Winkler Wedding

Elizabeth and Matthew's professional wedding pictures aren't back yet, but I'll post what we have so far. A few days after the wedding their photographer posted some pictures on a blog that you can view here. Of course Elizabeth was a beautiful bride. Every detail of the wedding and reception played out perfectly. Since everything ran so smoothly we (and I think I can speak for everyone else involved) sat back, relaxed, and had a great time celebrating the bride and groom. And now Elizabeth and Matthew are enjoying sweet wedded bliss!

Because Stephen and I were too busy chasing and taking care of our own kids to take any pictures, others have been generous enough to share their own with us. Here's what we have so far:

 At the rehearsal dinner, tucked away in a corner so the kids wouldn't disturb the party.

 Evie gets giddy when she's tired, and it makes for cute pictures! (Thanks, Jessica!)

 The bride-to-be at the rehearsal dinner, holding some very cool m&ms that had a picture of Matthew and her on them. It really looked like them too!

The bride and groom.

 Nathan and Erica (Erica is expecting #2. Yay!)

Click the "Read more" link to see more pictures.

Picture overload

Warning: I'm posting way too many pictures from our time in Kentucky, so for those of you who want to see them all, click "Read more" at the bottom of the post. For those who don't, just breeze through to the next post. I haven't sorted through Elizabeth's wedding pictures yet, so bear with me! That will be the next post.

Elizabeth has Mom's piano at her house. I found "Jesus Loves Me" in the hymnal and played and sang it for Nate. He kept singing it.

And then played his version of it while he sang.

Evie playing with her Aunt Liza.

Hard decisions

Our prayers were answered and Stephen had an interview at a middle school in Northern Kentucky. He was offered the position, just like I knew he would be if he could just get an interview. So, why aren't we packing up and moving to Kentucky?

Bananas

Nate was a good big brother and shared his banana with Evie.

Evie LOVES bananas!

She eats at least one a day.

And small bites are out of the question!

These pictures were taken before our trip to Kentucky. I have lots of catching up to do. I'll post Kentucky pictures and an update soon. But, for those who don't know, it looks like we're staying in Texas for a while!

Taking a trip

We're preparing for a road trip to Kentucky. We'll leave sometime Sunday and drive through the night. That's our plan. We'll see if the kids comply with it!

The main reason we're going is for my sister's wedding on June 12th. Only one week to go! We'll get there a few days before, recover from the drive, and help out with whatever wedding stuff there is left to do. We're excited that the wedding day is finally (almost) here. We can't wait to see Elizabeth and Matthew as husband and wife!

Somersaults

Starting position ...

Forward roll!

Nate learned how to do somersaults last week. He's not brave enough to do them anywhere except his bed yet, but maybe after enough practice he will be. I did a few somersaults myself to help him learn how, but I think my somersault days are over. I see stars every time I do one! I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old(er)!

Evie's Birthday

The Birthday girl and me.

Another one with her looking at the camera instead of the cake!

Nate was VERY excited about Evie's cake. 

He did a great job resisting the temptation to dig in before it was time.

Another unprofessional attempt at cake decorating.
It has lots of flaws, but overall I was happy with how it turned out.

We're not big on birthday gifts, especially since the kids are too young to know the difference, so Evie's cake was her gift. Since it was a gift I thought it should look like one. I bought a silky pink hair bow for the topper and found some matching ribbon to wrap around it. When she's a little older maybe she'll think it's fun to wear the hair bow that was on her first birthday cake. Maybe. If not, at least it will be a fun keepsake.

Nate was a great big brother and had fun celebrating Evie's birthday. He sang "Happy Birthday" to her for a few days beforehand, and didn't seem to mind that we doted over her a little more that day. He's a sweet brother, or maybe just too oblivious to care!

Our friends Nathan and Lynsi (and Jack and Caroline) came to celebrate and eat cake with us. We mostly took video while they were here, and while Evie dug into her cake. Unfortunately, I'm probably not going to post videos. Sorry!

A year ago today ...

My first view of Evelyn Ray, May 25, 2009.

It's hard to believe that an entire year has passed since this sweet baby girl arrived. She has grown and developed so beautifully, and has brought such joy to our home. And she's only one! I can't begin to imagine what kind of an amazing woman she'll become, and how much more joy she'll bring us.

I had some hard days surrounding Mother's Day this year. Mom died on Mother's Day two years ago, and I grieved hard this year. I can't explain why - maybe because of all the commercials on TV and ads in stores leading up to the day. They only reminded me that two long years had passed without seeing and talking to Mom. That she hasn't watched Nate grow into the rough and tumble two year old boy that he is, who looks so much like her own Nathan did at this age. And that she hasn't even met sweet Evie girl. And that I just don't want more time to pass without filling her in on all the details of our life, like I used to do every single day.

As I raise my young children, there are so many things that remind me of my own Mom. Like how every birthday morning when we woke up, Mom came in singing Happy Birthday, but she always sang an extra verse to it that made it better than just the regular Happy Birthday song. I'm not sure where she learned it, because I don't know anyone else who sings it, but I can still hear her alto voice singing it to me.

So this morning, just like Mom did every morning on my birthday, when I went in to get Evie out of her crib, I sang Happy Birthday to her with the additional verse that Mom always sang. And I could almost hear Mom singing with me. It goes like this:

So today is your birthday, That is what I've been told.

What a wonderful birthday, you are one more year old.

On your cake there'll be candles all lighted for you,

And the whole world is singing,

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday, sweet Evie girl!

Peek-A-Boo!

A game of peek-a-boo?

Nope, just trying to get this silly hat off!

And pretty cute while trying!

Nate still asks to hold Evie. 

He forgets she's not so easy to hold anymore!

Blan Family Movie Night

Of course Nate had to sit on top of me instead of next to me.

And when I moved to a more comfortable position, he still found a way to sit on me. I'm sure I'll long for him to sit with me some day, but these days it gets a little old!

He liked his milkshake so much that he went scrounging for our end-of-the-shake slush. Yuck!

Finally! Sitting under a blanket NEXT to me for the end of the movie.

We hosted our first ever Blan family movie night Tuesday night, complete with popcorn made with Mom's at least 20-year old air popper that Nate LOVES, cookies n' cream milkshakes made with homemade oreos, and Toy Story. We filled up the living room with our air mattress and blankets so we could stretch out. Nate didn't love the movie, but he watched most of it, even in spite of it skipping and messing up a lot. (Always test run your library rentals!)

Stephen, always the photographer (and a great one!), took several pictures. Next time I'll know to shower and put on some makeup first. It was the end of a humid 90 degree day spent mostly outside and finished off standing next to an oven that I'm convinced lets out more heat than it keeps in, and it shows.

Unfortunately, Evie didn't participate this time. We started after she was in bed. Sorry, Ev!

"Nate really never blinks!"

Peeking through the fence to see the dog next door.

Working a puzzle - one of Nate's favorites pastimes these days.

And swinging - another one of his favorites!

We were with some friends last Saturday evening, and after studying Nate all evening a friend's little girl ran up to her mom and said, "Mom, Nate really never blinks!" When he was a baby we used to say he never blinked, but we'd kind of forgotten about it. I guess we're just used to his huge blue eyes gazing at us now. But, he really never blinks. It's confirmed!

You can click here or scroll down a few posts to see those huge non-blinking blue eyes up close!

Miss Ev

Pretty in pink!

That same old stoic look we used to know so well.

Singing into the microphone. She really gets a kick out of it!

Evie is 11 months old! We have lots of little nicknames for her, and Miss Ev is one that Stephen says a lot. All of a sudden she's moving all over the place - not crawling, but pulling herself with her arms. We've never really had a mobile baby since Nate didn't crawl until right before he walked at 15 months, so this is new territory for us. It's great to see her getting around! And there's really not much for her to get into, except for whatever Nate is playing with. She's already learning how to push his buttons!

Cheerios with Joe

We've seen a lot of our friend Joe the last few weeks. I normally watch him every other week, but it's been more frequent than that. He's four months older than Evie, so it's not quite a taste of what having three kids would be like, especially since I get to give him back at the end of the day. Anyway, we've had beautiful weather on the days he's been here, so we've played outside A LOT! These are some pictures of a day last week when he was here. After naps we had a cheerio picnic outside on the patio.

Also, I didn't plan it, but you can see my newest project in the background between Nate and Evie - cilantro and basil plants. They're doing great, and I've really enjoyed going out and snipping off just as much as I need without buying a whole big bunch that goes to waste. I don't know why I didn't start growing herbs a long time ago. I might have to add something new soon!

Baby Bird

Evie is a good eater most of the time, and when she's really excited to be eating she opens her mouth extra wide and waits for it. She looks kind of a like a baby bird waiting for the worm in these pictures!

Pictures!

Problem solved! We've completely reorganized our photo storage system, something that we've needed to do for a couple years. We suddenly ran out of space because we got a new camera (!!), and our new picture files take up a lot more space than the pictures from our older camera. So, to justify the purchase I guess we'll have to take even more pictures of these sweet kids and post them for everyone to see. Hope you can handle it! We'll start out with some favorites of sweet Nate.

Uncle Bill

With Uncle Bill at an American Cancer Society Relay For Life rally 

in Milford, OH in 2008 

(Aunt Jane, thanks for taking this picture.)

One obvious thing that stinks about living far away from family (especially with small children who have somewhat inhibited our pack-up-and-go days) is that it makes being there when you want to be there most really difficult. My Uncle Bill, my dad's brother, ended his battle with cancer last Saturday morning. My heart aches for my Aunt Jane and for my cousins, Mark, Greg, Jeff, and Chris. We're praying for you guys, and wishing you great comfort. I'll miss him. 

Under construction

Due to an abundance of pictures and video, our computer has no more space for new pictures, therefore preventing me from posting new pictures. We're working hard to fix this problem, so please be patient with us while we completely reorganize our photo storage system. We expect to be up and running again soon ...

Eli

Nate and Eli

Playing on the steps at Elizabeth's house.

We were blessed to squeeze in some time with my cousins, and good friends, Chris and Carrie and their families during our quick trip to Kentucky (thanks to Elizabeth working hard to make it happen). Eli is Nate's third cousin, and unfortunately he and Nate have only seen each other a few times in their short lives. If we lived closer I'm sure they'd be good buddies! He's 4 months younger than Nate, but you wouldn't know it by looking at him. He's a tall boy! I think Carrie got some more cute pictures of them playing, so I'll post more later if I get them.

Engagement

Elizabeth and Matthew's engagement picture

I've failed to post about the most exciting thing that's happening in our family - my sister's upcoming wedding! She was surprised with a ring in February and the wedding date is set for June 12th. Nate never talks about his Ziza (Aunt Liza) anymore without including Maffew (Matthew). (It's actually "Ziza Maffew airplane?") We rode the Ziza Maffew airplane this past weekend, and went to Kentucky for some wedding dress shopping and an engagement party. We're excited and thankful to have Matthew joining the family!

Sweet Evie Girl

Stephen took these pictures of Evie the other day. They capture just a glimpse of our sweet baby girl. We're still trying to figure out who she looks like. We think she mostly favors Stephen and the Blans, but there must be some Iles in her too. When we were in Kentucky with my family last summer, when she was only six weeks old, my brother immediately thought she looked like my grandma Iles, my dad's mom. Another cousin said the same thing. Yesterday we had our friends Matt and Natalie over (Matt from Kentucky who I've grown up with), and he saw my dad in her. I really liked hearing that she might have pieces of my dad in her. My actual memories of him are few - most are in pictures - so I love that I can look at Evie and maybe, possibly, slightly see even the tiniest bit of him.

Bored

Just the three of them: Nate, Evie, and Dora (the Explorer)

Some of our days are labeled TV days - the days my children watch way too much TV because I run out of puzzles, books, toys, and the energy to be more creative. I think the warm weather is finally here to stay, so hopefully we'll be having fewer of these days!

9 Months

Reading one of our favorite books: "Pajama Time!"

Evie is actually 9 1/2 months old now. She's not nearly as serious about life as she used to be. We get lots of giggles and silliness now, and we can't get enough of it! She's still a big girl - 21 lbs and 29 inches tall (75th and 90th percentiles). She loves cheerios just as much as Nate does, so now they steal them from each other. Nate gets more laughs out of her than anyone. He still loves to hold her and hug her (a little too much sometimes), and unfortunately he really likes to take her toys and say "No no, Evie!" I can't believe how quickly we're approaching the big 1st birthday!

Granddad

Nate munching on popcorn, with Granddad and Evie

hanging out on the couch.

I'm a little late with this one. Stephen's dad came to visit the weekend of Stephen's marathon. Nate had a great time with him. He has always associated Granddad with his hat - taking it to him when he's not wearing it as if something is missing. Now he likes to wear it himself. We were SO glad he was able to come for the weekend!