Splashin' Around

Just a few weeks ago it FINALLY warmed up just enough to pull out the pool and take a dip! Evan was a bit timid at first; it took seeing me wade around a few minutes (and accidentally splashing him!) for him to take interest. But once he did....

He had a really great time filling up cups, trying to drink the water (which, of course resulted in choking!) and even having Woobie join in the fun with him! I cannot wait until the neighborhood pools open for the season; I have a feeling it's going to be a fun summer with the little fish...

Picasso

Ever since my friend, Lisa, gave Evan his first Doodle Pro, he's been completly intrigued with scribbling. He's even mastered erasing by pulling the lever across...usually before we've completed whatever "ball" we're drawing at his request. *sigh*

So, I decided it must be time for crayons and paper, right? While he does enjoy actually scribbling with them, he has also been known to have them as his snack. One day I left him with his colors for literally 10 seconds and came back to find him smiling coyly at me - with big green chunks of wax on his teeth! I guess next is play-doh...good thing he's not allergic to wheat!

Some of Picasso's work...

Mother's Day

I had an absolutely great Mother's Day this year. It was a beautiful day and I spent the late morning with my two guys at the playground rounded out by lunch and a nap! Who could ask for more??

Big Boy - Climbing the hill with no hands...rather than use the steps, naturally!

Big Falcon, Little Falcon

Mommy helping Evan take big steps...

Squeezin' on my sweet little man...

Better Late Than Never...

Good-ness...has it really been a month since I last posted??? I really don't know where the time has gone. One thing is for SURE...this little guy is funnier and has more personality than ever!

A few weeks ago I organized some recent pictures and fully intended to blog in detail about each event...that was an ambitious goal. At the very least, here are those pictures and some blurbs about what's been going on with us. Enjoy!

Easter Morning

There was no chocolate, no bunny, and not a Peep to speak of but Evan didn't notice a thing; He was too busy cracking himself up (no pun intended) over plastic Easter eggs!

Little Drummer Boy
This kiddo is into music...guitars, xylophones, harmonicas...oh, and of course the drum! We've learned to talk over the noise - ahem - music!

His first passion - the Great Outdoors!

Does he even belong to us? Noise AND he likes to be outside...sheesh! Routinely Evan will bring his shoes over to one of us and then proceed to walk to the front door and hang on the knob (which we promptly child-proofed with safety knobs!). It's the sweetest thing. Once outside he prefers to run up and down the sidewalk while I walk briskly alongside on the street. When he tires of that, he walks over to the garage, points, and says, "ball" because he knows all his outdoor toys are just behind that big door! One by one he pulls all of them out...

We end most days with a trip to the playground where the little guy can run free, slide, and climb to his heart's content...

...did I mention he's an avid stick collector as well?

His first corn-on-the-cob...yummy!

One afternoon Evan and I shared cookies on the couch and I couldn't resist taking a few pictures of his bright, happy face.

And I was lucky enough to catch one of those "mmm, mmm, good" faces, as well!

Visiting with the G-Parents!

Granny and Paw Paw were able to visit us at the beginning of the month. What was supposed to be an action-packed weekend of activities quickly turned into a lot of hanging out at the house since I came down with a cold and it rained much of the time they were here.

Luckily we were able to squeeze in a few activities; Evan's third (although you would have thought it was his first) haircut, pictures with the Easter Bunny, and a day trip to DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival. Oh, and there was the obligatory "we as grandparents must spoil our granchildren rotten" trip to Toys R Us where toy upon toy was bestowed upon the little angel!

Some pictures from the weekend...

The Washington Monument among Cherry Blossom trees...

Enjoying the Air and Space Museum

Granny and Paw Paw at the museum

The long trip home on the Metro

Bunny picture attempt #1

Finally we gave up (didn't even make a purchase!) but luckily Scott had already snapped this one...so funny!

Much happier after the Bunny...enjoying some lunch and lemonade!

Gymboree!

With long Maryland winters come LOTS of time indoors. Anyone with a "busy" toddler knows this is not a best case scenario! So, after looking into a couple of "enrichment" programs (as the books call them)I decided on enrolling Evan into Gymboree classes. We started going weekly back in February and continued for two months until our last class at the beginning of April.

While there was no question Evan enjoyed the atmosphere; jumping, running, climbing and throwing balls, he definitely was not interested in the group activities - or "circle time". This is when all the mommies and kiddos head over to the center mat for bubbles, parachute time, and tap, tap, tapping on the giant "air log". I learned very quickly on day one that Evan was NOT INTERESTED. Let's just say I tried to push the idea on him and ended up with a very embarassing toddler tantrum!

So, from that point forward I decided he should play as he pleased. After all, I was paying for him to have fun, right? So, for eight weeks we went and he enjoyed playtime. Sometimes he joined in for bubbles with his friends but mostly he could be found running and climbing (usually with at least one other rowdy little boy!) . Rather than fret that maybe he's a B-R-A-T who doesn't want to follow instructions, I prefer to believe he's a natural-born leader and couldn't be bothered following the crowd. It helps me sleep better at night....

Here are a few pictures of our last day....and luckily my parents were here to tag along and see Evan in his element!

He loved checking out all the other Evans in the mirrored box - it was hilarious!

Climbing...and stopping for a quick pic!

Sliding with his ball - two of his favorite things!

Pushing the ball up the ramp...and getting a wee bit irritated when it rolled back toward him!

We Wuv Woobie!

About a year ago I noticed Evan had become quite smitten with his little blue dog lovie. What started as a cute baby gift sitting on his shelf has turned into an omnipresent, drool-soaked companion Evan cannot live without.

Early on I began calling him woobie because seeing Evan toddle around with a corner of it always stuffed in his mouth brought me back to "Mr. Mom" and the little boy with his blankie called "woobie". I never thought the name would stick but it has. Evan now says either "oobie" or "bee" to refer to his lovie.

It wasn't long before I realized we'd have to have more "bees", since Evan's incessant teething on the original had left it stained and, well, kinda gross. I scoured the Internet and came upon the identical little blankie...of course it has to be Gund, one of the most expensive stuffed animal brands! Sheesh!

Over the course of the last year we have accumulated 4 more woobies. We cannot leave home without him. Woobie goes with Evan to Debbie's when I'm at work, to the gym daycare, and everywhere in between. I describe woobie as having magical powers. Anyone who's seen it in action understands. When Evan cries, woobie usually saves the day. I hear myself saying "where's woobie" many times a day.

And you should see his face light up when we find woobie.

Ultimately, I love the little blankie as it has saved us from many a meltdown and I just think it's the sweetest thing to see him curled up with it when he sleeps! But woobie has created a little more work on wash day.

Evan usually gets a "fresh" woobie everyday. The collective woobies get washed several times a week but, I have found that one good scrub per week is absolutely necesssary. It's just embarassing to hand over a "clean" woobie to the gym ladies while explaining to them, "really, it's clean".

So imagine, five woobies, each with four "feet", two "paws", two ears and a tail, each part being individually scrubbed after soaking in Oxyclean. It's at least a 30-minute chore! Usually I can only do four at a time since one always has to be in circulation!

I think Evan's doctor described it best last week when he helpfully picked it up from the office floor during our visit; He said, " This blankie looks well-loved." Yes, woobie certainly is well-loved.

Woobies getting ready for their weekly bath! Can you guess which one is newest?