First Days of June

Last Tuesday Simon was able to pick out a prize at Target (he was limited to the 'bucky bins').  He chose a pack of 3 water guns!

Fun followed.

You can see the first stage of our screened porch.

I realized today when I saw Evie's bath tub in the hall bath that she hasn't had a 'real bath' in a month or so!   Now, before you grimace in disgust, we have, instead, been giving her showers!  She loves them!  We started just letting her sit in her "Bebe pod" in our shower with the very hot water not hitting her, but created a steam bath to help with congestion.  Then, we also began cleaning her in the shower.  Then, we realized, we could do double duty and put her in there with whoever was taking a shower.  

Simon and I were working in his pre-reading workbook the other day and the activity was to draw a picture of your pet ... or what kind of pet you would like to have.  So, Simon wanted us to draw a dog.  We were instructed to name the dog, so I asked Simon what he would name his pet dog ....  Goosey  (or Goosie).  I thought that was so cute!  And we could call our fictitious dog, "Silly Goosie."

Silly Goosie

Simon Says

That reminds me of the battle we had trying to decide how to spell Evie, even though it's just her abbreviated real name, Evelyn.    Evie - Evey - Evvie - etc.  Phonetically, Matt's suggestion was Ehv.

Caption:  We made some cookies for Ava and Family.  

Simon sampled some and dunked them in his milk!

Simon has exciting news!  I know fellow moms and grandmothers will rejoice with us -- Simon seems to have gained victory in the last week and a half over the infamous, um, trying to be discreet, #2... !

It's been a real battle with Simon with real fear.

In addition to having real mercy for his real fear, we helped coach along victory with a new strategy of cold showers.  This practice of water-therapy was only implemented two weeks ago, and I think is to thank for our recent successes.

We told Simon that cold water would help 'clean him up', so that wasn't much fun but it did help increase his desire to try.  It was a little short of cruel, even though the water was just a little on the cool side and not a real 'cold' shower.  Also, if we were having an extended time of 'trying' on the toilet with no real effort, we would lament with Simon that we didn't want to give him a cold shower, but that a cold shower would help that poop come out (in does, in a circuitous way).  So, then Simon would really try and voila, success!

So, the cool shower treatment, along with fiber gummi bears, prayers, and awesome treats have brought success!  I think we may be over this hurdle that presented itself the week Evie was born --- 7 months ago!

Simon really did have trepidation and fear over this "growing up" rite of passage.  There was a couple of times in the last two weeks that I was able to really help 'coach' help in the bathroom.  It was kind of sad, sweet, and hilarious.  It reminded me of helping someone in the labor and delivery room as Simon seemed to pass all the 'signposts' of labor.

Okay, as I was typing this and thinking hmm, should I really post all these details, I think I will as most readers are close friends, moms, and family members.

I was just interrupted by Simon with yet another success for which to be rewarded.  He is begging for more food now so that it can turn into "more poop" so he can get a treat.

As his semi-weekly, um, movements have ceased, I have also noticed a trend of better behavior and happiness.    Also an increase in actual naps, though this could be due to fighting the cold virus that is recirculating in our house, or it could be due to his increased level of comfort.

****************

Simon just walked in again as I was typing and I asked him ...  (really this is verbatim)

Mom:  Simon, how did you get so good at pooping?  What helped you?

Simon:  Hmmm ... I think God.  He was in the bathroom with me, and I would say "Hi" to him.

Now, He is in the sky.  Why is He in the sky, mom?

So, maybe the cold showers had nothing to do with our new success.

The toy under her foot was her daddy's toy when he was little!  I think we had one, too!

Evelyn Grace helping her mommy throw together some pb&j sandwiches for a quick, on-the-go dinner as we drove to visit Evie's new friend Ava in the hospital.  Evie is making quite a mess with the cereal box.  Thankfully, it is in a zip-loc bag.  Evie also "helped" me make some fruit-salad cups.

Simon:  Mom, do we have a hole in the ground?

Mom:  No, do you want one?

Simon:  I want a mousehole.  So they can eat cheese.

....

Later

Simon:  I want a mousehole right here, and I want a lot of cheese here for the mice.

I want to look at mice.

I can tell there is going to be a trip to the pet store really soon.  Just for a visit.  Hopefully we will not walk out with any purchases.

At dinner one night when it was just the kids and I (Matt was sleeping as he felt very sick), this is part of a conversation .....

*****

Mom:  God is good to me.  I have two beautiful children.  

Strong, healthy Simon (stroking his face) and strong, healthy Evie (feeding her a bite of cereal).

Simon:  NO !  Evie's not strong.

Mom:  What is she?

Simon:  He (yes, he) is little.  She has no fear.  Mom, what's fear?

Speaking of fear, we made a huge mistake.  We watched "Snow White" with Simon.  Wow, that movie is going in the trash or our box to take to the Resale.  We have this crazy laser disc player that Matt "won" on Ebay.  It came with no remote, so we couldn't fast-forwards parts we would normally fast-forward.  We should have turned it off, but were kind of interested in watching the movie, for old-times' sake.

Mom:  Simon, why are you wearing Evie's shorts?

Matt:  Oh, I was wondering why they were so tight ... (he had dressed Simon)

Sleeping on the side of her head (again!) that needs to flatten out a bit.  

Sweetness

Simon picking apples at a friend's home.

Simon:  Where does Timmy live? ... Delaford?  I love Delaford ..... What's Delaford?

Evie and I trekked down to the volleyball courts below our house on the greenbelt to check on Simon and to watch a volleyball game featuring some GFA dedicated volleyball players.  Evie only had eyes for her daddy, though.  And Simon, only had eyes for the huge, unlimited amounts of sand and the various possibilities of sand-play.

Simon showing Evie a water bottle partly-filled with sand.  

I should bring a bucket and shovel next time.

Matt is hilarious.  Last week he happened to weigh himself and (it seemed to him) that he'd lost 6 pounds in a couple of weeks.  No, he wasn't trying.  The hilarious part is that he said he thought it was because he noticed he wasn't eating as much peanut butter.  I don't know I thought that was so funny, but I did and couldn't quit laughing!

Indiscreet ways God made tell you your shirt is too small ---

Your husband puts it away in your three year old's closet, thinking it is his.

(In my defense, the t-shirt is an under-layering shirt and is always worn UNDER another shirt)

The other day, instead of reminding Simon to "flush", I told him to, "delete it," and I realized, I had been working too long on a computer project that morning.

Matt serving

Evie has this funny habit of sticking out her tongue like this.  She usually does it when she is happy, though you can't tell from this photo.  Last night, Simon and I were dancing around to a song in "Singing in the Rain" while Matt held Evie on the couch.  When the song was done, Evie literally started clapping and squealing and sticking out her tongue (all in joy!)  It was so funny!

THE HAZARDS OF PARENTING IN 2008 THAT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED IN PARENTING BOOKS PUBLISHED IN 1908

Warning:  Make sure at bedtime that one or both of the parents can hear the baby.  Remember that ipods, noise-machines, etc, can camouflage any cries of children, and though that may sound like a good thing, it is really not a responsible practice, nor does this book endorse such negligence.

*************************

This ALMOST happened to us, though not on purpose.  We weren't planning on NOT HEARING our kids, but ...

Amy:  Matt,can you put the Bible on my ipod?  Wouldn't that be a great way to fall asleep?  (I realize that might sound bad, but you do have to fall asleep, so drifting off to God's Word seems like a good thing)

Matt:  Sure, I think there is a pod-cast like that.

Amy:  thinking .... Oh, how would we do that?

Matt:  What?

Amy:  Well, you already listen to your ipod at night.

Matt:  So?

Amy:  I guess we could take turns.

Matt:  Hmm,  why?

Amy:  Well, shouldn't one of us be able to hear the kids ?

Can you imagine???  A new danger of parenting with all these 20 and 30-something parents shirking their children at night for a playlist !

Well, there are mp3 players for cribs, so as long as we share ... !

7 months

Simon wanted his friends to have breakfast at the small table.   We had the Johnsons over for breakfast one Saturday, and with our combined efforts, enjoyed way too much food:  monkey / sticky bread, biscuits, mango, strawberries, bacon, eggs, coffee, and juice!

Simon trying to figure out what kind of bug we had with his "pest-finder" key.

College Application

Skill:  Bug Classification

(I'm sensing a full-ride to an Ivy-League)

Simon isn't being rebellious.  I was too hot to let him ride outside.

Funny dream that I can't remember if I blogged yet.

I had a "nightmare" a few weeks ago that made me literally sick to my stomach when I woke up.  I dreamed that it was all over the media that Pastor John Piper had been involved with a scandal and his church had asked him to resign.  ----  They had actual video footage of his crime ---  stealing a silver cup from a flea market!  

I know it sounds funny, but it was actually a nightmare.

Evie looking sweet !

(I wrote a "Dear John" letter last week to the internet.  Maybe I'll have the nerve to post it one day on my blog.  It was kind of funny, kind of serious.  Still keeping up my blog and my emails but am seriously reigning in other time-taking diversions)

I'm not sure why I typed an actual letter, other than to make it more concrete.

Evie had her 6 month well-baby exam last week.  (Yes, she turned 7 months last week-we're a little behind)..  

Speaking of behind, we're already on an 'adjusted' immunization schedule, as we opted out at the hospital and are just doing a few at a time, rather than the recommended course.  

And, last week I asked to postpone the ones due at her 6 month check-up until she is COMPLETELY congestion free, b/c it sounds like it is in her lungs, and it just didn't seem right to add immunizations to her system.

6 month Well-Baby Exam Results

(Keep in mind she is really 7 months)

Height:  27 inches (75 %)

Weight:  14.5  (10%)

(We joke that she'll be a super-model if she keeps up these percentiles!  She'll have to wear a wig, though, if she never gets hair! )

Need to encourage her to lay on her left side (nearly impossible) when sleeping to encourage that side of her head to flatten out a bit)

Have a referral to a pediatric G.I. specialist for her, um, intestinal abnormalities :)

Silly Faces (both on plate and off) with Timmy

Timothy cracks us up!  He says the funniest things. 

 One night at dinner Simon starting talking about the earthquake in China and Timmy said, "Simon, you are serious!"

And, Simon has been saying, "OOPSY, DAISY!"  all the time now when ever something falls, etc.  We wondered where he picked up that phrase, but now we know -- Timmy !

A 17 pound turkey, fresh out of the oven.

A well-endowed lemon pie.

Not a typical scene after prayer on a Tuesday Night, but we had to cook the turkey that day, as it had thawed for 4 days (hoping to get it grilled over Memorial Day weekend and that didn't happen).  

The weather was surprisingly cool on Tuesday, so, in she (turkey) went!

Side-note:  Would you like it to rain, sleet, or snow?

Just ask me to schedule a pediatrician's visit and I can pretty much guarantee you that it will precipitate in one form or another!

Sweetness (newest nickname for both kids)

Origin of rocking chair:  bought in Asheville, North Carolina 20 plus years ago by Barry and Cathy Cox on their honeymoon

Just sitting around on the porch with big brother and his friend !  

Trying to imitate Evie's facial expression to see if we look alike ...

Irony:  This is the shirt that Simon 'cart-lifted' from Wal-Mart.

Mom and I came home from Wal-Mart and realized she's bought the shirt, but she didn't put it in the cart!   

I snapped a pix before we return it.

Precious face, precious nose, precious eyes, precious mouth, precious tummy, precious legs, precious arms, and most of all, precious hands !

These pictures (there are more later in the blog) are almost edible -- (if that's possible).

Playing with her "lovey."

Yes, that is turkey!  17 pounds goes a looooong way !

Simon and I have taken some "nature walks" lately where we collect various neighborhood and nature artifacts.

It has made me see our park, neighborhood streets and cul-de-sacs, and even alley in new ways!

I've also realized how observant Simon is.  One night we noticed an apple core (freshly disposed) next to a bush in a cul-de-sac near us.  A few days later we were walking with Matt and Evie one evening and happened to go down the same cul-de-sac and Simon remembered exactly where the apple was, and pointed it out, in its rather-developed stage of decaying ... 

And remembering isn't always a good thing...For example, I don't now if Simon will ever drive up to GFA with us and not ask, "Where's the water slide?"

This was sweet Evie sleeping on her LEFT-SIDE a couple of days after we were told to try and put her on her left side more.  

Since then, she has been caught one other time on  her left side while sleeping.  

This is nothing short of an answer to a specific prayer request for our back-preferring babe!

Isn't she sweet, in her fetal position?

She remains a poster-baby for the Bradley-Method position!

I did some thing the other day that I rarely do.  I can't remember when is the last time it happened to me -- I have a sunburn!

An awful one.  I usually don't burn at all, so this is an incredible surprise.  

Maybe there are some skin-pigmentation changes with nursing hormones or something ... I can't figure out why I burned so badly.  

I was at the park for an hour or two last Thursday.  I met Michelle and her 3 boys at the park.  I thought I stayed in the shade the whole time, as I made an effort to make sure Evie (both kids were slathered with sunscreen) was in the shade.  

Apparently, I must have been residing on the shade/sun border...

PLUS, Simon put my sunscreen on me (I know it's weird, it's the only way I can get it on him.  We take turns 'painting' each other's skin , so you can imagine the patchy sunscreen job I had on myself...)  

So, I have a most interesting painful sunburn that is slowly becoming less painful.

I had to make wardrobe-accommodations last weekend, so hopefully I didn't offend anyone I knew!

Doesn't this picture just make you want to 'grab her up' and get some CT?

(C.T. = Cuddle Time.  It's a new term I came up with last week.  Simon playfully runs from me when I tell him it's time for some C.T.  Okay, sometimes he runs playfully away, sometimes he just runs ... ! )

Teething Evie

More proof of teething-Evie

The first tooth emerges !  

(Well, it emerged a week or so ago, but this is the first photo I snapped)

Last week was a 'surreal' week in one respect.  I heard from three dearest of dear friends that I don't hear from regularly, because of local geography, and each of my three close friends had been through a very tragic, or near tragic, events in the previous weeks.

Thankful for our Shelter

Another sleeping photo

I thought her body looked funny.

Evie early on Saturday morning before I made her drive with me to downtown Dallas to drop Simon off at the train-station.  

(Not by himself, he was meeting my mom and the ladies at her church for a train ride to the Fort Worth Zoo)  

The kids and I parked about 5 blocks from the station, next to an abandoned warehouse.  

I had much faith (not a very populated area except for one lone, um, "Forgotten Man" as I hooked up Evie in her stroller, grabbed Simon's hand, and wore his zoo backpack and toted his over-nite bag (on my sunburned shoulder and back ... ouch!)

The term, "Forgotten Man" comes from my favorite screwball comedy, "My Man Godfrey."  Matt and I both enjoy old movies.

Speaking of old, we celebrated our 8th Anniversary last week!

Mom:  Simon, are you ready for the ZOO??

Simon can't understand my bluetooth phone accessory.  

(Neither can I, half the time!) 

 When we're driving or walking and I'm talking, he can't figure out who I am talking to.  

He probably wonders, "Has mom lost her mind?"

I was driving to the Zoo Saturday morning, and I said, "Call Home"  very loudly and clearly several times for the sake of my ill-tempered blue-tooth.  

The whole time, Simon is saying, "No, don't call home.  No, don't call home," to my phone.  

It was hilarious !

I did something crazy last week.  (Besides the 17 lb. turkey)  I got up early Friday morning to take both kids shopping after dropping Matt off at work since Talbots Outlet was having a 75% off sale....

I don't think I have taken both kids shopping in 7 months  (the duration of both kid's actual life.)  

I might not have been shopping in the last 7 months, I can't remember.  

Friday morning made me forget a lot of things.  

(Well, I have walked to Target some in the double stroller but that isn't the same as shopping just for clothing in a store that only has clothing.)

They opened at 8 (earlier than usual) which made me think we could pull it off.  We'd be done by 10.  The kids were actually great (compared to how they could have been).  Simon didn't get antsy until the last 20 min. or so, but then we had to do an unplanned feeding for Evie in the dressing rooms.  It was a challenge to keep Simon occupied with my fancy raconteur skills so that he didn't open the dressing-room door while I fed Evie!

So, I had promised a park treat for Simon with our picnic lunch that was in the cooler.   But, I couldn't do it!!  My sunburn was aching so much that I couldn't bear the thought of being outside at the park.  So, we post-poned the park trip until "Daddy comes home" and we went through a Starbucks drive-thru because mommy needed a "SERIOUS"  (as Timmy would say) treat !

This brings me to my point of rave:  the new mint-mocha frappacino.  I remember having this in the summer of 2005 several times with my dear friend Kellie Hill.  But, the new twist is .... real chocolate whip cream with chocolate sauce on top.  Seriously, I knew I was drinking a day's worth of calories, and I didn't even care !

(the sweet lady at the drive-thru put some chocolate whip in a separate cup for Simon -- so, double treat!)

At Keystone on Sunday