Eva? Evelyn?

Here are some more pictures of Evan that I took the other day. Just look at the 2nd one from the bottom and tell me Evan wouldn't make a cute girl? Ok, maybe I should try for one more... a girl this time. Because I look at this picture and imagine a big red bow in his hair and think, Oh what a cute girl we could have!!!! Sorry Evan!!

Happy 4th of July from Evan

It's only fair that I take equally cheesy shots of Evan, if I am going to take cheesy shots of Drew. So here is Evan holding my 4th of July door ornament in an attempt to add a little patriotic bling to my little picture. Did I just say bling? Uggh. I hate myself sometimes.

C-Girl and the Boys

C-Girl is kind of an attention whore. She always wants to be in the center of everything. Sometimes she has had enough and will retreat when Evan is getting too rough, like in this last picture where she is all blurry because she is getting ready to put it in reverse and beat it. But usually she is a good sport and lets them walk on her tail, pull her ears, etc.

Cuddle Time

Here are Evan and Drew doing their favorite morning past time. Drew always rises first. I usually feed him and by the time I am done doing that, Evan wakes up. So I open Evan's door and plop Drew down in his crib and I grab a toothbrush for me. Let's be honest... by beauty routine is pretty quick n' dirty. I know you are just stunned because I look so put together. If I ever said LOL I would insert it here. But LOL is one of my many pet ridiculous pet peeves. Actually, I take that back. I don't care if anyone else says it, I just think it sounds weird coming out of my mouth, so I don't say it or type it myself. Instead I usually type out Ha Ha. Because that's so much cooler!!! Oh for heaven's sake I can change the subject like no other! So anyway, I grab a toothbrush and let the boys play for a minute, and they just tickle each other and cuddle away. It's pretty freaking precious. Evan doesn't know it yet, but they are best buds and I just eat it up.

Happy 4th of July.... from Drew

He's a tad cynical as you can see... who wouldn't be with this economy. But this is Drew Edward Starstrom. And he is proud to be an American. And so he wants to wish you a Happy 4th of July holiday weekend.

And yes, as you can also see...I have a bit too much time on my hands today (from the number of posts I have done today, I think you will agree). My boys nap good, what can I say. I have floors to be swept, laundry to be folded and dinner to make, but it's much more fun to make little collages of Drew with non-sensical messages and posts galore.

And the Saga Continues

For those of you keeping up with Evan's progress with swimming... here is an update. And for those of you who haven't been (pay attention)... here is a quick recap. He started lessons about 5 weeks ago. Initially he liked it. Then about a week later, hated it. Then about a week after that, he kind of liked it. Then a few days later, hated it. We kept going, waiting for another, love it or like it stage. I kept lugging Drew and Evan to swim lessons in the freaking 100 degree weather. I kept cheering the little guy on, while holding a sweaty, fussy baby at the side of the pool for 30 minutes a day. I kept getting out the ole check book. And that, liking it stage just never came. Day after day, he kept crying and crying, from start to finish. I actually told the swim instructor before we started that Evan cried all last summer any time we even got close to water. She said she would have him swimming in no time, and only once before in her 12 years of teaching had she ever deemed a child, NOT ready to swim. Last week she deemed Evan NOT ready to swim. Ouch. That hurt. That hurt my pride, my Evan's pride (oh wait, he doesn't' care...but was concerned about the lack of lollipops he would be getting now since that was the only thing he looked forward to regarding his swim lessons with Ms. Berit), but most of all that hurt my wallet. At a dollar a minute.... carry the one, add the 6....it was expensive. And kind of all for nothing. Oh well. Maybe next summer?

Failure to Thrive....I think NOT

My sweet baby boy had his 9 month check up this past week. The doctor told me that his weight gain was substandard. He was diagnosed with Failure to Thrive. A fancy term for....skinny. I have skinny babies. That's just the way it is! Evan doesnt' eat...hence, he is tiny. Drew on the other hand, does eat. But yet, he remains little. He is 15 lbs 14 oz., which they tell me is in the negative 5th percentile for weight for his age. How is there such a thing as a negative percentile anyway? That is the kind of question I linger on so I don't have to think about the fact at hand. Anyway, it's not a great thing for any mother to hear. I especially hate it because I have been hooked up to a breast pump for about 800 hours over the last 9 months and have spent countless hours making my own baby food. So obviously this must be my fault!!! Anyway, I look at his pudgy little face and think, failure to thrive? How is this possible? He looks like he is thriving to me? And that's what I am going to tell myself over the next few weeks while I sneak in extra bites of avocado into his little chipmunks cheeks and I wait for his weight check in one month!

No Rush

I am in no rush for my little boy to grow up. I like him best barefoot and in his little boy rompers. With Evan, I think I wanted him to look like a big boy way to early. Drew may be my last baby. And he has his whole life to wear Kacki shorts and Polo's (if he so chooses of course!). So bring on the baby rompers! The word romper just screams, baby. So perhaps he will never get big if I keep dressing him in rompers?

Why Buy Toys

Why buy toys when blankets are so much fun? Here is Evan with a simple red blanket. Simple to us, but he told me it's his helmet, laser and his tail. Not sure what type of person or thing wears a helmet, carries a laser and also has a tail... but that's what makes it so much fun!!!

Daycare?

As if it wasn't enough to take care of two little busy boys under the age of 3, but now I am running a regular daycare center out of my house! Woody and Charlie the bear are my new non-paying clients. Evan begs me every day to make them a bottle and give them a snack. Woody and Charlie take turns swinging in the swing, sitting in the high chair and jumping in the jumperoo. I think I will send a bill to Disney Pixar and Gund and see what I can get.

Disclosures from a Stay at Home Mama

I used to participate in Not Me Monday over at My Charming Kids Blog. But since I find the host of that blog particularly annoying and I don't read her blog anymore, I think I will find a new way of disclosing some of my many mishaps of Motherhood. This week, my mothering skills are pretty much perfect (yeah, I said it....). That or else my kids are just particularly sweet and life is kinda ho hum over the last few days. I am thinking it's the latter.

My first of many disclosures (I plan on making this a weekly thing): I decided I was going to try and eat healthier. So I went and got some healthy snacks to keep in my lab coat pocket when I was working over the weekend. One of my snacks was a trail mix with peanuts, almonds, dried mango and dried oranges. Then I realized that I don't really like trail mix. I came to the conclusion that I thought I liked trail mix because I am remembering the kind I ate as a kid with lots of MnMs. So I just stole some of Evan's MnM's (used for bribery mainly...darn, there goes my perfect mothering skills facade) and I poured those in, and it was a pretty good trail mix after that. So much for being healthy!

Happy 9 Months Drew Drew

No, that's no typo. We call Drew, Drew Drew. Why so redundant? Because we call Farley, Far Far. And on occasion, Corky, Cork Cork. It just doesn't work with Evan...Evan Evan, doesn't roll off the tongue. And because we are weird like that. Ok, so back to the topic at hand. Drew is 9 months old, as of Friday actually. And he is as cute and as charming as ever. So feast your eyes on a picture of this handsome fella. But don't look for too long, cause he's MINE.... ALL MINE.... AND YOU CAN'T HAVE EM. Happy 3/4's Birthday Drew Drew.

Big Boy Toys

Last week, I watched Evan in his play room. He looked bummed out. We play so much at his older friends houses and they have such big boy toys. He has a few "big boy" train sets and a "big boy" firehouse and kitchen set, and few other big boy toys, but wow what a difference 6 or 9 months makes since his birthday and Christmas last year. With Evan, he doesn't outgrow clothes or shoes (sadly)... but it seems as though he has outgrown some of his toys. Back at Christmas, he really wasn't truly playing with his toys. He would hold them for a minute or two and lose interest and go on to something else. Now he pretends, and he makes the little guys talk to each other. He has entire scenarios going on with his toys, and he can play with one toy for an hour or so at a time. As I was saying, he looked around his room and literally looked disinterested in his toys. We even had a play date a few weeks ago, and one of the "big" girls asked me where were all the big kid toys? I felt so bad!!! So we got him a big boy toy this weekend. I know what you are thinking. Aren't you sending the wrong message since he didn't eat his fruits and veggies last week, and didn't earn a single stamp on his eating chart? Well, I have decided that he is too young for that. Plus, we still have that particular (and highly coveted toy) up high for him to strive for. No toy can take the place of it (buzz light year laser arm band-type things). But we did get him a really cool Imaginext Fisher Price Spaceship and a matching Space Station. For those of you that remember the 80's, it's like the modern day Adventure People. It is totally right up his alley. He is in HEAVEN!!! He plays with his little astronauts and aliens from sun up to sun down. Best purchase in a LONG time.

The Park Family

Michael wanted to do a "sorority pose". After 3 drinks, it sounded like a funny idea.

Last week our good friends, The Parks came for a visit with their 3 boys. The main attraction for them was going to Disney every day. But we also got to see them a few times, once for a BBQ and once for an adult night out!!! Gosh, it made me realize how much I miss my girlfriend Mary. We hadn't seen each other for 4 years, but it was like it was yesterday. We just picked up where we left off. LOVE HER!!! And luckily, Paul really gets along with her husband, so we had a wonderful night out!!!

Buddies

Here is Drew at his buddy, Thomas's house last week. Evan and I had a date with Mickey Mouse, so my friend Erica babysat Drew. Unfortunately we had to turn around when we hit the parking lot because Evan "got sick" all over my car. But Drew had a blast with his buddy, as brief as his visit was. Erica even took them on a walk while we were gone!!! Thomas is 3 weeks younger than Drew, but has a few pounds on him. Drew is slowly catching up to Thomas, and if he keeps eating the way he is, will be just as big in no time!!! How cute are these boys?

Mr. Potato Head

Hi, I am Mr. Potato Head. Nice to meet you.

I am a fun-loving, jovial kind of spud.

I look suprised most of the time.
My head is large, and the glasses make that a little more obvious.


Meet my brother, Mr. Potato Head.

My Mom wasn't feelin too creative when she decided on our names.

Father's Day 2010

Happy Father's Day to an amazing Dad. I think he made out pretty good this year. Presents for 5 days in a row!!! He got to sleep in today (guilt free.... because he gets to sleep in other days, but I just may make him feel a tad guilty seeing as how I haven't slept in in 3 years...oh wait, I digress). He got homemade french toast with freshly grated nutmeg and real vanilla from a vanilla bean I have been saving for a special occasion!!! A child-free shopping spree to the outlets yesterday. And I almost forgot, two of the best sons a Dad could ever ask for. Happy Father's Day Paul. Fatherhood suits you very well!