Evans Family Pictures

We took these over Christmas break and got copies a couple weeks later, but I just realized I had never posted them on the blog. So, ta da. Wayne loves pictures and wanted us all to be matching, but it was determined that maybe the girls would look better in black than in the green polos :) It was nice to have everyone together again for a picture since Trevor and Aubrey were back from their missions.

The grandkid picture was no small feat, but it seems Collin was having a great time.

And this was just one extra one that my sister emailed me that her sister in law took over the break also. This is a classic Collin face.

New Beginnings

Wednesday night we had New Beginnings. It's probably the second most time consuming program, after YW in Excellence, maybe tying with hosting Super Saturday, so it's kind of nice to have it over. Of course this time I was smart and didn't assign myself a talk so I seem to be figuring things out as I go along. :) We organized everything around the Olympics since the new YW theme for the year is "Be Strong and of a Good Courage" and the Olympics are going on and the athletes have strength and courage.... but mostly we did it because I got the idea off Sugardoodle. haha. Why reinvent the wheel, right? It was actually really perfect. To start out I had the Olympic theme music playing while the girls walked in wearing the value colors around their shoulders (like Olympians wear their flags when they win) and did a loop around the room, holding up the amazing Maglight/torch I put together. Then they took turns on the "podium" (two ridiculously heavy, splinter laden wooden crates I lugged in) and talked about a heroic church history figure that exemplified the value they represented. They even wrote their own notecards at a previous mutual from material I had found for them to learn about their person. And they didn't even complain when they got to mutual and found I had organized "school work" for them. That was the best part. Then one of the girls gave a talk about how we can be strong and have courage in our daily lives. The next part was my favorite. We called up the girls one by one again to stand on the podium and get their "medal". It was a ring that had "Be Strong and of a Good Courage" engraved around it, and was strung on some ribbon that we hung around their necks. (A big thanks to my mom for paying an arm and a leg to ship them out to me when Deseret Book got behind on their orders!) Then we got to spotlight each girl and talk about their strength and courage. I was surprised at how choked up I got talking about them. I know being in YW is a lot of work and unfortunately I've done my fair share of complaining, but when it really comes down to it, I have learned so much from them. With all they are up against, they really are good examples and are trying hard to do what's right. My testimony has been strengthened so much in this past year and a half from being with them. Bro. Benson finished it off with his talk which really brought the Spirit in the room.

Gotta love my artistic talents!

Here's some of the girls showing off their rings!

In other news.... last week, Collin had some fun playing with friends! The poor child is bored to tears with me and Kidsongs, so it was so nice to get him with other kids. He had a great time paling around with Mckensie and Ivy at Kristie's house.

And then Tasha and Devin came over later in the week to hang out. Collin was loving Devin, but to show his love, he would crawl towards him, mouth open, and just run right into him. Kinda confusing, but I guess we're always kissing on him so maybe that's what he was trying to do to his new friend. (Yes, they're playing with a cord. They love electrical cords and since they can't have the real, plugged in ones, I let him knaw on this one. It's under adult supervision!)

Unfortunately, this week we haven't had any friends over so he gets to play with the trash. I was making dinner and I heard him crawling around and then I heard the can go down and him bonk his head. I waited for the cry, but it didn't come. Finally, I walked over and found him just laying under the trash like this. Totally content to just take a break. I wonder how long he would've stayed like that if I hadn't picked him up. Funny boy.

And finally, I did another post for Cidoa. If you're interested, click here.

This made my night....

Chaperoning a youth dance always proves to be entertaining. Last Saturday didn't disappoint.

It was a LoVeY DoVeY kind of Weekend!

On Friday, Old Dirtay got a little makeover in the name of Love.

Rach helped me decorate the car in the dental school parking lot. I was hoping for maximum embarrassment. And we had only just begun when we got caught red handed by Ryan Carter and Scott House. They were just green with envy. :)

Collin was tired and screamed bloody murder the entire time. Poor Gavin.

Can you believe he drove home with the sign on?! Maybe he was appeased with the chocolates and Snickerdoodles I left inside the car. (Or maybe it was because I called him and told him he had to.) Hey, he got a couple honks. :)

I also filled the front seat with balloons, which Collin enjoyed playing with. Until Trav used static to make them stick to his hair.

How do I get these darn things off?!

That night we {babysat swapped} with the Shaws so we could go out to dinner without the squawker. It really was so nice. Bless the person that invented Cheesecake Factory. We finished off the night catching up on some of our shows and seeing a bit of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies. I wasn't warned, when I married Travis, that two weeks out of every two years I would have to give him up to U.S.A. sports teams. He is {obsessed} with the Olympics. He blames it on his mother. :)

Then on Saturday, the Marchant's hosted a funtastic Valentine's party. I wasn't spry with the camera, so I don't have any pics of the night (had to steal this one), but we had a great time playing the Newly Wed Game and Romantic Pictionary using objects picked from a bag. Doug and Rach went first and selected a banana. Hmmm. They drew {make out}. Rach full on mounted Doug and I'd say the party got started from there. My only regret is not having my camera ready to capture Jacob's face during the Shaw's escapade. Shocked/violated/scared pretty accurately describe his slack jaw expression. But I think it was my turn to display those emotions when the next couple drew {make a baby} and picked out a rolling pin. Oh my. I think that's as risque as it got though. We all went home with some {naughty} presents via a gift exchange and memories that might never be fully erased from our minds.

Right before the party, we got a package in the mail from Travis's mom. She is quite amazing with all the fun, holiday themed packages she send. She knows my weakness... cinnamon gummy bears. And how about those groovy, thigh-high socks?! The minute I saw them I knew what I'd be wearing to church. :) Thanks Paula! We loved it all.

Doesn't Collin look dashing in his V-day duds? This is what he does when I pull out my camera and say, "Cheese". It lasts half a second before he tries to crawl away.

Yes, I took a family pic at church. I had to show off my snazzy new leggings/socks/tights! Wish I had gotten a close up. My legs were finally toasty warm at church!

For breakfast I made pink pancakes and was hoping for pink buttermilk syrup. I got the recipe online and it turned into a frothy, thick, sticky mess. Nasty, nasty. I put the pot in the sink and ran hot water in it, but later that night when I went to wash it, this is what I found. Oh, and it melted down my other spoon, which had to find a new home in the trash. Lovely.

Is that pink mashed potatoes you see?! You betcha. We had the Shaws over for dinner and feasted on tinted tots and then dipped strawberries and brownies in Ghiradelli chocolate for dessert. Was St. Valentine a large fellow, because I think that's part of the legacy he left behind. At any rate, I never mind an excuse to gorge on chocolate, get pretty pink roses from my Valentine, and do some extra smooching. Happy Love Day to you all!

Radical Islam

Remember that political website I mentioned a while back? Well, little ol' me is now a founder! I know this significately reduces the legitmacy of the site, but oh well. :) The idea is to have each of the 14 founders, post once every two weeks. So far, I'm the only girl founder, which increased my anxiety about posting, but I did my first article on Thursday. I'll be posting every other Thursday and if you're interested, I'll include a link on the blog. At the very least, I learned a lot by doing this and by being a founder, it will make me more diligent on trying to stay current with what's going on in Washington.
Click HERE to see my post!

Oh What a Week

I felt a bit overscheduled this week. It was fun, but maybe too busy for me. My {Etch-a-sketch} calendar was overloaded with reminders for me. Monday included cooking up a BiG pot of Snoring Enchiladas for the missionaries to come eat and then only having one set show up. Seriously Elders? I understand they got sick, but even an hour's notice would have meant I had time to invite someone else over. Sigh. More for the freezer. Tueday brought the much anticipated Bunco night!! Rach hosted and put us all into sugar induced comas. My hips expanded just looking at all the V-day themed goodness. And I always love the girl talk afterward. You always go home with new juicy bits of info that, upon remembering, are sure to put a smile on your face no matter how bad the traffic or how boring the High Councilman's talk. (Ode to the Mile High Club, bahaha) =)I also started a new little side job. I now get to tutor a 12 year old boy on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It just kind of fell in my lap and I'm so grateful because so far I'm loving it and the extra money isn't hurting either! I think it's funny though because the man in our ward that referred me to this family, told me on Sunday that the mom didn't want anyone young. She wanted a frumpy, old lady that wouldn't be any sort of {distraction} for her young, adolescent son. Well, I guess he pled my case, because they took a try on me. Yea! So far, it doesn't appear that my {youngness} has been a problem. Haha. Trav thinks otherwise.

Wednesdays are dedicated to my sweet Young Women! Since I'm the first counselor, I'm over the Mia Maids. We have one semi active Laurel, two Beehives, and nine Mia Maids (plus 2 that are friends that come often, but aren't members). Go Mia Maids! It's a big group, but the bigger the better, right?! For mutual we made and decorated sugar cookies to give to widows in our ward for V-day. If I had had my way, I would have Cloroxed the whole kitchen and not allowed the {flour fight} that ensued, but where's the fun in that? (Don't worry, we aren't waiting til the 14th to give them away, they already got their cookies)

On Thursday, Trav's brother stayed with us again since he was in town on business, and I went to Book Club. We read, The Oath, and I was completely captivated by it. It's a true story, written by Khassan Baiev, a Chechnen surgeon who operated on Russians and Chechnen's during their wars. He felt obligated to treat everyone, regardless of who they were, because of the Hippocratic Oath he took when he became a doctor. I learned a lot about the Muslim religion and the background on the centuries of conflict between Russian and Chechneya. Before I read this I didn't even know there was a country called Chechneya! It's horrific, really. A lot of the history of this people is jaw dropping. Think Hotel Rowanda. While this man was performing countless amputations and surgeries amidst bombing and shelling, working with the most primitive means, I was in high school, worrying about what clothes to wear the next day. It's bizarre to think about what people around the world have to deal with while I lead my comfy, pampered, safe life. How blessed we are to live in America!

On Saturday we got to celebrate with Denyse at her baby shower. It's amazing this kid hasn't come already. At Bunco she was having such bad contractions, she'd have to stop talking just to breathe through it!! I slept with my phone because I thought for sure we'd get a call in the middle of the night that she was in labor and we needed to take Kadence. But somehow, someway, that baby is still cooking! :)

On Sunday I was consumed with Young Womens! After over two hours of {painful} meetings and teaching the lesson, I was done. At least the lesson went well. We had 9 girls there, including two non-member friends! I was ecstatic! Those are great numbers for us for a Sunday. And the lesson went great. I don't know if there's a better feeling than knowing your lesson went well. And I needed that victory, or I might have gone crazy from all the other patience-induced stress that accompanies being in that presidency. :)

And then my favorite part of Sunday..... As Trav and I are walking out of the YW room, I'm greeted by Rachel Nielson, who starts by saying something along the lines of, "I know this a really weird request, but I'm looking for a camera and I was told that you would be my best bet. Is it true you always have your camera with you?" To which I happily replied, "Yup!" And pulled it out of my purse. So glad my quirky habits benefit others every once in a while! Rachel brings Debbie to church every Sunday and on this special Sunday, Deb was dressed to impress. Velvet skirt, Super Bowl sweat shirt, cocked beanie. She just had to snap a pic. Go Deb! :)

So remember that crazy lady I mentioned that was having the contractions and is due in a matter of days? Ya, well she threw a Superbowl party at her house and went all out with a ridiculous array of food.

Lil' Smokeys, subs, chips with nacho cheese, salsa, guac, veggies, artichoke dip, homemade strawberry lemonade and icecream sandwiches. I thought I was going to pop. I brought my family's new favorite dessert, Rocky Mountain Brownies. Oh the richness.

After four tries, this was the best shot I got of my two boys. I hope that's not a middle finger.

We couldn't stay for the whole game, because Collin had had it. He needs his sleep if nothing else. I had to include this picture, because it shows what I do every day. I can feed him til he's stuffed and throwing his food, but if I get him out of his high chair and try to eat MY food, he screams until I share. I can't sit on a chair because he wants me next to him, so I sit on the ground, and then he climbs all over me, right up into my bowl or plate and helps himself if I don't first. By the end of the day I feel like a human jungle gym. He wants to eat whatever I'm eating, do whatever I'm doing, and go wherever I'm going. He follows me from room to room and plays at my feet while I cook or clean. (Sounds like he needs a sibling, huh? Sigh.) He loves to play Hide and Seek with Dad, crawling from room to room to find him behind the door or bed. So now a story..... to keep him in a room, all I used to do was close the door (not even all the way, just so there wasn't any space showing between the door and the door frame) He couldn't figure out how to open it, so he was trapped. Well, on Friday, he woke up early (too early for me) so I got him out of his crib, "shut" the door, and laid on the ground dozing while he played. Now I didn't think I had fallen asleep, but apparently I did, because when I opened my eyes I spied a strange, plastic white thing on the ground. I picked it up and looked it over. It was dripping in slober so I knew Collin had gotten to it, but WHAT WAS IT?! Looked like the thing that goes over the screw on the back of the toilet. Huh? I turn and see the door open. Crap. I walk into the adjacent bathroom and sure enough, the toilet is missing it's white screw cover. And there are tell tale slobber spots all over on the ground next to it. Ew ew ewwwwww!!! That stinker! He escaped and got all germed up while his incapacitated mother snored on. But then I realized I should just be grateful he didn't attempt the STAIRS while he was out and about or go diving into the trash (which is what he usually goes for). That would have been awful. So in that regard, I am most grateful and have now learned to completely shut the door when I want to keep his mischievous self in!In case any family is missing him TOO bad..... cure by watching this video. He has become particulary cranky after waking up from his afternoon nap. This tantrum was initiated because I dared to feed him. What was I thinking. If you think this is humorous, imagine listening to it for 15-20 minutes. What happened to my sweet, happy boy?!!

Eggs

Not to fret... I'm still here! As I looked back on my ONE picture from this week, I realized why I haven't been blogging... this is the most exciting thing that's happened to me:

Do you get it?!

Much to my utter delight, I found while grocery shopping that Wegman's switched from styrofoam egg containers, to cardboard!!! This was serious good news folks. I could have jumped for joy. I HATE the squeaky noise that styrofoam makes. Ugh. It sends shivers up my spine and goose bumps over my arms. I'd rather listen to nails on a chalkboard. Pulling the eggs out of the fridge is a major chore, tying to extricate them without having it squeak on the glass. But no longer! I am squeaky free! Perhaps it sheds light on my sad life, that this was truly a momentous day.

Other than that picture, I did have video of Collin basking in the bliss of a Baby Einstein video. Grandma gave it to him for Christmas and we've just busted it out. Now, I've heard that these brilliant videos are proven to make your child {more dumb}, but I'll take the risk, cuz this guy eats it up! He came down with a cold last Wednesday that made both our lives less than pleasant, but at least Baby Einstein provided a few moments of relief. (And seriously, I needed some relief..... remember "the worst noise in the world" from Dumb and Dumber? Collin literally makes that exact noise. Over. and over. and over. All day really. I love my child.)We've also stocked up on many more {Kidsongs} dvd's, thanks to a great deal on Woot, so we are on our way to {Teaching the World to Sing} and {Riding the Rollercoaster}! These videos are from the 80's and bring back oh so great childhood memories. Any of you remember them?!