Evan's (early) 2nd Birthday Party

Evan turns 2 on March 4, but lots of the family could only come the weekend of February 22.
 So we decided to have his party at Chuck E. Cheese a couple of weeks early. Evan loves the song, The Wheels on the Bus, so that was his theme.

I taught Evan how to do ski ball.

Pat, Ravyn & Cody had fun with the boys.

Ravyn was a great little baby watcher.

Evan had on his monogrammed shirt.

Alex wore his Wheels on the Bus shirt, too.

Evan was "king for the day."

The theme was Wheels on the Bus.

Brian and Billy hanging out.

Evan and Logan

Ravyn raking in the tickets

Evan trying to push all the buttons

Cody driving crazy

Evan and more buttons

Jocelyn driving

Evan on his big horse

Evan checking out his bus cake

Evan got a medal

Happy 2nd birthday Evan!

Blow out those candles!

Evan liked Chuck E. Cheese

Brian and Jessie 

Brian won us lots of tickets

Chuck had a pinata guitar for Evan filled with tokens and tickets

The kids liked the pinata

Siblings

Evan opened gifts at home

Dentist and Dishes

Evan has about 13 teeth right now and our pediatrician told us it's about time to take Evan to the dentist. I researched and asked around for the best pediatric dentist and we found the best one! Dr. Green was so great with Evan. He loved the waiting room, which had a big castle to play in, a wall of bubbles, and the cutest little potty in the restroom that was just his size. He did great for the hygenist, which only took about 1 minute to clean his teeth. He got a stuffed whale and a rubber ducky from them. I just loved this office! I wish my dentist was that cool.

Evan also loves to help me with the dishes when I have the dishwasher open.  He is so curious!

Playing Outside

So after 14 degree weather and the three day snowstorm, a week later it was 75 degrees outside and sunny. Evan loves to play outside. He got a bubble mower for Christmas and had a great time pushing it around the yard. He also likes pine cones, sticks, and leaves. But mostly, he likes running to get away from whoever is watching him.

Cute Brothers

I have a few matching outfits for the boys. It's hard to get a picture of them together since Evan is very rough around Alex. He likes to hit him or pull his hair or pinch him or grab his pacifier or grab his blanket. Evan thinks all things are his toys to be played with, including Alex. So we are careful to have someone right beside Evan when we do pictures of them together. Look how cute they are!

Valentine's Day

This year Valentine's Day was delayed a bit due to the winter storm and our head colds. Evan had his school party the following week. His special Valentine is Ellie. He kept pointing to the buttons on her shirt, saying "butt butt" for button.

Kaye gave Evan and Alex matching shirts for Valentine's Day. They were so cute in them.

Vince brought me 25 red roses to work two weeks later as a special surpise to make up for missing out on the holiday.

Hemangioma and Allergies

Alex was born with a tiny red dot on his head. We thought nothing of it until it started getting a little bit bigger. When he was 2 weeks old, the doctor noticed it and diagnosed him with a capillary hemangioma. This is a benign tumor of blood vessels that is also known as a "strawberry birthmark." This type of tumor will grow until he's about 1 year old, then it will stop growing and start shrinking until it disappears completely - usually by about age 6. We are careful not to bump it and we are hoping his white blond hair will cover it up (if his hair grows as fast as Evan's, that will not be a problem).

The first picture was taken around 2 weeks old.  The second picture was taken around 7 weeks old.

In the meantime, Evan has been plagued with allergies and sinus problems.
When he gets a cold, it always lasts at least two weeks. Since he has had reactions to antibiotics, cherries, and other foods, we decided to get him tested. All the tests came back as negative allergies, but positive for "non-allergic reactions." Um ok. So if he has a reaction, it may or may not be an allergy. The doctor just said to stay away from those foods/medicines. His face turned splotchy red after the penicillin test, but he's "not allergic." In any case, he will not be taking penicillin any time soon. I have to say he was a real trooper during the testing. The nurse said she had older children that had more panic attacks over one flu shot than Evan did the entire time.

 The top left redness was from the histamine base line.  It's supposed to be red.  He then had 2 shots in one arm and 3 in the other for the penicillin test. He was such a trooper!

Three Days of Snow

It very rarely snows in South Carolina, much less for 3 solid days with enough snow to really play in. Vince and his co-workers went on a sled run the day before the snow hit us and he bought one of the last sleds available. We were then stuck inside the house for 3 days while snow and ice accumulated. Luckily, Evan loved the snow and he went sledding with Vince for a couple of days down our driveway and back yard. We have the perfect slope for sledding! He got his ski jacket from Uncle Billy last year and we found the ski bib on clearance back in January. They came in very handy!