Christmas and House Photos

Evaneezer updates

Hello all! It's about time I updated - so much has happened. Evan is growing like crazy and talking up a storm. His teachers tell us that he's one of the most advanced talkers in his class. Can't help but feel good when you hear that, right? His words at 16 - 17 months are: uh oh, mommy, daddy, papa, lolo (JR's dad), daisi, thank you, cheese, milk, boo boo (he says this when he's dirty), pee pee, diaper, bible, amen, duck, clock, tic toc, tigger, cracker, cookie, car, bye bye, hello, more, baby, boat, book, and no. He also refers to Jesus in my nativity as "baby" right now. He tries Jesus, but he's not quite there yet. Evan will also tell us what a clock says (thus the "tic toc") and what a monkey says (ooh ooh ooh). He shows us his belly, nose, feet, and ears. We're working on hair, now. At his last doctor's appt, he weighed about 26 lbs and was 2 and 1/2 feet tall. He's still in the upper part of his range. He runs and climbs everywhere, points at everything, and is so amazingly (and sometimes, frustratingly) curious! He loves to eat chicken, sausage, carrots, fries (yikes!), bananas, toast, animal crackers, and now, candy canes. He'll eat much more, but those are the general faves. He's also doing well eating with a fork and spoon. He loves milk, will drink water, but can't have juice because his little baby bottom breaks out. :( He's also allergic to penicillin, but so far, no food allergies! Probably the cutest thing he does right now is when he sees a photo of a family member, he'll name who they are and then kiss the picture. My heart melts into a puddle.

JR and I are doing well through all the chasing Evan, but we're waffling about whether we want #2 soon, or not. Sometimes I think - continue with the madness. Other times, I REALLY value the little rest I get now. Evan sleeps fine; ten hours a night most of the time. But when he's awake? Let the race begin. I can't count how many times a day I say "no." I said when I was pregnant that I was not going to change my entire house and life to revolve around Evan because I think sometimes that can spoil a child if you take it too far. For example, I'm not going to rid the house of breakables and keep ornaments off my tree. We're trying to teach Evan that something's "pretty" and so far, he will touch with one finger (sometimes several times) and then leave it alone. It teaches him to respect other people's belongings, but at the same time, it satisfies his curiosity. And mostly, teaching him this is harder on me because I have to be on alert all the time. He has broken a couple of things, though, in moments of pure insanity. :) Ahh, the toddler years. Hope you all are well.

I've been due some blogging...

I can't believe it's been so long...I wonder what keeps me so busy? Could be that Evan's a busy little man and into everything. That's just a fleeting guess. He's climbing couches, bookshelves, stairs, and toilets. That's right, toilets.

The newest on the agenda in the world of Divino is that we're building a house. Yes, that's right...the economy is in shambles around us and we are BUILDING A HOUSE. How crazy is that? We actually started the process before all the Wall Street stuff happened. Anyway, our new house is in Miller's Crossing in Sherwood. We're excited because we're going to have so much space! Here are some pics:

Peek-A-Boo and More...

Evan's Latest:

Evan has officially earned his middle name! Evan "Walker" is all over the place!

Evan's new gal pal

April and I went out with Evan and Ashtyn last Saturday to On the Border and The Wonder Place. The kids had alot of fun, and so did we! (We ran out of energy faster than the kids, though.) Here are some pics of the cutie pies:

Birthday Photos and More...

Random Tidbit

You know you're at the grocery store alot when the employees wave at you from across the store and then mention this is the second or third time they've seen you this week...

Evan: Then & Now

From Baby to Big Boy

For the world, tomorrow is July 30th; for the Divinos, tomorrow is Evan's 1st birthday! I'm at a lack of words to describe the last year of our lives adequately, but I'll try.

As a mother, when I first looked at that chubby little cherub face, I felt a rush of emotion unlike ever before. I've never felt more thankful to my God in all my 29 years. I've never been more in awe of God and His mastery in all my 29 years.

I've learned that the true beauty of raising a child is giving of yourself and having a physical reminder in front of you every day of God's love and His sacrifice for us. Evan humbles me and when I'm at my most humble (read - when I'm at my wits end), God takes over. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." II Corinthians 12:9. When I fail because I'm tired, sick, or even ignorant, I can give it to God.

Evan is our motivation and inspiration. We seek to be better so that he will learn truth, faithfulness, and integrity. We contemplate our example on a daily basis. We realize that we cannot depend on a Christian school, a Bible class, a teacher, or anyone else as his sole source of values; he watches us first.

I have re-evaluated my priorities because of Evan. Our house doesn't have to be the largest, the most attractive, or the cleanest. (Though fairly clean makes me a happier Mommy. *wink*)

We don't have as much free money or free time. We don't buy new clothes for ourselves as often or go on as many dates. But you know what? We are happy, truly happy.

Evan is our joy. That cackle of his when Daddy is tickling him sends my spirits soaring. His little words fill me with pride. I make an idiot of myself in the grocery store with this child, just to get him to wave bye bye to the cashiers, say "uh oh" or "boat", or clap his hands and show off his four little teeth.

There's not enough time or space here to relay all of my lessons, stories, or thoughts. These are a few I'm thinking of in preparation for the big day tomorrow and looking back to July 30th, 2007. In the history of JR and Hilari Divino, that was one important day.

Pictures to follow in the next post.

Independence Day

The Divinos and Dunlaps celebrated Independence Day on Friday with a cookout and fireworks. We had alot of fun! It's crazy to think that I was huge this time last year and Evan was gearing up to make his entrance. He has made time pass by so much faster. (What did we do with our free time when we were childless???)
Evan had a big time with his cousins over the weekend. He's the only boy in the Divino family and the second boy in the Dunlap family. All the cousins in Little Rock are girls! He's getting in touch with his sensitive side a bit early.
A tidbit from this week - we found a sweet, scared, and pitiful little dog on the way home from church Sunday night. He was just lying in the road with cars doing sixty and swerving around him. I thought he had surely been hit by a car, but there was no evidence of that when we stopped. JR loaded him in the car and now he's making himself comfy in the backyard. It seems as if he's been abused; he's very scared acting. He hides in the bushes all day and won't come out to get food. He did eat the food that I placed next to him in his little patch of the flower bed. We're trying to make arrangements for him because we can't have four dogs!!! Daisi doesn't know anything is different because she's inside with us all the time anyway, but Roxi and Lady aren't happy about not staying in the yard. We don't want them to pick up any illnesses from him, just in case.

My patriotic baby

Evan, Kristin, Bella, & Kimby
Bella's sparklers
Picnic time!
Sad little puppy :(

Evan's Latest...

Evan's latest favorite song? "Who Let the Dogs Out." Not as sweet as "I'm a Little Teapot", but he sure thinks its hilarious. It was in some TV show one night last week, and we sang it to him to be goofy, and it was a hit! We got some of the cutest cackles ever from our little man. He danced in front of the mirror today to his latest fave sung by yours truly.

I Can't Help It, I'm a Mother...

A person I've never laid eyes on treated me unkindly this week. If that was all, it wouldn't be so bad, but it wouldn't have happened had I not been holding my eleven month old at the time. He, of course, was pulling my hair out by the roots, yanking my earrings, and generally attempting any acrobatic move he could muster in my lap. No problem, normal eleven-month old tricks, right? So, with one hand on him, I was busy doing something else with the other. (I feel it's best to keep up the anonymity here.) I should explain that what I was doing in this scenario was an act of service for someone else. That being said, this person came up behind me and started talking a bluestreak about what I was doing, and promptly chastised me for not doing it right, and all in front of twenty or so people.

Normally, I would blow this off. I really would. (All the while thinking to myself that this person is just an ignorant busybody.) But this hit a nerve. I do get frustrated that I can't accomplish what I used to. I'm not as sharp as I once was. I'm not as free as I once was. My entire life is just a large blur of multi-tasking. And there are times that I have to stand around and hold my little boy while others do the "real" work. (yea right.)

BUT, I love this child and I choose to do right by him. I choose to focus my attention on his needs above all else. I choose to discipline him when needed, to nurture him when necessary. I choose disorganization above neglecting him. I choose sloppiness over losing time with him. And I choose to accept the disapproval of others when I have to be a mother above all else.

Maybe this person can do everything perfectly with one hand tied behind the back, but this person should not be a mother.

Destin!!

Evan Updates

Evan's up to some new tricks these days! He's so cute, I can barely stand it, but I'm his mom...it's my job, right? At his last doctor's appt, he weighed 22 lbs, 4 ozs and was 28 inches long. He's definitely a healthy boy, and we are so thankful for that. Evan has decided that it's time to eat at the table with us and to chow down on what we're having. He really seems to enjoy breads right now, like Cheerios, Puffs, and toast. He loves strawberries, pears (pretty much all fruit), carrots, peas, corn, potatoes. He really likes Vienna sausages, and today at his uncle's house, he tried (and liked) Bratwurst. He also tried baked beans and ate every one on my plate!! He's not acting very fond of cheese right now, which is weird, because JR and I both love cheese, but we'll give the little guy some time. He'll come around.

Our latest and greatest triumph is we've managed to give up the bottle! (For the most part.) He now drinks his milk from a sippy cup and seems to like it. It's funny though, he started saying "Bot bot" around the time he gave it up. So he just calls the sippy cup his bot bot.

Evan's learning how to walk using his lion walker, and doing pretty good with it. (It roars when he takes a step.) He also loves to drop or throw an object and then say "uh oh!" (He also says Dada, bot bot, bye bye and a version of ma ma which sounds like "na na.") He has two teeth on the bottom, and we're expecting more any day. He drools like crazy.

He swam in the ocean and the pool for the first time last week. We were in Destin with our friends, Alan, Barbie, and their little girl, Emma, and Ben and his little girl, Kayley. We give credit to Emma for teaching Evan a thing or two while we were on vacation. He starting doing alot of the above while we were there! She's also the little girl who gave him his first kiss! If you all are reading this, we had a great time with you all!

Sick Parents

It's been a yucky weekend, folks. When I got home from work Friday, I had a temp of 102. I've been on antibiotics for some sinus junk that I contracted (probably from Teapot's daycare). So, needless to say, my mood was less than sunny Friday evening and I admit (ashamedly) that I acted quite grumpy with JR that night. He did the smartest thing ever and just stayed away from me so I could wallow awhile. So, guess what? JR popped up sick Saturday morning and is now running a fever (and throwing up). I'm worried because he has a headache that won't go away with any medicine. He says it's dull and not very painful, but more annoying than anything. But still, he NEVER stays in bed all day. I am feeling pretty guilty for my show of grouchiness on Friday! So, we have a sick Mommy and a sick Daddy. Can you guess who the only well one is? That's right: Evan. Thank goodness my Teapot is well; now we just have to see who is up to chasing him around all day.

Lunch with Ashley and Garrett

Evan and I met my friend Ashley and her sweet boy for lunch a couple weeks ago. (Much to the dismay of the employees at the restaurant. Boys are messy.) Garrett is only a few months younger than Evan and it was fun to see how much he has grown! We had some spit up incidents and one crying boy when Mommy went to the restroom (mine), and one throw up incident. Other than that, it was smooth sailing! Here we are:

Updates

It seems I have less and less time for this blog lately, and Evan Divino is the reason. He's all over the place! He turns over the ficus trees, dumps out the dog's water bowl, wants to eat everything in sight, shreds toilet paper, throws bottles and pacies, steals remote controls, pushes buttons, etc, etc, etc! Whew!!! I tell him all the time it's a good thing he's so darn cute. He's going on ten months and walks himself up and down the couches and coffee table when we're home at night. His latest discovery is the spring on the baseboard that catches the door as it shuts. All I hear when I'm getting ready in the morning is boing, boing, boing, BOING! And then he laughs when we go look at him. He also likes to chase Daisi around the house. Evan can say and wave bye bye now and he has two cute little teeth on the bottom front of his mouth. He's eating some grown up food now, such as mashed potatoes, crackers, bread, and cheese (though he's not fond of cheese, yet. We're working on that). He loves puffs and biter biscuits, and lately, he seems to get frustrated with us when we try to feed him. He acts like he wants to do it himself. (I guess there's no reason for complaint there.) Here are some pictures:

At our house, even the baby does laundry.
Waiting for Mommy and Daddy!
Caught red-handed.
No caption needed...

The Divinos on Mother's Day

Mommy & Evan Day

Mommy, Evan, and the Old Mill

Evan and I had a Mommy/Baby day last week. We went out to eat with April and little Ashtyn, which was quite the messy adventure. Evan threw up on the floor (those new teeth make alot of stuff besides teeth come out), threw his rattle a million times, threw my fork on the floor, and gnawed on the table. Ashtyn happily shoved Cheetos in her mouth and what was left over was shoved into the crevice of the table we were sitting at. She and Evan were making eyes at each other, though! It was fun for me and April to have a working mom's day out, but I'm sure the waitresses were glad to see us go.

After eating, we went to see PaPa at his office. Evan got to explore all of the carpet and a few drawers, too. And PaPa really enjoyed showing off his grandson!

And finally, Evan and I visited the Old Mill. It was incredible! I've always liked visiting there because the mill is depicted in the opening credits of Gone With the Wind, one of my faves. But the Master Gardner's society has done a great job landscaping the mill and surrounding grounds. Pictures are in the post above.

A Little of This and That

Evan is being such a big boy these days! He's really getting around his domain for some exploration. He's managed to overturn a ficus tree on himself, gag on some paper towel, and he's pulling up on the furniture. We've always wondered if he would walk early and it looks like he might. He's not even nine months old yet! JR calls him his little linebacker. We're taking him to the doctor on May 7th for shots and weight check. So, I'll have to post his weight then, but it sometimes feels like 50 pounds! Here are the latest cutiepie pictures:

This one needs no explanation.
Wearing Mommy's U of A hat.
He uses the arm weights more than me!
First haircut.

Evan and his new buddy

Evan and Daisi are making friends! She's a little skittish (especially when Evan cries or shrieks), but she's handling the transition pretty well.

Easter Baskets and Daffodil Fields

This was Evan's first Easter, and boy did he have a big weekend. The little fella was pooped when we got home Sunday night! He is such a good baby and behaved like an angel for us during our many activities. The Easter Bunny brought him a nice Easter basket with alot of goodies tucked in the grass! He had an Easter rattle, a snuggly lamb, an interactive storybook, and more. Mommy's favorite thing was how cute he looked in his Easter duds!

As all things do, Easter has come and gone, but Spring will stay awhile longer. We really enjoyed Spring at Wye Mountain on Sunday! The wind was a little strong, but other than that, everything was totally gorgeous. Here are some pictures of Easter and Wye Mountain.