Bike Riding!

For his birthday way back in October, Evan got a new bike.  It's a Balance Bike, or a Run Bike. There are no pedals, but also only two wheels.  The concept is to teach the balance (the harder thing to learn) before introducing the pedals.  In theory he won't rely on back wheels, and since the pedaling motion is so similar to the running motion, that part should be easy to grasp when he's ready.  Mommy thought it was a cool concept, daddy was slightly skeptical, and frankly Evan's legs weren't long enough to really test it out until now.

Yesterday was the perfect day for trying out the new wheels.  He's tall enough, the weather was perfect, and most importantly, he really wanted to.  His typical attention span on the bike is about 4 minutes, probably owing to the fact that it's frustrating when your feet don't quite reach the ground.  But today was a whole different story!  We were outside for almost 2 hours riding and practicing and picking up speed and balance every time.  Daddy got out his bike (and helmet of course!) and the two boys were soon zooming down the driveway, around the cul-de-sac, and up the street. 

Make sure the tires are properly inflated:
Safety First! :)

Feet up in the air, coasting down the hill with great balance!

Mother's Day

What a great Mother's Day!  Evan was busy all week at school making me a "surprise" (he said so each day when I picked him up from school - and the word surprise doesn't mean much to a 2 1/2 year old!), and couldn't wait to give it to me: flowers and a new super-stylish purse!  He was SO proud of his work, and from the amount of glitter and paint, he definitely had fun decorating them!  We had sweet morning snuggles, a yummy French Toast breakfast, I got beautiful real flowers, and just the right amount of relaxing time paired with fun outside play time.  We grilled for dinner, and capped off the evening by getting ice cream and watching a hot air balloon float overhead.  I love being a mommy to this kiddo! 

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there, including mine! 

 

 

(We thought for a while that baby would make a Mother's Day appearance, but it didn't happen.  We're still anxiously waiting!)

Fingerprinting for Safety

The Charlottesville/Albemarle police held a free fingerprinting and child ID kit day today at the mall.  We figured it was a great chance to get Evan's data on file just in case, and capitalize on his interest in "police mans."  He was thrilled to talk to a couple friendly police men, and was a champ at getting his fingers pictures' taken.  He looks a little timid in the photo here, but couldn't stop talking about it the rest of the day. 

The Great Closet Project

When we bought this house, we knew there wasn't a lot of storage space - we don't have basement or garage - but it wasn't until baby #2 became a reality that we realized how much of a problem it was.  Now that all bedrooms are about to be filled with people (baby's due any day now), we can no longer keep all our out-of-season and I-might-wear-again-one-day clothes in the spare closets!  After much thought (and a happy tax season), we called our neighborhood handyman, Tim Duggins of Home Details.  Luckily we had a large master bedroom to start with.  We finally decided on a plan: to rip out the inadequate master closets, add a wall and lighting, move some of the ductwork, add french doors, and get ourselves a massive walk-in closet.  Oh, and do it all before baby comes. 

Tim was perfect in getting it done right and on time, and he even taught both Mike and Evan some new skills in the process.  The result is fantastic - we couldn't be happier!  Now Evan doesn't have to share a closet with mommy anymore, and baby can have it's own closet back.  We even have extra space for storage! Here are some snaps of the transformation, though they don't at all do it justice.

Before.  Only two bi-fold doors worth of space for each of us.

Day One Transformation!  Old ripped out, new wall installed. 
That was FAST!

Sheetrock done and drywalled.  This closet is huge!

Mr. Tim gave Evan a tape measure to learn the fine art
of "measure twice, cut once."  He now measures
everything - including the car.

Evan and his new best buddy, "Mr. Tim,"
work on installing the doors.

Double check those measurements!

Mike cut and installed all the shelves and
closet rods himself.  Impressive!

Finished interior - three sides of glorious space!
Shelves galore, two levels for hanging, and
custom shoe shelves. 

Finished exterior.  The wall matches the bedding, the doors
open to the window for extra light, and you would never
tell it wasn't there to begin with.  Amazing.

Hmmmm...

Mr. Grown Up is full of different expressions and sayings that are keeping us in stitches lately.  He's imitating his teachers, parents, neighbors... and anything goes!  It's SO hard not to laugh sometimes, especially when he uses a particular phrase appropriately in just the right tone of voice.  There's the little head bob and hand wave that accompanies a, "No, no no no no." And the ever-present, "What you said, mommy?"  This morning it was a very deep-in-thought, "Hmmmmm...," with a slight scratching of the chin or a hand to his lips.  Silly monkey!! 

Gardening

It's a lovely Spring here in Virginia.  We've had fantastic weather for weeks, and the flowers are lush with blooms. Evan got out his new gardening tools from Grandma Kay and Grandma Barb, and helped me weed and dig and plant in the dirt. Here are some of our early spring bloomers - I can't wait to share what the rest of the summer brings!

Daffodils - we've got about 200 in various
beds throughout the yard.

Yellow Iris.  Huge!  White ones and
purple ones too.

Azalea bushes.  An early spring staple
in Virginia. This white one is just outside|
of our living room window, and nearly as tall.
It's a giant snowball of flowers!

Dogwood Tree - the state tree.  Delicate and gorgeous
spring flowers.

Lupines.  Fast becoming a garden favorite.

Rhododendron bush.  Touchy, but worth
the love when it flowers!

Ernie

Ernie's such a handsome dog!  It's been ages since I posted about him - he deserves some blog love!  (Also, I just got a new lens for my camera and he's the perfect subject - he doesn't run away or pout when I pull out the camera!)  He's still just as laid back as ever, unless he feels the need to protect us and our house.  He doesn't care for people walking too close to the fence, and the neighbor's cats are definitely viewed as the enemy. It's a good thing they're so fast!   The squirrels and he have a constant argument going on about whose tree is whose, and Ernie's been known to try to climb the tree to make his point.  He loves running around the yard, and has been trying to figure out how to get in on Evan and Mike's games of football or baseball.  But he mostly loves just sitting in the sun.  We're so glad we picked each other, Ernie!