I Really, Really Want One

Evan keeps saying, "I really, really want one. I really, really want one. I really, really want one." He won't tell me what he really, really wants though.

Chilly

When Evan was a little baby and would wake up really early in the morning, we would just tuck him in between us in our bed and we'd all get another hour or so of sleep. He grew out of this very quickly and for the last 2 years or so, he never wants to get in bed and cuddle in the morning. He'll get on the bed and play, but never just lay still and get some more sleep. He'd rather wake up at the crack of dawn and get his day started. :) Well this morning he got up nice and early and was playing while we were still in bed. Before long, in came Evan to my side of the bed and wanted up on the bed. I helped him up and he was still for a minute and then said, "It's kind of chilly out there." He said it a couple of times and it was so cute. He didn't lay still for very long, but maybe this will be the start of something new... I guess we can test it out tomorrow morning when we really want to stay in bed to enjoy a Saturday morning of not having to get up so early. I doubt it, but one can always hope!

Vacuuming

It was our turn to help clean the church today. I cleaned all the bathrooms, fun for me. It was WAY more fun last time because Julie and I yacked the whole time while we worked. While I was doing that, Gary was vacuuming the halls and classrooms with the big vacuum. He got the regular sized vacuum out for Evan to use because he wanted to help too. Gary didn't turn Evan's vacuum on, but Evan pushed that thing up and down the halls and it kept him entertained for 1 1/2 hours while we cleaned. It was pretty cute and he thought he was so big being able to help like that. It was good for him to learn that we all do our part to keep the church building nice. Maybe Evan won't be scared of the vacuum at home now.

Which brings me to another vacuum story... :) Lately Evan has been scared of the vacuum, who knows why. On the movie Finding Nemo, there is a part where Nemo is getting dared to go touch the boat. He doesn't want to and the other little fish tell him he's too scared, which of course makes him want to prove that he isn't. All the fish make a big deal out of the fact that he touched the boat. Well, the other day, Evan opens up the closet where we keep the vacuum, reached in and touched it. Then he came over to me and said, I touched the vacuum. :) I think he was proving he wasn't scared. What a cute boy.

4 Wheeler and Motorcycle

On Saturday we had a end of the season/back to school BBQ at Mom and Dad's house. Kylie is heading off to college this weekend and all the rest of the kids are starting school next week. Between all the nieces and nephews up here, there will be someone in almost every grade. Pretty crazy.

After we chowed down for awhile, I asked Dad is I could give Evan a ride on his new 4 wheeler. I wasn't sure if Evan would like it or not, but wanted to give it a try. We got on and got moving at a snails pace and Evan liked it just fine. We went around the loop a couple times, getting faster as we went. Evan loved it and didn't want to stop of course, but there were lots of people who wanted a turn, including me, who wanted to ride by myself once. Jeff asked Evan if he wanted a ride on his big motorcycle. Evan was all for that and got on Jeff's bike with him. They followed me around the loop. Evan liked riding the motorcycle even more than the 4 wheeler.

For the next little while everyone had a turn on the 4 wheeler. Evan kept asking for a ride on Jeff's big bike. Jeff was giving rides to the other kids too, so it took a while, but Evan never stopped asking. He finally got one more ride right before we left. It was so fun seeing the huge smile on his face. I wish we had pictures. As we were leaving I asked Evan if he liked riding that bike with Uncle Jeff. Evan's response...can I have a bike? :) I guess we've moved on from asking for a dog!

Kisses and Hugs

The last couple of days Evan has really been into giving kisses and hugs. Tonight he gave me a hug and patted my back at the same time. I dare you to try to give someone a hug without patting their back too. :)

The funny thing about the kisses is that Evan will just walk up to you and give you a kiss, at whatever level you happen to be. If you are at the computer or couch, you get a kiss on the arm, if you are standing in the kitchen...well Evan is 3 feet tall, so you get a kiss on the leg or the "other" cheek. Hee hee. I keep telling Evan that he shouldn't kiss people on the bum, but he just doesn't quite get it. I've tried to tell him that if he wants to give us a kiss he should just say so and he can give us a kiss on the cheek, but to no avail. I think he likes the randomness of just surprising us with a kiss, wherever it happens to land.

Come On, It'll Be Fun

We have been having troubles getting Evan to stay in his bed at nap time and bed time. The other day I decided to try the stay in bed technique from the Super Nanny. Yes, I'm sure this has been used for centuries, but I learned it from her. :) The idea is that Evan is in bed and I'm in there, but not responding to him at all. So I was sitting in Evan's room with my head down and happened to have my arms folded too. Evan was chatting away and rolling around in his bed. Then I hear him say, time for prayers, time for prayers...I can only assume because my arms were folded. This almost made me laugh, but I kept my composure and just kept sitting there. Then I hear Evan say, Heavenly Father...thanks for this day... and a few other things. It was SO hard not to do anything, but I knew if I said anything we'd have to start all over. After all, it's okay for him to say his own prayers.

He was quiet for a minute after that. During this time, Gary was out in the living room and Evan knew it. Before long Evan yells, Gary, Gary, come in my room, come on, it'll be fun. I had to bite my lip and cheek to keep from laughing. Oh, what a clever little boy we have. The end of the story is that Evan eventually fell asleep and has been doing better since then, thank goodness. Now we just need to conquer potty training...but that is a whole other post.

Can I Have a Dog?

A couple weeks ago we watched Jeff and Michelle's dog Buddy for a few days. Evan really liked having him here, we all did. Ever since then, he has been asking us almost every day, "can I have a dog." :) It's pretty cute. Last night we told him that once he is potty trained, can buy dog food, can provide a bed, can pooper scoop, oh and buy his own dog, etc., that he could have one. I'm pretty sure we'll get one before all that. Maybe we'll hold out on the potty training. We don't want to be "house training" 2 at once... Anyway, I think Evan is wearing Gary down. We'll see what happens!

Broken

Today Evan told Jeanne he couldn't go potty because his ..... was broken. :) He was able to go just fine when he got home, so I guess there's nothing wrong with him. Oh the things Evan thinks of. It's pretty funny.

Huckleberries

Huckleberries are for sale all over up here. I'm not sure how the hourly rate works out once you drive to the mountains, pick the tiny berries, drive home, clean them and bag them, but I'm glad some people are willing to do this because then I can buy some! My Aunt Annette and some of her kids are picking hucks for sale this year. Yesterday I bought a gallon from her and they are just perfect!

It's hard to decide what to do with huckleberries. If you freeze them, you can put them in cobbler, pie, pancakes, smoothies, etc. Or, you can process them and make pie filling, syrup or jam. You have to use more all at once if you do it this way, but they actually probably last longer if you do. I decided to make one batch of jam this morning and am still debating what to do with the rest of the bag. There are pictures on the picture blog of my final product. It turned out VERY yummy!

I Need a Vacuum

Yesterday Evan was out in the living room with a baggie of animal crackers when I heard him say, I made a mess. I didn't think much of this, even though he said it several times, because he says that a lot and it could just mean that he has a crumb on his finger... :) But then I heard him say, I need a vacuum. Huh? So I went out there and sure enough, he did need a vacuum. The animal crackers and all the crumbs from the bottom of the bag were all over the table. So, we got out the dust buster and I tried to show him how to use it, but he didn't want to be anywhere near that little red monster. Gary is the vacuum man in our house and it looks like Evan will be doing that too when he is big enough. Yipee for me!