esskayelle

swim swim swim!

the summer is winding down, which is hard to believe in this 90 degree heat.  all i can think about is how/when i can get to a pool and swim before the air turns crisp and the leaves start to change. 

which leads to this post.  i'm proud to say that my kids are total water babies, totally taking after yours truly. 

as a result of water love, i enrolled both of them in swim classes over the summer.  in the 5 or so weeks that d was in her swim class, she learned how to jump in, swim to the surface, and float on her back.  a basic survival skill.  a relief.  don't mind the crazy cheering at the end.  i can't help it.

e has learned to be completely fearless in the water, and is definitely on his way to swimming on his own, without the use of floaties.  i am so amazed.

my name is evan :: i like to dance

evan turned two, and we celebrated e style. 

dancing.

i had glamorous ideas for disco lights and a dance floor.  but then the practicality of it all fell into place.  it's too bright for disco lights, the dance floors i can afford would be dangerous and small.  *sigh*  so i just decorated as much as i could, taking ideas from the creative geniuses that i've spotted in the web-world.  i am so thankful for their generosity to share them!

:: first the invitation ::

to make the room festive, i made these buntings, inspired by these, i saw someone sew tissue together to make it, i have forgotten where, but sewing is WAY easier than gluing.  a very fast and easy project.

 

inspired by this, i made little dancing evan's to keep us company all around the space:

 

 

we got some matching helium balloons that we left untied about the space, i thought the hanging ribbons added to the festive feel.  we also blew up a bunch of latex balloons and let them linger around our feet.  too bad i didn't get good pix of the full affect.  :(

and to spice it up even more, i made water bottle labels, inspired by this

i went further with the water bottles.  i wanted to avoid the inevitable spilled drink/squirted juice box problem, and made these for the kids:

 

delicious cupcakes were provided by the beautiful so young!  topped them with little pix and put 'em on a box i had covered with fabric to jazz up the presentation:

 

goody bags were filled with a "my name is evan, i like to dance" mix + other goods

 

to give us energy for the dancing, we stocked up on one of e's favorites :: panda express :: mmMMmmM :: with sides of popcorn + cheesy sunchips + fruit :: i'm so happy i scored matching bowls at walmart for only $1 each!

 

after filling our bellies with good food :: i led the kids in some serious dancing :: talk about sweat fest

i can't believe this little boy is two :: i love you my evy bean!

 

evan at 14 months

tomorrow, evan is exactly 14 months old.  where does the time go?

milestones:

walking...no, :(

oh well, he's very mobile.  the fastest crawler i've seen, and cruises from place to place like a pro.  *sigh*  must be patient with the walking thing.

just like dillan, i've started signing with evan.  i'm not as pro-active as i was with dillan, but he's learning and it's definitely proven worthwhile.  i definitely recommend signing as a way to ease frustration and encourage communication. 

he can sign/do the motions for the following:

lion
elephant
bird
fish
dog
more
milk
food {he made his own sign up for this one}
all done
swing
bear
monkey
book
ball
where is it?
so big
no
bow hello
blow kisses
wave
pray {he even pretends to close his eyes}

the best is when we play the cd from dillan's vbs, and he starts to do the motions the best he knows how.  it's the cutest thing. 

he can say:

ummah
mama{food}
bye bye
and mimics other sounds.

he's such a boy.  loves playing with cars {will make the vroom sound while playing}, stacking and knocking down, and throwing balls.  it's so weird how different he is than dillan!

i can't believe that he's growing into a toddler.  my baby boy evan, i love you.

another thing he likes to do is make the "ahhh" sound after he's had a lot to drink.  usually it's not provoked, but in the case of the video, it was because i missed the moment.  {as always}

i had just taught evan how to throw a ball, and he's all into practicing his new skill.

the best way to have your child sit in a car-seat...

{EDIT} when facing forward, the straps should be at or ABOVE your child's shoulders to prevent whiplash.  thanks sharon!

before dillan was born, i went to the fire-station to make sure that i had the carseat installed correctly.  little did i know that i would learn so much in that trip.

the biggest thing i learned, that i have had to tell LOTS of parents to do is...

on a five point harness, there is a clip that attaches in the middle of the child's frame. 

be sure to set this clip right at the chest of the child.  in the case of an accident, the clip will hold the child back right at the chest-bone, providing maximum protection.

so this is the incorrect way to place the clip.  notice how the clip is sitting a little low, closer to evan's belly than his chest.   

versus here, the clip is sitting right at his chest. also, the straps coming through the seat over the child's shoulders should come out right at the shoulder or just above to prevent whiplash.  when facing backwards, it should be at or below.


here's to the best way to seat your child in his/her carseat.  hope you know why, it's THE BEST

what's evan up to at nine?

my little evy is growing so fast.

it's so interesting to see how different he is from his sister.  he is his own little individual, and i love it.

so what's he up to?

NOT crawling.  that's for sure.  my little man likes to be on his tummy, and will turn in circles, backwards, sideways...but no forward mobility.  i think this one will take a while.

signing.  he is definitely understanding how to sign in order to get what he wants.  especially when he enjoys the meal, he'll constantly sign "more".  then for a break, the "milk" sign will come out.  when he's had enough, he'll actually say, "AHDAH AHDAH AHDAH" and sign "all done".  

it's so cool! :)  

he loves clapping.  it was the cutest thing when he started to get that his two chubby hands come together to make a sound.  he kept staring at each hand, and then smacking them together over and over.  then pause to take a look at his hands again, then clap away.  *sigh*  little things like this are so fun.  

i can't believe he's almost one.  where does the time go?

how to give a lion a perm

evan is days away from being 9 months old.

unbelievable.  these 9 months have flown by MUCH faster than the 9 months that he baked in my belly.  

i am so blessed with a wonderful little boy.  i cry at the thought.  

well, like his big sister, he's not crawling yet.  although, i think he's a secret crawler, because he manages to move all around his little crib without a problem.  he's started to sign.  i'll have to blog about that at another time.  the kid definitely knows his likes and dis-likes.  i am praying that he will be patient, because that is not looking so good right now.  if he's hungry, once i sign or say "ooo-you" (milk in korean), he'll start to whine until it's given.  if he wants a toy that is out of reach, he'll use the same "cry" to get it.  oh my son.  i will continue to pray that you will be patient.  

anyway.

evan's found a lovey.  it's the cutest little thing to watch his love grow for his stuffed animal.  i tried to encourage him to grow attached to a smaller toy, or a blanket...but his love grew on its own for this lion:

this love started less than a week ago.  he literally lunges to get a hold of lion and hugs him with the cutest little smile spread across his face.  *sigh*  

anyway.  after a few days of a little too much "love", i stuck mr. lion into the washing machine...and didn't think twice about sticking him in the drier.  thus giving lion a perm.  heh heh, woops!  

:: looks a little mullet-like, no? ::

nonetheless, it's good to know evan's love is unconditional.  he hasn't noticed the difference.

meet mr. bunny

we met my brother and family at the mall last saturday.

coincidentally, lauri, my SIL's sister was there with her family too! 

mr. easter bunny was around for a photo-op, and we had to take it.    this is the reason they are not dressed appropriately.

i felt sad that little lucas and leah ended up on the sides, so i made leah hold evan's hand and lucas, the cutie, naturally put his arm around the bunny.  so cute. 

i was so afraid that mr. bunny was going to drop evan...it was clear that his depth perception was way off.  after we took our picture, i told the kids to thank the easter bunny and give him a hug.  i don't know which kid asked, but someone asked where mr. bunny's nose was.  mr. bunny, acting his part, was listening and proceeded to point to his nose, the nose that exists beneath the mask!  he was pointing to his mouth!  keeping myself from cracking up, i lightly tapped mr. bunny's nose and said, "oh, there's his nose!"  to which mr. bunny followed suit and pointed to his bunny nose.  the kids looked very confused.  :)

all in a day's laugh

evan was all laughs yesterday. 

throughout the day, this is what we saw:

:: morning ::

:: late-morning ::

:: dinner-time ::

the kid loves his big sister so much. it is the cutest thing to watch their relationship blossom as both of them grown and learn and fall more in love with one another. 

i am so blessed. 

the snow is here to stay

it's finally warmed up to the balmy twenties.  i decided to take advantage of the sun and warmth by taking dillan out for some snowtime fun.

it is a pain in the butt to get two kids out of the house and snow-ready...especially with an immobile six month old,  but it was well worth the fun.

if i did this everyday, i would be in the best shape of my life. 

here are some pix to enjoy:

:: the look of pure joy ::

:: my snow bunnies ::

:: SNOW!!!! ::

here are a few more:
facebook album

one hundred

it's evan's one hundredth day of life today. 

he's a healthy one!  according to my cheap scale at home, he's around 18lbs {i weigh myself, then hold him and subtract the difference}. 

time has passed so quickly. 

when i hold newborn bella...i can't believe that evan was smaller than she was a mere 100 days ago.  she felt like a beautiful feather in my arms, i didn't want to let her go. 

happy one hundred days evan lee!