Bike Riding Fun

Apparently, Daddy and Evan have been working on his bike riding abilities lately, and Evan had big things to show Mommy when she got home from work on Wednesday!  He can ride and pedal all by himself! 


Showing off for Mommy.



So proud of himself!  Mommy's baby is so grown up!



But still so cute!

A Charlotte Christmas Tradition

Friday night was the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony at one of our area malls.  We enjoyed dinner at the mall and seeing all the beautiful decorations inside before we went out to see the big tree.  I can already tell that my niece Emma (a future shop-a-holic like her mother) will be drawn into all the commercialization of Christmas because she loves to see the beautiful displays in the store windows.  While we tried to take pictures of the kids in front of the big tree, their eyes were all drawn to a giant screen showing "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."  It was actually a nice night and not too cold like in past years. 

Here are a few pictures we captured of the tradition:


The Great Tree



Emma with two of her favorite boys, Evan and Reade.  And where was Lanny?  He abandoned us for the movie!



Emma with baby brother Reade.



Mommy and Evan check out the lights.



The Christmas photography begins again!



Daddy and Evan are ready for Christmas!



All the kids in a picture...it's a miracle!  Notice how their eyes are not on the camera.  The movie was in front of them. 



Evan finds Santa! 

Baby's First Pictures

We got to see our new little miracle yesterday, and HE was perfect!  All of his measurements were good, and he was right on schedule.  We are so thankful for this little miracle!

Here are the pictures of our new baby BOY:




We think he looks a lot like Evan.  Can't get much cuter than that!



Sweet little feet!

Fall Fun

Yesterday was a beautiful Fall day, and Evan enjoyed some wonderful Fall fun while Daddy was blowing the leaves up.  He enjoyed playing in the piles and lying in the leaves. 


Helping Daddy with the leaf blowing.  We are so glad we don't have to rake leaves anymore! 



Daddy blowing the leaves on Evan.



Jumping in a pile!



Throwing leaves!



Where's Evan?



Lookin' so cool in his shades!

16 Weeks

So we have made it to 16 weeks.  My energy is coming back and the sickness has almost completely disappeared.  We hope to learn more about the baby at this month's checkup and ultrasound appointment on Tuesday!  According to Babycenter, the baby is about 4 and 1/2 inches long and 3 and 1/2 ounces.  He or she is looking more human now, and we may be able to determine what to call him or her! 

Big brother is so excited!

Some Basketball Videos

Video:  Evan learns to do a lay up as he dribbles to the goal and scores!




Video:  The coach gives Evan instructions on shooting.  He likes to shoot one handed and just slam it in the goal with a lot of force.  On these little plastic goals, the balls just bounce off the backboards so the ball pretty much needs to go straight into the hoop.  Evan needed to learn to push the ball up so the ball would go up and into the hoop.  He learned the lesson a little too well since he shot the ball over the goal!  Haha!

Basketball School

As soccer came to an end, we signed Evan up to start basketball camp at the local YMCA.  This is the biggest and busiest Y in the Charlotte area...it is crazy!  After taking soccer at a private facility with a smaller number of kids, Evan was a little overwhelmed on his first day at the Y in a gym full of about 30 three to five year olds.  They broke up into several smaller groups of more manageable size and learned all about shooting, dribbling, and playing defense. 


Evan warms up with some practice shots.



Score!



He had to hang onto his favorite colored ball...and was satisfied until he saw another kid had a Transformers ball. 



I love this after-shot stance!



Listening to the coaches.



Learning the "seatbelt" hold.



My favorite part of sports at the Y...the ending prayer!  Evan prayed for "his" new baby!


On the second day of basketball school, Evan did much better.  He participated and listened well to all the coaches instructions.  He also made sure to get the Transformers ball this time!  ;-)


With his beloved Transformers Bumblebee ball!



Learning all the different passes.  This is the soccer pass so of course he loved it!



Sitting down with the whole group to talk and say the prayer.



I love his little praying face! 

Last Day of Soccer and First Award

So last weekend, Evan had his last day of his first soccer class (and his first day of basketball class at the YMCA, but that's for another post).  Since we had basketball in another location across town, we knew we would be late for soccer, but luckily, we got there just in time to play one last time and get his awards.  Daddy took some Smokey Bear stuff to give out in addition to the certificates and medals.  I know, he's the best Daddy!  It was a little sad that his first sports event was finished, but we will be back for another round soon.  He really enjoys soccer and is very good at it too! 


Daddy and the coaches prepare to give the awards. 



Evan walks up so proudly to claim his award. 



Checking out the goods.



Our little soccer champ!



One last team cheer!  Yes, some of the kids decided to wear their Smokey frisbees as hats!



Jumping in the bounce house to celebrate!

A Special Conversation

So Evan and I had a nice and interesting chat on the way to school this morning.  Oh to think like a 3 year old!  We started our discussion with one of Evan's favorite topics...SPACE!  He loves anything about outer space, and he knows so much already.  He was talking about how hot the sun is and how we can't be too close to the sun or we will burn up.  Then, he said we would be too cold on Jupiter.  Of course, on Earth we are just right!  Anyway, then he remembered "seeing" Jupiter in the sky the other night (a couple of posts back).

Evan:  "How did people get Jupiter up in the sky, Mommy?"

Me:  "People didn't put Jupiter in the sky.  God did it!  He put all the stars and planets in the sky."

Evan:  "I didn't know God could fly."

Me:  "God can do anything!"

Evan:  "But I didn't know God could fly." 

You have to love these teachable moments as parents, right?  They are wonderful opportunities to enhance their little minds.  I could just see his little mind working away as he pictured a superhero like figure of God wearing a cape and flying through space! 

A Busy Halloween Weekend

Well, we are a busy family so it only makes sense that we would have a really busy halloween weekend.  Evan got plenty of use out of his costume.  Although this wasn't my favorite costume year for him, he was a really cute little Buzz Lightyear.  Mommy's baby is growing up so fast!  We had bought him a little toy Buzz laser gun to carry with him because we knew his cousins would have light sabers as the Star Wars crew.  While trick or treating with his neighbor who was Captain "Zach" Sparrow, he decided he needed a sword instead.  This may be the first Buzz Lightyear you've seen with a sword!  Haha!

A School Costume Party



Buzz making me a pretty picture.

I see double!  Evan and his pal, Micah, are both Buzzes!  And the funny thing is, Micah's mom goes to school with Evan's mom!

Evan and his princess and friend, Chloe, enjoy their halloween snack.

Always being the clown...maybe that's what he'll be next year.  I was so proud that he ate his carrots before his other treats and still didn't care much for his sugary cookie.

His best buddy, Bryant, looked so cute as the Big Bad Wolf.  His Mommy was Little Red Ridinghood with his Aunt starring as "Grandma" and his Dad as the "hunter." 

Most of the class...lots of superheroes. 

A Pumpkin Carving Contest

Daddy carved a wolf for his Wolfpack.  Evan loved this one!

Mommy's creation was a cute "haunted" house.  There was even a ghost in the window.

The judge makes his decision.

A Family Costume Party

We had to get the cousins together a little bit on Sunday even though they had separate trick or treating plans in their respective neighborhoods.

What a cute Buzz Lightyear! 

Buzz meets Obi Wan Kenobi and learns to use the force!

Princess Leia joins the boys.

One with the cutest little Yoda...wow, can he throw a tantrum.  He desperately needed a nap.  With four kids, there is always one!

Obi Wan (Lanny) and Princess Leia (Emma).

A cute shot of our Obi Wan.

Obi Wan prepares Buzz for battling the dark side!

Buzz is ready.

A Neighborhood Street Party

Mommy hanging out at our street party.  She even doned a cowboy hat for her costume.

Mommy and Evan trick or treating.  He loves this house.  At the door, we were met with a dark, spooky interior with dark lights and fog.  We had to put our hands into a black kettle guarded by a scary spider to get our treats.

Evan and his trick or treat buddies.

Buzz and Captain "Zach" Sparrow.

We had some trouble keeping up with the big boys.