Evan's new "Big Boy" bed

Just as we started to think Evan was getting just a little to big for his crib we were offered a twin bed set from a coworker. It couldn't have come at a better time. I was a litte worried Evan wouldn't transition well to the new bed so I had Josh keep the crib set up for a few days. But it turned out that Evan loved the bed. That week we got a new comforter set for the bed with jungle animals on it that matched the theme of his room perfectly. Evan loved putting all of his stuffed animals on the headboard and we put a lot of his books in the cubbies. A few weeks after we got the new bed we had a little setback with Evan wanting to sleep in our room. We had a few rough nights of having to put him back in his bed, some nights multiple times. But soon enough he was sleeping back in his own bed through the night. It's hard to believe what a big boy he is now!

Christmas 2010

Christmas was really fun this year with Evan being a little older. He was definitely more interested in what was going on: the presents, wrapping and all the decorating. Evan helped put some ornaments on the tree and even got to put the star on top. I was really surprised that he didn't try to open any of the presents but did ask quite a bit about opening them. In school, they learned a lot about Santa and the reindeer and learned some Christmas carols too. It was cute to hear him sing the carols and say "HoHoHo!" We were able to skype with Mom, Dad, Ashley, Emily and Rod on Christmas morning. It was great that they were able to see Evan open the gifts they go him. Looking forward to many more holidays to come!

Neptune Festival

Every year in September, Virginia Beach holds the Neptune Festival which features the North American Sandsculpting Championship. Evan and I went to see the sandcastles this year with Sarah, Evan's sitter, and her daughter's Kaelyn and Karly. Sarah started watching Evan this past January. Evan and Kaelyn, who's 5, have become good friends and enjoyed playing together on the playground after seeing the sandcastles.

Halloween 2010

This Halloween Evan was a dinosaur. Not scary, but the plush and adorable kind! He really enjoyed his costume and wanted to wear it every day leading up to Halloweeen. Evan's preschool had a Halloween party and parade that week which was very fun for the kids. On Halloween we went trick-or-treating in a friend's neighborhood. There were a few other little ones that joined us. Evan and one of the little girls who was dressed as a giraffe stayed close to one another. They loved running up to the doors together but getting them to say "trick-or-treat" was a little difficult. Sometimes Evan would try to grab more candy then was given. We'll have to go over the trick-or-treating rules again next year!

Hershey, Pa

After the wedding, Dad and Mom decided to come back down to Virginia Beach with us. We decided to drive back and made a stop at Hershey Park on the way back. We visited the Hershey Museum were we learned the whole story of Milton Hershey and how the chocolate factory came to be. Chocolate World was our next stop and we found out that the name couldn't have been more fitting. The store inside had TONS of chocolate, every candy the Hershey produced and also the Reese's brand as well. That factory is only a few miles from the Hershey factory. Evan got to put on a hard hat and "make" some candy of his own. He definitely had his chocolate fix after that trip, every time you turned around someone was handing you a piece of candy. Later on we met the trolley outside of Chocolate World and took a tour of the actual town of Hershey. We saw where the Hershey family lived and where a lot of the employees lived as well. A few of the highlights of the tour were seeing Founders Hall and the grounds of Hershey School. We all had a great time at Hershey. Next time we go we'll just have to make sure the theme park is open too!

While in Virginia Beach, Mom and Dad took Evan to the Aquarium for the day. Last year, we were able to get a year membership and it has really come in handy on rainy or hot summer days. We've gone quite a bit and Evan really enjoys it. He loves looking at the huge sea turtles and the sting rays. There are a lot of interactive areas of the aquarium and Evan loves to push all the buttons, turn all the wheels, etc.. to see what will happen. Glad we have a place like this so close to home.

Emily and Rod ~ October 10, 2010

Emily and Rod's wedding was at the Mountain House in Keene, NY. It was a beautiful location and the fall foliage was at it's peak that week. The ceremony took place outside over looking the mountains, it couldn't have been a more perfect day. Leading up to the big day we had lots of fun at Lisa G's for the rehearsal dinner and had pictures taken on a trolley overlooking Lake Placid. Emily, Ashley and I were able to squeeze in a pedicure together which was a nice time to just sit back and relax. The wedding day went wonderfully and Emily looked beautiful. Evan had a great time with Emma over the weekend. She was the flower girl and he was the ring bearer. Even though his suit ended up being a little big, Evan looked very handsome in it! The reception was great as well. Mom did a great job decorating and setting up the room. I was a little nervous about making my speech to the bride and groom but it went off well and after that I really felt like I could enjoy the wonderful evening that it was!

Evan's first day of preschool

Evan started Rollingwood Academy the first week of September. About a month before school started we got a package from his teachers, Ms. Kathleen and Ms. Laura. There was a picture of them in the package that we hung on the fridge so Evan could get used to seeing their faces and lots of information on what to expect for the upcoming school year. The drop off on the first day went really good. The teachers encouraged parents not to hang around too long because that may make the goodbyes a little harder. Evan got a little upset as we were leaving but we were told when we picked him up that it lasted only a few minutes after we left. Rollingwood has a uniform of white/navy/light blue shirts and khaki/navy pants. On Friday's the students can wear their usual clothes. I think it's pretty cute seeing them all in their uniforms and it makes shopping easier too. We hope Evan will be happy his new school and make lots of new friends!

Emily's Bridal Shower ~ Aug 2010

We traveled to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania for Emily's bridal shower in August. This was the first time Josh, Evan and I got to meet Emily's fiance, Rod's, family. We had a wonderful time with Emily, Rod and Rod's family. Evan even made a new friend, Emma, who is Rod's niece. They are around the same age and had a great time playing together. After the shower we went out to dinner with the family and as we were walking to the parking lot unexpectedly got to see an awesome fireworks display that was put on for a wedding reception at the restaurant. Evan was fascinated by them and didn't seem scared at all. It was a great ending to our visit!

A visit to Charleston

The first week of June we made a trip to visit Todd and Nichole in Charleston. We had a very nice visit and while we were there we found out some very exciting news. Nichole is expecting a baby in February! During our visit we went to the Charleston Aquarium, a Bee farm and petting zoo and Josh and I were able to have a nice dinner in Charleston one night while Todd and Nichole watched Evan.

Mother's Day

Our traditional Mother's Day spent strawberry picking at Henley Farms. We picked lots of strawberries this year and I was able to make some yummy strawberry muffins and strawberry freezer jam!

Beach Day ~ April 12th

We spent Dad's birthday at Little Island Park and had lot's of fun playing on the playground and the beach!