Merry Christmas!

Our first Christmas in Austin as a family was wonderful! We spent Christmas Eve with neighbors and had a wonderful dinner! Christmas was so exciting. Of course, Alex and I were super excited to watch Evan come down the hallway to see what Santa brought. We had the video camera geared up and it was a memory to cherish forever! The first thing Evan saw was a mini wooden train set set up on the coffee table (he'll be getting a much larger one for his birthday, but this was a hand-me-down gift!) Santa was sooo good to all of us! We had plenty of snow on the ground, and flurries later in the evening. After a long needed nap, we headed to Brownsdale to have dinner at our friend's parent's house. Jeff, Holly and their daughter Avari (3) welcomed us to Jeff's parents and we had another wonderful meal!! Evan and Avari had their own little table and they were so cute! Avari kept playing her Santa music box...all they needed was some candlelight!! We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Our Christmas cards will be in the mail soon....we had a few delays in getting them!!

No boy in Minnesota is without a hockey stick!!!

A candy cane hat knitted by my boss's girlfriend!

(She also made the pumpkin hat for Halloween!)

Very focused on the choo-choo!

The aftermath!!!

Much love to you and your families in 2009!

All Better!

After nine days of the flu bug, we are ALL BETTER!  Just in time for Christmas!  We had a wonderful weekend with friends and neighbors and a blizzard!  Friday was a snow day for the kids (yes in Minnesota they have snow days!)  I would guess we had 10-12 inches since Friday.  Saturday was dangerous and trecherous conditions, but Alex and I braved it by shoveling the sidewalk and driveway.  It was -5 without the windchill and nearly -30 with the windchill.  The blizzard caused a lot of snowdrifts..in fact the snow blocked our neighbors in their driveway...it was over 4 feet! 

Last night, Alex had his company Christmas party and Evan had Kallie to babysit.  This morning we met the Harts at the country club for a Santa Brunch.  Evan absolutely didn't want to wear his "choo choo" overalls, but finally I was able to get him dressed while in front of a mirror so he could see it.  He was so proud to show Santa his choo-choo on his outfit.  He had no fears of St. Nick.  He held on to his stuffed bear that Santa gave him and was showing everyone.  After the week we had, it was so fulfilling to see Evan back to his goofy self.  Our Christmas cards will be late this year, b/c I haven't had a good photo op with Evan until today.

Evan was very happy with Santa, although he doesn't look it in these quick snapshots!!

Evan was in awe of the big guy and waved "bye bye Santa" when we left!

We hope everyone travels safely and enjoys this very special holiday with friends and family.  We miss you all and Merry Christmas!!

The Flu Epidemic

Sorry to say I still have no new pictures to post. 

We are all recovering from the flu epidemic and it's been a rough week.  It all started last Thursday (of course when Alex was travelling) and Evan came down with the big bad stomach virus. Alex walked in from his trip Friday evening to a very sick little boy.  We made it to the hospital where Evan was diagnosed with yet another ear infection and the FLU.  (Like we didn't know that!) 

Alex and I had plans Friday evening in Minneapolis and were supposed to stay over night and enjoy some holiday shopping in the Cities. Evan was supposed to stay with our neighbors.  Needless to say, Evan came first.  Alex volunteered to stay home wiht Evan on Saturday so that I could get out of the house and get some retail therapy!  I came down with the big bad bug Saturday and then Alex got it bad on Sunday.  We all stayed home Monday and the boys remained quarantined Tuesday.  I was able to make it to work Tuesday afternoon. 

We finally felt Evan was well enough to go to daycare today and although he hasn't slept well over the last week, he ate yesterday and didn't get sick.  I dropped him off and two hours later I got a call from the daycare to come get Evan.  I was so worried about his lethargic behavior, we went straight to the hospital AGAIN.  Four and half hours later and many tests, they could find nothing to explain his illness.  We are still waiting for urinalysis results.  The only explanation was that Evan had the flu, had the ear infection, definitely teething for his 2 year molars (they are very inflamed) and must have remnants of the flu bug.

It's now 5:30 pm Wednesday, and he seems like himself less 4-5 pounds.  Hopefully, we will all get a good night sleep tonight and get well for Santa's visit next week!  I'm so far behind with my usual holiday traditions....Christmas cards, baking, shopping, etc.  Christmas will just have to last a little longer this year, so that's why you may not recieve a card prior to the holiday!!!

Lots of love and hope everyone is enjoying the holidays!  Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers and understanding!!!

Brrrrrrr....

Winter has definitely arrived and after Christmas it is more than welcome to leave! I'll take 2 more weeks of the white stuff but that's it!!! I felt like a kid last night excited about all the snow we could get and the schools had 2 hour delays. Alex is travelling and I knew it'd be a big one...it always snows big time when he's not home to shovel. The meterologists suggested we'd get 6-10 inches overnight and blowing snow all day. I woke up early to watch the news this morning and saw the schools were cancelled for the day. I was excited to find out how much snow b/c surely it was enough to cancel school!! I looked out and sure enough there was about 8 more inches. Then reality sunk in...I had to work today. So, I peeked out the window hoping the snow drifts were tall enough that I'd be blocked in and could stay home today. But to my surprise, my driveway was cleared...the Snow Plow Fairies (our neighbors) cleared my driveway and I had no excuse to play hooky!! The roads were not great, I used our 4WD on the 4Runner and lots of people were getting stuck on the side roads.

Sidenote: Schools were cancelled not b/c of the amount of snow, but for the dangers of the blowing snow and whiteout conditions. This is Minnesota!!!

Evan too was excited about all the nose.... pronounced " NO-se". He tends to flip syllables....snow...nose

Since Thanksgiving, we've been busy playing and hanging out with friends and enjoying the holiday season. Austin kicks off the holidays with many celebrations. In my last post, we went to the Christmas in the City "festival" where they had a lighting ceremony for all the downtown Christmas lights. Each day last week, the city put on activities in different areas, i.e. Christmas in the Northwest, Christmas in the Northeast and Christmas in the Southwest. All the businesses the respective areas had various activities for the kids. Culver's (Burger/Frozen Custard joint) had live reindeer, Applebee's face painting, sleigh rides, etc.

Well we did Christmas in the Southwest on Thursday where we had photos with Santa and a small petting zoo outside my favorite store Sterling Main Street Gifts. It's like Pier One meets Steinmart (without clothes) meets Michaels meets Starbucks meets the Dollar Store meets McDonald's Play Area. Seriously it's a mini grocery store with pharmacy, furniture, kitchenware, candles, scrapbooking/knitting, toys, coffee and ice cream parlor, dollar store section and best of all it has a play area for the kids. It's great...they even sell Crocs!!! It's Evan's favorite store too because he loves the "Choo-Choo"---they have the full Thomas the Train play table.

It was nearly blizzard conditions but we made it and Evan was happy to show his shoes to Santa. Evan was just proud of his dirty sneakers that he wears everyday! So our photo is him pulling on his pant leg showing St. Nick his shoe. Maybe Evan really does want new shoes, or Santa thinks he NEEDS them! Anyway, Evan got three boats from the big guy and plays with them everyday. He'd be happy if that's all he gets for Christmas!!

On our way out of the store, they had three sheep, rabbits, chickens and a donkey. Evan fell in love with the "Baa". Evan does not call animals by their proper names, but by their sounds. He know what a cow says "Moo", but yet he calls it a "Moo".


So, yesterday we drove back to our favorite store to pick up some paper. I'm driving through the parking lot in the snow and Evan points to the front of the store saying "Baa! Baa!" I was speechless....how does he know where we are in the car?! I didn't have that much perception at 16 when I got my driver's license!! (some would say I still don't!) But, he remembered and now more than ever is it his favorite store...baas and choo-choos!!!

I'm just amazed at his ability to catch on to things so fast. I'm sure it's expected but as a first time mom I like to think he's a little genious!! Another recent moment was when we opened his Little People Nativity Set and he pointed to the angel and said "Angel" before we could tell him.

He's our little genious and it's so much fun watching him grow up... we love every moment...genious or not!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a great start to the holiday season.  Grandma visited us for the week and we had a special time with her here in Austin.  It was warmer than usual and then we got snow today (it waited until after she left!).  Evan loved having Grandma to play with!  He was calling for Grandma when he woke up from his naps and in the mornings.  We can't wait for her to return in January when we go to Hawaii!!!  She'll definitley have some snow then!!!  Thanks for everything Mom!!

Friday evening we all bundled up for the Christmas in the City celebration and the lighting ceremony downtown Austin.  It was beautiful and we were just right with our vanilla lattes!  Evan met Santa and loved him (our pictures didn't turn out though!)  The Austinnaires (Austin High School chorus) sang lots of Christmas Carols and Miss Minnesota was there too (Evan was quite taken by her as you will see in the photo!)  He rode the Choo Choo with Kallie & Marissa as well as the horse drawn sleigh!  Evan favorite toy lately is the Choo-Choo.  Anything and everything dealing with trains....

 Here are some photos from the week!!

All dressed up for Thanksgiving....(with Thomas the Train no less!)

Watching Daddy carve the turkey!

The bib says it all!!

Time to clean up!!!

My new pjs from Grandma!! They have a truck and Christmas tree!!

All bundled up for the Christmas in the City celebration!!

Riding the Choo Choo with the girls.  (He cried when it was time to get off!)

Marissa, Miss Minnesota, Kallie and Mr. McDreamy-to-be

Sisters...

To Anna and Pascale---We love and miss you so much!!!

My sister, Pascale, has been on my mind a lot lately and I haven't had much time to catch up with her.  She's coming up on her final exams for Pharmacy School in a few weeks and this graduate program is pretty tough and she also works at CVS Pharmacy!  She is an amazing sister, friend and aunt.  Our lives are so different and we live so far away; however, she's always in my heart, in my thoughts and in my prayers.  She often forgets how truly incredible of a person she is.  She also doesn't give herself half the credit she deserves.  Auntie P's natural ability to nuture makes it so easy for Evan embrace her.   I hope you have a better week sis and it won't be long until Finals are over and you can breathe again!!!  We miss you and love you so much!!!

And, to my sister-in-law, Anna.  The brave and ever-loving firefighting paramedic!! She too is so dedicated to her career and our schedules are far from in sync.  Anna never has a "typical day at work"....she off saving lives and has an uncanny ability to weather it all for others.  Although, we hardly have time to catch up...she and her safety is always on my mind and in my heart.  Anna gave Evan a handful of fireman hats when we were in Savannah last month, and he loves wearing it.  Alex and I share with Evan how brave Aunt Anna is and how special she is!!! 

I love you both and miss you so very very much!!!

By the way....we need some more updated photos!!!!

SNOW!!!!!

So, yes it's true, winter has arrived. However, we had all four seasons in one week. It was 72 degrees on Monday and got cooler and cooler all week. We had the warm sun, the wind, the rain, and finally snow. We've had unseasonably warm weather for the past few weeks, but that's the past!

Friday morning we woke to 2 inches of wet snow. Evan wanted to play in the snow before going to daycare. We know he'll have tons of fun this winter! The snow was so pretty on my way into work, I took some snapshots of the entrance to the houses on the golf course.

Enjoy!!

(These are actually color photos....not black & white!)

Trick or Treat!

Halloween was so much fun this year for Evan! Pumpkin carving however, was not!!! He did not like the pumpkin guts, nor the jack o'lantern that Daddy carved.

He had a party at his daycare and we dressed him as his favorite character, Handy Manny. I made his t-shirt, hat and belt since you can't find anything Handy Manny! He had the doll and tools with tool box so we just added them to the belt. He wasn't crazy about the outfit until I put him in front of the mirror and he was so happy! No one at school knew who he was, except for the kids! Guess we need to get them updated on their shows!!

Hormel has trick or treating in the afternoon at the office and everyone brings their kids in. Evan loved picking out the candy and putting it in his pumpkin. He warmed up as we were leaving and very excited when went door to door. Evan even walks like Yoda!!!

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To Nana and Pops' House We Go

So, the last blog was way too long, so here's a montage of our wonderful and relaxing trip to Dolphin Island , GA (Savannah) to visit Nana, Pops, Aunt Anna & Uncle Charlie and Auntie P!!!

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October 2008

So, it's been a month packed full of memories!!! October, by far, was our busiest month this year! It's obvious as I have not had any new updates since September! Every Saturday was dedicated to football this month. Alex has managed to recuit many of our friends and neighbors to the Dawg Fan Club. Josh next door dons his red and black with as much heart as any Georgia Alum. He found out about the Hope Scholorship in GA and often suggests to his parents they should move!!

We visited Farmer John's Pumpkin Patch again this year and took Kallie and Marissa with us. The next weekend we had a switcheroo and became the babysitters for the kids next door. Kallie, Marissa and even 16 year old Josh, spent the night with us at Casa de Sales. It was a super fun weekend and we built a haunted house for our Halloween party. The girls loved snuggling with Evan in the morning and watched cartoons while Alex prepared french toast. Josh and Alex camped out in the basement to watch College Gameday.

 

Farmers John's, October 2008                          Farmer John's, October 2007 

Then we were off to Dolphin Island/Savannah to visit Nana, Pops, Aunt Anna & Uncle Charlie and Auntie P. We left Wednesday, October 15th and stayed til the following Monday. We missed out on the sea turtles at Jekyl due to the weather, but managed to hunker down and cheer on the dogs to another victory! We had tons of fun at Tybee where Pops taught Evan how to build sand castles. Evan loved chasing the seagulls and racing up the beach with Daddy and Uncle Charlie. We were welcomed back to Minnesota with much cooler weather!

We celebrated Alex's 30th on Saturday night with a huge Halloween party at our house. We hosted about 40 of our friends and they all seemed to have a great time. We celebrated the passing of Alex's youth and pretended we were all still in our 20's. (Some of us didn't have to pretend!) We dressed up as Shrek & Fiona and enjoyed all of our company. Evan had a sleep over next door.

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We woke up on Sunday to winter weather and SNOW!!!! It was way to windy for it to stick, but we had nice 32 degree weather with 30-50 mph winds...brrr. The true Minnesotans that we've become, we didn't let it keep us from taking a hayride out to the pumpkin patch at the Country Club. Evan loved the horses and decorating his pumpkin inside!

So, that pretty much sums up our month. Evan has grown up so much and really looks and acts like a little boy. He loves his matchbox cars and choo choo train. He's become picky with food and still very very silly. It's amazing how well he understands and can communicate at his age. Everyday is something new!

Setting the Style

In collaboration with New York's Fashion Week, Evan revealed his latest collection, E.A.P.S. Modeling his creations is no other than the designer himself...

Evan Alexander Patrick Sales.

New to the runways, is pink patent leather. This color is sure to brighten up those dark color combinations so popular during fall season. Evan is modeling Sydney's birthday present.

Next in the E.A.P.S collection, is the Night Night Line. Evan pulled this look together in no time. He was asked by very important people (mom & dad) to gather his pjs before calling it a night. You can see the mis-matched fabrics have made a comeback. Accesorizing with Douglas provides adds comfort to the look.

A sporty red hooded sweatshirt is perfect for the crisp Friday Night Lights at AHS Varsity Football game.

The E.A.P.S collection truly captures the essence of the transition into seasons. Most designers choose not to overlap seasons, but Evan is no ordinary designer...he's a trend-setter. Modeling another outfit from his Night Night line, Evan accesorizes with sunglasses and lime green Crocs. No summer-to-fall creation is complete without Sesame Street's most wanted monster,

"Mel-mo" (a.k.a. Elmo) in the form of an intertube!

Last but not least, the E.A.P.S collection reveals it's classic Dawg line. Celebrating the kickoff of UGA's football season, Evan shows off the signature Blackout Tee and Red ball cap! Go Dawgs!!!

Evan's World Part I

Here is a slideshow of Evan over the last few weeks. Many new things he has learned, but not quite mastered....hopefully we have some time. He is at a perfect age and we love every moment. Enjoy!!

A few weeks ago, Alex and Evan made a stepping stone for the yard. It was a Father's Day gift from Mommy, and the boys had fun one Sunday afternoon.

One morning I went to get Evan and he was more than ready to get out of his crib. Luckily, he hasn't tried this since...

Like most of the children coming upon their 2nd birthday, Evan has some naughty moments. The corner by the front door is reserved for his timeouts. He's only had two timeouts so far, and the first worked quite well. He stood in the corner and didn't even cry. However, a week or so later, he was misbehaving, and he went to his corner. He was so mad, but didn't try to leave his spot. Pitsy gets very protective when he cries so she came to comfort him. (Pitsy is our very nervous cat that never wants to be held and hides whenever we have company. She jumps so high at the slightest movement towards her. But anytime Evan is crying, she comes right to him!)

We were getting ready for our trip to Nana & Pops and I was doing laundry and packing. Evan has been a great helper and likes to carry his clothes to his room. I open his drawer and he sets the clothes in and closes the drawer. This time, however, after we put them in I left with a few shirts to pack and found Mr. Trouble doing his own reorganization...

Lastly, we found a Superman t-shirt for Evan just like Daddy's. Like father...like son...

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