina's birthday. For a short month and a half, we are the same age. We went to Cole's soccer game and then went out to dinner. Here are my boys, stylin, in their shades.

the great spectator

a new sport?

Here's our soccer star, Cole

On Saturday, Mike had to work and I had to pack. I left for Minneapolis on Sunday morning after Mike got off of work. I proceeded to work at a conference for a few days, doing some power shopping at every break I had. I still missed my guys though.

Here is Evan modeling one of my super buys from Minneapolis. If you ever get the chance to shop at the Macy's in Downtown Minneapolis, I highly suggest it. I have gone in early May and at different times in September and I have always come across great bargains. On this trip, we all got clothes and I got a new designer handbag and cute shoes.

and Mike finally used his stack of Best Buy gift cards and got him a Xbox 360 Elite. Evan likes to think he's playing too.

I have another busy week coming up but hopefully all of my hard work is about to pay off. I hope that everyone else is enjoying our great weather and that life is treating you all well. I'll try not to stay away so long this time.

Just Plain Busy...

2008-04-28T17:01:00.002-04:00

I'm crazy busy so I don't have much to share. I leave for my first trip away from Evan and Mike on Sunday morning. I will only be gone 48 hours though. I have to work in Minneapolis at a conference.

I'm also just plain busy at work and home. I hope that you all had a great weekend and are having a good Monday!

Oh for the love of Crocs

2008-04-18T22:39:00.002-04:00

Just like Lindsay loves her black patent leather shoes, Evan has a shoe love of his own. He loves his Mammoth Crocs. I am not a fan of any type of Crocs but these are soft on his feet and he can put them on himself. I'm sure he will be wearing them through the summer, even when it's 90 degrees plus.

Saturday Pictures

2008-04-12T18:31:00.010-04:00

Evan and I have had two very long days. Mike has been working a double and Lola is out cruising so it had just been the two of us. I have come to the conclusion that I definitely can not be a stay at home mom. God bless those of you that are.

This morning Evan and I had a photo appointment at Target at 10:00 AM. Those of you that know me, know I love Target. It is my number 1 shopping place. Well Target did a bad thing today.. the photographer was a no-show. Evan was all dressed up and we fought to get there so I walked him over to Babies R Us and spent more money than I wanted to on photos. We got great customer service though so it all works out.

Here are the shots:

This was the personality pose but I didn't like it as much as the photographers did. I didn't order it.

And the one place we have been able to get along all Friday and Saturday has been the dinner table. Here's a few camera phone shots:

I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Random Bits...

2008-04-09T21:10:00.004-04:00

Hi Everyone... I've neglected my blog a bit lately but I have a few things to share. Katy and Derrick George came to visit last Friday and Saturday. The boys had a great time together and we look forward to another visit with our family soon.

Always time for a bath, with a strategically placed towel

and storytime with Daddy/Uncle Mike

I also had today off so Evan and I went to IKEA and for a haircut. I had to take pics with my phone but you get the idea

Here's wishing you a great end to the week!

Elmo to the Rescue

2008-04-02T17:17:00.006-04:00

Elmo has been saving my sanity a lot here lately. I have a kid that attaches like static cling if you are the only person around. I have discovered over the last week that if you pop Elmo Visits the Firehouse into the DVD player, you get 30 minutes of time to yourself as long as you stay in the room. I don't find the DVD annoying because we put the firefighter idea and Elmo idea in his mind. It is a little cheesy though.

I owe big thanks to Andrea for giving Evan this wonderful DVD. He absolutely loves it!

Easter Recap

2008-03-25T22:27:00.007-04:00

Happy mid-week! Our Easter was good. We went to my grandmother's house for the first time in three years. You gotta love those family differences! It was a wonderful day and we enjoyed it.

Evan learned how to hunt for eggs very quickly. He wanted to open each one after he picked it up though. He figured out that most of the plastic ones had chocolate inside.

He's growing up so fast! He didn't want Mommy or Daddy's help toting his bucket.

After the egg hunt, things started to go a little wild. Evan ran for cover.

But the aliens convinced him to come back out

Confetti was flying everywhere,

Cole was beating up poor helpless eggs with a mallet,

and shoes were lost ... and found.

We were bordering on Redneck Easter at this point. I didn't even get a picture of the hard boiled egg carnage near the lone tree in front yard.

Are you wondering why you read this blog with my bad humor yet?

But alas, things returned to normal. Kaylin, my cousin's beautiful daughter, was ready with a smile

and luckily no police were needed.

I hope you all had a great Easter too! I'm ready for the next holiday. I have missed big family holidays but hopefully we (my family and me) can all push our differences aside or keep them at bay for a while and just enjoy each other. Love you all, enjoy your week.

Just as a disclaimer: the family difference thing has nothing to do with Mike's side of the family. Don't go looking at Katy and Heather's blogs funny thinking they were a part of this.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-21T20:49:00.005-04:00

Happy Easter to one and all from our chicken to yours!

Mike and I picked up this Easter costume last year at Target, after Easter, on clearance. The costume is 18-24 months but Evan seems to have no trouble with his very tall height (33 inches, 97%) and average weight (24 lbs, 50%). He probably won't get much wear out of it but it was fun for 30 minutes or so.

We hope you have a great weekend and a Happy Easter!

Tickle and Laugh

2008-03-16T18:58:00.002-04:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

When a tornado hits downtown Atlanta and cancels the St. Patty's Day Parade, you gotta do something!

I Don't Do Mornings

2008-03-13T16:18:00.006-04:00

In chronological order...

Have a good Friday!

Pictures from Lola's camera

2008-03-06T17:29:00.006-05:00

Evan is over at Lola's house 1-2 times a week and he knows his way around well. Here are some of the picture highlights from her camera.

He usually goes straight for the Tupperware cabinet

Modeling his tissue box hat

Taking a break in his rocking chair. This chair used to be mine and my brother, Jerry's, when we were younger.

He has mastered the stairs too, both up and down.

and the closeup

I hope you are all having a great week. I am hitting an embroidery sale Saturday morning in Covington, the Gladiators game Saturday night, and a jewelry party on Sunday. Happy Friday and Weekend!

Birthday Wishes

2008-03-01T22:21:00.006-05:00

I couldn't let today end without putting up a post for my dear husband. Happy, Happy 29th Birthday, Mike! It bites that you're at work today but at least we celebrated last night, saw you today, and can party some more tomorrow.

This picture is from October but I love it so much!

And now, these words [thoughts] from Evan...

Thanks for keeping me entertained. I know it must be hard to take care of me the week days you get off work and haven't slept much. I appreciate the time we have together, just the guys

Thanks for giving me a push when the batteries aren't charged

and know that I want to be just like you. I'll even go so far as to wear your clothes.

We love you, Mike! Happy Birthday!

Giggles

2008-02-28T22:21:00.002-05:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy Weekend

2008-02-24T21:56:00.002-05:00

Here's hoping you all had a great weekend. We all laid pretty low and enjoyed Mike being home. Have a good week!

For Daddy

2008-02-17T19:34:00.005-05:00

Hi Daddy, How's Haiti? In case Mommy hasn't told you, we both miss you a lot. Here's a look at my day. We hope you are having a good time and are helping lots of people.

We started off the morning with pancakes

and then Lola brought over my new firetruck. She got it for me, for Easter (way early). Aunt Katy called on Friday and told Mommy about the firetruck. As soon as Mommy told Lola, we went to Toys R Us, and the rest is history.

I love the siren and sometimes, I even use the door

Tonight, after we visited Grandpa in the hospital, we took a bath and brushed our teeth

and then Mommy told me that you're thinking of staying until Saturday! Let me know, you have to get home and see this firetruck.

Hugs and kisses, Daddy. We love you and we are so proud of you!

Evan

And to all my blogger pals, we hope you had a great weekend. This post is especially for Mike who is on his mission trip to Haiti. The cell phone calls are hit or miss but at least we have the internet and email.

Our Weekend in Valdosta

2008-02-12T22:22:00.014-05:00

On Friday evening, we headed down to Valdosta for Derrick George's big weekend. He turned 1 on February 7 so this past weekend was his big party and his baptism. Here are my favorite pictures of the 115+ that I took.

This is my absolute new favorite picture. As soon as we got to Katy and Derrick's house, Evan discovered the Cozy Coupe. I guess it's a good thing I'm going to the Kidsignments sale because Evan has to have one of these.

Who needs a door?

Evan also enjoyed the jeep, especially when other people pushed him around

Derrick George's cake

Daddy, DG, and Mommy

Cake should not only be eaten, it should be used as hair gel

Poor DG! Evan liked to hug Derrick and would usually come close to knocking him down. Evan also loved to pat him on the head and take his pacifier.

cute!

This is the patting the head part

Evan was not to be outdone on any of the riding toys. I can already tell I have a trouble maker in the works.

Success!

I just love his face

and by the end of the weekend, this is what we all looked like

I don't have pictures of the baptism because Mike and I were Derrick George's godparents. We were honored to be asked and hope to help guide Derrick right by the ways of the Catholic church (no promises, Katy).

We had a great time in Valdosta and can't wait to see Katy, Derrick, Derrick George, and the new baby (due in August) again soon.

Making Cookies

2008-02-06T21:23:00.000-05:00

I helped throw a bridal shower today at work so my job was baking on Tuesday evening. Mike and I baked three kinds of cookies and gooey butter toffee cake. You have to make the toffee cake! Evan, of course, helped.

(The horrible pics I put up of myself for the sake of Evan)

and tonight, enjoying a non-baking evening

We haven't had much to post lately, as you can tell from my absence. I should have some new material next week as Little Derrick turns 1 tomorrow and has his party on Saturday. He also gets baptised on Sunday. Have a great weekend!

Bath Time

2008-01-27T22:12:00.000-05:00

I've got nothing to blog about so I figured we'd share some pictures of one of Evan's favorite places in the world... the bathtub.

Cheese and bubbles

I'm thinking we'll see this face more and more as he grows up, telling us to go away

and probably this one too!

New Pictures

2008-01-19T11:59:00.000-05:00

There was a freebie sale at the Kiddie Kandids so it was time for Evan to get some new professional pictures. He's over 13 months old now but we took advantage and got some 1 year old shots. Enjoy!

Just a little snow

2008-01-16T22:30:00.000-05:00

Well we got a little sprinkle of snow so Evan and I ventured out into the front yard. He's been in a mood today because he got his 1 year shots so I couldn't get him to look at the camera once. Here's what we got...

It's not our best self-portrait, but we tried.

Have a good rest of the week!

At the park

2008-01-13T22:31:00.000-05:00

It was nice outside on Friday afternoon so we took a trip to the park. Here's a ton of pictures of Evan enjoying everything

Sliding

Climbing

Monkey Bars

Our all time fave, the swings

and the fireman's pole (I'm sure it has another name)

I haven't been in the mood to blog lately so this is all we've got. See you again when we have something else to post!

Clean Teeth

2008-01-07T10:29:00.000-05:00

Our New Year is off to a nice slow start. We haven't taken many pictures but here's what we have...

Mr. Independent with his toothbrush

and just for fun, I threw in our most recent self-portrait.

Have a great week!

Lazy Evan

2008-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

May you have a Happy New Year filled with lots of laughter!

The Magic of Christmas

2007-12-26T21:55:00.000-05:00

We have had a very busy couple of days. Christmas started on Sunday when we went to Greenville to visit Grandpa Dick and Nana Jackie. Nana had a lot of toys and Evan dove right in.

Grocery shopping in the kitchen

Playing with his all time favorite toy, the coaster!

After the rain stopped and the sun came out, we took a little time to swing

and swing some more

Before we left, we all shared a Chinese food dinner. Evan took care of Grandpa's egg roll and ate all the cabbage out from the inside.

and he helped rearrange a few ornaments on the tree

Monday, after I got off of work, we went to Grandpa and Grandma Jimmie's house. We didn't get many pictures without a ton of red-eye but this one was cute

and Tuesday was the big present day for us. Thanks to Elena and Kathryn for this great shirt. Evan loves it!

The presents taste good too

and right before he opened his last gift, he decided to take a nap (a two-hour plus nap)

The last present

Think he likes it?

Christmas was a rough time this year. We lost Granny Hicks (Jimmie's mom and my step-grandmother) on Saturday evening. She lived to be 75 years young and was a very kind woman. She always accepted Jerry and me into her family with open arms for the 18 years I knew her. Today was her memorial service and she was loved and honored by many.

We are so happy that we got to spend time with the loved ones that we could during the last few days. Hurricane Evan enjoyed every minute of tearing your houses apart.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of our family and friends. May your new year be prosperous and rewarding!

Congrats to the Sparks Family

2007-12-22T11:24:00.000-05:00

My friend Sarah just welcomed her third child into the world on Friday, 12/21/07 at 9:15 AM. Baby Noah Austin is 9 lbs, 7 oz and 22 1/4 in long. Congrats to Chris, Sarah, Katie, and Aidan on the arrival of your newest family member!

Sick Days and Our First Haircut

2007-12-17T21:41:00.000-05:00

Last week was quite an adventure. After Evan's party on Sunday, 12/9, something wasn't quite right. Evan had a touch of sickness most of the week. He was in decent spirts though. I took off work Wednesday for his birthday and we laid low. On Thursday, I got up, knew I didn't feel right, got to work and I was on my way home in the next hour and a half with the stomach bug. Thursday and Friday weren't pleasant for me and then Mike was sick Saturday and some of Sunday.

Most of our days were spent much like this

and when we got delirious, we played with bottles, some stronger than others

and when the bottles didn't work, we tried to strangles ourselves with the mini-blind cords

On a healthier note, we all were well enough to venture out on Sunday. Evan was looking like he needed a haircut. I admit that I'm the psycho mom that wanted to wait until he was one year old until he had a haircut!

Exhibit A: see the off-centered rat tail growing in the back of Evan's head. Scary!

Evan was a little scared too

Then we figured out that it wasn't so bad

and I present you with my little man!

I hope everyone is staying warm and getting their Christmas shopping done. We're done, thank goodness! Here's wishing you joy, happiness, and good health! Have a great week!

Happy 1st Birthday

2007-12-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my baby boy! He turns 1 today and I can't believe how fast it has all gone. There have been times that Mike and I wondered if we could really do this and we've succeeded to this point. I've spent the last hour going through photos of the last year to post and shedding happy tears, lots and lots of them.

To my Evan, you have made our lives complete. I can't imagine one second without you and I am so lucky that God gave you to me and your Daddy. I love you so very much and I promise to love you all the days of my life!

December 12, 2006 - the first time I held you

December 2006

January 2007

February 2007

March 2007

April 2007

May 2007

June 2007

July 2007

August 2007

September 2007

October 2007

November 2007

December 2007

Happy Birthday!

Evan's Party

2007-12-10T21:45:00.000-05:00

Sunday was Evan's Birthday Party to celebrate him turning 1. His birthday is Wednesday but we sqeezed in a little party time before it got too close to Christmas. The best part was that I didn't make any of the food, except for a chocolate chip cheese ball. Our wonderful family and friends did EVERYTHING! I am beyond grateful!

Like any good party, we started out with food. These two boys tried to eat us out of house and home. Evan is on top of his Aunt Christina who fed him a little of everything and Derrick George sqeezed in for his share too.

Evan refused a nap before the party began and promptly went to sleep right after he ate. About 40 minutes later, we woke him up to open presents. Here's just a broad shot of our family and friends. If you look closely, you will find Andrea in the teal.

Cole was a wonderful big cousin and helped Evan open his presents (and blow out his candle).

Evan's Godmother, Sharon, made the wonderful cakes. Beautiful to look at and yummy to eat!

Evan's Cake

And I leave you with a series of pictures of Evan trying out his cake. It started off so very slowly that people left the kitchen while he pulled off the yellow icing and decimated the poor dalmation, only to return when Cole yelled, "He's eating it!"

I will try and update the blog again this week. I kind of took a blogging break. December is just a busy time and with Evan toddling around, it is impossible to get anything done. Enjoy the 70+ degree weather like we are and have a good week!

Thanks again to our family and friends that took care of us and helped us with Evan's Birthday. We are truly blessed and we love you all!

My Little Firefighter

2007-11-29T21:19:00.000-05:00

Mike had to get a new helmet because someone ran over his other one with the firetruck. We let Evan try it on though he wasn't too crazy about it, because he doesn't like things on his head.

I haven't had much to post lately. I'm busy Christmas shopping and getting ready for Evan to turn 1! I'm also tired because work has me running and in meetings most days. I hope everyone is doing well. Have a great weekend!

Two of a kind

2007-11-19T18:10:00.000-05:00

Katy, Derrick, and Little Derrick snuck into town late Friday night/early Saturday morning. We had plans to visit the Baby Fare and things start early when you are trying to beat all the new and expecting mommies to freebies (By the way, Little Derrick won second place in the crawling race and won Katy $15 at Babies R Us and Evan cried). When the boys woke up, we noticed they were wearing similar outfits. They immediately got re-acquainted.

Riding on the firetruck

crawling through the tunnel

Doing some comparing

helping with the dishes

and checking out the surroundings

We had a great mini-Thanksgiving with Mike's family. Mike's Dad and Jackie were here too. (We missed you Heather, Rob, Laney, and Kathryn). We loved having everyone over and can't wait to see you all again in a few weeks.

Check back tomorrow

2007-11-18T21:25:00.000-05:00

Katy, Derrick, and Little D are on their way home and Mike's Dad and Jackie just left so we are turning in for the evening. We took tons of pics of Evan and Little D so I will post them tomorrow.

Have a great Turkey Week!

Game Ranch and Random Evan

2007-11-13T18:05:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday, Evan and I joined Christina, Cole, and Jeremy at the Yellow River Game Ranch. I'm a Gwinnett County native and had never been there until this visit. We enjoyed it and we will definitely be going again. My camera died so I didn't get many pictures.

Here's a billie goat. He smiled so I took a picture

Evan was very interested in watching Cole feed the animals. When we gave Evan crackers to feed the animals, the crackers went straight into his mouth

Cole feeding the cow

Christina and Evan

And for some other random pictures....

Sometimes, you can't eat just one animal cracker...

you can't play with just one can of play-doh...

and there's always room for one more.

I'll post some Target pics we took a few weeks ago and my Gratitude post later this week. I also have my Tupperware for sale list ready if any of you are interested in some discounted items. My email address is in my About Me page temporarily if you want to contact me for the list.

Exciting and Funny!

2007-11-11T10:57:00.000-05:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

My Day Off

2007-11-08T21:03:00.000-05:00

I had today off because it was Mike's regular work day and Mom (Lola) had a workshop to attend. Evan and I slept in (until 9:00) and got motivated to go out around 1:00 PM. If I were a stay at home mom, I would never get anything done! Cole had a doctor's appointment around 1:00 so Evan and I headed across town and met Cole and Christina at Stonecrest Mall.

As soon as we got into the main part of the mall, there was a huge Christmas tree. We decided to use it for our first photo op. I just can't believe Christmas will be here in another 6 weeks or so.

Evan and Cole spent some quality time in the kiddie area. Here's my little one about to get toppled at the bottom of the weird band-aid slide. Luckily, no kids under 3 feet tall were harmed after this picture was taken.

Taking a break by the apple shaped chair

and then we grabbed dinner at the Ruby Tuesday's. Cole was very helpful in keeping Evan beside the table and occupied.

Carrying Evan back to the table

With these two, everything's funny

Stealing from Katy, AWWWWWWWWWWWW!

PEACE! and Goodnight!

Thanks to Christina and Cole for getting us out of the house today. We had a great time. Cole, you are the best helper when it comes to Evan. He really looks up to you and loves you. You make him laugh and laugh and laugh! We'll see you on Saturday!