Grandma Evans

I can still remember this past Christmas, Wesley had just been born (I'm surprised I remember anything with my lack of sleep) and snow was on the ground. Someone ran into the house and yelled "Grandma's going to sled down the driveway!" Wait, what?

Yep, that's right...last weekend we celebrated the 89th birthday of one incredible woman who continues to amaze me, well, all of us really. Whether it's swinging, zip-lining, sledding, or baking one of her famous angel food cakes for a birthday celebration- she is a wonder to behold.






We love you Grandma, you are a perfect model of love, service, and fun! Thank you for the ways you love us all!

Our "stay cool" methods

As I type this it's 98 degrees outside in the shade and 85 degrees in our house! I'm turning into the Wicked Witch of the West over here...."i'm melting, i'm melting" (can you tell i've always been a Wizard of Oz fan?)

Our kiddie pool was set up today (thank you Jeff) and I know that is definitely going to help us beat this heat, but I thought i'd share a couple of tricks we've picked up these past few days.

- My sister-in-law, Kristen, gave us hot water bottles with handmade flannel covers for Christmas one year and we've been sticking those in the freezer and cuddling them at night. I think this is the ONLY reason we've survived!

- Today I finally remembered my little rice pillow, and popped that in the freezer as well. It works great for Wes- cool, but not too cold and I don't need to worry about him freezing his little diaper off. In fact, he's snuggled up with it right now for his afternoon nap.

Honestly, it's so hot I'm not motivated to do a thing! So, I'm watching Mermaids and dreaming about diving in the cold ocean ;)

Any tips for staying cool?

A Quilt for Miles

My sweet little nephew, Miles, (just 11 weeks younger than Wes) deserved a quilt! It has been my pleasure to create unique quilts for all of my nephews (now 4 of them) these past 3 years and Miles was no exception. The only problem is that Wes came early and spoiled my quilting plans (including his own...but that's another story). So, there Miles' quilt layed, the face finished, for 7 months....but that day has arrived and it is complete! And I love it! (but not as much as I love Miles- of course!)





Thank you Kyle and Kristen for blessing our family with yet another precious baby boy- I'm just running out of words to describe how much I adore ALL of my nephews and how much they fill my heart with such joy each time I kiss their chubby cheeks (some more chubby than others)! Wes is such a lucky guy to have such amazing cousins.

Birthday Twin

Wesley has a birthday twin and her name is Ayda...what a cutie! Our friends Kevin and Kelley are such wonderful parents to this beautiful baby girl. It was such a treat to finally meet her and to see how similar the two of these kiddos are...down to the day they got their first tooth!

Ayda really loved Miles' ear...

...I mean REALLY loved it!

Can't wait to get these two together again!

Toofers

Yep, that's right...young Wesley finally popped some teeth! The two lower ones and they're so cute. (click on photo to enlarge- this was before the second one came in)


That little rascal hid them from us so well...we didn't even realize he was teething and then the next thing I know he's biting on my finger at my friend Jaymie's house last Monday(who just had a little baby boy yesterday- congratulations! where's the blog post?) and I realize...something just scratched me! A tooth! A tiny little bumpy thing had pushed it's way to the surface! And of course, then Wes finally started acting like he was teething and we've been a pretty tired crew over here ever since- thank goodness for teething tablets!


Our little boy sure is growing up.

Our 8 Month Old

I can hardly believe I'm saying that...our 8 month old! You mean to tell me in 4 months he'll be a year old? Where is my baby going? I just love this kid and I can't believe so much time has passed already...it's kind of sad AND really exciting that he's growing and changing and developing such a fun personality...but I truly cannot believe it- 8 months!

Here are some photos from our sunny backyard photo shoot.

I just love his little profile...

...and the way he scrunches up his nose when he REALLY bites something.

"oh, hi Dada" (did I mention he's been saying Dada now for about a week?)

10 on 10 :: July :: Hood Canal

Engagement Photos!

Jeff's cousin, Julia, is engaged!

I couldn't be happier for Julia and Jon- they're just so perfect for one another and totally adorable together. I was flattered when they asked me to take their engagement photos and, if I'm being honest...totally nervous. But I think the shoot went great and I hope they like them. Here's a sneak peak!