Mike & Emily

Getting Ready for Christmas

2012-01-29T21:55:00.005-05:00

Can we please stay in our footie jammies all day long?What do you do with extra Christmas ribbon? Sadie makes it into Rapunzel hair. Cute the first time, not so cute everyday for a week!Such a happy kid!Making a gingerbread house. More candy went in Sadie's mouth than on the houseSadie learned how to climb into Rowan's crib. It is always fun to find these two together first thing in the morning.

Reunion

2012-01-29T20:58:00.007-05:00

We kicked off the holiday season with lots of fun and friends. All because these two came in town! Rowan loved meeting Brett.Sadie loved catching up with Liesl!Sadie taught Brett some ballet.We had a yummy holiday meal at the Grace's. It was so nice to see everyone and get all these little kids together. Here is Rowan and his "twin".My kids (I can claim Snow, right?)Griffin, Rowan, Sadie, Snow, WilderThe group (minus Ellie who is taking the picture). Or as Sadie says, "the whole family!"

More Puerto Rico

2012-01-22T20:57:00.010-05:00

Here are some more highlights from our trip to Puerto Rico, from my parent's camera.We spent a lot of time in the mission van and we filled every seat! Dad and Alisa are in the front.Sadie and Grammie out for early morning sea shell collecting.Ahoy mates! I have never seen so many hermit crabs! These were not like the one we once had for a pet. They were active and fun. Brycen gather a bunch up in his bucket and then let them go.This was Rowan's first time swimming and first time in the ocean. It was beautiful clear water. He must have swallowed some though, and it was not so beautiful that night when he was barfing. Poor kid! He was the most pleasant sick baby I've ever seen.Hiking in the rain forest. Not the best picture of me, but the only Sadie looks adorable...Brycen showing how tough he is. Sadie is all worn out.Here is the whole group. We missed Adam, Abbey, Daniel and Mike.

Puerto Rico

2012-01-10T15:53:00.036-05:00

On Thanksgiving, the kids and I left for Puerto Rico to see my parents at the end of their mission. It was quite an adventure. The last time I had flown with just Sadie I swore I'd never do it again. So why I thought it was a good idea to do it on my own with two kids, I don't know. Needless to say, I was a bit too overwhelmed to mess with a camera. Here are some of the highlights of the trip from Rachel's camera...Sadie and Aunt Rachel waiting for the ride down to the caves.Rowan stayed behind with Grammie and PopPop since it was going to be slippery. Turns out Sadie was scared and wanted to be carried the entire time. I would have been better off with Rowan! We just sang Hiho, hiho and pretended we were going to work with the seven dwarfs. It helped, a little.Next we visited a lighthouse. There was a beautiful view of the ocean. Brycen and Sadie were as cute as can be and had so much fun together!Rowan got to finally meet Grammie and PopPop on this trip. He loved being carried by my dad, just like Sadie did when she was a baby.Just one of many visits to the beach. Sadie kept asking when we were going to Puerto Rico. She thinks Puerto Rico means the beach. She was too excited to put here bathing suit on.I love my little man. Being away from Mike for a week, I was finally able to recognize the similarities between him and Mike. Everyone calls him little Mike. My dad said he was glad Rowan was there so he didn't forget what Mike looks like. Brycen and Sadie racing up to the fort in San Juan. I just love seeing my parents wearing their missionary badges. So proud!Sisters, plus Maryn and Rowan.Someone's all tuckered out. We learned that Sadie is still able to fall asleep anywhere. A skill she has possessed since birth. On this trip it normally followed a great big fit!Church in Vieques was a little less reverent when the Button family was in town. We nearly doubled the attendance and added an infinite amount of noise. The people there were so sweet and welcoming. I remembered many of them from our previous visit. Snorkeling in Vieques.Sadie found her daddy a starfish as promised.

Festival of Trees

2011-12-05T20:59:00.003-05:00

We love festivals! It was fun to see the beautifully decorated Christmas trees, wreaths and gingerbread houses. Sadie had fun making crafts and having her face painted. My favorite part of our festival experience was when Santa asked Sadie if she had been good and she said, "Well, sometimes I am and sometimes I'm not." I think we got a little chuckle out of St. Nick. At least she's honest! We'll keep working of being good :)

5 months

2011-12-05T20:39:00.004-05:00

(Sadie wanted her picture taken too)

At 5 months Rowan is so smiley and giggly. He can now roll both ways and can't help but grab anything in front of him. He is eating rice cereal and sweet potatoes. His favorite thing to do is watch his big sister.

Balloons

2011-11-17T13:27:00.011-05:00

In October the Graces invited us to the hot air balloon festival in Statesville. We were very disappointed after an hour drive and about a half hour wait in a line of cars that the parking was full and they were not allowing any more people to the festival. Luckily, we found a place to pull off and observe the balloons near by. There was even a launch right where we were. It was amazing!

Horse Stables

2011-11-13T15:55:00.005-05:00

Just in case you were wondering... Sadie is three.

Rowan wore his jeans and cowboy boots for the first time. What a stud!

The kids got to brush the pony. Sadie wouldn't touch the brushes because they were "yucky". She also wanted to know why there was dirt on the ground. It is so funny to me when she chooses to care about dirt and other times she is the first to dive in.

She wasn't one bit shy of riding the horse. In fact, we were standing in line for quite some time waiting our turn. In mid-conversation with a friend, I looked up and saw Sadie mounting the horse. It was not her turn, but I guess she was tired of waiting. Yep, my daughter already cuts in line! Pretty sneaky.

This was such a fun playgroup sponsored by Forsyth Family Magazine - Kids Morning Out. I love Winston Salem!

Fun in October

2011-11-13T15:01:00.010-05:00

I love the fall! The leaves are beautiful, the weather is wonderful and there are so many fun things to do. Maybe too many fun things. We had a busy month keeping up with it all.

Pumpkin carving:

YMCA fall festival and Ihop scary face pancakes:

Sadie thought she needed to make a scary face as well :)

Preschool party:

"I told the witch doctor I was in love with you..."

Tanglewood hayride:

Tanglewood park:

4 months

2011-11-03T22:20:00.007-04:00

At 4 months I decided I'd postponed the first haircut long enough. As you can see in the above picture, there wasn't much in the the front, but plenty in the back. The mullet had to go!

Before:After:

Happy Halloween

2011-11-02T13:09:00.019-04:00

This little guy is my favorite treat! Sadie had a great cackle to go with her costume. We had fun making her broom and painting her face. I had to dress baby Snow in Sadie's "love bug" costume. The leaves were beautiful this weekend for the trunk or treat.The girls are getting the hang of trick of treating. The girls:The boys:

Happy Birthday Daddy

2011-10-09T15:14:00.006-04:00

Birthdays are always on Sadie's mind. It seems her life resolves around whose birthday is next, although she would prefer it to be her own. She knew that for his birthday she wanted to give her daddy a blue cake (her favorite color) and a king crown (of course she would need a crown too). She was a bit confused by the fact that he was turning 31. One is for babies. So, we counted to 31 for her... now there's a way to make you feel old!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

We celebrated by having our friends the Beards over for dinner and enjoying Disney sing-a-longs. Yep, the kids are taking over our lives... and we love it!

3 months

2011-10-05T20:21:00.007-04:00

At 3 months, Rowan is such a joy. He is so smiley (except when the camera is around), giggly and snugly. He is getting so big and chunky. He loves to sit in his bumbo chair and watch his sister play. He loves bath time. He loves to be tickled under his chin.

Row and Snow = BFF

Preschool

2011-10-03T21:25:00.006-04:00

This little girl was so excited to start preschool in September. Here she is on the first day, with her mat, ready to go! She informed me that they would be sitting on little chairs at school and she wouldn't need a mat. I had to explain to her that this was PRE-school and it would be at her friend's house so she would need a mat to sit on. Luckily the first day was at Braeden's house and he has a doctor's kit, so everything was going to be alright.

Their first field trip was to the zoo. I stayed home with the babies, but thanks to Suzi we have these great pictures.

Good thing they got to ride a bus at the zoo. Sadie keeps talking about riding the school bus when she gets bigger and it is breaking my heart. I don't know if I'll ever be able to let her do it.

Labor Day Hike

2011-09-28T13:24:00.003-04:00

These kids are such troopers. It was the hike we thought would never end. No complaints from the kids though. We learned two valuable lessons. #1 Don't try a new trail when with kids. #2 It is possible for a 6 year old to hike 10 miles. Go Joshua! Luckily we were with good friends with awesome attitudes.

Happy faces! This was before we realized we were lost :)

Mike felt bad as he was the leader. Sadie loved every minute of it. She keeps asking when we can go hiking again. I enjoyed it too. How could I not when I had this little man to look at the entire time?

Myrtle Beach

2011-09-22T14:57:00.016-04:00

My friend Laurie invited the kids and I to join her and her son at the beach house for a week. Mike and I have been a few times with the Beards, but this time was definitely different. With more kids and no dads, it was an adventure. We have many stories and learned a lot about how to (or how not to) vacation with kids. #1 Margaritaville is not kid friendly. At least, not Sadie friendly. She was wishing it was 5 o'clock anywhere but there.

Our first outing to the beach only lasted about an hour. Since Sadie wasn't afraid of the water, Griffin didn't mind eating the sand, it made things difficult for the moms. Not to mention the wind and our run away umbrella. Despite the efforts of two kind gentlemen and our own, the umbrella still managed to get away and land on some sun bathers.

Swimming:

Rowan was ready to go in his bathing suit, but the water was too cold. Sadie didn't mind the ice cold water and enjoyed making her mom go deeper and deeper to the perfect spot to catch her as she jumped in.

Shopping:

Sadie helped herself to trying on shoes.

She decided she NEEDED this suitcase for Arizona. Her mom did not agree.

The Christmas store was a favorite.

Walking:

We said goodbye to the beach just before hurricane Irene came to visit. It started sprinkling on us as Sadie looked for shells with the other early morning collectors. As we were walking back to the beach house, it began to pour. We took shelter under a parking garage with two older women, but when we decided it wasn't going to let up, we all took a run for it.

We really did enjoy ourselves. We were able to relax, enjoy our friends, and have a change of scenery. Despite the excitement, we escaped the hurricane.

Dress Up

2011-09-12T14:41:00.008-04:00

Sadie and her friends are going through a not so flattering phase we call dress ups. They come up with some pretty interesting outfits. On this occasion it was combined with dancing, singing, giggling and announcements that it is "my turn" with the Cinderella slippers.

Some how these two were able to stay asleep through the whole ordeal. I felt like a champ successfully watching 2 newborns and 4 three year old. Bring it on!

I sometimes hide the dress ups to encourage other creative play. One of my favorites is when Sadie helps Mike mow the lawn.

Whoops!

2 Months

2011-09-11T15:19:00.007-04:00

Two months

In his crib

Enjoying tummy time

Family

2011-09-11T14:47:00.008-04:00

Rowan Clark

Sadie Pearl

Caught in the act:

Sadie is such a sweet sister. It makes me so happy to find her reading to baby Rowan or holding his hand when we are driving in the car. She loves to give him kisses and he gives her smiles in return.Happy Family

Blueberries

2011-09-06T16:39:00.004-04:00

One Month

2011-09-06T15:52:00.005-04:00

Here is our Rowan boy on his 1 month birthday. The very talented Aunt Abbey made this blanket for him. I've decided to use it for his monthly picture. Mr. personality already. We love the faces he makes. He is very alert (when he is awake), trying to figure things out.

Hike

2011-08-22T09:38:00.006-04:00

It was fun to have company and to take Rowan on his first mini hike at the cascades along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

So Blessed

2011-08-22T09:06:00.004-04:00

The little Pearl is 3

2011-08-14T14:43:00.013-04:00

Sadie was so excited for her birthday. She couldn't wait to be three! She invited a few of her friends to Bounce U to celebrate.

Grace, Abby, Braeden, Ellie, Brycen and Sadie

She had so much fun and was more daring than the first time she went. Rowan had a great time too... until he woke up.She got to celebrate again a few days later when Grandma and Grandpa came.

Sadie loves to sing, dance, read, and draw. She likes to dress up and pretend to be a princess, or the evil lady in the Disney stories. She is even starting to choose her own outfits, shoes, hair styles and bows. She also enjoys telling her parents what "three-year-olds" like.

Aunt Alisa

2011-08-07T15:25:00.013-04:00

They make it look so easy, but I needed help. Luckily Aunt Alisa came to the rescue!Aunt Alisa came to visit. She brought Brycen and Maryn to entertain Sadie, she made us yummy meals, she scrubbed my flours, she snuggled Rowan when he was grumpy, she let Mike and I have a date night, and she allowed me to sleep in everyday! All in all, the perfect guest.

Cow appreciation day at Chick fil-a. I think this cow would appreciate if our kids would stop following him around.Sharing a smoothie at Costco.Date night at Target.Maryn is wondering how these kids have so much energy.Brycen taught Sadie some new tricks!Making pizzas.These two played so well together. Alisa caught them upstairs watching a pretend movie and chatting. Celebrating each other's birthdays.Thanks Alisa. Love you!

Rowan

2011-08-03T08:35:00.014-04:00

Here are some of Rowan's pictures from his photo shot with Aunt Rachel.

http://www.rachelreidheadphotography.com/

10 days old

Aunt Rachel

2011-07-25T15:38:00.004-04:00

My sister Rachel was our first out of town visitor. I could never thank her enough for being my helper! She came just in time, as Sadie began to demand some extra attention. Rachel endured Sadie's sas, our a/c failure, and my postpartum crazies. Amazing!

Here are a few pictures from her blog:

In addition to the beautiful newborn pictures she took of Rowan, she did a family shoot for us. This was no easy task. It was the most humid day of her trip and between Mike's closed eyes, Sadie's refusal to cooperate and my post-pregnancy chubs, a good picture of our family was not easy and requires some serious editing. In the mean time, here are a few we snapped on our own:

Love you Rach!

Moses Cone Graduation

2011-07-25T14:37:00.005-04:00

Rowan was born on Monday, and on Friday was Mike's graduation. It was our first outing as a family of four. Maybe it was a little too soon, but we were a bit stir crazy and didn't want to miss it!

Mike had a running joke with his fellow residents regarding his facial hair, especially the mustache. He felt that is was only appropriate that he should wear one to the graduation. I personally don't believe it is ever appropriate to wear a stache (unless you are my Uncle Jay).

Rowan didn't seem to mind it.

Sadie on the other hand, did not want a tickley kiss. Even though last time Mike wore a mustache, she cried when he shaved it off. Apparently she is becoming older and wiser.

Congrats to our graduate. Good bye internship, internal medicine and 30 hour call!

Mike really enjoyed his time at Cone and his fellow prelims. However, they were all excited to be moving on to: Duke Dermatology, Tufts Ophthalmology, Wake Forest Ophthalmology and Duke Radiology.

We had a wonderful time. Sadie thought she was "Miss Belle" (from Beauty and the Beast) going to a ball with her yellow dress and fancy shoes. She danced the night away and ended up with some blisters... but it was worth it :)

Welcome Home

2011-06-23T12:33:00.005-04:00

We are loving every minute at home with baby Rowan. When Sadie allows Mommy and Daddy a turn to hold her baby brother, we enjoy his cute faces and sweet sounds. He has been very sleepy and such a joy to have.

Big sister Sadie was excited to show Rowan her room. Bedtime stories and prayers are so much fun with Rowan around.

Introducing...

2011-06-23T12:11:00.006-04:00

Rowan Clark Evans

6/20/11

9:29 am

7 lbs 7 oz

21 inches

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T15:22:00.002-04:00

Daddy, will you marry me? This is a common question at our house these days. Of course to her this means a dress, flowers and a dance. Sadie Pearl loves her daddy, and so do I. Happy Father's Day!

Okay baby...

2011-06-19T15:04:00.004-04:00

We are ready for you to come.

I'm ready to meet my little boy.
Sadie is ready to be a big sister.

We all thought you'd be here by now. Let's make this happen tonight!

Strawberries

2011-06-11T21:47:00.010-04:00

My sweet little strawberry blonde was cute as can be as she picked strawberries.

Yum!

After eating a ton of strawberries, these girls used their energy to fly like butterflies.

Lazy 5

2011-05-23T14:43:00.007-04:00

In April, we also went to the Lazy 5 Ranch. We've been a couple times before during the summer, but I've decided spring is the best time to go. The weather was perfect and there were pregnant, nursing and newborn animals everywhere.

Abby and Sadie ready for the wagon ride.

When we first arrived, my little girl was a bit skeptical of the giant peacock. She got braver with time.

Here are some of the animals we saw:

Don't get too close with that big slimy tongue!

Feeding the goats and sheep was one Sadie's favorite activities. She would only feed the babies though and got annoyed with the adult animals when they would try to sneak food out of her hands. It was quite entertaining to watch.

Easter

2011-05-23T14:04:00.006-04:00

We loved celebrating Easter.

Sadie dyed eggs with her friends.

She hunted eggs and met the Easter Bunny at the YMCA.

She ate peeps with Dad.

Next time we'll take pictures before giving her candy.

Then we had friends over for dinner and the kids hunted eggs, again!

My favorite part of Easter was teaching Sadie the song "Did Jesus Really Live Again?" She learned all three versus and performed on Skype for her grandparents. Practicing the song each day for weeks helped us stay focused on the Savior.

Birthday and Visitors

2011-05-01T16:08:00.005-04:00

Mike's parents were here in March and helped make my birthday extra special.

We went to the zoo:

Then to Furnitureland:

And home for some cake and icecream:

Spring

2011-05-01T15:09:00.006-04:00

In March we enjoyed the outdoors.

Pretty blossoms (and not so pretty graffiti).

A walk and kisses with Lou and Stanley.

Walks in our neighborhood.

Sadie decided she prefers to pushing a stroller over riding in a stroller. We don't get very far though since she has to stop to make phone calls and calm her crying baby or bunny.

Playing at the park.

Ohio

2011-03-31T08:42:00.005-04:00

In February we took a rode trip to Ohio to surprise Melanie and celebrate her 30th birthday!

Here are the girls:

Here are the kids:

At the science museum.

This was the first smile I got from Sadie fierce that day.

At the aquarium.

This is the only smile I got from her the next day.

Traveling was a little rough on this little one. She was clingy and crabby. Granted she was a little sick and very tired. It was still worth the seeing the Bonks and having some quality girl time. The best part of medical school was the dear friends we made. The worst part was when graduation came and we all parted ways for residency.

Valentine's

2011-03-27T16:17:00.005-04:00

Here she is... my little Valentine!

Sadie had a fun time at her Valentine's party at the Pearson's. When you set 2 year olds loose with sugar, this is what you get:

Sadie loved making and passing out her Valentines, but I think she enjoyed receiving a little more!

This is Sadie:

2011-02-26T14:01:00.003-05:00

My little helper. I think she is ready for her big sister role.

Pajama girl. She loves to wear her jammies all day (who wouldn't). And when she isn't in pajamas, she'd prefer to be naked.

Expressive. Sadie's emotions definitely show on her face.

Family night favorite. This little girl loves family night. When I ask her what we should do tonight, she exclaims, "Family night!" Mike and I enjoy hearing her sing songs. The best is when she takes charge, runs upstairs to gather supplies (scripture stories, instruments, puppets, etc.) and comes back down to direct the FHE events.

P is for Play, and....

2011-02-06T20:54:00.003-05:00

Once a week Sadie gets together with 3 of her friends to learn about a letter and to play. Letter P was one of my favorites so far...

Painting with pudding

It didn't take long for these girls to figure out that it was edible!

Popcorn

Snow

2011-02-06T15:51:00.007-05:00

Early in December Mike and Sadie came to support me (and our baby) in the Mistletoe half marathon. Sadie doesn't look too excited in this picture, but she cheered up for the party at the YMCA afterward, and even more for the snow we got later that day!

There's a happy girl.

Christmas

2011-02-06T15:21:00.004-05:00

We enjoyed our first Christmas at home!

Christmas breakfast

Christmas guitar

Christmas tutu

Our Christmas angel!

Troy's wedding

2010-12-02T08:59:00.003-05:00

Sadie and I got to go to AZ for Troy's wedding. It was so fun to spend time with the family! Here's Grandma & Grandpa with all the grandchildren.

Flower girl Carys.

Flower girl Madison.

Cousin copy-cat Sadie.

Thanks for a wonderful trip!

Family Fun in Arizona

2010-12-02T08:45:00.002-05:00

Cousin Sleepover!

Norah and Sadie meet for the first time.

Sadie in her element - taking care of Baby Maryn.

Lots & lots of fun with Brycen!

At the zoo.

Helping Aunt Abbey with Aunt Alisa's birthday cake.

Swinging with Uncle Ike.

At the zoo with Uncle Daniel.

Bonks visit

2010-12-02T08:03:00.002-05:00

Our good friends came to visit! We miss the Bonk family so much.

These kids had so much fun together.

Oliver

Finneus

Emerson

Sadie

Grandfather Mountain

2010-12-02T07:57:00.002-05:00

We spent a weekend in November in Boone for Mike's resident retreat.

The weather was pretty nice at the bottom Grandfather Mountain.

And freezing cold at the top!

Sadie loved the snow.

And the bears!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T16:19:00.002-04:00

Mike's parents and our nieces Carys and Madison came to visit in October and helped us pick out our pumpkins:

Then we went over to Brett & Liesl's to carve the pumpkins. Sadie was more into the dogs, Lou and Stanley, than she was into the pumpkins. Let's just say there was a lot of kissing going on:

We took Sadie to our church Trunk or Treat. She thought the pumpkin full of treats was pretty great:

On Halloween we had friends over for homemade pizza, and lots of candy :) The little girls loved greeting the trick or treaters. They were quite generous in giving out the candy, so it was a win-win for everyone:
Happy Halloween!

Bye-bye Puerto Rico

2010-11-01T21:53:00.003-04:00

Our last night we spent in San Juan. Thanks Elder & Sister Button for serving a mission in such a beautiful place and for letting us come visit you! We love you, we miss you and we are so proud of you!

Even More

2010-11-01T21:37:00.004-04:00

Some of the wild life we encountered:

We got to go along with my parents to do a little missionary work. All the people were so kind. We got lots of kisses and lots of yummy food. We got to go to the University for tutoring and to the chapel for piano lessons. We were such great students!

More Puerto Rico

2010-11-01T21:09:00.012-04:00

We took a ferry ride over to a smaller Island called Vieques. The beaches there were absolutely beautiful. We especially loved the fact that we were the only ones there most of the time! However, the Evans family is fair complected and we felt the burn for days to come. Let's just say spray sunscreen isn't as great as it sounds.

We visited the fort of Old San Juan. Sadie enjoyed being a Junior Ranger and we enjoyed learning more about the history.

Puerto Rico -

2010-10-26T08:16:00.008-04:00

We recently visited my parents on their mission in Puerto Rico. It was so fun to see them and to see the beautiful sites on the Island. The first day we went to church. Sadie enjoyed nursery in Spanish and all the attention she received. Mike got tricked into singing in the choir by my dad :)
After church Sadie got her wiggles out by running around the courtyard. It was so hot and humid! Her face turned bright red and I thought she was going to have heat stroke. She didn't even seem to notice how hot she was. She was just happy to be with Grammie and Papa.

After church we drove around to see some beautiful overlooks of the island. And then, since Sadie had been asking to go to the beach everyday for the past 2 weeks, we took her to see it.

The next day we went hiking in the rain forest, El Yunque. We got soaked, but it was a relief from the heat the day before. Apparently it is hard work being carried in a backpack...

After the hike we eat some local food and Sadie enjoyed dancing with Papa.

Forgotten Post

2010-09-19T17:15:00.005-04:00

I know everyone wants to see pictures of Puerto Rico, but my computer broke right before we left. It is still not fixed. In the meantime, I realized I never published this post I made weeks ago from Daniel's going away party while Sadie and I were visiting AZ. I miss my family and I love these pics.

Uncle Ike and the blue tongue.

Aunt Rachel and the strawberry.

Brycen, the Reidheads, (and isaac)

Danie and the Terry's

Jordan, Rach, Daniel & Brycen

Dan & Em

Julie & Ike making a Daniel sandwhich

Arizona part II

2010-09-19T15:38:00.006-04:00

Arizona

2010-08-29T21:37:00.010-04:00

Sadie and I recently went to Arizona to help my sister Alisa with her sweet new baby, Maryn, and more importantly with her fun-loving two year old, Brycen.

Here are some of the highlights of the "nice cousins" play time Brycen and Sadie shared. We won't mention the other type of play...

Yep, they got into my mascara within the first hour or so of our arrival. I heard such cute giggling and walked in to see this surprise.

Sadie loved helping with the babies.

Baby Pierce -

Baby Maryn-

Of course I loved the babies too.

We enjoyed spending time with family and friends:

Sadie & Aunt Rachel

Sadie with Aunt Jana & Uncle Matt.

Grandma, Grandpa & the Pearl.

Allie & Emily

Thank you Terry family for letting us share the first few weeks of Maryn's life with you!

Bday Party

2010-08-02T15:20:00.006-04:00

This little girl turned 2 on July 13th! She is so proud to be a "big girl" and loved celebrating with friends & family.

It's okay Wilder, take this ball...

Let's both agree not to look at the camera no matter what...

When Cousins Come to Visit

2010-07-22T22:52:00.005-04:00

When cousins come to visit we...

Try and convince our mommies to let us all sleep in the same bed.

Wear matching outfits.

Celebrate our birthdays, again.

Ride trains,

and carousels.

Have picnics and eat things mommy would never let us eat otherwise.

Rent a minivan and tell our moms that they are really cool. (Sorry girls, we don't believe you!)

Have so much fun.

When cousins leave Sadie...

Cries and says she wants to go on the airplane too.

Wakes up the next day saying in a sad voice, "Carys, airplane, bye-bye."

Decides that anything they used while they were here is now theirs. "No mommy, Madison's chair!"

Prays for them.

Looks forward to seeing them again soon!

Summer Fun

2010-07-09T15:29:00.008-04:00

Summer time is oh so fun. Here are some of the things we have done:

We played at the park.

We drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway with friends. Elena and Sadie were so cute together.

We pretended to be news anchors at the Children's Musuem.

We went to the Dash baseball game for the DPG family picnic.

We swam with friends.

We wear our sunglasses all the time.

We dressed like cows at Chick-fil-a.

Happy 4th!

2010-07-04T21:25:00.005-04:00

Happy 4th of July! Sadie had a rough holiday... It started Friday night at the baseball game. There was a fireworks show after the game that terrified her. Then we went to the Jackson's Saturday morning for waffles, water ballons & slip 'n slides. The Pearl had one tantrum after another in front of everyone (she usually saves for us at home). Then today, Sunday, she was so well behaved during sacrament meeting. So cuddly, sitting on my lapping holding perfectly still and then falling asleep. There was a reason for this - a fever. Even with her best friend Abby over for dinner, she had a difficult time getting into the celebration. Her expressions in the pictures to follow show it all.

The Evans

The Pearsons

Compare our little girl this year and last.

The red, white and blue girls this year and last. Growing so fast!

Little miss Liberty!

Charleston, SC

2010-07-04T15:28:00.007-04:00

We had a great time in Charleston last month with Mike's parents. We learned something new about our girl, she loves the beach!

The Magnolia Plantation was so green and pretty.

Sadie couldn't get enough of the water.

Not again Daddy!

At the aquarium we enjoyed the otters,

the alligators,

and the fish.

We took a boat to Fort Sumter.

It was fun to walk along the water

and the famous Rainbow Row.

Missionaries

2010-06-13T15:13:00.009-04:00

Papa and Grammie are missionaries! Three weeks ago they left for the MTC in Provo and one week ago they left for the Puerto Rico San Juan East Mission. So far they are doing great and loving every minute. We are so proud of them and we enjoy hearing about their adventure. Luckily, as senior missionaries, they don't have as strict of rules regarding Internet and cell phones. Sadie loves getting my phone out of my purse and saying "Papa phone". Many times we get a hold of him or at least get a returned call that same day.

It turned out great for us that Mike's graduation was the weekend before they left for the mission field. We got one last visit in!

We went to the Raleigh Temple.

We went strawberry picking.

We went to graduation.

We had a family night lesson about missionaries. The only missionary pictures we had were of young elders and sisters... so we had to settle for grandma and grandpa pictures. Sadie was a little confused about the fact the that senior missionaries in the pictures were not at all like her grandparent missionaries!

We got to sing while Grammie played the piano.

We are thankful for the time we had to spend together. We love you!

Graduation

2010-05-24T09:10:00.008-04:00

It started 4 years ago with a supportive family

and amazing new friends.

After lots of hard work and fun...

with a loving family...

and wonderful (old) friends...

and new babies...

He did it! Congratulations to Mike!

March 18th

2010-03-23T12:00:00.003-04:00

This past Thursday was a big, big day. Match day and my birthday! We were lucky to have Mike's mom, sister and our 2 favorite nieces here to help us celebrate both events!

We already knew that Mike would be doing his ophthalmology residency here at Wake Forest, and we were happy to find out that he will be doing his internal medicine internship at Moses Cone in Greensboro. This means no moving and no stress! The most exciting part of the day was finding out where all of our friends matched. Congrats everyone!

After all the excitement of the match, we somehow found energy to have a birthday celebration.

Carys informed me that a birthday party can not just involve cake. There must be a game or activity. Of course she was right, so I chose a dance party. I loved seeing these girls shake it! Thanks for a fun birthday!

Hike

2010-03-21T20:13:00.004-04:00

It was nice out this weekend, so we decided to go for a hike. We went to Hanging Rock with Sumeet, Snow, Matt and baby Wilder.

Sadie's AZ Photoshoot

2010-03-16T20:01:00.002-04:00

My very talented sister Rachel took some pictures of Miss Sadie Pearl. Since I haven't been good about updated my blog, I'll just send you to hers:

http://rachelbuttonphoto.blogspot.com/

My Valentine

2010-02-08T08:37:00.001-05:00

Last week at play group Sadie decorated sugar cookies for the first time ever. She loved it, especially eating all the sprinkles off the cookies. Yum, yum!

I Need A Snow Day!

2010-01-31T15:47:00.002-05:00

We got about 6 to 8 inches of snow this weekend and we had 2 days of family fun in the snow. The video is a little long, but if you can't spare a couple minutes, then skip to the last 30 seconds or so for Sadie's wipeout while sledding. Mike got a little too enthusiastic with his pushing (don't worry - it's not too bad - no injuries, just a tipped sled).

Sadie & Abby

2010-01-24T18:29:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago, Sadie had one of her best friends, Abby, over to play. They had way too much fun playing together and I was able to get some video of them in action. It's just under 2.5 minutes if you have the time.

Update: For some reason the video has been unavailable the past few days. I've tried to fix it - hopefully it's working now...

Match Party!

2010-01-24T16:00:00.000-05:00

The much anticipated results are in... Mike will be staying at Wake Forest for an Ophthalmology residency! We are so excited that he matched and that it is a place that we love.

We had an eye ball party in his honor. Thanks to all the friends who came and humored us by really getting into it:

Stacey came all the way from AZ. Now that is true support! (So maybe she just happened to be here for work... )

Matt & Baby Wilder

Laurie, Randy and baby on the way. (Yes, he is wearing glasses in the womb!)

John Adam and Melanie with Oliver and Finn (they are studs, glasses or not!)

Liesl & Brett

Suzi & Emma

Emerson, Luke & Elena

Sadie sneaked a taste of the cake while we were taking this picture.

We won't find out about intern year until March, but as for July 2011 - June 2014 we'll be here in NC!

Marathon

2010-01-04T11:12:00.004-05:00

On December 12th I ran in the Charlotte marathon. Thanks to these girls who inspired me to run. They made the months of early morning training fun. Since I had never had the goal of completing a marathon, I was surprised that I could do it and actually enjoy it. Will there be another one in my future? We will see!

(Please note that this photo was taken after running 26.2 miles and is not the most flattering!)

New York

2009-12-28T14:58:00.009-05:00

This month Mike continued his travels. Sadie and I were able to join him on a trip to NY. Sadie and I spent a relaxing day in the hotel while Mike interviewed, then we all ventured out that night into the city.

We took the subway.

And decided not to go into the Ripley's Believe it or Not exhibit.

But we did see Time Square.

We saw people ice skating.

And we saw a big Christmas tree near by.

We loved the decorations.

But the Rockefeller Center tree wasn't as amazing as we had always imagined.

Neither was the Empire State Building.

The next day we went to Central Park and were surprised how beautiful it could be in the winter.

We went to Strawberry Fields.

And to Serendipity.

Then we went to Grand Central Station and took the train back to our hotel.

Hershey!

2009-12-06T20:09:00.004-05:00

This week Sadie and I got to meet up with Mike in Hershey, PA. Our friends Suzi and Abbey were so sweet to drive the 7 hour trip (more like 9 hours with toddlers). We had a blast!

Here is Sadie and her BFF. Everyone kept asking if they were twins. We don't think they really look alike, but they were both sporting pig tails & are the same size. What cuties!

Sadie and I have had some real quality time together since Mike has been on the trail. Interview trail that is. I don't know how single moms do it... especially church. This picture melts my heart and almost makes me forget about the failed attempt at reverence today.

The chocolate factory tour had singing cows, which happen to be Sadie's favorite animal. I guess it is because she sees real cows at her Grammie & Papa Button's house. This is a picture of her feeding the stuffed cow in the gift shop the candy sample she got at the end of the tour.

Our Hershey experience involved:

Christmas decorations

A 3-D show

Carousel rides

(Sadie would have ridden the horses all night long if we let her)

Other kiddie rides

Family train rides

Funny encounters with talking candy

(Abbey was not a fan!)

Looking at ducks

And reindeer

Daniel's Visit

2009-11-30T09:50:00.004-05:00

Daniel drew my name for Christmas and came to visit as an early gift. Not only did he fly Sadie back home to us from Arizona and spend a week with us, he also gave us a reason to go to D.C. and did chores for me. It was the best present ever. We had a blast, and I have clean cars and floors. Thanks Daniel!

Here are some pictures from D.C. It rained while we were there, but we didn't let that stop us from having a good time. Daniel was able to visit a friend from Arizona and so did I!

We also went to the Festival of Trees and the Festival of Lights here in Winston-Salem. Sadie loved the trees and lights, and wasn't so sure about Santa. I was just glad she would sit on his lap and didn't cry!

Sadie loves her Uncle Daniel. We miss you already!

Halloween

2009-11-22T14:52:00.006-05:00

This posting is a little late, but I just had to share pictures of my cute little tiger!

She never actually ate a piece of candy, but she loved the packages. She wouldn't even let go of the candy in order to get more!

Above: church friends at the ward trunk or treat. Below: neighborhood friend during trick or treating.

I loved watching Sadie progress through the night from excited to exhausted.

Lazy 5

2009-11-10T17:41:00.005-05:00

Just before Halloween we went to the Lazy 5 Ranch. Our first visit was in May '09. Who knew a few months would make such a difference. Sadie couldn't get enough of the animals. She wanted to feed them all... no matter how slobbery they were!

This just doesn't look natural!

We went with Melanie, Emerson and the twins.

Kristin, Will & Audrey were there too!

The goats may have been Sadie's favorite.

The giraffes were mine. Here is baby Fin who dressed up as a giraffe for Halloween. So cute!

Can you believe this girl?

Pumpkins!

2009-11-01T17:56:00.006-05:00

We took our annual trip to our favorite pumpkin patch.

Sadie picked out her apples...

And her pumpkin.

Then we went to the Grace's for pumpkin carving. With Sarah's inspiration and carving tools, we came up with this:

Okay, so I really can't take credit. Mike carved the zebra and Christine carved the owl. Amazing!