The Evans

Puppies and Cousins

2011-05-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

We were so blessed to have my brother Ryan and his family come for a visit to AZ! How spoiled am I? It was so relaxing. We walked the dogs and played at the park. We ventured into the desert, and cooled down at the pool. We saw the movie Rio, so musical and colorful. The Lopers are dog breeders, and with new puppies around, the whole crew came with, 23 dogs in all (3 adult Great Danes and 9 pups, 4 adult Yorkies and 7 pups).

The dogs traveled in an oh so posh 38 foot trailer, with private rooms for the mamas and babies.

Let me know if you are on the market for a new family pet.

I had so many pics I spread it into the next three posts.

Reed looks so small!

While I was taking this pic of Anisten, either Eli or Hally yelled that there were snakes by the water...

I didn't think anything of it but Marlece was instantly alarmed...

With good reason, the little kids were standing within feet of two wild Western Diamond-back rattlesnakes!

Stargazing Tower

Adorable Yorkie Puppy, We could not keep Lilly away.

Ryan meets Reed

2011-05-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

Uncle Ryan hit it off with Reed right away. It was the first time they met, Reed being 16 months old.

Reed felt totally comfortable to climb right on to Ryan's lap, in this case belly.

If you are very loved, Reed may give you a "woobie"

Swim Cousins

2011-05-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

Silly Face Cousins

Ballet Cousins

Funky Dance

Latest Project

2011-05-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

Drool all you want. They are already gifted away.

I love creating.

Easter

2011-05-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

We were so spoiled to have Nana come for Easter. Thursday we went to the Mesa Temple pageant. It was amazing! Saturday we hunted eggs at the church, then the girls dyed eggs at home during Reed's nap. Sunday we egg hunted in our back yard.

We had such a relaxing time.

Thanks Nana

The ward asked us to not donate chocolate to put inside the eggs, because it would melt in the grass before the kids got to it... what a concept! We are used to doing egg hunts inside due to rain and the grass is so soppy you might loose a shoe!

Anisten was way over her 10 egg limit. I had to throw eggs back in the grass when she wasn't looking.

I got a new Bernina. I am so spoiled. Mom and I broke it in by whipping up these fresh little spring skirts for the girls.

Below is from our home egg hunt.

Where can you find AZ kids at 8am?

2011-05-15T15:37:00.000-07:00

One morning I finished doing Lilly's hair and wondered why my house was so quiet. Lilly and I were a little alarmed not to find Reed and Anisten anywhere. Releived, we heard laughing from the back yard, and found Anisten giving Reed a ride on the back of her double-decker-red-radio-flyer tricycle. The Littles had let themselves out clad only in stylish pajamas.

Exactly why we don't have a pool!

No more Looth Tooth

2011-04-13T22:57:00.000-07:00

This whole experience is so amazing to me...

I feel as though it was yesterday my baby girl got her first tooth through her gums. Today, that same tooth wiggled completely loose and fell out! Lilly is officially a kid, verses a little girl. The whole process was so exciting and scary and cool for her. She sat on the bathroom counter and worked on it, laughed, got scared, and worked on it some more. Finally, out it came.

We are going to be visited by a very special fairy tonight.

I had a loose tooth once. My dad yanked it out with pliers. Needless to say the next time I had a loose tooth, I wouldn't let anyone near me. I ended up getting pushed down, my very loose tooth was knocked out, and as I began to cry from falling on my face, I inhaled the tooth into my lung. It had to be surgically removed.

My grandpa Howard McWhirk wrote me a poem:

"You swallowed your tooth just like a pill,

And now you have a Two Dollar bill."

The poem accompanied the tooth in a velvet frame, and a two dollar bill.

My grandpa has since passed away. I told this story to Lilly and showed her the little tooth I still have in the velvet frame. I'm so glad Lilly's Looth Tooth came out the old fashioned way!

Fairytale Ball

2011-03-07T21:34:00.000-08:00

We joined the best club. I call it a club, because it is way too nice to call a gym.

Lifetime fitness. Ever heard of it?

Anyway, at Christmas, we enjoyed breakfast with Santa and a good jump in a bouncy house.

Their next big event was in February, the girls asked Daddy on a date to the "Fairytale Ball". Rylan of course was flattered and said Yes. This event was high class, and we dusted off Rylan's tuxedo for the occasion. He was by no means overdressed.

In the mean time, Moma helped the girls get dolled up for the evenings exciting event. We started with Hair, then Make-up and a hint of perfume. Topped it off with crowns and gloves and sparkle spray, and the princesses were ready for the Royal Ball!

The Tiara I wore for my wedding!

First item on agenda: mix with celebrities.

Next: Make craft swords and crowns.

Then dance like crazy to a live DJ

Ride around the parking lot in style by a horse drawn carriage!

Good Job Daddy, I see you put on their sweaters!

All this can create quite an appetite.

The royal cake was cut when the clock struck 7.

Pose with celebrities

According to Lilly, "There was only one real princess there"

Mrs. Arizona!

I think there was only one real prince, we love you Daddy Rylan.

A royal evening to remember.

Happy Valentine's Day to You!

2011-02-13T19:56:00.000-08:00

These little sandwich cookies are going to make my preschoolers very happy on Valentine's.

At our home, Sunday dinner is not complete without apple pie.

I'm experimenting with the vent.

(It worked very well)

On another note, Anisten discovered Nutella, with all four fingers!

I thought she was darling and naughty, so I snapped a pic.

She threw a huge fit when Rylan took the chocolate away.

Dead Bee

2011-02-11T11:22:00.000-08:00

Anisten and Lilly staring intently at a dead bee on the floor.
Lilly: "Is it moving?"
Anisten: "No, its still dead".

Superstition Farm

2011-02-07T21:30:00.000-08:00

This is a darling little family owned farm in Mesa AZ. They have tours and hay-rides, a petting zoo, and a milk bar with 12 flavors of milk!

Check out my little man, same size as this gigantic chicken!

Anisten loved holding this mow-hawk chicken.

Lilly tried to catch the chicken after putting him down, baited him with food,

and cried when she could not recover him.

This baby cow was so hungry and aggressive! Lilly was scared (and me too)!

Check out the crazy look in the cow's eyes.

He kept jumping up and bumping us.

Anisten wouldn't help me.

Wooly "Seep"

Hay ride through the farm

Full udders

Hay bunz, I mean bails.

No way this guy was going to touch the horse!

Grammy and Papa!

2011-01-23T21:55:00.000-08:00

Grammy and Papa visited us from Mapleton Utah. We were so spoiled to have them for two weeks. Dad ran around with a tool box fixing everything in sight and Grammy did my dishes every single day. It was heaven. We did all sorts of fun things too.

We went boating. Reed is a crazy driver! Watch out ducks.

Partay Boat!

We had to search far and wide to find a lake in Arizona. This is Saguaro Lake, named after a large cactus found only in the Sonoran Desert.

Mama Layne drives Fast!

Check out Anisten's Life-Vest bunz strap.

Her dress was blowing in the wind around it.

Unlike the girls

Reed didn't take to his Sea legs too well. Or wind in his face.

During their visit, we played monopoly deal just about every day.

I had to wrestle dad to get him to try something different, Blockus!

Which he did not play again.

We cooked every day. Breakfast Yum. After finding the pancake mix had run out,
Dad made pancakes the old fashioned way- from scratch!

We did science experiments.

And enjoyed a sunny day at a local Zoo and aquarium.

Parrot snack time

Ann and I tricked dad into thinking a bird pooped on his back.

Then he insisted that I clean him with a baby wipe, so I pretended to rub it in. HAH!
A taste of your own medicine y'old trickster!

White Tail Hawk

Kaa, the Albino Constricting Snake

Reed didn't like Kaa- me neither!

Arizona Family Christmas

2011-01-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

Silly attack after a very s e r i o u s 2 hour job interview.

Mom was behind the camera cracking me up.

Up they go

Down they go

Happy Birthday to You! Jesse's annual birthday ritual- Ice cream log cake.

Out for a delicious steak dinner, very nice! Thx Jesse

Pictured: Celebration Braid. Already devoured: Cinnamon Roll Wreath.

Enjoying the spoils

Nice theatrics Rylan

Super apple pie

We ate two of these bad boys in two days

Santa was good to us

AAA Landscape Sweatshirts- tres chic

Two matching Barbie VW Bugs!

After eating a Christmas dinner of Ham, Potatoes, home-made bread and apple pie, we headed to the park for a walk around a lake and a friendly game of basket ball. The weather was beautiful, about 70 degrees.

Uncle Andy loves the sun

Free at Last

2011-01-07T12:28:00.000-08:00

I finished my quilt top! "It Takes a Village" It took me three months. I'm going to get this one professionally quilted. I made a sham too. The photo does not do it justice, it turned out beautiful. It will fit on a twin bed. I'm going to keep an hours log on my next quilt. You would not believe how much time you put into quilts!

12 month photo shoot

2011-01-07T11:54:00.000-08:00

Dressed Reed up and took him to the park. Found out the next day he had Pneumonia! I knew he wasn't feeling well, but he isn't a complainer.

Reed is One!

2011-01-07T11:45:00.000-08:00

No celebration is complete without Nana. She came all the way from Cali for Reed's first birthday. We had fun putting all the candy on this kid-tastic cake.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-15T18:45:00.001-08:00

Personalize your own free photo slideshow

Mesa AZ Temple Christmas Lights

2010-12-08T17:50:00.000-08:00

So Beautiful.

How on Earth am I going to keep this kid safe?

2010-12-05T09:59:00.000-08:00

Accidents are the leading cause of injury & hospitalization in children. No wonder!

This boy just barely learned to walk, and he is climbing all over. I want to nickname him "Goat".

Every time I walk around the corner, and find Reed climbing something new.

Here are some candid shots of his climbing adventures.

Reed used the chair to climb onto the table, and was eating Lilly and Anisten's Thanksgiving Artwork.

Paper and Glue, Yum!

Serious?

Are you Serious?!

In other news:

Reed enjoyed his first Oreo cookie.

Reed turns 1 in eight days. I've been doing a lot of reflection this last month, approaching his first birthday. A year ago I wasn't sure he would survive his beginning life battle. When he survived it, I thought we might have a special needs child dependant on medical equipment for his lifetime. What blessings have been doled out to us, that Reed is a perfectly beautiful baby boy, requiring no special medical attention.

I have gratitude for my Heavenly Father, for the blessings I do not deserve.

I love you Reed!

New Quilt

2010-12-04T19:30:00.000-08:00

This summer we went to the International Kite Festival in Long Beach Washington. This is by far my favorite vacation spot. My mom was able to join us, and while strolling the beach shops Mom and I found a darling little quilt shop. Though I left the quilt shop without kite fabric, I did score this great "Crazy" quilt book, by the Buggy Barn. This is my second quilt ever, and I started it just prior to moving to AZ. I worked really hard on it up until the time we moved, I wanted the pieces to be in a movable state.

It was torture to be in AZ for a month, with no friends and nothing to do, and have my quilt and sewing machine in STORAGE!!!! I really would have liked to work on it then.

"It Takes A Village" quilt, Can you tell what it is going to be?

So glad I found this book "Those Crazy Kids" Crazy quilting is when the fabric pieces are not the exact same size, the angles are not normal, and it seems crazy when you are doing it, but it all turns out great. I cut through 13 fabrics at a time with a 60mm rotary cutter. That felt crazy!

Gobble Gobble

2010-11-29T15:42:00.000-08:00

last week driving to the store.......
Me: "Kids, what do we eat for Thanksgiving?"
Lilly: "TURKEY! Yum!"
Me: "That's right. Want to help me pick out a turkey?"
Lilly: pause, quizative look, "Mom, How we gonna catch a turkey?"

Halloween at Last!

2010-11-21T10:29:00.000-08:00

We dressed up as the clan from Peter Pan.

Tinker-Bell had the perfect hair!

Tiger Lilly- Cutest blond indian I ever saw!

Who wouldn't be scared of this guy?

Rylan won his work dress up contest.

Nice eyeliner!

I'm Wendy, I got to wear a nightgown HA!

Ward Trunk or Treat

Girls drew the faces on, Daddy carved um out.

Mom's Pumpkin Houses

We carved um a week before, they were rotten by halloween, it was 95 degrees that week.

I guess in Phoenix you carve pumpkins the day before.

What would our little clan be without the star, Peter Pan!

This is Reed's favorite manly pose, he plays like this all the time.

Other fun stuff: Anisten insisted on flying with her wings! She thought she really could fly. She insisted on going outside, and Daddy helped her fly. She loved it.

The Hook costume was a hit with the kids.

And the swords

And the wig

To Be Like a Fishie

2010-11-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

I've been prepping Anisten for her change from nursery to primary starting in January. Anisten was a late talker, doesn't show interest in friends, still throws tantrums at times, needless to say I'm concerned she isn't ready for Primary. Non the less, we've been talking about what her new Sunbeam class will be like, and singing time, and being in Primary with big sister Lilly.

Anisten later told me that she does not want to be a Sunbeam. She said "I want to be like a fishie... I want a fishie tatoom." I asked her if she could be a Sunbeam, and be like a fishie. She said "Nope". She is determined.

Now I know she is not ready for Primary. Fishie class anyone?

Arizona and New Shoes

2010-10-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

Here we are in Sunny Arizona. We flew and arrived safely on Thursday last week. All our stuff is in storage, we are living in a furnished 3br apartment until we find a rental home, and are sharing one rental car until our automobiles arrive. Bad news: I have no computer, no quilt to work on, no friends and no family and Phoenix has no Recycling program. Oh and the bugs, lots and lots of bugs.
Good news: Reed's surgery couldn't have gone better, and I pretty much love it here so far. Could it be due to my hair turning out fabulous every day? :) Today Rylan didn't have to be to work until 8am (normally he starts at 6:30am). So me and the kids drove him to work so we had use of the car all day! Today it happened to be raining and Lilly and Anisten saw and enjoyed their first RAINBOW! It actually was a double rainbow. Ah, we loved it, marveled at it, oogled, and ahhed. We named off the colors, and talked about what a rainbow is. What a mini blessing for us! Of all the rain in Seattle, when was the last time you saw a rainbow?
With my happy husband off to work, me and the kids in tow, we set off to find the mall (I've used my GPS non-stop). Baby Reed grew out of his shoes and has been going bare foot. since we got here.. wwhich would be fine, but Reed is on the cusp of walking. I was on the hunt for a sturdy pair of walking shoes. Our first stop: Stride Rite. The sales lady measured Reed's foot as a 5 wide, on the verge of 5 double wide! No wonder I couldn't get his other shoes on, they were a size 3! oops. Ever wonder what your baby would tell you if he could talk? Like, those shoes hurt! I'm positive Reed would tell me he is done with baby food or any other substance spooned into his mouth. I'm not sure what to feed the guy, he only has 7 teeth. Anyway, We got some great brown and orange double Velcro strap shoes. He will be off and running in no time. By the way, we got completely DRENCHED running from the mall to the car. I'm talking POURING.
I have no photos to post. I packed my camera, but not the cord to upload. Tootles.

Green Tomatoes

2010-09-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

What you get when you plant seeds in May.

Even being GREEN, they are very pretty to look at,

and they smell wonderful.

I'm going to enjoy them,

even if I never get to eat them.

Its the first time I've grown anything.

Uh-licious

2010-09-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

Anisten is "Fee" (three)!

Today she asked me for chocolate milk, and said it was "uh-licious". Made me smile, she is acting older already.

Here are some pics from her party.

Afraid of candles, needed encouragement to blow em out.

She licked all the frosting off the cupcake and moved on to the brownie.

Pin the nose on the clown game, Anisten's nose was the purple one, halfway off the poster. She was blindfolded, and tickled pink about the game

Had to include this one of Reed teething on some corn.

First Day of Pre-School ... again

2010-09-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

This is Lilly's second year of pre-school. She was so ready for it to start. If you look closely at her right hand, she is holding her pink scooby-doo lunch box. Let me tell you, taking a lunch box to school is one of the coolest things Lilly can think of. We walked home (it is so close to us!) and Lilly told us all about her day. She was on top of the world!

Anisten cried all the way home, sobbing "Lilly stay wif us". I counted on her having a hard time of it. Anisten and I enjoyed some one on one time at hoome, so nice. Miraya, like the outfit? Fits perfectly.

What did you do today?

2010-09-07T21:58:00.000-07:00

Bet you didn't play with slime!

I made this stuff using the recipe on the website ourbestbites

Anisten likes to be clean, naturally she was very distraught about the whole thing...

Not Diego, he loved his "Goop"

Coming around a little, "Is ucky moma"

Stretch

Lilly played for about an hour.

All the while Reed was under the table chewing on a butterfly bath toy...

Documentary- The Business of Being Born

2010-09-06T16:33:00.000-07:00

To the women in my life: YOU have got to watch this documentary! Information is power. We need to be informed. All women need to see this, whether you are birthing age or not. My friend watched it and recommended that I see it. I found it on our NetFlix instant queue, under the documentary tab. Careful, you strong women may change your opinions....

"Birth is a miracle, a rite of passage, a natural part of life. But birth is also big business.
Compelled to explore the subject after the delivery of her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to question the way American women have babies.
The film interlaces intimate birth stories with surprising historical, political and scientific insights and shocking statistics about the current maternity care system. When director Epstein discovers she is pregnant during the making of the film, the journey becomes even more personal.
Should most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every delivery be treated as a potentially catastrophic medical emergency?"

Look Who's 5!

2010-09-05T10:01:00.001-07:00

Horah for Lilly. What a big girl.

Carousel Cake

Lilly just had to have this coloring castle.

Sampler Quilt

2010-09-05T08:22:00.000-07:00

I did it! I finished my first quilt last night. I started it in July in a class with some friends, worked on it a ton along the way, and finally I'm done! It is called a "sampler" because each block is different, learning new skills as you go. I have a new reverence for our mothers of past times, who hand pieced scraps of fabric together to make useful warm quilts. I also now know that quilting is a labour of love. Its so much work, you better love it or you will quit. So I think I love it, because the finished product is so great. Thanks to Sara, for sharing her love of quilting with beginners who don't have a clue what they are doing.

My quilt has already been indoctrinated into the Evans family. Last night I was hand sewing the binding on, when Anisten ran up to me holding her tummy and puked everywhere (yes it got all over the quilt!, carpet, me and Rylan). I stayed up really late finishing the binding so I could wash it. That's the way things roll over here.

Bad BAD Moma

2010-08-25T17:35:00.000-07:00

Waterproof SPF 50 Sunscreen applied twice.

Ate her lunch in the shade.

Still got a sunburn :(
Bad Moma

Long Beach International Kite Festival

2010-08-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

We returned to the kite festival for the third time. It is seriously my favorite vacation. Rylan and I chanced upon the festival when Lilly was a baby. We have returned every other year since. This time we brought Nana, and she said it was her favorite vacation too... We also brought our bikes. We spent our time flying kites, eating, shopping, eating, watching kite events, eating, riding bikes, eating, splashing in the ocean, eating, and playing in the sand. Did I mention sand, Sand, SAND!

Here are some photos

The girls have their own kites to fly.

They also love these "spinners"

We stayed in the condo in the blue building behind the girls. It was right in the middle of town, within walking distance to everything. A perfect spot to stay.

Anisten didn't give any signs that the water was cold!

Fully clothed and "wading" in the ocean, Anisten was knocked off her feet by a big wave, and had to be saved by Rylan. She spent the rest of the afternoon wearing nothing but Nana's sweatshirt.

Did I mention Sand? We scrubbed sand out of the kids hair every night.

We also found Quick-Sand!

Look how tall I am!

We ate doughnuts and other delicious delicacies from the Cottage Bakery every day.

Ever eat a Texas Doughnut? Maple, my personal favorite.

Reed is 6 Months Today!

2010-06-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

Horay for Reed, our beautiful little blessing.

There was a time when I thought he would not make it.

6 months later he is strong, healthy, and thriving.

Reed is a miracle baby. I thank my Heavenly Father every day

for the blessing it is to be his mother.

Ensign Ranch Camping

2010-06-07T14:05:00.000-07:00

Rock and Roll

2010-06-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

5 months old

April Showers... Bring May Showers

2010-05-28T21:56:00.001-07:00

Sweet Anisten

2010-05-28T21:53:00.001-07:00

Baby Food for Baby "Weed"

2010-05-18T21:23:00.001-07:00

My chubby babe gets to eat food! He spit most of it out, and shuttered once or twice.

Then nursed really well.

Adventures at the Pool

2010-05-18T21:14:00.000-07:00

Rylan and the girls frequent the pool. This was Reed's first time to tag along.

Latest Project

2010-05-18T21:12:00.001-07:00

Mothers Day 2010

2010-05-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

I wanted one good picture....

Well, there's always next year :)

A visit with Momo

2010-04-26T14:19:00.001-07:00

I love our visits to Momo's house in eastern Washington.
Great Aunt Sally was making Reed crack up!

The quilt on the chair was made from Papa's plaid work shirts.

Reed making Sally laugh! I love it. Ultimate favorite picture

Rylan had to ride a tractor (sshh, don't tell him its a lawn mower)

I have permanent wrinkles from squinting the entire time we were there.

So Sunny!

The neighbor farmer was feeding the cows. This whole field was full of mama and baby cows. He let us ride in his pickup around the field while they pushed hay out the back (5 of us in the front cab). In addition to the cows, we saw mama and baby goats, llamas, and cattle with great big horns raised for roping and rodeos.

On this trip I learned that a "Steer" is a male cow that has had his man parts removed. The farmer laughed at my questions a few times.

Every baby gets a sink bath at Momo's

New Videos, "Look ma, no hands"

2010-04-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

Baby Blessing

2010-02-21T11:14:00.001-08:00

Reed Quentin Evans

Name and a Blessing

Feb 7, 2010

Happy Valentines Day

2010-02-21T11:08:00.000-08:00

My mission is to perfect the apple pie. My family is estatic I've taken on the challenge. Here is my latest. It was delicious by the way. The pink sugar sprinkles were Lilly's idea. This post is late. We all got RSV last week, and Reed spent his first Valentines Day inpatient at Children's. We are on the mend, doing well.

A slow learner

2010-02-21T10:48:00.000-08:00

I just figured out how to publish people's commets on my blog. Or even view them myself... I must be a slow learner. Thanks for all the supportive messages during our tough times with Reed. He is doing so well now. We got some darling pictures of his hands and feet, thanks to my dear friend Sara. Thanks Sara! My sister LeighAnn knitted the blanket he is wrapped in. Thanks LeighAnn!

You know you've been watching too much Idol when...

2010-02-12T15:55:00.000-08:00

... when your kids fight over who gets to sing into the vacuum hose. hilarious.

The Bike Lesson

2010-01-05T21:12:00.000-08:00

I learned a lesson last night I’m going to share with all of you. It reminds me of my favorite book as a child. It is an early edition of the Bernstein Bears book called “The Bike Lesson”. Papa bear comes home with a brand new bike for brother bear. But papa won’t let brother ride the bike until he teaches him a comprehensive bike lesson. The story is great because papa ends up doing everything wrong, crashing, getting scraped up, chased, and tells brother “Let this be a lesson for you, something you should never do”.
Anyway, I went to bed at 10:30 with a major head ache. I thought I’d sleep it off, but at midnight when I got up to feed Reed, my head hurt even worse. By 1am, Reed was finished and we both went back to sleep. By Reed’s 3am feeding my head felt like a bomb went off inside. So without thinking I took two extra strength Excedrin. The caffeine must have affected me because by 5am I was still not asleep, and very frustrated. Desperate for sleep and without thinking again I took two Benadryl. WoW, if you want to feel like a drunkard take Excedrin on top of Benadryl. By 5:30am I’d close my eyes and felt like the room was spinning. The Benadryl did the trick and before I knew it my girls were in my room. The clock said 7:30. I got up to feed my three kids, the Benadryl was still in full effect. I was dizzy and felt numb. I almost fainted in the kitchen. The Bike lesson… taking Excedrin and Benadryl is something you should never do. Sum total I got 5 hours sleep all chopped up in one to two hour increments. Oh the joy!

Reed Three Weeks Old

2010-01-03T21:45:00.000-08:00

We are home! Reed was discharged on New Years Eve, and has been home now for three days. I've been so busy ever since I didn't get to update until now. He hardly ever cries, and is so cuddly, it's nice to carry him around the house.

Reed has high caloric needs, his work of breathing takes up a lot of energy. We are working with him on feeding, stamina, and gaining weight. We feed him my expressed milk, with added formula to increase the calories. He has to eat 2.5 ounces every three hours around the clock in order to gain weight. Reed has a feeding tube, often he can't finish his bottle, and we put the rest down the tube. This whole process takes up to an hour, and I have to pump on top of that. I get 2 hours before starting the whole process over again.

In the meantime my beautiful perfect daughters get away with murder, because I'm so focused on Reed. Their room is an abomination, like every shelf and drawer threw up on the floor. Somehow Anisten unpotty trained herself, has been pooping and pottying in her panties. Lilly tattles and fights with Anisten. The girls love Reed, want to hold him, and "help" me with everything. They have had to become very independent, and are taking all this pretty well. I keep telling myself that this won't be forever. Rylan has been amazing, we trade off feedings when he is home.

Anisten fell asleep like this the other day........ HaH!

Reed 17 days old

2009-12-30T09:32:00.000-08:00

Today the doctors said Reed can come home tomorrow, New Years Eve. What a way to celebrate the New Year! Reed is going great, gaining weight. He has a goal of taking in two and a half ounces per feeding. They take my expressed milk and add more calories to it, so the calories are high, yet the volume isn't too large. He gets tired easily during feeding, and falls asleep. We help him finish off the rest of the bottle by infusing it slowly through a naso-gastric (NG) tube. He may need to have this tube for a month or longer. In the mean time, I'm still pumping.
We are being sent home with a bunch of equipment to help take care of reed. He's on a medication to reduce stomach acid, sleeps in an incline position on a wedge, we are renting a scale, and have a service that delivers the supplies we need for the NG.
I want to thank everyone that sent positive emails, brought over dinners, watched my kids, and family that stepped in and helped out. Rylan and I couldn't have survived without you.

Reed 13 days old

2009-12-26T19:33:00.001-08:00

The doctors came in this morning and asked if I had any questions. I said Ya, Reed is 13 days old, when can he have a bath? So today he had his first real bath in a tub of water. I loved it and took pictures ( I am saving the nudy ones to embarrass Reed as a teenager). The bathing quickly ended with potty in the tub, party foul. These pics below are after his bath, lotion, and comfy sleeper. I took lotion and spiked his hair, uncle Andrew would approve. His hair is going to be super blond.

Reed was admitted to the Medical floor at children's on Christmas Eve. I have been rooming in with him ever since. He is learning how to eat, and tires out easily. He is getting stronger and better at eating every time, and they are turning his IV nutrition off today. He is taking expressed milk from a bottle, and has to be fed a certain way. Rylan is going to stay with Reed tonight, and learn how to take care of him. I'm looking forward to needful rest at home!

Visits are OK, text me if you want to come by. We still can't use our cell phones for calls, but texts are OK. The girls are in love with Reed, and Lilly cried today when we had to leave him. She wanted to bring him home with us. My best guess is that if Reed continues to progress like he is, he may come home by Wednesday next week. I feel like all my problems/worries will disappear the day he comes home.

I love Reed.

Reed 10 days old

2009-12-23T08:27:00.000-08:00

Reed was extubated yesterday morning and taken off the ventilator. This morning the report is that he is doing great, breathing on his own, very comfortable chomping on a pacifier. I think he is hungry. He finally pooped yesterday twice, so they may start to feed him today or tomorrow. These kids have lots of trouble with reflux, so they are building him a custom fit wedge, to keep his head up and make use of gravity during feeds. He is also on a medication to reduce stomach acid.
It's great to be able to see his little mouth and face. He yawns, sneezed, licks and smacks. I put a onsie on him for the first time, and he looks like a real baby boy. Watch out Rylan, I'm in love with another man:) I got to hold him and rock in a chair for an hour and a half yesterday. He fell asleep on me, so peaceful.

Reed 8 Days Old

2009-12-21T20:40:00.000-08:00

Reed is 8 days old today. The last 8 days feel like a blur. I have felt a whirlwind of emotions, and feel numb at the same time. It seems I'm unable to think about or plan more than one day at a time. I spent a lot of time with Reed today. It helps me deal with the guilt I feel, having a sick baby when I am perfectly healthy.

Here is the update.
Reed had fevers yesterday. They are testing body fluids for bacteria; urine, blood, lung secretions, nasal cavity, and eyes. So far the only culture back was his nose, and it showed he does not have the flu or a cold. So that's good. The others will come back tomorrow. No results back yet on his echo-cardiogram. Reed is still on the ventilator, thick lung secretions having to be suctioned quite often. His skin looks creamy now, instead of that fake tan jaundice look new babies have. He had two IV lines removed today, and his arterial line, so both arms and legs are free! Yay! He is still getting his nutrition through a PICC line in his scalp.

I cannot thank everyone enough. We are so blessed to know the good people we know. Help with babysitting and dinners has made it so I can spend time with Reed. We get emails with positive messages and prayers everyday. My mom being here was such a help for me emotionally. I can't wait for the day we bring him home. I told Rylan that I'm going to carry him around all day, and not share:) Can you blame me?

Reed Update Thursday

2009-12-17T17:13:00.000-08:00

Reed graduated from the ventilator today and was extubated this morning at 10am! They let Rylan and I stay in the room and watch. Here is a video of him after they pulled the tube out. He is doing fantastic by the way.

The respiratory therapist said that crying is really good after the tube comes out. It helps fill the lungs with air, open up the parts of the lung Reed may not have used yet. Crying must hurt his lungs, and the tube will give you a really sore throat. The nurse gave him a little morphine, and he calmed down.

Lilly and Anisten got to meet Reed for the first time. They understood more than I thought. Anisten kept saying baby, baby, and cried when we had to leave. They got to touch his toes, and his hair, and laughed when he kicked his leg. They are excited for baby Reed to not be sick anymore.

Moms worry about everything, and I'm no exception. I wondered how Reed is going to learn to eat, having never been given the opportunity to suck. The best part of the day for me was when I got to hold him (I sorta got to hold him, but I'll take it). Reed was dreaming, and in his sleep he started to suck! It was so cute to be able to see his face and mouth without all the equipment. Reed also got his urine catheter taken out, and did not require the photo-therapy lights and goggles today (we got to see his eyes). I changed his diaper for the first time and loved it! HaH! I'll have to remember that.

Reeds incisions have never been covered. They used dermabond, a skin glue to close them. Three laproscopic sites under his armpit, and the thoracotomy site at the 10th rib.

The Plan:
We think the epidural might come out tomorrow, as well as his arterial IV line. They may give him a little breast milk (like 1mL), and hope he keeps it down. He may be able to move to a medical floor the day after that if he is still doing well. We are so happy with his progress and know that he is being blessed because of family and friends, fasting and prayers.

Baby Reed-Day After Surgery

2009-12-16T22:00:00.000-08:00

Today Reed is recovering from his surgery. He had a open thoracotomy and repair of a hernia in his diaphragm yesterday. He had to have a mesh patch prosthetic implanted to close the hole. This will stay in his body and his tissues will grow into it.

He is doing fantastic on the ventilator. They have been able to reduce the support a few times and his body is adjusting. There is talk of removing the breathing tube in the morning on Thursday, and the nurse today said Reed is doing so good he is a Rock Star!

Long day waiting yesterday.....Reed in surgery from 12 to 6pm.

That's my boy somewhere under all the equipment! From head to toe... PICC line in right scalp threaded into heart, photo therapy goggles for jaundice lights, naso-gastric tube from nose into stomach to suction out secretions and keep it empty, endo-tracheal tube to ventilate lungs, patches on chest for cardiac monitoring, epidural for pain control in his back, three laprascopic incisions under left arm, one three inch incision near 10th rib on left side, IV line and arterial line in right arm and hand, oxygen saturation monitor left wrist, urinary catheter, IV line in left foot. Wow
We can't hold him. They reposition him every few hours. He moves his arms, opens his eyes, kicks his legs. I even saw him get really mad and cry (no sound comes out with the tube), his face got all red! You go boy, fight, fight, fight!

Before surgery, Reed had a concave stomach, and a large barrel chest. Now with organs pulled down into belly cavity, he has a nice round tummy, and a more even, smaller chest.

Hoping to loose a few tubes tomorrow. Maybe we can hold him then.

Thank-you for all your prayers, fasting, and support.

Snowflake Lane

2009-12-06T22:09:00.001-08:00

Our little family has made a tradition to visit Snowflake Lane at Bellevue Square each year. We went early in the season this year because baby is coming soon (8 days) and I don't want to be left out of all the holiday fun. It was cold, about 30 degrees, crowded, loud, and fun. Live drummers dressed as toy solders line the streets and play to music. Bubbles "snow" off the roof of the mall. The wind blew them the wrong direction, so we didn't see the snow. We were a little late, so Lilly was in a mood. She cried as we left, and would like to go again when Nana Jules gets here in a week:) Up for that Grandma?

I'm holding Lilly 's hand down, from burying her face for the pic.

Lilly said "I want to go inside"

Lilly perked up a little when we saw the Snow Princess

First Haircut

2009-12-06T21:55:00.000-08:00

About a week ago I took Lilly in to get a haircut, a stacked bob like she has had before. Lilly's hair is hard to cut, and every nick and mistake shows up. They do a really great job however, and charge me $30 (ouch!) for her cut. While waiting, I watched an 18 month old little girl get her first haircut. It took the lady about 5 minutes, and charged them $30. I watched how she did it, and I decided to try a hand at it myself at home on Anisten. Anisten is hair challenged mind you, she is 27 months old, and has never had a haircut!

This is the before shot, wild baby hair.

Going well, candy in the mouth.

There goes all the baby wispies

Cut some little bangs too...

Ahh, finished product

So cute right? A stacked bob.

Thanksgving

2009-12-06T21:46:00.000-08:00

So much to be thankful for. Beautiful family, health, people who love us. We spent the day eating, playing games, resting from our normal routine out at the Evans' home in North Bend. Somehow I got out of cooking anything. HaH!

Guy talk

A little post-dinner snack, my kind of girl. At about 5:30pm we realized we forgot to put Anisten down for a nap! She wasn't crabby.

Leg stretch

Wild Farkle Game with the Missionaries

Wow, so I skipped 3 months!

2009-12-06T21:36:00.000-08:00

Here are some cute pics from way back in October. All the pumpkins were rotten, due to the hot summer we had. The patch was good for pictues, and that's about it.

Dr Thomas

2009-09-29T14:11:00.001-07:00

We love our pediatric dental office!

The girls had a visit today, Lilly was very excited.

What a trooper. She let the dentist put sealants on her two molars in the back.

She reclined and watched Cars the movie on the ceiling.

Orange scented gloves.

Squirt and suction. Dig the glasses?

Anisten looked so little lying in the bright orange leather chair.

Open wide!

Something spooked her, so we did a knee to knee after that.

Poor baby.

Highly recommend this office if anyone is looking.

NW Pediatric Dentistry http://www.nwpedo.com/

The Party

2009-09-29T13:50:00.001-07:00

We had a family party at our place for Anisten, Leah, and Lilly.

Lilly and Ry were the appointed decorators.

This picture is so cute, and blurry! I need a new camera!
I delete half my pics due to the blur.

Balloon Fun

Enjoying a mama smoothie.

Presents and cousins

Leah's new birthday dew, nice!

Smoke caught Anisten off guard

She got over it fast enough. Licked the frosting a few times then went for a new cupcake.

Anisten's 2nd Birthday

2009-09-15T17:37:00.001-07:00

Doesn't she look BIG? We got all dressed up

Got in the car, and headed to Woodland Park Zoo
Anisten got to touch a hedge-hog.

Slide the zoomazium slide

Play in a egg shell

As well as Lilly-chick

Penguins were our favorite

The ride home after a full Zoo day, blissful sleep, holding hands. Nice for mom.

I decided to get a Zoo membership for Anisten's Birthday gift. She has everything else in the world!

Pre-School

2009-09-15T17:20:00.001-07:00

Lilly started pre-school and is so excited. She has also decided to pose in every picture I take of her. Thanks Nana Jewels for the cutie dresses.

I need a new camera.

Car trip to preschool was full of excited singing.

And we finally arrived.

Lilly Settled in by playing with her staple, ponies.

Upside-Down Daisy Hat

2009-08-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

Fast and easy to knit.

Flower petals on top took just as long as the rest of the hat.

Used smaller needles and changed up the colors on this one.

Newborn size.

Lilly's 4th Birthay Party

2009-08-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

It's a Snow White kind of thing.

We had fun at Idylwood park with 7 of Lilly's friends.

The weather was perfect.

I made this costume, Lilly you are really spoiled!

Cupcake Cake turned out really great (and easy to make too!)

Pretty as a princess

Diligent preparation for our game "pin the princess on the castle balcony".

Blind-folded of course!

Thanks to Rylan and his skills with drawing, Lilly had a beautiful

poster of a castle.

Ooooh, Ahhhh! Presents.

All smiles from the cake eaters!

Knitting Bug

2009-08-11T23:30:00.001-07:00

This hat was soooo hard! I hated knitting it. It looks too fat, and too short, weird shape. I'll try it on a baby tomorrow. Supposedly a 12 month size. I bet it won't extend to baby's ears!

How dumb.

UPDATE: Tried this on a small 12 month old baby boy and it looked really cute, fit him OK. So I'm not that mad anymore.

Update

2009-08-11T15:15:00.000-07:00

I figured since it's been so long, I'd give you an

Evans Family Update

Anisten is sleeping in her own toddler bed. Today for nap she played for at least an hour before falling asleep on a bunch of toys she stacked in her bed.

Lilly likes to play dress up during nap time. Sometimes she naps.

I need to look up narcolepsy, and yes, Anisten actually fell asleep on the toilet.

Rylan's been trecking around the woods with the boyscouts. He thinks that being prepared means bring every item you own. His poor back!

I've been knitting up a storm. Here is the latest modeled by Anisten.

Lilly can almost swim on her own. She has been taking swim lessons, and is very comfortable in the water.

Putting Up

2009-05-12T22:07:00.000-07:00

That's the Southern term for canning. "Putting Up" I checked this great book out from the library and it's teaching me how to transform my kitchen into a home canning fortress! I'm so excited. I'm not talking about canning pickled beets, or pickled asparagus. I want to can apple sauce, strawberry jam, berry syrup, peaches, pears, marinara sauce, and other unknown can-able yummies. This book has the 1-2-3's of canning in the first section, and a month by month guide of what to can with recipes in the second section. The author Stephen Palmer Dowdney explains one of the reasons for canning...

"The quality of commercial products has continued to escalate. However, when using the word 'quality,' I am referring to the fancy glass packaging, eye-catching labels, and those special additives put into maintain color and 'freshness.' All this might appear to be fine, but the actual taste of the products we purchase has not improved. In fact, as the complexities of industrialization and competition have increased, the taste factor, in many cases, has eroded. The pretty package and the fancy label do not matter to our palate."

He goes on to say that there are four ways manufacturers can compete: advertising, price, label, and container. Taste isn't even in competition. He also says that our ancestors would not tolerate some of the foods we are accustomed to eating. Preservatives, fresheners, and chemicals take the flavor and nutrition right out of the food.

I'm not turning into a health food crazy. But he really has a point. I'm going to get my hands on the freshest, juiciest fruits and berries available. I'm going to eat up all I can, and can what I can't. YaY!

Wish me luck, I've never done this before.

Anisten's Firsts

2009-05-06T17:53:00.001-07:00

I would like to share than Anisten got her first hair cut, but that is unfortunately not the case. With the way things grow in her hair department, there is no need for a cut. However, I was able to pull her hair into her first piggy tails and I must say

cute, cute, cute!

She tried and successfully pulled both of them out later in the day. It must have felt funny.

Anisten went potty on the toilet today! YaY. We were doing some

spring cleaning and found our two little potty seats. Anisten knew just what to do from the start. She flopped it down and sat on it. Then after watching Lilly go on the toilet, she climbed up and went herself. Surprised the heck outta me!

First tinkle. She earned a chocolate chip reward.

Captain Hand Hygiene to the rescue

I'm remembering back when Lilly potty trained. Each time she went tinkle on the potty she got a Rolo. I didn't realize that she would potty on the toilet seven times in the first day, so she ultimately ate the whole pack of Rolo's and basically nothing else the entire day! LOL. We changed the reward to a single M&M the next day, worked much better.

Rattle Snake Lake

2009-05-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

This is our Second photo session as the Evans family at Rattle Snake Lake. Since the first session we have had two additions to our family. We were supposed to wear blue... these dresses are the only blue items my girls have.

Cousins

Loggers

What a good looking family

Rylan's Bros Randy, Kyle, Kevin and Sissy Leah

18 Month Photos

2009-05-05T10:12:00.001-07:00

A family friend took these pictures in Grandad Evans beautiful yard. Anisten had a perma-pout that got worse as time went on. Kids, Gotta love um. Total photo session time= 3 minutes.

Watch out Nursery, Here I come!

Anisten did great her first time in class. Didn't even cry when I left. Her teachers devide the class for snack time. Apparently Anisten eats so slow she stays for both snack sessions. Taking after Daddy.

Reverent Listening (HaH!)

Friends

Funky Monkey

2009-03-03T22:57:00.000-08:00

Craft world, watch out. I did another project. My favorite slippers to put on Anisten are all worn out. They are made just like robeez, but in soft fabric. They don't wash up clean anymore and are wearing holes in the bottom. So I took one apart with a seam ripper and drew a pattern on wax paper. I went to JoAnne's and picked out fabric. The new ones turned out great. I choose a monkey print liner.

On another note, Anisten has been sick, sick, sick. Double eye infection that wasn't improving with antibiotics, cough, stuffy nose and fever. I dressed my miserable babe up and took this photo the other day. She couldn't even smile!

This was taken today in our backyard in the beautiful sunshine. Anisten seems to be on the mend. She LOVES her rainboots. Her favorite shoe to wear.

This was our backyard last week. First thing in the morning Lilly dressed up warm and rolled around in it. Good thing too, it was melted by noon.

Need a Project

2009-02-25T11:59:00.000-08:00

Sometimes life has no excitement. It's silly, the things I get excited about. I was bored last week, and told my friend I needed a project. She lent me two patterns, and helped me pick some fabric. (Thanks Sara!) And voila presto, two adorable summer dresses for my girls! I'm a newborn at the machine, first time I used a pattern to sew anything wearable, and they turned out great. Maybe I'll try this sewing machine thing again.

PS. The cherry blossom fabric was a sheet in its past life. HaH!

Fix it up Chappy

2009-02-03T22:17:00.000-08:00

OH my gosh, you will never believe what I did yesterday!! The heater in my van has been blowing cold air for a while now. I was finally fed up with cold toes, so I decided to get it fixed. The problem was the thermostat was stuck open, never allowing the engine to heat up properly to warm the air. Rylan was at work, and I wanted to make an appointment so I called the auto place myself. The guy on the phone was rude, and when I didn't know the size of my engine off the top of my head he basically hung up on me. Come on, do you know how many liters your engine is? Anyway, now I know mine is 3.3L engine. That's beside the point. After this guy was so rude, I started thinking... I am an educated woman. I take care of sick people all the time. Sick people get too hot, too cold, have broken/worn out parts and clogged pipes at times. I know what to do to help fix them, how is an engine that different? So I googled how to heal my sick van. I read many different websites, my owners manual (was the least helpful resource), and consulted two fathers over the phone (thanks Ed and Dad, you were the most helpful resource). I purchased a new thermostat and extra coolant at the auto parts store with my two little girls in tow (Anisten tried to eat the car freshener trees at the checkout). I parked the van in the sun (how lucky) and worked on it for 2 and a half hours! I met resistance each step along the way, it is a miracle but I fixed it! It blows HOT air now!

I am so proud of myself and my confidence is through the roof. It turns out the auto shop could have fixed it in one hour for $90. Oh well, I'm glad I tried. Now if anyone has a broken thermostat, I'd be happy to help you fix it.

I took some photo's along the way. There isn't one of me under the van... because there was no one there to take one of me.

Drained the radiator of antifreeze

This is what the new thermostat looks like, $12 at the auto parts store

This is what the old thermostat looked like... clearly bustedI had to reach my hand in the engine and pull out all the parts. Hope I got them all out.

Happy girl with messy hair from getting under the van umpteen times.

Artist's collection

2008-12-28T22:22:00.001-08:00

Lilly has become quite the photographist. She steals my digital camera and takes pictures.

Some are candids of me.

Some are posed.

Some are candid shots of Anisten.
from inside their bus tent

or car seat

but mostly Lilly likes to take pictures of #1.

Our camera is full of these.

Lilly's photography days were numbered. She and Little "A" threw my flip video camera into the bathtub which broke it; therefore banishing them from touching my other camera ever again (at least when I'm aware of it).

Rylan the Graduate!!!

2008-12-12T21:29:00.000-08:00

Finally, no more school, no more studying, no Power Point, or group projects, worry, procrastination, evening classes, study sessions, exams, finals, professors, or reading business books! Congratulations Rylan.... YES!!!

Lilly snoozer

2008-12-12T16:10:00.000-08:00

Today Lilly was very difficult at nap time. She said "I'm not tired", she cried, she came out of her room a million times, she claimed to need to potty even though she had just went, she complained that my music was too loud, and that the TV was too loud. Finally she must have rocked herself to sleep. It was hard not to laugh when I found her. Every so often she would move her legs and the chair would rock. HaH! The last one is a recent pic of Anisten falling asleep mid meal. I must serve boring food.

Blackberry Boboos

2008-08-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

Poor Lilly fell in a blackberry bush today when we were all out picking. Her leg is all scraped up, and she didn't even cry. She just whimpered. Bad mama, I should have put her in jeans.

Liquorice and Oreo's

2008-08-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

After Anisten fussing all day I was exhausted and settled in on the couch to watch the Olympics. Anisten got a hold of some liquorice, a hand full to be exact. When I attempted to take it away she squealed, stood on her toes, and threw her head back getting ready for a fight. I gave up and let her keep it. She was so happy for the first time that day she wasn't whining. She started by sucking on it, then biting and smiling the whole while. Then I gave her an oreo, which she happily gummed. I took these pictures for Rylan, who was at basketball when all of this was happening. Lucky for Anisten daddy was gone, he would not have approved!

Anisten's 9 month Photos

2008-07-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th

2008-07-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

A little late in the posting, we wanted to share some of out 4th photo's (It's stull July right?) It's been our tradition to go to the fireworks show at the Downtown Bellevue Park. I've never seen it so packed. By the time the show started, every inch of the grass was taken, and people were standing in the walkways to watch.

Twinner outfits, opposite dispositions.

Where is Summer?

2008-06-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

Wondering if summer will ever really come to the Pacific Northwest? I've been taking advantage every time the sun pops out to do something summery. Last evening I packed up my girls and skipped one exit down to Twin Falls trail head. It was beautiful as the sun shone through the trees and Lilly and I walked around touching moss, rocks, and every trickling stream that crossed our path. I packed Anisten around in my baby back pack while she took a nice snooze. Today in North Bend it is 63 degrees, partial clouds, and a light wind. Wanting to take advantage of our "warm" weather, I filled up the kiddi pool on the front lawn with the hose. After feeling the water I decided it was too freezing and just would not do. I fixed the problem by filling my cooler up with hot water from the house and dumping it in to the pool several times. Ahh, problem solved. The girls had fun splashing and playing in what felt like an outdoor bath tub. They wore themselves out and are currently both taking naps (Yes!, I'm so lucky). Can't help snapping photos of my bathing-suit clad babes. Enjoy.

I Might Be Crazy

2008-05-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

After a long boycott from blogging, I have to post and admit I have a problem. I HATE going to the dentist. It's not the dentist, we go to a really good guy. And it's not the anticipation of going either, or the office or the sounds in the office. It's that I can feel everything they do to me and it all hurts- the drill, the water, even the air hurts. The last time I was having work done I made them stop and give me more juice (anesthetic) twice- my nerves in my teeth could feel everything. I was trying to handle it but my body was involuntarily jumping off the chair. I have a really small mouth which isn't helpful, and find it hard to hold it open even for a cleaning. My neck and shoulders get tight and sore. I also inherited bad teeth. For example: just today at breakfast I was eating my raisin bran, minding my own business, and my front bottom tooth just chipped for no reason. Its obvious to look at and feels sharp in my mouth. Also every year or two I have a filling that breaks, cracks, leaks, or falls out, creating more work that has to be done in my tiny mouth that hurts me. By the way, yes I brush with a sonic-care twice a day, floss, and use Listerine. Anyway, I have to go to the dentist again this week for some filling replacements, and the doctor is going to give me laughing gas, or Valium, or both so I don't run straight outta there. I'm not allowed to drive there either so Rylan has to take me. Last time I left the dentist in tears and had a painful lump in my jaw for two weeks. I'm a bit imberassed about all this. Am I crazy? It's either drug me, or never go to the dentist again.

Movie Marathon

2008-02-14T15:46:00.000-08:00

Snow in Kirkland. Lilly loves ice....I mean snow.

Princess Lilly jumpin' on the bed.

A whole new meaning to log roll.

Our house is full of animals.

"Phoney" talk...

I think I am color blind.

A two year old speechless?!

Grandpas teach thumb wars, while grandmas teach...

Love my sister.

The Tickle Monster

2008-02-14T13:40:00.000-08:00

Daddy is a puppeteer.

Our girls have too much fun.

Opps!

2008-02-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

Anisten loves being thrown!

Maybe Daddy should be more careful.

Indoor Camping

2008-02-08T10:26:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to break up the manotany of daily life, we set out to go camping- indoors. I'm lucky I have a husband that not only goes along with my crazy ideas, he gets excited about them too. We put up a tent, a big tent, in our living room. We bought hotdogs and smores stuff. We turned the lights off, and started a fire in the fireplace. Lilly had so much fun running in and out of the tent, and playing with flashlights. We have a lantern that is battery powered, and we played games. We were planning on sleeping in the tent, all of us, overnight. After a few hours we realized that Lilly was still running in and out of the tent (actually there is a small zippered opening at the back of the tent which Rylan thinks is a doggie door. I'm still completely puzzled by this door.) Anyway, she was crawling out the tiny door in the back, running around and in the tent through the front, and repeated this action about a thousand times or more. So after realizing that true sleep in the tent wasn't going to happen, we put the kiddies to bed, took down camp, and slept blissfully in our bed dreaming of real outdoor camping adventures this summer. Then we will have to sleep in the tent.

Growing and Growing

2008-02-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

Anisten has gotten so big! At 4 1/2 months she weighs over 14lbs. We love her face chub and thigh rolls.

This must be why they install 5 point safety harness'.

Safe and sound

Strong resemblance to Lilly don't you think?

Yummy toys, Anisten loves the jumper, thanks Marlece!

There's the chub I love.

Look really close on her lower gum, the two white shiny spots are her first two teeth! I had no idea she was teething. They just showed up a few days ago.

Anisten Giggles

2008-01-22T23:17:00.000-08:00

Apparently Anisten thinks I'm funny. We love to make her laugh. She is such a fun, happy baby.

Click on the play button twice to view the video.

Retro Trike

2008-01-22T22:55:00.000-08:00

This week is sunny and COLD! The heater in our house is working overtime and I'm worried it's going to break. Lilly, Anisten, and I escaped the indoors for a few minutes outside in an attempt to get some Vitamin D from the sun's rays. We also were trying out Lilly's new retro Radio Flyer dual-deck tricycle equipped with streamers and a bell. So far the only part she knows how to operate is the bell, but the rest is coming. She is working on learning to steer, and her legs aren't quite long enough for the pettles. I bet by this spring she will be a danger on the road.

Momo's House

2008-01-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

Last weekend our family packed up and headed over Snoqualmie pass headed for Prosser WA, to Momo's house. I enjoyed the slow pace, visiting, looking at old pictures, Papa's scrapbook, playing games. My aunts Sally and Amber visited with us. Lilly, aka Speedy Gonzales, had fun dodging and running away from Momo who was attempting to get Lilly's socks on her. Anisten melted into Sally's arms and took what seemed like a 3 hour snooze. Rylan did a lot of snoozing for that matter. I was nursing a minor wound and am doing much better now. Momo made the best Sunday dinner, pork roast, mashed potatoes, the whole bit. I got to see my best girlfriend Abbie who was in town for her brother Dane's wedding reception. Abbie is 7 months pregnant and looking fabulous. On the drive home we were getting close to Kirkland. I told Lilly we were almost home and she would be sleeping in her own bed. She started to cry and through sobs repeated many times "Momo's house, me". Lilly wanted to go back to Momo's! I LOVE this photo of momo brushing Lilly's hair, Lilly looking in to the mirror.

Momo (my mother's mother)

Amber, Sam, and Travis

Groovy Girls

Layne and Abbie

Bill waiting for grandbabies.....

Anisten's 3 Month Photos

2008-01-07T12:59:00.000-08:00

Anisten has discovered her hands! Her little pink sausage fingers are constantly in her mouth, or attempting to grab at toys. She continues to be the easiest baby ever, sleeping most of the day. She smiles and laughs, such a happy girl. She brings our whole family so much joy.

Grandmas Love Babies

2008-01-03T20:37:00.001-08:00

Dress-Up

2008-01-03T19:47:00.000-08:00

We are finding out that Lilly loves to play dress up, change her clothes mid-day, and/ or just plain take all her clothes off. Ahh, the life of a two-year-old.

Too cool

Princess

What'll it be?

Shepherd

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas from Anisten

2007-12-25T21:59:00.000-08:00

Giggles

2007-12-11T11:03:00.000-08:00

Anisten laughs and smiles all the time. You tickle her and she giggles, it's so cute.

Tummy time, not her favorite. She is rolling over sometimes from tummy to back. She is getting stronger and has good neck control.

Tagged

2007-12-10T21:57:00.000-08:00

Corinne tagged me and I have to post 7 random/weird things about myself and then tag 7 other people at the end of the blog, and if possible in the comments section of their blogs. I must be weird because it was easy to come up with stuff. Here goes...

1) I'm a closet sewer. I have a sewing machine and randomly make things, mend things, hem things. Shh, don't tell.
2) I have an angel collection. How old lady-ish is that. Each year I display them during Christmas. I find myself admiring them more than I should. I buy more to add to the collection at the after Christmas sales.
3) Rylan and I were on the verge of obsession for the last two seasons of So You Think You Can Dance. We watched every episode, called in to vote for our favorites, checked the website to read up on our favorite dancers. I attempted to buy tickets to their tour, but they sold out in the first 11 minutes, I never got more than a busy signal. And most recently, we are signing up for a West Coast Swing class so we can be just like Benji and Laci!
4) I just recently took a Wood shop class. Basically everyone in there were middle aged men. Although I was an oddball in the group the guys were very helpful, nice. I felt a little awkward the night they invited me out to the bar for beers after class. See post below for a picture of my project.
5) I do a good Michael Jackson impression. It's not what you think, I don't grab my crotch, twirl, and yell like a little girl. It's my nose. I'll have to post a picture....
6) Um, I should probably shave my legs more frequently than I do. I have blond leg hair and think I can get away with not shaving for longer periods of time. One summer I was exploring the earth mother in me, I didn't shave for like three months. He he.
7) I'm the only person I know that doesn't like blueberries. They are gritty and taste like dirt. Huckleberries are my fav. I'm also very picky about the taste of milk. If it tastes weird, or tastes like plastic, I'll dump it down the sink. I'm basically down to one brand that I'll buy, Organic Valley. Great, now I sound like a picky eater.

I don't know 7 people with blogs...
The following people are tagged: Abbie Rufener, LeighAnn Beard, Rylan Evans, Brittany McCulloch, Kristen Evans, Kevin Evans.

Woodworking Class

2007-12-10T20:30:00.000-08:00

I got this crazy idea that I could make a wooden child's size kitchen. My dad made one for my sisters and I when we were little. I remember what it looked like and have memories playing with it. I signed up for a woodworking class, bought the materials, and draughted my own design. I missed the first class because I was in the hospital delivering Anisten. I didn't miss a class after that. I was one of the only women in class, the rest were middle aged men. I learned to use a table saw, jigsaw, band saw, miter saw, router, drill, nail gun, and others. I loved having a project to do. It came together relatively well. I'm still working on the details, knobs, sink, faucet, burners, and am putting a clear varnish on that accents the wood. Shhh, it's Lilly's Christmas presant. Finished picture to come...

Here Comes Santa Clause

2007-12-10T20:24:00.000-08:00

Lilly asked "Danta" for a puppy. Oh no! These were taken at our ward party on Dec 7. This was the third Santa's lap Lilly had sat on, spoiled girl. She was afraid of the first one. Anisten was a little angel wearing her pink Santa suit, we called her "Santa Baby" all evening. Cheers.