Thanksgiving 2012

I had two precious turkeys and a really hard time getting pictures of them.  Our church has a Gratitude lunch every year on the Sunday before Thanksgiving.  Spencer and Evelyn loved it because we let them eat a ridiculous amount of desserts so that they would just sit for more than ten seconds at a time.  It didn't work, and Evelyn did not hesitate to walk by herself to the dessert table and back multiple times.   I'm so proud, ha!

These two have a lot to be thankful for, as does our whole family.  They are loved on, adored (and extravagantly clothed) by family, friends, teachers, and therapists.  Ok, so far the teachers and therapists aren't clothing them, but I say just give it time.  But in all seriousness, this year has been nothing if not a huge example of God's providential care for Jonathan, Spencer, Evelyn, and me.

God has always provided for me, and this year it was so overt and obvious that there is no way I could attribute our blessings to anything other than His work through His people.  It's nice when He just lays it out there for ya.  I'm usually pretty quick to dismiss a lot of His provision as coming from other sources, or even more ridiculously, from myself.

Evelyn has been chatting away the last month and a half, another huge "upper" for which I'm very, very grateful.

After the gratitude lunch at church, I attempted to take some pictures of the kids in the backyard.  It was a gorgeous day.  The leaves were beautiful, the children were all sugared up; and I could not get them within ten feet of each other.   I did, however,  get these two pictures where they appear to be running away with almost identical form.  It just struck me as funny.

While Evelyn obsessed over getting onto the tricycle, I convinced Spencer to join us.  I told him to stand next to her on the tricycle, thinking one of them sitting on something might actually work in my favor.

Instead I looked up and saw this.  I just laughed.  Evelyn just went about her business as Spencer went about his.  I'm hoping to work these two shots into each of their rehearsal dinners someday.  Or maybe their senior yearbook (will they even have yearbooks at that point?).

Evelyn looks so much like my niece that it really is strange.  Beautiful runs in the family.

Below is one of my culinary contributions to our family Thanksgiving celebration.  Kids and adults alike were pleased.  I also brought a fruit tray arranged so that it looked like a turkey and green beans cooked in tons of bacon grease, you know, because fruit and vegetables in any form somehow cancel out the refined sugar.

We spent Thanksgiving Day at Gigi and Papa's.  All in-town family came, and so did Nana and G-Dad (my in-laws).  Which is another thing I'm very thankful for:  in-laws who get along with my family and are glad to come to our crazy get togethers.  It really makes Thanksgiving nice and as stress free as possible.  We see everyone at one time, in one place.  As far as holidays go, I've been very spoiled.  That's pretty much how we did the holidays when I was growing up too, so it's one life-adjustment I'm not having to make right now.  I'll take it.

A tradition I started on Spencer's first Thanksgiving was putting the "baby" in the turkey costume.  It has a built in tummy, and it's just the cutest thing.  Spencer tolerated it very poorly when he wore it as an almost-on-year-old, but Evelyn rocked it.  I think she would have worn it all day.

Spencer got to play soccer with my cousin and his friend.  He loved it.  

And, I know he's mine, and I'm biased, but that looks like pretty good form for a not-yet-four-year-old.

Meanwhile, Evelyn gobbled around the backyard.  I couldn't stop looking at her in that costume.  I don't know why it makes my heart so happy, but it does.

My cousin who kicked the ball around with Spencer was diagnosed with CAS around two.  So, it's fun for me to watch them together for a myriad of reasons.  Spencer adores Alex, and he is in seventh heaven when someone will do something active and entertaining with him.

One of Alex's friends joined us Thanksgiving day, and he wasted no time jumping in to help entertain my kids--another thing for which I was thankful.

Here is my Mimi holding her third great grandchild.  She was thoroughly enjoying herself.  Ruby seemed to be enjoying herself too.

This was the first Thanksgiving at which Spencer ate turkey--such progress!  After we ate, Evelyn got to play with her Nana's necklace and bracelet for quite awhile.  Evelyn always has time to try to take someone's jewelry.  It wasn't long before Spencer decided if there was a demand for the jewelry, it must be worth having.  He'll be thankful someday that I don't have that part of the story in pictures.

My sister and brother-in-law made the drive home from Nashville (and we were all so glad!).  Spencer and Evelyn both loved seeing them, but not as much as they loved playing with their chocolate lab Dakota.  Well, Evelyn still has some ambivalence concerning Dakota, but Spencer and Dakota go way back.  She was our backyard guest this summer, and before that Spencer consistently ruined every visit to Hillary's house because of his hysterical fits to play with Dakota the entire time.  Over the weekend, Spencer got to play with "Kotie" every day, and I don't think there was anything else on earth he'd rather have done.  I loved it for him.  

My camera died early on during the day, and that was a little disappointing; but we went on to have much eating, chasing of children, and general fun. All of the food was delicious, and Spencer had helped Gigi make the cornbread for the dressing earlier in the week, so that was special.  A couple of days before Thanksgiving, Spencer told his SLP that he and Gigi made the cornbread and that I was making the turkey, and it was funny because it was so very not true--another thing for which I was truly grateful.

Beauty in Four

A little boy is jumping on the trampoline in the backyard, waving his new light saber, shouting in his deepest, growliest voice, telling imaginary adversaries, "Step away from the trampoline!  This is a light saber!"  All of a sudden, he starts calling, "Mommy!  Mommy!"

She loves that it's still "Mommy."  She jumps out from her seat inside, where she's watching all the action, because, actually, it's raining and it's December, but that's neither here nor there to the boy.  She slides the glass door open as he runs across the backyard yelling, "I have to go pee pee, Mommy!"

"Ok!"  She responds.

"I have to go pee pee right here in this pile of sand!" he declares.

"Ok!"  She answers, having acquiesced months ago to the pee pee-ing outside obsession, knowing that pee pee-ing anywhere but in his clothes should typically be viewed as a victory.

"Can you help me with my pants?"

That's what she gets for putting him in the "hipster" style corduroys.  Seconds later, he runs over, stuck in the neck of his rugby shirt.  He'd decided to take it off, but the buttons were keeping him in.

"It's still buttoned, Spencer.  Stop.  Stop pulling it off.  You have to pull down first so I can unbutton it. Then you can pull it up.  Now.  There."  She pulls the shirt off over his soaking wet, dark blonde curls.  He runs off shirtless and soaking wet.

He plays, drops his light saber over the side of the fence.  Asks for help to get it back.  Plays some more.  Eventually, he comes back inside, his mother insist he takes off his shoes.  He decides it's the perfect time to completely disrobe, and asks "Mommy, will you clap for me?  'No new suite!'" reenacting a scene from the "Max and Ruby" rendition of "The Emperor's New Clothes."

He's four today.  He has no idea what that really means.  He just knows he's mad and confused as to why it's not his birthday party day if it's his birthday.  He's just plagued by the party favor sacks in his parents' bedroom that he's been deprived of ransacking.  He's just learning how to flip his wrist as he pushes the button that allows his new light saber to telescope outwards, making a sword.

He's four today.  He has no idea that lessons like having to pull his shirt back down to take care of the details he skipped to begin with is his mom's shot at a life lesson for that hour.

He's four today.  He has no idea that there is a reason to be embarrassed about walking around naked, or his hipster mom-chosen cords, or loving to play with his "baby sister Evie."  He has no idea that he's outgrown his car seat by an inch and that he'll soon sit in a booster seat instead.

He's four today.  He sings on the potty and cries at the drop of a hat.  He doesn't know that his mom prays while he's at therapy each day, that the synapsing would be rapid, that new pathways would be created--quickly.  That friends and family and future teachers would understand him when he says the hilarious, insightful, precious words of four year old him.

He's four today.  And he doesn't know what that means.  And it's beautiful.

Evelyn At Fourteen Months

It happened this month!  We put you to bed one night, our precious baby Evelyn Rose; and the next morning you woke up our precious toddler!  Although somedays it feels like you skipped the toddler phase all together and went directly from a baby to a two year old.  Even your aunt Hillary commented today that "your kids hit the 'terrible two's' so early, and stay that way 'til four." (No guarantee of it ending at four, ha!)



Just a day or so into your 14th month, your Gigi said, "Can you close that cabinet?"  And you slowly, deliberately, even-seemily-sweetly shook your little head twice to give your answer--"No."  And you haven't stopped.  You spent the next couple of days shaking your head "No" as often as possible.  It was actually pretty funny.  It has lessened a bit lately; although you still do it when applicable.

I walked in to find your standing on our side table, swinging a large mirror side to side against the wall on which it was (thankfully) still hanging.  I had turned the two chairs in the living room towards the wall so that you couldn't climb into them and fall out; you had scooted one back from the wall, climbed into it, and then climbed onto the table next to it.  There is also a lamp on that table.  And hardwood floors underneath it.  And, of course, the mirror above it.  I had been in the laundry room for at least five minutes, and when I came in and got you down, you gave me an extra tight squeeze around the neck.  I think you'd realized you were stuck up there.  I think we narrowly escaped stitches that day, and I wouldn't have even known what to tell the doctor about how you got hurt.  I was picturing a DHS interview.

You point to the pictures of "Dada" that are around the house and tell me all about them.  In the last month or so, your babbling and language has increased, and in the last few months you have also been willing to attempt to repeat words when we ask you.   I asked you a question the other day, and your babbling back had the exact "sound" and intonation as "I don't know." I'm sure that's what you said!  Even though I don't know much of what you babble about, you certainly understand most everything we say--I hope we haven't ruined your Christmas surprises!



You came and found me in the laundry room, told me "uh oh!" took my hand and walked me to the living room, saying "uh oh" all the way.  When we got in there, the credits were rolling on the television.  The "uh oh" was that the show was over!  You were ready for some more singing and dancing entertainment.

One of your "words" I think you've had for a while that I'm just now noticing is "night night."  It sounds similar to "mama," and you consistently say it at bedtime.  Spencer will tell you, "Goodnight, I love you!"  And you'll wave and babble a "night night" back to him.  Sometimes, that's the bright spot of my day!  Other words you attempt include "up," "bath," "off," "on," "yeah,""eyes" (pointing to your nose) "book," and I know there are more I can't remember.  You still have a 'baba," and you do not want to replace it with milk in a cup.  You love water in a cup, and milk in a bottle.  Oh, the opinions!

You recently asked me for your bottle, and I think I said something about not being sure where it was.  You fussed and fussed, and took my hand.  I humored you, and you led me to one of the backward facing chairs in the living room, where you had thrown your bottle, and then, you or Spencer had thrown toys and blankets on top of it.  You took me to the chair and continued to tell me "baba" and "uh oh," until I realized it was wedged in there with the other stuff.  I got it out for you, and walked off pretty impressed at your communicative abilities and, of course, perseverance to be heard in our family.  That scenario reminded me a lot of your brother at your age.  You two are smart kiddos.  I have to work to stay caught up, I've pretty much given up trying to stay "ahead."

You love your brother so much, and you want to do whatever he is doing.  He had me help him take off his sweatshirt the other day, and you immediately followed suite, coming up to me, pulling on your sweatshirt, and insisting it be removed.  You enjoyed coloring some this month, which surprised me.  You did still try to put the crayons in your mouth; and you were really mad that we had to keep them in the kitchen, so they have been short coloring times; but you had fun for a moment.

One Sunday morning this month, Miss Julie moved you up to the toddler room in Sunday school, mainly because the baby room was full of babies, some of which weren't so happy.  She knew if there was any baby who would do fine in the toddler class, it would be you.  You were very tired that morning, but you did fine.  You had insisted on having someone else's dad hold you (twice) when he was there to pick up his own child.  He was holding you when I came in, and I think he felt awkward.  He assured me that you had fussed at him until he held you, twice; I told him him that I had no doubt you fussed him in to holding you.   You love "dada's."

You love strawberries, and you enjoyed the "creamy tacos" I cooked this month.  You also like spaghetti and pizza.  You want to feed everything to yourself.  We have tried to convince you to let us feed you yogurt, and you have to be extremely hungry to put up with that.  You don't have a lot of patience for sitting up to eat, you want to get down before you are full, and you fuss, cry, and scream that I won't let you carry your food all over the house.  We're talking knock down drag out tantrums sometimes.  You seem to really like water; and you like cow's milk ok.

Lately, you so enjoyed taking out every single piece of plastic cutlery from a large ziploc bag, and then you enjoyed helping me clean it up.  You insisted that I hold the bag open, and you put in one piece after another.  You definitely quit before everything was picked up, but just the part you did reminded me what a true toddler you are these days.  Your baby days seem to be coming to an end.

The pictures of you on the sofa was such a fun day for you.  Spencer had pulled all the cushions off of the sofa the night before, and we'd rushed around that morning getting him out the door to preschool.  When all the dust settled, I'd forgotten that the cushions were off the sofa.  I had been trying to be so vigilant about watching you in that situation, because you are wild and a climber, but you can still fall off easily.  It was quiet in the living room, so I peeked in; and these pictures are what I saw--you, sitting with a big grin on your face on the sofa, holding your milk AND your water, watching "Miss Patty Cake."  You were so proud to be sitting on the couch like a big girl.  I ran and grabbed the camera.

It's become increasingly clear to me that a lot of times you want to be my "buddy."  You want to sit by me while I do something, or you want to help me do it.  The problem is that you're 14 months old, so you sit there for half of a second and then you see all of the amazing opportunities surrounding you and you do things that make me have to insist you not sit by me (on the sofa, at the table, at the counter stools, etc.)  Then you get really mad.  We go rounds over this all day long.  It's sweet that you want to be with me doing what I'm doing, though.  I look forward to the day when that's a positive experience for the two of us.

Tonight I was folding laundry.  You grabbed your daddy's t-shirt, put it over your head so you couldn't see anything and walked and ran all over the house, giggling.  You would take it off every now and then, laugh, throw it back on and run some more.  You're hilarious.  You've also got a nice, strong, over hand throw these days.  We encourage it outside with balls, but your favorite thing to throw is your full sippy cup.  You like the umph it adds to your temper tantrums.  

Spencer is your favorite wrestling partner.  You love to pick a (play) fight with him to get him to chase you and tickle you.  You also love to ambush him when he's on ground level.  You run up and grab his head, pull his hair, jump on him, slobber on him, etc.  When he is also in the mood, it is so cute.  When he's not in the mood, I'm very concerned that he is going to really hurt you, but so far, so good.  He manages to keep his cool until I can pull you off of him.

While you love to play with him, you have also shown some times when you attempt to help me take care of him.  You're very upset when he is in trouble (screaming), and yesterday you saw me packing everything up for us to get out the door and you found his shoe in the shoe basket and walked it over to him.  You've tried to put his shoes and socks on him before this many times, but I'd never seen you take such initiative.  Ha!  And he's certainly never returned the favor!



Getting pictures of the two of you is getting harder.  I don't for see it getting any easier any time soon; but y'all are so precious, I will keep trying.



Here, you were so excited about watching "Old King Cole."  You love the singing and the dancing; and you dance along.  I've captured some of your dancing on video tape.  You have the funniest little moves.  You move your arms back and forth and you move your hips back and forth.  If the music is fast, you just do the same thing really fast.  Sometimes you involve your shoulders too.  You'll stomp your feet and clap your hands, and every now and then you wave your hands over your head.

You have been telling us when it's time for your bedtime recently; and you do not let up until we put you to bed.  Spencer started doing much, much younger than you; but I'm so glad you feel positively about going to bed now.  It's probably only been in the last couple of months that you don't cry when we put you to bed every night.  You're bonding with your bedtime routine--only took fourteen months!  You've had a cold (or three) all month, and you still take one nap a day.  One day this month you took two naps, per your request, probably because you were sick.  You were up a ton that night.  I think this has been your best month in terms of sleeping, though.  You've had about least three times of sleeping until 5 am for three nights in a row.  We're all hoping this is the month you learn how to make it through every night.  Fourteen months was the magic month for Spencer.

You love playing outside with Spencer, and you're trying to scale the play kitchen like he does, so it's about to go back into storage until you're a little older.  You're keeping us on our toes; but God knew I'd never be happy living a boring life.  We love the wiggly dancing and even the close calls you have brought to our family.  Love you, sweat pea, stay off the side tables!

Evelyn Rose Can Find Her Nose at 13 Months

These days, you seem like such a "big girl."  And, I mean that purely figuratively, because people constantly see you acting so old and looking a bit petite, so they are curious as to how old you actually are.  You really enjoy coloring and drawing on paper.  You so enjoy "helping" in the kitchen, that I've child-locked even more cabinets than I child-locked with Spencer.  I think I also have less patience for a toddler dragging out everything every five seconds.  Anytime I try to pick up, I'm certainly fighting a losing battle.

You also are interested in other chores I do, and at times, you're actually been interested in participating in them (as opposed to just being in the middle of them to mess everything up).  You trying to put clothes on hangers while I'm doing the laundry, and a few weeks ago you were crying because I wouldn't let you wash the dishes with me.  Our dishwasher broke, and I was washing them by hand.  You seemed to notice I was doing something very different, and you were very interested.  It might have just been the blue gloves.

A couple of weeks ago, you found the bouncy seat at Gigi's that I sent over for Ruby.  You immediately insisted that I help you sit in it correctly, and then you said, "ba-ba, ba-ba" (asking for your bottle).  The irony is that you never sat in that seat to take a bottle, although I would have loved for you to have done so every once in a while.  After that short-lived activity, you told me to buckle the baby doll into it, and then you joined her.

You like to arrange all sorts of scenarios for yourself.  You recently directed me (with babbling and motions) to take a pillow off the sofa before you would take your bottle.  You wanted to sit on top of it while you drank your milk.  Then, after a few sips, you wanted to add another pillow to the pile; and then you directed me to help you sit on top of them.  It made me think of the princess and the pea, or rather, the princess and her bottle.  You're no less finicky than that princess when it comes to drinking your milk.

Someone taught Spencer to say "cheese" when a picture is being taken, and so sometimes to get your attention, I tell you to say it, and you give it a try.  The first time you tried to say it was so precious.  I don't want to forget.  We were in the kitchen, I think.  And I asked you to take out your paci and say cheese.  You took your paci out, said your version of "cheese," and then put your paci right back in.  Precious little lady.

You can throw a ball really well by holding it over your head with both hands.  I was shocked the first time you spiked one across the room that way.  You're full of surprises.

Once during your thirteenth month, you caught me in the kitchen with a cup, and you insisted I give you a regular cup with water in it for you to drink.  You do really well with one, and you love to practice in the bath tub; but I won't be letting you walk around the house without a lidded cup anytime soon.

You follow directions so quickly when you want the end result.  For example, you will sit down in a flash when I ask so that I can put your shoes on.  You will even try to help me put them on.  You run away cracking up when I ask you to do something you don't want to do.  You bend your little head down, and sway your arms back and forth and run off in your little lady-waddle that we love so much.  It's really funny.

You really enjoying standing on top of things like the kids table and chairs, the pouf and glider in your room, the toilet, and any other furniture you can squirrel your way onto.

You know so much of what we say to you now, it's crazy.  I like to say things and see how much you know by just my words.  Recent testing has shown you know a lot!  Multiple other adults have looked at me recently and said, "She knows exactly what we're saying!" including your Gigi and my Aunt Annie.  You also try to say a lot; but for many of the words, it is truly just "trying."  I just told your dad yesterday that I need to get a list of all your words (for this, your virtual, and hopefully soon-printed-out baby book).

You do great at Kid's Night Out, and impress everyone by how much food you can put away.  You loved Miss Parker and Miss Holly.

You also really enjoy feeding yourself.  Some days you refuse to eat unless I let you do it.  And, on some of those days, I give in and let you do it.  It gets messy.

You can drink out of a sippy cup like a pro, but you do not want to drink your milk out of it.  God doesn't want me feeling bored or as if I've "arrived" any time soon.  And, I'm certainly in no danger of that.  You're getting one or two more top teeth in, and they look so big in your little bitty mouth.  You've slept through the night twice this month.  I'm thinking and hoping the teething is the main hindrance.  We know you can do it.  You still take one nap a day, and you have proven your skin to be almost as sensitive as your brother's when it comes to my cloth diapering endeavors.  We've probably cloth diapered you a combined two weeks out of the combined fifty six you've worn diapers.  I'm trying not to view that as a failure, but instead an attempt to do what you need.  Semantics.  =)

You like lots of different foods, and, it is a bit exhausting how into feeding yourself you are.  I think I'd chosen to block this "stage" from my memory.  I'm trying to go with it.  You get bored with the same food served "too often,' and you just fuss and refuse to eat it.  I used to mistake this as you not being hungry or not wanting to sit up and eat, but now I know you just didn't care for what I offered you.

Closer to fourteen month "word" list:  "yum, yum, yum," "da da," "mama," "Ssssss" (for Spencer, shoes, and cheese, of which you will only eat shredded or melted), "Pa pa," "Hi!" "bye bye," "ba ba" (seems like you say this for bottle and paci, although when I remind you how to say it, you can say "pa pa" for paci), "uh oh."  I know there are more,  and I'll add them as I think of them.  You are willing to try to imitate words, and you do jibber jabber a good amount.  It's almost time for your fourteen month post, Ev!  I just can't keep up with you!  (But I love you so, sweet pea.)