Evan at 2

Quick question - I just finished writing this post and had it all spaced correctly, but then after I hit "publish", this is what it looks like. With the spacing all crazy. What the heck?! It drives me nuts. Anyway...

I neglected to write down anything here about Evan at his birthday, so I should probably do it now before I forget.

If I could pick just one word to describe Evan, it would be FUN. He really is such a crack-up, and definitely the clown of the family! Once he knows that something will make you laugh, you can bet that you'll here it again, and again, and again. Steve commented recently that Evan is at the most fun age. He could be right, or it could just be that Evan will always be one to make us laugh!
He is also...

...brave. Not necessarily reckless, thankfully, but he is quite willing to try certain things that most kids would not. This quality will serve him well in life, I believe. Here he is jumping off our rock wall.

...stubborn. Here he is, mad about something. We get this look a lot :)

...mischievious. I made muffins one afternoon, and set them at the back of the counter to cool, then went to do something around the house. When I came down a bit later, I found this...

and Evan, caught! The guilty look on his face is priceless! This incident also shows his...ingenuity, I guess? In order to get to whatever smelled good, he moved one of the kitchen chairs over to the counter, got the muffin and took it to his place at the table, moved the chair back, and then climbed into his chair to start eating. Stinker.
...cuddly. He is definitely the most snuggly of the three kids. All you really have to do is pick him up, and he almost always lays his head right down on your shoulder. I don't want him to ever grow out of that!

...observant. Wow, this kid learns sooooo much from Travis and Jayna! It's amazing how much kids learn from each other - good or bad! He sure knows how to throw a fit when he doesn't get his way with Travis or Jayna, but most of the time he really just loves playing with them.

On the other hand, he is very independent and loves to explore by himself....which usually involves making messes and/or getting in to things he shouldn't :)

Beyond that, he is a great sleeper, almost always on the go and almost never one to sit and watch a show, and like the other kids - he loves to be outside. Oh, and he LOVES his blanky.

Some of the things he says....

"Denna" - Jayna

"Dawis" - Travis

"Dessie" - Jessie

"Dop it!" - stop it

"Duh you" - love you

"Mine" (a current favorite of his)

"ont go aside" - want go outside

And finally, a video that is classic Evan! I heard him talking/singing in bed one night long after Travis had fallen asleep and tried to sneak in on him. Yes, he is singing "Tomorrow" from Annie - because it's Jayna's favorite song and he's heard her sing it many times. And the end is an example of him being a clown - one day when Steve told him he loved him, Evan replied, "Okay" just like you hear, and we all cracked up...so that's how he answers every time now. (sorry it's so dark)

A couple good reads...

I always appreciate when someone gives me a good book recommendation, so I thought I'd do the same and pass along a couple of titles I think you should check out.

The first is a fabulous work of historical fiction, Sarah's Key by Tatiana DeRosnay. It has been a couple of months since I read this, but it still stands out very much in my heart and mind. Sarah's Key weaves together the stories of a modern-day American woman (Julia) living in Paris and a young girl (Sarah) who, along with her family, was taken away in the Vel' d'Hiv' WWII roundup in the summer of 1942 (I had never heard of it either). For the first half or so, I found myself way more interested in the 1942 portion of the story and annoyed when it would switch back to Julia's story. But as Julia's story began to reveal more of Sarah's (and Julia's story became more interesting in itself), I found myself hooked.

I know that historical fiction is still fiction, but from what I've read about this book, the author really did her homework. One of her main intents in writing this book was to tell the story of the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup - a part of Parisian (and world) history that, until recently, was either not known, or worse - ignored. It's not surprising that France would want to hide this very ugly and heartbreaking piece of its past, especially when we consider it from Sarah's perspective. Anyway, I won't give away anything else - just read it!

The second is Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, by Amy Chua. You may have heard of her and what it means to be a "tiger" mother and all of the controversy surrounding the parenting she represents. If not, a quick summary: Amy Chua is the daughter of Chinese immigrants, now raising two daughters of her own in the US. Her book is her own story, along with her observations on the differences between "Chinese" parenting and "Western" parenting (quotations because she acknowledges the generalizations she's making). While Western parenting is most often about nurturing and giving choices and encouraging individuality and creativity, Chinese parenting is much more strict and focuses on training and achievement.

Okay, so I'm not even sure where to start. Let me just say that this book was fascinating to me on many levels - mostly in the area of parenting, but also in the areas of teaching and piano and music. Honestly, I have never cringed so many times in reading a book. Chua is EXTREMELY demanding of her daughters, and her tactics include forcing them to practice hours a day (on instruments she chose for them) and calling them names...basically, what many Americans might label as emotional abuse. At times while reading this book, I hurt for those girls. Like I said - lots of cringing.

The book is not at all about the author claiming to know the only and best way of parenting. Actually, she frequently questions her own parenting, and in the end, makes a very impressive change in the way she parents her younger daughter. But she also questions the way Americans parent and makes some great points. She really got me thinking! One of the (many) ideas that has really got my wheels turning is that of self-esteem - something that American society/parenting is obsessed with but doesn't necessarily do a great job of building. I also appreciated her thoughts on happiness (and how "Western children are definitely no happier than Chinese ones"), her relationship with her daughters and how she wasn't crushed when they didn't "like" her, her belief that her daughters are much more strong than they are fragile, and her recognition of how very different her two daughters are and how she must parent them differently. And I have to give her kudos for her blatant honesty, knowing she'd receive crazy amounts of criticism, and also her humor and overall great writing.

A quote from her: "There are all these new books out there portraying Asian mothers as scheming, callous, overdriven people indifferent to their kids' true interests. For their part, many Chinese secretly believe that they care more about their children and are willing to sacrifice much more for them than Westerners, who seem perfectly content to let their children turn out badly. I think it's a misunderstanding on both sides. All decent parents want to do what's best for their children. The Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that."

This book really is about a mom who loves her kids and wants the best for them and is doing the best she can. I think we can all relate to that! I still disagree with many of the ways she parents (not to mention that our goals of parenting are apparently very different)...and it probably won't make you change your parenting ways entirely. But I do think she has some great insights that are worth considering.

A quick little getaway

Toward the end of March/beginning of April, Steve had about 2 1/2 weeks off. During that time, he replaced all of our downstairs carpet (it looks so much better!)

just he and I took a small trip to the San Juan Islands (view from our cabin and from Lime Kiln State Park),

and because part of that time covered spring break and we sensed the need for a change of scenery for the kids, we took a small family trip to Ocean Shores. I loved this trip for two reasons - 1) it was fun!, and 2) it made us see that sometimes even just tiny little (and cheap) getaways can be great for the family. We went for just one night but spent almost two full days there. We got a great deal on a suite-style hotel room where there was free breakfast and A POOL!! The kids loved this and swam almost as soon as we checked in and again in the morning before we had to check out. We also hit the candy store for salt water taffy, played in the sand, fed the seagulls, ran from the waves, watched a redbox movie together all cuddled in bed, and went back to the ocean in the morning for more fun. Since I packed lunches and snacks and most of our entertainment (and breakfast) was free, we really spent very little money overall, but made some very sweet and fun memories.

Okay, okay

A number of you have recently asked if I'm ever going to blog again...guess I better get back at it :) Thank you (if you are reading this) for being interested in our family!

I was just sitting here wasting time on the computer, listening to Travis and Jayna upstairs and thinking about how they've made me smile today - then it hit me that if I didn't write certain things down, I will most likely forget them down the road.

Travis stayed home from school today. It was actually the first day he's missed this year. He loves school and looks forward to going every day, so when he woke up this morning with a sore throat, runny nose, and cough ASKING if he could stay home from school, I knew he wasn't feeling well. I consented. I was hesitant, though, because usually when all 3 kids are home all day and we don't have any outing planned (as would have to be the case today), there is extra bickering, and the day can really drag.

But praise the Lord, today was great! Travis and Jayna played together SO well all day today. They've gone through quite a long phase of often constant fighting with each other, and any of you parents whose kids tend to argue a lot know that this will drive a parent CRAZY!!! Steve and I tried all sorts of things to MAKE IT STOP (separating them, confining them in the same room until they could figure it out, lecturing them, listening to them, teaching them how to communicate....really, we tried everything we could think of). But it often seemed like nothing we were doing was working. Anyway, sometime in the last few months, I noticed that they were arguing less, and playing together more. And it has only improved. They still fight sometimes, like all siblings, but I feel like we've turned a corner. For them to play all day together without one argument was such a blessing and relief!

The love continued - they wanted to have a sleepover together tonight. I wasn't about to stop them! But here's the funny part - I asked them where they were going to sleep (thinking either the boys' room or Jayna's room), and Travis replied, "On your bed". (note: Steve's working all night). I asked, "Then where will I sleep?". Travis answered simply and with a shrug, "In your closet". Wow, thanks Trav. :)

And finally, I just listened to Travis read several books to Jayna. He's been able to read for awhile now (simpler words and sentences), but he is now to the point where he can read entire children's books with little to no help. I love it! I couldn't help but smile to hear him ask Jayna, "Which one do you want me to read next?"

This picture is a preview of my next post...

This is my life and I love it

This afternoon as I started making dinner for the family, Steve took the kids for a walk. As they headed down the winding path toward their destination, I had one of those moments of intense gratitude for the life God has given me. Travis was laughing and playing with Jessie, Jayna was walking next to Steve, and Evan was toddling behind them, anxious to keep up. It was a simple, everyday moment, but a beautiful one to me.

Growing up, I used to dream of my future husband and kids and wonder what they would be like and what our life together would look like. Watching them today, I realized that I am now living my dream. Our life together is not perfect or easy by a long shot, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. My heart overflows with love for each of them!

Just a cute video :)

Our fourth child

...is on the way.

Ha! Totally kidding! Actually, I would like to introduce our newest addition - not a human one, but just like a fourth child in many ways.

Meet Jessie!

Let me tell you, this dog has totally stolen my heart! I just love her to pieces. We got her 3 days before Christmas (she was about 7 weeks), and she is a now 2 1/2 month old chocolate lab/german shorthair mix, though she really just looks like a chocolate lab. She is so cute. We got her from my cousin - his dog is Jessie's mom. Eric (cousin) and his wife said that they could tell that this would be a good dog for us because she seemed mellow and sweet even early on, and they were totally right. In terms of temperament, she's great - playful, submissive, very loving and affectionate, and has not shown even a hint of aggression toward the kids or anything/one else.

Potty training has gone better than I expected, though not perfect. Potty training our kids was way easier :) She does still have occasional accidents, but for the most part, she's doing great now. And she does pretty well with a crate at night and when we leave during the day - in fact, last night she went into her crate before I could even tell her to go there. My biggest complaint is that she's not quite happy (or able?) to be in the crate for the entire night...there are some nights where we only get up once to let her out to go potty, but some nights she wants out more than that. So we're still trying to figure that out and hoping she'll soon be able to "hold it" all night. I really like my sleep.

Anyway, she is like a fourth child in that 1)she does require work/scolding/training/cleaning up after, etc.; and 2)we really love her! I come from a family of dog lovers, and Jessie is especially easy to love! Totally worth the work.

On our first night home (same with the top picture). This was taken after a VERY long drive from picking her up - thus, the slight lack of enthusiasm :)

When we first got her, she was smaller than our cat, and right around 8 lbs. As of this last Tuesday (less than a month later), she was already 18 lbs. It's crazy how fast they grow! Oh, and this was the first time Ruby was brave enought to get close.

Waiting patiently to be let outside. Taken just a couple days ago...you can see how much she has grown!