Evelyn's first birthday

EvelynFebruary 4, 2011
one year old!

One year ago today...one YEAR??? ago today...we welcomed little miss Evelyn into our hearts.  She is the sunshine for our wintery days; everyone competes for her favor.  Her royal highness can get a ride at any time to anywhere she wishes. Except for the occasional fussy night from teething, she is an exceptionally happy little girlie- unless you tell her "No!"  Even if you merely suggest "No!" her smile fades and is replaced by consternation and even tears. Apparently, she is the sensitive type.

We tried to have Evie sit alone for photos, 

but she kept trying to fall out of the chair. 

Thankfully, Madelyn agreed to hold the very, very wiggly baby.

So much silliness! 

(Sorry- I couldn't seem to get the right white balance today...)

 As you can see, we gave up on sitting all together.

 I think that she wanted to show off her amazing walking skills.

many hands make light work?

The first weekend of October, Bryan was home for a visit from Arizona. It was to be his last visit, although we didn't know it at the time.

The house, car and family were all in need of desperate attention. The budget dictated that he spend some time fixing Vanilla Bean's brakes. Our savings were dwindling after a week requiring repairs to both Pickle and Vanilla Bean totaling a couple grand.

Thankfully, Bryan is great at working with little helpers and Saturday morning found half our crew watching and "helping" Daddy fix the car.

Madelyn, 11, holding Evelyn, 8 months.

Mason, 5, driving. Nolan, 2 1/2 "working".

Nolan repeatedly tried to push Daddy out of the way, saying "Me do it. My turn."

He is actually quite dexterous for a toddler, operating the torque wrench was no problem. Well, except for exerting enough torque!

In the end, Vanilla Bean was repaired for a budget-friendly $9.97, with the added bonus of building relationships with Daddy-starved kiddos.

Back in the day, Bryan and I watched The Red Green Show, where a common refrain was "If she can't find ya handsome, she should at least find ya handy!" I am exceedingly blessed to have a man who is both. Besides fixing Vanilla Bean, he replaced an electrical outlet that was shorting out and magically fixed the bath tub drain lever in the front bathroom.

Before Arizona, I would have taken all these for granted. The experience of being handy-husbandless for 3 months gave me new eyes to see and appreciate all those little things that I can't take care of, things other people have to hire a professional to fix.

I am not sure that the work was accomplished

more efficiently with these many hands,

but it was accomplished more joyfully.

snuggles & sleep

There' s a whole lotta sleeping going on at our house- by Evelyn, at least. I really can't complain, though. She's already sleeping one stretch of around 5 1/2 hours most nights.

When Sarah was this age, we didn't sleep. I walked the bedroom for hours each night, nursing and bouncing at the same time. We listened to the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, unabridged- several times through, which is to say that I know how blessed I am to have a good sleeper this time.

Moments before this photo, we were cozied up together for a nap.

I love squishy, sleepy babies!

Nothing sweeter in this whole wide world than sisters snuggling.

house of chaos and contagion

Here we are on day 2? 3? 4? of chaos and contagion.

This is the current view in our living room.

The curtains are drawn to enhance the movie theater feeling.

Madelyn holding today's accessory- the cup. The cup is a definite upgrade from yesterday's accessory- the bowl. Yesterday, I barked at any child seen without their bowl buddy.

All of my large, easy-to-hit bowls were pressed into service, starting with the mint-green tupperware barf bowl of yesteryear up to and including my nice, deep pasta pot.

Panning to the right we have Sarah, who has escaped unscathed thus far, eating breakfast.

Continuing the living room tour, Evie in her swing. She loves the swing, a fact that saved my sanity yesterday when it was just Gavin and I tending the puking hoardes.

Mason also wanted breakfast. This may be a rather optimistic move, only time will tell. He is wearing mismatched jammies because everything else he owns is stained with evidence of sickness (from one end or the other).

Gavin, the hero of yesterday, has finally succumbed. Let me tell you- I would be bald and in a straight jacket if not for his noble help yesterday. He changed nasty diapers and dealt with even nastier, sickness-covered loads of laundry. Loads and loads and loads of nastiness. Plus, he got up in the midnight hours many, many times to change Mason's bed linens and empty his bowl. This heroic deed gave his mother a few, precious hours of sanity-saving sleep.

Now that he is one of the sick, we have given him the entire couch plus control of the movie choices. It's only right.

Last stop in our living room tour- Sirena and Nolan cozied up on Sirena's mattress in the middle of the floor. Sirena decided that trying to make urgent, midnight bathroom trips from the top bunk was a hazardous proposition. So, she prudently relocated her bed to a location that allowed for easier and quicker exits. Thankfully, she is on the upswing and may even eat later today.

It all looks so peaceful and cozy, yes? I won't traumatize you by photographing our laundry. I will say that the bathroom has never been so clean.

My routine yesterday went something like this:

1. nurse the baby

2. change the baby

3. change the toddler

4. empty the bowls

5. bathe the child

6. clean the bathroom

7. transfer the laundry

8. clean the carpet/floor/chair

Repeat

Anything else accomplished was a miracle. Today, however, is a brighter day. Only one child is hugging a bowl, and he, most thankfully, has good aim.

a one minute photo shoot

Although the weather was cooperative, the children weren't especially interested in sitting still for photos. I snapped these off in just under a minute, without even checking the settings on my camera. Thankfully, there is an angel somewhere who has mercy on frazzled, sandy mothers who *just* want a photo of all their children together.

Mason, Madelyn, Gavin, Mara, Sirena, Sarah, Nolan

All smiles...because this is the last picture!

wistful

On a hot, hot day, two very small people contemplate the unfairness of toddlerhood.

Nolan (14.5 mos) and Liza (17.5 mos)

See? Madelyn's having a great time out there...

Nina is clearly having a fabulous time...


Gavin, too.

Cousin, how long does it take to grow up?

They grow so fast!

Miss Madelyn then

Miss Madelyn now

Beach Photos 2005

Bryan and I with Mason, our youngest, at the beach last August.

Not my best photo, but at least I am in this one! More often than not, I am the one taking pictures. A few photos of the kids from our trip to the coast this past summer. We spent part of the day at Battery Russell, Fort Stevens. August is just before the "fall birthday season" at our house, so the kids whose ages are listed as almost are now officially the ages listed. (This is very important to Gavin and Sarah, especially. Sirena isn't too excited about 8, but Gavin loves being 10, and Sadie tells anyone who will listen that she is two.)

Mara Anne, age 11 going on 25

Gavin, almost 10! (in this photo)

Sirena, almost 8 as of this pic

Madelyn, 6 1/2

Sadie Eleanor, almost 2 (in photo)

And finally, my favorite picture of the family from the weekend...