Christmas 2008

Well, Christmas was a hit! We celebrated Christmas Eve with my sister and her family and my dad. I made a turkey and the works and it turned out very well. If I do say so myself. .. I haven't cooked a turkey in seven years so I was a little insecure making the whole meal, but years of watching my mom paid off!

Christmas day was celebrated at my mom's house. We ate cabbage rolls with mashed potatoes and then Cheesecake for dessert! Yum!

Evie has been enjoying all her new toys. I can't believe how quickly she learns to play with them!

A failed attempt at getting a "Papa w/ grandchildren picture"
George excited about one of his gifts

Make sure to watch the last two clips of the video below. Georgie is super excited about the first gift and then he got a duplicate gift and his reaction is priceless!!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

This will be my last update until after Christmas, so I wish everyone a joyous holiday filled with laughter and great fun!

"Cindy Lou Who"
I love this picture of Evie! It really shows you how big she's getting. One of her favorite past times is to pull all of her books down and start ripping the pages.
Evie and Cozy are great playmates! Cozy sees the benefits of another family member...someone who will play with her anytime she wants, someone who continually throws steak, spaghetti, and fruit on the floor for her to eat! Cozy has it good again!
Cute new snowsuit someone from my mom's group gave me! What a blessing!

Evie is growing like a weed!

My husband is rubbing off on me! Hilarious Video of Evie!

Evie is always wanting to eat and drink whatever I am eating and drinking. So the other day I was drinking some seltzer water and she wanted it. This is the reaction I got!

I say that my husband is rubbing off on me because he truly enjoys laughing at other people's expense. I felt I enjoyed this a little too much!

Christmas Fun

We had a small Christmas party at our house on Saturday and it was so much fun!!! We ate and ate and played "Catch Phrase" and "Mad Gab". Lots of fun and I highly suggest both games for larger group games.

Evie spent the night at Papa's house and did amazing! She loves her Papa!

General Update

Evie is so BIG! She is changing daily! She says "Hello" on the phone. Well, only when people aren't on the other end. She's taken several 3-4 steps at a time. She's climbing up everything! I thought my house was baby proofed, but it definitely is not toddler proofed!

Thanksgiving was great! We had a very nice time up at the cabin. Evie is now being continually attacked by her 18 month old cousin Henry. Henry has two older brothers who have abused him (in a loving brotherly way...), so I think he likes being able to have the upper hand on someone. It gives him a little control back. Evie doesn't know what to do when he tackles her. She's taken the hits very well, so I have a little momma pride in that she can take a 32 lb toddler laying on top of her.

We are almost ready for Christmas. The decoration are up and we just have a few presents to buy.

This weekend Evie is spending her first overnight at Papa's house. I'm sure it will be a blast for both of them!

Ultimate Bedhead

Evie is doing great now! We had a rough week last week. Two more teeth broke through and she was not a happy camper! She has a total of six teeth and I have a feeling there are a couple more trying to make their way out. She's doing a lot of unassisted standing and pushes her walker all over the place.

Baby Boy is kicking a ton lately. Just tonight he was moving and it felt like someone punched me in the stomach! He's already a strong little one! I can't wait to meet him!

Plans for Thanksgiving are to go to my mom's cabin for two days and then have a relaxing weekend at home. Maybe we can get the Christmas lights up..... Hope everyone has a BLESSED Thanksgiving! Don't eat too much turkey..

Drum Roll Please......

Baby Wharton #2 is definitely a BOY!!!! I don't have the results from the ultrasound yet, but we saw the four chambers in the heart and his cute little nose.
We are super excited to have a son! Now we need to think of names!

Evie's a good napper!

She slept for 5+ hours yesterday for a nap! I couldn't believe it! I took a 2.5 hour nap and vegged practically all day! I called my sister up and she said, "Well, she's definitely your daughter". I think she was implying that I'm lazy or something. I just like my sleep and always have. My family has replaced the term "Going to take a nap" with "Going to take a Wharton".

Oh, well...at least having a good sleeper is one of the benefits of all the teasing.

Monday we go for Baby Wharton#2's Ultrasound. We should be able to figure out the gender. I cannot wait! Christian's taking the day off of work and my mom is coming as well. This is going to be so exciting finding out if Evie is going have a little sister or little brother. I'm elated with either!

Hope your weekend is BLESSED!

Evie's 12-Month Well-Child Check Up

So Evie got shots and blood taken yesterday and it was so sad.. She got over it pretty quick, but it's so hard to see her cry when she doesn't understand what's going on. I so happy Christian got off work early to help me with her. We went to McDonald's afterwards and got Evie a vanilla cone. Boy does she like ice cream! She definitely gets that from her Papa!

Here's her stats:

• Weight 22lbs/60%
• Length 31.5"/97%
• Head 18.5"/80%

No walking yet, but a lot of steps and throwing her body on things. She's too funny! No fear...

Picture and Video Dump

Well our computer is working again as it should. Here's some pics from Evie's B-day party! She's getting closer and closer to walking! I can't believe how big she is!!!

Computer Issues

Sorry it's been a while! I'm having computer issues.

Here's a quick update:

Evie's B-day went off without a hitch. She did really well considering that my family is really big now and there was a lot of people in our home. When my computer is fixed I'll post some pics and video of her eating cake and playing with her new toys. Her cake eating was kind of anti-climatic. No face in the cake. She was quite the lady. Her new toys are awesome! She's been occupied all week! She also took two steps yesterday. It wasn't intentional, but we should have a walker within the next month or two.

I had my 2nd Dr's appt for Baby Wharton #2 and everything is going very well. Baby's heartbeat was 140 and it was strong! I'm starting to feel flutters and my energy has picked up some. I can't wait to meet this little Cutie Pie. April will be here before we know it!

Hope all is well with you and your family! Be BLESSED!

Why is Life Better after a Cup of Coffee?

I have nothing profound or semi-interesting to say today except that I love my coffee! I woke up super groggy and was not looking forward to the day, then I had my freshly brewed Starbucks coffee and life got a lot better. Praise God for Coffee! I truly think it makes me a better person some days. Sad, I know....

My Baby is turning "1" today!!! Boo Hoo!!! Sniff! Sniff

I remember the day I delivered her like it was yesterday, but everything in between now and then is kind of blurry! Time has gone by so fast!!! I'm so blessed to have this little Cutie Pie in my life! The bible says that children are a blessing and it is so right!

Happy Birthday to my precious, sweet, smart, and beautiful daughter! Mommy and Daddy love you more than you know!!

Evie's 1st toddler owie!!!

Evie is not walking yet, but she is starting to sustain some of the toddler owies! She tried to walk her hands up the kitchen cabinets and lost her balance. She went face first into the metal handle on the cabinet door. I've never heard her scream like that before. I almost started crying myself, but I stayed strong for her. Poor Cutie Pie!

Evie Update

It's been awhile since I've updated you on the little who is growing up so fast. Just in the past two weeks she has changed a lot! She is playing with Cozy everyday! I'll need to post some video of the two of them. It is too cute! They might be best friends after all. Evie is crawling all over the place! She crawls normal for the most part, but sometimes when the terrain is a little difficult she reverts back to the army crawl. She's climbing stairs, totally assisted! Mamma's not ready to let her attempt that on her own. Traversing from table to couch to chair is continual. She's getting a lot of bruises on the forehead, but nothing too major. I'll be happy when she has better body awareness. She doesn't realize how big her head is and tries to jam it in the tinniest spaces!

I'm really enjoying her more and more. Since my morning sickness is gone(Praise God!), I'm enjoying life again! I keep telling Christian this is our last child and he says, "Yeah right, let's see what you say when the new baby is 6 months old". I don't know why women romanticize being pregnant.... I guess there are some women that enjoy every bit of pregnancy, but that is not I. Okay, there are a few moments that are special...like the first ultrasound, hearing the heartbeat, and the occasional kick, but all-in-all it's exhausting and a hormonal roller coaster! If I could skip the whole pregnancy and go straight to delivery, I totally would!!!!

Well that's it for now! Hope you enjoy your weekend!

Clip of the Day

I don't know how many of you know this or not, but Christian and I have been working out like crazy lately!!! Lots of water skiing and such....Here's a current picture of our HOT Bods! Enjoy!

Taking Time to Remember: Sept 11th, 2001

This day will never, will never be forgotten....

I remember getting out of bed around 10:30AM on September 11th, 2001. Christian and I had moved to MN in June and we had recently returned from our Europe trip. We both worked evenings, so quite often we'd sleep in. So it was a typical morning for us. We got up. Ate breakfast. We didn't turn on the radio or TV so we had no clue what was going on.

Around 11:30 AM my mother called and started talking about the attacks like I knew what was going on. I quickly got off the phone with her, screamed for Christian and ran to the TV. He and I sat there all afternoon watching the tragedy unfold. I remember this surreal feeling that this couldn't be happening to us. What was our world going to be like from now on?

I had to go to work at the MOA later that evening and I remember thinking "Am I safe?" There was talks of the MOA being closed, but we stayed open and it was a ghost town.

I remember being glued to the TV for about two weeks straight and then finally I had to turn it off. The depression and sadness was too much to bear anymore.

Life started to move forward again, but things were very, very different. Seven years have passed and I'm so grateful another attack has not occurred like Sept 11th, but let's never forget the victims, sacrifice and valor on that day.

God Bless America!

Update

Wow! Have things been busy! My MIL and Niece have been visiting for almost two weeks now.
We've gone to the:

• State Fair
• MOA
• Cabin for several days
• Two Family parties
• Como Zoo
• Farmers Market
• Church

I bet you wonder how I've been keeping up with the Family since I have not been feeling well... Well, I haven't had morning sickness in almost two weeks!!!! This is fabulous! I was sick for 16 weeks when I was preggo with Evie and Baby #2 is proving to be a lot easier in the nausea department. I'll tell you more about everything we've been up later this week. Our company leaves on Wednesday so blogging will get more back to normal! Hope everyone had a BLESSED WEEKEND!

Sorry I've been MIA lately, but I have a good reason why...

We're pregnant with Baby Wharton #2!!! I was going to wait a little while before posting the big news, but I am absolutely horrible at keeping a secret and a poor liar to boot!

Baby Wharton #2 is (right now) planning to arrive in early April. I am experiencing the joys of the 1st trimester....fatigue, nausea, etc... I'm 7 weeks and have 5 more to go before I'll probably start getting my energy back and you'll probably see a more normal amount of posting again.

Well, that's the big reason why I've been MIA. I hope all is well with you and your family! I'll try and post again soon!

Evie's Friends

We had a play date on Thursday and had so much fun with our friends from ECFE class. Evie was too funny!! When it was time for lunch, she pulled herself over to all the other moms to be feed by them. She liked what they were serving much better than her lunch. She even wanted to eat things she doesn't normally like when I serve them at home. She is truly my daughter! She may look like her daddy, but her personality is all me!

Evie is 10 Months Old Today!!!

I can't believe she is almost a year! Check her out getting into trouble!

Let's see...What have we've been up to???? Evie and I went with our friends LeeAnn and Jimez up to our cabin last week. It was very nice to get away for a few days and change things up. We've been going to the St. Louis Park pool lately and Evie is loving it!

I can't wait until next year when she can run around and play on all the little kid water toys. The siding and roof are done on our house. It's been a stressful two weeks with all the banging, but the finished product is very nice. I'll post pictures soon.

My garden is doing well, except for a little lack of watering on my part. The green beans are starting to come in and corn is getting ready to grow the ears. Not much planned for this next week. I think we are going to try and not plan much for a while... It's been a busy summer and I bummed that it is 2/3 over. Check out this ginormous zucchini from my garden! Have a BLESSED week!

Partaking of the Fruits of My Labor....

Well, I've waited a long time, but I'm finally reaping the nutritious benefits of planting and tending to a vegetable garden. I've used my cilantro, basil, parsley in a pesto and then I made chicken fried rice with the sugar snap peas and they both were soooo good! These are by far the best sugar snap peas I've ever tasted! Oh, and I've also been using my dill in scrambled eggs.
Tonight, I'm harvesting zucchini for dinner. I have to wait for the green beans and corn.

Evie and Uncle Mick

My Uncle Mick was just here from Pennsylvania. He came out for Evie's Dedication and spent a lot of time with her. She likes him a lot, which doesn't surprise me because he was one of my favorite relatives growing up!

We are getting our house re-roofed as I type this post. Evie is napping through all the pounding and banging. She's probably not sleeping very well, but at least it's something. I think we are going to go to the pool today to keep a tired baby from getting too crabby! My objective for today is DISTRACTION!!! Keep me in your prayers!

Evie's Baby Dedication

Everyone has been to either a Baby Dedication or Baby Baptism before right? You know how there are categories in which the babies typically fit into... For example: the scared baby, the crying baby, the quiet/observant baby, the smiley baby, the sleeping baby. Well, my daughter has created a new category....the noisy/sticking out tongue baby! She stuck her tongue out of her mouth for the entire ceremony and would not stop talking! It was too funny! I kept pushing her tongue back in her mouth, but to no avail! It kept coming back out. The congregation got a kick out of it.

It was a great service and we were so blessed that family and friends came to support us!

New Milestones for Evie:

• Deliberating playing tug-of-war with Cozy
• 2nd tooth is coming in
• Moving from a belly position to sitting
• Cruising on the hardwood floors and teaching us what has not been baby proofed
• Waves bye-bye, but sometimes is a little confused and claps instead

It's so crazy how fast she is changing and growing. I'm just realizing that she understands a lot more than I've been giving her credit for.

Hope everyone is having a BLESSED week!

Evie's 9 Month Physical

Wow! Our little is off the charts again in height! She's the average length of a 14 month old! She is doing great! Doctor gave her an A+.
Here's her stats:

• Weight 18lbs 13oz/ 50% ( I thought for sure she would be 20lbs by now, at least she feels like 20lbs)
• Length 30"/>97%
• Head 17.5"/60%

Here's a super cute pic of Evie and her 13 month old cousin Henry. Have a great weekend!

Milestone: Modified Side Army Crawl

Well Evie has been kind of army crawling for over a week now. It's an interesting version so I wanted to wait to post about it until we got a good video. I cannot get over how long she is! We go in for her 9 month Baby wellness check up on Friday.

We went to the cabin on the 4th and Evie experienced her first dip in the lake. She didn't enjoy it a whole lot. She was kind of cold and her bottom lip quivered. Today we went to the St. Louis Park pool and it was a much more enjoyable experience. She was splashing around and climbing all over me. I dunked her under the water a few times and she did really well. I'll try and get some footage the next time I go with a friend. All in all we are doing very well. This weekend is Evie's Baby Dedication service. We are looking forward to committing in front of our family, friends, and God our dedication to grow Evie up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Evie has graduated to the next car seat! She's too long for the infant car seat.

Hang'n with Ethan!

Well, our friends Ethan and Amy left to go back home to California today. Amy is a good girlfriend that I know from High School. Her son Ethan just turned one and she made a visit to MN for his birthday party. It was so much fun having another baby in the house. He is three months older than Evie, but Evie definitely has him beat in the length and chub department. Ethan exposed Evie to a bunch of new things like: Gerber veggie sticks, Yo-baby, getting pushed around in the laundry basket, taking a bath with another baby....I could go on and on. I think she's going to miss her little/big friend Ethan. Enjoy the clips below from their stay!

Milestone: Evie's 1st Tooth!

So finally her first tooth has broken through. It's very hard to see, but it's definitely there! Congrats to Evie ! She's getting so big!

Growing Garden & Evie wants to crawl soooo BAD!!!

Wharton Garden

I'm having fun with my garden. Although, no one told me that I was going to have to weed everyday! I'm having issues with the basil and I'm not sure what broccoli sprouts are suppose to look like. I hope I didn't weed them out. Oh well, this year is a novice/experimental year. Too bad I didn't plant tomatoes....

Evie has been having fun. We've been to the zoo, park, hang'n with cousins and visited lots of friends lately. She really wants to crawl! She is getting up on all fours now and doing the rocking motion. Check out the clip below. We are hang'n with our friend Leeann. Have a BLESSED week!

Clip of the Day

Cute T-shirt her Aunt Stacy made

Baby Feet

I love the chubby thighs!

Blue Eyes