Easter Weekend

Where do I begin! I haven't been regularly blogging for a while because I have been in crunch mode for school. I have TONS of finals coming up and recently had four tests falling between only days apart. Sucky, I know. And to make things even more hectic I got a new CNA job working at the Lutheran Home in town. I am working registry and making a great wage and it's only a block away. Because I am training I worked Tuesday through Thursday from 2pm-10pm last week and will work Monday-Thursday from 2pm-10pm this week. Which means that I am going to school from 9am-2pm and immediately going to work (at 2:45) until 10pm. On Tuesday-Thursday I do get to leave at 11 giving me a little more time with Evelyn and we had a blast this weekend for Easter.


We attended an early Easter egg hunt last weekend...(notice Evelyn's sweet rain boots).


On the day of the real Easter egg hunt, Easter morning, Evelyn decided to wake up and help herself to her Easter basket while everyone was sleep. There were candy and fake grass everywhere. After this fiasco she participated in her first ever real Easter egg hunt! She had a blast and scored it big. The whole day went perfectly and we all had a blast.

Ev in her Easter dress.


Bunny ears :)


And here is Evelyn during the few hours of sunshine we had this weekend. This was her first ever time seeing the ice cream man and she was thrilled!

Big Girl

Last night we decided to transitioned Evelyn's crib into a toddler bed. She was SO excited! She kept running into her room and throwing herself onto the bed. Here's a clip.


She looked like such a big girl laying there. I sat at the edge of her bed, read her a few books and kissed her goodnight. I explained that she was a big girl now so she had to sleep in her big girl bed. When I shut the door I knew it wouldn't be long before I heard some kind of activity inside. A few minutes later Ev came to the door. Without speaking I picked her up and placed her back in her bed. We repeated this about 15 times until I realized it was now a game. So I placed her back in bed, kissed her goodnight again and shut the door completely because she is still (thank God!) unable to turn door handles. She immediately began screaming, "Oh no! Mommy, pwease! Oh goodness!" and multiple other cries of help. This lasted for a good 20 minutes before I heard nothing. An hour later I checked on her and she was sleeping in her bed. One of her toy bins had been dumped out but other than that the room was in order. Overall it was definitely an easier night than I had planned on!

So I was curious to see how tonight would play out. We brushed teeth, watched a show and headed to bed for some reading. She leaped up on her bed and snuggled down into her blankets with her baby. We read a few Dr. Seuss books and I again explained how she was such a big girl. When I leaned in for a kiss she wrapped her arms around my neck and said, "Wuv you, Mommy. G'night." My heart melted. I told her, "Good night, sweetie" before shutting the door. Fifteen minutes later I had still heard nothing so I cracked open the door and there was my big girl sleeping soundly in her bed. I tucked her in, kissed her forehead and walked out thinking how proud I was of her but also how sad it is to see her grow up so fast. From day one she has been such a good, easy baby. Let's pray it continues into Junior High! Cross your fingers!!!

Reading some books.


So proud to be a big girl :)

Workin At The Carwash

This afternoon Ev and I had to run some errands. For the first time since the terrible two's have started I was proud of her behavior! We went to several stores where Evelyn calmly stood next to my side. She was still curious of the new environment, running her hands across everything on the racks and counters. But not once did she try to make a run for it. I have to say it was pretty nice going into a store for 15minutes and not breaking a sweat! Our last stop was the car wash. It was Evelyn's first time so I let her hop out of her carseat and ride shotgun. It was hysterical!! Although this video skips a few times the audio is to die for!


Due to all the running around we were running a little past schedule so we decided to go out for Chinese. Evelyn went through the buffet line with me for the first time. She helped me hold the plate and chose her own foods as she has gotten a little more selective these past few weeks. When I took her back to the table she sat there so nicely while I got my own food. She only yelled, "Mommmaaaayyyy!" a few times. During dinner a man from the next table got up and walked towards the restroom. Evelyn shouted, "He goin potty!" I said, "Yes, Evelyn, but that's something private and you shouldn't announce it....especially so loudly." A few minutes later the man emerged from the restroom to which Evelyn shouted, "He did it!!! Yaaaaayyy!" Another few minutes passed and his wife went to the restroom. Evelyn says to me, "Her turn. She go potty now." I said, "Yes, but remember...it's private. Shhh." When she came out Evelyn again cheered her on. They got a pretty big kick out of it.

When I went back for dessert I brought Evelyn bananas with a strawberry sauce on them. She told me, "Me no like nanas. Day for monkeys." And before we left she stopped by a table, held out her hand and said, "Fiver?" Which is apparently her way of requesting a high five. Everyone was pretty amused by her and I have to say I had a blast. She has such a personality and it is SO fun!

Here is a cute pic of Ev leaving to run errands.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Evey Bug

We're back from our first ever blogger vacation! And to celebrate, I plan to recap Evelyn's 2nd birthday.

Dear Evelyn,

These past two years have been quite a rollercoaster! But I've enjoyed the ride. You are growing and developing so quickly that I feel like just yesterday I was bringing you home from the hospital.

Your vocabulary is outstanding and very advanced! You can say 5-6 word sentences, alhtough not always gramatically correct. Some I have heard recently are, "You lay 'gether, pwease?" (meaning you lay with me/we lay together) and "Ess-cues-uh-me...you butt showing", which you politely explained to a stranger bearing plumber crack at a birthday party last night! You are also great at saying big words like "'quarium" (aquarium), stegasaurus and interesting. You LOVE asking questions...and usually answer them yourself..."Mommy go potty.....noooo! Ehninn go potty...yeeesss!" You love to count everything in your own format of "2, 4, 8, 9, tipteen". You received a Tag reader from Grandma Jill for Christmas and love to read alone in your crib at night. These books have helped you to be able to identify most of your colors and almost all shapes. You are great at playing alone and sometimes I think you have more fun this way! You love babies, making us food in your 'wave, coloring and your new favorite is playing with Legos. You are very observant-always identifying the current weather status, what other people are wearing and things we see when walking around. You enjoy going under bridges in the car declaring, "Made it!" when we reach the other side. You are still a fan of Dora dn Kai-Lan but have currently taken a liking to Beauty and the Beast, Chuggington, Bolt and Cars. The other day I was drinking tea and you asked, "Me drink dat tea?" After I gave you a drink you pointed to your tea party set explaing, "Dat tea, too." You then informed me that, "Beast drink tea, too." Yes, Beauty and the Beast DO drink tea, too! You have joined a tumbling class at the Y and are a HUGE fan! You love doing 'saults and running but especially love the trampoline and social aspect of it all. We celebrated your birthday differently this year with a small, intimate family party consisting of Yaya, Pa, Uncle Gawette, Grnadma Jilly B, Pa, Uncle Chris, Aunt Jen and Kaden. We also went on 2 trips for your birthday-to Key Lime Cove and the Shedd Acquarium. You had a great time at both! Because you love anything to do with the outdoors and water you are more than ready for Spring to be here and I look forward to sharing these times with you.

Happy Birthday, Bug. Love you with all my heart,

Mommy

Evelyn, fresh out of the hospital


3months


6months


9months


12months


18months


2 years old!