Catching up

Sorry to all of you that I have not been able to update in a while. At first it was a few computer issues. Now it is trying to catch a moment when the little guy is napping and I don't have other stuff to do! But, I'll have you know that I'd rather be blogging than doing all of the necessary domestic chores.

A lot has happened since mid-September. We've been very busy around this joint. Evan started eating cereal, riding in his big-boy umbrella stroller, we went to visit my grandparents in St. Louis, and I had my first girls weekend away (I'll add pictures from that trip in my next blog). The pics are not in sequential order, but I'll do what I can to explain.

Here's Sam hiding from me while I tried to give him a bath. He figured if he hid behind the baby, I wouldn't possibly spray him with the hose. Guess who won that argument?

Something about the back of a baby's head that I am so in love with.

My favorite picture of Great Grandpa & Evan.

Evan was spoiled rotten by these two! It was a perfect weekend and we got to spend lots of time on Grandpa's swing.

Grandpa & Evan in the Radio Flyer. What a special moment!

Granny got him after his nap. He slept SO good at her house.

My cousin Allen got to meet the little guy.

The first few bites of food.

Hey, I think I kind of like this stuff!

Priceless.

The first ride in the umbrella stroller.

Now, we've converted all of his strollers to front-facing views.

Evan's 1st Tailgate & the Big 3-0

29 - 30! - Hut - HutAlex & Evan...already having fun together.
Aunt Kelly & Evan with a mohawk
My childhood friend Lyndsay & her family stopped by the tailgate.

Another childhood friend, Megan, & her Georgia.

Cool Uncle Brent & Evan. They look like trouble.
So, I think they look alike. Especially the profile.
Daddy & his future Tiger
Not often you see just the two of us in a pic together:-)

Thank you, thank you! First off, I want to say thanks to my parents and my wonderful husband for planning a fabulous 30th birthday gathering for me. I loved getting to be with my friends and family and having Evan close by if he needed me! Dinner was great, the wine was even better and conversation was much needed for this stay at home mom. Thank you to my awesome friends who got babysitters and traveled to Columbia on a rainy weekend so that they could share in celebrating with me. I feel so loved and blessed.

Busy times...

I don't think we could have packed more into the last 10 days if we tried. We had a fun visit from our friends Ryan & Mel & their 2 kids over labor day weekend. Then my mom came up to help organize for a yard sale. Bruce & Vicki came up to help us sell all of our crap over the weekend. And we also decided that it was time to "Ferberize" our son.

Evan had started strangly waking up after a few hours of sleep during the nights the last several weeks. We would give him a pacifier to get him back to sleep which worked until he went through another sleep cycle and woke up again to find that the pacifier had fallen out. And then we started all over again. It was really starting to wear me down. And it was not characteristic of his sleep patterns, usually not needing anything but a full belly to fall asleep. If you have a child of any age and struggle with sleep, you have got to get Dr. Ferber's book (Solve your Child's Sleep Problems). We also loved Marc Weissbluth's book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. So we began Friday night, while Kyle's parents were here, in trying to get the E-man to fall asleep on his own. It worked! But not without a few meltdowns from me and Nana. I'm sure having that dang yard sale didn't help things either...we were all exhausted. But, we are so proud of our kid...he sleeps 6-9 hours uninterrupted and for a total of 12 each night. Life is good for Momma (& Daddy)!

Ryan & Evan

Mel & Evan

KeatonElliotPlaying outside with a cold washcloth...so hot & humid that day!Aww...so cute!He was obssessed with these sheets trying to grab the flowersTaylor & Evan - lots of fun times ahead for these guys!Had to post the most precious pic of our dog, too.

Miscellaneous happenings (& other fun stuff)

This one was hard to title because it has been a while since I've blogged. A lot has happened in the last few weeks of August. We went to Columbia for a few nights on a work trip for Kyle. Kyle's parents came to KC for a visit. I met Georgia for the first time. My parents celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary! Uncle Brian had a birthday. So here are a few pictures and captions.

Here he is with his left hand in his mouth - he usually prefers right but today was an exception!

Remember his first bumbo pic? Now look how tall he is sitting.

Before learning how to suck on his own fingers, there were Grandpa's. He & my dad were totally into the golf tourny on tv.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Bri! On our Columbia trip, Evan and Brian had lots of fun times.
Little Georgia Gray. My friend Megan's little girl was born mid-July. I got to meet her a few weekends ago. She is adorable. Strange that I already said "I forget how tiny they [newborns] are." I feel like an old veteran instead of the rookie that I really am. Congrats, Megan & Ben.
My parents celebrated 35 years of marriage this week! Amazing. As my dad said, "we get to celebrate our marriage every day." Too sweet. Love to you both.

Nana (Vicki) & Evan. Bruce & Vicki came up to see us (Evan). The bad news, he is such a big napper that we waited around for several hours for him to wake up to play. The good news is now he is taking shorter naps during the day.

Uncle Jeff came over, too.

My favorite picture taken today...sucking on his fingers. I used to suck my thumb so I was waiting to see if he did the same. Looks like fingers for now.

Evan at 3 months

I can't believe the little guy is 3 months old! He seems so grown up already. I already miss the newborn stage.

Evan looking at the ducks at Loose Park.

Here he is trying out his new big boy toys - the Entertainer & Bumbo.

Having a fit with Grandma.
His new favorites...the ceiling fan and his froggy. Love how he holds things now.Stacey & Finley came for a visit... Evan LOVED watching her. Finley was so cute with him, she showed him his toys and told him "stories".

Anniversary

Kyle & I just celebrated our anniversary last week - 3 years! I thought I'd share with you pictures from our honeymoon in Maui - the most amazing place I've ever been. Oh, to be back there on those beaches with a mai tai. Happy Anniversary, honey!

1st Springfield Visit & Meeting GGma Fern

Evan went on his 1st visit to Springfield last weekend. He had a lot of fun at Nana and Papa's house, but we learned that he is already having "stranger anxiety" and that he really NEEDS his sleep.

Here he is with Nana talking and telling stories. He's making lots of new consonant-vowel sound combinations!

His fascination with books is amazing!
He loved taking a bath...we got a few true laughs out of him.
We made a brief trip to Tablerock Lake on Kyle's bday. Kyle got a few pics with him on the boat before going out to ski.

A picture showing E-man's temper. It's zero to 100 in seconds for this guy.Great Grandma Fern and Evan...I LOVE this picture. We love the expression on his face in this one...4 generations of McCurry's!