Storm Upgrade

Tropical Storm Eveley has been upgraded to a Category 5.

Our little tornado has gained strength and confidence over the past few weeks and is getting the best of us.

Around 8:30 this morning, I fixed Eveley a bowl of oatmeal and went to call her into the kitchen. The phone rang, and I rushed into the kitchen to answer it. I assumed it was my mom calling to chat. Well, it was the judge I work for needing to have a lengthy conversation about a case we are working on. I knew Eveley was watching Mickey Mouse and assumed she was fine. So I brought my laptop into the kitchen to finish the conversation. When I got off the phone (about 15 minutes later), I walked into the living room to find this:







After cleanup:

New Season = New Shoes

The weather is changing and, in our neck of the woods, it's been just perfect. Beautiful, sunny days and nice, comfortable temperatures. I love this time of year. But, along with the changing temperatures, comes the change in wardrobe. As a mom, you not only have to stress about your seasonal style but have to make sure your children have all the right-sized clothes for this time of year.

That is a huge task! The older the children get, the smaller the baby-shower stash is. And now I'm actually having to go out and shop for Eveley's full fall wardrobe. Girls are much more difficult. There are shoes, tights, bloomers, hairbows, coats, hats! Aaahh!

Eveley has outgrown every pair of shoes. Her little toes just hang over her sandals right now. So I purchased her first addition to the fall wardrobe - new shoes! They are a little big right now but fit pretty well with a pair of socks. She loves them and immediately wanted to wear them around the house.





Outfitting a boy was much easier. Just some jeans, khakis, a few rugby shirts, and a pair of dress and play shoes, and he was set. I do remember buying Robbie his first pair of "big boy" shoes. He too wanted to wear them around the house (but that was all he wanted to wear)! I couldn't even get the tag removed first!




(Had to make Robbie a grass skirt with my scrapbook program!)

He would have preferred to wear his "milkin' boots" everywhere he went!



What is it about my kids and wearing pants!!

Help Wanted!

The time has come. Eveley is growing up, and I'm afraid she's getting bored with me!

I remember clearly when Robbie hit this mark too. He no longer was interested in squeaky and crinkly toys or chewing on things. He had matured beyond his toy stash. So, I took him to the store and got him several "older toys." We bought a big dump truck, tool bench, and a safari jeep that made all sorts of animal sounds.

Eveley appears to be feeling the same way. And I am having a hard time finding the right toys for her. I organized the playroom this week and separated out all of the "baby" toys to save for baby #3. Eveley loves books and that has been my saving grace. We can read books all day long. She has puzzles and magnets that she enjoys too. But I need her to have a few toys to help her play independently. And the other requirement -- they can't take up too much room. I can't turn my entire house into a daycare!

So, Eveley has resorted to finding her own play gyms throughout the house. She is a true monkey!

(This is why we can no longer leave a chair pushed away from the table.)



When I called her out, she blew me a kiss.



And this time, she tried to appease me by offering me some of her fruit loops.

Everytime I turn the corner, she is finding another new place to play. And she loves to find things just her size that make the perfect chair.





So, I am soliciting any advice you have to offer. How have you helped transition your playroom as your children go through the various stages?? We are planning to get her a kitchen set for Christmas (if I can hold out that long)!

On a Lighter Note

I realize that this blog can sometimes be heavy, but I don't want it to be depressing! I have enjoyed blogging and using it to express my emotions and the things I have been thinking about or working through. It's been very therapeutic. And I must thank my lovely friend Kim for exposing me to the wonderful world of blogging!

So, I thought I would take the time today to look back on this crazy week!

First, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong on Friday. I have been having terrible back problems for over 2 weeks. I can hardly walk and just try to scoot through the house. I totally need a cane! That has affected everything. I have to beg Eveley to come to me since I cannot pick her up or chase after her. I have to pick up toys with my toes (which, as some of my closer friends know, is not too difficult for me). I have been in pretty constant pain but can't take anything because of my pregnancy. So, it has been a frustrating week and, I'll admit, I have been a beast!

With that in mind, I had been working all day Friday on a project for work. Eveley had taken a nice, long nap and I was almost finished with the project. I fed Eveley her lunch and settled her down to watch Baby Einstein for a moment while I put on the finishing touches and emailed it to my boss. As I was getting behind my desk to sit down, my ever-growing belly knocked over my freshly filled tall glass of water. It spilled right into my laptop and the screen went blank! To make a long story short, I almost hyperventilated and hurriedly called our IT guys to figure out what to do. They told me to remove a few components, turn it on its side, and let it dry out in front of a fan for a few days. A few days! I don't have a few days! Oh well. Once again, life threw on the brakes, and I was not prepared. So, I took the rest of the day off and turned to another of my 5 million projects that could be done without the laptop.

Sunday afternoon, I had waited long enough. I looked at the computer and prayed! God, you can heal people. So surely you can heal computers. Pleeeeaease heal this computer! I prayed this as I closed my eyes and pushed the power button. Voila! Here I am. The computer is perfect. My work was all saved and recovered. And my blood pressure has returned to normal. Hallelujah!

So, enough of the week's cruddy memories. Here are some of the best!

Eveley has started singing. It's the cutest thing I've ever heard. We have a VeggieTales worship CD that stays in the car. In fact, I bought it for Robbie for Christmas and it has been in the car since then. He loved it and Eveley is obsessed. As soon as we get into the car, she points up front and says "music, music." Yesterday, I noticed that she was actually singing along. The first song is, "Come, Now is the Time to Worship." Eveley only knows one word of the song - come - but that's not bad since it's a very important word in the song. She tries to sing it at the right time but, usually a beat too early or a few beats later, you'll hear her say "Come."

But don't let her sweet singing fool you. She is our little tornado. Thank goodness she is a good sleeper. Because when she is awake, you better be on your toes!

We have a finished basement that houses our exercise equipment, guest bed, toys, and all of the baby storage. There are numerous rubbermaid tubs that are storing all of Eveley and Robbie's baby clothes and gear. On top of those is Eveley's safari bouncy seat. It's being stored awaiting the new baby. Sunday morning, we were getting ready to leave for church. I let Eveley play in the basement with her toys while I was packing her diaper bag upstairs in the kitchen. I called for her to come and she didn't respond. I could hear the toys making noise but could not get her to come to me. I walked down the stairs and could hear the toys but could not find her. Then, I looked up. And there she was -- sitting in her bouncy seat and flicking the jungle animals. I'm telling you. She is a mess! I have no idea how she climbed up there and wiggled her big self into the seat.

Well, to conclude this week's post, I must tell you of a new website I was introduced to. This will definitely provide a good laugh when you've got a little time to experiment. It is www.yearbookyourself.com Here is Bob's 1976 yearbook picture (which, I must add, looks a little like Eveley!)



And my 1980 yearbook picture.



These are hilarious, although they're not much funnier than our original yearbook pictures. (Not going to share those at this time!)