Evan Turns 3

I know I already blogged about the party but I thought I should give an update on Evan.  There's so much to write that I'll just try to hit the highlights (and post some pictures I had taken).

Evan, you speak in full sentences.  I love having conversations with you and can't imagine a time when you didn't talk.  Sometimes the things you say make us crack up. I really need to do a better job of recording them. Some of your favorite phrases that I can remember are:

"Delicious!" when you like something we are eating

"Mom, wouldn't that be fun to do XYZ, wouldn't that be fun?"

"Sorry, I'll go poopy in the potty next time." 

Roaring like a dinosaur!

"Noffing" (nothing)
"Okie Dokie!"

You are very helpful (most of the time).  I can ask you to go get something or clean up and you usually oblige.  However, if you are in one of your moods, there is nothing we can do but wait it out.  You are okay at sharing with your sister... again, depends on your mood. You like to bring Caitlin her baby which is very nice.

My favorite thing is how you say goodnight to Caitlin every night.  You tell us (or whoever is putting you guys to bed) to go ahead and leave her room. Then, you go up to her crib where we've laid her and talk to her for a minute, tell her goodnight, and then close the door.  You HAVE to do this every night and it is just the sweetest thing and melts my heart every time.

You are a social butterfly. You want to play with friends ALL the time, whether you know their names or not.  You love to follow big kids around, especially riding your bike.  Every night you want to go outside and see your friends.  You hate leaving playdates because you hate leaving your friends.

Your favorite show earlier this year was Chuggington although lately you are loving Super Why on PBS. You really enjoy watching television now so we are careful to limit it! Your favorite movies are still any Toy Story movie.  We took you to see your first movie in a theatre this year and you loved it. You sat through it wonderfully.  You love to read books and go to storytime at the library.  You memorize books quickly and then can "read" them back to us. I love to read stories with you! We are working on our letters/alphabet but you are excellent at colors and counting.

You like to play tackle with Daddy or "ride" the horsey.  You are taking swim lessons this summer and have moved up to the class where you are all by yourself with the teacher (i.e. no parent in the water). You are really getting better and can swim with your life vest on all by yourself. You are going to play soccer at the YMCA this fall.

You have been sleeping in your big boy bed since about February and it was such an easy transition (thank you!).  We attempted potty training back in Jan/Feb and we made some progress but then you rebelled. However, in June, you all of a sudden refused to wear anything but underwear. I was worried about what would happen but you surprised me yet again!  You would tell us when you needed to go pee and rarely had an accident!  We still have not mastered going poopy in the potty. Most of the time you go in your diaper at nap/bedtime or we have an occasional accident. But, we are working on it and hope to turn the corner soon!

 You are excited to start another year of preschool. You love to ride on planes or trains (or anything that moves such as moving walkways at airports!).  Your favorite foods are yogurt (particularly the princess yogurt), raisins, most fruit (no melon!), and of course ice cream.  You are pretty adaptable and easy going. What else can I say?? It's hard to believe you are 3 years old.  It's going too fast.  At your 3 year Drs appt, you were:

30.4 lbs (45%)

37.5 inches (50%)

I thank God every day that you came into our lives. 
Guess what? I love you, I love you, I love you!

Evan's Traintastic Third Birthday!

 About 2 weekends ago, we had a big birthday/housewarming party to celebrate Evan turning 3.  It was a pretty hectic time since we had just moved into our house at the end of June, then went on a 2 week vacation, sold our old house, all while trying to plan this party.  But, it was a blast (big THANK YOU to my mom and Bryce's parents who made the actual day possible with all their help).

The theme for Evan's party was Chuggington! If you haven't ever seen the show, it's a Disney Jr show that he has fallen in love with (although that changes every day).  But, talk about tough themes!! The problem is that Chuggington is a fairly new show in the USA so birthday supplies are very hard to come by.  I scoured online for stuff but most of what I could find was in the UK (where the show originated).  I ordered a few things on EBay from the UK but otherwise, made due with what I could here.  However, I think I did great (if I can give myself a pat on the back)!

Picture of the setup and our back porch

I just kind of went with the Chuggington colors for decorations. I ordered an edible image for the cake. I found some Chuggington coloring books at the $1 store along with some train whistles for the goodie bags and a few other non-train related items.  I decorated some plain bags with Chuggington photos I printed. Overall, I thought it turned out very well.  And the best part is, Evan had a BLAST! 

The yard where we had lots of water stations - that's the big slide in the back there

Even though it was probably 100 degrees that day, we planned for most of the party to be outside in our huge yard with lots of water activities.  We had about 4 different pools along with this huge inflatable slide that our old neighbors let us borrow.  This thing was awesome and definitely the highlight of the party.  Thanks Shana and Nick!  Seriously, I think Evan played on that thing the entire time unless he was eating and the kids loved it.  And I didn't even mind the heat too much with all the trees we have.  It really was a great party.  Here are a few pictures... I should have taken more but when you are busy hosting, you just forget to get pictures! 

Happy 3rd Birthday Evan!

Caitlin and her friend Ella enjoying the little kid slide

Kiddie pool time!

Evan going down the super fun slide

Break for lunch with his friends

Caitlin enjoying her lunch too

Waiting for cake

Evan's cake - delicious!

  

Blowing out the candles

Good job Evan!

More fun on the slide with his friend Landon

Evan and Caleb

Family picture!

Another family picture

Time to open presents - can you tell he was excited?

What's in this one?

Had to include this picture which was after the party... Caitlin checking out the dog crate - I might have to break that out more often! (Just kidding)

Thanks everyone for making it such a special day for our family and Evan!

Caitlin turns 18 months!

Where has the time gone?  I know this is a little late, but I wanted to update you first about our vacation and keep things in order.  Caitlin turned 18 months just after we returned from our trip, and I just had to give a little update on her (since last time I did was probably 12 months and she's so different!).

Caitlin is starting to have a lot of personality.  She has an opinion and she lets it be known!  Let's start with the basics from her 18 month appointment:

Height = 31inches (45%)

Weight = 22.8 lbs (25%)

Head circumference = 18.5 (70%)

Caitlin did fine at the Drs office except she HATES getting weighed (typical girl I guess!).  It's a battle of wills trying to get her weight.  It usually ends up with me on the scale by myself and then me on the scale with her and a little math.

Eating wise, Caitlin isn't very picky and will usually eat whatever we give her although she has her favorites: nana (banana), chicken nuggets, goldfish to name a few.  She also wants to feed herself with a fork or spoon and she is actually really great with both for just 18 months!  And she so wants to drink out of a big person cup/bottle, but it usually ends up all over her front. That is something we need to work on.

Caitlin has a lot of words for 18 months (at least as I compare her to Evan).  Her favorite word is probably NO!  She loves to shake her head and say "no" when I ask her something.  It's super cute though.  Other words she says that I can think of: nana (banana), mama, daddy, papa, lellow (yellow), lala (Ella, her friend), baby, book, more, please, cheese, up, down, dog, mine, no, yeah, eyes, nose. That's all I can think of but I'm sure there are some more.  She surprises us all the time with a new word.  She knows her features (like eyes, ears, nose, etc). She knows animal sounds like monkey (her favorite), barking like a dog, and giraffe.

Caitlin is a water loving baby! Anytime there is water around, she wants to be in it! I really should get her in swim lessons, but one kid at a time.  She loves chairs. If there is a chair around, she wants to climb up and sit in it (no matter how big).  She also loves any type of car to climb into (like the cozy coupe).  Watch out anyone we visit who has a cozy coupe - she will monopolize it!

Caitlin has become a huge mimic.  Anything brother does, she wants to do. If he's crawling around on the floor, she's crawling around on the floor. If he's laughing, then she joins in.  If he's throwing water over his head, she's throwing water over her head. It's so much fun to watch the two of them together.  And while they are usually very sweet to each other, she also knows what she wants.  If she's playing with a toy and Evan wants it, she says no and won't give it to him... sharing is still a foreign concept for her!  Evan will sometimes yank things away but in general, he is good about asking first... she just usually doesn't want to oblige! 

Caitlin's favorite toys are usually whatever Evan has.  However, she does like her babies and to read books.  I love it when she grabs a book and crawls up into my lap to read. She enjoys peek-a-boo and chase.  She loves to take things out of something and then put them back in. She also LOVES buckles. Anything that buckles like her booster seat or car seat, she is constantly buckling. 

Caitlin, we can't believe it's been 18 months.  You are changing every day and we love watching you experience new things.  Your laugh is infectious and whenever you smile, we smile with you.  I love to see you interact with Evan - the sound of the two of you laughing is my absolute favorite thing.  Every night, Evan has to be the last one to say good night to you and close your door; otherwise, he gets very upset and won't leave your room.  We all love you so much.

Finally Portland!

Now for the last installment of our trip and the reason for our West Coast adventure!  We finally arrived in Portland for Jason and Brooke's wedding.  In general, Portland was pretty rainy while we were there... something I kind of enjoyed after not having seen rain in months.  We ate dinner at a delicious pizza place Saturday night that Anita knew about.  Then, we proceeded to go to Voodoo Donuts.  If you don't know, this is a very famous donut place in Portland (and I'd seen it on The Amazing Race).  We got some dessert before heading to our hotel. We actually didn't see much of Portland as we were staying a little east of downtown closer to the wedding. 

Sunday morning, we had some breakfast and then took a scenic drive along the Columbia River.  We stopped and saw a few waterfalls before finally coming to Multnomah Falls (2nd largest year-round waterfall in the US)!  We did a small hike up to the bridge before having to head back to the hotel for lunch and naps.

One of the first waterfalls we saw

Another waterfall we stopped to see

Finally, Multnomah Falls!

Family picture at the falls... Christmas card maybe?

That evening was Jason and Brooke's wedding. Here is a picture of the setup.

Because of the rain, it was moved somewhat inside, but it was still beautiful. It was at a place called Bridal Veils (how appropriate) just outside of Portland. And shortly after the wedding, it stopped raining! We had a great time seeing everyone and being there to celebrate with Jason and Brooke. Congrats!!  The kids just wanted to run around the entire reception. And when the music started, they both enjoyed dancing. Overall, a great wedding and a great trip.

This is where the ceremony was

Evan loved running around with Bebaugh

Caitlin and Daddy

The bride and groom - Brooke looked gorgeous and Jason looked pretty sharp in his suit.

I couldn't resist some pictures of my cutie in this beautiful setting.

The next morning, we flew home (both kids were good). I definitely needed another mini-vacation to recover, but isn't that how it always is? The best part of the vacation was getting the call that we had an offer on the old house and agreeing to terms. It was nice to come back and feel comfortable that we weren't going to own two homes for long.  Since we got back, it's been a whirlwind of getting settled in our new home, selling our old, and preparing for Evan's 3rd birthday party/housewarming.

Hope you enjoyed reading about our trip. It was one I will definitely remember (even if the kids don't) and cannot wait to take them on more family adventures!!

Crater Lake

We finally made it to Oregon and Crater Lake.  I've heard such amazing things about Crater Lake and was really looking forward to it.

We got reservations at some cabins that are in the park (the lodge was full).  Worked out great!  As soon as we got there, we decided to take one quick hike to see Pirate Ship.  First thing you will notice in the pictures is probably the snow!! It was about 50 degrees in the day but the park stlil has tons of snow. In the morning, it was in the low 30s.  Most of the roads were closed so actually, there wasn't a lot of hiking you could do.  On this hike, you couldn't see the trail because you were just walking across snow. However, it was pretty easy to see where to go.

Pirate Ship!

Caitlin and I at the top

A small waterfall we passed on our drive

 The one bad thing about Crater Lake was the mosquitoes!! They would just swarm you if you were standing still, especially that first night. At least in the morning they weren't out as much. Those are one thing I just cannot stand!

The next day, we got up and had breakfast at the lodge and walked around the rim.  We learned some interesting facts about how Crater Lake was created.  Then, we drove around the rim, stopping at various points to get some pictures before finally leaving and heading to Portland. 

That's the lodge in the background

One of my favs!