Everett's 2nd Birthday Party!

Everett's party happened on May 19th.

It was great fun.

We have such amazing family and friends. It always overwhelms me when we get so many of them together. They're all so awesome.

Before I get into any nitpicky stuff about design choices or food preparation, I want to show off some cute pictures of Everett being sung to, "blowing out" candles (we did that for him), and eating cake. He was either overwhelmed by the singing/candles, or he was just taking it all in and forgetting to smile. Either way, we didn't get any cute smiley pictures of him with his cupcake like we did last year. He's just so serious right now.

It was a puppet party. I explained why we chose the theme in the previous post. I felt a little guilty that we didn't have an actual puppet troupe come and preform. But we did have a puppet stage, plush puppets, a puppet making station, and some kids (and adults!) put on some short puppet shows, so I was content. Mostly the kids played with toys inside or in the yard, and the adults socialized. That's the way it goes.

Puppet theater:

Kids (Andy and Julie?) putting on a puppet show:

Adults (upper: my dad, lower: me) putting on puppet shows:

Kids (Andy and Julie) making puppets at the puppet making station:

Adults (Melissa and Henry) making puppets:

As I said in the previous post, I wanted this party to be really low key. And it was. But we went a little overboard on the food. I kept finding these great ideas for anthropomorphized treats. And my logic was, if it looks like a human or animal, especially if it's on a stick, it's a puppet!

To support my puppet food idea, I made this sign (which I was very happy with and don't regret making at all). It's just cut scrapbook paper taped to yarn. Very simple, but of course it took me a while to get all the colors and shapes right.

The penguins were a big hit! Super easy. Only time consuming because you want to keep them clean of cream cheese without sacrificing hygiene. So lots of napkins were used and hand washing happened. They were super popular too. Everybody commented on them, and many people said they wanted to make them themselves.

We also made mini pizzas on sticks with olive and bell pepper faces, snake breadsticks wrapped around skewers, mini mozzarella balls made to look like chicks (with grape tomatoes) on sticks.

We also served cat cookies (for people) and goldfish crackers.

So there was lots of food to play with.

But the things I HAD to make, that were time consuming and frustrating, and I will never make again were the cake pops! Grrrr. They're cake! On a stick! And I can put faces on them, and they'll be puppets! Sure.

I tried to do them way too late at night. The cake didn't want to stay on the stick, the candy coating wasn't smooth, and the ones that survived ended up looking like mutant muppets.

Good thing they tasted awesome! The inside was red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.

Andy with a "Muno" cake pop.

But even though they tasted great, the ingredients of the cake and the candy coating so turned me off that I ended up making gluten free chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, so the kids wouldn't fill up on hydrogenated oil.

Everett takes a bite of another "Muno"

But now that I think of it, if the cake pops were all that frustrated me, that's not too bad.

I'll just post a few more cute pictures I wanted to share.

waiting for guests in his Cubs hat

Rosa and Andy play with the water table.

With Barbara and her flags. Ines climbing in the background.

Opening presents. What thoughtful and generous family/friends we have!

Julie and Everett play the piano Auntie Katie sent!

It was a great time! Thanks to everyone who made it such a special day!

Puppet Party Invitations!

This is a post I stole from my craft blog Beyond Fine. I thought it was appropriate to share before the birthday party post I'll have up in a bit.


It's time for Everett's two year birthday extravaganza!! 

Ok, maybe not. I'm trying to keep it pretty low key, but it should be fun.

I decided on a puppet theme because Elmo is one of Everett's favorite things (after firetrucks, tractors, trains, garbage trucks, and everything else with wheels. But I didn't want to create a theme out of any of those things, and this might be my last year to choose the theme!). I made it a puppet theme and not an Elmo theme or a Sesame Street theme because I want more flexibility (we can make puppets that aren't Muppets for an activity), it's cheaper (I'm not forced to buy EVERYTHING with Elmo's face on it--'cuz I'll get party fever and won't be able to resist!), but I also have an innate dislike of brands and characters on things, so it was the natural choice for me. But we CAN include Muppets (and Sesame Street characters--they're Muppets, right?), because they fall under the umbrella term of puppets.

Here's the finished invitation:

I drew it (in a couple pieces, actually), combined the two pieces, then colored it with colored pencil. It took a few days, working when I could (baby does not let me draw without getting in on it). But it took me waaaaaay less time than last year's. Last year I made his invitation on Photoshop so I could put his adorable face from every month in a balloon. But I don't have a drawing pad or anything, and I'm not super good at Photoshop. Took me way longer than I thought it would. Then I wasn't happy with the prints I ordered. *grumble* *grumble*

Anyway, drawing it was much easier. And I got it printed on shiny card stock, four to a page, at our local print shop Wilkins ACTION Printing.

Last year I was confused by why I couldn't find envelopes to fit a picture. And I knew I'd be frustrated this year trying to find an envelope I liked, so I made them!!

My in-laws looked at me like I was crazy when I said I was going to make the envelopes, but it was much easier than I expected. I took apart a small Paper Source envelope I had left over from our wedding RSVP cards and made a pattern the exact size I wanted, traced it on colored 12x12 card stock, cut, folded, glued, TA DA!! And I got to used a bunch of different colors, which was fun.

I used Pixar stamps (oh how I wish the USPS still had those Muppet stamps!), but Everett's second non automotive love is Toy Story (or as he calls it, Astronaut/Cowboy), so he liked that. And I can't help myself. I have to put stickers on envelopes I send, so I found the closest things to puppet stickers I could: happy faces and animals cut off at the waist (if you don't see their legs, they're puppets, right?).

I'm typing this on April 23rd, and the invites went out today! I'll post this blog after I know everyone's received the envelopes, so everyone can be surprised!!

I'll blog about the party after May 19th. Should be fun!!

2 Year Blog!!

WE HAVE A TWO-YEAR-OLD!?!?! How did this happen?!!

Yes, Everett Rulin is two!

What was I doing two years ago? 

I don't remember much. Just finished with a too-long labor. But we got to meet our prize for the effort!

All puffy and big at 9 pounds 4 ounces. We had no idea what we were in for. Except for that furrowed brow. He kept that for a few months.

What were we doing one year ago?

Celebrating Everett at the Atascadero Lake Park, on his actual birthday!

He seemed so old then, but he was really such a baby! Now he's a big boy!

We're celebrating Everett this year on the 19th, so I'll post all about the party after it happens. But I wanted to update about all the developmental stuff, since I won't be doing that with the party post.

Once again, it's all about language. He's talking so much. I was thinking, when the doctor asks how many words he says, I'll say all of them. Is that an answer?

We started going to a "Parent and Me" program at Playtime Discoveries here in Atascadero. All these people have been doing this together for months, but we just started at the last month, so we're new to everyone. We were in the smallest room (sort of the book room) with a couple other mothers and kids. Everett was looking at a book saying, "That's a big turkey. That's a little cow. That's a red truck. Etc." The other mothers were FLOORED. "He talks so much!" they said. Yup. He's my little chatterbox. And he's especially into labeling right now.

He's excellent with his colors. Red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, pink, brown, white. He still has a problem with black and calls it brown or blue. He's working on grey. Don't worry, we're not pushing him! We have no need for him to know his colors. He's just learned them by playing and talking with us.

Also at Playtime Discoveries, he was doing a shape puzzle, and told me circle, triangle, and square. This was without the puzzle telling him that (he has a puzzle at his grandparents' house that says the shapes).

I swear, this child will know his ABC's by the time he's 2.5! We're not pushing him. He's just interested in learning, and especially singing. (;

talking on the phone and making me eggs

He's been changing pronouns a lot, and forming gerunds. Me: Do you want to go outside? Everett: Yes, I'm going outside.

He's been making such long sentences. This morning he said, "you're right, daddy, that's a mole!"

Just now (like, I'm almost done with this post), he saw a picture of himself and said, "cutest baby in the world!" Haha.

There's a bittersweet element to his language growth. Some of his baby words are going away.

When something was stinky, he used to say, "stinky pee woo!" Now he says "PU."

For many months, he's said "diga down" when he wants down. Lately we decided he could probably be encouraged to say the whole sentence. So now (when he thinks of it), he'll say, "I . . . want . . . diga down."

Some of his words have gotten really "Southern." Instead of "yeah," he says, "ye-yuh." Instead of "red," he says "rey-ed." It's pretty funny.


I think occasional, thoughtfully chosen TV and movies can enrich a child who is able to understand what's going on (in simple terms). He's seen Bambi a few times recently. In the movie, Thumper says, "that's not a bird, it's a butterfly." Now Everett uses that phrase when he mixes up a word or a name, "that's not Gramma Gion, that's Gramma Kathie!" It's a helpful verbal tool for him (that I never would have thought to teach). 


We've gotten really into Pixar lately. He loves Toy Story (astronaut/cowboy), Finding Nemo (fishy movie), and Monsters Inc. (monster movie). We all think they're pretty great. They're entertaining, and he also learns new words and ideas from them.


But sometimes he comes out with phrases I don't recognize. He started saying "I have good news and bad news" (from Toy Story 2), and "Wow! New toys! Cool. Thanks Mom," although at first he would say "thanks Bob" (this is also from Toy Story 2).   


One of my favorite things he's said recently was before a Disney movie. "ABCDs and a building! . . . ABCDs and a castle!" He was talking about the Disney castle and the words above it. Cute! 

We've been trying to teach him his name. Sometimes he comes out with "Everett Cisneros." So cute. Other times he says "Everett Christina," then adds "Daddy Cisneros." He's workin' on it. 


One day he left with his Gramma Gion, and he said, "bye bye Stina!" Oh man was that a shock! He's done it a few times since. 


He spends a lot of time outside. Our new grass is growing well, and he likes to play on it. 

He also likes to help his daddy with projects, when they're safe. 

We've had to baby proof more lately than ever before. He's been getting into drawers and eating and drinking things that are not food. We actually called poison control because he opened the baby Tylenol and drank some. We knew he was probably ok, but in that situation, you call. Turns out, he could have consumed he whole bottle and not needed medical attention. But we've put baby lock things on all the drawers. He used to open the drawers and mess with stuff, but he just now started really messing around in a dangerous way. We left the top bathroom drawer open so he isn't completely frustrated. And we leave things in there he can put in his mouth, like his toothbrush. 

We've been sleeping better. I think we had a rough week in this month somewhere. But overall it's getting better all the time. 


Events: 

The biggest news of the last month for us is that my cousin Roger (my mother's cousin) passed away on April 19th.  He'd been fighting lymphoma for 4 years. 

And I know a death from cancer is always worse when it's a loved one, and I know it's always awful when it's a person who could have had a long life ahead of him. But it's just SO UNFAIR that Roger died. He was THE BEST cancer patient. His diet was impeccable, he exercised, he meditated. He had dreams for the future. He was studying to be a Spanish interpreter. He wanted to have a family someday. He loved kids, and he loved Everett. 


We didn't live close, and we didn't see each other often. But Roger was a wonderful friend and a great conversationalist (also an awesome chef). And I will miss him. There's a memorial for him on the 20th. I think it will bring a lot of closure to my angry mind. 


In happier events. 


Gretchen and Mark (Brian's Aunt and Uncle) came to visit. This is us in Morro Bay. 

We went to the Santa Barbara Zoo with our favorite friends, The Hunters. We went to celebrate Rachel's birthday. It was a blast, of course.

special occasion forward facing!

two cool dudes

great friends

And on Mother's Day, we surprised my mom in Parkfield. My parents were up there for a bluegrass music festival. It was fun. Everett got to eat a cheese burger sitting on a saddle.

See you after the birthday party!

23 Month Blog

Well, Yesterday marked 23 months for Everett! We were too busy celebrating Brian's 29th birthday, meeting new friends, doing yard work, etc., for me to sit down and blog, so I'll catch up today!

23 months. It's so close to two that I feel kind of weird blogging. But after two, I might stop blogging monthly (at least about developmental stuff), so I thought I would keep it up for one more month before THE BIG ONE (I mean TWO!)

It has been another big month. The biggest change is his level of awareness. He acknowledges that he understands what we're saying a lot more and responds thoughtfully. It's amazing and alarming when you realize they're absorbing everything they experience . . . and remembering it weeks later! |:

Reading last month's blog, I'm happy to report he no longer answers most questions with "no." His answers are becoming much more situationally appropriate. He also says "mine" much less often. Woo hoo! He still says it sometimes but not so much that we're frustrated by it.

Those one word answers are being replaced by things like, "No Daddy, No!" "Pweeease Mama, pweeeease!" and "Help Grama Gion, Help!" Well, at least he's being more direct?

with his new guitar

It makes me sad. He's calling his grandfathers "Grampa" more than "Baba" now. It's always sad when they drop baby words. That might be one we try to keep around.

 Magna Doodle. Great for a kid who likes to draw all the time!

Last month I wrote about how we were trying to transition from cuddling on the couch to sleep to going to sleep in his bed. I've kind of changed my outlook on that. He's started ASKING to go to sleep--and in his bed no less! ("bed time" "nigh nigh time") So I realized I won't be able to cuddle him to sleep much longer. He's going to get too big, and I want to savor this time when he's still a baby! I'd probably see this differently if he wasn't asking to go to sleep, like there wouldn't be a natural end in sight. Kind of like ending breastfeeding. He naturally cut down on it, and we were able to transition really easily to no nursing. I think it's just his personality.

We're still trying to spend more time in his room before bed, reading and relaxing. And when he does come out to the living room, he's in his bed longer and longer before he comes out again after being put down.

He seems to understand his conditions much more. He tells us when he's tired, when he wants to go outside or inside. He was such a distractable baby that when he started telling me what he wanted, I thought he was joking.

with friends Rosa and Ines

with friend Max

We helped throw a spring party on March 20th. Anna and I were going to throw a St. Patrick's party, but everyone was either sick or unexpectedly busy, so we celebrated the beginning of spring. My friends Anna, Juliette, and Stephanie (and their kids) got to meet for the first time! And I didn't take any pictures. }:

Brian got two weeks off for spring break! He spend most of the time doing yard work. He prepped for and put in a lawn. This included fixing the sprinklers, adding edging/trim, wood chips around the border, plus making the dirt flat and hospitable to grass seeds (rototilling, soil, fertilizer) but inhospitable to birds (manure). He killed ivy and weed whacked. We both did some planting (someday we'll have big bushed to shield the road!).

Everett spent a lot of time outside over Brian's break and even got to "help" when we didn't have to keep him off the lawn because of fertilizer or seeds.

yard work

It wasn't all work for Brian, he also got to visit gymnastics for the first time!

We went to a tie dye party for Everett's now two-year-old friend Eli. The Hunters were there.

Everett and Andy

bubbles!

Everett and Sadie

Sadie's tongue

And this month was Easter!

The Hunters invited us to their house for pizza and egg hunting, but Gion thought Everett needed to practice egg hunting beforehand. So we went to their house for brunch and some practice egging.

Then we went to the Hunters', and Everett was an egg hunting pro! . . .

and also an honorary Hunter/Banks cousin. 

We got to see all the grands on Easter. My parents came over to the Hunters' and had a great time watching E play, jump, and swing. 

See you next month for the second birthday post!