To Evan, on the last day that I will have a baby.

Evan, you turn one tomorrow. You won't be a baby anymore! You will officially be the little toddler that you really have already been for a couple of weeks. You are such a cute little guy.  You really really want your "mama" to be around all the time, but do just fine once she's out of sight. You are a much better sleeper than your brother was at this age! You are always asleep by 9 and rarely wake up before 6. You do sleep until 7 sometimes which makes Mommy so happy! You are so cute snuggling your little bear at bed time. You like to read books and then rock for a little bit before bed. I am going to miss snuggling you in your fleece footie PJs!
You can say "ah oh" when you drop something, you call your big brother "buh-boe" and you can say "mama" loud and clear. You can also say "toot" which is kind of embarrassing for Mommy, but I guess we should have expected that one knowing your big brother.
You are walking everywhere now. You get SO mad when Braden gets in your way. You are very tolerant of all of the kisses that your brother gives you every day.
Your favorite thing to do right now is take a bath. We catch you trying to get into water anywhere you can find it! I can't wait to see you at the pool this summer! You started sticking your face in the water as soon as you could sit up on your own in the tub. I have a hunch you are going to be a swimmer!
You were so silly at your birthday party last night. You really really enjoyed the bounce house!
And you have some amazing cake eating skills!
We love you so much little man. Evan, you are such a joy to all of us.

These boys are getting SO BIG!!

Braden had soccer yesterday for the first time. MAN is he excited about it! And yes, he got a goal!

And Evan can ride on the neighbors' ride on toy! (Something Braden didn't seem to figure out until recently! Tee hee!)

It's so excited that these guys are getting so big and so capable!

More Tips on Being Cheap!

Ok, the all-purpose cleaner is the easiest, so let's start there. Mix one part regular old white vinegar with one part water and put it in a squirt bottle. Done! My only advice is to use a funnel and get a good squirt bottle. The kind from the travel sized toiletries area at Target will rust or break pretty quickly. I suggest the good $2 kind from Home Depot, or at least the kind from the mops/brooms area at Target!
This stuff is REALLY CHEAP! WAHOO! (And yes it works, I used it in my lab.) And the best part is you don't have to worry about it being where your kids are. They can lick a floor cleaned with this stuff! Heck, they could drink of this stuff!
(ETA: No, this is not going to get a red food coloring stain off of your kitchen counter. I have a bottle of cleaner with bleach that I use every once in a while for things like that. I'll have that bottle for YEARS though!)

Next, glass/mirror cleaner.

Get another good squirt bottle and put a cup of rubbing alcohol (I use the 91% isopropyl...it's in the pharmacy area by the bandages), a cup of water and a tablespoon of your vinegar. DONE. Works like a charm. Also, I use this instead of the all-purpose cleaner if I've got some raw meat drippings on the counter or something. You just can't get it on painted surfaces, including your fingernails!

And then there's the fruit and veggie wash. This is the most complicated!

This is the only one I mix in a separate bowl. You know the foaming that goes on when vinegar and baking soda mix...it'll cover your kitchen if you do it in a little squirt bottle! Anyway, mix 1 cup vinegar with 1 cup water, add a tablespoon of baking soda (bubbles!) and then a teaspoon of lemon juice. Make sure your bowl is pretty big if you are going to double the recipe...don't want bubbling over! Use that funnel to get it in your quality squirt bottle.
SAVING MONEY and not eating dirt!
When I get home from the store I spray all of the produce thoroughly and let it sit while I put the rest of the groceries away. Then I rinse them right under tap water and put them away. I give things like apples and cucumbers a good rub to get all the waxy residue off. Easy!

Make it Yourself

Ok, here's how I do this.
We'll start with the laundry soap. I use equal parts soap, washing soda and borax.

The recipes I looked at used Ivory, Fels Naptha or Zote soap. The 2 latter, as well as the borax and washing soda, can be found in the laundry isle at Wal-Mart or a grocery store. I just shred the soap with a fine cheese grater (this takes a while, but it's a good excuse to watch something on TV!). I use 4-5 bars for each batch.

Then I pour in the box of washing soda (don't use regular baking soda...that's different stuff!). Then I pour in as much of the borax as will fit in the container. (I use the leftover borax to clean the tub and shower!) You'll want to use an airtight container because the borax will harden. Plus, it makes it a whole lot easier to shake up! Then I just use a heaping tablespoon in each wash. Easy peasy! And it lasts for a really long time. How cheap is that?!?!?!?!
Ok, I'm out of time now...but glass cleaner, fruit/veggie wash and all-purpose cleanser are coming soon!

I'm doing it wrong!

My standards are very low these days. At 10 p.m. if the kids are in bed and I can find all of the baby bottles then I consider that day a success! Some days I look around at our messy, messy house and think, "What am I doing wrong?" I ask other moms "How do you do it?" I wonder, " Why can't I do it?"
Most of the time I feel like I just need to work harder. I feel embarrassed that our house is so messy.
But sometimes I really think hard about what I've done that day. Today I held Evan for hours, which is really irritating, but it won't be long until he too is a 4 year-old that won't let me hold him. So, time well spent. Today I took a quick nap with Braden when Evan was napping because I didn't get much sleep last night. Time well spent because it gave me the energy to deal with them until Mike got home. Today I picked up my parents from the airport and hung out with them because I haven't seen them in almost 3 weeks. Obviously time well spent. Today I took the boys to our playgroup Halloween party where they had fun and learned about loving our friends. ALWAYS time well spent. Today we ran around outside and played zombies with the neighbor kids. I watched the kids crunch leaves and feel the cold breeze and laugh and scream like crazy monkeys and I thought TIME WELL SPENT!
So tonight I'm going to bed at 11 hoping to get some sleep and hoping to have another great day tomorrow and hoping I can remember to be patient with my messy house. Because I didn't do anything wrong today.
I have a really messy house, but for me, my family and where we are right now...I'm doing it right!

Evan at 9 months

Clapping has to be my favorite baby trick, and Evan seems to enjoy it too!

At 9 months Evan has two teeth, one on bottom and one on top, both on his left. He is still a terrible napper in the morning, but afternoon naps are usually longer than an hour now. He's been such a happy guy. He says Mama now, and means it. He is letting go and standing up for a while. He is wearing 18 month clothes and 24 month pajamas. His favorite foods are black beans, chicken, toast, baby goldfish and little crunchies. He'll eat anything pureed though! I love to feed him spinach!

TOOTH!

Yesterday Evan's first tooth broke through the gums, today he fell and caught his chin on a toy and had his first ever gushing-blood-from-his-mouth-tongue-biting incident. Ugh.

Evan at 8 months.

Evan, you are a crazy baby. You wave whenever someone says, "Bye!" You slap your thighs with both hands when anyone is clapping. You love to give kisses to the mirror, other babies, pictures of other babies in books, or anything that you think looks like it might need a kiss. You are fearless and love to climb. You are a horrible napper; I'm lucky if you sleep for an hour in a row. You do pretty good most nights now though. Your first tooth is about to appear any day, and you are dealing with that like a champ. You have been flicking your tongue against your bottom gums pretty much constantly for a few days, so I know that you are at least aware of it's arrival. But it doesn't seem to be bothering you. You have started crawling over to your brother for snuggles sometimes. (Talk about heartwarming for Mommy!) But you also have learned to start crying FAST if he is doing something you don't want him to do! I can't wait until your 9 month appointment to see just how big you are!
I LOVE YOU!
(Here's some proof of how crazy you are!)

Sometimes the pictures without smiles are good too!

Each morning is like a reunion for these two!

And look at what Braden is doing instead of fencing lessons now.

And this picture will always make me laugh because you can see the shadow of my mom clapping and trying to get these babies to smile, and the result is a riot!

What a Difference a Year Makes!

The top pic was taken on Nathan and Braden's first day of preschool in 2010. The bottom was taken on their first day this year. I was expecting their faces to look more different. But look at how much taller they are! (I had to use the door hinge as a point of reference.) Our big boys are doing GREAT at school this year! (Notice how I kind of claim Nathan as my own?)

Braden's Fencing Class

This is Braden fencing with his instructor at his last class...so cute, I mean, cool!

Happy Anniversary!

My parents' 40th anniversary was this month. I am so lucky. They are such a huge help, such a great example and such a joy to be around. I love you mom and dad!

Braden can write!

I worked with Braden all summer. He showed NO interest in learning to write his name. One week at preschool with Ms. Juli and he comes home with this...

I cannot believe  how proud I am! I have been wondering if he was going to be ready for kindergarten next year. He just showed no interest at all. But maybe he's kind of into school after all!

Evan doesn't like Powerplay.

We took Braden to Powerplay today...Evan was very tolerant, but it was not his cup of tea!

Music to my ears!

I could listen to this all day long!

I also kind of love the peas all over his chin!

The Boys

Brotherly Love!

Is there anything cuter than a big empty grin? I am looking forward to Evan getting some teeth though; he wants to be able to eat real food without gagging!

A New Start

Today I am starting a new blog. Today Braden threw a huge fit at a friend's house and it embarrassed me so much! Today I went to the funeral of a former student and my perspective on life changed watching his mother and seeing her grief, and strength. Today is the last day Evan will be 7 months old. Today Mike has to work late again. Today I am trying to make a dent in the mess that accumulates SO FAST around here. Today I am thinking a lot about how lucky I am to have my husband, my 2 boys, my parents and my friends. Today is another good day.