Fancy

Evan is fancy. She loves nail polish, shoes, and (as of recently) wearing her hair down. Now, this poses a MAJOR problem because when she wears her hair down it gets super tangled and almost impossible to comb through without a fight.

I'm still pulling together some courage to attempt to cornrow her hair, so I tried a two-strand twist until then.

It didn't take very long, and with an iCarly marathon on Nick Evan stayed still and compliant. I'm not sure that I used the proper oil (I think I need something a bit more sticky), but I don't think it turned out too bad. Don't think it'll last very long though!

Inspiration and Potty Training

We're SUPER excited about our upcoming house building! Each weekend we drive over to the subdivision to check out the current home they're building that's like our floor plan. The workman ship is beautiful and it's fun seeing how everything is shaping up. We also noticed that they put out little flags on our lot to mark the property line. Within the next week or two they'll be starting on the foundation.

Because I'm a planner, I've decided to start compiling inspiration boards to help me sort out my ideas and have a vision as we visit furniture stores. I've only completed the playroom board, and things have already changed since then (I found some fab British Flag pillows that are must haves).

In other news...

Evan is officially, 100%, potty trained!!! I can't believe it myself, but it's true. She's wears panties 24/7 and accidents are far and few in between, even at bed time. It's great because we saves tons on diapers and pullups.

WHO DAT!

Football season in Louisiana is something like I've never seen before! Schools are invloved, stores, newspapers, restaurants...EVERYONE! I don't even like football, but the vibe in the city just sweeps you in and makes you a fan.

Today at the boys' school is NFL day. They will be participating in NFL themed activities in both the classroom and during PE, and were allowed to wear their favorite team's jersey along with their uniform shorts. DJ chose the Saints and Cameron wanted the Steelers but there wasn't a Pittsburg jersey to be found anywhere in a three parish area...So he opted for the Saints, too.

Evan got in on the fun with her Fleur de Lis dress and matching NO Saints bow!

The List {Updated}

I am slowly, but surely making my way through my 35 before 35 list! I have accomplished so many new things (items 4,5,6 and 30, 31,and 32)! I'm also only one goal away from finishing compiling the list.

My J-O-B is going well and has been the driving force behind me accomplishing so many goals. I've got my office, my "SHELF", and was able to relocate south! As you can tell from all my previous posts Louisiana is FAB and there's a lot to see and do hear. It's DEFINITELY the best decision we've ever made.

35 before 35

1. own my own home (again)

2. spend my anniversary on a beach

3. finish my masters degree

4. get THE SHELF

5. put THE SHELF in an office of my own

6. relocate to the South

7. decorate my living room

8. have a real dinner party

9. learn to French braid

10. make Thanksgiving dinner

11. finish that third novel

12. take my kids to Disney World

13. go out on New Years Eve

14. celebrate homecoming at TSU

15. “Would Ya Like it” in the rain

16. Have date night once a week

17. Visit Washington DC

18. have a picnic with wine and cheese

19. wear red lipstick

20. go Up North

21. grow a plant

22. make a cake for a loved one’s birthday

23. restore a piece of furniture

24. attend a Broadway play (does not have to be in NY, although that’s a bonus)

25. get rid of all unnecessary debt

26. eat healthier

27. answer the question, “What’s wrong?” honestly, the first time.

28. institute a new family tradition

29. take a cooking class

30. Find the perfect school for Cameron

31. Learn to let go

32. Invest in great pics of the kids

33. Learn a new language

34. Renew my wedding vows

35.

Number 30-Find the Perfect School for Cameron- has been and on and off type thing. Last year when we placed him in Montessori we thought we had found the right environment for him...WE WERE WRONG. Montessori was way too free for Cam and he just took it as an excuse to do whatever he wanted. Now, he has an IEP and is in an Inclusion Classroom. He receives push-in services from a SPED teacher and para-pro and Pragmatic Language Services from a Speech Therapist.

Already wev've seen a MAJOR change in Cam's behavior and academics. He has only been to the office once and is currently receiving straight A's!!!

DJ is doing well too and we're seriously consierding having him tested for the gifted and talented program within the Praish they attend school.

Evan has moved up to the 2 year old room at daycare and with thatcomes potty training and Pull-Ups. I think she'll be much easier than the boys because she loves to take off her diaper.

Updates

Not much...Really. Had a great spring break, but it definitely wasn't long enough, and toward the end the kids were driving us bonkers! Evan had her first Easter egg hunt, and there we found out how anti-social she really is. Sorry the video is so grainy, I took it with our camera and not our video camera

Cam's had a rough transition getting back into the swing of things at school after the break. He just doesn't follow directions! It's so frustrating. We're constantly back and forth to the psychologist and it seems as if things are taking forever. We do have a prescription for an anti-depressant (it's what they give 5 year olds with ADHD), but it's still sitting in my purse. Damon and I were just not comfortable giving him anything at such a young age, but we were on the fence...Until we listened to this podcast. We found out the ADHD can't even be diagnosed until the age of 7 and they're trying to dope up my 5 year old. Cam is a young five who, in hindsight, wasn't ready for kinder and should have stayed in pre-school another year. So, no meds for him...at least not right now.
Things with THE SHELF are fantabulous...Moving slowly, but fantabulous! Still mums the word, but we're getting closer and I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I WILL have some news by the end of the month, but until then here's some pics of the house we want.

NO MORE BOTTLE

No more bottle for Evan! We (on the spur of the moment) decided that time was up for Evan and her BFF Dr. Brown. So, we took it from her Saturday morning, and here it is Sunday afternoon and it's like it never existed. Now, it wasn't a smooth experience, but it was MUCH easier than transitioning the boys. She screamed...ALL morning, until we went to the mall to do a little shopping, but after that she was pretty much okay with it. She only woke up once last night (she averages about 3 times a night) and this morning sucked down breakfast like a vacuum and smiled when she saw her cup.

Next up...potty training!

FOOD INC.

Have you guys watched this? It's gross...just gross. It'll make you change the way you eat. Now, since having viewed this documentary, Damon and I have decided to change the way we shop for groceries, how much we patronize fast food restaurants, and what we allow the kids to eat. Instead of regular old ground beef, we get organic...Instead of fruit snacks and fruit cups, we buy fresh fruit. We're still learning, and the boys are fighting us every inch of the way, but we are holding fast. Like right now, they are going to bed early because they are refusing to eat my delicious Hot and Spicy Tortilla Soup courtesy of Gina Neely.

And because of our new way of eating (and the fact that my mom got me a subscription to Family Circle) I've been cooking.

Here's my onion, spinach, and bacon tart. SOOOOOO good (although I skipped the onions for the kids). Even Cam cleaned his plate!

The picture below is of the uncooked tart. THe cooked version has cheese all over it and you can't really see anything.

Sidebar- Check out Evan in her Princess Cozy Coupe.

I really miss blogging!

So I'm going to TRY to update more. We've just been so busy lately with work, school, grad school, gymnastics, and all the hours I spend watching General Hospital, One Life to Live, and the Young and the Restless (LOL) there's just not enough time in the day!

Anywho...I will be using this winter break to improve my culinary skills, with my first undertaking being collard greens. I'm posting my second batch, because while the first batch was good, this new batch that's going to Damon's fam's house for Christmas dinner is FIYA! They would probably taste even better with smoked turkey leg and I would have used one too, if I hadn't waited till 5 minutes before Kroger locked its doors on Christmas Eve to look for one. Beef Bacon was used instead.



I would post pics of the mac and cheese I made, but I REALLY screwed it up, so it's just not worth it. My next undertaking is candied yams. I'll post pics when I'm done.

And for cute factor here are some recent pics of my tribe.

GQ smooth and NOwhere to go
Running his mouth as usual!
YES, she's still on the bottle...

Evan in the kitchen

Evan loves her new kitchen and so do we! It keeps her out of our real dishwasher, fridge, and cabinets and allows us to cook in piece. Now we're on the prowl for a set of toy food. We found a set that came with 120 pieces...NO. So we're looking for something smaller.

My Urban Toddler

Yesterday Evan, Cam, and I met up with some friends to hang out at My Urban Toddler. It's a cute little place set up like a downtown area with a market, theater, library, art museum, fire station, and something else that I can't remember. A great time was had by all and both Cameron and Evan can't wait to go again.

Halloween

Look at what Evan can do!

Evan's 1st Birthday!

Evan;s 1st birthday party was yesterday and we all had a great time! Evan held up pretty well, although she was exhausted the entire time! She's not officially 1 until tomorrow (Monday), but she doesn't know the difference.

Current Faves:

~Spending her time playing with her big brothers, DJ and Cameron
~Eating table food (she hates baby food and spits it out every time)
~Going outside
~Not drinking from a cup *tear*

Milestones:

~She can stand unassisted for about a minute before she plops down on her butt, but probably won't walk for at least another month.
~Evan can say, Daddy, DJ, Eat, Hi, and Up

Stats:
~ Her 1 year check up isn't until Thursday, so I'll update then

11 months old

Well, Evan has been 11 months old for a little while now, but I'm just getting around to posting.

She is growing by leaps and bounds, getting her own little personality (complete with attitude), and it seems as if she's working pretty hard to catch up to the babies her age.

She's a crawling pro, has learned to get up the stairs unassisted, can cruise from one piece of furniture to another, and can stand on her own for about 3.5 seconds.

Evan loves to cause havoc and party when she's supposed to be sleeping and is GREAT at following directions. If she's doing something you don't want her to and tell her to stop, she will immediately and then claps her hands! However, her absolute favorite thing to do is to play with her brothers! She loves crawling into their room and hanging out. She follows them around too! If she's awake and they're still asleep she will crawl to their bedroom door and knock. It's the funniest thing!

Last week we began the transition to whole milk and so far so good. By her first birthday she'll be completely off formula if all goes well! We're still trying to get her to use the sippy cup. She knows how, but just refuses.

On Wednesday we took her to the doctor and found out that she has a congenital rib deformity called funnel chest. It causes her breathing to be labored and makes her snore like a 400lb. trucker! Her pediatrician said that it will most likely not be a problem, but I'm not convinced. She will be seeing a specialist within the next few months so we can find out what, if any, further steps need to be taken. If you look at the picture you will be able to see the way her chest dips in at the breastbone. Below that, the bottom of her ribs stick out and make her stomach look bigger as a result. If the problem does not correct itself, surgery is an option when she reaches 2 or 3 years old. My mother (being the #1 Lola that she is) has already located the top doc. in the nation for this type of surgery. I'm praying that it doesn't come to that though.



Stay tuned for pics from DJ's 7th birthday party. I can't believe he's already 7, seems like just yesterday I was heading to the hospital for his delivery.

Bonus Post: Blast from the Past

DJ AND KAYLA AT 10 MONTHS...THE SAME AGE AS EVAN!


DJ AND KAYLA AT ABOUT 17 MONTHS OLD

Evan and her Cup

Busy Week

Even though school is officially out we're having a busy week around here! Kayla has officially moved in and is transitioning really well. She got a new bed, bike, and learned how to ride without training wheels in a span of two days. I also managed to secure her a place in summer school at my building with a phenomenal reading teacher who diagnosed Kayla's weaknesses in about thirty-minutes (vowel sounds!!!). Kayla will be in her class for the first half of summer school and then will move to working in a small group with the best special education teacher EVER! No, Kayla has not been classified as SPED, but working with the SPED teacher will give her small group, individualized instruction. Basically, Kayla won't get much of a break, but she really can't afford one either, especially if she's going to go to 2nd grade and not be retained.




Cameron started tennis on Tuesday and loves it! He even made a friend (excitement). He goes every Tuesday and Thursday for the next three weeks, then the summer flag football season will begin.

Friday we're heading out on a mini-vacay. Of course we'll post all the pics and give you a blow by blow when we return.

P.S. EVAN SAID "MAMA" FOR THE FIRST TIME YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DADADA

It's official. Evan now has the ability to say Dada on demand. About a month and a half ago it was reported that she said it at daycare, but it was a fluke. She now says it for everything! I picked her up this morning and she patted my arm and said Dada, lol! It was cute.

Way behind...

in posts that is . Sorry it's been so long, but we've been pretty busy around here. The school year is coming to an end, Damon is switching jobs :), Cameron is preparing for his preschool graduation, there's football practice every Thursday and games every Sunday, I'm in grad school, and Evan is still adorable.

*** Dj is well on his way to another all 4 report card, and has perfect attendance! What a scholar. I can't believe he'll be going into the second grade already. It really does seem like he was just born!

***Cam's school/behavior issues have begun to rear their ugly heads again. It's becoming evident that he's having some kind of issue that's lending itself to his behavior problems. We're going to be making an appointment with his pediatrician to find out if there's anything we can do. The problems have also started to trickle into flag football. He fights on the field when another kid takes his flag. It's sad and hilarious all at the same time.

***Evan is wrapping her her first "school year" at daycare. We're taking her out for the summer so that we can spend some time, save dome dough, and keep her from getting a runny nose every few days! She's also crawling (finally) and yesterday we caught her standing up in her bed! Yay, for milestones. Still no "dada" or "mama", but she does say what I consider to be "Hey" and wave on a regular basis.

****Kayla was over last weekend and things went well. I was able to evaluate her and found that her teacher speaks in hyperbole. She can't read, but she's not nearly as bad as the teacher made her out to be, and the suggestion of ADD was hilarious! If that child has ADD my kids need straight jackets! Anyway, we've decided to put her into the school Damon will be teaching at next year. She'll go into the novice 2nd grad class and work on remedial skills, until she's ready for grade level concepts.

Here are a couple of cute pics of the boys until I have time to do something better.

Mother Son Luau

Yesterday, DJ, Cameron, and I attended the Mother Son Luau at our school. We dressed in our Hawaiian gear, ate snacks, and Danced a grand total of three times. Once to the ChaCha Silde, once to the Cupid Shuffle, and once to a slow song I can't remember. The other hour and fifty minutes were spent watching all the boys in the gym running back and forth at full speed sweating like donkeys, telling DJ to stop crying because he lost at limbo, and chasing Cameron out of the bathroom. Fun times.







In more Evan news....

She now has 2 teeth!