Leoni Family

Christmas 2010

2011-01-30T09:09:00.001-08:00

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Welcome Liam Leoni

2010-09-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

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Daddy Leoni's Day

2010-06-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

"Daddy come. Daddy sit. Daddy hold me. Daddy here. Daddy more. Daddy kiss. Daddy pool. Daddy move. Daddy bike - on. Daddy truck. Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy."

There is nobody I'm sure you'd rather take these commands from? It feels good to be wanted, doesn't it? You are wanted. You are loved. You are all ours. We love you more than any tiny Smilebox could possibly show. But here is our best attempt at a tribute to you.

Love-
Evelyn, Caellum and
Your Boy on the way - 2 months and counting!!!

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DisneyWorld 2010

2010-04-22T03:20:00.000-07:00

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Loooong Blog Break, but we're Back!!!

2010-03-23T05:07:00.001-07:00

The secret is out - a mother of one has time to be reflective, cutesy and update a blog every other day of all their child's miraculous happenings. A mother of two is stretched to maybe post a few pictures once every four months. And a mother of two with another one on the way, forgot she even had a blog, nor quite remembers how to eloquently put a sentence together!

The Leoni's are with child again! Bobby, the sweet soul he is, took me out to dinner in December to propose a radical idea to me - "How about we discuss us being totally done having kids? We have two - a boy and a girl - everyone fits perfectly into our new house, it would be insanity to add another into the equation." I agreed that things were feeling complete but I needed to think about it. Thinking was over long before we had that convo., since I was already pregnant and didn't even know it!?!

Okay then, I can accept this, no I can cry, no I can accept this, no I can cry. My dad assured me that three of us four siblings were 'mistakes' and that he ended up liking us all anyway - which made me feel a tad better. But 3 kids in 4 years and only embarking on 5 years of marriage this September makes me a little bit tired.
I am sure just as we didn't' know how we'd do it with two, God will give us some deep down grace and energy to survive this third. Oh and it's a boy. Caellum has a bud now. He even points to my tummy and says with his deep, raspy voice - "BUDDY". Evelyn never misses an opportunity to kiss my belly and say "Ewwwwwwwww I just looooooooooove that baby." So we might have to let Caellum and Evelyn raise this child since they seem to have the energy for it!

Anywho, the best I can do is post some belated winter pics and try to remember to update this again before I have grankids. Toodles.

Ode to Caellum

2009-11-13T13:00:00.001-08:00

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Fall Update

2009-11-12T12:38:00.001-08:00

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Monkey See, Monkey Do

2009-06-30T10:51:00.000-07:00

Lately Evelyn is my shadow. She watches me like a hawk then imitates my facial expressions, laughter, ridiculous sayings, saunters in my high heels, on and on. I realize how funny I sound only when she daily holds her fake conversations on her fake cell phone. She throws her head back in over the top laughter, slaps her knee and says; "Right, right, ohhhh no, no, no, no, no, you didn't?!!! Ohhhhhhh my gosh, that's crazy! Ohhhh dammit I forgot the mail!" She entertains us all with her drawn out, all too familiar chats with her make-believe friends, Livia and Soldier!

The saddest thing that has been impressed upon me lately is that she is going to get much of how she feels about herself as a girl & eventually as a woman from me. The positives and negatives. How can I possibly tell her that she is beautiful just the way she is - the way God made her... when she watches me slather make-up on my face to look prettier? It is my actions that she hears over my words. Therefore I can't really say, "Do as I say, not as I do." because we all know that never worked with us growing up.

I never feel fully fresh and 'pretty' unless I have my make-up on, hair combed (somewhat) and all the other mundane things we women have to do to stay maintained; shaved legs/pits, plucked eyebrows (and don't forget that chin hair), moisturized body & face, freshly painted toes/nails, fresh breath, flossed white teeth, clean ears, bouncy/curly/shiny hair, and just that right splash of girly perfume that fools everyone into believing we spell that springy all the time.

When I do have the time to try to do all the above (even if it takes a good week to complete) there are two tiny, blue, pure, wide impressionable eyes soaking in every move I make. Bobby tells me he likes me best when I am naked...just kidding - actually he said without makeup. Do I believe him? No. So how is Evelyn ever supposed to believe me that she doesn't have to add one thing to herself (except let me comb her out of control tangly hair)? She won't.

Just like me, she is going to have to fight against the insecurities of comparing herself to airbrushed supermodels staring us hauntingly down on tv, magazines, etc., I guess we could always move to an Amish farm to protect her from all the insanities of this culture.

And although I feel a lot more beautiful and more comfortable in my own skin than I did growing up in those forgettable teen/and 20's years - I still have another battle to face. Wrinkles and gravity. I try to embrace all those fine character lines and beautiful curvaceous bumps. But when people your age and much older keep looking younger and younger by the day - (not by Mother Nature's doing, but by Father Botox's doing) - how do you stay secure and gracefully love your aging skin in comparison to all the false perfection that seems to hover over like an eerie storm cloud?

I guess that is when my dad's saying as I grew up comes in handy, "Pretty Is as Pretty Does." Mother Teresa and all the other women who lived their lives from the inside out are the ones who have my vote to peer upon as a role model of whom I want to be and whom I want my daughter to look up to me as.

Evelyn, you are beautiful as is.

p.s. Notice the picture of Evelyn attempting to put on mascara when I was in the other room. I think she'll have to stick to not wearing makeup because of pure safety reasons! I can see the headlines now, "Gone blind from an attempt to be gorgeous!"

Prince Daddy-O

2009-06-28T10:15:00.001-07:00

DEAR DAD,

Here is our belated Father's Day greeting to you.

We are well aware that you're not into those Hallmark, predictable holidays. So we thought we'd throw you for a loop this year by turning Father's Day weekend plans upside down on it's head. The wild tantrums, high fevers, snotty run away noses, many tears, sleepless nights, hospital visits and other expertly planned out behaviors that got on your very last nerve were all part of a plan to carefully observe your reaction to see if you really and truly were worthy of receiving what we wanted to express to you on this Father's Day.

Guess what? You passed the test! There are not many dads out there that put their kids as a priority above work, golf, and other leisure activities like duck hunting. Not that you'd ever even think of being a duck hunter! Our point is that we don't only know, but also FEEL that you love us by the many, many hours you pour into us. And it's very apparent that you are not doing it out of mere parental obligation either. We think you've been waiting years for the right opportunity to unearth your hidden talents of impersonating Barney, Dora, Ariel and other unmentionable characters that drive mom nuts. Not to break your heart but we're not fooled. We know you REALLY aren't those people - but if it makes you happy when we laugh - we will continue to humor you.
The best is when you come home from work. We're either waiting by the window, or singing a song about you, or calling on the phone to ask how EXACTLY far away you are. And it may seem like we don't even give you a chance to get your work clothes off before demanding that you play, play, play....and you're right - that's much too long to wait to be with you!

Thank you for being so patient with us dad. Sometimes we can be a bit hairy to handle and your unending calm demeanor lets us know that you feel our pain and that you want to help us through it. Uhhhhhhh, then again, there was a few times in the middle of the night where we sensed you a bit put off about your beauty sleep being disturbed - but that's understandable b/c you are pretty and you should want to preserve all you can, especially at your ripe fine age!

You work so hard to make us money so we can eat and have nice clothes and a home to play with you in. Sometimes we don't know how there is enough of you to go around, but we always feel full and happy and a large part of that is because of you, oh yeah and mom isn't too bad herself.

So although we didn't get to have our picnic in the park, nor did you get to go on your date with mom, or go to the ghetto bootie boxing class, and had to leave your friend's dinner party early - we just want you to know that amidst all these unplanned plans - we know how much you lovingly sacrifice of yourself to be our dad and we promise to visit you in the nursing home one day.

We will never forget the countless amount of times you held us tight in your arms, whispered sweet words in our ears, rocked us to sleep, kissed away our tears, made us laugh so hard that our belly's hurt, danced unabashedly with us anywhere and everywhere, went wild with us on the playground, answered ALL of our questions, talked to us like we were the most important people in the world, lavished us with your words of praise and love, prayed with us and never held back your emotions.

You may wonder if you ever are doing enough. We are here to tell you and show you as we grow up that there is nothing more important that you could be doing right now than loving us the way you so selflessly do.

We love you and thank you for everything!!!

Love, Evelyn & Caellum

Mother's Day Weekend

2009-05-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

I wish I took a log everday of the things our kids do and say that put a smile on our faces and lead to lots of laughter. What did Bobby and I possibly talk about before we had our kids? ;-) From Evelyn looking up at me while she was getting her first pedicure and whispering in my ear, "this is soooo much fun"...to Caellum's first crawls and heartmelting smiles. I feel like I'm going to explode with the love I have inside for these two. Here is a glimpse of our everyday craziness.

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Easter 2009

2009-04-14T06:37:00.001-07:00

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Easter 2009 - This is the first year we have begun our own Leoni holiday traditions. Not only have we combined our cherished traditions from growing up, but also added some to take the emphasis off the furry over-sized creature and put it back on the 'reason for the season'.

We figured explaining the crucifixition to a 2-year old would lend to some traumatizing nightmares. So instead we focused on other ways to show her how Jesus loves us. We symbolized this by having a foot washing ceremony as He did with his disciples. Evelyn was so into it that she asked if we could wash Dora's feet too. And if you are wondering, yes we did.

That evening after the bedtime mad rush Bobby and I shared a Seder meal together -a Jewish tradition, yet pondered over the Last Supper and the hope we have beyond that meal alone.

The next day's agenda included coloring/decorating Easter eggs. We explained that the bunny is going to take the eggs, hide them and possibly replace them with a gift in her basket. Evelyn's eyes widened. She gasped, "YOU KNOW WHAT?! I THINK HE IS GOING TO PUT A VIDEO IN MY BASKET....Yup, a Dora video, the one with her in a yellow dress."

Needless to say I was scrambling my fluffy tail the next day looking for that stinkin' Dora DVD. She's no dummy - she knew EXACTLY who she was talking to.

Saturday we celebrated with Bobby's parents in Geneva. Evelyn was given her own flowers to plant/water and her own rain barrel to paint. Which she wanted us NOT to be a part of. "Um, mom, dad, I don't want you to come outside with us. You stay in here. K?"....Rejected so early on? I knew this was supposed to happen when they got into high school, but age 2?!?!

When preparing the house for the arrival of the Easter bunny on Saturday night I let Evelyn lead the way. "First thing we gotta do is put the Eater baskets here, and give him a toothbrush, and carrots and water, and a toy...yup, here's a puzzle for him to play with and a video, oh, also here is a Dora video for him to watch." It was all put out in perfect order by our divine lil' hostess.

The cameras were rolling at 6:30am when Evelyn's door opened. She looked at me and ran to the bathroom. I'm guessing all the excitement probably led to a leaky bladder. Bathroom door opens and with full speed she runs into the living room. Her hair wild. Bobby said "Look sweetie, I think the Easter Bunny put something in your basket." To which she replied, "No, mom did." Okay then. Less than 5 minutes later we were all sitting together as a family watching the yellow dressed Dora video in complete awe. Glad after all our thought and planning she was able to comprehend and soak up the deeper meaning of the season! ;-) Dora. And oh yeah....she did say "Jesus is Alive" when I picked her up from Sunday school - so I guess she did get it! Off to brunch with all the cousins!

Happy Easter!

"Eye" See You

2009-03-29T18:38:00.000-07:00

It is usually a hard balance to spend undevoted attention on Caellum since I am also juggling Evelyn's physical and emotional needs. Yet the other day we managed to steal a couple hours with one another.

His nap was cut short so I went in to get him. Usually he squirms and wiggles out of my arms to dive bomb at whatever he can get his sticky finger McGoo fingers on. This time he just lay limp in my arms and stared at me. Okay, I thought, I can stare too. This turned into a 25 minute staring contest. Our eyes were locked on one another.

Have you ever looked into somebody's eyes and not said a word? It is VERY hard to do because of the extreme intimacy of it all! When somebody is lying, happy, sad, in love, confused, whatever the emotion is...it is felt through the eyes first before any words are ever spoken.

By the time our words come out of our mouths they are but a fraction of what we are feeling. On the way out of the windpipe they are dilluted and polluted with all sorts of intellectualizing that cloud the true, raw emotion that was originally felt.

Being able to look deeply into Caellum's eyes for that long, without saying a word and without turning away from his gaze was truly one of the most intense and memorable moments I will ever have with him. After a bit tears streamed down my face because without a doubt I felt deep within me that he KNEW me, knew my heart, knew that I was his mom, knew how much I love him and knew he has complete and abandoned trust in me. Through his eyes I sensed an old soul. A mature, strong yet silent child that is going to accomplish great things in this world all through this deep and peaceful love within him. Sounds as if I've been smoking dope huh?

I had a moment of clarity that I have no control over his destiny but I can pray with all my heart for him, for his protection, for his future spouse, etc., So I did and then I did the same for Evelyn. Then I realized that THIS is my greatest and most important 'duty' as a mother. A simple thing to forget, yet an eternally impactful thing to daily do.

After our stare down Caellum simply closed his eyes. His head was cuddled into the nook of my neck. And we slept side by side. Our breath in rhythm as it was in the womb. It was holy and it will be a time that I will remind of him probably on his wedding day when he's ready to leave me for another woman....I'll lay on the guilt so he will never want to leave his mama! ;-)

And so we slept for an hour or so until I was awakened from "MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM. MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM I'm Up!!!! Mooooooooommmmmmmm come hold me. Mom cuddle me. Mom I want you. MOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooommmmmmm where you go? Mommmmmmmmmmmmmm why you not cuddling me??????????? MOoooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmm mom? mom? mom? mom? mom? Mom, I'm awake! Mom, scratch my back! Mom, why you not scratchin' my baaaaaaaaaaaccccccccccckkkkkkk??????????? Mooooooooooommmmmmmm?????!!! Obviously Evelyn was up. And we went on with our day like we abnormally do. Singing, dancing, making dinner, being goofballs. Caellum cracking up at his crazy mom and silly sister.

What Recession???

2009-03-25T18:51:00.000-07:00

I am so in love. A love beyond what I even knew I was capable of. I do flipflops everyday in order to get Caellum to focus on me...but ohhhhh no! It's ALL about his sister. I must say she IS a lot more entertaining than either Bobby nor I. His eyes are glued to her, his smile could not be wider, his chuckle couldn't be more genuine than when he is soaking up every moment of his older sis'.

Evelyn is an authority on just about everything. She's passionate about wanting to teach us. We act dumb most of the day to fulfill her insatiable urge to educate us as to the wonderful ways of the world. She has become quite interested in God as well. On our walk to bible study the other day I pushed her in the stroller while she thanked God the whole way for all that she observed - the sidewalk, the trees, the sky, the joggers. It was a beautiful reminder of how God actually would love us to pray - from the mouths of babes. The other night she even reminded me to thank God for Linda and Pierre - which are our neighbors downstairs who probably have voodoo dolls of us in their home. All day long they hear the heavy footed pitter patter of Evelyn's busy dancing, running, pounding, jumping feet.

Caellum - there are no words that can convey the fullness my heart feels to have him added to our lives. He is a SWEET, OLD soul. There truly doesn't seem to be a mean bone in this boy's body. A smile for everyone. A look in his eyes that is so honest and pure that it brings me to tears often. And enough rolls and chunks all over him for us to tickle and bury our faces in while teasing him.

We are full up. In this time of recession, and many gloomy things happening in our world - I choose to look inward to the family God has blessed us with and bask in the new joys that we all discover together everyday.

Gingerbread Fun

2008-12-15T08:09:00.001-08:00

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Our Turkey Balls

2008-11-30T13:58:00.000-08:00

Caellum's 8 Week Portfolio

2008-11-24T12:09:00.000-08:00

Caellum, My Boy,

You started smiling at 3 weeks old. Others were convinced it was gas, but they were wrong. I knew differently because you not only smile with your mouth but your eyes start sparkling as well.

You often catch your crazy sis out of the corner of your eye doing some oddball shenanigans and you always start smirking.

Because of you, your sis now knows how to breastfeed. I caught her latching her baby doll onto her boob and sayingg "Shhhh now baby, I know, I know you're sooo hungry."

Today was a big day for your sis. I put real live undies on her. She wet through two pair before she wide eyed gave the official "tinkle alert" like I taught her. I swiftly carried her like a fragile ticking bomb to the toilet. Caught off guard I heard the tinkle dribbling down into the toilet. I seriously started tearing up and praised her as if she just received the Noble Peace Prize.

Today was also a big day for you. Your tummy was gurgling all night long. Finally in the early a.m. you had your blowout. You lay there on my lap smiling in pure relief. I took my chances to change you on my lap. Your daddy just kept looking at me with an evil grin on his face almost knowing what was to happen next. Naked and with a clear shot, you pushed out one last poop rocket that covered me - even a few kernels upon my eyelid. Between you and your sis in the last 24hrs. I've had my fair share of peep and poop dousing me

I have a feeling because of this new pace in life I won't be able to blog as often, but that's okay, cuz it's more time spent with you and Evelyn.

You have made us a full, whole and happy family.

We love you and thank God on this Thanksgiving holiday for gifting us with your sweet soul of a presence.

Pretty Is as Pretty Does

2008-11-24T11:59:00.000-08:00

My dad always used to say this phrase to me growing up and I hated it because I didn't quite know what it fully meant.

I just read an article in Ode magazine about Audrey Hepburn which finally has brought this annoyingly ambiguous phrase to life.

As a child Hepburn nearly died of hunger after her country was devastated by World War II. Later in life when she became an obsession of beauty for many she was asked about her beauty secrets. Here is how she responded:

"For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day."

"People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed. Never throw out anybody. The beauty of a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows."

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our Son...Caellum Leoni

2008-09-26T12:13:00.001-07:00

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Evelyn's 2nd Birthday Slideshow & Annual Letter

2008-09-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

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Dear Sweet & Sassy Evelyn –
“What up girlfriend?” I begin this yearly birthday letter to you with this specific phrase because you’ve breathed new life into it in a way that shocked us. Once upon a time you were our sweet, shy girl who barely acknowledged other kids on the playground. That is until you chose your moment to blossom into an outgoing jive talking little lady. A girl came up to you and said, “Hi my name is Crystal.” You in turn stared at her, cocked your hip, cracked a bit of a smile and said in response “What up girlfriend?!” You all but snapped your fingers afterwards to complete your greeting!

It’s true, you make us laugh and you sure have been responsible for my fair share of tears this past year as well. You can melt my heart one minute and milliseconds later have me desperately sprinting to the library to check out multitudes of parenting self help books. Such is love. The more familiar you are with somebody, the more you love them, the more you let them see ALL of you…the good, the bad, the ugly. I guess I should feel honored to know that our parent/child relationship is developing a maturity and a fine tuning of our character daily.

In this past year we have swung the white flag of surrender to the fact that you love life so incredibly much you choose to forego your sleep. Other moms share about their gorgeous Guido or marvelous Matilda napping 3 hours long and sleeping in until 7 or 8 in the morning. Not you my sweetness. Once in a grand while when you know I’m about to crack, you’ll pull a 2 hour gift of a nap on me. But normally you’re down for an hour, if that, and then desperately want out of your prison crib. As for the mornings...the earlier, the better you figure. I think deep down you know that if you deprive us of our sleep then you will be able to wear us physically down enough to finally have the control you desperately seek. Very clever Evelyn. It’s working. The moral of the story is that trying to figure out your sleep patterns has been similar to working on a NASA space project. We even consulted pediatric sleep experts whom you had baffled. Anyway, I give up and decided to just buy more eye cream to hide the wear and tear of our endless sleep drama battlements.

You are one of the funniest people I have ever met (or given birth to for that matter). This past year you have blossomed into a beautiful little girl, no longer a baby! We are still waiting for your hair to grown in though. You even let me put piggy tails in for all of two weeks until you decided to rip them out and throw them at me instead. So a mullet it will have to be for now.

Moments that we don’t want to forget? You wildly pointing out people of other ethnicities and loudly calling them “Obama”. “See mommy, see daddy, there’s Obama, right there!” And recently you have been extremely curious about your anatomy. We took some sound parenting advice and decided to tell you the correct terminology when answering your questions. Now you think it’s amusing to ask to see everybody’s vagina. We are awaiting a call from DCFS any day now.

We cannot wait to see how you will (hopefully) graciously grow into your role as big sister. I am at a loss for words with tenderness when I see you curl up to my tummy and use your sweet high pitched voice to talk to your baby brother and sing him Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Every time you are dancing around (most likely naked) like a goof, saying “Look at me, Look at me!” you will stop mid-move to pull my shirt up and say, “See baby brother, see me dance?!”. You are quite the caretaker. Your stuffed animals can attest to that after you throw them vigorously on the floor, then gasp with fright “You okay bunny?! You okay teddy?!” then caress them back to health with your gentle strokes and by putting band aids on their fur. You love to have daddy role play with your animals. I must say his voice overs are quite impressive. You truly believe he is Dora at times – our little trick to get you to do anything and everything we want.

From your daddy, you definitely have acquired an appreciation for nature. We cannot contain you once you are outside. You are off and running with your mullet streaming in the air. You pick up on every sight, taste, smell and touch that you can take in and you make sure we all know full well what it is you are so fascinated by. I must say I still hate sand, and I’m still the last one who wants to get into a cold pool, but you inspire me to dive head first into all these things that make you messy and dirty. Who knows, you may even get me to camp one day. Maybe.

As for firsts, we haven’t kept track of all the dates of your milestones, but the consensus around town is that you are one smart cookie. Some have even called you an incredibly sensory, sensitive child who feels everything to the core of its depth. This is a unique and beautiful gift. On the flipside, we have discovered that no one can so much as raise their voice around you (even in jest) without you completely melting down, hiding your face and crying until all is calm again. A peacemaker at heart.

Overall, this has been a busy year of swim lessons, music classes, learning to put sentences together, getting rid of your pacifier, drinking from a straw, doing cartwheels, mimicking everything we say and do, riding scooters (and anything with wheels on), eating with utensils in your very own chair and table -and much, much more!

Your love for music and rhythm is undeniable. The song that is playing to your picture montage is your newest and latest obsession. By age two you know all the words to it and you are totally in tune with the beat. When you finally let us in on this musical secret of yours we were definitely in awe. Your “Prince Daddio” or “Boink”, as you like to refer to him as, is certain that you will become a famous musician one day.

When I sit back and think about how loved you are between your daddy’s family and my family I get overwhelmed to the point of tears. You are truly adored to the fullest sense of the word. With the loving and compassionate influences in your life, you will no doubt have the confidence to walk effortlessly into being all of whom God created you to be.

We will never grow tired of watching you and your cousins play and squeal with delight when you see one another. When I become sad about all the dysfunction and hurt in the world I take time out to observe your innocence and the beauty of how you embrace the relationships in your life with pure, unhindered joy. This is especially true when your dad comes home from work! You could care less if Dora is on or not, nothing is going to get in the way of you and your faster than lightening run down that hallway to jump up into his arms. Then you show off for him for the rest of the night in delight.

By far some of our favorite moments with you are bringing you into bed with us in the morning to cuddle. We ask you what your dreams were about and every morning without fail you say “Kendall, Ava and Hadley.” Then we lay there watching the sun glisten in while the “leaves dance around”. These are magical moments we will never forget.

Oh and Choo-Choo trains. We cannot forget to mention your obsession with choo-choo trains. Sometimes I’ll plop you on the El, and we’ll go two stops to Starbucks just to satisfy the desires of your heart. You would think you just had come off a ride at Disneyland afterwards. Simple pleasures

Everyday we grow to love every precious bit of you more. We thank God so deeply for blessing us with a child so full of life, wonderment, laughter and a sense of humor. I learn so much from you in how to be patient, more creative, to slow down and to merely savor the moment for what it is.

Per your request, for your birthday we are celebrating with party hats and cake just like your idol Dora does in your book. We are not just celebrating you on this one day, but everyday in between because you are so unbelievably special to us in ways that we’ll never be able to express in mere words.

You have added a purpose to our lives that will never come close to anything we could have ever imagined or planned for ourselves.

So be nice to your new brother, sleep longer if you are willing, keep laughing your infectious laugh, but other than that don’t change a thing because you are a gift to us and to this world just the way you are.

We love you birthday girl! Happy 2nd birthday!
Mommy & Daddio

Welcome Baby Dean!

2008-08-22T10:28:00.000-07:00

Too much has happened to condense into one short blog. I'll give ya the gist. I am due 4 weeks from today - yahoo. Annie and Chris (my brother) had their baby 3 1/2 weeks early on August 17th....Dean Patrick McPartlin. The ICU nurses said they usually don't have to actually part and gel the hair of newborns, let alone ones that are born early....but as you can see he is one stylin' dude. He's so precious and as Evelyn said "SOOOOO TINY". All is well and healthy after a long week in the hospital.

Evelyn is a sand goddess. Her mommy on the other hand, not so much. Just as when I was little, I was content sitting on a towel keeping those pesky sand kernels out of my toes and nails. I did cheer her on from the sidelines though in all her water adventures.

The cousins had a sleepover recently and we discovered that Evelyn is now into dress up. Or should I say she's into whatever her cousins want to do with her. And yes, crazy Aunt Sarah and Uncle Bobby let them dress themselves for a dinner and ice cream outing. The looks we got on the street were priceless. Especially with lil' Hadley's butt hanging out of her tutu. That's all for now, hopefully the next baby picture you will see will be of Dean's new bestfriend.......our lil' man.

July 4th Festivities

2008-07-21T18:48:00.000-07:00

Breaking News & Hurry Worries

2008-06-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

OH BOY! It's a BOY! No, I did not have the baby munchkin yet, rather we found out the sex this go round. They gave us an up close picture of his genitals....we simply would have believed their word - but I guess they like to go the extra mile and clarify the news with a bit more zest.

We are so excited, a bit nervous - and all of the above. The thing we are looking most forward to is watching Miss Thang interact with her brother. As of right now, she sweetly and slyly lifts my shirt, grins, puts her hand on my belly, giggles and says "Baby Brutha kickin!"....Then she lays her head gently on my swelling tummy, kisses it twice, giggles again and off she is on her way to something more distractingly important.

In my bible study this week we are learning about the importance of Solitude with God. And wouldn't you know it...instead of spending this time silently reflecting, I'm instead busying myself with blogging! ;-) This chapter's reminders helped me to have one of the best days I've had with Sweet Eve!

As activity-oriented people we spend the majority of our time planning and frantically running from one thing to the next. Yesterday I went on Ev's schedule and pace - She told me how much she appreciated it ;-) Toddlers definitely march to a different beat....it's a MUCH slower one, yet they have a more rhythmic, appreciative way of life. Since they are discovering everything for the first time they are so enamoured by every little treasure found. Watching her opened my eyes to wonderment of the day before me.
Evelyn spotted a baby bunny. So we both squatted and just observed it for a very long time. You would think Evelyn was watching the most hysterical and enthralling scene of her life. She'd stare at it with the biggest smile she could muster up, stand up straight, arch her back, grab her belly and let out this huge bellowing laughter. In between her laughter she'd creep up on it and give it her most heartfelt wave. What amazed was how contagious her discovery was to people on the street. Person after person, who originally were rushing to work, stopped dead in their tracks and were enthralled by Evelyn's treasured find. They couldn't help themselves from slowing down, and remembering what it was like to be a child again. One lady even sincerely said "Thank you so much for letting me share in your bunny moment. " It was truly the sweet fragrance of life. Here is the quote from my study that helped me to breathe a bit easier and thoughtfully:

"Hurry is a great enemy of our spiritual life in our day. For most of us, the danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted and rushed and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of it. Depth always comes slowly; this is simply a truth about human formation. You cannot microwave maturity. Love and hurry are fundamentally incompatible. Love always takes time. Hurry kills love. Hurry prevents us from receiving love from the Father or giving it to his children. In the final analysis, hurry is not just a disordered schedule. Hurry is a disorganized heart."

Outing with Shishka & The Uncles

2008-05-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

Evelyn charmed Shishka (Grandpa Majka) and her Uncles - (Tom & Alec) at the Arboretum. It took her all of 5 shy minutes to warm up enough to take them on a self-guided tour of her favorite spots.....Ending the day by skinny dipping in a pond. Take notice everyone else has clothes on - And NO it was not warm out, nor were the waters heated by any means. She's nuts. But with those newfound piggytails I find that I cannot easily deny the sweet girl from any of her heart's desires. She is now an official member of the frigid Polar Bear Club.

Springtime FINALLY!

2008-05-10T10:48:00.001-07:00

Wyatt tips the scale so older cuz Kendall helps to balance the act out

And the protectective cuz's give Evelyn a parking violation for driving under the influence of too much sugar

Birthday Mama Andrea and Sweet Ava share a smile

Washington D.C.

2008-05-10T10:38:00.001-07:00

The Grizzwold's hit D.C.! We don't know who invited Annie, the one in-law who came on the trip, but we tried to make it an original McParty fest ;-) Ryan set up private tours of the Capitol and the West Wing. Much, much more fascinating then when I went on our 8th grade trip. At that time all you worry about is what boy you were going to snag a seat next to on the bus - AND - how you were possibly going to match your socks to a stinkin' rain poncho. This time we realized that this is the power house that affects our everyday lives and our kids......Very eye opening. Loved it.

Hawaii Family Reunion 2008

2008-03-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Baby Leoni: The Sequel

2008-03-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

This may look like a mere blob to you, but to us it is one of our most cherished blobs!

Welcome Baby Leoni #2 due September 22nd.

Evelyn is going to be blindsided by another center of attention in the house, but undoubtedly excited as well (hopefully).

In addition, she also will have the pleasure of welcoming another cousin into the world.

Annie & Chrissy are due on September 9th - how fun to waddle through this journey of swollen summer ankles together.

Let the babies keep on multiplying!

Her Hat

2008-01-25T06:37:00.000-08:00

The Fruit

2008-01-15T17:05:00.000-08:00

Mother Teresa wrote on her 'business card'

The fruit of silence is prayer,

The fruit of prayer is faith,

The fruit of faith is love,

The fruit of love is service,

The fruit of service is peace.

As a parent, coupled with being a Stay-at-Home mom, there are truck loads of identity shifts that continually take place. I vacillate between feeling whole and completely happy in my role, to feeling a sense of longing and wonderment on other days what it would feel like to go to work and create something, anything - beyond a crayon scribbled drawing, mac n' cheese ala carte and wrestling fuzzy headed Ev's hair to lay flat for once.

Alas, I came across a profound thought from a book I'm reading called 'The Faith Club'....

"I long to follow Mother Teresa's example and perform some transcendent, life-changing act of service...real selfless service...But what action can I take now with a young child at home? I can't jet off to India to work with lepers or spend a month in an AIDS clinic in Africa.

At the moment my calling is motherhood, and motherhood is my prayer. It's difficult to think of it that way all the time, given the quotidian life of a mother - the carpools, the cooking, the laundry, the shopping...But I have to remind myself that all of those labors are service to others and therefore service to God. Meanwhile, it is the most rewarding job I can imagine. What better way to end the day than lying next to a three-year old saying bedtime prayers and hearing him say, 'Thank you, God, for my mommy.' "

Wouldn't it be great to live in that knowledge every day of every moment? To see the extraordinary in the everyday ordinary moments. As humans I don't believe we're wired to do so. Unless of course we go through a tragedy or we get a reminder as such that helps us to reclaim a deeper sense of purpose once again. So from this day forward I vow to stop sniffing and peering at other's grass to see if it's brighter, fancier, manicured and what not.....instead I look to my own yard to keep growing my own fruit with this beautiful life God has granted me. As Mother Teresa says....as the fruit matures it ends in sweet service to others around us, especially to our children who desperately need it the most.

I TRIBUTE THIS TO MY MOST FAVORITE FRUIT OF 'EM ALL!

Christmas Fun

2008-01-14T17:42:00.000-08:00

This Christmas month was filled with one party after another!

Here is the McP/Leoni Clan off to see

The Jersey Boys musical after dinner at The ULC Sweet Eve obviously would have rather been hung by her pinky toes than spend one more mili-second with Santa. Don't blame her, the dude was quite unapproachable as you can well see.

Christmas Eve-

The adults were yelping & jumping around like baboons trying to get the cousins to take a picture perfect moment. They were quite amused with us and highly confused, not to mention extremely uncooperative...as long as they humor us, that's all we ask for.

Lake Geneva Winter Wonderland

McP Girls, Ev & Daddy Mac...Before THE (BIG MAC) FALL...And I'm not talking about the Roman Empire!

And they say Cloning is Illegal?!...Hmmmm???

Kissing Cousins........

Just teasing Ryan!

Speaking of Cousins - Hi Cousin Donna!

Happy 2008 My Love!

October in December

2007-12-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

Humor me while we take a Chicken step back to Halloween - I finally uploaded the Oak Park parade video and wanted to share 7 minutes of pure, innocent, unhindered fun!

Evelyn's 1st Hair Chop

2007-11-29T17:39:00.001-08:00

Make a slide show, scrapbook, or ecard

Click on the pics in order at the bottom of the slideshow to see how deeply Evelyn enjoyed her 1st haircut! Hopefully, all cuts from this point forward won't be so traumatic. Then again, her mommy and daddy still act this way when they go to the barber ;-)

Halloween Bummin'

2007-11-01T05:32:00.000-07:00

I attempted to exert my long lost dream of being a KU Cheerleader through my child's Halloween costume. And yes, undoubtedly Evelyn is a spitting image of Bobby. However, I do lay full claim on her extra long torso and her cute tush. Which inevitably led us to an irreversible wardrobe malfunction.

Since we would have been arrested for taking our daughter in public as a fully exposed Cheerleader,

we went to the other extreme by tossing her in an extra large Chicken outfit (just to be safe). She played the role beautifully - waddled, and clucked all over town - even laid a few "eggs" - which ended up smelling like eggs, but weren't quite as neat and orderly as one - Which is my fault for stepping up her daily veggie intake within the last month. Oh well, the price of being 'healthy' I suppose.

Happy Halloween!

Love,

Chicken Little &

Her Two Adoring Parents

October-licious Days

2007-10-11T18:03:00.000-07:00

Hi - This is Evelyn speaking here. My mom surprised me today with an impromptu visit to the Lincoln Park Zoo. She told me our day's destiny at breakfast which is why I look so wigged out happy-crazy in my high chair.

I spent most of the day fleeing from her and her incessant
picture taking...I am not just a pretty face ya know!!!
You will see that I was a difficult one to catch.

She's bigger of course and captured me head on a few times when I wasn't running circles around her.

Take notice - in her photo fury, she plopped me down into a bed of flowers - which HURT!!!...My bare legs got all pricked up.

Don't worry, I cried and cried and cried and she finally gave in, let me run free and stopped being all paparazzi-like. Hope you enjoy these photos since she worked so darn hard to get these shots......we'll give her an 'A' for effort shall we?

Love, Big E

P.S. The next day I got her back big time by swiping her Pumpkin Latte, never to be returned.

Ev's Bday to Dedication to Italy

2007-09-23T06:16:00.000-07:00

It was a whirlwind beginning of September for us. We had Evelyn's 1st bday up at Lake Geneva. Right before her celebration her daddy had some crampage, ended up doubled over in the hospital with an I.V. and we made it back home just in time

for Evelyn to blow out her candles, snarf down her cupcake, go to bed and wake up to be dedicated at church the next morning. Our gift to her was leaving her for 10 days to go to Italy!!! Although it was beautiful, delicious and a gorgeous trip overall there is no way we can leave our girl for that long again! Not that she really minded since she was spoiled rotten by her grandparents. But there's only so much Italian cuisine you can eat, so much chianti you can drink, so much architecutural beauty you can digest before we realized without Evelyn it was all meaningless....at least by the 7th day it was. Anyway - here are the party girl pics and some from Tuscany & Capri.

Letter to Evelyn & 1st Bday Slideshow

2007-08-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

Click to play Make your own Smilebox

My sweetest Evelyn -

Your first birthday has arrived! I cannot believe it. Words definitely escape the amount of joy you have brought to our lives. I can remember 13 months ago having daily anxiety attacks about the unknown of having a baby. What if I'm not good at being a mom? What if we don't like eachother? What if I don't catch on to how to change diapers? What are we possibly going to do with one another all day long?!...

The minute you were born every fear vanished. I still don't know what I am doing most of the time, but you are so incredibly patient with me as I wing it - and when I'm at a loss for the right solutions...what do we do? We dance!... like we did this morning, like we do every morning to start the day off right. In my mind and heart I frame the moments I am swinging you around the room to some groove and you put your head in the nook of my shoulder, hold on tight and give me your infamous gut giggle.

Your father cannot stop telling you how beautiful you are every day. Some days I worry he is going to explode from emotion overload when he looks at you. Which is not a mess I am prepared to clean up!

I am convinced that you have special powers to melt the most hardened of criminals. We could be passing a Hell's Angel, you would lock eyes, as you do, and give your sweetest -to die for- smirk, then your eyes open wide as if you are seeing in them the most amazing thing in the world, your mouth drops open, and before you know it this Hell's Angel is laughing and giggling and goo gooing all over you..... - this scene happens daily. I catch people all around softening and smiling, not fully knowing why until I see that it is becuase of you engaging them in some special way.

You are a ray of sunshine that passes by gently and makes others sigh, relax, slow down and smile at the treasures of innocence, babyhood and life in general. For a brief moment your smile makes everyone's daily stressors disappear.

One day after your birthday we are dedicating you (baptizing) which I find so appropriate after reflecting on your past year of life. I truly feel helpless in wanting to protect you from everything in this world. I want to wrap you up in a bubble and have you continue being unphased by our world's tragedies - merely living for the moment with lightheartedness and laughter. Since that is not reality - the best thing I can do is give you back to the one who created you - God. I cannot fathom it, but he knows you deeper and loves you even more then I or your daddy are able to. He is the one who shows me how you need to be loved daily and He is the one that I hope you pour your dependance on from a young age.

Like I said, I don't have the answers but I do promise to raise you with a trust in God/Jesus so that you can have confidence in who He created you to be and so you can thrive in all that He created you to be. Which right now seems like a dancer or a veterinarian, but we'll see how that changes ;-)

I gave your daddy a card that said "If I know what love is it is because of you." And I say that wholeheartedly to you as well. You have shown us both a deeper, more selfless, abandoning way to love and we thank you for all that you are and all that you are becoming!

We love you Sweet Girl! Happy Birthday!!!

Love, Mommy & Daddy

Fins to the Left!

2007-08-28T08:28:00.000-07:00

My how times have changed! We packed up the cooler for the adults, warned them the dangers of drinking and driving, told them not to talk to strangers and sent them on their way to the Jimmy Buffet concert at Alpine Valley - While we all stayed home and went to bed early with our kids! When did this major change take place?!

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Progressive Dance Party

2007-08-19T19:14:00.001-07:00

Evelyn becomes more multi-talented as the days progress. The first 4 minutes or so of this video is of her new favorite dance. She sticks her proud belly out and moves her knees ever so slightly. One day she will learn that it's all about swingin' the hips like Shakira, but until then we will let her patent her own dance moves.

The next couple of minutes in the video is of our family pool day and her exploring the Morton Arboretum. The simplest things fascinate her such as her feet crunching on the rocks below her. It's so enlightening to observe her discover all the wonders of life each new day with a squeal at every exciting sight. She helps us to rediscover those things we often see as mundane and overlook. Enjoy....

These Feet are Made for Walkin'....

2007-07-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

MONUMENTAL MOM MOMENT -

Okay, so it actually was a monumental moment for Evelyn, but if felt much more like MY moment so please humor me for a moment.

I was at the stove cooking up some grub for Evelyn. Out of the corner of my eye I see Evelyn stand up, which she has done a million times before, no biggie, and THEN I see movement....lots of movement, lots of standing, walking continuous movement without falling over, and it continued and continued and continued on.

My precious babe walked the whole length of the kitchen and into the hallway!!!.....I was speechless, she didn't even know I was watching her.

She paused in the hallway after her marathon walk, still standing, with her back to me and she congragulated herself by clapping, giggling and walking right out of my sight.

What?! I didnt' know what to do with this first 'moment' of walking.....so I laughed and cried and swooped her up, fed her dinner.....and kept telling her how proud I was of her over and over and over again. She just stared at me, poised so properly from her highchair with this perplexed look like "ooooooooooooookkkkkkkkkkkaaaaaaaaaaayyyy already lady, you've made your point, let me just get on with my corn and avocado if you don't mind."

Much Love - and Happy Walking! ;-)

2007-07-10T07:04:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!!! Miss Evelyn is now standing on her own two feet for minutes on end and even taking cha-cha steps. My guess is that she will take to dancing way before walking! This past holiday was spent up at Lake Geneva sun bathing, swimming, and hanging with Ev's cousins - who seem to hold her attention and occupy her time a lot better then her mommy and daddy can.

Her personality is sweet and spicy. She will go in for kisses one second and swipe at your face the next - She LOVES to tease us by offering us food. Just when we think it's a sweet gesture, we ewwwwwww and ahhhhh, lean in to take a bite and she quickly takes it back and pops it in her mouth, laughs a sinister giggle, squints her eyes, wrinkles her nose and finishes us off with a sly suspicious smile.

Evelyn's New Friends and Pool Time!

2007-06-29T07:45:00.000-07:00

9 Months and Counting

2007-06-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

PROOF!

2007-05-21T21:21:00.000-07:00

My Little Flower

2007-04-26T07:16:00.000-07:00

I love watching Evelyn discover fresh, warm air for the first time. When she knows we are on our way outside she kicks her legs up and down all hyper like a bunny rabbit. Then when we get outside she closes her eyes slightly and keeps her mouth wide open to taste the freshness of the breeze.

She couldn't be happier then when we are on a walk in the park. It's the simple things in life. She is blossoming just as beautifully and simultaneously as the trees and flowers are blooming. Ev is starting to creep and crawl and her first tooth is budding through. She reminds me to slow down, to breathe in the air. When I feel overwhelmed and hurried I close my eyes and picture her fully surrendered to the breeze and soaking up the sun, her eyes closed, her smile as big as they come.......

Happy Easter

2007-04-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

Nothing profound, just wanted to post some Easter family photos.

St. Patty Wedding

2007-03-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

Chris and Annie get married! Our family circle is now complete. Annie couldn't have been a more breathtaking bride, and Chris couldn't have been a more excited and handsome groom. What a party! Irish dancers, bagpipes it was a true O'Hara - McPartlin Irish extravaganza. Here are just a few snippets of the weekend.

After coming off of a highly intense weekend of seeing two people so utterly in love, I also want to share something I read about C.S. Lewis which helps put love into perspective. It may sound like a downer, but if we look beyond the disillusionment that t.v. and hollywood feeds us, then we see the deeper sense of what love is truly all about.

"Being in love is a good thing, but it is not the best thing. There are many things below it, but there are also things above it. You cannot make it the basis of a whole life. It is a noble feeling, but it is still a feeling. Now no feeling can be relied on to last in its full intensitiy, or even to last at all. Knowledge can last, principles can last, habits can last; but feelings come and go. And in fact, whatever people say, the state called 'being in love' usually does not last.

If the old fairy tale ending 'They lived happily ever after' is taken to mean 'They felt for the next fifty years exactly as they felt the day before they were married', then it says what probably never was nor ever would be true, and would be highly undesirable if it were. Who could bear to live in that excitement for even five years? What would become of your work, your appetite, your sleep, your friendships? But, of course, ceasing to be 'in love' need not mean ceasing to love.

Love in this second sense - love as distinct from 'being in love' - is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strenghthened by habit; reinforced by the grace which both partners ask, and receive, from God. They can have this love for each other even at those moments when they do not like each other; as you love yourself even when you do not like yourself.

Being in love' first moved them to promise fidelity; this quieter love enables them to keep the promise. It is on this love the the engine of marriage is run: being in love was the explosion that started it."

The FUN Babysitter

2007-02-17T07:02:00.001-08:00

I know, I know, you all have been waiting on the edge of your seats for the newest blog right? Well, I must tell you that I have been holding out until I had something astoundingly priceless to post. And well, today is the day folks.

The other day I planned to organize the videos we have been taking of Evelyn since she has been born. And to my utter amazement there was a video on there that I had never seen before....

A video of my daughter and husband (or some crazed man who looks eerily similar to Bobby) that was obviously taken when I was out and about. I ask you one question - Who do you think is having more fun?! Click to view and vote ;-)

Eye See

2007-01-10T06:16:00.000-08:00

"You are the maiden of my eye"...I once heard that this phrase meant that you are looking at somebody so closely that you can see the reflection of yourself in their pupil. Who appears in that reflection? Do you recognize that person? What type of person are they seeing?

There are plenty of hours in the day where I catch myself looking so deeply into Evelyn's eyes that I see me. Sometimes the reflection is of a glowing mother, other times it is of a wrung out exhausted version of myself. The kicker is that Evelyn is being shaped by whomever it is that is staring back at me from her eyes. If the reflection is of a patient,

loving, faith filled woman so she shall become. If it is of a worrisome, frustrated, angry woman...so she shall become.

Thermometers are a good guage of our physical health. And whomever appears in the pupil of Evelyn's eye is a transparent barometer of my emotional health. But, it takes slowing down, being still and honest enough to see who it is she sees.

Oatmeal. The doc suggested we try oatmeal. Evelyn suggested not. See picture for further details.

Toys. It's time for Evelyn to start playing wth more toys to keep her stimulated and foster her development right? The choices are overwhelming, and our place is small. It made me wonder what kids in Africa do without an Exersaucer, and Baby Einstein videos?...We recently visited a refugee family from Somalia who has a 3 month old girl. Two families all crammed into a one bedroom, dark apartment. I immediately felt sorry for them and wanted to bring them a boatload of toys. After a 1/2 hour of seeing them laugh, play and be so unbelievably content, I instead felt sorry for me for thinking that they needed things/toys to be happy. Good reminder.

So the New Year begins. The pages are unwritten. A blank year is ahead of us to realize that "someday" is today and to get boogying on past procrastinations and dreams unfulfilled. SWEET DREAMS...

Evelyn Meets Santa and Welcome Wyatt

2006-12-14T11:24:00.000-08:00

Evelyn looks a bit more excited to meet Santa then he is her. I suppose it's because he's been doing this gig for 14 years!!! The cousins, Mimi, Grandpa Mac and the Karrs all went to the Union League Club for a fun day of food and Xmas mood.

Sometimes I can't wait for Evelyn to talk and interact, but then again our biggest piece of advice we've gotten as parents is not to rush our wishes for her to grow up...because one day we will wish she was small enough to snuggle her up in our arms again. So I'm soaking in every moment, every spit up, every toot, every coo and giggle. I love being her mom. Life is so much more enhanced, and so much more selfless now...too bad it took a kid to get to this point.

Thee most exciting news as of recent is that the long awaited Mr. Wyatt Duke McPartlin has arrived! He was born last week to my brother Ryan and his wife Danielle. By the picture you can tell he is already an L.A. fashionista. We cannot wait for him to come to Chicago in March for Chrissy's wedding where he will get to meet his 4 girl cousins.....I hope he is ready for all the doting attention he is going to be slobbered with! He will most likely end up in a dress by the end of his Midwest debut.

Hats Off To Ya'll!

2006-11-22T20:07:00.000-08:00

I am obsessed with buying hats for Miss Evelyn, it's my new hobby. She wears it quite well don't you agree?

Last night our fam' went to Willow Creek Community Church www.willowcreek.org for a Thanksgiving service. It was one of those depleting days where the only thing you want to do is go home, breathe in and out and wait for a new, fresh day to start. Something kept drawing me to go to the service though.......It was as if God blew His breath of air into my soul to clear away the mounds of dust of indifference in my life.

There is a ton to share from the service, but I will only share a bit. I highly recommend listening to the service though. There is a testimony that will blow you away!

One part that smacked me across the face (as we approach Thanksgiving tomorrow) was the parable where Jesus, out of His graciousness, heals the 10 lepers. The lepers were so overwhelmed at their newfound healing and freedom that they took off running in excitement to show everyone what God had done. One, only one, stopped himself in his steps to turn back around and bow before God in adoration and thankfulness for granting him healing. God was like 'No prob', but hey, I healed 10 of you and you are thee ONLY one who came back to thank me?! Where the heck did the rest of those yahoos go?!?

They forgot. It's so easy to forget. It's so easy to praise the created and forget the Creator. Too often we bask in our joys and blessings and forget those days of longing for those blessings.

So this Thanksgiving I pray that we all stop and give ultimate thanks to God. It wasn't but a few years ago that I thought God had forgotten the desires of my heart. But when I wake next to my husband and look deeply into my daughter's eyes I feel foolish for thinking that God would ever forget. He stores all our tears in a jar and turns it into the finest of wine....in His timing.

Thanks - giving for and to you!

The Angels are with me...

2006-11-14T06:56:00.000-08:00

If someone told me that I wasn't the luckiest lad this side of the sea for having theeee two most gorgeous, beautiful, angelic ladies in my life to enjoy life, love and all of God's gifts with, they'd probably also say that Saddam Hussein is a humanitarian. Am i right? ...Just look at them!

From Africa to England, and God knows all the stuff in between, to a back home, old-fashioned family lifestyle, God has a sense of humor that just strikes ya right in the gut with Truth!

This blog is awesome, props to Sarita for creating it - everyone please feel free to respond - open forum!

Side note to Evelyn:

I just want to formally ask you why you LOVE to crap on your Daddy? I hope this doesn't continue into your adulthood. I'll say it now - to the degree to which it continues is the degree to which your shopping budget will be cut!! Countless times when I'm 'ahh-ing' and 'coo-ing' at you with tears in my eyes because you're too cute... low and behold you follow up with a nasty explosion of what seems like raw sewage which seeps and pours out your diaper, up your back, down your legs, and into my hands. And to top it all off, you seal the deal with your infamous sly but sweet smirk, knowing you're in control. Ahhhh, but you're darling, I love you, and you're worth every minute of my singed nostrils!!

Love,

Papa Leoni

Evelyn's Party Frocks

2006-11-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

This weekend was Bobby's 29th bday. Yes, I robbed the cradle for all those out there counting up our age difference.

Evelyn begged me to dress her in something pretty for when her daddy got home from work. It was a big day......her first time ever in a dress and panty hose! She hated the hat - I guess for good reason because it kept sliding down and covering her entire face. All I could see was her frowning sweet lips begin to quiver into a wail if I didn't remove that honkin' hat fast!

Bobby's bday was so relaxing. I usually try to over-plan and over-please. But he merely wanted to spend time with his two ladies....so that's just what we did. 'Time' was indeed the most valuable gift to be had.

Newest Blog on the Block

2006-11-13T09:09:00.000-08:00

The Leoni family is officially on the blog super-highway. Sounds kind of futuristic, but probably old school to a lot of tech heads out there.

Anyway, this is going to be our prime vehicle to brag about and post minute by minute pics of our sweet baby girl Evelyn Grace Leoni.

Like all over-zealous new parents out there, the camera seems to be attached to our hips for every yawn, cock-eyed smile, ridiculous over-sized outfit, and move that she makes. Instead of us sending out daily photo albums to people who may want more, or have had enough........we will instead post our pictures and updates on here.

That way you can check this site out as much or as little as you want. Deal?

So here we go......

We've got a lot of lost time to make up for since her birthday on September 1, 2006 at 11:13p.m.