Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes!

Evan is a really good listener. Nathan is, too, when he wants to be (and when I don't want him to be). But this little episode is all about Evan "Baby Boy" Peck. It had been a long day, and I had just filled the tub for the boys while Laura was granting their wish for a before-bedtime snack. I walked into the kitchen and informed the boys that their bath was ready, and they needed to get in it. I proceeded to secure my own snack, while discussing the next day's schedule with Laura. We simply forgot somehow that we had sent the boys to the bathroom for their bath. Perhaps we were too tired to notice. Perhaps we were enjoying the 2.7 minutes of their silence... "NO EVAN! NO!! (pause) MOMMY! DAAAADDDDDYYYY!!! EVAN'S GETTING IN TROUBLE!!!" Nathan shouted from the bathroom. (Oh, SNAP! Evan still has his clothes on!) I raced to the bathroom to find Nathan holding the Christmas card Evan had opened earlier from his Grandma and Grandad Soldner. It was soaked - from the toilet - that needed to be flushed. (Sorry, Grandma and Grandad - Evan really did like the card!) Evan himself was actually in the tub - still fully dressed - including his socks and shoes! He didn't seem to mind at all, splashing and playing, rolling around like a little fish - a fish with his clothes and shoes on!

We'd like to take this moment to thank Grandma and Grandad for the Christmas check, and for the new shoes Evan will be getting from part of it!

Bed Time Stories

My favorite childhood memories are of my parents reading and singing to me at bedtime. My dad had some peculiar selections for "lullabies", but if you know the man, this comes as little surprise! Anyway, among the favored Backyardigans books, along with "Goodnight, Moon", and "Little Nutbrown Hare", is the colorful, picture-laden Beginner's Bible. This is truly the boys' favorite story book. There are so many stories to choose from, and they love to find out who the people in the pictures are. One recent evening when Laura was working late, I sent Evan to "get in my bed with a book and wait for me" while I finished getting Nathan ready. When I returned to my room, there he was...

Evan Uses The Potty!

We knew it was coming. He's been sitting on the training potty before getting in the tub for months - he just sits down and gets up too fast for anything to have a chance to deposit! He stands in front of the big potty just like Nathan and says, "I tee-tee!", but he hasn't (thankfully, as the rim is at his belly-button!). But on Sunday, December 16th, 2007, Evan Peck came running into the living room with nothing on but a shirt and a smile ("Oh, yes, we call him the STREAK!"). He came up to me at the computer and said, "DADDY! I tee-tee!" My first thought, upon sight of his waist-down nakedness, was "Uh-oh! WHERE?!" as I jumped up and followed him down the hall. He pointed toward the bathroom and said, "In dere!" I was scanning the floor along the way, when I realized the little trail of drops in the bathroom led into the training potty! "LAURA! Come quick!" I yelled toward the kitchen, as I inquired of the boys as to whether Evan sat or stood (Nathan was in there, too, as they were getting ready for a bath). My suspicions were confirmed: Evan had stood in front of the potty - like Nathan and Daddy. He still managed to get a good bit inside the potty. "Evan made a mess!" Nathan stated in judgment. "Well, it's his first time, and we still make a mess every now and then, too!" I reminded him. Once Laura was there, we all shouted and clapped and made a big fuss over Evan's milestone. He smiled real big and proud and basked in our praise as he climbed into the tub with Nathan. He then sat there with his head held high and smiled big at Nathan, who was clapping and congratulating his brother. Then the water fight was on, and things were back to normal. I just hope he sits down for his first poop on the potty!

Bless You!

Evan is coming along quite nicely with his speech now. He isn't always clear to us, but he sure is confident in what he says! And, like his brother, Nathan, he's usually got something to say. The boys and I were driving in the car when all of a sudden I heard a big SNEEZE. Before I even turned around, I knew what to expect, just from the sound of this sneeze. It was not one of those "aachoo" types. It was one of those "full" sneezes - you know, the ones that you just know had a substantial clearing-out-the-sinuses discharge. I looked up in the rear-view mirror, and BOY, was I right! Poor Evan sat there with a look of absolute bewilderment on his face (along with the double-barrel drainage from his nose to his chin)! I pulled over (this was too big a job to handle while driving) and grabbed a Kleenex (smart parents keep a box in every vehicle and room). I mopped up the mess on his face before he got over-zealous with his taste-testing, then he smiled real big at me and said in his high-pitched, sing-song voice, "Bless You!"