It's a Long Story

Consolidating Shops

2010-04-27T17:43:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to split my efforts between my two blogs lately--this one where I typically share far too many details about our personal life and the blog on my professional Web site where until now I've posted primarily about work. But, I've realized that splitting my efforts has only led to sporadic posts on both sites!

So, in an effort to give one blog my full attention, I've decided to close up shop here. I'll start posting more about our family life at my Web site blog, www.mindylong.com/blog. I'm planning to focus that site on writing, reading and living (living will incorporate all those family posts that up until now have been missing from the site). I'm hoping to add some search features that will let you easily sort which posts you want to look at--you know, just in case you aren't interested in reading about running an at-home business. Hopefully it will all come together!

If you will--please follow me over to www.mindylong.com/blog, update your blogrolls and if you haven't added me to your blogroll yet, please do! In return, I'm going to do my best to resume my daily posting!

Ideas Please!

2010-04-20T08:28:00.001-07:00

I want to do something special for Evan on the day he becomes a big brother. I already have his big brother shirt and I plan to get him a present from his new sister. I'd love to hear other ideas on fun things we can do to make him feel the day is just as special for him as it is for us.

Nine Weeks Left

2010-04-13T10:22:00.001-07:00

I had another ultrasound today and all is going well with this little one. Today when I saw "31 weeks and 1 day" on the computer screen, I realized that this special time with my little girl is almost over. Pretty soon I'll actually get to see her little legs instead of just feeling them.

Getting pregnant with Evan was easy for me, so I think I took the whole experience for granted. This time I appreciate it more and have tried to remember how lucky I am to get to have the experience again.

I love feeling the baby tickle my right hipbone, where she seems to like to snuggle up. Her little face was hiding behind it today, so I couldn't get a good look at her profile. I like when she lets out a sudden kick that makes a thump I can feel on the inside and see from the outside. I love when Evan leans in close to my stomach and talks to the baby and how he asks to snuggle with her from time to time. He loves to kiss her and tickle my belly, then he'll ask me what she is saying. When I give him an answer he'll usually counter with, "But I thought babies can't talk." Whenever he sees something pink he'll tell me he wants to buy it for his sister. When getting him dressed a few weeks ago he told me he was going to buy her pink underwear. He is going to teach her how to jump, how to sign and promises to "swipe" all the sweets from her because babies can't have special treats. I hope he is as interested in and curious about her once she is actually here.

As I savor the last few months of pregnancy, I am also trying to savor my last few months of having one-on-one time with my little guy. I'm sure I've taken for granted how quickly and easily Evan and I can hop in the car and go to the zoo or go to the playground. I'm going to try to spend some time making memories with Evan while it is still just us.

I'm a Soccer Mom

2010-04-10T17:51:00.000-07:00

As of today I am officially a soccer mom. The first soccer practice was a little chaotic and a little disorganized, but a lot of fun! I think someone needs to tell the coach that the bulk of the three year olds in the class don't really know the difference between left and right and they need some explanations of terms like "dribble" and "pass." But I'm sure we'll get there eventually.

Patience, Patience, Patience

2010-03-28T18:20:00.001-07:00

There are days when I feel like I could have a lot more patience and be a much better person if I weren't so darn tired. Here's hoping for a good night's sleep!

Breakfast at the Fire Station

2010-03-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

I've been spending a lot more time reading blogs lately than writing on my own! I was just checking out some friends' sites to see if there was anything new when I realized how long it had been since I posted!

So much has been going on lately, but most of the pictures from the exciting things (like Evan's birthday party) have yet to be downloaded from my camera. But, I have downloaded some pictures from our breakfast at the fire station. Evan wore his fireman suit jacket (the pants are getting a little too little) and spent the morning pretending he was the fireman.

Here I am. Check out that belly. It is growing by the minute!

After we got home, Evan gave us all a lesson in fire safety.

In case you need subtitles, it starts like this, "When your house is caught on fire, you’re supposed to cheer really loud and talk really loud so we can hear you." We all took turns practicing how we would yell if we were ever trapped in a fire and Evan rescued us. It was a successful mission.

Back to the Crib

2010-02-24T21:15:00.001-08:00

Any suggestions on how to handle a little one who has suddenly decided he'd like to sleep in his crib again after two months in a big-kid bed??? Evan has come up with every excuse under the sun why he no longer wants to sleep in his bed in his new room (we moved him into a new room with new furniture and left the baby furniture in Evan's old room). "I hear noises. I need more air. The face on the black cat stuffed animal scares me." I've heard it all in the past few days. Evan's ultimate solution to everything is just to sleep in his old room in his crib. Any ideas???

Simple Joys From the Weekend

2010-02-21T18:15:00.000-08:00

-Getting fish kisses from Evan in the checkout line at the grocery store.

-Mixing up (and eating) a coffee cake for Bryan's birthday breakfast.

-Starting and finishing Saturday with cake.

-Having Bryan home before dinner and Evan's bedtime for two days in a row!

-Enjoying Sunday brunch with a friend and my little guy (who behaved beautifully--even if he did require four trips to the potty).

-Putting Evan to bed tonight, having him tell Bryan there was room for all of us in the bed and hearing him pronounce, "We're a family!"

-Wrapping up two work projects with time to spare.

I showed you mine, now show me yours. What were your simple joys this weekend?

Expanding Evan's Vocabulary

2010-02-20T19:55:00.001-08:00

Today I repeatedly told Evan to get his socks and shoes on so we could go to the store, but he kept playing with his toys. I asked him if he was ignoring me. He stopped playing, looked at me and asked, "What does ignoring mean?"

"It means you hear me but you aren't paying attention to me," I said.

"Oh. Yes--then I'm ignoring you."

On the bright side, he learned a new word AND used it in a sentence.

On the downside, he kept ignoring me and landed himself in a time out. After his two minutes of sitting in front of the fridge were over I told him he needed to apologize to me for not listening.

He gave in and reluctantly said, "I'm sorry for not listening to you." Then he added, "Buuuuuuut, I don't want to go to the store."

However, he did head to the front door and put on his shoes and socks. Poor little guy. I know being two can't be easy, but I wish he wouldn't exert so much will sometimes.

Look What I Learned

2010-02-19T19:07:00.000-08:00

Back in June I posted a blog entry about how I felt Evan should "dab it off" after using the potty while Bryan felt strongly that boys don't "dab." Oh the restraint it has taken me not to dab when I see even just one drop of pee on there. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to secretly dab without Evan, or Bryan if he is in the bathroom too, noticing. Then today, Evan went potty and as I was about to help him pull up his underwear he said, "Wait. Look at what Miss C (his preschool teacher) taught me." He reached over, pulled off some toilet paper and dabbed away. He looked so proud as he threw the toilet paper in the potty. I e-mailed Bryan to tell him about the little lesson Miss C has imparted on Evan. He thinks we need to have a talk with her. I'm assuming he means the "we" as in me, but I'm going to let him handle this one all on his own. Plus, I'm a little relieved at the dabbing.

Savoring the Everyday Moments

2010-02-18T18:58:00.000-08:00

Today I read a quote that has helped me put the past few weeks in perspective: The days are long but the years are short.

I’ve been struggling with some long days lately as I’ve dealt with the monster snow storms that have shut down the city and kept us indoors and homebound, tried to keep up with work deadlines (two speeches and three feature stories to be exact) without the benefit of childcare (due to school closings from the aforementioned monster storms), and a sweet hubby who hasn’t been home before 10:00 p.m. or to bed before 1:00 a.m. in quite some time (hello busy season). Not to mention a toddler who seems to be developing more free will every single day.

That simple little quote today made me realize, though, just how fast the years do go by. I’m already knee deep in planning Evan’s third birthday party. It seems like just yesterday I was walking into the hospital to have him.

I’m going to try to do a better job of savoring the little moments of joy in the long days we all experience. So, my list of things I want to remember from this week:

The perfect and thoughtful Valentine’s Bryan gave Evan and me first thing Sunday morning. Not to mention the surprise and look of sheer joy on Evan’s face when he opened the new book Bryan gave him (Super Why—Evan’s new favorite cartoon).

Singing the Super Why theme song long after I’d seen the show or put Evan to bed. (If you haven’t heard it, it goes a little something like this… “Hip hip hooray, the super readers save the day.” Repeat about 30 times).

Sharing a glass of lemonade with Evan at his school Valentine’s party.

The sweet hug Evan gave me and how he said, ‘I love you, mommy,’ when I told him I would buy him his very own special can of shaving cream he could use in the bathtub. (May it always be so easy to please him.)

Taking a bath and watching my belly move around as little arms or legs gave some nudges from the inside.

That although I’m the type of mom who will go to bed with dishes still in the sink, I am also the type of mom who will let Evan help me make the cookies, pancakes, scrambled eggs, rice, chicken, etc., no matter how much extra work it makes during the clean-up (and cooking) process.

I forged ahead and met all my deadlines, even if it meant staying up until 1 a.m.

Snuggling with Evan. Snuggling with Bryan.

The ease with which Bryan got Evan to go back to bed around 2:00 this morning. I was quite impressed.

I’m sure there are plenty of other moments I should remember, and they’ll probably come to me as soon as I hit publish. But, these are enough to at least help me keep the big picture in perspective. The years will fly by.

Cabin Fever

2010-02-10T18:14:00.000-08:00

It is day six of being snowbound at our house, and I think Evan and I are starting to feel the effects. We received another 12 inches of snow today (thank you, Bryan, for shoveling us out). I think the storms are over for a while. Now we just have to finish digging out. School has been cancelled all week and we haven't gotten mail since Friday. Thank goodness we still have power and cable!

Bryan got out yesterday and went to work--he took our SUV, which meant I was staying put. But, let's be honest. I'm not driving on the ice rinks we're calling our roads even if I wanted to, which I don't. Today we spent a few hours playing with moon sand (and then cleaning up moon sand), baking cookies (and then cleaning up the cookies), reading and playing trains.

Evan quickly pushed aside the princess and dragon molds that came with the moon sand and asked for some bulldozers and wheel loaders.

I think the high point of Evan's day was waiting for the cookies to cool off so he could eat one.

We have also taken the time to play outside in the snow--but only once. I haven't been able to get Evan back out there since our first adventure out.

I hope you are all staying warm! We're doing our best!

Sunshine, Glorious Sunshine

2010-01-26T13:59:00.000-08:00

We made it to California and I couldn't be happier with how well my little guy did traveling. It is nice and sunny and warm and Evan is eating up every minute of this weather.

The only problem is that Evan won't sleep--just too much to think about I guess. I tried to be angry with him last night...or should I say this morning...from 1:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. when he refused to sleep. He spent at least 45 minutes singing the Star Spangled Banner. When I told him to go back to sleep, he looked at me and said, "I'm just singing." Yes, honey, I know. The biggest threat I could think of was that if he didn't go back to bed he couldn't have a bath today. It sounds ridiculous, but he loves the bathtub in the condo and spent a good three hours in it yesterday. He wouldn't go back to bed, so all day I've sounded like the bath Nazi--"Nope, I told you, no bath for you today." Let's hope he stays fairly clean.
He is napping now and I sure hope the kid will sleep through the night tonight. I need the rest! He is the best little traveler otherwise and I am very proud of how well he is doing. I think he is holding up better than Bryan would have under the circumstances. Just kidding. A little.

Canceling Mickey

2010-01-21T08:59:00.000-08:00

I hate to admit it, but I am a Disney fan. I love everything about Disney World from their clever marketing tactics to get you to spend more to every square inch of Epcot. I like the character breakfasts and waiting in line for the rides. I don't even mind paying $8 for lemonade--it is the happiest place on earth after all! You expect to pay a little extra for all of that happiness!

We were planning to take Evan to Disney in March with my parents. I've been talking it up with Evan for months and have already booked our character dining experiences. Plus, I've been dreaming about the filet with macaroni and cheese and red wine sauce that is on the menu at Jico at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (it is the most amazing meal!). But after my visit with my doctor today, we decided that I should limit my travel and try to keep my feet up as much as possible for the next five months.

I think she meant to say, "Keep your feet up with a trashy magazine in hand and be sure your husband prepares all the meals and handles all the cleaning." But I can discuss the technicalities with her later.

Evan coming early was a big surprise. This time around, it looks like it is going to take a little extra effort to keep this one in, so at least I'm prepared for it. I'm going to spend the next few months taking it easy, getting things ready and trying to enjoy every last minute of alone time with Evan. Even on days when a trip to the grocery store with a toddler seems overwhelming, I'm going to remind myself that our special time together as we know it will be changing soon. It is going to be a wonderful change, but a change nonetheless. I'm taking a trip next week, but then I'm clearing my calendar and staying put. It is for a wonderful cause, but I'm trying to figure out how to break the news to Evan that he won't be seeing Mickey Mouse afterall!

It's a Girl!!!

2010-01-19T09:00:00.001-08:00

We had our ultrasound today and Evan's prediction was correct...we're having a baby girl. The baby looks great and there are a few little things with me they'll keep watching to see if we can keep this one from coming early. Whew. Even though I knew it was most likely everything was fine, I definitely breathed a sigh of relief knowing everything looked normal. And, now I can blame my drastic mood swings on the extra female hormones floating through my body. :-)

Cookies for Santa

2010-01-05T06:52:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve we let Evan load up a plate of cookies for Santa. He just kept adding cookie after cookie to the pile. After he had more than a dozen on there he decided it would be enough. We put the cookies on the table, grabbed a few pictures and spent some more time hanging out in the living room.

At one point, Bryan reached over and grabbed a cookie off the plate. Just as he was breaking it in half Evan realized what happened.

"Dad!!! Those are for Santa!!!" Evan's voice was filled with frustration, panic and horror all at once. "There aren't going to be enough and we don't have time to make more."

Bryan tried to piece the cookie back together and placed it back on the plate. Evan seemed moderately satisfied, but after he went to bed we couldn't help but laugh about how upset and concerned he was. I loved that he knew there just simply wasn't enough time to make more cookies before he had to go to bed.

The White Jersey

2010-01-04T18:25:00.000-08:00

Since October Evan has been telling us he wants a white jersey. He needs a white jersey. How this kid even knows that the Caps wear white jerseys when traveling is beyond me. He is so perceptive. I've been assuring him for months it would happen on Christmas and sure enough, he opened up a white jersey on Christmas morning.

The only problem was that when I promised a white jersey, I didn't realize they don't make them in toddler sizes. According to the multiple people I spoke with at the Caps pro shop, there isn't much demand for toddler size travel jerseys. Apparently those other toddlers aren't real fans. So, Evan received a children's small medium, which came down to his knees. Aunt Maria helped him roll up the sleeves.

For all the excitement leading up to the white jersey, its ill-fitting nature has meant Evan hasn't worn it since Christmas morning. I'm renewing my quest to find a smaller size--one has to exist, somewhere. Until then, we'll tuck this one away.

Since Evan loves white jerseys, he assumed other people on his Christmas list would, too. Here is the jersey he picked out for his daddy.

I'm sure Bryan would have been surprised if Evan hadn't been telling him we'd gotten him a white jersey for the three weeks leading up to Christmas. He spilled the beans the minute we walked in the door from getting it, even though we talked for 20 minutes in the car about how it was a secret and how we weren't going to tell daddy. Then he'd talk about it at random moments--once in the bath and another time just playing cars. I loved how excited he was to give a gift, even if it meant it wasn't a surprise.

Creating a Happy Life

2010-01-03T13:22:00.001-08:00

Check out my post on www.mindywrites.com about creating a happy life and my plan to keep a happiness journal this year. Leave a comment there and let me know what it is that makes you the happiest!

The Darned Old Snow

2009-12-29T17:55:00.000-08:00

So, it has taken me a while to get these photos posted. I think I've been busy pouting. Well, that and celebrating Christmas. The huge snow we received just over a week ago is almost gone, and the bitterness over my parents' cancelled air travel is slowly subsiding. Christmas morning just wasn't quite the same without them, but thank heavens for Skype, which allowed my parents to take part in some of our merry making. More on that later.

For now...back to the snow. First you have to remember we live in Virginia, which is considered the south. I know, it doesn't always seem like the south to those of us who weren't born here, but think back to your Civil War history. Virginia is definitely the south and southerners just don't typically experience snow like this. Add to that the fact that this was record-breaking snow and you'll understand why the city shut down for about three days.

I took this picture right at the same time my parents' plane should have been landing. Snow kept falling after I took this picture but only for about, oh, I'd say another five hours or so. You should have seen how far I had to lean out of my back door to take this photo. I didn't want to have to actually put on my shoes and go out in the stuff. In the end, we had about two feet of snow at our house.

Picnic anyone?
I hate to say it, but it almost looks....pretty.

Here is Evan's sand table at 11:00 a.m.

Here it is again at 4:00. We still had another five hours of snow after I took this picture. I couldn't bring myself to take another picture of the sand table. Sigh.

The aftermath the next day...Bryan was a sport and shoveled the driveway twice. Once to get it clear and again after cleaning off the cars.

The snow was too deep for Evan to trudge through, so we went to the street where we could walk in tire tracks. The car that made those tracks got stuck about 50 feet past our house, where the driver abandoned the car and blocked the street for a day causing the snow plow to bypass our street, but I won't go into that here. I try to run a family friendly site and the profanity Bryan spewed sort of rubbed off on me. I can't promise to use clean language when talking about the dumb*** that decided he needed to run out for some fast food in a Hyundai in two feet of snow.

Eventually Evan conceded defeat and we retreated to the house where we stayed for a few days. There is nothing Evan loves more than just being home, so the forced seclusion was a welcome treat for him. All in all, I have to admit I enjoyed our time together, too. I just wish the snow could have waited one day!

Snowed In!

2009-12-20T12:59:00.000-08:00

We had a record snowfall here over the past two days. With about two feet of snow, we're snowed in for a day or two. That isn't as upsetting as the fact that my parents are snowed out. They were supposed to land in D.C. right as our 17th inch of snow was falling.

Needless to say, their plane didn't make it in. Two days of calling Delta finally resulted in the opportunity for my mom and dad to fly in on Christmas Eve, but since they were flying out on the 26th, they decided it wasn't worth it. I shed a few tears. When Evan asked me what was wrong I explained there was too much snow so Mimi and Grandpa Jerry wouldn't get to come see us. He patted my leg and said, "Don't worry. The snow will melt and then they can come." If only that were the case. When I didn't stop crying he said, "I told you not to worry. Why are you still sad?" I pulled it together for him.

I'm so disappointed! I was looking forward to seeing Evan's face when he gave his Grandpa Jerry a special present he picked out and watching my parents enjoy Christmas through Evan's eyes. I also wanted to hang out with my mom and make Christmas cookies and just enjoy some time together. We'll talk on Christmas and we'll Skype, but I'm still bummed. Boo to the snow.

Speaking of the snow, I took pictures, but my camera cable is CLEAR upstairs and I only have about 10 minutes until Evan's nap is up anyway, so they'll come in a separate post!

Strawberry Syrup

2009-12-19T07:16:00.000-08:00

This year I gave some of our friends and Evan's preschool teachers pancake mix and homemade strawberry syrup. The syrup is so good. I like fruit syrups much better than maple, so I made sure we'll have extra for me.

Here are the jars of syrup and the little tags I made for them:

Here is the recipe:

5 cups of frozen strawberries

1 cup of sugar

1/3 cup water

Heat all ingredients on medium heat until the mixture begins to boil. Let boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and mash strawberries with a potato masher. Let cool and refrigerate.

Open to the World Again

2009-12-18T11:46:00.000-08:00

I decided to open the blog up for everyone to see again. I realized that even I hated to log in to update it, which explains why my mom and Bryan (of all people) weren't reading it. It did mean I had to go through and delete a few posts and will probably delete a few more as I come across them! But hopefully this will get me posting more frequently again!

Our Big News...

2009-12-18T04:33:00.000-08:00

We are excited to announce that Evan is going to be a big brother! We're expecting a baby in June and so far everything is going well. This week when Bryan asked Evan if he'd like a little brother or a little sister, he said, "I think neither." Hopefully he'll warm up to the idea over the next six months!

Guess What Evan Wants for Christmas?

2009-12-17T16:28:00.001-08:00

Evan made out his list for Santa today. He likes to keep things short and to the point. That's one of the things I like the most about him--his direct communication.

In case you didn't get it from the video, Evan is hoping to get a white jersey and a Silverado for Christmas.

First Snow of the Season

2009-12-13T04:19:00.000-08:00

One of the things I like best about the D.C. area is that it rarely snows. But I have to admit, as much as I don't like being out in the elements, I loved how much fun Evan got to have building his first snowman of the season.

We didn't have a whole lot of snow, so we (as in Bryan) had to import some from the side of the house.

He is a little Picasso with the snowman kit his Aunt Sandy gave him for Christmas last year. He loved rearranging the features.

And if the still pictures aren't enough, here is some video.

We built a snowman in almost the exact same spot in our yard in March. I can't believe how much he has changed in nine months.

And then that snowman we built in March melted...

There are still a few piles of snow in our front yard from this month's snowman, but he isn't going to be around for much longer.

Dear Santa

2009-12-09T10:21:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about what I want for Christmas--it must be because I've watched A Christmas Story five times already (thanks for sending me the DVD, mom!). Instead of a Red Ryder BB Gun, I'll take any one of the following:

1) A change of scenery. We've been living in Northern Virginia for almost eight years now and I'm getting ants in my pants. I'm ready to move on to somewhere new. I do like it here, but if Bryan came home tonight and told me we were packing up and heading in a new direction, I'd love it--no matter where we were going. I'd like to go somewhere where we either don't know anybody or back to Utah where we know everybody. I like extremes. Just ask Bryan how I handle the thermostat.

2) New dishtowels. Mine are old. They are gross. They have stains ranging from black permanent marker (thank you, Evan) to pomegranate juice. I wash them, I promise. I spray them with Spray n Wash. I let Evan spray them with Spray n Wash, which means they get doused in it, but the stains remain. I am hoping Santa hears my plea and brings me a new stack of dishtowels so I can throw out all of mine and start new. I don't know why I don't buy my own, but it seems like a selfish luxury I'm not quite ready to splurge on. I guess that also explains why I don't have spa days or this season's shoes (I don't even have last season's shoes).

3) Someone to clean my car. Cheerios, Goldfish, milk splatters on the window...my car is in need of a good detailing. My at-home and gas-station-vacuum versions aren't cutting it. I need professional help (in more ways than one, but I'll start with the car).

I've been a good girl this year, not necessarily by choice, but it doesn't matter, does it?

More Book Club News

2009-12-01T10:38:00.000-08:00

I am giving away another autographed book plate from best-selling author Loraine Despres over on my www.mindywrites.com blog. Head on over and leave a comment on the Book Club with Belle post by midnight on Dec. 4 and you'll be entered to win!

Book Club

2009-11-25T11:45:00.000-08:00

I was a little late getting the Book Club post up on my Web site, but it is up and live now! If you read The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell or even The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc, visit the blog and leave a comment. I'm hoping the author will visit on Monday to answer questions and share her thoughts: http://mindylong.com/the-bad-behavior-of-belle-cantrell/.

What Are You Taking to Thanksgiving Dinner

2009-11-22T18:07:00.001-08:00

A friend of mine shared this link on Facebook and I thought it was hilarious. A woman gives a VERY detailed list of what each guest is expected to bring to dinner and how it should be presented. I've never actually taken anything to my mom's or my mother-in-law's house for a meal, since we're already staying there, but I can't imagine they'd ever create a to-bring list like this, which makes me grateful.

And, this year we are having dinner with Granny, Bryan's grandma. I'm in charge of dinner rolls, pumpkin pie and an appetizer. Hopefully I won't mess any of it up!

Redskins v. Broncos

2009-11-15T17:41:00.000-08:00

Bryan got tickets to today's Redskins v. Broncos game through his office. They weren't just any tickets--they were tickets to the Owner's Club Suite, which means we were 29 rows up and just about on the 50 yard line. It also meant we had endless food and drinks and some VIP treatment.

Evan had his heart set on ice cream. Unfortunately, there wasn't any in the suite. No problem--a nice lady who works for the Redskins simply directed Bryan and Evan to the press box where they were able to sneak away a couple of ice cream bars.

Evan did find some popcorn.

And some cookies. Those are orange sprinkles dripping off his chin.

The Redskins beat the Broncos. I will admit that I was cheering for the home team, but I felt a little like a traitor. Growing up in Utah, I was a Broncos fan (when I was cheering for a particular team). My cousin Jason is the biggest Broncos fan I know. I wish there would have been a way to bring him to the suite with us.

The Redskins cheerleaders stopped by. Never one to pass up a photo opp, I asked the blonde one to hold Evan for a picture. He batted his eyes at the girls. He is a total flirt.

It was a great day! Bryan and I decided Evan has no idea what a special treat it was, but we took plenty of pictures so we can remind him of it one day.

I'm Embarrassed....

2009-09-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

So, I've been really terrible about blogging lately. I thinking putting this blog behind the cover of a sign in sheet made me lazy. Kind of like when company is coming I clean the house, but my closets will most likely be a mess since no one will see them. So, I apologize. And I'll try to do better!

The last month has been a pretty busy one. Evan started preschool last week, which is great since I've had a hard time keeping up with work over the summer. LOTS of late nights have been had. Evan is loving school this year. Today his teacher told me that anytime other kids were crying, Evan would give them a hug or take them a toy. He is a sweetie.

I've been trying to devote more time to my blog on my work site, www.mindywrites.com, so hop on over and check it out if you get a chance. I've decided to focus it on writing, reading and such. Let me know if you have any favorite books I should include on the site. I'm still trying to come up with ideas for the header...any tips?

So--that is a quick update.

The Sun Hat

2009-08-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

I'm a hat nazi at our house. I don't even like for Evan to walk from the house to the car without a hat on--I prefer sun hats, but I will accept ball caps in a pinch. The hats are in addition to 50 SPF sunscreen I slather on at every opportunity. How on earth this kid has developed three freckles is beyond me.

He got the hat he is wearing in this picture at the beginning of summer and has been wearing it ever since. He was so excited when we entered a little shop and saw this dog wearing the exact same hat. Evan even asked to have his picture taken next to the pooch. Aren't they sweet?

I'm a Big Lady

2009-08-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

For weeks Evan has been pointing at me and saying, "You're a big lady." I've tried not to take it personally and have hoped that he never points to someone else and says the same thing. A stranger may not take it with a grain of salt like I do.

Finally I asked Evan why he is calling me a "big lady" and he said, "You can reach the freezer." Ahhh...yes, the freezer. The square box that holds all the juice pops, frozen yogurt and ice cream. It is a wondrous place that Evan can't get to on his own. Now that I know what he is talking about I feel like I hold such power, such strength--I am the freezer keeper!

A Quiet Trip to the Park

2009-08-11T19:05:00.001-07:00

The day started out easy enough. I decided to take a long walk, stop at the park so Evan could play and then planned to come home in time for lunch. We're in the midst of a heat wave today, so I really should have decided to take Evan to the pool instead, but I decided I should try and get a little more exercise.

After an eternity on the swings, Evan was ready to move on to some other equipment. He climbed up one side of a jungle gym apparatus while I moved over to wait at the bottom of the slide. He is easily sidetracked (I think he gets that from me) and stopped to play with a steering wheel. He reached up, let out a loud shriek and pulled away. As I looked up I saw three bees flying away from Evan. I had to coax him over to the slide, then I snatched him up to examine the damage.

There was one mark where he was stung and his hand was already swelling. This being his first bee sting, I had no idea whether he was allergic or not. I've thought about carrying Benadryl with me for just such an occasion, but of course I never went out and bought any. There was no one else at the park, so I couldn't even bum some off of a better prepared mother.

I put Evan in the stroller and RAN home. Literally ran home, dialing information and the pediatrician's office en route. I think my huffing and puffing may have made the doctor's office think it was a prank call since they put me on hold and never came back. I slowed to a fast walk when I called the second time. The nurse asked me if I had any Benadryl. Umm...no...I'm a bad mom. The kind that thinks she should do something, makes a mental note and then never gets back around to it. The nurse told me that it was unlikely he was going to have a breathing problem or else he would already be showing signs, she said. Actually, she was a bit of a smartie pants and the conversation went more like this (imagine the panic-stricken voices you hear on the 911 calls):

Me: "My son just received his first bee sting. What should I do?"
Nurse: "Is he allergic to bees?"
Me: "I don't know. This is his first sting." (My inner monologue: LIKE I JUST SAID LADY!)
Nurse: "Do you have any Benadryl?"
Me: "No. I don't. I don't have any!"
Nurse: "Well, he'd probably already be having trouble breathing if he was allergic."
Me: "How long does it take for breathing problems to occur?" (Inner monologue: Since you really have no idea if by "just" I mean three seconds ago or the five minutes it has taken me to dial information, call you, hold, then call you again and explain the situation).
Nurse: "Well it isn't like it would happen tomorrow."
Me: "Are we talking 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes?" (Inner monologue: I really need to switch pediatricians).

Anyway, at that point, I was pretty sure Evan wasn't allergic, but I wanted to be careful. As soon as I got home, I ran in and grabbed my wallet. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Sweat was dripping from my chin, I had giant sweat rings under my boobs, of all places, and my pits?? Well, let's just say it wasn't pretty. I had calmed down a little by the time I got in the pharmacy. Mainly because as I was walking in, Evan broke free and headed for the candy aisle. At that point I knew the worst was over. I spent $33 on Benadryl and Benadryl-related products, should we ever need them again.

Evan is no worse for the wear and he even conned me out of some Tic Tacs. And as for me--I'm thinking I really need to take up running just in case I ever need to conquer the neighborhood hills again.

Say Hello to Baby K

2009-07-28T17:51:00.000-07:00

Meet my niece Cadence. We call her Baby K. And by “we” I mean Bryan, Evan and me. Evan started it quite some time ago and although he can now say Cadence perfectly, Baby K persists. I think that is mostly my fault, as I can’t seem to break the habit. I’m pretty sure I’ll be calling her Baby K on her wedding day.

Baby K, along with her dad and mom (Bryan’s brother Travis and his wife, Juli) and Grandma Betty and Papa Stu, paid us a visit.

Just like Evan is all boy, Baby K is all girl. She is so delicate and sweet. I’m already missing her and wishing I could pick her up and give her a squeeze.

She may be all girl, but she had no problem keeping up with Evan’s tendencies. I think she even instigated a few things. The two of them had a ball running through the rain. In her true feminine style, Baby K ran like a girl with one hand out most of the time.

Just a little side note, we gave Cadence that pair of Crocks she is wearing. They used to be Evan’s, but Juli allowed us to pass them along even though she is opposed to the rubber shoes.

Cadence introduced Evan to the joy of yelling while running, but that was in the house. The next morning Evan told me, “Baby K make a raucous.” Then he laughed like crazy. It’s no wonder Evan hasn’t been able to stop talking about her since she left.

Here's to hoping they'll be lifelong friends.

Family History

2009-07-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

One of my goals is to scan in all of the family photos I am currently storing in a big box. I inherited the box from my great aunt when she passed away and I love to pull the photos out and sort, stare and read the little inscriptions written across the back. Usually it says nothing more than Great, Great, Great Grandpa Lowry, which is what this photo says (and then I have to try and figure out if it was my great aunt's great, great, great grandpa, what does that make him to me?)

I do know that my ancestors were pioneers, and I think you can read so much in the photos. I always love to think about what people were doing just before and after the shutter snapped. Had Grandpa Lowry just finished fishing, or is he getting ready to catch his supper? Is the wagon parked for the night or is he getting ready to head out again.

This photo is also one of my favorites, and I am drawn to the woman in the picture--another great grandparent.

Every time I look at her standing in front of her house I want to thank her for her bravery and pioneering spirit.

These pictures are newer--the woman on the far right is my Grandma Jensen (then a Stevens) along with her brother and sister and my great grandpa as he drove them off to boarding school. I love the hats!

Here they are as little kids. The photo reads, "Playhouse back of Grandpa Stevens granery--Ferron, Ut." If I remember correctly, a coffee company used this photo in a calendar--notice the coffee can next to my grandma (the one in the middle).

I love the dog in the picture, Bubbles. My Aunt Melva told me countless stories about Bubbles and how he used to follow them to school each day, sit outside the school and wait for them so they could all walk home together.

I think the reason I am progressing so slowly on my scanning is that each time I pull out the box, I get too caught up in each picture and the details and what I know or don't know about the people in the picture. Before I know it, an hour has passed and I've only scanned two photos! Wish me luck.

Help Me Organize Evan's Toys

2009-07-18T11:14:00.001-07:00

I need help! I'm looking for some cute and discrete ways to store Evan's toys that we keep in the living room. I have some shelves with baskets, which do a nice job. But, there is one big basket on the floor that keeps overflowing. I know the living room is family space, but it is the first room you see when you walk in my house, so I want it to be uncluttered. Any ideas?

Going Underground

2009-06-28T05:02:00.001-07:00

I'm following the lead of several of my blogging friends and taking this blog private. I've been thinking about it for quite some time now and a promo last night for America's Most Wanted made me decide it was time. I will send invites to those who I know read the blog, but if you're a lurker and still want to keep up with us, shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment. I'll make the switch on Wednesday night.

Evan's First Skating Lesson

2009-06-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

I took Evan for his first ice skating lesson yesterday. I was afraid it might scare him away a bit since skating is harder than it looks, but I think it has made him love it even more. He is still too young for the group classes, so we are doing a few private lessons with him. His teacher is so sweet. And, she even prefers to work with the child without the parent. So that gives me 30 minutes to sit on the sideline and watch. Of course, I didn't discover this until after I had paid my $11 ice and skate rental fee yesterday.

They have large signs posted that say "No Flash Photography," but I'm sure that doesn't apply to moms whose sons are taking their first lesson, right? Plus, any skater worth his or her salt should be able to skate right through a few flashbulbs going off.

I was trying to stay out of sight so I wouldn't distract Evan, but I failed miserably. I was pretty far away (hence how tiny Evan looks), but Evan still spotted me. At the end of this video he starts signing mom.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

This is the final video just as his lesson is ending.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Ready for a Road Trip?

2009-06-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for somewhere to go this summer, check out my story that ran in The Hill newspaper today on road trips. I've posted it on my new Web site at http://mindylong.com/road-tripping-with-congress/. The Hill is published on Capitol Hill and the story features some senators' and representatives' favorite spots in their districts. You'll have to let me know if you visit anywhere I've written about!!!

By the way--the Web site still has a few little things I'm tweaking here and there. I'll be posting to my new blog on the site tonight and plan to start posting at least 2-3 times a week. You can get there via www.mindylong.com or www.mindywrites.com so check back there soon!

A New Tie!

2009-06-22T10:15:00.001-07:00

You'll never guess what Bryan got for Father's Day...come on...guess... Give up? Okay--it was a new tie. With stripes! Even though Evan had given away the secret on Saturday, Bryan played along as he was unwrapping it. Evan helped speed up the process, too.

We went out for dinner to a new restaurant (well--new to us) that Bryan has been wanting to try. The waiter snapped a pic of us. I'm posting it just to prove that I do blow dry my hair once in a blue moon. Usually it is in a clip.

Some days I try to tell myself that Evan looks like me. Then I see a picture of him and Bryan together and, well, I have to admit they do look a lot alike.

He Can't Keep a Secret

2009-06-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

All week I have been telling Evan that tomorrow is Father's Day--a special day for daddy. This morning we went to the mall to buy a surprise for daddy. Later in the day Bryan, Evan and I were sitting in the kitchen when I asked Evan what tomorrow is. He looked at Bryan and said, "Tie daddy. With stripes." Bet you'll never guess what Bryan will be unwrapping tomorrow.

New Blog in the Works

2009-06-18T11:27:00.001-07:00

I am going to be launching a new blog on my work Web site soon about freelance writing. I plan to talk about how to freelance, writing tips, helpful sites, etc. I want my friends and family who aren't writers to read it, too. So, I'm wondering what I could put on there for you, too. Any ideas?

One thought that I've kicked around with a few friends is a virtual book club. We'd pick a book, read it together, post questions and comments on a certain day and hopefully the author would take part, too.

Does anyone else have any ideas? You can e-mail me or post a comment! Thanks!

Homemade Bathtub Paints

2009-06-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

There were so many different things I could have used for a title of this post. "The Worst Idea I've Ever Had," "My Budding Artist," "A Bottle of Mustard Explodes," "Evan is Looking a Little Jaundiced." But, I opted for the straightforward approach.

A few weeks ago I decided to whip up some homemade bathtub paints for Evan's amusement. It was really easy--just use some baby wash, stir in cornstarch until it is your desired consistency and then add some food coloring.

Evan enjoyed every minute of it and painted almost every square inch of the tub. Bryan got home from work right at the peak of the painting and looked in at the yellow mess and proclaimed it may have been the worst idea I'd ever had. At that point, I was beginning to think he was right. Then Evan smiled and all was forgiven.

The tub wiped up easily and Evan was only yellow for a day or two. Kidding. It washed right off. I would do it again, although, I haven't, so I'm not quite sure what that means. Give it a try! Let me know if you do and how it worked for you. I want to let someone else experiment with some reds and blues before I try it out!

A Trip to the Farm

2009-06-14T13:01:00.000-07:00

Since we live in the city and all, we decided to take Evan on a nice little drive out to a farm a while ago. As Evan was looking at the animals it hit me just how different his childhood will be from mine. I was no stranger to farm animals and in fact was scared to death of the chickens on my grandpa's ranch. I can still picture all the chickens crowding into the back of the chicken coop when my mom would go in and gather eggs--shudder. Evan didn't seem to share my fear.

I know it is a little wrong that whenever I see sheep all I can think about is having leg of lamb for dinner.

They should be worried. Very worried. At this point I was also thinking of the rice pilaf I would fix to go along with the lamb. Evan just thought they were soft.

My two boys. The cutest guys in the whole world.

If you live in Virginia and haven't been to Frying Pan Farm, you should check it out!

Daddy Visits Evan's School

2009-06-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

On Evan's last official day of preschool, the parents were invited to attend a party, sing songs and have snacks with the kids. Evan LOVED having his daddy there. He absolutely loved it. He sat in Bryan's lap the whole time.

He showed him around the classroom.

And he even shared his juice box.

Since then Evan and Bryan had talked several times about the day that daddy went to Evan's school with him. I think they have both forgotten I was there, too! It must be because I was behind the camera. Yeah--that's it. I'm sure.

Potty Training Woes

2009-06-11T12:12:00.001-07:00

We've been working on potty training Evan. I will be the first to admit I don't know all that much about how boys do it, but I do know that it seems pretty simple. They stand up (or sometimes Evan sits on his potty) and they pee. Logically, the next step (at least to me) would be to wipe, right? So the other day, Bryan and I are standing in the bathroom cheering Evan on as he stands on a step stool and pees into the toilet. When he finishes, I pull off some toilet paper and lean in towards Evan. As I'm reaching across Evan, Bryan says, "What are you doing?"

"He needs to wipe," I reply innocently enough.
"He's a boy. He doesn't wipe."
"Well, I know, but he should at least dab it off."
"Boys don't 'dab it off.' DO NOT teach him to dab it off."
"His underwear will get pee on them."
"Seriously. Don't teach him that."

I continue on my path bound and determined to clean up that drip of pee I can see . Meanwhile, Evan is just sort of looking at us both and waiting for his sticker. Bryan's tone picked up a notch and he asked, again, that I not "dab it off." So, I relented, since it seemed to matter so much to him. Although, I still think it is wrong. What do you think, dab or no dab?

Bubbles Bubbles Everywhere

2009-06-10T06:17:00.000-07:00

I don't quite understand the allure of bubbles, but I do know, they make my little guy very, very happy.

He cracks himself up.

Time to Shave

2009-06-09T13:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Evan and I were sitting on the living room floor putting together puzzles when he reached over and ran his hand across my shin. He looked up at me and said, "Ooooooo....scratchy!" I guess it is time to shave!

My Posts...or a Lack Thereof

2009-06-03T11:45:00.000-07:00

I haven't been doing much posting lately and I'll tell you why. I'm depressed. There. I confessed. I had a birthday a few weeks ago and it is really bringing me down. Yes, I know, age is only a number and I shouldn't worry about it. Yada, yada, yada. I will eventually get over it, but it seems like just yesterday I turned 21. Sigh. I guess it isn't so much the getting older that bothers me as much as thinking about where all the time has gone. What did I ACTUALLY DO with all those years? Then, I start thinking about all that time I've wasted and how I really should have been working towards winning a Pulitzer instead of watching all that Law & Order and that leads to me getting frustrated at myself for wasting time now worrying about how I wasted time then. It also makes me wonder why TNT has quit showing as much Law & Order as they used to (bless you whoever made that decision, although I miss Lenny Briscoe something awful). It is a viscous cycle that keeps me up well past my already too-late bedtime. Unfortunately, Bryan didn't know how upset I have been over my birthday and came home and cracked a joke about how old I'm getting. THAT went over well. So, I suppose it is time to get over the birthday angst, pick myself up, brush myself off and get on with it. I think I'll also pick up some new moisturizer.

A Bit More Hair

2009-05-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

Today as Bryan was getting Evan out of his car seat, Evan started talking about hair. Evan touched his own hair, then he touched Bryan's hair. Then he told Bryan he needed "a bit more" hair and started pointing to the places where Bryan could use said hair. I tried not to laugh. Really I did. But I just couldn't help myself!

Disney World...Oh Wait...It is a Trip to Grandma's

2009-05-24T04:41:00.000-07:00

For Evan a trip to visit the grandparents is as exciting as a trip to Disney World would be--if not more so. He always gets showered with love and does tons of fun things. Such as...

...feed the birds...

...take a trip to the zoo...

...play with Grandma Betty...

...play the guitar with Papa Stu...

Next up...Grandpa Jerry's and Mimi's house.

Miss Ashley's Wedding

2009-05-23T04:29:00.000-07:00

Our dear, sweet Miss Ashley got married last week. Ashley nannied for us for a year after I went back to work from maternity leave. She was an amazing nanny and is an even more amazing person. We were able to take a whirlwind trip to Utah to get to go to her wedding.

Miss Ashley bought Evan a pink tie so he would match the wedding party. He was very excited. When he put on his sports coat, he kept saying, "I daddy. I go work."

Those ties aren't always all their cracked up to be. Evan's needed a little adjusting here and there.

Beautiful Miss Ash with her niece.

Here I am stealing a hug from Evan. He is pretty used to that.

Miss Ashley had ice cream at the reception--Evan liked the waffle cone cup.

It was an uphill battle to keep grass stains off the sports coat.

Miss Ashley taught Evan this smile.

Evan kept trying to hang out with the ladies. Some were more receptive than others.

Our family.

More about our trip to come...

A Balancing Act

2009-05-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

Don't you wish you could have this much fun with everyday objects?

One of my greatest joys is watching Evan make something out of nothing. Who knew balancing a stencil on his head would bring such a big smile to his little face?

Like a Moth to a Flame

2009-05-08T10:54:00.000-07:00

Evan is like a magnet to water. I can't tell you how many pairs of white socks have been ruined when he bolts for a muddy puddle before I can catch him. He recently discovered fountains. It was love at first sight.

Evan likes to yell out "Oh Toodles" when he is being silly. Capturing it with a still camera is almost as good as getting it on video.

I think we'll be back.

The Day the Music Died

2009-05-01T18:03:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm afraid to say, is the day I finally relinquished control over my radio and allowed Evan to start listening to Disney songs in the car. I don't know why I did it. It seemed like a good idea at the time. But 20 non-stop minutes of the old school Mickey Mouse Club House song (M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E...Mickey Mouse...Donald Duck...Mickey Mouse...Donald Duck) had me longing for my country music.

I realized, albeit a little too late, that the car was the last of my own domains. When the t.v. is on at home, it is Mickey or Handy Manny or Elmo. I can't remember the last time I watched a Law & Order re-run (oh--Lennie Briscoe, how I miss you!). At home Evan and I are always doing something together--playing hockey, reading books, making messes--which is exactly how it should be. But, the car was the only place where I could have a few minutes to relax, even if it was in rush hour traffic. So I wish I would have thought twice today before I carted the C.D. out to the car and put it in the player. Of course, Evan loved it and insisted I replay the K-E-Y song over and over and over and over. I find rush hour so much more bearable when George Straight is singing to me.

Now I'm asking myself 'Why? Why? Why did I invite Disney into the car???' Think twice before you make the same mistake I did.

One Constant

2009-04-26T04:03:00.000-07:00

It doesn't matter where we are or what we are doing, at some point Bryan will end up throwing Evan up in the sky in some form or another.

At least two times a day Evan will turn to Bryan and say, "Up sky, Daddy." For the sake of Bryan's back, I hope Evan out grows this before his next birthday!

Muffin Top

2009-04-24T17:32:00.000-07:00

When I got dressed this morning, I knew my jeans were a little too tight. I think they shrunk in the wash...or the dozen oatmeal raisin cookies I ate this week have caught up with me already. I like to think it was the wash. This afternoon I was driving Evan home from the park when I muttered to myself, "Boy, I have some muffin top going on in these jeans." I didn't think about my little parrot riding in the backseat, who repeated, "Mommy. Muffin top," for the next 15 minutes until we got home. There is a lesson in there somewhere. I don't know if it is laying off the cookies, taking my jeans out of the dryer while they are still damp or just being a little more careful when I'm talking to myself!

Mommy Cougar

2009-04-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

Do you know what a cougar is? Of course there are several definitions. The animal comes to mind, so does "thirty-something female on the prowl for younger men" (see urban dictionary if you need further explanation). It is also what Evan calls out when he wants me to play cars. There is a blue Mercury Cougar Hot Wheels car that is my designated vehicle when playing with him, so the term "mommy cougar" makes sense. I just hope he doesn't yell it out at preschool, the park or anywhere else that someone might take it out of context!

Rock the Red

2009-04-15T16:58:00.001-07:00

I've never been a sports fan. I've never even understood sports fans--until now. I think I have finally found my team and that has made all the difference in the world. The Washington Capitals are in the Stanley Cup playoffs and I am so excited! Taking Evan to watch the Caps practice for the past six months has paid off. I know the players, I know their numbers and I am rooting for each and every one. So is Evan, even though he doesn't really understand the difference between a playoff game and a casual morning skate. Not to mention that his way of showing support is asking if he can hug the players.

Evan loves watching the game, but he has started wanting to play it more and more. At home we spend a good three hours a day hitting hockey pucks back and forth. Now he likes me to play goalie and insists I fall to my knees to block his shots. Some days that is easier than others.

The last few times when we've gone to the practices, I'll borrow a pair of skates from the rental counter and let Evan walk around. He is getting pretty good, but he still isn't quite ready for the ice. Maybe one day soon...what do you think?

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Diet Coke Makes it Okay, Right?

2009-04-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

There are some days I am convinced I have an eating disorder...and not the kind that makes you skinny. The kind that means I ate a whole sleeve of Thin Mints after lunch. The same kind that means after dinner tonight, I was inspired while flipping through a Pampered Chef catalog and decided to make french fries. Did you pick up on that AFTER DINNER part? As though my taco salad wasn't enough, I finished it off with fries. Then Bryan brought home some cookies, and I had two of those too. I do drink diet soda, so I guess it all works out, right?

I keep telling myself I am going to eat healthier and switch out my Diet Cokes for water. It is my goal to eat healthier that made me want to polish off the Thin Mints. Once they're out of the house I won't be tempted by them, so it actually made sense to eat them all today. Logical, right?

I am having a Pampered Chef catalog show and while I was looking through the catalog tonight, I noticed the apple corer/peeler/slicer, which I already have. I read that it "works great for potatoes." I thought, "I bet it does work great for potatoes. I've never tried that." So, I went downstairs, got it out, dusted it off and was frying potatoes in about 10 minutes. They were delicious. It doesn't really matter that I was already full.

So, tomorrow is another day and, now that the Thin Mints and potatoes are gone, a chance for me to eat a little healthier. I did have an orange today, so that counts for something right? Maybe tomorrow I'll shoot for an apple AND an orange. My heart won't know what to think.

And, if you want an apple corer/peeler/slicer or any other Pampered Chef product for yourself, you can order from my catalog show through Monday (April 20). Just visit www.pamperedchef.biz/getsey and enter my name as the host. They have some fun new things for Spring, including plenty of things geared toward healthy cooking. Of course, I'm drawn to the things you use to make the not-so-healthy foods, like the trifle bowl that I COULD use for fruit, but probably would only use for trifle.

We've Arrived on Skype

2009-04-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

For almost a year now I've been saying, "You know...we really should figure out that whole Skype thing." I thought it would be fun to have "video calls" with our friends and family, but it seemed just to overwhelming to tackle. I didn't know which Web cam to buy, how to download the software or any of the other things I figured I'd need to do.

Late last year I bought a laptop that came with a built-in Web cam, so step one was taken care of. On Sunday I FINALLY downloaded Skype and it was so darn easy. My parents even figured it out, too, and they had to buy and install a Web cam. If they can do it, anyone can do it! This morning Evan had his first video phone call with my mom. He was loving it. He would move in really close to the screen when showing my mom his trains or if he was trying to tell her something.

I can't believe it took us this long to do it! It is going to be so much fun. Are there any other Skype users out there? You'll have to give us a call!

Thank You, Easter Bunny

2009-04-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny was nice enough to stop at our house this year and leave behind plenty of treats, including some eggs filled with M&M's. The Bunny foolishly put quite a few M&M's in each egg...next year he'll only put one per egg. He learned his lesson after about the sixth egg Evan found, opened and devoured on the spot. I had planned to make homemade donuts for breakfast, but changed my mind after I saw the sugar high Evan was already on.

Luckily the Easter Bunny left behind some treats that didn't contain sugar--some Thomas trains, books and a new Capitals hat.

I have to say, I love the Easter Bunny. So much so that I believed long after I should have. Seriously. My mom finally broke "the news" to me. You know it is bad when the parent finally initiates a conversation that starts with, "You know there is no such thing as..." I, of course, acted like I knew all along, but deep down, right until that very moment, I had held out hope. I think that is why I've always thought Linus on the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and I are kindred spirits. Even when everyone else has grown up, moved on and given up, we remained faithful. You feel a little silly when you realize the Great Pumpkin isn't coming after all. But it sure is fun believing.

The best part of my day today wasn't when Evan went through his Easter basket. It was when he woke up and I asked him if he thought the Easter Bunny came. His eyes got bright and he said a very emphatic, "Yes!" I love that anticipation. The moment when you wake up and you think anything is possible and what could be is even bigger and better than what is.

I am convinced that on the Easter's of my childhood, the sun was brighter, the grass was greener and chocolate tasted better than on any other day of the year. I hope that is always the case for Evan and that I can do whatever I can to make sure that happens.

On the Run

2009-04-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

Evan went on his first Easter Egg hunt on Friday. He loved it. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

Color, Color Everywhere

2009-04-10T20:38:00.000-07:00

I am not a neat freak. I never have been. I never will be. I believe a messy house is a sign that life is being lived and I think kids need to get dirty, dig in and have fun. That being said, coloring Easter eggs with Evan today definitely made my blood pressure rise.

That Paas Easter Egg Dye was everywhere. I mean, how could it not be when Evan was moving eggs from color to color with his hands. Hands that he dunked deep into each mug, making colored vinegar water splash every which way.

I cringed. I shuddered. I tried to reason with Evan. "Okay...gentle...slow down...use a spoon...let mommy help you...

It was pointless. He was so excited he couldn't help himself. I mean, these eggs were going in white and coming out a color! Have you ever seen such a thing? I finally gave up, backed off and let him have his fun. Dad stepped in and gave him a hand.

Evan always helps me cook, so his first reaction when he sees and egg is that we need to break it open. Between that and the tossing of the eggs into the dyes, most of our Easter eggs look like this:

Yum! But my little guy got the biggest kick out of the whole thing, so it is all well worth it! I can't help but think of how lucky I am to have Evan and to be able to share all of the excitement of Easter with him. Even if our hands are stained blue and our eggs are broken.

Hello Sprouts!

2009-04-10T07:21:00.000-07:00

The grass I planted last week is growing! I finally moved the eggs from the carton they've been in to the centerpiece on our dining room table, just in time for Easter!

And since I can't seem to part with eggshells lately, I created this little vase.

Easy Easter Treats

2009-04-09T10:37:00.001-07:00

I made these quick treats today.

The ingredients--just three!

Melt the chips in the microwave--about a minute and a half.

Mix with the noodles.

Place little spoonfuls on a cookie sheet and top with jelly beans.

Now you have bird nest treats (about 30) in less than 20 minutes.

Which leaves plenty of time to practice for tomorrow's big Easter egg hunt.

Peanut Butter Bliss

2009-04-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

If you don't already know, I am a carb junkie. You could pretty much mix anything with some flour, sugar and butter and I would eat it. I've been doing quite a bit of baking lately of my tried-and-true favorites, so I thought I'd share another recipe. These are just basic peanut butter cookies, but they are easy and they are so good when they are warm. So...here you go...

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup shortening
1 cup peanut butter (I like the chunky)
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream shortening, peanut butter and sugars in a large bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in dry ingredients. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and place 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten with a fork (I use a potato masher). Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

At Least It Wasn't 911

2009-04-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

Evan loves the phone. He loves to talk on it, he likes to play with it and he loves to push the buttons on it. Tonight as I was cooking dinner, I heard him pushing buttons on the phone in my bedroom. A few seconds later he was coming down the hall as I was heading into the bedroom to make sure he hadn't actually called anyone. I picked him up, at which point, he hit me. My sweet little boy hit me. Then he hit me again.

As I was marching him into his room, I let out a long string of "Why did you do that...we don't hit...you sit here until you can apologize." He came out once before he was ready to apologize, so I marched him back in. My stern mommy voice was in full force. The lecture continued.

About five minutes later, I hear a busy signal from the phone. THE PHONE! I forgot about the phone. I picked it up. The name of one of my clients was up on the screen. Oh no! Right before the "incident," Evan had scrolled through caller ID, turned the phone on and called the number. I knew it wasn't the direct line for the person I work with, and I was hoping it was one of those lines that doesn't actually have a voicemail associated with it. It was well after 5:00, so I dialed the number. Voicemail answered. Of course.

That means tomorrow, the receptionist at my client will get a voicemail (which from my best guess is approximately seven minutes long) with my mommy lecture. I replayed my lecture in my mind, trying to remember if I used Evan's name or not. I am sure I did because any mommy lecture like that has to include the child's first and last name, so there is no chance I can remain anonymous. How embarrassing! All I can think is at least it wasn't 911!

Cinnamon Rolls Beat Cheerios Every Time

2009-04-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

For weeks Bryan has been begging me to make cinnamon rolls, so I finally relented this week and whipped up a batch. They are actually one of the easier things I make! So, as long as I was baking, I thought I would snap a few pictures and share the recipe.

There are three parts to the recipe...the dough itself, the ooey-gooey goodness that goes in the bottom of the pan (which you flip after baking so that goodness drips down over the rolls) and the cream cheese icing.

The Ooey-Gooey Carmel Goodness:

1 cup corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons butter, melted

Mix syrup ingredients and spread in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan.

The Dough:

1 package yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 teaspoon salt
6-7 cups flour

In a saucepan scald milk. Stir in butter and let cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, mix yeast, warm water and a pinch of sugar. Let sit for a few minutes until yeast starts to bubble. Add 1/4 cup flour to yeast mixture. Add sugar and eggs. Add cooled milk and salt. Mix in flour, a little at a time until all is incorporated. Knead for five minutes. Roll into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle--here is a picture of mine:

Now, melt some more butter--about 1/4 of a cup. In a separate bowl, mix together 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 Tablespoon cinnamon. Spread butter on dough, then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Roll up starting with the short side.

Cut into 12 pieces, about one inch thick.

Place in the pan on top of the syrup.

Let raise until doubled or, do what I do, make them the night before and let them raise in the refrigerator overnight. Then take them out as your oven preheats. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. When they're done, turn pan upside down onto a platter. That way all that syrup drips down.

Let cool slightly and frost. Oh yeah--the frosting recipe:

8 ounces cream cheese
4 Tablespoons butter
2 cups of powdered sugar

Mix ingredients until smooth.

Ta da...the finished cinnamon roll.

These high-cal sweets are best enjoyed with an ice cold diet soda...you know...to help offset the butter in the recipe. I have eaten four this way. I'm also planning to make them again for Easter.

A Little Light Reading

2009-04-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

In case any of you ever wanted to read one of my stories...one has just gone up online. It is on the price of fuel: http://lmtruck.com/articles/petemplate.aspx?storyid=435.

A Near Miss with Tag

2009-03-31T18:57:00.000-07:00

Evan's teddy bear, Tag, has been a staple in our lives since Evan was just a few months old. Nothing can give me such a sense of relief or panic as that bear. It is ratty, it is old, but holding him will calm Evan in a matter of seconds. Life without Tag, is, well, horrific. There was the time we lost tag for a matter of days. Luckily we found him again...in a stranger's yard...under a picnic table. I've thought about stitching our name and phone number onto Tag in the event we ever lose him again, but I'm sure Evan would just walk around picking at the tag saying, "Uh-oh, Mommy. Uh-oh," until I took it off.

We rarely let Evan take Tag out of the house, but there was no way I was enduring our recent 12-hour travel days (layovers...yuck) to and from Utah without Tag. Then...my worst fear almost came true...almost...

We've been working on potty training with Evan. There are certain times he will insist on using the actual potty. They are a) if we are running late, b) if it is time for bed, and c) if we are in the Chicago O'Hare airport. During our trip we were about to board in Chicago when Evan started chanting, "Potty, now. Potty now." I reluctantly took him to the bathroom, which was the equivalent of Disney World for Evan. I'll spare you the details, but they involved some splashing in the toilet bowl and lots of toilet paper.

While trying to contain Evan and get him focused on the business at hand, I must have sat Tag up on a purse holder in the stall. I was eager to get out of the stall and to our flight as quick as possible, so I rushed out and started putting a diaper on Evan. We were getting ready to wash our hands when a woman, who I would guess was in her 60s, came running out of the stall.

"Is this your bear?" I looked up at her. She was holding Tag. I hadn't even realized he wasn't with us.

"Oh my gosh, yes. I can't believe I left him in there...oh my gosh..." I stammered on and on about how much Evan loves the bear and how horrible it would have been. She held her hand up to stop my rambling.

"I left one in a rest area in Pennsylvania once. The whole state heard about it."

Oh--the bonds of motherhood. She knew exactly what I was going through and knew how horrible the rest of my day (week, month, year...) would be without that ratty old bear. Thank you, thank you, thank you whoever you are for caring enough to bring Tag back to us.

I'm Cracking Up

2009-03-31T07:05:00.000-07:00

Easter preparations are underway at my house and I’m trying something new this year—real live grass growing in eggshells to decorate our Easter table.

I’ve been saving eggshells all week and it is full steam ahead! I bought grass seed and potting soil and got to work yesterday afternoon. There really isn’t much to it, but here is what I have learned so far (keep in mind I’m only a few hours into this little experiment of mine):

To break the egg, tap it on the top with a knife until there is a small crack, then remove the eggshell with your fingers a few pieces at a time so you get the shape you want. I showed Bryan my technique over the weekend and asked him to crack all eggs like that until I get enough for my Easter table. After he realized I was totally serious he assured me he would not be participating in this little project of mine.

When filling with soil, try to keep the outside of the eggshell as clean as possible. I kept one hand as my “clean” hand and the other one was the “dirty” hand. You can wipe the dirt off, but these are eggshells, people. They’re fragile!

I don’t have any good advice about sprinkling the grass seed. Just sprinkle it. I’m not sure how long the grass will take to grow, and I’m worried I’m a little too late, so I went pretty heavy on the seed. Besides, the bag I bought is enough to re-seed 1,200 square feet of lawn (the equivalent of half a tennis court, according to the bag), so I had plenty.

I did decide the best way to water these little things will be with a spray bottle. The goal is to keep the soil moist, but there is no drainage and I'm not about to try poking a hole in the bottoms of the shells.

Unfortunately, we have less than two weeks until Easter, so let’s hope my little grass seeds start sprouting soon! I’ll let you know how it goes!

Did Someone Say Cake Ball?

2009-03-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

While I was in Utah, I fixed a little birthday lunch for my mom and two of her friends. I think my mom had a hard time sitting in the living room watching me cook before the meal and then clean up afterwards, but she struggled through. The lunch was so much fun. My mom has the nicest friends.

For the lunch my friend Sandy helped me make our own little version of "cake balls." Yummy. Cake balls. I swear the other day, Evan and I were just sitting in the kitchen when he looked up at me and said, "cake ball." They were a hit!

Bakerella gives the full cake ball instructions and tons of variations on her blog. We altered our versions a bit.

Like Bakerella's version, we started with a cake mix (red velvet), baked according to the package directions. Then you break it up into tiny pieces and stir in one container of cream cheese icing. Once you get the gooey goodness mixed up, you shape it into balls. We used an ice cream scoop. We also sampled it at this point. Evan did too...

It was good, so we kept going. While those were chilling in the freezer for 15 minutes or so, we put small cupcake liners into a mini muffin pan. We melted chocolate (not chocolate chips though--the disks you can buy to make candy--when we ran out of those we tried chocolate chips and they didn't set up quite right). Here is what we used--all purchased at our local Wal-Mart.

We pulled the cake balls out of the freezer, put some chocolate in a muffin cup and stuck our cake ball in so the chocolate came up about half way the sides (in the picture above you can see that it will end up looking like the cupcake liner. We put it back in the freezer to let the chocolate set up. Once it was set, we removed the cupcake liner. Next we melted white chocolate and tinted it pink. We dipped the tops of the cake balls in the pink, sprinkled it with sprinkles...what else...and topped it with a red M&M! Ta-da! Cake ball cupcakes. I don't have any pictures of these steps for several reasons: a) you have to work quickly with chocolate b) Evan was hopped up on sugar at this point and needed some extra chasing and c) I was busy eating cake balls. I did get a picture of Evan with a finished product though. I finally figured out he really only wanted to eat the M&M and sprinkles off the top, but he looked so cute holding it.

So, there is my quick version...but check out Bakerella's great site at www.bakerella.com. She has some super cute Easter ideas up there.

We made far more cake balls than we dipped for the cupcakes (for some reason I thought I should double the recipe--that really wasn't necessary). With the leftovers, I pushed them down into a cupcake liner and just topped them with either chocolate or white chocolate. We sprinkled some with toffee chips. They were just as yummy even if they weren't quite as cute. As you'll see on Bakerella's site, the possibilities with cake balls are endless.

A Tribute to Miss Ash

2009-03-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

Miss Ashley. Evan's first nanny, one of the love's of his life and a forever friend. Miss Ashley nannied for Evan for a year, and even though it has been ten months since she officially worked for us, some things never change. Miss Ashley visited us in Price during our trip, and the two always pick up right where they left off.

There aren't very many people in this world who I would trust with my most prized possession, but Miss Ashley is one of them. She and Evan have a bond that I hope will never be broken. Thank you, Miss Ashley, for loving Evan, and for spending six hours in the car to get to spend an hour with Evan during our trip. It means the world to us!!! We were so lucky to find you. Some things are just meant to be.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2009-03-26T06:40:00.000-07:00

Are you sick of hearing about our trip to Utah yet? If so, you might as well close your Internet browser right now and check back in with us on Monday, because I still have lots of stories to tell! The reason we went to Utah in the first place was to celebrate my mom's birthday with her. On her actual birthday (March 21), we had a party at the park with her side of the family.

Here is the birthday girl, along with my dad. He tolerates pictures...for a little while...

My mom with my cousin Jason and his little sweetie, Hailee...

My mom and my Aunt Kim...

All the cousins...we were just missing three...Kendra, Megan and Luke...
My Aunt Nette, my mom and my Uncle Roy...

Becca and one of her twins...I'm sorry Becca...I can't tell which is which! Becca has another little boy, Caleb, but I never saw him the entire time. The park kept the kids busy! By the way--this is one of my favorite pictures from the party...I love the pretty yellows.

Hailee and Evan back at my mom's house after the party. They were so darn cute together!

We had such a fun party! Thank you to everyone for coming. But, I realized that I didn't get one picture of me with my mom. I don't remember posing for any, but if someone has one, will you send it to me? Also, a little note to my family: Since most of you have blogs, I'm assuming you don't mind me posting photos of you. If you do, let me know and I'll take them down!

Future Fire Chief

2009-03-25T06:58:00.000-07:00

Our Utah trip was full of adventures and surprises. One of which was a special treat from Evan's Aunt Sandy--my best friend--and her grandma, Penny. Penny is an amazing seamstress and her hubby, Ken, was the fire chief in Price for as long as I can remember (until he retired, of course). Sandy and Penny arranged a special ride in the fire truck for Evan and sewed him his very own turnout suit complete with his name and Price City patches. It made me cry.

I took about 100 pictures of our morning at the fire station. When I was telling the whole story to Bryan and e-mailing him pictures all he could say was, "Yes, but did you get a picture of you crying?"

So, it might be a little silly that I cried, but here is why. I've discovered that as a mom, I have no greater joy than that of seeing my little guy happy. I knew how much he would love his suit and his ride in the fire truck. I was so touched that Sandy and Penny took the time to make Evan his very own suit complete with every last detail, including reflective thread--who knew they even made reflective thread??? Oh--yeah--that's right, Aunt Sandy. Sandy also made a trip to a police supply store to buy some of the reflective gear and Penny sewed cargo pockets for the first time. There was so much planning, effort and love involved that it really did move me to tears! I can't help it. I'm a sap. We're so lucky to have people who care so much about us.

Sandy--thank you for being such a wonderful friend and "Aunt Sandy" to my Evan. Penny--if you read my blog--thank you so much for the suit. You're such an amazing and sweet person and we're so lucky to know you. We love you both!

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch

2009-03-24T19:06:00.000-07:00

Evan and I spent last week in my hometown (Price, Utah--for anyone who doesn't know). The day we landed in Utah, my mom treated Evan to his first pair of cowboy boots and a cowboy hat that rarely left his head during our entire stay. As soon as my mom handed Evan his new hat, he started saying, "McDonald's Farm. McDonald's Farm." Here are a few pics from the trip...warning...more to come...in future posts!

Helping feed the horses at Uncle Todd's and Aunt Brenda's:

Playing at the park at the fairgrounds:

Playing with cousin Charlie at Mimi's house.

And, yes, the hat was worn inside as well. Here Mimi and Grandpa Jerry are teaching Evan how to put olives on his fingers.

I have lots of stories to post about the trip, but I also have four deadlines pending this week! I hope to write more soon!

Totally Star Struck

2009-03-16T19:18:00.000-07:00

Of course I wouldn't trade my role as Evan's mom for anything in the world, but if for some strange reason I were ever forced to pick one person to trade places with, it would be New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult. I am star struck every time I see her. My heart beats fast, my palms get sweaty, I begin to utter mere syllables instead of actual words. It is pathetic.

Ms. Picoult is on tour promoting her latest book, Handle with Care: A Novel and I went to a reading last week. After the reading she took questions and answers. When she announced she had time for one last question, I decided I couldn't pass up an opportunity to talk to her, so I shot my hand up in the air. It was right as she called on me that I realized I didn't have a question to ask! So, I pulled together a really lame, boring question: Has your writing routine changed since your first novel? Ugh. I might as well have asked what toothpaste she uses. She answered it graciously saying her routine hasn't changed at all. Go figure.

Next came the signing. I waited in line hoping I could get a picture with her, only to find out she wasn't doing photos. She scribbled my name and her signature in my book and I tried to think of something to say to her. "I love your writing" seemed too obvious. So, being the intelligent creature I am, I came up with the incredibly witty, "I love the MP3s you post on your Web site." That was it? That was all I could come up with? I've read every single one of her books, some of them twice and that was all I could think to say? I blame it on the butterflies. She thanked me and told me she'd be posting a new one next month. I walked away shaking my head. I can be such a dork.

As for the book, I am almost finished and I love it! It has made me laugh and cry. It is the story of a mother that decided to sue for the wrongful birth of her daughter who was born with a genetic disease. I have liked every book by Jodi Picoult, but so far this is one of my favorites...now I just have to see how it ends. If you live close to me, I'll let you borrow my copy. If you want one of your own, Amazon has it for $16.77, which is a $10 discount--this link--Handle with Care: A Novel--will take you directly to the page.

If you want to listen to the MP3s I mentioned, visit http://www.jodipicoult.com/ and click on MP3s. You can also view her book tour schedule. If you go to a reading, try to be a little more composed than I was.

Sites I Love

2009-03-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

Oh, the Internet. It can be good and so, so bad. I have to admit that I am addicted to blogs. Friends' blogs. Family members' blogs. The blogs of complete strangers. Crafting, cooking and sewing blogs. You name it. In addition to the many blogs I read each day, there are a few other sites I spend time on that I thought I'd tell you about--if I'm going into the Internet abyss, I might as well bring you with me.

Evan and I make multiple visits each day to www.starfall.com. They have an alphabet section Evan absolutely loves. I don't mind it either. We spend at least 30 minutes a day on there and Evan knows all of his letters, so I think it helps!

The other site is called Baby Steals, www.babysteals.com. They post a new "steal" each day, which is usually 50 percent off some sort of baby or kid items. Once the items run out, the steal is gone, so you have to check the site each day. I usually browse, but I have ordered before and my items have gotten there fast and are always correct.

Oh--and for the other sites that I spend way toooooo much time on, check out my blogroll to the left!

A Hockey Mom in the Making

2009-03-10T18:52:00.001-07:00

Don't tell Evan, but he has to wait another year before he gets to sign up for hockey. I'm gearing up for it, too. I'm learning about hat tricks, blue lines and power plays. Bryan is helping me. Sometimes that means we have to watch hockey even when I'd rather watch the Duggar family on TLC (you know--the ones with all the kids).

Ice skating classes for three year olds are typically mom and me (or dad and me). By "mom and me," they mean mom gets on the ice, too. On skates. I have only been on ice skates once in my life. Bryan took me on one of our firsts dates and later confessed the only reason was so he would get to hold my hand as I was stumbling on the ice. It worked. I've never been a very graceful girl.

Since I assume I need to be steady on the ice in order to pull my toddler around, I've decided I better take some lessons, too.

Lessons start in a few weeks, but I went this weekend to "get a feel for the ice" like they recommended. And, boy, let me tell you, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time! I held onto the wall nearly the entire time. I almost wiped out a five year old. And a 50 year old. And a 12 year old and pretty much anyone who got in between the wall and me. I skated for an hour without falling. Yea! I also walked away with a whole new appreciation for hockey players. And tonight, when we were watching hockey (and not 17 Kids and Counting) and several fist fights broke out, I wasn't even shocked by the violence. I was amazed that the players could fight like that without accidentally toe-picking the ice and falling flat on their faces. I've decided they really do earn every penny!

Oh--and the first time I see Evan get in a fight on the ice, he'll be switching to figure skating.

All That Pouting

2009-03-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

The day started well. I decided to make Evan and Bryan a big Sunday morning breakfast. I thought of the smiles on my boys' faces as I peeled and sliced the potatoes and pulled out the bread for the French toast. I smiled when I heard Evan heading down the hall to wake Bryan up knowing within a few minutes we'd all be sitting down to the breakfast I'd so lovingly prepared.

Then, it happened. Reality. Sometimes I hate reality so much I can't stand it. I burned the final piece of French toast--not the kind where it was just a little too done, the kind that makes the whole house stink. Next, Evan didn't want to eat breakfast. Oh no, he wanted to play trains. Bryan and I doubled up on him and got him in his booster seat. I had made a nice breakfast and we were going to sit down and enjoy it if it was the last thing we did all day.

Evan was finally at the table, but the two-year-old in him refused to eat. We begged, we pleaded, we played little games. Then, Bryan gave Evan a choice. He had to take two more bites of his breakfast or else he couldn't go on a bike ride with Bryan. My ears started ringing. I had been looking forward to the bike ride all week! Three hours to get some work done was a glorious prospect for me! Anything but that.

I started trying to will Evan telepathically. Eat two bites. Eat two bites. Eat two bites. Eat two bites. Evan has a stubborn streak a mile along and he refused to take two bites. Not of his French toast, not of his hash browns, not of his grapes and not of the slice of plain bread I'd offered up as an alternative (he likes plain bread, so I wasn't being mean). He wouldn't even take a sip of the Orange Julius drink I had made to go along with our meal.

Finally, it was done. No bike ride. I am a firm believer that you have to follow through on the threat, even though it was hurting me just as much as it was hurting him. Bryan showered, loaded up the bike and left me with a very unhappy toddler. Boo! It wasn't the morning I had planned. Now Evan and I were both being punished. So much for planning a nice breakfast for everyone. I should have just put out some cereal and been done with it.

Next, I did what anyone being punished does...or at least what I do when I'm being punished...I pouted. I pouted because I had longed for a morning to get my work done. I pouted because I wanted Evan to have a fun morning outside without me being the one to oversee it. I pouted because I really needed to work on a story about fuel taxes my editor had sent back to me for some tweaking. I pouted because I had another story I needed to write about tires and I really didn't feel like writing about tires and I knew I would feel even less like writing about tires later in the day. I pouted because I was home alone with a cranky toddler and I pouted just because I felt like it. Then I pouted because all that pouting was taking up way too much time.

I pouted until 3:00 when I finally decided to start letting it all go. And you know what I realized? That pouting did absolutely no good. I should have let it go earlier in the day and just gotten on with things. Evan woke up happy from his nap, Bryan got home from his bike ride and we all had a much better afternoon. I even got in a little bit of time writing about tires. I'm still bummed about our unpleasant morning, but at least the second half of the day went well. And next time, I'll try not to pout as much.

Evan's Birthday Week

2009-03-05T19:12:00.000-08:00

So--it didn't start out as a week-long celebration, but it seems we've done something birthday related most days this week. We kicked off the week on Saturday when we had a birthday dinner with the folks we've deemed our "local family." Evan had a ball running around with his two little friends who were at the party. We ordered pizza, ate cake and let the kids decorate picture frames.

Evan even blew out his candles on his cake! I was going to just make a plain cake, but at the last minute I decided to try my hand at a Cars cake. Evan didn't seem to notice its many imperfections. Just another reason I love him to death!

I tortured Evan all day by not letting him remove Doc or the Sheriff from the cake. Poor guy. He was very happy to finally get those cars off the cake. So much so he did more driving than eating once we finally cut the thing. The cake with Mater was egg-free for Evan's friend who has a cake allergy.

Bryan got tickets to the Deloitte suite for the hockey game on Sunday. We invited quite a few of our friends and had a great time! Evan has been trying to check me into the boards ever since then, though!

My friend Michelle gave me permission to blog this picture of her little girl Jillian (whose birthday is today! Happy birthday Jillian!). The kids had lots of fun running around the suite.

Evan with his daddy.

Evan's new cars came with us to the game.

Evan and his little friend Ava looking into the suite next to ours. It was empty...we hung out for a while after the game ended.

Evan's grandparents and aunts and uncles were too generous, which means Evan received at least one thing in the mail each day this week, adding to his celebration! Yesterday was Evan's actual birthday, so we did a little more celebrating. We met Granny (Bryan's grandma) and Aunt Nanci for breakfast.

Bryan and I hadn't gotten Evan a present, so in the afternoon I took him to Toys R Us and bought a couple of Thomas the Train trains for him. He was so excited! At dinner we sang happy birthday (again) and let him have a piece of leftover cake! Today he took treats to school and we have officially concluded birthday week. :-)

Thank you to everyone who took part in Evan's birthday week. Everyone was so generous! Evan has loved each and every present and is loving having new toys. It is hard to believe two years have passed since we first laid eyes on our little guy. Happy birthday, Evan!

Life Lesson

2009-03-05T08:02:00.000-08:00

Once there was a snowman, snowman, snowman.

Once there was a snowman, tall, tall, tall.

In the sun he melted, melted, melted.

In the sun he melted, small, small small.

Sometimes life's lessons are hard. Death, disappointment, melting snow. Eventually Evan will have to learn to deal with them all, but right now we're working on the melting snow. It is a concept that isn't well received by a two year old.

Each day when we go outside, there is less and less of our snowman left. Evan was quite concerned about this the first day, but he is starting to cope a little better. At first he could only point to the snowman and say, "Mommy--uh-0h. Mommy--uh-oh." He tried to pack a little more snow onto the snowman, but his efforts were fruitless. The mercury is rising and there is nothing we can do about it.

We've talked a lot about the properties of snow and how we'll have to wait until next year to build another snowman. Every time we go outside, the snowman has melted enough that his accessories (eyes, nose, mouth, pipe, buttons) have all fallen onto the ground. Evan dutifully picks them up and puts them back in. When the snowman's head fell off, we stuck the eyes in the top of the body. It is a little scary looking right now.

Temperatures are supposed to hit 70 this weekend, so I'm sure our snowman will be a thing of the past in just a few more days. At least I took a lot of pictures!

I also captured a little video, too. I swear, if I were to die today, Evan would think all I ever was was a voice behind a curtain somewhere. And what an awful voice it is. Do I REALLY sound that awful in person? I sure hope not! Be sure to focus your attention on Evan's cute little voice saying "melted" and not my many prompts to get him to say it.

Meet Our "Nose Man"

2009-03-03T10:19:00.000-08:00

Last year for Christmas my friend Sandy gave Evan a "Snowman in a Box" kit. The kit has waited patiently in the top of Evan's closet for a snow storm that would drop enough snow for such an activity. Just last week I looked at it and thought it was going to be another year before we had a chance to use it. Boy was I wrong! We had a big snow storm on Sunday! Even though I secretly wanted to just stay inside where it was warm, we bundled up and headed outside. Evan loved making our "nose man," also known as a snowman.

The snow didn't pack all that well, so we just sort of shape him from the ground up instead of rolling big balls like I had hoped. Evan didn't know the difference though and had just as much fun patting snow on our snowman. He also loved wearing his boots and kicking the snow.

Just the thought of snow around here is enough to close schools, so this was a really big storm for us (resulting in school closures yesterday and a two-hour delay today). Kids these days. In all of my school years, from kindergarten through high school, I think we had one snow day and that was only because the pipes in the school froze--not because they were concerned about 50 kids loading onto a school bus with no seat belts and heading off on icy roads. Safety, schmafety. We all survived.

Oh Shoot!

2009-02-26T16:49:00.000-08:00

We've been starting some beginning potty training with Evan. I've been trying to get him to sit down to go pee-pee--after all, his potty comes with the oh-so-effective splash guard built especially for boys. He has been resisting sitting down lately, preferring to stand up and pee in the bathtub instead. Today I realized that he just really likes to see the miracle that is what he considers to be himself making water. I mean, think about it, he absolutely loves water and I guess it probably does seem pretty amazing that he can make water shoot right out of himself on command.

So, I decided to let him practice his aim and try peeing in the potty standing up. He did great. He finished "making water," looked up with me with that look of amazement and quickly signed more. He looked back down at himself only to see a sad little trickle of "water" that landed squarely on the floor. He looked at the puddle and said, "Oh shoot!"

I had to stop myself from laughing and congratulate myself for not saying anything harsher than "oh shoot" around him. I had never really thought about how much I use the expression until today when I realized he'd picked it up just from hearing me say it. I think all in all it has been a pretty "oh shoot" week around our house, so it is no wonder he finally started saying it on his own.

On Sunday I was feeling terrible with the flu, so I think I moaned "oh shoot" each time I reached for some Sprite. On Monday the "oh shoots" continued when I'd get a wave of nausea and sit down. On Tuesday I dropped our VERY HEAVY fire place screen on my foot, resulting in the loudest "oh shoot" Evan has probably ever heard (it also resulted in a pretty good bruise). Yesterday we baked the cake for Evan's birthday dinner*. Evan likes to help with any and all baking and he thought we needed to add some egg shells to the mix. I remember saying, you guessed it, "oh shoot" as I was reaching to stop him. And, today when Evan spilled Cheerios all over the family room floor--yep--another "oh shoot" from me. And these are just the events I remember from this week!

I never knew how much I must say "oh shoot" until Evan muttered it today. Kids really can be a reflection of you. I'm going to have to start paying more attention to those little things I do that I don't even notice. It is frightening!

*Just a little note--Evan's birthday dinner isn't until Saturday, but I like to frost my cakes frozen, so I bake them ahead of time, wrap them in Saran Wrap and pop them in the freezer. I've decided not to do a fancy cake for the dinner. As you can tell...it has been a long week. So, I'm going with an eight-inch round white cake with raspberry filling and butter cream icing.

The Flu Revisited

2009-02-26T11:11:00.000-08:00

So Bryan's little flu bug last week finally found its way to me this week. All of a sudden I found myself wishing I had been much, much nicer to him. Of course I felt badly for him when he was sick and brought him Sprite, but I now realize I should have taken Evan completely out of the house to let Bryan get a little more peace and quiet. I also realized you never appreciate how often you clean your toilets until your leaning over one. Gross. Bryan and I have both recovered and Evan shows no signs of getting sick, so I guess that must mean his flu shot did the trick!

Busted

2009-02-19T18:59:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year my sister-in-law, Maria, gave Bryan this little "shower guy" that suctions onto the wall and holds a razor. Bryan loved it and as soon as he saw it gave me the razor lecture again...the one I've heard numerous times that goes a little something like this: "Don't use my razor...yada, yada, yada...gets dull...yada, yada, yada...get nicks...yada, yada, yada...don't use my razor, okay?"

Of course I agree. But every so often, I'll find myself in the shower and my razor is no where in sight. This was the case a few days ago. I'm looking around the shower for my razor and then, as if a ray of sunshine were beaming down on it, I see Bryan's razor hanging there in all its glory. I did think twice about using it, but as I was reaching for it I started telling myself I just needed to shave my underarms. How dull could that make the razor?

After I was done shaving, I reached to hang the razor up again. Then it hit me. Blade in or blade out? I couldn't remember. I hung it up both ways to see if it would spark a memory. I see this thing every day so you'd think I'd remember. I took my chances and put the blade out.

Later that morning, Bryan yells from the shower, "Did you use my razor?"

I replied, "It should have been blade in, huh?"

"Yes. Blade in."

At least I'll know for next time! And, he did spare me a repeat of the razor lecture.

The Man Cold

2009-02-19T11:01:00.000-08:00

My Aunt Janice left a comment that reminded me of this clip...you've probably seen it, but it makes me laugh every time I watch it.

Reseting the Clock

2009-02-18T17:55:00.000-08:00

My poor, sweet husband is as sick as can be right now. As upset as he is that he isn't feeling well, I think he is even more upset that he he can no longer say he hasn't vomited since 2002. While Bryan's vomit-free streak isn't quite as impressive as Jerry Seinfeld's (if you are a Seinfeld fan you'll know exactly what I'm talking about), it is something he is proud of.

Bryan has been working like crazy lately, not coming to bed most nights until 2 a.m., working full days on Saturdays and for several hours on Sundays. I think all of it has caught up to him and he has come down with a bug...he is blaming bad Indian food.

Evan doesn't know quite what to think about it all. This morning when Bryan came out of the bedroom, Evan started laughing and ran to him. Bryan hurried on by and closed the bathroom door behind him. Evan has mastered doorknobs, but he was pretty mortified when he walked in on Bryan throwing up. It took me a good thirty minutes to explain daddy was okay, he was just sick.

Bryan has unrelenting deadlines at work, so he forged ahead and went to the office. He did come home early (Bryan...home at 5:00? I KNOW he must be sick) and is taking a power nap right now. I wish there was something I could do for him. I know absolutely nothing about the work that he does, so I can't be of any help there. (It does remind me, however, of the MBA program when I did a book report for him...I got an A on it and learned a lot about labor unions in the process). I keep trying to force feed him Sprite or chicken noodle soup, but he isn't cooperating.

So, cross your fingers for a speedy recovery and a new vomit-free streak that will last well beyond his seven-year record.

Our Old Soul

2009-02-16T18:59:00.000-08:00

From the day Evan was born, Bryan and I could tell he was an old soul. He often reminds me of a sixty-year-old man just sitting back and analyzing the environment around him instead of reacting to it. He is torn by wanting to play with finger paints and keeping his hands clean. If he spots a string dangling from his shirt, he can't stop saying "uh-oh" and pointing it out to us until we cut it off. Bryan learned the hard way that Evan won't be fooled just by tucking the thread inside the sleeve.

Evan's neatness has made it very difficult lately for him to finish the open-faced peanut butter sandwiches he favors. He used to take one bite, sit it down, wipe his hands, take one bite, sit it down, wipe his hands, take one bite, sit it down, wipe his hands. It was painful. Even worse, now he wants me to pick it up and feed it to him so he can keep his hands clean.

All of these little things just reinforce my earlier impression of the old soul that lives in that little guy. But, the latest proof...today when I asked Evan if he wanted to watch Elmo, he asked for Clapton instead. As in Eric Clapton.

Bryan formally introduced Evan to Eric Clapton this weekend and my little guy is hooked. I even had to take a Thomas the Train DVD out today so I could put in Crossroads: Eric Clapton Guitar Festival 2007. So far Evan's favorites are Motherless Child and San Francisco Bay Blues. In case your not a fan like my boys, you can check those songs out here.

Do I need any more proof than that?

Friday. Again???

2009-02-13T12:02:00.001-08:00

It seems like I just woke up on Monday morning, but all of a sudden it is Friday again. I am not quite sure how the week passes so quickly. Taking trips to the grocery store, sitting in traffic, running to preschool, doing the dishes, researching stories--it all takes up its fair share. Luckily, so does giving kisses, getting hugs and telling stories. When I think about how this week passed in the blink of an eye, it is no wonder that the past two years have gone by equally as fast.

This week I've started giving serious thought to Evan's second birthday party. I've been feeling a little melancholy that we don't have any grandparents or family close enough just to pop in for the party and celebrate with us. We're going to make up for it by having a little party with Evan's "local grandma" (our neighbor Miss Louise), Miss Louise's daughter and grandson (our extended "local family"), and our good friends from Illinois who live here now and have a daughter close to Evan's age. I think Evan is going to love playing with his two little friends, and I'm having fun thinking about the cake I'm going to make. I know there are only going to be ten people, but I don't get the chance to make fun cakes very often, so I think I'll go ahead and do it. Everyone can take home a doggy bag!

Thinking about how the routine, day-to-day tasks take up the bulk of our time makes it even more important for me to stop and celebrate life's little occasions. A birthday here, a Valentine's Day there--they are the little things that keep me going and give me something fun to look forward to while I'm stuck on the beltway in rush-hour traffic! Oh yeah--that and thinking about how on earth I could make gum paste figures to resemble Evan, Nate and Ava--the guests at the party. I'll keep you posted on that one.

Creative Recycling

2009-02-09T06:17:00.000-08:00

I am all for recycling. Not just cans and cardboard, but things in the house, too. Those pajamas I no longer wear--they are tucked away and I can't wait to use the fabric to make lingerie bags for when I travel. And the table that no longer worked in the office? Now it is a toy storage area in the family room.

So, with that in mind, let me bring you the most creative attempt at recycling I've ever seen.

Ladies and gentlemen: The Grace Baptist Church in Price, Utah, which once was none other than a 7-11.

You can still see it, can't you? I haven't ever been inside, but I would love to see what they've done to it. I still can't get over a c-store becoming a church. I marvel at it each time I am visiting my parents and finally had to snap a picture of it. It seems wrong to take a picture of a church just so I could show it to people and say, "Hey, look at this church, it used to be a 7-11." But I did it anyway. I'm not quite sure what that says about my personality.

And, to prove it really is a church, I took a picture of the sign:

Because really...who would believe a 7-11 could be transformed into a church?

Spring Cleaning

2009-02-08T19:17:00.000-08:00

Mother Nature gave me a little pat on the back today, giving us temperatures in the 60s. It was the perfect little shot in the arm to reassure me I can make it through five more weeks of winter, assuming Mr. Groundhog was on track with his predictions.

We took the opportunity to do some much needed yard work, which means Evan got to put on his work gloves his Mimi got him a year ago. We spent hours working and Evan's tool of choice was a stick he'd picked up.

We ended up with four garbage cans full of leaves, weeds and sticks that had fallen off our trees all winter. The amazing thing is that under all those weeds, there were tiny little spouts from my bulbs that are as eager for spring to get here as I am. I can't thank those little plants enough for their mercy--I kill most things in our yard, but I seem to do bulbs well. In a fit of pregnancy-induced craziness, I planted over 200 bulbs in the fall of 2006 so Evan would come home to a yard in full bloom. He didn't really seem to care all that much...I probably should have spent more time reading child rearing books than planting, but now it means spring is the yard's time to shine...the one season when it actually looks fairly nice. So, if you're planning to come and visit us, March through May are your best bet!

Candy Coal: In Case You Need a Jumpstart on Christmas 2009

2009-02-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

It seems like there were so many Christmas projects I never got a chance to blog about what with all the Christmas projects and all. So, in case anyone wants to plan ahead, here are some little bags of candy coal I made for our family's Christmas Eve dinner this year. My friend Sandy, a master of all things stamped, made the tags and I made the bags out of muslin. My mom and I made the candy coal.

We made two batches, one cinnamon and one licorice. Here are the two pans--as you can tell one is already broken up into the chunks of coal.

We put the candy inside of cellophane bags so it didn't get the muslin bags dirty.

Here is the recipe if anyone wants to try it!

Candy Coal

2 cups sugar

2/3 cup white corn syrup

1 cup water

1 tsp. flavoring

Black food coloring (we used the Wilton food coloring for icing)

Combine sugar, water and corn syrup in small saucepan. Cook on medium high to 300 degrees F. This is called the hard crack stage. It will seem like it takes forever! Try to stir as little as possible or it will crystallize (believe me--I ruined one batch doing this).

Remove from heat and let cool to 280 degrees F. Add the flavoring and food coloring. Stir until blended. Pour into greased pan and let sit for several hours. Drop the pan on the ground to break it into chunks.

Life’s Simple Joys

2009-02-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Every day Evan reminds me that the simplest part of our day can be an adventure. One morning while we were in Nashville, Evan went crazy for the pillows on the bed. We had a king-size bed and the hotel had tons of pillows piled on it. Evan thought the pillows were the most wonderful thing ever. He rolled around in them, hid under them and just enjoyed every square inch of that bed and the pillows that covered it. He especially liked the fact that I was letting him be naked (don’t worry, he did have a diaper on) and that his Mimi (my mom) was there watching him. And to think I hadn’t given that bed a second thought.

Last night as Evan was taking his bath, I looked up at the clock and thought, “Whew--only one more hour until bedtime.” Evan was having so much fun in the bathtub. Watching him just pouring water from one container to another melted my heart. I started thinking that there will probably come a time when I would give anything to go back and have an hour with him at this age. Instead of rushing through the bath, I decided I should enjoy it, too. We sang silly songs, made plenty of animal noises and splashed until I had to get an extra towel out of the closet to wipe up the floor. I think I loved it as much as Evan did.

Last year I was talking with another mom about kids--her kids are much older than Evan is. She told me, “The minutes and the hours can drag on, but the years will fly by.” I’m trying to do a better job of remembering that when I find myself wishing away a certain part of the day. I need to take a lesson from Evan and find the newness and wonder in each situation.

The Safety Deposit Box from He_ _

2009-02-04T06:01:00.000-08:00

Bryan and I decided that since we are now officially grown ups, we should get a safety deposit box. We packed up Evan on Saturday and headed over to the bank. I wasn’t necessarily dreading it, but the bank we go to (and I think almost any bank around here) always has a long wait and it seems like things just take longer than they should.

We walked into the bank, took our number and sat down on some couches. They finally called our number—whoo hoo! I almost feel like I’ve won the lottery when that happens. We filled out quite a bit of paperwork, handed over our IDs, signed our life away and about 20 minutes later we had a safety deposit box. The woman who had been helping us offered to show us our new box.

We walked into the vault for the big unveiling. She handed us our keys and informed us we were the new proud owners of safety deposit box #666. Yes, 666. I don’t know exactly what 666 means, but I do know it is something to do with the devil. My ALWAYS rational husband stopped in his tracks right there in the vault.

Bryan: “Are you serious? The box is 666?”
Bank Lady: “Yes, sir. Right here, 666.” She points to our new box, which does have the numbers 666 right across the front of it.
Bryan: “I don’t think I like that.”
Me: “Are you serious? Are you uncomfortable with it?”
Bryan: “Yeah—I don’t think I like it.”
Bank Lady: “Why?” [Editor’s note: Bank Lady isn’t originally from the United States and in her country 666 doesn’t mean anything.]
Bryan: “That is the devil number.”
Bank Lady: “What is that?”

Of course neither Bryan nor I could give a detailed explanation of the devil number, so round and round we go. We finally make our way back to her desk to close our account for box number 666 and open a new account for a box somewhere in the 700s. This of course requires the involvement of another man at the bank, also not from the U.S., who tries to convince us that 666 means good luck. Bryan convinces Bank Lady she should Google 666 later. (This prompts Evan to say Google for the first time and makes me wonder what kind of government list this poor lady might end up on).

Bryan is always so rational that the whole thing surprised me a bit. Whenever I fly and I am in row 13, I always figure if the plane goes down, rows 12 and 14 aren’t going to do much better. I think it is probably the same with box number 666. I do have to admit that though that I don’t like to walk under a ladder, open an umbrella inside or cross a black cat’s path. So, I too feel a little more comfortable with a different box. I just never thought Bryan would be the one to request it.

I’m sure our passports will rest much easier.

Choices

2009-02-03T09:13:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking a lot about choices lately. It all started last week in the Washington Reagan airport as we were making our way to Nashville. Evan decided he wanted to sit down on the floor in the middle of the airport. This wasn't a good choice for several reasons. First, there were crazy travelers with big pieces of luggage rushing around. Second, we hadn't even made our way to security and we were getting a little close on time. And third, well, who knows what kind of germs were lurking on that floor.

I gave Evan two choices--he could walk next to the stroller or he could sit in the stroller and have a snack and play with his cars (Come on--is this really a choice? I would have given my left arm at that point for someone to push me around the airport while allowing me to eat Goldfish Crackers and play with Lightening McQueen). Soon I had to introduce the third choice to Evan--should he not choose the previous two options he would get to be strapped into the stroller. He hates those stupid straps. I'm not sure why the choice was so difficult, but after some casual sitting on the floor, I had to scoop Evan up, arms flailing and strap him in the stroller. The tears started flowing (his, not mine) and tried to retain my calm demeanor the best I could. Evan can put up quite a struggle when he wants to.

After he was strapped in, we hurried to security. He was crying pretty hard and I talked with him about the choices he had made and how he had made a bad choice that led to him being strapped in the stroller. It broke my heart, but it was a necessary evil. I promised him that once we got through security I would give him a chance to make a better choice. He told me he would like that and about 15 minutes later we both lived up to our ends of the bargain. (And, let me tell you, for the rest of the trip when he had an option of walking next to the stroller or riding of his own free will, he was pretty quick to take advantage of one of those choices. At one point he was walking so close to the stroller I was running over his little feet!)

But, all of those lectures on choices have made me re-evaluate some of the choices I make each day. It almost doesn't seem fair that I get to make the not-so-perfect choice and get away with it just because no one is watching. Like today, I had leftover buffalo chicken strips, potato chips and dip for lunch (thank you Superbowl). That was a pretty bad choice. Sometimes I choose to try to work while watching t.v. If only my mom were here to make me turn it off.

There are other choices I make that send the wrong message. Sometimes I go to bed without walking downstairs to say goodnight to Bryan when he is working late simply because those extra 20 steps just seem too tiring. A better choice would at least be yelling goodnight from the top of the stairs.

Every so often I do make some good choices. This weekend I had an e-mail from a mom who got my name off the parent resource list provided by the Vascular Birthmark Foundation. Her little girl has a hemangioma similar to Evan's. Talking with her reminded me of what a confusing and scary time that was in our lives and made me happy I had decided to list my name on the VBF's Web site. It also reminded me that having Evan's hemangioma removed was the absolute best choice for our family.

Choosing to go freelance was also one of the best choices I've ever made. I've been lucky enough to have steady work and spend more time with Evan. I'm also glad I chose to marry a CPA since it seems like I get a new 1099 each day. Oh--and speaking of choosing to marry a CPA, I do have to say that marrying Bryan was a very good choice!

Sir Charles and Mr. Tippin

2009-01-29T17:00:00.000-08:00

We had two more star encounters on our Nashville trip. My mom was ecstatic when she found out Charles Barkley would be signing autographs during the trade show. Evan enjoyed giving Sir Charles high fives, even though he has no idea who Charles Barkley is. Charles (he told me I could call him Charles when I referred to him as Mr. Barkley) was around for the whole day and anytime I'd walk past him he'd ask me where "mom" was. Since I was working, mom and Evan spent most of their time exploring the hotel.

We also got to meet country star Aaron Tippin. I'm a fan of his, so I was pretty excited. Evan did his smile, which is more like a squint. If you don't catch it at just the right moment, it looks more like a grimace...

We all made it home after some long delays in the airport, but it was well worth it!

We're Here for the Party

2009-01-25T19:12:00.000-08:00

I'm working in Nashville for a few days covering the trade show my old association puts on each year. My mom and Evan are here with me and one of the perks of this gig (in addition to the paycheck) was a private concert by Gretchen Wilson and a little meet and greet. Evan slept through the whole meet and greet (I still can't figure out how he can sleep through something like this, but at home the phone ringing wakes him up immediately). He was just kicked back in his stroller, hands behind his head, like he was taking a siesta under a shade tree.

My mom and I took turns watching the concert, since it was a little too loud for Evan. (He did wake up by the time the concert started). I am a huge country music fan and I know I'm going to have Gretchen's song "I'm Here for the Party" stuck in my head for days!

When I came out of the ballroom from my "turn," I saw my mom and Evan dancing to the music. It was too cute!

I am pooped, but I was able to wrap up all the writing I needed to do tonight and now I'm going to hit the sack and sing along to Gretchen Wilson tunes in my head until I fall asleep.