Introducing Evelyn Beatrice

She's looking at you! Hello, world - this is our perfect niece Evelyn Beatrice! I'll tell you what - this little girl has big plans - and one of them is that no one is going to tell her what to do. She's got a mind of her own, and her mommy and daddy better get ready because she's about to take them on a fun, crazy ride. She opened her beautiful little eyes for me today to say hi. She even stuck out a little hand to wave. I'm still on a high from getting to see her. Can't wait until next time Evie B!

Letters!

Sydney loves to practice writing her letters. She is forever asking me how to spell people's names. How do you spell Papa? How do you spell Sarah? How do you spell Evie? How do you spell Avery? How do you spell Grandma? Don't think I haven't considered recording the spelling of these names and putting them on a loop! One day in particular, I think I spelled 'Papa' about thirty times - and that's being conservative. Anyway, I liked this particular rendition of her name. Although it's not her best work - she can easily write a correct letter S - I think this version of 'Sydney' is so perfect and charming in its own way!

Big-Girl Bike

With all the pool time over the summer and then getting in the swing of things with school in the fall, we didn't get a chance to remove the parent handle from Syd's tricycle. Really, it's been way overdue because she's been able to ride by herself without parent intervention for a while. Anyway, today it was 65 degrees. Yes - you read the correctly - 65 degrees in January! So - we took advantage of the gorgeous temperatures and played outside, including big-girl bike time. Here's a picture of the big girl on her "new" ride!

Top 10 Moments of 2011

10. Spending time with family and friends at Bergemuda.

9. Mountain biking (Tom) and playing roller derby (Julia).

8. Enjoying a September snowstorm and building a snowman with daddy.

7. Going to Dutch Wonderland.

6. Watching Sydney excitedly feed her brother a bottle for the first time.

5. Visiting the Chabots at the beach!

4. Going to Atlantis to celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary.

3. Hearing that our new niece, Evelyn Beatrice, had made her grand arrival.

2. Watching Sydney learn to swim by herself.

1. Getting a handle on Cole's GERD and learning more about his allergies so that he is more comfortable and happy.

Merry Christmas!

We had a very low-key Christmas this year. As always, we spent Christmas eve and Christmas day with our families (so thankful that everyone lives so close by). The kids were able to spend time with both sets of grandparents, and we were able to get in some downtime too! Really - I can't think of anything better - besides being able to catch up with friends and family who live far away. Santa was very good to both kids - but not too good - it was a modest Christmas, which was nice too. Here are a couple pictures from the festivities.

I'm a Real Roller Girl!

In December, I participated in my first roller derby bout. I was so nervous, I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to finish. But - I managed to pull myself together and not only participate, but actually score a couple points. I played every position: jammer, pivot, and - even - blocker! I'm proud to report that my team won. I definitely have a lot of work to do before the next bout this spring, but it was fun to get the first one under my belt.

People continue to be very surprised that I play derby. I guess it's because I don't fit the stereotype. Last night, a friend asked me why? Why do I play? Well, here goes (in no particular order). I play because

- It's fun

- It's incredible exercise, and I'm probably in the best shape I've been in since before I had Sydney

- I've made many awesome new friends

- It's an amazing challenge that's teaching me a lot about myself

- It's a great departure from my mom-of-two lifestyle

- I get to wear fun clothes (let's be honest, this was one of the reasons I joined to begin with)

There are probably a hundred other reasons, but those are the reasons that come to mind at the moment. Anyway, it's been a fun ride so far. I can't wait to see what happens with derby in 2012. In the meantime, here are some more pictures from my first bout.

The head cheerleader of my fanclub - her derby name would be
Major Anxiety, but it's already taken.

Time Machine: Sydney's Christmas Pageant

I really feel blessed to be able to send Sydney to a Christian preschool where she can celebrate Christmas! In fact, her school really goes all out and hosts a very nice Christmas pageant. Last year, I was a little behind the curve and missed the memo on appropriate dress for the pageant (you'd think I'd get it from the name Christmas pageant, but I can be slow sometimes). Anyway, this year, I sent her in her best dress, and she sang beautiful Christmas songs with the best of them! She even celebrated her awesome performance with her BFF Avery after the pageant. Congratulations, ladies!