Evy's 2nd Birthday Party

I'm pretty sure Evy thinks the entire month of October is her birthday. Today we hosted her birthday party at our house. This officially wraps up the second birthday celebrations! We went with (what else?) an Elmo theme! Evy's seen the huge Elmo balloon at the grocery store for months and was soooo excited to have one of her own. I made the Elmo cake and yes, folks that frosting was put on with real-life icing bags and that's a big deal becuase I don't make anything.

Evy is 2!

Happy Birthday baby girl! Where have two years gone? This morning we celebrated with candles in our pancakes. Evy opened her presents and is wearing a new skirt and sparkly shoes to school. Such a diva! At two years old Evy loves playgrounds, pony tails, piddy desses, other kids, dogs, TV, and her family. She isn't too fond of vegetables, hair brushing, or waiting for anything! She is full of spunk and character and gives us a good laugh every day. We feel very lucky to have her and wish for the years to slow down!

Happy Halloween Elmo!

[Taking a break at mom's office]


[The night before, we practiced trick-or-treating and made sure Evy knew that wearing the Elmo costume meant candy. We're not above bribery.]

[Does mom sit around and eat candy every day at work?]

Today was my office's annual trick-or-treat event and I was accompanied by Elmo! No problem! Evy hit all three floors and gathered a nice little stash! She loved picking out pieces of candy to put in her "bag." Suckers seemed to be her favorite pick, but she was a little confused. Each time she picked a new sucker out of a bowl she would try to put the one she was eating back in its place. She was a big hit with all the rest of the kids since most of them seemed to be Elmo fans too. She had a little groupie who kept following her around saying "Melmo!" and wanting to touch Elmo's nose!

I Not Wear Dat!

Evy loves, loves, loves Elmo! She sleeps with a stuffed Elmo, she loves to watch Sesame Street, read Elmo books and wear shirts with Elmo on it. I was thrilled when my friend let us borrow an Elmo costume for Halloween. What could be more perfect for this Elmo lover?

Silly mom. We have had the costume around the house for weeks trying to coax Evy to put it on. "I not wear dat" she says every time we ask her to put it on. If you ask her what she's going to be for Halloween she responds "Elmo." But, she won't put it on. Some people may be wagering on the outcome of the Iowa vs MSU game this weekend, but in our house the wager is on the Halloween costume. Elmo or No Elmo? Only time will tell...

Lil' Pumpkin

Everyone seems to be doing the same things---All of the blogs are talking about trips to the pumpkin patch and pumpkin carving. We didn't want to be left out! Scott carved and Evy and I watched. Evy touched the "guts" but wasn't too fond of them. As I snapped a picture of our glowing creation Evy said, "Say cheese jack-o-lantern!"

Party Like a HawkStar

If you're in town on gameday give us a call! We're always hanging with the usual (or should it read unusual?) crowd in the usual spot prepping ourselves for a tough game.

Balance

I had a little chuckle last night as I layered Ore-Ida tator tots over the mixture of organic ground turkey and onion. The term juxtaposition comes to mind, but perhaps I'm not using it correctly. All of you writers who read my blog can chime in on my usage. Whatever you call it, it's kind of like washing your McDonald's value meal down with a Diet Coke. Crazy, but good.

Happy Birthday! (Round 1)

Evy kicked off her birthday celebrations this weekend, sharing a party with her cousins who also have fall birthdays.


[Check out my Elmo PJ's!]


[Holding and/or wearing every single gift]


[Some people call this an apron. I call it a "Piddy Dess"]


[The cousins]

[Taking a spin and laughing the entire way]

Fun Evening But No Mini-Skirt

On Friday night we went to the Carrie Underwood concert. On the way there the boys were sharing their excitement for seeing Carrie in a mini-skirt. Unfortunately, Carrie wore pants, leggings and long skirts for the majority of the concert. But I would still consider the night a hit.

High Five for Sleep!

Books were read, teeth were brushed and I laid Evy down in her crib. I covered her up with one blanket and she used another as a pillow. Elmo was by her side and I patted her back. This is the normal night time routine. I said, "Goodnight, Evy. Love you" and walked towards the door. Then, I heard a little voice say "High five, mom" and when I looked back in the crib there was a little arm sticking up out of the blanket with fingers spread wide. I high-fived her and off to sleep she went. Maybe we've added another step to our routine.

Chicken Bite Me!

Evy was the only kid wearing a "Piddy Dess" at the pumpkin patch, but it didn't slow her down. She wanted nothing to do with the tractor ride, but wasn't afraid of the haunted barn. She got to pick out her own "baby pumpkin" and loved seeing all of the animals. She was sticking her fingers in every animal cage and a chicken got a peck at her. I had to turn my head so I could laugh while she was crying, "Chicken bite me! No! No! No! Chicken. Be nice!"

Birthday Party

On Saturday, Evy had fun at her friend Mia's first birthday party. Evy loved the pink cookies, but didn't finish her cupcake!!

Feed the Ducks!

We talked it up. We let Evy pack the bread. She held the bread in the car and asked "Feed The Ducks?" one hundred times. When we arrived at the undisclosed location we noticed the posting; Feeding of Waterfowl Prohibited per City Code. We went ahead and broke the law, a little. Serving a night in jail would have been easier than keeping Evy from feeding the ducks.

Baby Blogger

Evy loves to watch videos and look at pictures from her friends' blogs. Here, she is watching a video from her friend Veda's blog. I think we watched it 35 times.

Purchased

Now, where does a 30-something mother wear these, exactly?

Interior Design Advice?

We are going to re-arrange our living room and purchase some tables with storage. All the toys and junk that come along with a two year old are getting out of hand! I am horrible at home design. Do any of you have any favorite resources for interior design? Specifically I'm trying to figure out how to arrange the furniture and TV. We have a fireplace on one wall, a bank of windows on another wall and the rest of our room is pretty much open. I'm stumped, which means I'll probably put it off for another seven years...