Ka-plink, Ka-plank, Ka-plunk

If you are familiar with the children's book Blueberries for Sal, then you know what it was like picking blueberries with Evan today.  We had been waiting for a cooler day so that we could go blueberry picking with Gramma.  Well today was that cooler day that we needed.  Evan carried his own bucket and once he had about 10 berries in his bucket, he ate them all.  Then he started picking them and eating them before ever even putting them in his bucket, feeding some to Gramma and Mommy too!  And finally he started eating them right off of the bushes!  I know I shouldn't have been laughing and encouraging him but it was just too cute!

Basement 99.9% Completed

Framing started March 29th, 90% of the work was completed by May 15th, and now after a bit of a delay 99.9% of the basement is finished.  There are a couple of minor things still yet to be completed but for all intents and purposes, we now have a finished and functional basement.  It is wonderful to have a husband who is so handy...not to mention our friends and Grandpa Bob who also helped quite a bit.  It is hard to believe that this is even the same space!

Before 

After

One Last Hurrah

I wanted to do something special with Evan as a family, just the three of us, before the baby arrived so today we went to Davis Farmland.  The weather wasn't great but we had a wonderful day anyway!  We began our day meandering through the animal showcase.  Evan loved seeing, petting and feeding all of the animals.  It was great how he let them eat right out of his hand without being scared at all.  Then we took a tour of the farm on the safari hayride.  When the hayride was over, it began to rain a bit so we headed inside for some lunch.  The rain had mostly stopped by the time we finished lunch and Evan had fun playing on the tractors and in the tool shop at Imagine Acres for a while.  It was starting to get late but we wanted to check out the Adventure Play & Spray water park.  We took a stroll over to that side of the farmland and after taking a ride on the go-carts, Evan played in the spray park and the bubble blast for a bit.  Evan was a bit sad when it was time to go but he was asleep within 10 minutes of being back in the car.  It was a wonderfully fun family day with our little guy!  I loved seeing and hearing the excitement on his face and in his voice all day!  A special day for a very special boy about to become a big brother!

My World

Dear Evan,

With your baby brother set to arrive any day now, I wanted to write you a letter to let you know just how amazing the last (almost) 27 months have been. For the last 27 months, you have been my world. You have brought me so much joy and love, more than I could ever have imagined. Watching you grow and learn everyday has taught me to appreciate the little things in life more than I did before you were born. You have helped me understand what is truly important in life and to (try to) be more patient. I never thought of myself as "stay at home mom" material but after spending the last 2+ years home with you, I wouldn't change it for the world. I owe your daddy a great big "thank you" for working so hard and giving me this opportunity. Sure we have had our tough moments and days when we have both been upset and tired, but we have had many more moments and days when we have both been happy and smiling and laughing. There is not a day that goes by that I am not amazed by what you can do and what you know. You make me laugh, smile and shed tears of joy daily!

I love what we have and I love what we do and if I am being completely honest, I am a little sad to see it coming to an end. The birth of your little brother will be the biggest change that we have experienced as a family since you were born. While none of us can quite understand what that means just yet, I know that as a family our love with help us through every minute, the good times and the challenging ones. I know that we will fall into a new rhythm and routine with your little brother. I, also, know that you will be a wonderful big brother based on so many things you have already said and done. You are a caring, sweet, smart, loving, fun little boy and I know your little brother will love you as much as Dad and I do. Thank you for brightening my life everyday and for teaching me so much about the important things in life. Because of you, my heart is more full than I ever imagined it could be! I love you more than you will ever know!

Love always,

Mom.

Just being silly and making me laugh as always!

Yum, Yum Yogurt

My conversation with Evan today while getting lunch ready:

Me: Evan, would you like some yogurt?

Evan: No, Mommy, I don't want any yogurt.

About two minutes later, after trusting my mommy instincts...

Evan: I finished my yogurt, Mommy.

Licking a little off the edge of the container

A big bite! And checking to see how much is left

Evan's Photography

Evan has started wanting to take pictures quite often.  His first photo (taken with assistance from Daddy) was of his favorite subject.

One Week To Go

Just one week to go before my official due date.  Although if baby Skarin #2 is anything like his big brother it will actually be a bit longer than that before he arrives!

Sleep Walker

Sometime between when Bruce got up and before he left for work this morning, Evan woke up and came into our room.  He didn't wake me up or climb up into our bed but instead found a rather interesting place to get a little more rest.

Fun with Belle

We spent the day today with Jenna and Belle.  We had planned to go to their house to swim but the weather didn't really cooperate.  That didn't stop Belle and Evan from having fun though.  Evan loved checking out all of Belle's cool toys...her swing set, her ATV, and her tricycle were three of his favorites.  Evan was a bit upset that we needed to leave without swimming so I guess we will just have to plan another play date before the summer ends! Thanks for having us over!

Silly Things We Do

Another fun day at Papa & Gramma's pool house including many silly things...a froggy in a bug box, doing "tricks" on Daddy's piggies, singing into the solar lights, flapping like a bird, and flying like an airplane.  Oh the silly things we do when a two year old asks us to!

Old Friends

We may not talk everyday or even every month for that matter but that doesn't change the fact that we can pick up right where we left off and never feel awkward or out of touch...that's what it means to have old friends!
Today we spent a glorious day on Great Island in Narragansett catching up with Leah and Patience.  I have been friends with these ladies since we met when we were 12 years old in 7th grade...over 20 years ago!  Life has brought each of us to many different places throughout the years with our current locations of Millbury, NYC and Switzerland.  Despite the distance between us, we still manage to get together at least once or twice a year to spend the day enjoying each others company.
It was a beautiful day to be by the water, out in the sun, talking, eating and laughing as we shared stories of  the latest news in our lives.  Evan had a wonderful day playing with Caleb for a little while, kayaking with Daddy, playing in the sand and water by the beach, and making friends with the puppies.
Thanks for 20+ years of wonderful friendship ladies!

Fifteen Minutes...Take Two

You may remember this post from last summer, one week shy of one year ago, when Evan got his first fifteen minutes of fame from attending a concert on the common.  Well yesterday, Evan and I attended the first of this year's concerts on the Millbury common and once again, Evan received some press.  I didn't see anything in the newspaper this time but he was on the front page of the Millbury Daily Voice online.  Of the 8 photos that were posted, the only one not of the band was of Evan!  Check out the photos and article here.

Little Ant Guy

We have been having a little issue with carpenter ants this season.  It was first bad in the spring when everything was coming alive again but Bruce set traps and sprayed and it seemed to mostly take care of the issue.  Last Tuesday morning, however, I woke up to find ants everywhere!  In every room, on every surface...everywhere!!  I don't know where they were coming from and why all of a sudden but something needed to be done.
Wednesday we had a pest control guy come and spray around the house.  For a few days we only saw a few ants here and there but then it started picking up again.  Last night, it was as if we never even did anything!  We called our pest control guy again this morning and he came to investigate again.
Both times, Evan was very curious as to what "the ant guy" was doing and where he was.  Last week, "the ant guy" was mostly outside but today he was inside quite a bit more.  Evan noticed that he had a bluetooth ear piece which prompted him to want one too.  He then went around our room, on the hunt for ants!
Hopefully we won't need to see "the ant guy" again!

Bluetooth is in place and he's on the hunt

There's one, Mommy

My little ant guy with his helper, George

And another one, Mommy.  (Can you find it?)

 

Evan-isms

I can not tell you how many people have said things like "Wow, Evan has a really good vocabulary for his age" or "I can understand him better than most 3 year olds I know" or "He is one smart boy".  We like to think that yes, Evan does have a great vocabulary, can communicate quite well and is maybe a bit advanced for his age, but of course, we are biased.  While I haven't been taking as many pictures lately (he just moves too fast!), I have been trying to remember all of the little gems that he comes up with on a daily basis. Here are a couple of my favorites from the recent weeks.

Piece of Crying
One morning, after a brief meltdown about something (I don't recall what), Evan had something on his eye that I wanted to wipe off before it went into his eye.  I asked him to hold still so that I could wipe it.  His response was "It's just a piece of crying."

Mars
While driving down Warwick Avenue (a rather busy 4-lane divided road for those not familiar with Warwick) last week, we saw a truck parked partially on the sidewalk and partially still in the road.  Upon seeing it, I said to Bruce "On what planet would someone ever think that was an appropriate place to park?" Without a moments hesitation from the back seat, Evan replied "Mars".  I think he hit the nail on the head...the driver of that truck must have been from another planet!

Throw the Baby into My Belly

Once I found out I was pregnant, we started telling Evan that he was going to be a big brother and we were going to have another baby. We wanted to get him used to the idea (as much as possible) before his baby brother was born. Early on, most of the mentioning of the baby came from us but in recent weeks Evan has been talking a lot about his baby brother.

The other night while having dinner on the deck, Evan said "I'm gonna have my brother in my belly too. Throw the baby into my belly, mommy. Just open up your shirt and throw him to me." Oh if it were only that easy!

Those Eyes Won't Close, Mommy

Nap time in the big boy bed has been a little challenging at times. After reading a story or two, I try to get Evan to calm down, lay down and close his eyes. When I say "Just relax and close your eyes, buddy," his response is "Those eyes won't close mommy," as he blinks them dramatically.

I love his stories and Evan-isms!

Stubborn

After an hour and a half of fighting to take a nap, Evan finally lost the battle! (Just a few minutes before I was going to throw in the towel and say "Forget the nap today.")

This led to a four and a half hour nap from 5:30 until 10 pm.  After being awake for about an hour and a half, we were able to get Evan back to bed just before midnight.   

Slippers...In this heat??

It may have been close to 90 degrees and humid today but our little Lightning McQueen insisted on wearing his slippers with his pj's tonight.  They do match quite nicely!

Dancing in his pj's and slippers

Fun Summer Nights

Do you remember this post from last summer?  Well it is almost one year later and while Evan's cheeks and belly are a little less chubby, many of the poses are the same and he is still just as cute!  We love our evenings and dinners on the deck in the summer!

Summer Time Fun!

It is hard to believe that just over 3 weeks ago we hadn't spent one single day by the pool for this season!  Since that first day we have had many more.  We have enjoyed entire weekends at "the beach house" or Papa & Gramma's pool house, as Evan likes to call it.  We have enjoyed many cookouts, fun family time and quite a bit of relaxation...all poolside!  The weather has been great and we are quite thankful that Papa & Gramma aren't sick of us...yet! (As you will see in the pictures, we have also had some fun at home too!)

Sticker Legs

Stickers are meant to be stuck all over your legs, right?

Roger Williams Park Playground and Carousel

Another hot, hot day!  Maybe not the best day to go to the park and playground but at least it was mostly shaded.  We met Emily and Annalia at Roger Williams Park by the carousel so the kids could play on the playground, have a picnic lunch and ride the carousel.  I don't think they were in the same place for more than a minute or two, other than lunch, so it was hard to get pictures of both of them.  Even harder for their moms to have a complete conversation!  Oh well, it was a fun day anyway!

July 7th Cookout

Today we had a fun cookout at Gramma & Papa's.  All of the usual suspects were there and Uncle Glenn and Aunt Chris too!  Everyone enjoyed the pool and lawn games, capped off by lots of cool food (every kind of salad you can think of...egg, potato, pasta, fruit, tuna, chicken).  Who wants to cook...or even eat anything hot for that matter...in this heat?  Another great summer day!

Stone Zoo

Today was the second week of Free Fun Friday's,  Evan and I attended a couple of these events last summer and while they are generally relatively crowded, it is a good way to check out a new place or activity.  Of the five locations today, we decided to go to the Stone Zoo.  We had been last year with Bruce but unfortunately I didn't remember what our experience was like until we were already there!  It was hot, hot, hot today and the zoo was super crowded.  The layout of this zoo is not the best so it gets very crowded quite quickly.  It was so hot that most of the animals were hiding in the shade.  Needless to say, we zipped through the zoo, stayed for about an hour and then went to have lunch (inside a nice office with cool AC) with daddy.  At least lunch was fun!  I guess we should have gone to the Boston's Children's Museum instead!  Oh well, next time!

Tuckered Out!

After a busy Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning, this little guy is tuckered out!! Too tired to even finish his lunch!  

Happy Birthday, America!

Today was quite possibly one of the most relaxing 4th of July celebrations we have ever had.  The little boys were all well behaved, had a great time swimming, took good naps (well Sean and Evan anyway) and loved the new floats - a manta ray, a blue whale and a pirate ship - that Papa brought home from Florida.  I lounged in my new mesh float for most of the afternoon...quite possibly the best $20 I have spent this year! A rather low key day but a perfect one as well!  Happy birthday, America!

Millbury Carnival and Fireworks

This year, for the first time since we have lived in Millbury (just over 6 years!), we attended the annual 4th of July carnival and fireworks and I must say, I was pretty impressed.  For a small town like Millbury, they put on a decent carnival (typical to most carnivals around) and a pretty good firework display.  Evan had fun riding the train, the ferris wheel and the cars.  We enjoyed some carnival food...a dough boy and ice cream...and then took our seats to wait for the fireworks to begin.  While we waited, Evan went with Daddy to get a (temporary) tattoo and even picked one out for Mommy.  A nice little evening not too far from our own backyard!