Sssshhhhhh!

Big surprise in store for our pumpkin tonight....we are going to see Disney On Ice!!!!! I cannot wait to see her face when Mickey, Minnie and the whole gang skates out on the ice! (I could almost cry...hope I'm not building up my expectations too much! LOL). We did take her last year, but just like Christmas, I think this is something that will get better and better with each passing year. I will be sure to have my camera in tow! My sister and her family are coming with us so its big Friday night out for both our families! We are really looking forward to it because none of the kids (at this point) know where they are going tonight...it's just a 'surprise!'

On another exciting note, Evelyn's cousin, Brianna (4), lost her first tooth last night!!! I can't believe its already time for the tooth fairy to start making trips to our area. And since Brianna can't read this (yet)...I'll let you know...my sister only had $20 and $50 bills on her as of last night! LOL...looks like the tooth fairy is going to be REALLY good! But she 'worked it out' with Brianna that she could hold onto her tooth for one more day to show Tim's parents...and the the tooth fairy would come the next night....good save Jenn...
Quick updates on the Pumpkin Pie -she started her Flinstones viatamins since my last post. I have been meaning to get them for some time, but they happened to grab my attention when I was walking past that 'healthy' aisle in the grocery store. Let me tell you - she loves them! Basically, my theory is that she thinks she is getting a piece of candy each morning...but hey, I'll take it!

Evelyn received her first birthday party invitation from a friend at daycare; it's her BFF Nolan (yes, a boy....LOL...Daddy was like 'what?'..hahaha). I made the 'mistake' of telling her about and now that's all she talks about  - 'We go to Nolan's birthday party now?'....we still have about 8 days! When I asked her what present we should get Nolan, she told me he likes "strawberry cake and chocolate cake." Something tells me there is a little bit of "self interest" there in her response!  Oh and...just so you know...Evelyn also informed me last night that chocolate is 'not a special treat and that you (she) should be able to have to all the time... "it not special mommy, eat chocolate dinner".... too funny!

And without going into too much detail (but this is for her memories too), Evelyn gave us her first real excorist-like upchuck not too long ago. Not sure if it was something she ate or a small bug, but holy cow. I'm proud of Daddy and I though - we reacted quick and with a calming reassurance to get her to settle down (and anyone that knows me, knows this is not an easy feat...Jay is the calm one, I'm the spaz when it comes to anything that hurts or upsets her). But, I quickly got her in tub, in jammies and snuggling with Mommy and Bear Bear. Jay washed the couch.... go Daddy! (hehehe)

That's all for now! I'll be sure to post pictures and a recap from our Disney On Ice adventure tonight!

New Year's Resolution

Happy New Year!!! I can't believe the holidays have come and gone already!! Clearly it's been 'forever' since my last post...but instead of dragging out the past couple months over several paragraphs, I'm going to do a quick recap of the end of 2011 and let it be. I'm starting 2012 off with the resolution to really committ to this blog. Of course, I love the Evelyn blog becuase it's keep my whole 5-10 readers updated on Evelyn - but more for what I started it for - a book of sorts for her when she is older. A look back on what life was like when she was our little pumpkin and so she can see just how much Mommy & Daddy and everyone loves her!

End of 2011 - the recap

• Dance - Ok so my last post we were getting ready for fall and Evelyn was starting dance class. Well, we have given up on dance for the time being. Ev showed little interest in the class after the first 1 or 2. She would cry and just want to be held for the majority of the 45 minutes we were there. Jay and I decided instead of paying for that, she could stay home on Saturday mornings and cry and be held for free! Case Closed. We'll try again next year!


• Great Grams - Sadly, on November 11, 2011 we lost Evelyn's Great Grandmother - Dorothy Karcher (my Dad's mom). Grams absolutley adored Evelyn just as she did all her great grandchildren. It was a difficult time, but we are moving forward knowing Grams is in a better place now looking down on Evelyn and all of us with Grandpa.
• Thanksgiving - As usual, Turkey Day was a busy one for our little trio. We had dinner at my parents' and Jay's parents house. Evelyn did great and tried a few things here and there. She is such a finnicky eater...but if I had to guess her favorite foods at this point I would say - tomatoes, mac & cheese, bologna sandwiches and of course any cookie that you put in front of her.
• Christmas - Hands down - the best. Better every year since she came into our lives....already can't wait till next year! We were def Team Santa this year with Evelyn smiling, no tears when she met the big man! She was excited on Christmas morning when we woke up at Nana's to see that Santa had come... more excited to see that Santa also stopped at Mommy/Daddy's house to drop off presents...and couldn't believe he came to Grandma's house too! She is for sure on Team Santa now!
• New Year's - Evelyn partied the night away.... LOL. She is only 2...but we did let her stay up until 10...which she didn't seem to mind or know for that matter! Although it has no effect on the time she'll wake up. I got the 'Oh Mama, I Up!' call right on schedule around 7:30 on New Year's Day!
• Overall - I can't begin to talk about how smart she is...and I'm not trying to be the bragging Mom (although I have every right). We have gotten compliments from her daycare providers and even her doctor at how advanced she is with her speech and other developmental skills. Jay and I are floored sometimes by the things that come out of her mouth and just how sharp/witty our little girl is. Jay couldn't be more wrapped around her little finger. Bear Bear is still with us....and even has plenty of new friends in 'da crib' since baby mickey, pluto, donald, minney and goofy have joined us! She still loves her Mickey Mouse....trying to get her into more Disney movies to some success. We are still working on potty training....nothing great to report on that, but my goal is to have her fully trained by the time she is 3 so i have a little over 5 months to go!

Ok, like I said...short and sweet! So many things to look forward to in 2012!! We'll celebrate a full year in our new Locust Street house.... Evelyn will turn 3 while Mommy will celebrate her 29th birthday for the 2nd time (wink) and Jay and I will have the fun task of starting to look into possible pre-schools for Evelyn!! (OMG>>>school?? where did the time go!!!)

Happy New Year Everyone!

SLACKER!

No surprise here I'm sure...it's been MONTHS since my last blog post!!! I can't believe we are weeks away from xmas and I have so much to update to Everything Evelyn!! I promise a full blown update is coming....very soon!! and more pictures!!!

Getting Ready for Fall Fun!

It has been a GREAT summer! We have been so busy! Of course with work and what not...but especially with our pumpkin! We have spent these past few warm weeks enjoying our pool, riding bikes, hitting the park and riding the rides at Fantasy Island! Evelyn is such a great swimmer!! (of course, with her life jacket on!) but she really isn't afraid of the water or to swim off by herself! (never to far from Mommy or Daddy though).

We haven't been to the Doctor since her 2nd birthday (knock on wood). But using our home scale, Evelyn is weighing in around 28lbs these days! She is developing just wonderfully! Loves to run, jump in puddles, chase the cats around the house (much to their pleasure I'm sure!)

Her vocabulary is truly taking off as well! We communicate so much better these days -- making things much easier for Jay and I! She can count from 1 to 10 - sometimes not in order, but hey, we are getting there. She somewhat knows her ABC's, but prefers Mommy to sing with her (look out American Idol). She knows several animal sounds and likes to read with Mommy - that is after we watch a million Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes!!! Truly her favorite show -- our DVR is FULL of Mickey!!

Summer Lovin'

Summer is in full swing and we are having a blast enjoying our new house with our incredible backyard!!! Evelyn is becoming quite the fish and is able to swim around the pool without the assistance of Mommy and Daddy! Although, she does have the assistance of a lifejacket!! (She's not that good....yet!)
We have been spending our summer evenings by having dinner outdoors and just hanging out! We have done trips to the Buffalo Zoo and Fantasy Island so far (both of which we plan to return to before the temps begin to drop!) Pumpkin has also enjoyed bike rides and trips to the local parks.
Evelyn is growing with each day. Her vocabulary is expanding and we seem to be communicating much better these days. She knows how to ask for a drink, a snack and if she wants to watch Mickey....we know it. We are not those parents who believe TV is the 'enemy' when it comes to raising our child. In fact, I look forward to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse time b/c not only is it her downtime which gives me a chance to get things done around the house...but its educational!! I can clearly see that she is learning numbers, colors and more from shows such as this. Now, we don't let her watch 5 straight hours or anything like that...but 2-3 30 minute episodes per night when its 'relax time' (aka - before night night time) well, that is OK with us. She knows all the characters too...Mickey, Donald and Goofy who is one of her favorites. Of course this means a trip to Disney will be on the agenda in years to come.(Like it wasn't anyway!!!)
I'm going to try and blog more because I know I have been slacking lately!! And my hope is that since I'll be blogging more often my entries won't seem like they are endless...you're welcome Cliff...LOL
The annual Canal Fest is right around the corner and we'll look forward to taking Evelyn on some rides, Daddy winning her some prizes and getting some fair food :) Corn on the Cob is a must this time of year for my pumpkin pie!!
Until next time!!

Evelyn's 2nd Bday Party! (Yum -- Cake!)

Pumpkin loves her cake! (it was the shape of Bear Bear! thanks Nana!!)

Nana with Eveyln & Cole

Aunt Jenn & cousin Alex hitting the slide!



Grandma with Uncle Donnie & Aunt Dale

Hanging with some of the best Aunts and Uncles!

New Bounce House!

New Slide!

Pumpkin's Bday Morning - What's Daddy doing in the crib!! lol :)

Houston: We have entered Terrible 2 Territory

That's right!! Last Friday, May 20th, our little pumpkin pie turned the big 2-years old....or as I have read on many of my Mommy sites - the dreaded Terrible Twos. Dun, Dun, Dun. But to be honest, we have been experiencing a taste of here and there these past few weeks....a lot of temper tantrums, a lot of 'NO!!' and a lot of 'Momma...Momma...Momma'-- 'WHAT?' I finally answer and then...silence?!?
But in all, we cannot believe these past 2 years are already gone! Filled with amazing memories and milestones and so much more to look forward to!

Jay and I both took Evelyn's big day off from work...but that didn't mean the pumpkin got to miss a day of school (aka - daycare!). No, no, no! Mommy 'baked' and she had to have her little birthday party with her school friends, so off to daycare she went in the AM. Mommy and Daddy celebrated with a little breakfast and then it was off to see if we coudl find the perfect bounce house to rent for her bday party which was happening at the new house the next day. After no luck (we weren't looking for a huge one, but something that was a 'good' size)...Well, after an hour of so of stopping at rental places, her father did what any pumpkin Daddy would do ....he caved....I mean...he graciously suggested we just head on out to Toys R Us and buy her, her very own bounce house! Which is what we did, or course. (I swear, she is not spoiled one bit!)
After our Toys R Us trip, we headed home and I prepared myself to assemble Evelyn's original bday gift - her own backyard slide!! Thinking this was going to be a process, I got out the toolbox, got comfy clothes on and got ready to read instructions only people in Japan who probably disassembled this and packaged it would understand. So, I drag the giant slide box into our family room, do a quick stretch and begin ripping off tape. I got the top of the box open and slid out the slide part...a little heavier then I expected...well once I got the whole thing out I understood why...the entire slide was pre-assembled!! I only had to prop up the ladder part and boom - 'here's your slide!' (ok...two screws were needed to complete the 'look'...and yes, Jay had to help me...but come on...I did it!) I was so excited…that was easy! So, we propped the slide up in the family room and headed off to pick up Evelyn early from daycare.
The whole drive home I kept telling her how she had a big birthday surprise at home...she would get giggly and excited...(oh and by the way...daycare bday party went great...they even sang Happy Birthday to her twice and Kathy said she 'knew' it for her!) We walk in the door and I brought her over to the family room and 'Surprise!' I can't describe the smile...the little jump of excitement...and she looks at me and goes 'my slide?' Melt My Heart! Score 1 Point for Mommy!
Of course she took off like a race horse and she climbed up and went down, climbed up and went down, climbed up and went down...even Bear Bear got his turns too (Jay and I did try to slid the cats down as well, but they weren't having it...and I guess I'll tell you...yes, Jay tried it out too! hahah) After we convinced her we had to go bye-bye but that the slide would still be there when we got back, we headed off to Bounce Magic so Evelyn could have some fun (and Mommy and Daddy too!) It wasn't too packed for a Friday afternoon (plus we were there kind of early). Evelyn had such a great time! It was a lot of fun, and not to mention exercise, to bounce and climb in all those Bounce Houses! Afterwards we headed to Tully's for a little birthday dinner...they literally sat us all in the way in the back...last booth in the joint?! Did someone tell them we were bringing a terrible two with us?! We had a nice dinner and by the end we were all so beat, we packed up and headed home. Evelyn was out like a light around 7:30 and Mommy and Daddy (on a
Friday night!) were in bed by 9:30!!!
Well worth the early bed time though b/c the next morning was Pumpkin's Birthday Party! We had an afternoon/evening cookout planned at the new house and we couldn't have asked for better weather! Considering it had been raining for the past month, this was a pretty big deal that the sun was shining! We heated the pool so Evelyn's cousins and friends could go swimming, the bounce house was up and 'jumping' (hahaha...get it!...I kill me) and her slide had made its way outside!
Evelyn was a little taken back by her bounce house at first (why, I don't know...she had no problem with all the huge ones at Bounce Magic the day before!) But after a while she was bouncing all over the place! Score 1 for Daddy!
Jay manned the grill while our friends and family enjoyed the outdoors. It was a really nice evening. Evelyn got LOTS of great stuff including the cutest little outdoor table with umbrella, backyard balls & toys, clothes, bathing suits, giant coloring books and so much more! She is so loved, by so many, we are truly blessed! When it came time to sing Happy Birthday and more importantly...at least to Evelyn and her sugar-craving cousins...CAKE TIME! Nana made an awesome 2nd Birthday Cake...a replica of Bear Bear!!! Evelyn just loved it and of course, Mommy forgot to take a picture of it...but trust me, everyone knew it was a Bear Bear cake! I cut this GIANT piece of Bear Bear cake for Evelyn...bring it outside and we all start our lovely rendition of Happy Birthday and then BOOM...Evelyn knocks the entire piece to the ground! The crowd goes silent...but not before the 'AWWWWWWW' and my little pumpkin just looks around at all our shocked faces, then back down to her sugary confection on the ground...and cue the water works!!!
We quickly replaced her piece of cake and made it through the entire Happy Birthday song and Evelyn devoured every single crumb of her cake (looking back, its probably better she didn't get to eat the mammoth size piece Mommy gave her!) Evelyn was tucked into bed dreaming of cakes, bounces houses and slides by about 7:30 that night...it really was a great day!
Many thanks to everyone who had a hand in not only her birthday party, but her life these past 2 years! It really does go so fast, but Jay and I have enjoyed every minute and we know we were meant to be her parents -- regardless of Vegas...she would have been ours one way or another!! Now, my next post, I have to back track a little bit and fill you in our our trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina!! We took a 12-hour drive down the beach in late April/early May with our pumpkin pie and stayed in an amazing beach house for an entire week with some amazing friends!! Details on that coming soon! Stay tuned for pics from OBX & Evelyn's 2nd Birthday Party!

"POTTY TIME!!!"

Attention Everything Evelyn followers!!! BIG NEWS!!! Our little pumpkin has gone potty....on the POTTY!!!!! Yay!!! While it's not like she 'asked' to use the potty, it was the morning and i thought 'why not' let's put her on it. (she has been sitting on it here and there (usually w/clothes still on) but I'm not sure if she understood what it was for?) So this past Monday morning (4/11/2011) our little girl grew up even more (tear)... Although, I think Mommy got a little too excited and ended up scaring her b/c there she was...sitting naked on her little toilet - peeing and crying! AWWWWWW. Mommy is sorry pumpkin pies! We tried again this morning...and once again, when she started to go...she started crying! (Mommy did not jump up and down and scream this time though) So, I think she might be a little afraid of the whole process. Jay and I are just going to work on being reassuring and not rush or push anything. But...if I do say so myself, Kathy (Evelyn's daycare provider) told me that she has 3-year olds that are not even there yet.....GO Pumpkin GO! Mommy and Daddy are proud of you!!! Hugs, Kisses and Well Potty Wishes (yeah, I made that up...haha!)

Spring has Sprung!

OK OK OK! I know....it's been 'forever and a day' since my last blog update but with the new house, work and my family things are BUSIER then ever these days! I can't believe my last post was in mid-January! I have almost 3 months to catch you up on and A LOT has been going on - so get comfy.

The House

Let's start with the biggest event for the Tylec family - we moved! As of Saturday, February 19, 2011 we have resided on Locust Street in North Tonawanda in our 'dream' home!' Moving was definitely a process! Jay and I couldn't believe how much 'stuff' we had! We cannot thank our family and friends enough for taking an entire weekend to help us into our new home - whether it was watching the pumpkin or physically moving 8 years worth of stuff, we are truly grateful for the constant support we received. We officially closed on both properties on March 4th (we were granted early occupancy since no one has lived in the house!) We are still not 100% unpacked because we still have a storage unit to deal with, which we filled up when we put the Dahlgreen house on the market back in August 2010! But, I would say we are 90% settled in the new house, which is a 3-bedroom, 2.5 bath home. We have a cozy living room with a fireplace, a family room with another fireplace, a beautiful kitchen with a 'sun-room' that overlooks our resort-like backyard! The backyard has an in-ground pool with connecting hot tub. Stamped concrete throughout most of the backyard will make for great entertaining with tables and a fire pit...and not to mention our very own outdoor bar!! Tylec's Tiki Hut is officially open for business! Evelyn has transitioned just great to her new home. We have a lot of 'little' steps that lead from room to room to room, and Evelyn has done a great job learning to go down on her 'bum bum'...although she has already mastered walking up them without going up on her knees. She even likes to reach up and hold the railings. Evelyn's room is the only room we have actually done something to since moving in - which was paint it!! Finally - my little girl has a girly room!! The walls are colored little princess purple and she has fun number decals on the walls and multi-colored 'fun' window curtains! I'm not done with her room yet...but things take time (and not to mention money!) and eventually I will have nails where I need nails (hello Jay) and 'fun' things all over her walls! The rest of the house will be a 'project' for some time I'm sure. There is a TON of 'interesting' wall paper in many of the rooms and all I can say - it's coming down! The previous owners left some curtains for us as well that are ...well....let's just say they are not my taste! But again...time and money! We did however purchase a sectional sofa for the family room which looks and fits great! And we picked out a formal dining room table that seats 6 (w/o the leaf) and it is just gorgeous. Jay picked them both out himself so - good job hunny!

Everything Evelyn

Anyway - onto what this blog is about - Everything Evelyn!!! Evelyn is now 22 months and her second birthday is a little more than a month away! We cannot believe how fast this has gone or just how much we love being parents! Evelyn weighs just a little more than 25lbs now and is still taller then your average pumpkin!

Poopy Pumpkin

Evelyn had a rough couple weeks in March...my poor pumpkins caught something that would not let up! But first, it all started with an earring. Evelyn and I were hanging out on a typical Saturday as we often do while Jay works OT. I noticed her earring looked a little 'off,' and upon further investigation, I realized the entire back of her earring (clasp and all) was inside her the skin of her ear...all the way in the earring hole. HOLY MOLY! I tried to pull on it a little to see if it would 'pop' out (literally getting the chills just writing about this). Well, you can say my attempts did NOT go over well AT ALL! Pumpkin pie was not having it. I did my best to remain calm but I was SO nervous b/c I have never even heard of that happening!! We headed to Kidz Express and, while I was relieved that the nurse told me this is actually quite common, I was panicking because I knew what was about to happen to my pumpkin. They put some iodine on her ear and between myself, another helper and the doctor it was on. I held her arms and the helper held her legs while the doctor held her head to one side and used tweezers to coax it out (and I'm using coax as a nice term). I cannot even tell you how horrible this was for me as a Mom. Evelyn was so upset and scared...she was just screaming and sobbing. It took everything I had not to break down with her but I didn't want to scare her more! The whole thing took about 1 minute..but any Mom who has to watch her child in pain will agree that 1 minute feels more like an hour! Within a few minutes after the earring was out, Evelyn was calmed down and even got a sucker and sticker for her bravery. I am serious when I say its a good thing she can't really talk yet because I would have given her anything - pony, buckets of ice cream....car?! You name it! LOL. I still haven't put her earrings back in though. I guess there are types I can purchase that will not allow that to happen again, but at the same time, I'm on the fence about waiting until she is older to understand what earrings are for and how to 'respect' them, etc. (Not to mention, it would make changing them a whole lot easier too!) About a week after the earring incident, Evelyn wasn't acting like herself. There was a lot more whining then normal, she wasn't really eating and she just wasn't her happy go-lucky pumpkin-self. I made a doctor app after I got 'the call' from daycare that I had to come pick her up b/c she was just constantly crying. Come to find out - Evelyn had a pretty bad ear infection. I feel awful for not knowing, but also happy that at least it was something! So, antibiotics it was! And even though Evelyn is allergic to amoxicillin, she doesn't have the same reaction to some other 'cillin' drugs so they put her on a 5-day treatment. Towards the end of those 5 days...Evelyn started getting 'worse.' She started waking up in the middle of the night crying, which she rarely does (knock on wood!). Let's just say...Ev was a little more than stinky on a few of these occasions...and not to mention during one middle of the night trip where she puked all over me and the floor --- greeeeeeaaaaattt! Our baby was now flu-sick...bottom line. I got 'the call' from daycare that I had to come pick her up once again b/c it was coming out of both ends with no stopping in sight! I called the doctor and they confirmed they were seeing several cases such as this and the best thing to do was rest and hydration - so that's what we did...with a lot of snuggling and hugs. On top of Evelyn being sick -- it seemed everyone else we knew was also catching a bug! My family, his family, the daycare families! Somehow, Jay and I both avoided getting sick! (knock on wood again!)

Spring Time!

It finally seems that everyone is recovered and just in time as we get ready for spring!! The weather is finally warming up...even if it is raining, I don't mind because I bought Evelyn the cutest rain gear including matching coat, boots and umbrella! She is a stylin' mermaid! We finally had a sunny/warm weekend this past one and we were out using our backyard for what its for - pumpkin playtime! Evelyn was riding her 4-wheeler around, playing in her tent and just running all over the place. The pool is still covered but Jay and I will be investing in a safety fence to make sure we have maximum pumpkin protection. We just celebrated Papa Jerry's bday with an outdoor cookout over the Tylecs and Evelyn was just a busy little bee running all over the backyard! Both nights, the fresh air did the pumpkin good...bath, bottle and bed all by 7:30 (out like a light!) It was an enjoyable weekend to get out the house with her and play in our own secluded backyard. I have never been more sure that this move was the right decision then after this past weekend. It is only going to get better! Next up - Easter! Jay and I are hosting our first ever family holiday dinner! Both families will be coming over along with kids in tow so we are looking at 14 adults and 4 little ones! I'm excited! I love entertaining and who better to do it for then your family?!?! (famous last words, right?) My grandma is even going to come! Super special b/c of her limitations she wasn't able to get into the house on Dahlgreen, so I'm really happy she is going to see where her great-granddaughter will grow up! I'm planning your typical Easter menu of ham, sausage and sides (don't want to get to crazy with my fist big dinner party!) We're going to have an egg hunt in the backyard for the babies...and I just happened to find Easter DVD's when unpacking the other day so the kids can enjoy that while the rest of us watch the Buffalo Sabres in the playoffs during the afternoon! Here's to hoping it's a great day! This summer is going to be jam packed! Evelyn will turn 2 and then 3 babies will celebrate their 1st birthdays including Evelyn's cousin Austin (along with Isabelle and Cole!) Cousin's Brianna (turning 4) and AJ (2) will have a joint bday party b/c the Price family has some big things happening for them too...they too have a new house!! But instead of moving...they just knocked down their old one and built an entire new house!! It's still being finished by they should be able to move in within hopefully the next month or so? And in case your wondering - they are staying with my parents...dun, dun, dun...LOL.

Happy Spring and Have a 'Hoppy Easter' everyone!

Mea Culpa!

I am LONG overdue for an update post!!! I promise to buckle down and get you up to speed about the past couple months and our new house!!!!