Lyndon, our sweet boy.

Lyndon loves Cinderella (yes LOVES, I have the pictures to prove it), he enjoys wearing necklaces from time to time and he'll never say "no" to a tea party. Some parents might be worried about their sons masculinity if this were their child...but not us. 

Here's how we know Lyndon is all boy...

We are upstairs in the play room when I turn around to find Lyndon perched on the arm of the couch ready to launch himself, full force, on none other than the huge exercise ball. I'm not fast enough to stop him so I witness his little body bounce off the ball and slam into the wall. I stood there in shock waiting for him to start crying but no... he doesn't cry...he jumps up laughing and running toward the couch to try it all again. 

My second piece of evidence occurred tonight during one of Maddie's famous tea parties. First I'll describe Maddie's behavior during our party:

After she calmly and carefully found a saucer, cup and spoon for each person she methodically dished out food (chocolate chips, marshmallows and animal crackers) on each plate. She then served everyone some delicious air from her carefully selected teapot. Once everyone was well taken care of she politely ate each tidbit, one-by-one, savoring each bite. In between bites she would delicately sip some tea and share in light joyous conversation with her guests.

Now I'll describe Lyndon's behavior at out tea party:

As soon as he saw that first helping of chocolate chips and marshmallows fall on his plate he dashed from across the room, grabbed his plate and emptied it's entire contents in his mouth with one breath. With his mouth so full he couldn't seem to close it, he dropped the plate and raced back to the other side of the room to resume playing with his train. He then raced back over to the party snatched up his cup and gulped down some delicious air.  He looked at the rest of the guests, yelled, "YUM" rubbed his belly and then dashed off again. Most likely to do something extremely fun like jumping off the couch onto exercise balls.

So there. That's how we know Lyndon is all boy with just a soft spot in his heart for princesses. 

Happy Days.

It seems that I usually share stories that focus on Maddie and Lyndon. So here's one about Jon and I, hold on to your seats...

Wanting to check on the kids as soon as possible after I get out of the shower, I quickly put on the bare (and I mean bare) necessities and hurried downstairs. (Yes, the blinds were closed, well, most of them.) I find that all is well except that Lyndon has a stinky diaper. Being the compassionate mother that I am, I immediately start to change him before I go back upstairs to finish getting dressed. Just as I put the clean diaper under him, I hear a loud  knock at the door.

Um, Crap.

Startled, I freeze for about 2 seconds and then bolt for the stairs, only to see a man in my peripheral vision standing in our entry way by the front door. 

What the...?

I was so taken off guard that I let  out a little yelp and brought my hand to my chest in shock.  It all happened so fast. Who was this man standing in our house while I was grossly under clothed?

Jonathon Edward Evans.

He staged the whole thing. Watch out, sweetie. Watch out.

(BTW, he still gets a good chuckle at least once a day from his little prank. I'm ready bring on my own chuckles so if anyone has some ideas...)

Here are a few pictures I took while we were in Omaha. This is Joanthons parents and their 3 cute grandkids.

Maddie has been resisting her daily nap with all her might. She still needs that nap (as evidence by her bi-polar emotions that seems to pop up at around 5 pm the days she doesn't nap.) Being the nap nazi that I am, I will be fighting to the bitter end on this one. 

When she is supposed to be sleeping she will find anything to entertain herself. One day it was a full tube of diaper rash cream, other days it's books and this day...well, I'm not really sure what was going on in her head. You be the judge...

It looks to me like she entertained herself by pulling out all her clothes from the dresser and pulling off all her blankets and sheets. Ahhh, the joys of parenting.

One night Maddie kept getting out of bed. Finally Jonathon calmly said to her, "Maddie, you have the choice between a flick on the leg or to run back to bed."

Tapping her index finger on her lip, she relied, "Um, I think the best choice is to go back to bed."

She's no fool.

This picture made me laugh because it's a classic "Maddie" look.  It's kind of a "well, duh." sort of look that she gives me when I seem to ask dumb questions. 

The kids have been having a blast playing in the back yard lately. (Thanks to my brother, Byron, for mowing down the jungle while he was here!) It's so fun watching and listening to them play and interacting together. They both love to crack each other up.

I came outside to take a few pictures of them and this is where I found Lyndon. Sitting by the fence with dirt all over his mouth. When I asked him if he ate dirt he brightly replied, "U-huh!" I wonder if he liked it?

Maddie has been dressing herself lately. If I dress her in the morning, she will always change into her own attire by the afternoon. I guess I just don't have as good of taste as she does. :) I thought this picture was so cute. She loves wearing tights. 
This is after a full day of FUN! We went to the park later in the evening and found that the city of Round Rock had kindly left 3 big dirt piles for the kids to play in! They had so much fun. They would climb to the top and then slide down over and over again. Lyndon sampled a little dirt from the park as well. We considered putting in a little jungle gym in the backyard but I think our money would be better spent on a few big piles of dirt.

Another classic "Maddie" pose. Notice her purse...9 times out of 10 she will always have a purse or a bag full of her treasures...necklaces, play make-up, stuffed animals, play cupcakes, dog leashes, wicker furniture (not really but if she could make it fit, it would probably be in there.)

They have both been just hilarious lately. I was standing in kitchen and the next thing I know Lyndon is on all fours licking the tops of my feet. I calmly looked down to see what the heck he's doing only find my little Lyndon puppy with his tongue hanging out panting at me. That boy...

We were at Wal-mart and Jonathon and Lyndon had walked on ahead of Maddie and I because Maddie wanted to stop and check out a toy. When he was done we couldn't see the boys anymore so I pretended to be mildly alarmed and kept repeating, "Oh, no, where are they? Oh, no, where are they?" over and over. Maddie calmly and sternly replied,

"Mom, we will find them, JUST...CALM...DOWN." 

It's a little scary how much she sounds like me.

Lately Maddie has really been on this kick about marrying Lyndon. She asks him, about every other day, if he wants to marry her and then she proceeds to plan the wedding. (For the record, Lyndon always agrees. He is head over heals crazy about Maddie and would do pretty much whatever she wanted. sweet.) So Maddie sees a picture of me in my wedding dress and says to me, "Where can I get one of those dresses? I need to pick one up cause I'm going to marry Lyndon tomorrow."  After a few thoughtful pauses she concludes, "I bet they have those dresses at Wal-mart."

How lucky am I? In between the short phases of bickering and whining I get to watch a comedy act all day long. 

It's a SUCCESS!

It was a long day but both Heather and Quincy are doing extremely well. Quincy's new kidney is fully functioning in his body. Everything is running and working perfectly. They are both sore but their spirits are soaring. 

I'm so grateful for fasting and prayers. What a testimony builder tis is for my family and me. 

I want to say THANK YOU to all of you who fasted and prayed with us. It means more than I can say. 

Quincy's new, to him, kidney

It's funny how sometimes I just start gliding through life, just going and doing and not really even thinking.  I get into such a strict routine that often times I forget about the very reason I'm here on earth. When I was in college, my brother-in-law, Kelly, said that he actually welcomed trials and tribulations because that is when he refocused on life and grew the most. He found himself closer to the the Savior during these times. 

I agree.

As I write this my nephew, Quincy, is in surgery receiving a new kidney. Not just any kidney, his Mom's kidney.   Heather (my sister and his Mom) just got out of surgery and is just starting to wake up. 

Quincy's story is nothing more that miraculous. It has helped me remember why we are here on earth and the amazing hand that God has in each of our lives. He knows us each individually. If we will let Him, He will guide our life, bringing us more joy and happiness than we can know. 

I know that God was watching over Quincy and his family. Kelly, (Quincy's dad, Heathers husband) is an officer in the U.S. Navy. He and his family have been stationed in Hawaii for the last 2 years. As they prayed about where they needed to move after Hawaii they decided to go to an air force base in Alabama. I remember thinking, what a let down after having lived in HAWAII! They were, of course, very optimistic. They always follow the spirit and this move turned out to be a miracle for them. 

They had no idea Quincy was in such a dire kidney circumstance until this summer, a couple weeks before their move to Alabama. They were on vacation in Idaho when they found that Quincy was born with only 1 kidney and that kidney was failing. 

It was certain, Quincy needed a new kidney. And where are they moving? Right next to the country's second leading kidney transplant hospital in America. 

Miracle? Of course. 

Heavenly Father knew what Quincy needed even before his parents knew. He led and guided them to the exact place they needed to be with precise timing. 

Heavenly Father loves us so much. He wants us to be happy. And we can be. All we have to do is have faith AND have the courage to ACT upon that faith.

I'm grateful for the amazing example of faith that Heather and Kelly have always been for me.  

Yes, this is yet another post without pictures...I know what you're thinking...what's the point of a post without any pictures? (Blame my lame computer.)

Well, I have to remember all the crazy/cute/scary/adorable things that Maddie has been saying lately.

It's about 5pm we're out in the backyard. I still have my workout clothes on from this morning. No surprise there. That happens about 4 days a week. I guess Maddie had about enough of it because she looked at me while waving her bubble-wand and said,

"I'm going to turn you into Snow White because that look isn't really working for you."

If Maddie could write I think she would have already sent in my application to "What Not To Wear".

Just call me Pear.

My computer is acting up...bad bad computer...so I won't be posting any pictures BUT here is what has been on on mind for the last few weeks...

my gigantic hips and thighs. 

It's true. 

While we were in Nebraska, I took family pictures of the whole Evans clan and then of each family. I wanted Jim and Kris (Jonathons parents) to have a family picture of us too so Jim took some shots of Jonathon, me and the kids. I was excited to check out the pictures. 

That is until I saw myself for what I really was...a bit on the chubby side.

At first I was mad at the mirror in our closet for lying to me all these years. But then after a few moments I realized I needed to put the blame where it was intended...McDonalds and Taco Bell.

Good bye, crispy golden delicious french fries and scrumptious chalupas...hello chicken breasts and 24 hour Fitness.

We've been eating great and working out for 7 days now...and I actually love it.

P.S. I will be posting some of those astonishing hip and thigh pictures soon but just know that in about 4-5 months I'm going to be a lean, mean fighting machine...er, I guess I won't be mean. I'll still be nice and I really don't want to fight either so I guess I'll be thin, slim and ready to win!

A month to remember

Okay, so we really haven't just been playing guitar hero for the last month...(see post below). We've actually been really busy. It all started out with my Mom,Dad and Byron coming out to visit us in Texas the first week of December. we had a great time...hanging out, eating, playing, eating some more. You know, all the good stuff. Eating.

Before they got here I cleaned the house from top to bottom. It just goes to show me that yes, I can have the whole house clean at one time. It just takes special effort and a whole lot of ignoring the kids. Maddie and Lyndon's bathroom is always a mess. It's so tiny, I wonder why I can't seem to keep that room tidy...anyways, I planned on having my parents use that bathroom while they were here so I really polished it nice up for them. After my Mom and Dad were here for a while Maddie gave them a tour of the house. She started in her bathroom and while displaying the bathroom with her hands (Vanna white style) she said, "Mommy REALLY cleaned my bathroom for you. It was a MESS!"

Thanks a lot, Maddie, for divulging my housekeeping secrets.

Here are some pictures while my parents were here:


This is Lyndon's favorite way to enjoy a good movie. He actually sleeps like this too.

We decided to do a traditional Turkey dinner. It was so yummy. All of the comfort foods from home...

Turkey, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, orange salad, homemade rolls, stuffing and real whipped potatoes and gravy. Nothing says lovin' like comfort food from home.

We had Lots of desserts while they were here. My Mom is a bread genius. She whips up a batch of bread in no time and makes, cinnamon rolls, sticky bun and fresh homemade rolls. Can anyone say carb overload? It's amazing. I can make myself sick from eating too much of it. This is a picture of my dads caramel and pecan rolls. My mouth is watering just typing this. For the record, I DID workout almost everyday they were here but I don't think it was enough!

Because we were spending Christmas is Nebraska this year, my Mom and Dad brought their Christmas presents for us to open while they were here. Lyndon has been really in to Elmo lately. Momo, as he calls it!

My Mom made Maddie a bunch of dress-up clothes. She adores them. Here she is taking a bow.

Lyndon walking around this his new "Momo".

My Mom waited to hem some of the dress up clothes until she got here. This is a classic picture of my Mom. I have lots of memories of her pinning our clothes so she could hem them.

Lyndon also LOVES balls. So my Mom made a bunch of soft balls that won't hurt much if they hit people or furniture. Good idea, Mom!

Maddie got this witches costume as well, but Lyndon liked it a little more!

We were sad to see my family leave. We always have so much fun when we're together. It so fun making new memories and remembering the old. I really have amazing parents.

On to Nebraska...

We left for Nebraska the day after my parents left our house. (By the way, thanks Mom for cleaning our house! It was very helpful.) Jonathon's sister, Rachel, was returning from her mission in Ogden on Dec. 11 so we wanted to be there to greet her. It was so fun to see her. She was a great missionary.

Here are some pictures from the trip:

We weren't sure what Lyndon was looking at but it almost looked like he saw Santa and his reindeer. Couldn't miss that photo opportunity.

The kids LOVE being at Grandma and Grandpa Evans house. This is Rachel making Lyndon laugh. One of the many.

Here's the sleeping princess. A true princess never takes off her crown!

Kris made a gingerbread house for the kids to decorate. Maddie was thrilled, to say the least. She liked eating the decorations almost as much as she liked decorating.

Lyndon just liked eating the decorations. Are we surprised?

This is how I always think of Christmas Eve at Jonathon's parents. Kris has made a stocking for each person in the family and they are always hung on the mantle. We have a big dinner on Christmas eve and the table is set up in this room next to the mantle and the tree. It always feels so cozy.

These are "poppers" that we get to pull after the meal. The food is always so so so good. I get spoiled when we go to Jim and Kris's. The food is always so good.

Here's the gang. Kris' sister, Keely and her husband Les along with they twins, Jack and Riley always spend Christmas with the Evans. Kris' other sister Karla was also their along with their Mom (Jonathon's Grandma) who lives in Wyoming.

Here is Maddie's favorite pose. Nice. (Thank you to Rylee from last Christmas.) :)

Inside the poppers are this fabulous crowns and a little toy.

Maddie's little toy happened to be a whistle. Very LOUD and very SHRILL. I threw it away. I'm mean, I know.

She did get to share it with her new dog from build-a-bear. During the day on Christmas eve we went to the mall to pass the time. You know it's the longest day of the year, right? Keely took Maddie and her daughter to build-a-bear. Only they both decided to build dogs. Maddie had a GREAT time. She loves her new "Aurora Princess Dog".

Kris made these adorable Christmas eve PJ's for the kids. I wanted to get a cute picture of them in front of the tree. But this is what I got instead. I like them, though.

Here is Santa's plate of cookies and the reindeer's carrots after they ate them.

Christmas morning!! Lyndon really got in to opening his gifts. He was fun to watch.

He got a cute little puppy that he liked to tote around.

Maddie asked Santa for a Cinderella dress, shoes and crown...she must have been a good girl because they got them! She was so so so excited! She immediately stripped off her clothes so she could put it on. Only the lace was "scratchy" so that was the end of it. Silly girl. She now wears it with a shirt underneath.

Lyndon got a train to tote some animals. Only he thought it was for him.

I caught him playing the piano all my himself one night.

This picture sums up our trip. Content and tired! We had such a great time. It was wonderful to see everyone and make some great memories. The whole family was together this year so that was really special. I took some family pictures...but that will just have to wait until next time.
A HUGE thanks to Jim and Kris. We had a great time and look forward to seeing you guys soon.