Happy 9 month Birthday, Evelyn

The pics that didn't make the Christmas card

Over here, Evelyn!

Over here, Mom!

What's even more awkward than a 30-something with braces? A 30-something trying not to show her braces.

If you didn't get a card, it's because I hugely underestimated the number of cards we needed, and your name is probably at the end of the alphabet! Oops. You'll be first on the list next year!

Two Thumbs Down

I couldn't have said it better than this reviewer on Amazon, so I just cut and paste:



Mitchard has an enormous cast of characters, all of whom are razon-thin in their character development. You'll be lost if you haven't read "Deep End", as the returning cast is introduced with the sketchiest of background. Then again, you'll be lost if you HAVE read "Deep End", as all the new characters are thrown at the reader fast and furiously and in the most superficial manner possible.

There are several confusing scenes in the book, made more confusing by the "Beth and Pat and Candy and Ben and Charley Seven did this....Vincent and Sam and Eliza and George did that" writing. The pre-Oscar hotel scenes and celebrity spotting - waste of time and paper. The actual kidnapping? Also poorly sequenced and explained. The ridiculous search into the mountains for a villain with a muddled motive and Vincent's idiotic leaving shelter (to do what? and why?) are the stuff of slapped-together made-for-TV movies. It wasn't even suspenseful, since I had no emotional attachment to any of the characters. What if the kidnapped child disappears forever? Ho-hum. What if Ben falls into a crevasse? Yawn, too bad, so sad.

"Deep End" was beautifully written and well paced. "No Time" felt slapped together, poorly plotted and added nothing at all to the Cappadora story. Bad, bad book.

The "must-have" laundry basket pic

Doesn't everyone have at least one picture of their kid in a laundry basket? Well here's ours. And she has a mini-mohawk going on. Even better!

Not too excited about her winter clothes, apparently

Evelyn loves Chipper

And he is so indifferent about her. He only lays next to her because it increases his chances of getting some attention!

Ladies Night Out!

We had a great time, even if we did get called Cougars! Blind old man.
We are clearly not old enough to be Cougars.

Night Out

Sara, Jason, Jay and I went to the Dierks Bentley/Brad Paisley concert at Fiddler's Green. It may be dorky to join a fan club, but you get really good seats as a result.

Happy Birthday, Alina

Happy 9th Birthday, Cousin Alina

From Evelyn

Back to Work

I went back to work last week, so the blog has been neglected for awhile. Going back to work is making me very tired.

Here's a picture of Daddy teaching Evelyn how to be a working girl like me when she grows up (or an eBay junkie like him)!

Holy Roller

Evelyn's latest new trick: Rolling! Here we go.......




She can go from her back to her tummy, but can't get back and then she gets mad and cries. It's pretty cute but making for some tiring nights! :)

Happy Birthday, Erin

Love You!

New Book Review

This is a historical fiction book about a Korean immigrant who comes to Honolulu in the 1920s's. I love historical fiction, because I get to learn something about the time period in a non-boring way! I loved Alan Brennert's other book set in Hawaii, Moloka'i, so I was excited when he came out with a new one. I didn't like this one quite as much as Moloka'i, but it was very good. I would give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

Evelyn's first hike

Evelyn, Chipper, and I went on a hike with Sarah and Melvin. Chipper did much better on this hike than on the last, where he practically needed to be carried to the car. Evelyn did great, too. She alternately slept and took in the scenery. It was a great day. The only dark spot in the day--a speeding ticket I got outside of Morrison. Boooo.

Fun in Iowa

We spent almost a week in Iowa visiting cousins and aunts. The weather was freakishly cool for July in Iowa, so we didn't do a lot of outdoor activity, but it was fun to sit around and visit. Among the highlights were Jay's first firefly catching adventure (he grew up in Denver- no fireflies), and Evelyn's cousin Blake entertaining us one night with his guitar playing for tips. It's always good to get back there.

Evelyn's first road trip

We just got back from a road trip to Iowa. Evelyn did pretty well in the car. We had to stop a few times and she got a little fussy back there, but who can blame her? Nebraska makes me crabby, too.

Chipper's Safe Place

Chipper is incredibly scared of thunder (and fireworks). He trembles, pants, paces, and pees. Last year on the 4th of July, Chipper's friend Melvin was visiting and taught him how to jump on the couch to ease his anxiety. He now does this often when it thunders. Thanks for the tip, Melvin! :) Tonight, however, the thunder has been over for a considerable amount of time and guess who is still parked on the sofa.

Um yeah, guys, I'm still scared over here. ZZZZZZZ

Happy Father's Day

Happy First Father's Day, Honey

(Also to Shawn, Matt, and Jeff)

Lotsa Birthdays, today!

Happy 3 month Birthday, Evelyn!

Happy First Birthday, Landon!

Happy Birthday, Teresa!

Book Review

My friend Sarah does a book review on her blog, and suggested I do the same, so here is my first one. Pre-baby, I used to read about 15-20 books over the summer, and so far I have read ONE, but I am hoping to get a few more in!

This book was about a wife in a polygamous marriage in Utah who is accused of killing her husband. It goes back and forth between the current situation and the beginnings of polygamy in the Mormon church in the 1800's. I learned a lot about the beginnings of Mormonism, which was interesting. I thought this was a good book, although it did take me forever to finish. I would give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Oh, the irony!

Miss Evelyn is still trying to figure out her nighttime sleep schedule. She has only been sleeping about 4 hours at a time, but last night she (randomly) slept from 9:30 to 4:00. The ironic thing? I woke up at 3:00 and laid there wondering when she was going to wake up and couldn 't get back to sleep. Pure torture!

Family Time

Last weekend, Sara came to visit from Iowa. It was great to see her. Although, we didn't do a whole lot, it was fun just to hang out and sit around staring at the baby. Hopefully Evelyn's sleepless nights didn't scare her off from having children! One of the highlights of the weekend was when Grandpa came over and took a crack at changing a dirty diaper. That actually went pretty well, but getting her dressed again was another story. See the new fashion sense below.

Everyone loves to hold Evelyn

Grandma time

Daddy time

Uncle Kevin

Cousin Genna

Cousin Alina

What I want to know is: Where are all these people at 3:00 in the morning?

A few highlights from the first 3 weeks

Hmmm..how many times should I wake my parents up tonight?

Almost looks like a smile, but I think it was gas.

Our first family walk about a week after Evelyn was born. Chipper does great walking alongside the stroller.

Notice the green theme?

Uh-oh. The Vean family feet.