Evan's Birthday!!

My little boy is one today!! It's amazing to us how fast the time has gone with this little guy in the past year. Drew made a DVD of Evan's first year that we played at his birthday party yesterday and it brought back so many fun memories we have had with Evan in the last 12 months. We are so blessed to be his parents!!

The cake table... We decided to make his cakes this year. I was in charge of baking and frosting the cakes and Drew decorated them...

Evan's baseball cake..
The football field cake...
The football cake...
Our little family...
Evan sitting in the middle of ALL of his presents... He was a little overwhelmed and overstimulated!!
Singing happy birthday and giving him the cake....
Trying to figure out what this is all about....
Starting to dig in....
He totally demolished the cake... We all laughed sooo hard... We've discovered this boy has a sweet tooth just like his parents!!
His new Elmo water mat from Aunt Laura and John... We tried it out after he ate his birthday cake and he wasn't too sure about it until Daddy got in it with him....
The birthday boy!!!

Water Table Fun!

Evan got an early birthday present in the mail from Uncle Rob, Aunt Laura, Hailey and Ty in Chicago. It's the neatest thing! I'd never seen anything like it before. We just used it for the first time yesterday and he loved it! After about a half hour, he was splashing water everywhere and was completely soaked!! I included a video of him. I love his little giggle in the middle of the video.....



Still warming up to this idea....

There's a smile...

Now he's realized this is fun!!!

Laughing....

Aunt Laura studying outside while Evan played... She has graduated from nursing school and just needs to pass her boards and she is a NURSE!!! We're so proud of her and all of her hard work!!

HE PASSED!

Drew found out this morning that he passed the Level 2 CFA Exam that he took in early June. To say that this was a huge relief and burden lifted off our shoulders is quite the understatement. He worked SOOOO incredibly hard for this and we're so happy to see all of his hard work pay off. Now he only has Level 3 to pass (he will take it in June 2009) and he will be a "Chartered Financial Analyst". I'm so proud of my hubby and this big accomplishment. Thank you for all of your prayers for Drew and our family as he spent month after month preparing for this test.

Great Times With Great Friends!!

This past week, a couple of my college friends and their little ones came to visit for a couple of days. We all have boys within 5 or 6 months of each other and this was the first time we've had them all together. I love these girls so much and feel so blessed to call them friends. We did lots of laughing together and catching up. Although it was a little chaotic at times with the 3 little ones, we had a great time and I look forward to seeing them again soon... Feeding the boys before we started eating... It was quite a process!!

Trisha and Elias, Julia and Ethan, Evan and I (the only way to keep Evan happy was to stick that silly pacifier in his mouth!)

Playing together on the floor!!

Elias pushing Evan's lion around.....

Big smile!!
Petting Lucy... Evan loves the kitties!! It always makes him laugh when he sees them and he loves to chase them around the house...
Peeking out the window to see Grammy and Grampy's house....
Swinging at the park!!

Busy Busy Busy!

Well, it seems Evan is doing something new every day... This past week or so has been extra fun. He has learned how to sit up from being on his tummy. The first day he did it was Thursday and I saw him do it the first time and of course starting clapping and getting all excited. He probably did it 50-60 more times that day (and I'm not even exaggerating!) and EVERY time he looked at me and expected me to clap and make a big deal out of it... He knew he was a big boy! It was the cutest thing. Evan and I also went blueberry picking last week and he tried his first blueberry. It was a new experience and we all enjoyed ourselves. Other than that, we've just been working around the house and getting more accomplished. This week we plan to get the wood flooring in the kitchen and dining room so that will make a big difference... And for those of you who keep asking me, I promise to get pictures of our new house up here soon!!Eating is his happiest time of the day!

Blueberry picking!
Taking a snack break with Grampy while Mommy and Grammy finished picking blueberries...

Playing with his cousin Erin....

Big boy standing in his crib!

I love this smile :)
Cuddle time with Mommy. He's started to love cuddle time after his bath and right before bedtime... He never used to be a cuddler until recently. It makes my heart happy to snuggle with him when he's all clean and smells like a baby! There's nothing better than that!

Women of Faith Conference

This past weekend was my first night away from my little Evan. Although it was tough (probably more for me than for Drew and Evan), I had a great time and I think it was good for all of us. My mom, sister, and I went to Indianapolis for the Women of Faith Conference along with about 30 people from our church. It was a very stretching experience. We heard some fabulous speakers and musicians. Lots of laughing and lots of crying :) Drew and Evan did great all by themselves (not that I had any doubt about that) and I even came home to a very clean house! We had a great weekend, but I was very anxious to come home to my two boys. We will definitely consider attending again next year. It was a wonderful conference.

The "roomies"... Me, my mom, my sister, and Shirley (my mom's cousin).

Mom and Shirley in the convention center...

Laura and I....