Two Glorious Years with Everett D!

Two years ago, at 1:26 a.m., Everett Daniel Foster entered the world.  We have been in love from the very beginning.  It is really amazing and wonderful what each child brings to the family dynamic and how hard it is to imagine what life was like without them.  Ev wants to be a part of the action, but is also content to sit and flip through books by himself or play with his "duys" (guys).  He loves to be funny and make people laugh.  He has cheeks that are so kissable and make his momma so happy.  His neck is super ticklish, just like mine.  He takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'...brother has had more bumps and bruises (often to his sweet face) than our other two kids combined.  He is pretty easy-going, but will also stand up for himself and what he wants, often loudly.  Recently we took away the bink (pacifier) he'd had just for naps and bedtime.  Turns out, it was a magic bink that gave us 2-3 hour naps every day; since we took it away, naps either haven't happened or have been cut in half.  Oh well. He insists, "Play now!  Play now, please!" when I am putting him down for a nap and the other day as I put him in bed, dead asleep, he lifted his head and mumbled, "Play now..." and then settled in for a nice, longish, nap. :)

Everett D, you are such a cute, happy little man!  We love you so very, very, very much.  I am excited to see you take on your new role of big brother.  When you see a baby you crinkle up your nose in a sweet smile and say, "Oh, so doot!" (cute)  I love your spirit, your excitement, and the way that you take on the world.  You are going to accomplish a lot of goodness in your life, Ev.  Especially if you keep those cheeks.  You'll go far in life with cute cheeks like those.

Some things I LOVE and don't want to forget about the Ev Man (peppered with pictures from the last two years) ...

• He can say Kelly, but insists on calling his sister La La.  We all love it.  "La La, where aaaaare you?"
• EVERY TIME the car stops while we are driving (traffic, stop sign, red light) he'll say, "Do, please!" *go, please* I have to explain to him every time that I will go as soon as I can and he'll say with a resigned sigh, "Okay."

• If I smell a poopy diaper and ask Everett if he's poopy he'll say, "No, Max is!"  I say in a joking voice, "MAX is poopy?!"  Then he'll say, "No, La La is" and we'll go through everyone in the family until I get his bottom changed.  He thinks it's all very funny, and so do I.
• I'm not sure where he gets it because I say, "What in the world?!", but Everett D has taken to saying, "What da heck?!"  I didn't like it when Max said that at Everett's age (it just sounded too old and harsh from such a little person), but for some reason when Ev says it, it just sounds cute and funny.  I don't necessarily encourage it, but I haven't stopped it either.
• Brother has also taken up saying, "You kidding me?!"  Makes us laugh e-v-e-r-y time, which is his goal.

• Poor brother has a complex about being left behind.  Any time he notices that someone is about to leave the house, he comes running saying, "Me!  Me!  Me!" and goes to the closet to get his shoes.  
• We did The Twelve Days of Christmas for a few families this year and he had to be part of the action each time.  I loved it because every time we went running back to the van, he would sound winded, breathing really heavy...even though we carried him. :)

• He loves to snuggle "Mama, nuggle, please" and is my first child to have a blanket he loves.  I'm glad we don't have to take it everywhere, but when brother is in the mood for a 'nuggle', the blankie is often a part of the action.
• Speaking of the blanket, it has satin edges around it and I realized about 8 months ago that when I laid Everett down with it, he would run his hands along the edges until he got to a corner.  He then took the corner and rubbed it between his middle and pointer finger.  That has evolved to a favorite corner of the blanket and while I'm reading him stories before nap or bed time, he'll move the blanket around until he's found the special corner.

• Ev is more solid than Max at that age and that translates to fun wrestling and football times with Dad, Max and Kelly.  He rarely gets hurt or complains when he is tackled.  He'll get a ball, crouch down and say, "Set, hike!" and go running to throw himself into the couch/beanbag/recliner.
• Brother knows how to work this mama.  He has the cutest expressions and will give me the sweetest look and say, "Please.  Please, mama."  I have a really hard time saying no to him

• Ever since Ev was a baby, like brand-new from the hospital, he has cried big tears.  It broke my heart the first time because my other two babies hadn't cried real tears until they were older.  He kind of works the tears now and can bring them out when he wants something.  It is rather obvious when he's doing that and it makes me giggle inside, sometimes out loud.
• He is independent and loves to do things, "myself...no, myself" which I don't mind one bit.  He is, after all, going to be a big brother in a few months.

• Speaking of becoming a big brother, he is our first child to reach the age of two without becoming an older sibling!
• Everett LOVED the Christmas lights this season and would excitedly squeal, "MORE YIGHTS!!!" about a million times (slight exaggeration...very slight) every time we were in the car in the month of December.  His squeal would often end in excited laughter, which was very contagious.

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY, EV MAN!