the searbys

Check out our new blog!

2008-09-26T18:07:00.003-04:00

I will no longer be posting on this blog anymore! Please go to http://www.thesearby3.blogspot.com/ to see what we have been up to!

The Naptime Battle Continues...

2008-09-16T22:50:00.002-04:00

About 10:30am this morning Evan pulled a blanket off the couch, brought it into the kitchen, and layed down. It was SO sweet....but it didn't last long. In the next moment he was standing by the door saying "outside." I entertained him for awhile, we had lunch, and he went to sleep about noon.
Unfortunately he only slept 2 hours. About 5pm he thought he needed to rest again...

Thankfully Joel was home for a couple hours this evening to play with Evan before bedtime. I am determined to train this child to sleep in the afternoon.

White Trash Saturday Night

2008-09-14T17:09:00.004-04:00

We tried to be creative last night in trying to find something to do. We decided to use our Burger King coupons and then head to Super WalMart. We called it our White Trash Saturday Night. Evan seemed to have a lot of fun!

Nap Update:
Friday: Napped 1pm - 2:30pm. At 7:30pm had a meltdown and had to go to bed.
Saturday: Napped 1:30pm - 4pm and lasted until his normal 8:30pm bedtime....much better.
Today: Napped 1pm-3:30pm and he seems to be doing good!
Thank you for all the good advice and encouragement!

One Nap or Two?

2008-09-12T17:18:00.000-04:00

Evan has been sleeping in until about 8am almost every morning. I love it! The only problem is that it makes our morning pretty short and its awful hard to squeeze a nap in there. He doesn’t want to go to sleep until 10:30 or 11am but then I find myself waking him up at noon so I can still squeeze in an afternoon nap.

Today I decided we would try one nap. Instead of putting Evan down for a nap at 10:30….we went to the library. It was nice and quiet. He just chilled out in his stroller and looked at the shelves with all the books. I’m sure he was thinking, “How can I get out of this stroller, run to the shelf, and throw all the books on the floor?” We checked out a couple books and a movie and then headed back home.

At home we had lunch, played in his room, and I put him in his crib about 1pm. He went immediately to sleep! He typically naps for 1 ½ hours at a time. So, as I’m typing this we have hit the 1 ½ hour mark and he is playing in his crib. I’m really hoping that he decides to lay back down and go back to sleep or we are going to have a really long afternoon and evening!

New Pictures

2008-09-12T16:42:00.006-04:00

Thought you may want to know what we’ve been up to since Evan’s birthday. Here is a quick picture update….

Evan has been playing with all his new trucks…

Our Buick flooded in Tropical Storm Hannah and our Jeep overheated….

We had a pizza party with our small group from church. Chris & Joel did most of the work…

In honor of Football Season beginning, Evan learned how to hike the ball…

I have weaned Evan from breastfeeding so he’s been drinking a lot of cow’s milk….

Evan has been eating lots of messy foods like lasagna and tuna casserole…

He’s also been reading to the cat…

Last Friday, I got all this hair chopped off…

Last Saturday, Joel and I tailgated and went to the Gator game vs. Miami…

Yesterday, Evan and I met Melody and Asher at the mall so the boys could play in the Swamp…

I still do not have internet at my house so I apologize if you've emailed me and I haven't responded! Hope everyone had a good week ;)

The Birthday Post!

2008-09-04T19:51:00.008-04:00

I still can't believe my "little peaunut" is one year old. The year went by SO fast! I think Evan enjoyed his first year of life in Gainesville (with a few random trips to Illinois). Although only my mom was able to be present for Evan's birthday party, we invited some of our "Gainesville Family" to share his big day with us.

The theme was trucks! Evan just can't get enough of his trucks, or cars, or fire engines, or trains....basically anything that has wheels and moves needs a motor sound to accompany it.

I made his cake (with a lot of help from my mom!)

Joel was in charge of balloons. He did a great job!

He also helped with the food (and thanks to mom for making the "Northern Potato Salad."

Evan received lots of nice gifts.

He sat still for a few minutes...

Mom and I had fun getting everything ready!

The birthday boy in one of his new outfits from Aunt Jodi...

The three amigos...

No caption needed...

And now for the cake: At first Evan kind of looked at it like "what am I supposed to do with this?"

Then he tasted a little...

And it didn't take long to smash the whole piece in his mouth...

He must have needed to call someone after he ate his cake...

After the party was over we got the mail and Evan had 3 more presents to open!!!

The birthday boy on his actual birthday (the day after his party)

I think he was happy that Grandma Raymer got to come to his party:)

I'm sure the 2nd year will be just as fun as the first. I am looking forward to every minute of it!

A little more of the Illinois trip

2008-09-04T19:40:00.004-04:00

Most of the pictures from the rest of our week in Bellflower are on my mom's camera but here are a few...

Jake, Melissa, Cameron, Jodi, David, & Paxson were able to be at the Fish Fry and in Bellflower the whole weekend so we had lots of fun! Here are Cameron and I sharing a snack (or as Evan would say, "nak")...

Evan opened his birthday present from Aunt Jodi, Uncle David, & Cousin Pax...

Uncle Jake tried to teach Evan to play guitar. He did the exact same thing Cameron did....put the pick in the big hole....

And Mom climbed on the neighbor's tractor with Evan because he was so excited about it...

Rewind to the Fish Fry

2008-09-04T19:15:00.004-04:00

Not having internet at home is really affecting my blog. I apologize! I'm currantly at Joel's office trying to check my email and cram as many blogs into one night as I can!

(Well....I do admit that I can get an internet signal at my house but only if I'm standing outside my front door, balancing the laptop in one hand and using the other hand to use the mouse. If I stand on one foot it works even better.....but I look pretty ridiculous.)

Anyhow, on Friday, August 15th Joel, Evan, and I flew to Illinois to surprise my mom on her 50th birthday. She was shocked! Dad helped us to arrange the details and we told a few other people and they all kept it a secret. Grandma & Grandpa Bridgwater picked us up at the airport and took us to Bellflower. They went inside and told mom they had a birthday present for her but she had to help get it out of the van. When she got close to the van, Joel opened up the door and handed Evan to her. The look on her face was priceless....and then of course she cried. It was a lot fun!

My parents held their annual Fish Fry in conjunction with my mom's birthday this year. They had about 95 people in their yard, garage, and house. It was a fun evening! Here are a few pictures...

Dad enlisted help from his friends to do the frying (fish, potatoes, hushpuppies, and corn fritters, yum)...

Joel samples the food...

Mom and her birthday cake...

Cameron and Evan playing washers...

David is sitting pretty in his pink chair...

Sisters:)....

The Fish Fry isn't complete without a little music from Me n Him...

Thanks mom and dad for a great time!

Sneak Preview

2008-08-26T22:02:00.005-04:00

Here is a little sneak preview to the birthday-blog that I promise I will do soon...

Weekend Visitors

2008-08-14T15:14:00.008-04:00

Joel's parents and our good friend, Claudia, were here for a nice weekend visit. Here are some pictures from their time with us...

What a cute little boy peeking over the wall at the Park...

Grandpa & Grandma Searby had lots of fun with Evan over the weekend...

Thank you Claudia for taking the family picture...

Joel showed Evan all the fountains. He kept signing "bath."

Notice Joel's "basketball face" in this picture...

Evan warmed right up to Claudia...

Evan opened his first birthday present....

This truck did not come out of the box above but it was a bday present too...

Joel cooked an amazing stir fry...

We even used our chopsticks!

On Saturday we went to St. Augustine. It was a very hot day but we all had a lot of fun. Evan was a trooper! He slept about 30 minutes the entire day.

Eating at Harry's...

Evan eating a lemon...

Joel and I always enjoy seeing the ocean...

And it was SO nice to see Claudia ...

Thanks Mark, Linda, & Claudie for a great weekend!

New Things

2008-08-12T14:36:00.002-04:00

Evan just seems to amaze me everyday!

One day last week he had my keys and walked to the door to try to put them in the keyhole. I never intentionally taught him that! He just sees me do it everyday.

This weekend he started saying "nack" when he sees his snack coming or if he wants one.

Yesterday he signed "diaper" two times and sure enough he needed a diaper change! The first time was after our Super Wal-Mart run. He was signing it as I was getting him out of his carseat and boy was he wet....all the way through his shorts :( Then later on in the afternoon in the middle of playing in his toy corner, he just got up and came over to me and started signing "diaper." The little boy sure was stinky! I was SO proud of him!

Today Evan and I went to Birkett's house to babysit Megan. When Kelly left for work Evan blew her a kiss! Later on in the afternoon I asked for a kiss and he gave me a big kiss on the cheek...smacking his lips and all!

Evan is doing something new everyday and I can't wait to see what he'll do tomorrow!

Walking

2008-08-04T11:18:00.008-04:00

Evan is walking all over the place! He still falls a lot but is getting better every day.

The Sad Goodbye

2008-08-01T22:55:00.003-04:00

Our good friends Jimmy, Katie, & Isaac will be moving to North Carolina on Sunday. We are SO bummed about this but are trying to be supportive as they go on their next adventure in life. It will just be different around here without them. Katie is definately one of my best friends in Gainesville. I can call her up or catch her on "IM" at anytime and know that she is always there to listen to me complain or have a good laugh over something I've done that day. We share our frustrations about husbands, children, and life in general together. I've been giving Jimmy a really hard time, basically saying that he and I aren't friends anymore...but that's not true. The guy cracks me up! He kind of reminds me of my brother....you never know what he's going to say but you can bet its going to be funny! And little Isaac....I've seen him almost every week of his 6 months of life. Hopefully we'll be able to visit NC and they will be back to FL so Evan and Isaac can still be friends.

Joel & Kevin planned a surprise outing for our last night with the Whitlock's. We all got babysitters and had a "grown-up" night out. We were picked up by a limo...

And the guys picked Jimmy up...

We went to the Melting Pot for dinner but I didn't take any pictures there! So you have to check out Katie & Kelly's blogs in the next few days to see more pictures of our night out.

We love you Whitlocks!

11 Months

2008-08-01T11:58:00.006-04:00

Evan was 11 months old last week. I can't believe how the time is flying! He's been such a joy (except when he misses a nap) and I've loved almost every minute of staying home with him.

All about Evan...

-He stops what he's doing and claps when an audience on TV claps.

-He loves to snack on cheerios & animal crackers.

-He dances when he hears music and especially enjoys the Geico Caveman dancing commercial.

-He shares things with his kitty: toys, remote control, cheerios, his sippy cup...

-He's walking more than he is crawling although he still falls down a lot. I've counted at least 12 steps in a row.

-He can point out his elephant, monkey, train, ball, fish, and other random toys when asked.

-He does the following signs: more, eat, all done, and milk.

-He waves hi & good bye and sometimes says "Hi"

-He's wearing size 3 diapers and getting close to size 4 but I try to use cloth ones for the majority of the time.

-He tries to climb up on the couch but has not yet succeeded

-He will be half-way up the stairs if someone forgets to shut the gate.

-He's only nursing once per day and is taking a mixture of whole milk & breast milk twice per day.

-The boy loves to eat.

-He knows what a Lion and Kitty say...but sometimes doesn't do it for an audience.

-He finally got his 2 bottom teeth!!!

-He has a mommy & daddy that love him very much but are sad that he is growing up too fast.

A few pictures of our cute little 11 month-old:

The Neighbor

2008-07-31T12:59:00.003-04:00

This morning while Evan and I were out for our morning walk we ran into one of our neighbors. She is really quite hilarious. The lady is probably 80 years old and loves to talk....I'm sure she's just lonely.

This morning she showed me the spout that screws onto her water hose. She wanted to point out that it was made in the USA and was pure copper. She also wanted to show me how she taped up the end of her hose when she took her spout off. She proceded to tell me that the "geico commercial animals (aka lizards) get in her hose and then she puts her nozzle on and they get stuck in there, and honey it ain't a pretty site!"

During this whole conversation I was wondering why she was even out of the house in a sports bra and shorts. That sure wasn't a pretty site either!

The video I promised in the last post...

2008-07-28T17:36:00.002-04:00

Illinois: Days 28-33 (The Last Week)

2008-07-28T16:06:00.006-04:00

Ok I am finally summing up my Illinois trip! Here is the last week in a nutshell....

Monday: Swimming

Tuesday: I don't remember

Wednesday: Met the Bolin's at a Zoo in Moline. See Ashley's blog for pictures!

Thursday: Evan played with my mom's Pampered Chef microwave pans. I'll upload the video in my next post!

Friday: More swimming while Pax napped nearby.

Saturday: Raymer Reunion. The boys wore matching outfits!

Mom kind of matched the boys too...

Jodi was very excited about the chip dip...

Me and Grandma Edi cheesin' for the camera...

Evan loved the air vents...

Jodi, Evan, and I ate our lunch quickly at the reunion and then she took us to Indy to meet Joel. It was great to be able to fly home together!

Illinois: Day 27 (Jake's B-day)

2008-07-28T15:13:00.005-04:00

My brother turned 27 last week! I can't believe how the time flies. Melissa hosted a birthday party for him at her parent's house in Pontiac.

Cameron eating cake & icecream with his daddy...

Evan and Uncle Jake...

Evan and Cameron in the ballpit...

Cameron was obsessed with eating the ice out of the bucket...

And Evan is still obsessed with balloons...

Grandma Bridgwater had fun with her great-grandson's too...

Hope your birthday was great Jake!

Illinois: Day 26 (July 12th BRHS Class Reunion)

2008-07-24T10:48:00.006-04:00

As I write this blog I'm actually wondering if anyone even cares about Day 26 of my Illinois trip. I should be blogging about the fact that Evan is 11 months old and doing all kinds of new things! But....I feel like I need to catch up just for my own sake so that when I ever work on my scrapbook I'll have my blog to refer to.

So...Day 26 was quite exciting!!! It was the day of my 10 year High School Reunion. I can't believe its been 10 years already. I had some of my girlfriends over to my parents house for lunch so we could do some pre-reunion girltime....and we got to see eachother's kids too! Here are a couple pics from our luncheon...

The girls...

Anna (April & Blake's little girl) was a sweetheart! She especially loved my mom ...

Jamie & Jeremy have 2 kids already....and I'm sure they'll have at least 2 more! Here is Kaitlynn...

and Xavier...

The kiddos playing together...

Joel and I getting ready to leave (Evan stayed home with Grandma & Grandpa Raymer)...

Some of the girls at the reunion...

Me & Valla...

Joel & Jeremy watching out for Jamie and I...

I think we all had a great time! Thanks to Valla & Raeanne for doing a lot of the work to put it together!

Illinois: Days 21-25 (July 7-11)

2008-07-17T10:49:00.013-04:00

Evan was a very busy boy last week:

He ate a snack in the rocking chair...

Helped Grandpa carry the bucket to the garden...

Then got in the bucket...

He went for a swim with Grandma...

Took piano lessons from Grandpa...

And practiced walking...

He's actually taken 6 steps on his own since these videos were taken last week!

Mowers

2008-07-15T16:08:00.002-04:00

Evan is obsessed with lawn mowers. When we are inside and he hears one he crawls as fast as he can to the window to see it. Then he stands in the window and waves. If he is in his stroller and he sees a lawn mower he will watch it until it is completely out of site. One day last week, Evan was in the pool and all he wanted to do was wave at our neighbor mowing his yard.

Evan is obsessed with lawn mowers and apparently I am obsessed with blogging today. This is blog number four and I think I should be done for the day.

Illinois: Day 20 (Peoria & Goodbye)

2008-07-15T13:49:00.003-04:00

Sunday morning we couldn't resist taking pictures of Jack & Evan in their matching pajamas from Aunt Jessi...

And then Jack tried to help Evan walk...

Joel flew back to Gainesville that day and it was sad to see him go!

Illinois: Day 19 (Peoria)

2008-07-15T12:08:00.006-04:00

On Saturday, July 5th we went over to Peoria to visit John, Jessi, & Jack. We went to the Farmer's Market and ate at Old Chicago Pizza on the river front...

We spent the evening outside! Jack's truck was quite entertaining...

And Evan tried to mow the yard...

Evan and I hanging out in the yard...

The Searby crew...

Illinois: Day 18 (July 4th)

2008-07-15T11:43:00.005-04:00

Evan's first 4th of July was spent in the huge metropolis of Bellflower. We began the day with a parade!

Kelsey & Evan getting ready for the parade...

Evan decided he wanted to sit with me during the parade. The firetrucks were a little scary...

Jack, Grandma Edi, and Ellen enjoyed the parade too...

Cameron & Evan posed for a picture with their Grandma & Grandpa Raymer (Paxson didn't make it for the parade but came later for fireworks!)...

Later in the evening there was a band at the park so we went to listen and visit with other friends. My friend Chrystal and her little girl, Kalynn were there! And you can see the huge crowd in the background...

Cameron says its almost time for fireworks...

But first he had to attack his daddy...

Jodi, David, & Paxson were able to come too...

Illinois: Days 14-17 (Lincoln & Jodi's Bday)

2008-07-14T11:52:00.004-04:00

Well here I am trying to catch up on my blogging!

Day 14: That was 2 weeks ago! We had a nice lazy day. It was my mom and dad's 29th anniversary and Dad made bbq chicken on the grill for supper! Yum.

Day 15 & 16: Joel had work meetings to attend in Springfield so he dropped Evan and I off in Lincoln to see some more family. Todd & Pam came over to Grandma's one evening to see us and it was fun to spend one afternoon with my good friend Margie. We had a chance to catch up on eachother's lives and share some good laughs.

Thanks Grandma & Grandpa Parmenter for hosting us!

After a couple good days in Lincoln we went to Monicello to celebrate Jodi's Birthday. She was 24 on July 2nd but we celebrated on the 3rd which is actually my grandma's birthday! Here are a few pics from Monticello...

My beautiful sister on her birthday with her Cubs cake...

Self portrait of Jodi, Me, & Pax...

Evan hanging out on the porch...

Illinois: Days 11-13 (Jarretts, Wedding, & Freedom Fest)

2008-07-07T22:00:00.010-04:00

Last week was a blur. We tried to do way too much while Joel was here. I will try my best to recap it and not bore you too much. Actually, Melissa and I were having a contest to see who could go the longest without posting and I think I won...but her posts will always be funnier.

Joel arrived safely to Bloomington on Friday June 27th. It was SO good to see him after being apart for a week and a half. Evan was happy to see his daddy too.

Our first adventure was to Southern IL on Saturday morning. We stopped in Salem to see Dave, Kristin, Jackson, & Kinsey. Dave made some yummy chicken on the grill! It was the perfect place to stop for lunch, a little playtime for Evan, and a place to change our clothes for a wedding. Here are Jackson (2 1/2 years), Evan (10 mos), & Kinsey (8 mos) posing on the couch...

After our short visit with the Jarrett's we went to Okawville for Joel's cousin, Josh's wedding. It was a nice, small, outdoor wedding at a Bed and Breakfast. After the wedding we went on down to Carbondale to the reception then stayed in Duquoin at the cabin for the night. Sunday morning at the cabin was nice and peaceful. The weather was beautiful and Evan was loving the swing! Pictures from the weekend...

Mark did the wedding, Josh is the groom, his brother, Matt was the bestman, then a friend, then David Jr, Josh's cousin...

Here comes the Bride (and her father)...

Joel, Evan, & I all dressed up...

Evan with his Grandma & Grandpa Searby...

Joel's cousins: Hannah & Haley...

Sunday morning outside the cabin...

The View...

Evan in the swing...

and boys posing on the tractor...

Evan with his Great Grandpa & Granny Searby...

Four Generations...

After lunch at Granny & Grandpa's we headed back up to Saybrook for the annual Freedom Fest. The Freedom Fest was always a tradition for my family but it just didn't seem as big and grand as it used to be. But it was fun to listen to Uncle Jon's band play in the park and Evan got to hang out with Cameron & Paxson again. Evan LOVED the fireworks and kept clapping and reaching up to the sky!

I think Melissa & Jodi had a great time at the Freedom Fest too...

Illinois: Day 10 (Part Two)

2008-06-27T22:48:00.007-04:00

This portion of the blog is dedicated to my sister...

Grandma Edi made some cranberry bran muffins for Rick & Ronnie's trip out to Wyoming. Mom, Dad, Evan, and I went out to the farm to deliver them last night. Rick was SO excited to see us and wanted to show us all of the animals. He just got 5 new hens and a rooster ("Dave! You've got to see my new chickens!"). Evan wanted to follow them but wouldn't get too close...

Rick wanted to show us the "black and white kittens." As we walked into the barn he explained that the mamma skunk was killed on the highway so he set up a water jar and an iron skillet of dog food for the two babies. ("Dave! They've been eatin' it! It was smooth just a half hour ago and now you can see they've eaten' some!") Fortunately the "kittens" were hiding and we didn't get to see them.

We had to say goodbye to "Ruby" because she is going to live in Wyoming. Evan watched closely as Rick fed Ruby some carrots...

Then Evan fed Rick a carrot...

Rick says "Carrots are good for everybody!"

Illinois: Day 10 (Part One)

2008-06-27T14:22:00.006-04:00

Wow 10 days sure go fast when you are having fun! Yesterday Evan and I dropped mom off at her wallpaper job in Mansfield and then we went to see Jodi, David, & Paxson again. Evan enjoys taking all of their DVDs off of the shelf and then watching me put them all back on again. Paxson was very sweet and alert most of the morning! After a little time with them, Evan and I went to Champaign for a little Target run and to see my wonderful Amanda. She's always good for a laugh and a good story.

Dad grilled out for supper and we ate our first mess of green beans from the garden. Evan helped Grandpa pick them...

Illinois: Day 9

2008-06-27T14:07:00.001-04:00

On Wednesday mom needed to go to Gibson for a couple of things and she brought back McDonald's for lunch. Evan ate almost a whole half of a double cheeseburger! That was his first burger from McDonald's!

Evan and I spent the afternoon at Jodi, David, & Paxson's house. Paxson weighs 9 lbs and 10 oz. already! He has gained about 3 lbs. in the last 3 weeks. I guess Jodi has some good milk!

Illinois: Day 8

2008-06-27T12:04:00.004-04:00

On Tuesday, Evan and I went in to Bloomington to our friend Katie's house. She has a little girl, Ellie(2 years old) and a little boy, Lincoln(1 year old). Melissa also met us there with Cameron and Jodi came for a few minutes with Paxson. Ellie LOVES babies! She made friends with Jodi really quickly and wanted to help take him out of his carseat, change him, dress him, etc. It was SO cute! Here are all the boys playin' together...

Illinois: Day 6 & 7

2008-06-25T11:56:00.007-04:00

Day 6 & 7 were full of Grandmas, Grandpas, and friends. On Sunday after church Evan and I spent part of the afternoon at Grandma & Grandpa Bridgwater's house. It has always been a tradition to walk one block to their house from church, eat a yummy home-cooked meal and then sit out on the porch. Evan and Paxson were able to experience that on Sunday...

On Sunday evening Angela brought her nephew, Braxton, over to play with Evan. I used to babysit for Angela & Clinton and now Clinton has a little boy that is just a bit older than evan! That makes me feel a little old. The boys played pretty well together...

Besides wanting to pull Braxton's ears, Evan also wanted to play with Uncle Jake's basketball...

On Monday evening Mom, Dad, Evan, & I went to see Grandma Edi. She also made us a yummy supper! Evan was a little hesitant at first to sit on her lap but once she had a book to read he sat still long enough for a picture...

And then my dad had to show Evan the world...

I have pictures from yesterday and today but you'll just have to wait for those :)

Illinois: Day 4 & 5

2008-06-21T15:59:00.008-04:00

Evan is having SO much fun at his Grandma & Grandpa Raymer's house! Yesterday we stayed at the house since we had been running around all week. We have a lot of people to see in the next month....but it makes it a little easier if some of them come see us (hint, hint). So....if you want to see Evan and I just give me a call or stop by my parent's house and we'd love to hang out!

Here are some pictures from yesterday & today:

Evan loves to play in the kitchen. He has been pulling things out of the cupboards and playing with the pop bottles that normally sit by the fridge...

Last night Jake, Melissa, Cameron, Jodi, David,& Paxson came over for dinner. Melissa & I took Cameron & Evan for a walk before dinner and we ended up at the swings...

The boys also had a good time in the kitchen together...
Pax is too small to play in the kitchen...

Here is the proud Grandma with all her boys...

We even managed to have a family skillet cookie! Well, mom and dad were party-poopers and chose not to join us...

This morning Jodi was having her breakfast and Evan decided he needed some too. She shared her banana with him...

And this afternoon we headed back to the Gradeschool for some more fun! This time after swinging we tried out the slide...

Now that Evan is in bed it means a little peace and quiet for me....and maybe some icecream.

Illinois: Day 3

2008-06-19T22:26:00.007-04:00

Evan and I spent the afternoon in Champaign today visiting Amanda. It was fun to catch up with her and meet some of her friends that she works with at the Vineyard Church. Two of her friends are leaving for Chile tomorrow! It was awesome to get to have lunch with them and encourage them as they go visit a place that Joel and I both hold dearly in our hearts. (Woah, that was kinda cheesy.) Evan was very entertaining at lunch as he used his growly voice and threw macaroni on the floor.

It was another very nice evening in Bellflower with my parents. We ate steaks off the grill & potatoes from the garden and even some yummy corn (Sorry Kevin, won't be able to bring it home on the plane!) Evan enjoyed playing outside with his Grandma & Grandpa. He was a very busy boy...

First he splashed in the cold pool with his hands...

And then with his feet...

After dinner Grandpa showed him the pin wheels...

And they ended the night with a walk around the yard...

Illinois: Day 2

2008-06-18T22:18:00.002-04:00

What a great day!

-Evan took 2 good naps!
-It was about 75 degrees and sunny!
-I spent the day with my mom, sister, and Pax
-Pax spit up ALL OVER me, then Evan spit up on me....but luckily I was at my sister's and had plenty of clothing 0ptions to borrow.
-we went to the neighbor's house tonight (their regular Wed. night get-together) and Evan tried to eat rocks...but I caught him just in time!
- I talked to Joel on the phone.

Hope you had a great day.

2008-06-17T22:45:00.003-04:00

I'm exhausted from this day but wanted to let everyone know that Evan and I made it safely to Illinois. We actually went down to Orlando last night and stayed near the airport so we wouldn't have to be up so early this morning. Joel had to be in Palm Beach today for work so he dropped Evan and I off at the Orlando Airport at 7am this morning on his way south. We had a little over 3 hours to kill before our flight left. It actually went faster than I thought it would go. We walked a lot, went in all the shops, played on the dirty floor, and ate lots of cheerios. Evan was asleep as we were taking off but it didn't last long....the kid behind us was screaming so he woke up. We arrived safely and on time to Bloomington. My bags arrived safely and on time to Baltimore, Maryland. Bonnie, the very nice lady at the Bloomington Airport, helped me locate them and requested that they be flown to Bloomington ASAP. They arrived safely and were delivered to my parents house about 8pm tonight.

My mom, sister, & my new nephew Paxson picked Evan and I up at the airport then we met my brother, Melissa, & Cameron for lunch. Here is a picture of the cousins together for the very first time. Cameron is 17 months, Evan is 9 months, & Paxson is 10 days old:

After a quick trip to Walmart we headed out to Bellflower. Evan played outside in the grass and "helped" grandpa pull some onions for supper. We also had some fresh asparagus that mom and dad had saved for me! Yum!!! Evan was pretty tired and decided that all he wanted for supper was a banana....little stinker.

I'm looking forward to my time at "home" and hope to see all my Illinois friends and family within the next month!

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T21:51:00.002-04:00

Joel is a wonderful father. He loves his boy SO much and I know the feeling is mutual.

In the evening when Evan hears Joel come home from work he immediately crawls toward the door and gets really excited. Joel picks him up and they exchange hugs and kisses.

Evan loves to play peek-a-boo with his daddy. They crawl all around the living room and take turns peeking around the corner of the chair...Evan giggles the entire time.

Night time has become their special time together. Joel likes to read to him, sing him a song, then cuddle a minute or two before he puts Evan to bed.

Evan and I are headed up to Illinois on Tuesday for a long visit. Joel will be coming up for the week of the 4th of July but until then, Evan is sure going to miss seeing his daddy.

The Rainy Day

2008-06-14T10:15:00.003-04:00

The afternoon Florida rain seems like it is starting earlier this year than in the past two years. If I'm at home and its raining, and Evan is down for his afternoon nap, I tend to scrapbook. I'm not sure what it is about rain that makes me feel creative but it works!

This was not the case on Tuesday afternoon. Evan and I were out running errands with Katie & Isaac when the thunder started. Long story short....It poured. My driver's side windshield wiper broke on Newberry Road. Katie was navigating. We pulled into a gas station with an over-hang. She got out to see what the problem was. It thundered SO loud that she jumped, I jumped, and Evan screamed. The windshield wiper was non-repairable. We continued on to her place. At Katie's we sat in the parking lot for close to 10 minutes...both boys asleep in their carseats by now. Finally we just grabbed them and made a run for the door. We were SOAKED!!! Evan and I ended up just spending the day there. It turned out to be a pretty fun afternoon! Here are a few pictures of the boys....

Evan loves to play with the coasters and giant remote control at the Whitlock's house:

Evan is normally very nice to Isaac. They played well together this week:

Apples & Peanut Butter

2008-06-11T21:35:00.003-04:00

I love apples with peanut butter. Its my new thing. I seem to want it every day.

I remember being the kid that didn't like peanut butter. My sister always wanted peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and I preferred bologna and cheese. When I went to Chile I ate a lot of peanut butter with bananas and thought that it was wonderful. Now I'm finding that apples with peanut butter is quite delicious.

I like my apples cold....right out of the fridge. I've only recently started putting them in the fridge too. My friend, Kelly, puts hers in the fridge and then she cuts them different than I've ever seen anyone cut an apple before. She slices it into really thin slices, starting from one side and working her way to the middle then doing another side until she reaches the middle, continuing until only the core is left. The slices are SO fun to eat, especially when they are cold and slathered with peanut butter.

Apples with peanut butter. Yum.

Fun at the Mall

2008-06-09T22:17:00.003-04:00

Our mall in town has a great "Swamp" for kids to play in! Today was Evan's first time to be set free in the swamp. He loved it!!! He just crawled from one thing to another and giggled the entire way. He climbed the stairs up to the tree slide...
He then discovered the tunnel underneath the tree. It was about 5 feet long and all the big boys were crawling through it so he took off following them! I just met him on the other end as he came out with a huge grin on his face. He also thought crawling through the "water" under the bridge was fun...

He and Megan had an awesome time playing...

But were not TOO happy when we made them get in the boat to pose for a picture with Isaac...

It was definately a fun day...

Evan Signs "More"

2008-06-08T17:05:00.003-04:00

We've been teaching Evan just a few signs since he was born. He understands "milk", "eat", & "more" very well. He does the "milk" sign every once in a while but last week I think he finally understood the concept of doing the "more" sign. He's also waving hi and bye and today I think I finally got him to clap!

A Baby and The Blueberry Festival

2008-06-07T15:55:00.009-04:00

Text Message Conversation with my sister last night:

8:50 PM

Me: Is that baby coming today or what?

Jodi: Gosh, I don't know! I feel like its gotta be getting closer. My contractions are closer together but pain is all in my back. Did you have that before real contractions?

Me: How far apart are they?

Jodi: About 7 Minutes

Me: Wow! You are supposed to feel real contractions in your back! If they've been going for over an hour then I'd say you are in labor.

Jodi: Really?! Even if I can still talk through them? I don't know, I'm thinking it should be more painful. I definately would say I'm close though.

Me: Mine were not really that painful til more like 3 minutes apart. Have a good snack & get some sleep tonight cuz you'll probably have a baby tomorrow!

Jodi: OK! Pray that we'll be going to the hospital within 24 hours.

Me: Ok. Hope to hear from you at 3AM!

2:50AM...

Jodi: My water broke!! Heading to the hospital. Pray for me!

Paxon David O'Malley was born at 11:24am central time. He weighed 7 lbs. and was 18 3/4 inches long. Jodi, David, & Paxson are doing great! I can't wait to go up to Illinois next week to see my new nephew!!! Hopefully I'll have some pictures of him to post in the next couple of days.

In other news....Yesterday was our 5th Wedding Anniversary. Wow. That sounds like a long time but it has flown by! Last night we went to dinner and left Evan with our good friends Jimmy & Katie. I think he had fun playing at their house! This morning we headed up to Wellborn, FL to the Blueberry Festival. I kind of felt like I was in Saybrook for the Freedom Fest. It was just a small town festival with lots of barefoot kids running around, vendors selling all their crafts, and some pretty bad musical entertainment. It was also VERY hot! But, we took the scenic drive up there and made the most of our fun little outing. Here are a couple pictures:

2008-06-03T10:21:00.009-04:00

I love my mornings with Evan! Today was a typical one. Evan woke up about 7:15am and Joel went to his room to play a few minutes so that I could drag myself out of bed to start another day (I'm still not the perfect morning person). But there is just something I love about the minute I walk into Evan's room and his face lights up and he knows he's going to get his milk. He could have been playing perfectly with his daddy for any number of minutes but drops everything to speed-crawl in my direction, climb up my leg, and attempt to sign "milk."

After nursing Evan, he gets a few minutes to play while I drink a cup of coffee and watch parts of Good Morning America. Evan enjoys taking apart every single piece of his floor mat. This picture is actually from the other night, but you get the idea. (Chris thought it would be fun to put the letter "P" on Evan's head)

After a few minutes of playtime (and coffee time for me!), Evan and I have our breakfast. I am addicted to Cinnamon Life! Luckily Sam's had a big box of it the other day...I couldn't pass that up! Evan usually eats oatmeal or mixed grains cereal with some sort of fruit. Blueberries are in season right now so he's been having lots of them. Occasionally he has cheerios and yogurt which he loves too.

After breakfast we usually go up to Evan's room for a little more play time. He loves to pull every single book out of his basket and then just sit there in the middle of them....

And he still loves a good doorstop...

Almost every morning before naptime we go for a walk. We've had some beautiful mornings here lately! Evan loves to be outside and is SO content in his stroller...as long as its moving. We stopped to look at the flowers blooming in our neighborhood....

Hope Your Morning was as good as mine!

Weekend Getaway

2008-05-28T22:25:00.006-04:00

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You to Joel's aunt and uncle who let us take a little weekend getaway to their condo near Sarasota. Its such a beautiful place to relax! We invited our friends Kevin, Kelly, & Megan Birkett to join us for the weekend. The kiddos had a ton of fun playing, the boys got to go golfing, and Kelly and I worked on our tans at the pool and the beach. Here are a few pictures from the weekend but check out Kelly's blog this week because she took a lot more than I did and her's always turn out better.

The first thing we did when we arrived on Friday evening was baby-proof the living room and make a playpen. This PJ picture is actually on Saturday morning. Evan loves Megan's toys...

It was a lot of fun spending the weekend with Kevin and Kelly. Here they are Saturday night after dinner on St. Armond's Circle...

And here is Megan playing peek-a-boo with the table cloth...

She and Evan shared a grilled cheese for dinner...
Sunday we were able to go play at the beach for a couple of hours, after driving an hour just to find a place to park! Evan had a good time with his daddy...

Sunday night was bath night. We put Evan and Megan in the tub together. They were SO wound-up afterwards so we got some fun pictures...

Don't forget to check out Kelly's blog this week for more fun pictures!

Reading

2008-05-23T11:40:00.004-04:00

Evan loves books. He loves to turn the pages and talk to himself:

Last Week...

2008-05-19T15:34:00.005-04:00

Last Sunday was my first official Mother's Day. Last year people said happy Mother's Day to me because I was 5 months pregnant but I wasn't really feeling very motherly yet. This year I am definately a mom. I do "mom things" like go to playgroups, watch "The View", talk about baby poop, and this morning I went to my first MOPS event. Here are a couple pictures from our walk downtown. We stopped for coffee but it was SO windy outside!

Evan continues to play with his tunnel and did I mention that Jack also loves the tunnel...

But even more exciting this week was the day we put up the baby gates. Evan thought they were his new toys. He just pulls up to them and shakes them and giggles. Its hilarious. I'll post a video soon too.

Also this week I hosted my playgroup at our house. I had 10 moms and 10 babies in my living/dining room. We had a lot of fun and the kids were just all over eachother. Here is Evan with his buddy Aiden and cute little friend Ella Claire...

So that was my "mommy week" in a nutshell. Throw a few naps and lots of email-checking in there and sounds like a pretty rough week huh? I feel so fortunate that I am able to stay home with Evan and see him grow and change every day. Its SO much less stressful now that he doesn't mind taking his naps during the day.

Janeen & Ryan's Wedding

2008-05-11T21:28:00.004-04:00

Some background for the Illinois-Readers ....Janeen is this really great girl that we have gotten to know quite well in the last year. We first knew her as "Renae's little sister" or as "Joel & Shari's daughter." Joel is one of the elders at our church. He and his wife, Shari, have become our "Gainesville Parents." They are wonderful Christian people that we look up to and see as role models for our own lives. Their daughter, Renae, and her husband, Chris, became some of our best friends within the first year that we lived in Gainesville. This year Janeen was doing her internship for college and lived at home so we had the priveledge of having her in our small group. She really reminds me a lot of my own sister and I think that is why I instantly loved the girl. She is a lot of fun and sometimes we experience "Janeen Moments" just like we experience "Jodi Moments." They have the same definition: Silly things that are said or done that you just have to laugh at because obviously they were not quite thought through before said or done.

So, anyhow...we went to Janeen and Ryan's wedding on Saturday night. We got a babysitter for Evan so that we could enjoy a night out and not have to worry about leaving the reception early. It was a lot of fun to feel like we were part of the family. It meant a lot to us to be able to be there and witness the marriage of two wonderful people. They are moving to St. Pete and I warned Janeen that if she lives that close to the beach she better watch out cuz we'll come visit her! I also look forward to playing many more songs on "Guitar Hero" with Ryan.

I was a little dissapointed with the pictures we took on Saturday night. Here are a couple, but be sure to check Kelly's blog cuz I'm sure she will post some good ones!

The happy couple...

Kelly & Joel were quite thirsty at the end of the evening. Must have been all the dancing...

Evan & Megan

2008-05-11T20:59:00.004-04:00

Megan spent Friday morning with Evan and I so that Kelly could help decorate the church for Janeen's wedding. They are so funny together. Megan moves a little quicker than Evan does. She just turned 1 last week but Evan thinks he can keep up with her and wants to do everything that she does.

The safest way for them to play with Jack is to have a window in between them. Doesn't it look like they are up to something?

Here they are standing up next to a toy and if you look really close you can see that they both have bruises. Megan's is on her cheek and Evan's is on his forehead.

Lip Smacking & Tunnels

2008-05-11T20:46:00.004-04:00

I know that I have blogged about this fun aquarium toy before...but its the best! It started as an activity mat for Evan to lay on and look up at 2 fish, a mirror, and a fun ball. It then converted to a tummy-time mat. Now it is the best ever: a tunnel. Evan will crawl through it about 30 times per day.

He's also been smacking his lips a lot. Its SO cute:

Some fun pictures

2008-05-06T15:25:00.008-04:00

I've been taking lots of pictures lately but not putting them on the blog so here ya go:

Evan has had a rat-tail for quite some time. We finally cut it off...

Evan loves the pool! Here are a couple pictures from our last playdate with Evan's friend Megan...

We had a "Cinco de Mayo" Party on Saturday. Kevin & Kelly brought a fun cactus balloon!

Noah cornered the Cactus...

Rosemary & Dinah had a good time at the Fiesta...

And Ashley organized our "Guess How Many Beans are in the Jar" Game...

And last, but not least, Evan thinks that playing with a bag of wipes is the best thing ever...

Long Weekend in Bellflower

2008-04-30T15:42:00.002-04:00

Evan and I made a quick trip home to spend a long weekend with family. (Sorry to those of you whom I did not get to see). I wanted to be home for Jodi's baby shower! Unfortunately all of my pictures from the weekend are on my mom's computer in Bellflower and the disc that I tried to copy them to failed. But, Melissa has some pics on her blog for you to see (Thanks Melissa!). So click here: http://studlygirl.blogspot.com/ to get a glimpse of our weekend.

Evan and I were very happy to see Joel last night when he picked us up in Jacksonville. Evan slept the entire way home and then was wound up when we go to the house. He didn't go to bed until 12:30am!!! He is on his 2nd 2-hour nap of the day as I type this :)

We have church tonight and are looking forward to see our friends at Harvest!

Earth Day

2008-04-22T11:31:00.002-04:00

I'm wearing a green shirt today. I guess I just subconciously knew that it was Earth Day when I got dressed this morning. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how important a day like today is. Why don't we think of every day as Earth Day?

I put together a list of things that I am currently doing to help save my little piece of Earth so that it is still here for Evan to enjoy in the years to come...

1. I try to shower only every-other-day....that saves a little water right?
2. I shut all lights & fans off when I'm not in the room to use them.
3. I'm using cloth diapers for Evan on the days that I know we are going to be mostly at home.....that's a few less diapers in a landfill.
4. I make all of Evan's baby food rather than buying baby food in containers that will also go to a landfill someday.
5. I'm a big fan of opening the windows instead of using the AC and of putting on an extra layer rather than using the heat.
6. I've been using any extra water from water glasses, boiling eggs, steaming vegetables, etc. to water the plants rather than just dumping it down the drain.
7. We recycle our glass, aluminum, & newspapers.

What are you doing to preserve this Earth for our future generations? Please share your ideas!

Laziness

2008-04-20T21:56:00.004-04:00

I'm feeling pretty lazy tonight so if you want to know what we've been up to just go to Katie's blog. She's already posted a wonderful summary and there is no need for me to repeat it :) Thanks Katie!

www.thewhitlocks.blogspot.com

Teething

2008-04-15T15:07:00.003-04:00

Sure he may be cute but not when he's teething and screaming at 3am! Joel and I haven't slept for 3 nights. Got any tips for us?
"What did you say mom? But I really want to pull the kitty's tail!"

Busy Little Boy

2008-04-10T22:24:00.005-04:00

Evan has been quite busy the last 2 days...

cooking...

cleaning the windows...

Reading his book upside down...

Drinking some water...

And like his cousin, Cameron, Evan has gotten stuck under things...

Evan is Feeding Himself!

2008-04-10T15:17:00.003-04:00

I gave Evan some "stars" last week and he's getting really good at picking them up and getting them to his mouth all on his own..

Crawling

2008-04-08T09:42:00.003-04:00

Evan is crawling all over the house! And, he has discovered every door stop...

Dog Dreams

2008-04-04T15:39:00.002-04:00

Last week I had a dream that our friend's dog, Ruger, was licking Evan. I kept waking Joel up and saying "Ruger, Ruger" hoping that he would get the dog away from Evan.

Last night I had a dream that a different friend's dog, Buddy, was licking Evan. Again, I tried to wake Joel up and I was saying "Buddy...Buddy."

Why am I having dreams about dogs licking Evan?

Slumber Party!

2008-03-31T16:45:00.003-04:00

When was the last time you had a slumber party? Some of our friends got together on Friday night at Kevin & Kelly's house. We had such a great time! We ate some of Kevin's grouper that he caught on his last fishing excursion. Evan and Megan played outside with bubbles. We played the Newlywed Game...congrats Chris & Renae for beating us. And on Saturday morning Kevin helped Joel build shelves out of the Henderson Hall bleacher boards that we've been moving around with us for almost 5 years! Here are some pictures from the weekend...

Check this out...

2008-03-27T22:11:00.002-04:00

Okay I'm just kidding. Evan is not really on the cover of a magazine. You can make one too at www.parenting.com. Have fun!

Quote from a Magazine

2008-03-27T16:37:00.008-04:00

"I'm heavily invested in the Y chromosome. Life without my boys would be a haven of peaceful and predictable days. Who wants that?"

Easter & WalMart

2008-03-26T11:37:00.007-04:00

Evan spent his first Easter in Birmingham. We went up to visit Joel's parents for the weekend. Grandma and Grandpa Parmenter were able to be there too. We had a nice time enjoying the outdoors....though hiking to a waterfall in flip-flops and dress shoes was probably not so smart. We did some shopping, watched basketball, ate a lot of food, and Evan learned to crawl! Here are some pics from the weekend...

On the way home from Birmingham there is a place called Mark's Melon Patch. We usually stop and pickup some fruits or vegetables but it was a little too early in the season so we got apple butter and took a couple pictures of Evan while were there...

And just for the record: you cannot buy everything at Walmart. The Ghetto-WalMart near us is the worst one ever. I went there for two specific items thinking, "hey WalMart has everything right?" Well, they do not sell 2 Gallon Ziplock bags or "rub-away" bars. I ended up finding the ziplocks at Albertson's, another grocery store in town. I'm using them to organize all my scrapbook stuff....thanks Renae for the idea! And the "rub-away" bar is this miracle stainless steel thing that you use to wash your hands after you've cut an onion and it takes the smell away! I have one and I wanted to get one for a friend that hates cutting onions but I guess I'll have to keep looking.

Naptime

2008-03-20T15:23:00.002-04:00

I put Evan down for a nap this afternoon. After about 15 minutes I hadn't heard anything out of him so I peeked in his room. He was definately not sleeping...

The little booger figured out how to stand up.

2008-03-19T14:15:00.005-04:00

We were very happy to have my parents spend sometime with us this month. Its great to know that Joel and I both have such supportive families who want to be involved in Evan's life. We are very blessed.

My mom enjoying her time with Evan...

Dad and I at the Florida Natural History Museum...

We took mom and dad to see Joel's office and Evan wanted to be boss for the day...

Evan learned how to hold his own cup of water...

And he can go from the crawling position back to sitting all on his own...

Fighting

2008-03-19T14:01:00.003-04:00

Sometimes Joel and I fight over stupid things. We are also not so secretive about our arguments. Sorry to those of you who witness our petty disagreements. We are just trying to be as transparent with our lives as possible. I'm sure anyone would have laughed about last night's argument. I had a stressful day yesterday: Cameron was(and still is) in the hospital, Evan refused to take a nap longer than 30 minutes, and I am getting over some kind of sick-bug. Joel and I tried a few times to have a decent conversation but Evan was whining and it was time to eat and the news was on then jeopardy was on then it was time to put Evan to bed then American Idol and Dancing with the Stars was on at the exact same time. Seriously, Fox and ABC need to become friends. It would make my evening a lot easier! During my flipping back and forth between Dancing and Idol, Joel decided he wanted to finish the conversation we tried to start earlier. I was a little annoyed, afterall, I was in the middle of not one but TWO of my favorite shows. He got mad at me, took the remote, and turned the tv off. I just looked at him and laughed. I'm not sure why I found it funny....I think it was just the perfect end to an already crappy day. After a few minutes, he laughed too and we finished our tv watching, said our "I Love You's" and went to bed.

Had any good fights lately?

Satchel's & St. Augustine

2008-03-07T17:34:00.005-05:00

Here are a couple pictures from Satchel's, our favorite pizza place in Gainesville. Its just a fun local place to go! I think Mom and Dad had a good time...

And here is Joel with Evan in "Lightning Salvage," the junk shop behind the pizza place...

Yesterday we ventured out to St. Augustine. We saw the Fort and the Light House, went in a few shops, ate lunch, and had some icecream. Here are a few pics from the day...

We had thunderstorms and tornado watches all day today so we didn't do much. Mom did all the laundry, dad played with Evan, and I made shortcake to go with our fresh Florida strawberries. Yum! Here is dad making Evan laugh...

Tours

2008-03-05T16:06:00.004-05:00

My parents are here for a visit! We've had a good time touring various sites around Gainesville. On Saturday morning we went to "Devil's Millhopper," a sinkhole that is just on the edge of town. We walked down 212 steps and up again...

On Sunday afternoon we went to the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Homestead. It was a beautiful afternoon to be outside. Here are mom and dad hanging out on the porch...

and here is Evan in the "Snugli" for the second day in a row....

On our way home from the homestead we stopped at our good friends Pete and Lou's house. They let my dad pick some grapefruit...

The grapefruit were as big as Evan...
On Monday while Joel was at work Evan and I took mom and dad to Lake Alice on the University campus hoping to see some alligators. We had no luck with the alligators but did see a few turtles. I carried Evan in the "Snugli" for the 3rd day in a row. He loves that thing!

And...Evan borrowed his friend Megan's drum for the week. He thinks it is the coolest thing ever...

Last night we took mom and dad to Satchel's for pizza. It was just as wonderful as ever! I'll post some pictures of that soon :)

Its not all about me...

2008-02-26T09:41:00.003-05:00

1. Yesterday I wanted to lay out and get some sun at the beach. Instead, I sat in the sand to shade Evan from the sun and kept a close eye on his sandy hands that kept going straight to his mouth. Normally I hate getting all sandy but it was so fun to see Evan explore something new.

2. Last night Joel and I would have loved to walk down along the bay to find a nice restaurant for dinner. Instead, we stayed at the hotel and ate at the same restaurant as the night before because Evan did not have a nap and was Mr. Groucho. But, we had a nice dinner outside and Evan slept in the stroller like a good little boy.

3. This morning I would love to be sitting out at the pool. Instead, I am sitting in the hotel room letting Evan nap since we sacrificed nap-time yesterday for beach-time. Normally this would make me grouchy but knowing that a nap will make the rest of the day better makes me happy.

I think God is slowly changing my heart as I make sacrifices for my little boy. Evan truly is a blessing and I love spending time with him as he discovers new things every day.

A cute picture of my boys...

Beach Day

2008-02-25T18:39:00.005-05:00

Today was the perfect beach day. The temperature was about 75, the sun was shining and there was absolutely no wind. I loved it! I think Evan had a good time too :) We are actually in St. Pete right now. Joel is here on business so Evan and I tagged along. Our friends, The Bolins, are staying in Tampa this week so they came over and took Evan and I to the beach. Here are a few pics from the day...

Quick Update

2008-02-18T18:12:00.007-05:00

I hope everyone had a good Valentine's Day! Wether that meant going to Arby's with your sweetheart or watching a good movie with a bottle wine....I'm sure it was meaningful. (I won't mention any names here!) Joel was out of town so Evan and I spent the evening with the Whitlocks (see my link to their blog). Evan got lost in their couch....

As usual, the weather has been beautiful. I think some of you Illinois folks need to come visit us! (hint, hint) Evan and I took a walk with our good friends Kelly and Megan. Evan borrowed Megan's sunglasses so he could be cool like his mommy...

We are excited to have The Bolins visiting us this week! (see my link to their blog) They will arrive tomorrow and stay through Sunday. We're looking forward to some good laughs and some great Satchel's Pizza!

Lunch

2008-02-12T17:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was in such a hurry to get out the door, Evan was crying, and I was hungry. With Evan on one hip I slapped 2 pieces of bologna on a tortilla. Over that I sprinkled some mozzarella cheese. It went in the microwave for 30 seconds then I put Italian Pesto Salad dressing on it and rolled it up. That was my lunch. What was I thinking? I guess it was kind of good...who would have ever guessed?

Realizations

2008-02-11T17:17:00.000-05:00

I've realized a lot of things in the last few days and thought that I would share them...

1. What goes in really does come out. Evan has been eating carrots....therefore pooping carrots.

2. I think I have a fear of ceiling fans. Lately I've been wondering what would happen if one of the blades flew off. Scary right?

3. Evan cries in his crib longer than he actually naps in it.

4. Florida in February is such a blessing and I love the sun.

5. My husband is wonderful and SO patient with me.

6. I'm addicted to my email. If I don't check it at least twice a day, I wonder what I'm missing.

7. My two favorite daytime shows are The View and Ellen. I'm being influenced by liberals and a lesbian.

8. I miss my family in Illinois. I wish I could see them more often.

9. I hate it when Joel is away from home on business trips.

10. I really need to get my wedding rings resized. I've been wearing them on my middle finger for a year.

Summer in February

2008-02-04T13:28:00.001-05:00

I'm eating my pasta salad and drinking my sweet tea as I write this blog. It sure feels like summer. I love it!

Last night we had some friends over to watch the SuperBowl. Right before the game started, one of the little boys asked, "Do you have a Disney Movie I can watch?" I guess he wasn't too interested in the game. Most of our friends have kids now so everyone was gone by the end of the 3rd quarter. That felt really strange but I guess that is just the stage of life we are in. Here are a few pics from the night...

Melody and Asher, friends from our childbirth class:

Kevin, Evan, Joel, & Chris look excited about the game:

Jonathon let Rosemary watch the game upside-down:

Evan is growing and changing everyday. He is rolling all over the place now and almost sitting on his own. We have decided that it is time to stop swaddling him for naps and bedtime. I'm using a "sleepsack" so that his arms are still free but his legs are still somewhat secure and he is not distracted by playing with his feet. Today he fell asleep okay without being swaddled but only slept 45 minutes at a time which was clearly not enough because he was grumpy when we tried to play with his toys. Any advice on this whole sleeping thing would be very much appreciated!

Evan has also been eating rice cereal for the past 3 weeks. He loves it! He gets really excited and opens his mouth wide when he sees the spoon coming. Yesterday we started mixing in some oatmeal with the rice and he didn't even seem to notice...he just wanted more of it. He will be getting his first vegetables at the end of this week! I used my new food processor that I got for Christmas and made him some squash and some carrots. They are in the freezer all ready for him to eat!

In between the grumpyness this morning, Evan and I were able to go outside and enjoy our "summer" day:

A Note From Evan

2008-02-02T19:06:00.001-05:00

My friend Shauna suggested that I post something about my mommy and daddy since they are always posting things about me. They just love me so much that they forget to report on anything that they have been doing. So, let's see....

Daddy has been gone ALL week. He had 3 business trips all jammed together so he left on Sunday for North Carolina then on to Nebraska and then to Illinois. He got most of his work done except for in Illinois. There was a big snowstorm and the office was closed where daddy was supposed to have his meeting. He was a little dissapointed but it worked out okay because he was staying with my great Grandma and Grandpa Parmenter. He was able to visit with them and some other family members that lived near by! He'll be home in just a couple of hours and I'm hoping my mommy will let me stay up to see him.

As for Mommy, she's been hanging out with me all week. You see, I can't walk, talk, or even feed myself yet so she's had her hands full. I think she likes staying home with me rather than working. Sometimes we have pajama days together! But, most of the time she makes me get dressed and packs me in that carseat (with the fun toy from Grandma Raymer) and we go somewhere. She likes to go visit her friends, go grocery shopping, or go for walks. This week we spent 2 days at her friend Kelly's house. She and Kelly have gotten to be really good friends and I like that because it means I get to spend lots of time Megan (she tried to eat my shoe in the previous post). We also visited Jimmy and Katie this week. That was a fun visit! They just had a new baby on Thursday morning (see picture below). Mommy is very excited for Isaac and I to become best buddies!

Overall, mommy and daddy are doing fine. They love their new house in Gainesville, daddy loves his job, and I keep mommy busy.

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy....

Isaac James Whitlock, 14 hours old:

Here I am having tummy-time in my room on my special quilt that Grandma Raymer made me:But, tummy-time doesn't last long cuz I like to roll over...

oh, and I like to eat my feet...

Evan & Megan

2008-01-28T11:13:00.001-05:00

Saturday we spent time with some good friends, ate really good food, and had some good laughs. We are so truly blessed to have such great friends here in Gainesville.

Evan got a chance to play with his friend Megan:

"Hey - Give me back my shoe!"

Playing Outside

2008-01-22T15:09:00.000-05:00

Today was such a beautiful day! Evan and I took advantage of it and decided to have tummy-time outside. Evan normally hates tummy-time and wants to roll over as soon as you lay him down. I put him on the blanket on his tummy so he could feel the grass. Here was the result...

Hmm. What is this stuff?

It kind of feels funny...oh but I want to eat it!

Woah! A plane flew over and scared me!

Jumperoo

2008-01-20T09:57:00.000-05:00

57 emails later...

2008-01-11T16:51:00.000-05:00

I haven't been on the internet since last Friday. I was really exited to get on and write a new blog and post some pictures. Instead of going directly to blogger I was intrigued by my yahoo home page that said I had 57 new messages. I made the mistake of checking my email first and now I don't really even feel like writing. But, here are a few pictures to get you through until I find something to write about...

Evan's date for New Year's Eve was Everly Johnson...

My beautiful sister and her new husband, David....

And our adorable son who is thrilled to be home...

Evan had his 4 month appointment on Wednesday. He weighs in at 14lb. 12 oz. and is 26 inches long!

The 7 Days of Christmas

2008-01-01T17:07:00.000-05:00

We wanted Evan to meet as much family as possible while we were in Illinois for Christmas. That meant quite a bit of travelling...

Christmas #1

Sunday, December 23

Searby Immediate Family in Peoria

(Picture: Jack, John, Mark, Joel, & Evan)

Christmas #2

Monday, December 24

Bridgwater Extended Family in Saybrook

(Picture: Cousins Karley, Leslie, & Charly admiring Evan)

Christmas #3

Tuesday, December 26

Uncle Darren gave us gifts in Saybrook

(Picture: Uncle Darren with Evan & his son, Dylan)

Christmas #4

Tuesday, December 25

Raymer Christmas in Bellflower

(Pictures: Jen's parents with Evan then Evan with cousin Cameron)

Christmas #5

Wednesday, December 26

Special Time with Grandma Edi in Bellflower

Christmas #6

Wednesday, December 26

Searby Extended Family in DuQuoin

Christmas #7

Saturday, December 29

Parmenter Extended Family in Champaign

(I forgot the camera! We'll have to get pictures from everyone else)

Hands

2007-12-19T16:34:00.000-05:00

Grandpa & Grandma Bridgwater came to visit us last night! Evan showed them how he can hold his keys:

And here is a little video of Evan using his hands! He's really been reaching for things this week...but only with his left hand.

P.S.

2007-12-16T19:35:00.000-05:00

I forgot to mention that we also spent time with Grandma and Grandpa Bridgwater, Grandma Parmenter, and "Grandma" Margie. Last Tuesday we went to Bloomington to see some friends from college. Click on the links for Kristin or Katie & Justin to see more pics from that day!

Picture Update from Bellflower

2007-12-16T19:18:00.000-05:00

Evan and I are enjoying our time in Illinois but we sure miss Joel! He will be driving up on Friday and I think the week will go fast because of last minute Christmas and Wedding shopping that needs to be done.

Evan helped Grandpa Raymer read his paper early one morning...

And he played with Grandma Raymer's snowman...

We visited John, Jessi, and Jack. Here is Jack getting ready to play in the snow...

And here are the cousins together...

It snowed ALL day on Saturday so we ended up staying at John & Jessi's until today. On my way home, I came upon this...

The semi was being pulled out of the ditch. It didn't take long for them to clear the road and no one was hurt. The roads were still not great for travelling but we made it home safely!

Grandma and Grandpa Raymer were happy to see Evan and I. Evan posed for a cute picture on the couch...

Hopefully the snow will hold off this week so we can get everything done!

Brrrrr....

2007-12-08T23:00:00.000-05:00

Anyone up for a swim? This is what it looks like at parent's house in Illinois right now...

Despite the weather, we have been shopping twice this week. Other than that, we've pretty much stayed inside. Evan has been wearing his cousin Cameron's winter hand-me-downs...

And he had a big smile when he got to wear his long underwear snowmen from Grandma...

Evan likes to play on his floor mat except the floor is too cold so we have to put it up on the couch...

He had a bath on Wednesday and screamed through whole thing. He was quite happy when it was all over...

Evan even helped Grandma put up some Christmas decorations...

And we got to see my good friend Amanda...

We miss all of our Gainesville friends and we especially miss Joel! But if you are Illinois friends or family, we would sure like to see you! Give me a call on my cell phone or call my parent's house. We'll be around for a few more weeks!

Finally, Some New Pictures!

2007-12-05T00:11:00.000-05:00

We've been quite busy! Joel, Evan, and I spent a week in Indianapolis. Joel had some business meetings there so Evan and I went along. Evan had his first plane ride and did GREAT! We were so proud of our little traveler.

Joel flew back to Gainesville but my parents picked Evan and I up from Indy and brought us back to Bellflower. We will be spending the month in Illinois. I forgot how stinkin' cold it is up here! I was not the least bit excited about seeing snow today.

Here are a few new pictures...

Evan and Joel downtown Indy.

Evan and I downtown Indy.

Evan thinks his Grandpa Raymer is the funniest thing ever!

Evan has 4 Great-Grandmas. He has met 2 of them already and we plan to see the other 2 this month. Here we are with Great-Grandma Raymer. I forgot to take the camera when we went to Great Grandma & Grandpa Bridgwater's house. oops!

Packing

2007-11-25T22:28:00.000-05:00

Packing got me a little frazzled tonight. I was so stressed out about it that I used Windex instead of Spray n Wash on one of Evan's outfits.

Evan and I are going with Joel on a business trip to Indianapolis this week. Joel will then return to Gainesville but Evan and I are spending December in Illinois. My sister is getting married and I wanted to be there to help with some of the planning. Joel will be coming to Illinois for Christmas but we will be apart for 3 weeks. I'm sure it will go fast but just the thought of being apart that long (and Joel not seeing Evan) makes me sad :(

My First Thanksgiving

2007-11-24T15:25:00.000-05:00

Everyone has been talking about this big Holiday called Thanksgiving and all the good food you get to eat. I don't see what the big deal is...all I got was milk. I am thankful for my mommy and daddy who did part of the cooking for Thanksgiving day:

I'm also thankful for my Grandma and Grandpa Searby that came to visit for the long weekend:

And this is a really close-up picture of me. Aren't I cute?!

Shots and No Sleep

2007-11-10T12:29:00.000-05:00

Evan had his first round of shots on Wednesday. He screamed like a little girl but I think I would have too if I had 3 big needles going into my legs. He didn't have any severe reactions to the shots except that he decided not to sleep Wednesday night. This little boy has been sleeping all night since he was 9 days old (Praise God!). He woke up at 3am Thursday morning screaming! Joel tried to comfort him and then I took my turn. We finally got him back to sleep around 4:30. At 5:30am he woke up hungry. I fed him and he went back to sleep until about 8. We have been so spoiled by him sleeping all night that we didn't know what to do with ourselves! Since then he has been fine. Here are a few cute pictures from the week:

And a few more pictures from the beach...

2007-11-04T10:38:00.001-05:00

Good Morning from Navarre Beach

2007-11-04T08:06:00.000-05:00

Here's a few shots I captured this morning. A real blessing...a much needed getaway.

Evan Rolled Over!!!

2007-11-03T21:33:00.000-04:00

Do all babies roll over this early? He rolled over today...here's the video to prove it. He was ten weeks old yesterday. And I guess most babies roll from their back to their stomach. He did the opposite. Then he decided it was his new favorite thing to do and did it all day.

The Beach with Aaron, Shauna and Everly!

2007-11-03T21:29:00.000-04:00

Here's some pictures from today. We're at Navarre Beach in the Florida Panhandle with our great friends Aaron and Shauna and their daughter Everly.

Shauna and Everly, Jen and Evan on the boardwalk.

Everly and Evan hanging out in the Johnson's Beach Tent.

Joel and Evan on the Beach!

Halloween

2007-10-31T21:42:00.000-04:00

Here are some darn cute pictures of Evan on his first Halloween! Thank you to Jen A. and Renae for contributing to Evan's first outfit of the day. Here he is in his cute Halloween gear:

I think he's mad in this picture because the giant frog is getting ready to attack him...

Getting ready to go see daddy so mommy can go to the dentist...

Later this evening he became a pirate! Grandma Raymer made him some cute pirate pants and everyone at church loved them!

Joel dressed up as a scarecrow...

And I was a pirate too!

By the way, Evan now weighs in at 10 lbs., 5 oz. and is 24 inches long!

Camping

2007-10-30T16:30:00.000-04:00

Call us crazy but we took our 9 week old baby camping! We had a lot of fun and Evan did great! He loved being outside. Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Evan hanging out by the fire...

Kelly, Megan (6 months), Renae, Jen, & Evan at the Swanee River...

Kevin and Kelly cooking us breakfast...

Chris and Renae...

Joel and Evan...

The Beach

2007-10-23T22:36:00.000-04:00

This is Evan and I enjoying the beach when my family was here. He was 6 weeks old...

And here I am with my mom when I was 10 weeks old...

I love comparing our pictures!!!

And here is one that Joel took that I thought was kind of cool...

New Toy

2007-10-22T15:36:00.000-04:00

Evan got a new toy this week. He loves to watch the fish in his aquarium...

And Joel thought he would try it out too...

8 Weeks Old

2007-10-21T12:50:00.000-04:00

Even though Evan and Joel were sick...we had a great trip to Birmingham. Here we are with Joel's parents having Sunday Brunch:

I can't believe Evan is 8 weeks old already. The time has really gone by fast. He used to HATE getting his diaper changed but lately he's been smiling on the changing table:

But don't worry he still cries when he's hungry or tired:

Joel has been doing some more work around the house. He made the outside closet a work area:

And Jack thought he needed to help:

And here are some fun hair-dos from the week:

God is Bigger Than the Emergency Room

2007-10-16T14:14:00.000-04:00

I believe in using medicine and going to doctors but there comes a time when you have to put your faith in a God that is bigger than any emergency room. We've been visiting Joel's parents in Birmingham this weekend. Evan came down with a fever yesterday. Mark and Linda would probably agree that he should have gone to the emergency room, but there was something inside of me saying "No, its going to be fine. Don't expose him to even more sick people. He's going to get through this." I just kept praying and believing that God would heal him. His fever continued to decrease throughout the day and evening. After an intense time of prayer over the phone with Aunt Patti, we took his temperature again and it was at 98.9. I instantly thought that God had worked a miracle. Today, Evan has a little cough with some congestion...but nothing compared to yesterday. We are driving home from Birmingham today and if the cough persists throughout today then we will definately be going to the doctor in the morning.

So what did I learn from this?

God is bigger than the emergency room. God can do anything if we ask and believe. I often have a hard time believing stories of healing or miracles. My faith has grown through this experience and maybe I will listen a little more intently the next time someone tells me how God has worked in their life.

The Weekend Report

2007-10-09T17:41:00.000-04:00

Jodi, Jake, Melissa, & Cameron came to visit. Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

The Many faces of our Nephew Cameron...

The fake cough:

Bathtime Fun:

What a Cutie:

"Scrunch Face"

And a few cute pictures of Evan:

To see more pictures from our weekend, go to http://www.thesearbys.shutterfly.com/

A Note from Evan

2007-10-02T22:29:00.000-04:00

Wow it looks like my cousin Cameron has been busy! (See my Aunt Melissa's blog by using the link on the right.) Cameron is coming to visit me this week and I'm SO excited to meet him for the first time. Until then, here are a few pictures for you...

I was 5 weeks old on Friday and here is a really cute picture of me:

I eat a lot! I weigh 8 pounds and 9 ounces and I'm 22 1/4 inches long. This is me when I'm hungry and I want my mommy to stop taking pictures and feed me...

I spend my days hanging out with my mom. She talks to me and reads to me but sometimes we like to take silly pictures...

I have a cat named Jack. I think he is jealous of me because I get all the attention. Here he is just hanging out by the window...

I have more new pictures but its time for me to eat so you'll have to check back later to see the rest!

Big Weekend with Amanda

2007-09-23T15:49:00.000-04:00

Well we've had a fun weekend. Amanda, a friend from college, came to visit. Evan had some more firsts (aren't they just about all firsts the first month?) Here they are, in order:
1) First time out of Gainesville. Road trip with mama to the airport.
2) First time having my diaper changed in a public restroom.
3) First time to a mexican restaurant (Las Margaritas.)
4) First time to Starbucks.
5) First time having my diaper changed in Downtown Gainesville on the plaza.
6) First time hearing live latin music (downtown Gainesville Latino festival.)
7) First time to Satchel's.
8) First time on a horse. (see below)
9) First time seeing an Alligator.

Here's some pictures:

the searbys

Check out our new blog!

The Naptime Battle Continues...

White Trash Saturday Night

One Nap or Two?

New Pictures

The Birthday Post!

A little more of the Illinois trip

Rewind to the Fish Fry

Sneak Preview

Weekend Visitors

New Things

Walking

The Sad Goodbye

11 Months

The Neighbor

The video I promised in the last post...

Illinois: Days 28-33 (The Last Week)

Illinois: Day 27 (Jake's B-day)

Illinois: Day 26 (July 12th BRHS Class Reunion)

Illinois: Days 21-25 (July 7-11)

Mowers

Illinois: Day 20 (Peoria & Goodbye)

Illinois: Day 19 (Peoria)

Illinois: Day 18 (July 4th)

Illinois: Days 14-17 (Lincoln & Jodi's Bday)

Illinois: Days 11-13 (Jarretts, Wedding, & Freedom Fest)

Illinois: Day 10 (Part Two)

Illinois: Day 10 (Part One)

Illinois: Day 9

Illinois: Day 8

Illinois: Day 6 & 7

Illinois: Day 4 & 5

Illinois: Day 3

Illinois: Day 2

Happy Father's Day

The Rainy Day

Apples & Peanut Butter

Fun at the Mall

Evan Signs "More"

A Baby and The Blueberry Festival

Weekend Getaway

Reading

More Reading

Last Week...

Janeen & Ryan's Wedding

Evan & Megan

Lip Smacking & Tunnels

Some fun pictures

Long Weekend in Bellflower

Earth Day

Laziness

Teething

Busy Little Boy

Evan is Feeding Himself!

Crawling

Dog Dreams

Slumber Party!

Check this out...

Quote from a Magazine

Easter & WalMart

Naptime

Fighting

Satchel's & St. Augustine

Tours

Its not all about me...

Beach Day

Quick Update

Lunch

Realizations

Summer in February

A Note From Evan

Evan & Megan

Playing Outside

Jumperoo

57 emails later...

The 7 Days of Christmas

Hands

P.S.

Picture Update from Bellflower