Last Weekend Before Baby

I had planned to have a fun, busy last-weekend-as-a-family-of-four this past weekend, but my plans were scuttled (I feel like this is the theme of the past few months) when first Evie and then Charlie came down with a nasty stomach virus.  Instead of the zoo, frozen yogurt, and pizza, we ended up with movies on the couch, Pedialyte, Gatorade, and lots of fun middle-of-the-night laundry sessions. :)  Luckily, we had been running around like crazy before the weekend, trying to see all of our friends before the baby arrives (which is probably why they got sick), so it wasn't too hard to stay home.  And the upside was that we ended up having a good time relaxing together, I convinced my mom to come hang out since Clint was working, and the kids were so sweet and funny all weekend, despite feeling terribly.  These two are so funny right now, so before the baby arrives and this blog goes haywire (kidding..hopefully :), I wanted to record a bit about each of them.

Charlie is at the sweetest stage right now.  He is such a loving, grateful, easy child [at this moment].  He has become much more mature lately and has been really easy for me to work with.  He is suddenly helpful, reasonable (most of the time), and absolutely hilarious.  He has been in a very loving stage, and is constantly telling us how much he loves us and what a great mommy, daddy, and sister we are.  He and Evie still fight, but in between, are so sweet to each other.  I have heard him tell her, several times recently, "Evie, you are my BEST friend.  I will always take care of you!"  He hates for her to feel bad or get hurt, and tells me, "I just hate it when Evie cries!"  We were at the doctor the other day and she was crying loudly over having her ears checked.  I looked down and sweet Charlie was gently patting her hand, with a very worried expression on his face.  He said, "I'm worried about Evie!"  His big loves are football, soccer, baseball (especially the batting helmet), John Deere tractors, monster trucks, trains (anything Thomas related, especially Gordon and Spencer, as he has deduced that they are the fastest (i.e., greatest) trains on the Island of Sodor, but he also loves all steam engines) and his bike.  He still loves books and stories more than anyone I've ever seen and is constantly begging to be read to or to have us tell him a story.  He is now really eager to read and can't wait for the day when he can read on his own.

Evie is hilarious too, and can be really, really sweet, but also has quite a feisty side.  She is much more shy than her brother, but that also brings with it a bit of aggression that we are working on.  She loves to "push" other kids and proudly reports that she is going to push someone or has already pushed someone (but is very upset and wounded if she gets pushed back).  The other day Clint took her to the park and asked her if she wanted to go play with another little girl her age.  She looked back at him with a very serious face and said, "I no play.  I want to push."  She also has gotten in the habit of labeling people as "nice" or "bad," which terrifies me because I never know what someone will be labeled.  This horrified sweet Charlie at first, but now it amuses him and he loves to get her started (also, not fun for me!) on this in front of people.  Mommy and Charlie are always "nice," Daddy is mostly nice but sometimes bad, her aunts, uncles, and two cousins are always nice, Papa, Ahh, Mimi and PawPaw, for some inexplicable reason, move on and off the bad list, as does Santa, Jesus, and various other people that we know.  She recently informed me that her teachers are bad, so I am desperate to warn them that she is kidding (I think?) before they hear this and get upset. :)  We were riding along in the car the other day and I heard, from the backseat, "Ahh is baaaad.  She is a wobber!"  I have no idea where she heard about robbers and how she could possibly equate Ahh with them!  Evie can also have sweetest side at home and just loves to cuddle with me and Clint (and Charlie, if he will ever let her), loves giving "a hug, a kiss, and a big squeeze," loves playing gently with and feeding her baby dolls, loves her lovies and stuffed animals, and is such a sweet girl at bedtime.  I hope I can always remember her sweet voice singing lullabies with me (and to her babies)--she particularly loves "Hush Little Baby," "Rock a Bye," and "Twinkle Twinkle."  Evie has also developed a recent fascination/obsession with the color pink (she wants a "pink party" with a "pink cake" for her birthday) and is starting to love "pwincesses" (thank you Aunt Sally for the princess pajamas that have to be clean every night :) and ballerinas (see previous post).  She is also terribly well-accessorized and really does not like to leave the house without several necklaces, bracelets, and rings.

Here are the sweet (or baaaad?) kids on their sick days around the house.  First, we had Evie's sick day:

Charlie enjoyed staying in PJs and watching a little more television than is normally allowed.

Evie doesn't have a great ability to relax--I think she was down for about two minutes before popped up and wanted to color and do "pay doh."  [Play Doh (the pink kind) is another of Evie's favorite things.]

Next, we had Charlie's sick day.  He seemed to feel pretty bad and poor guy spent most of the day this way.  I did enjoy getting to see Toy Story for the first time and getting to nap a bit with him.  Such a relaxing day!

Evie realized, when she saw all the attention Charlie was getting, that she may not have milked her sickness quite enough.  She quickly insisted on blankets so that she could get "cozy, yike Caga," and after she saw me rubbing his back, insisted that I "come pat Ebie."  She still couldn't make herself stay still for too long, but she enjoyed the attention. :)

Everyone was feeling much better by Monday evening, so we decided to go out with Papa and Ahh for one last dinner out before the baby arrives.  We had a great time, even if Evie and Charlie did torment "terrible Ahh" the entire time. :)

And now, nesting is complete, bags are packed, Big Brother/Big Sister t-shirts laid out for tomorrow, Big Brother/Big Sister books read, and we are ready to go.  We are all so excited to meet this new little guy!

Evie's First Haircut

As I have been racing through my pre-baby bucket list, one of the things that had to get checked off was Evie's first haircut.  It was long overdue, and she was such a little trooper.  She was very excited about her big day, but got a little nervous once we arrived.

Here she is, regretting her bold choice to go first, and a little too nervous to sit in the chair.

With a sucker to hold, she decided she might be able to sit...but was nervous.  Luckily, she had lots of jewels to keep her looking fabulous.

Once her hairdresser started to buckle her in and put on her cape, E turned on the waterworks.  I just about died at this point, when she was rubbing her eyes and trying SO hard not to cry...

...but she just couldn't help herself.  Luckily, Miss E stayed perfectly still while she was crying, so the haircut continued uninterrupted. :)

She quickly calmed down and although a few tears remained, she did great for the rest of the haircut.

 And looked SO adorable with her new 'do!

Finally, Evie got to enjoy what she came for: a sucker!

Charlie went next and was quite the little man about the whole thing.  He spent most of the haircut on my iPhone and looked just like a little businessman at the barbershop.  He was, of course, far too busy to make small talk with his hairdresser. :)

 His ultra-preppy, Republican haircut suited him. :)

Congrats, Miss E, you did great!  (Although, as she will tell you, "I cwied...just a yittle bit.")

The Ballerina and the Fireman/Football Player

Charlie and Evie are really into dress up right now and it has been so much fun to watch.  Aside from dressing up as a football player (Charlie) and little Indians (both kids), Charlie loves to dress up as a fire fighter and Evie loves to pile on every piece of jewelry she owns.  Then, to top it off, she all of a sudden found and fell in love with this pink tutu.  She found it in her closet (saved from her first birthday photo shoot), demanded to put it on, and then looked at me happily and said, "Ebie's a ballerina!"  I had no idea she knew what a ballerina was, but her enthusiasm was so cute.  It is now all she wants to wear and she is convinced that she looks absolutely fabulous.

Here they are after dressing themselves...Evie also insisted on wearing pink "foo flops" that are two sizes too small. :)

Evangelina Ballerina. :)

Even ballerinas can be very wild when playing outside.

Baby Elle dropped by to see the costumed kids.  She was very impressed, and impressed Evie  back by donning this giant pink bow. :)

 How could Evie not be thrilled--tininess and pink, all in one cute package!

I love watching Evie with Elle.  She is so gentle with her and just thinks she is amazing.  In the middle of playing, she just jumped up, ran over to Elle, gently touched each foot, and then ran back to keep playing.  Just needed to check in! :)

Ahh is in town for baby's birth--can't believe it is so soon!!!

At some point, Charlie ended up back in his football uniform.  I think this has been worn every day since Halloween...best (or worst??) investment ever?

Charlie always has to wear his "long socks" and cleats with his football uniform.  He is convinced that with all of these essential pieces, he is the fastest guy in the world.

Evie's baby doll, "New Baby Elle" (as opposed to "Old Baby Elle," above), had to spend the afternoon outside with us.

I am so loving these ages right now!

Elle's Dedication

Sweet Elle was dedicated at Sam and Audra's church last Sunday and it was such a special, fun morning.  She, of course, did wonderfully and was so sweet and adorable all morning.  The service was really nice and the lunch Sam and Audra put on after was really delicious and fun.  All in all, a wonderful morning!

Here are the proud parents:

Sam, Audra, and Elle during the dedication ceremony.  The pastor said the nicest prayer for her.

It was a long service, so I had brought plenty of entertainment for the kids.  In retrospect, this may not have been a good thing, as they quickly figured out there were fun things in my bag and were determined to plow through everything.  Made for lots of quick play and frantic wrangling for additional crayons, legos, etc.  I definitely did not have the best behaved kids there!

Elle, cuddling with her dad...

...and being photographed by her proud Papa. :)

Texas weather is so unpredictable, especially in the winter, but this January day was gorgeous, so had the best outdoor picnic after the ceremony.  I could have sat outside all day--it was amazing!

Sam and Audra have this swing in their yard that the kids love...

We love you, sweet Elle!