Sittin Handsome

Everett has reached yet another milestone. He has almost mastered the art of sitting up! Here are some pictures of my big boy! I accidently uploaded two of the same pics.

Stay at Home Mommy Day

I love Wednesdays. Wednesdays are my day off from work, so I get to stay at home with the Ev! I thought it would be fun to do a post of what a typical "stay at home" day is like. So, here goes:

Everett usually wakes up around 7:30/8:00ish. The first thing he does is eats and then gets a diaper change. He has been better lately about not wetting through his jammies. Since he has been sleeping through the night, this has become a problem. Today his jammies were dry! After getting changed, Eric and I actually got to eat breakfast together. We now set Everett up in his highchair and bring him to the table. Everett had oatmeal with bananas. I had waffles. Eric had eggs and grits. After breakfast, Ev and I played for awhile. Playtime has become really fun. Everett is really interactive and loves to roll all around. Around 10 Everett went down for his morning nap and then I got ready for the day. Eric stayed home and then I ran Kohls and the grocery store. Last week I had earned $20 in Kohls cash for spending a certain amount. Yes! The coupons had an expiration date so I had to use them today. I bought Everett some much needed onesies. Then I headed to the grocery for my weekly shopping. With my calculator, coupons and budget in mind, I faced the crowd. I don't know how it happens, but I somehow manage to always catch "senior day" at the grocery store. Oh well. I just waited patiently with my grocery cart behind 6 other people. I didn't even care that I was $10 over my budget! When I got home, Eric and I ate lunch together. I had leftover pizza. Eric had leftover turkey. Yes. We still have turkey leftovers. When you cook a big turkey and there are only two people eating it, this is bound to happen. I'm tired of turkey. Everett woke up shortly after our lunch and then it was his lunchtime. After he nursed, he had peaches for the first time. He loved them! The only food we have noticed he does not love is avocado. I read in a book that avocados are "brain food" so I continue to try to get him to eat them. Not a fan. After his lunch, I got his room all cozy and we played in there. That morning a friend of mine who I work with called to see if I could watch her little boy Silas for about an hour and a half so she could see a client. We had nothing planned, so I said of course. Around 3, Silas came over. This is the first time Everett has had a "friend" over. I had envisioned them playing together, swapping crib stories, sharing a few laughs. This did not happen. I think it was naptime for both boys. Everett started rubbing his eyes, a sure sign and Silas was not too happy about life either. I put Ev in the swing and he quickly fell asleep. Silas, poor thing, had a long screaming session and then finally fell asleep as well. I did manage to snap this picture of them (below) however. After Silas went home, we had white chili that I had made. A new recipe and very good I must say. Off to work for Eric. Everett ate peas for dinner. Pumpkin and I then enjoyed another play session and then bathtime. For the 4th night in a row, Everett pooped in the tub. Sigh. At exactly 7:30 Everett went to a wonderful place called dreamland. I then enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate and caught up with emails and the blogging world. Another fun day. I love Wednesdays :)

Two Turkeys for Thanksgiving

We had two turkeys for Thanksgiving this year! One we had to cook for 5 hours (the red timer took forever to pop!) and one we could just gobble up with a spoon! We had a Thanksgiving with our new family of three and made many new memories. So here is how the day went: We had a lovely breakfast of pigs in a blanket and french toast; Everett had oatmeal and applesauce. We then began the cooking process, which took most of the morning but was really fun (we had Christmas movies continually playing in the background). Finally, we ate and ate...Everett didn't make it through the whole meal though and a nap was definitely in order. Eric and I enjoyed good conversation, just the two of us. Our lives have become so busy that quiet conversation has become such a rare occasion and a special treat. After Everett woke up from his nap, we all took a walk around our neighborhood. When we got back, Eric feel into a deep Turkey coma and I played with Everett. Then we watched "It's a Wonderful Life" which I actually have never seen before and love now! The thought of leftovers kind of made us ill (I guess we ate too much for lunch), so after we put Everett to bed we had Lucky Charms for dinner and watched The Office reruns. What a perfectly fun day. I love my little family :)

Six Months Old

Everett turned six months yesterday! The time has gone by so fast! Look how far our little Everett boy has come....

Beach Babe

Last week Everett and I went to Vero Beach, Florida to visit my family. We had a great time and Everett had several "firsts." One, he had his first plane ride. He did great and now is a true jetsetter if you ask me! Second, he saw the ocean for the first time. Everett loves water, but I didn't think he would really pay much attention to the ocean. He proved me wrong as he squealed in delight every time the water touched his feet. Jetsetter and a beach baby....what a boy!

Minnesota Moose

Our friends Mike and Julie gave Everett this stuffed moose from their trip to Minnesota. Today Everett was wearing his moose overalls, so naturally we had to do a photo shoot!

Trick for Treats

Last night we went to the zoo's Halloween party. Everett wore his dragon/monster (can you tell what it is?) costume. Upon entering we saw a sign that stated that the candy that was being passed out at each booth was for children 11 and under. So, naturally we devised a plan to use Everett's size to our advantage in order to cash in on the candy. Every time we came to a "candy booth" we had to hide Everett's face by turning him around so they would assume he was older. Fortunately, our plan worked...... About to start trick or treating .......

A dragon on a dragon

Mommy and her dragon

Our loot! Notice our "makeshift" basket.

A Day At The Farm

Sunday we spent a fun day at Huber farm in Indiana. We went with our friends Brad and Lindsey Weldy and their two young children. It was a beautiful autumn day and very crowded at the farm! We had a southern style lunch in a barn (yes I did say barn) and we ate and ate since we were definitely going to get our money's worth (it was a buffet). We then rode a tractor out to the pumpkin patch and picked out a pumpkin. Little did we know, they only accept cash....which we never carry. Oh well. It was the experience right? Here are some pictures of our fun day.

Monster!

Hello Fall!

My absolute favorite season of the year is Fall!!! Being raised in Florida, I never got to experience the changing of the seasons. Now being in Kentucky...I love it! I love the leaves changing into bright shades of orange and red. I love chili and cornbread. I love the cool breeze the comes at the beginning of the season. And I love my Pumpkin Yankee candles and Pumpkin Spice Starbucks lattes....the best! Here are two pics of Ev in his fall pjs and a picture of Ev wearing a sweater for the first time. More pics to come when we go to the pumpkin patch in a couple of weeks.

Everett's First Friend

Everett and I went to a baby shower last night and Everett made a friend, Silas. I thought this was the cutest picture of the two of them. Silas is about a month and a half younger than Everett and his mom and I were dying to get them together!

No Hands!

Eric and I LOVE our new purchase....the Baby Bjourn. Even better, Everett really seems to enjoy it. It's funny, as I walked through a bookstore the other day with it on, it reminded me of being pregant again! Here are a few pictures........

I Love You Stinky Face

One of my favorite things to buy Everett are books! Recently we bought Everett a very cute book called I Love You Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt. The book is about how a mama reassures her little boy that no matter what, she will love him unconditionally (i.e even if he was a "big, scary ape"). As I read my "stinky face" this book tonight, I was reminded of the Lord's abundant love for me. No matter how many times I sin against Him, He loves me as His child. How great is His mercy and grace!

Just for a Laugh

It's amazing what you'll do just to get a laugh. Here is a video of Eric and I trying to get a laugh out of Everett. We don't get a full laugh, but we do get a smile. Enjoy!

Chunky Monkey and the Nursery

Well the time had finally come. Everett last Sunday experienced his first time in our church nursery. Yes that's right. We kissed him goodbye and prayed as we walked away that he wouldn't be too high maintenance! Other than a brief paci crisis (the worker couldn't find it) he did fairly well. Fortunately our friends Nick and Jennifer (pictured below) were working that morning, so it made the separation a bit easier for me. Thanks you two! Yeah for another "big boy" step! Oh, and we went to the doctor today and Everett weighs almost 16 pounds and is in the 90th percentile. Hurray for chubby babies!

Smokey Mountain Getaway

Setting: Gatlinburg, TN.
Characters: Eric (Papa Bear); Michelle (Mama Bear); Everett (Baby Bear); Gail (Everett's Gigi and the wisest of all the bears!)
Plot: After one crazy summer, Eric and I thought we definitely needed a vacation! Fortunately, we were blessed to be able to spend a week in a beautiful cabin in the Smokey Mountains. We were also blessed to have Eric's mom, also known as Gigi, to accompany us on our adventure. We watched the Olympics on a big screen, played pool, ate barbeque, went on a bear hunt, walked around downtown Gatlinburg, and did plenty of relaxing! On Wednesday, Eric and I enjoyed a breakfast date followed by some great outlet shopping (thanks Gigi for the babysitting!). One of the highlights of our trip was seeing a Mama bear with her cubs (from the safety of our car) right outside our cabin. Such a fun vacation and I look forward to many more.

The cabin where we stayed

Everett looking thrilled about his Smokey Bear rattle.

Don't feed the bears!

A mama bear and her cubs outside our cabin!

Yeah for vacations!

So cute!

The fab four.

Everett and his Gigi

Bear!

Note the sign says Sleepys and Everett is yawning...perfect pose!