New Blog

OUR BLOG HAS MOVED!!

Its hard to believe I have been blogging about our life since 2005.It started off as a whim and turned into something I really enjoy. Both of us have friends and family we wish lived closer to be a part of our everyday life, but blogging has been the next best thing. Since Evan joined our family, blogging has become more frequent and more fun! So be sure and change your bookmarks/favorites link to our new site:

www.shepherdsnapshots.blogspot.com

Read more...

Caught on Tape

A couple of especially cute (though I am biased) moments of Evan today.
Its been a challenge to get any video clips of Evan lately because the second he hears the camera click on or sees the camera, he wants to come and watch himself on the camera.


Evan loves to dance/sway to music. Notice his left leg get going at the beginning of the video. :)


I was washing dishes and kind of in another world (mulling over our dayhome options:) and realized Evan was being pretty loud, trying to get my attention. I looked down and he was doing his "where?" sign. This video goes on a bit since I couldn't edit/cut it.

Read more...

Under Construction

As you can see, our blog is under construction. :)
I will continue to post pictures but am in the process of re-working our blog a little so forgive the messiness.

Read more...

Vroom, Vroom

Whenever Evan sees a car/truck, toy or real, he likes to make a "vroom, vroom" noise. When he is wearing these pj's from my Gran, he ends up "vroom-vrooming" alot since they have trucks all over the pants. Cute.

Read more...

Jason's Addiction

ad-dic-tion (noun): An obsession, compulsion, or excessive physical or psychological dependence

Jason is addicted to chocolate pudding, layered with whip cream. :) It has certainly become an obsession and there seems to be an excessive need for it...he even made a special trip to the store on Friday since we were out of pudding. I enable him. I buy pudding when I do the grocery shopping, and stop on my way home from errands to pick up his requested whip cream. Worst of all, even though I don't particularly like chocolate, I am finding myself caving to the 'peer pressure' and enjoying some too. The whip cream offsets all of the chocolate for me which is evident by the picture. I made the ones in the picture and there is WAY more whip cream than pudding. Oops. :)

Read more...

Stress & Heartache

Not Evan...ME!!
I am stressed and my heart is aching.
Though this picture is how I imagine Evan looking in 6 weeks! :)
I have three weeks until I complete my M.A. program.
I have six weeks until I return to work.
I've been feeling pretty good about returning to work part-time...until today.
I met with my bosses to nail down the details of returning to my old position...it went well.
I interviewed another dayhome provider for Evan...and here is where stress and ache meet my head and heart.
Stress because I am racing to the finish line and am swamped with course work and now dealing with settling on a dayhome in the next couple of weeks.
Heartache because the reality of putting our precious son in the care of someone else...
I'm not looking for perfect (well, maybe a little) but I am looking for a TV that doesn't stay on all day, semi-nutritious meals, good structure and a little discipline, naps in a separate room from where all of the children are playing... and well, lets face it...
a dayhome that only takes one child... mine! :) Oh wait, that's our house. Hmmm.

It doesn't help that I know too much about child development and the importance of attachment and early experiences. It really doesn't help that I work with children who have been damaged in these areas and struggle to cope. Will I show up to E crying everyday? Realistically, I know he'll be fine though I might be the one crying when I leave him. But is it too much to ask that the TV gets turned off at some point during the day and he's fed something other than chicken mcnuggets and licorice?

Read more...

Coloring

I finally followed through on my intention to buy Evan some crayons and see how he liked them.
This morning, I decided to try it out...


He thought these new `toys` were pretty great. He would`ve been happy to just roll them around.


This picture doesn`t show it very well but he bites his bottom lip as he concentrates (he also curls his toes:).


He thought it was pretty fun... for about 2 minutes. :)

Read more...

Presenting... The Beginning Scribbles of Evan


His masterpiece :) I bought regular crayons too (the fat kind) but these seem safer for my floors and walls, right now. At least only one end can color.

Read more...

Snack Time

Lately, Evan has been especially excited to have his snack at the coffee table. He is even eating it out of a 'kid bowl' without using the bowl as a toy. He uses our dishes to eat his meals because, in the beginning, the plastic ones are so light, he would accidentially (and often) knock them over or off the tray. Notice the belt in his hand...Its one (of two) favorite toys, right now.


"Get down, Evan!"
I am saying this quite a bit now. He kneels on it most of the time but is discovering just how much fun it is to stand on the chair. Yesterday, Jason looked up and noticed Evan had nearly climbed onto the coffee table.


When his snack bowl is empty, he turns and puts his hands up/shrugs and jabbers something I imagine to say, "Mom, where did all of my goldfish go? I need more."

Read more...