Resemblance?

I've been working on several posts on different topics. My 100th post is right around the corner, and I'm trying to put together something special. But, two of the reasons I blog are (1) to help our family and friends keep up with us and (2) to help me document my children's lives so they (and we) won't forget.

So, here are some pictures from this past week. Miss Eveley is 23 months old. And the preparations for the big birthday party are underway. I can't believe how quickly she is transitioning from a toddler into a little girl. (Notice all the stickers on her dress she got in Sunday school!)








Mr. Caleb is 15 weeks old, and we're still trying to decide who he looks like. Everyone tells me that he looks just like his dad and sister. Thanks! I don't really see it and think he is a pretty good combination. After all the work I put into bringing these little munchkins into the world, you would think I could get a little resemblance.





Here is Eveley around the same age.



And here is Robbie.



What do you think?

My brother Rob, his wife Beka, and their two little girls Layla and Anna Lee came to visit us last week. We had so much fun and it was great for Eveley to spend time with her cousins. These little girls are stairsteps. Layla was born the summer of 06, Eveley the summer of 07, and Anna Lee the summer of 08. (and they have a little brother due this summer)! Phew. They enjoyed playing together and did many things to crack us up. If I had an extra set of hands, I may have been able to capture some of them. Oh well.



We tried desperately to get a picture of the 4 of them. But Layla has recently learned how to cross her eyes. So everytime we tried to get her to pose for a picture, she would gladly show off her new talent. We were laughing so hard! These pictures are enough to ensure that I will be her favorite aunt . . . or else.



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I still can't stop laughing!

Party Animal

My little girl is growing up. She was invited to a birthday party this past weekend and had the time of her life. Bob kept Caleb at home while I took Eveley to the party. It was our first mommy/daughter date.



She participated in the "hanky" dance.



and was so excited that her buddy Luke was there too.







The party was at the Lit*tle Gy*m where Evie tried out the balance beam.



She did so well. One Foot!



They even taught her to say "Ta Da" which she now says after everything!



I had to break it to Eveley that her genes will probably not allow for her to be a gymnast! She's already 35 inches at 22 months old which is supposed to translate into an adult height of 5 foot 10 inches - mommy's height. Who knows - Eveley may be as tall as mommy's friend Bridget! Eveley was not the least bit bummed and, instead, decided to enjoy the cupcake!



It was a good day!



Eveley had not had her fill of Luke, so he came over to play. They took a break to watch "Super Why" - Eveley's new favorite show.



And when they answered the question correctly, they had to high five!


Eveley is a JOY!

Heartache (in a good way)

Sometimes my heart just feels like it's going to explode. I remember this feeling a few months after Robbie was born. I was lying in the bed after putting him to sleep for the night. "I just love him," I told my husband. I didn't know how to express it or describe it, but I just felt like my heart was going to explode. And as he got older, my love just grew and grew.







I found myself saying this same thing yesterday. Of course, I love my children with every ounce of my being. But some days, it seems to ooze out of me. I just love these little boogers.






Wednesday was a rough day. Caleb would not let me put him down. He slept no longer than 20 minutes at a time and decided to show off a very high-pitched shrill. I was exhausted as he had been getting up several times throughout the night. My workload was pretty heavy, my house was a wreck, my laundry was piled high, and the kids were not cooperating. It was cold and all I wanted to do was crawl into the bed. So I did! I put Caleb on my left and Eveley on my right. We pulled up the big down comforter, grabbed a pile of books, and snuggled. I had the time of my life.

My little Eveley is one smart cookie. Her vocabulary is incredible, and she cracks me up. She recently pulled her bicycle helmet out of her closet and insists on wearing it around the house. Not such a bad idea since she is a tornado. But this was too much!




She loves to color which I only let her do while she's sitting in her high chair. I didn't want her writing on the walls or furniture. And the high chair is plastic and you can just wipe the markers off. So, there's nothing she can do, right? Wrong.





I just cherish this time. Robbie's absence serves to remind me how truly blessed I am to have this day and this hour with Eveley and Caleb. I don't want to miss a second of it.

Another First

Look what we woke up to this morning! A winter wonderland...in March! We received about 6 inches of snow overnight, and it is beautiful. I think this is the most snow we've seen in our little college town since we moved here.



For Robbie's second Christmas, our sweet Aunt Jan gave him a "snowman kit." It came with everything needed to make the perfect snowman (other than the snow). This was our first chance to use it. Meet Jack. Isn't he beautiful?!











Eveley was so excited!!

The Picture

I have been dreaming of this picture. It has been very odd not to have one picture of my children together. I have millions of Robbie and thousands of Eveley. But of course I have no picture of Robbie and Eveley together. I am excited about getting some pictures of Eveley and Caleb together, but this has been much harder than I expected. Eveley does not want to cooperate. She insists on making goofy faces, hitting Caleb, or crying. I finally was able to calm her with a pack of Curi*us George fruit snacks. These things work wonders -- which is why I just bought a jumbo pack of them at Sam's. Anyway, after about 50 attempts, this was the best I got. So, I decided to divide and conquer. My angel Caleb is 12 weeks old. Can you believe it?




I can't get enough of him!

Milestones

I am not one who thinks you should compare children or their accomplishments or talents. Just as each person is an individual, each child has his or her unique set of likes and dislikes and strengths and weaknesses. And it is just not fair to compare the spelling bee champ with the artist or the lego enthusiast with the math wizard.

BUT, this blog is meant to journal my thoughts and precious memories. I say that I will never forget when Robbie got his first tooth or when Eveley started to crawl. But I am realizing this may be a lofty goal. So, indulge me for a few moments.


When Robbie was about 9 months old, we went on vacation to Clearwater, Florida where some of our extended family lives. My great aunt brought us a slew of the small, hardcover Dr. Seuss books including several ABC books. She encouraged us to read these routinely to Robbie as she had done to her children and grandchildren. We accepted this advice and barely missed a day of reading these over and over and over again to him. My husband particularly made this a priority.

Well, lo and behold, when Robbie was about 17 months, he began saying his ABCs. And not just saying them, but pointing them out everywhere we went. While driving down the road one day, I heard Robbie from the backseat saying “M. M. M.” I looked around and there were the golden arches from McDonalds! He did this in the grocery store, on cereal boxes, on our clothes. He knew every letter. And when we thought he could only count to 10, he surprised us by going to 14. GENIUS, we thought.




We continued this with Eveley, although not as regularly. We would show her the A and go over that letter multiple times. Then, we would point at the A and ask her what it was. “B,” she would loudly respond! So, we weren’t sure if this would work again!

We have several sets of flashcards that we go through and books that we read. But it has never been something that we required of the kids. Seriously, I let my kids be kids. There is plenty of time for school!! But both Robbie and Eveley LOVED books and the flashcards. Eveley will jump on the window seat in the playroom and yell for her “cards.” And we often find her sitting inside her "book box."




In the past month, Eveley has begun putting words together. She now tells me she wants pink milk (milk in her pink cup) or a purple hairbow or her red jacket. She loves to help me with the laundry. She’ll pull out a piece of clothing, says, “daddy’s black sock” or “mama’s pink shirt,” and hands it to me to fold. (I’m working on teaching her to fold it! Just kidding.) Then, she’ll pull out another and say “more black sock.” It’s been fun to actually have a full-blown conversation with her.

And our favorite milestone -- Eveley is now saying "I love you." As you know, Robbie was 19 ½ months old when he went to heaven. Eveley Joy will be 22 months old tomorrow. So, we are entering new territory -- experiencing new things with her and watching her hit new milestones. I think hearing her say "Li luv you mama" at night may be my favorite yet!

In My Daughter's Eyes

Princess Eveley sure knows how to make her mama smile! And knowing the realities of this harsh world all too well, I don't take it for granted.



We had a beautiful Sunday. After having a sad morning, it was very therapeutic to take the kids outside in the sun and wind and relax. This is not what I had in mind. But she LOVED it. Nothing a good bath couldn't fix.







We found these wonderful popsicles while on a scavenger hunt with Marmee [shout out to UGO]. They are 100% juice and are awesome. Eveley had a hard time eating them because her hands got so cold. So, I decided to try this! Genius!!



Then, Eveley had her first sleepover with Luke (or Ook as she calls him). Well, not really a sleepover, but we thought they looked so cute in their matching 'Grandma and Grandpa' pajamas. Eveley LOVES Ook!