Stand by me, when you're a Mini!

So we have big news, here on the Monkey front! I thought I may build some suspense by working my way to it through this blog. I also decided the best pick for an opening picture would be of a sad Monk.
Don't worry, I took the picture with the purpose of bribing her back into a good mood by looking at her own picture!



That same day I took the girls out for breakfast, and this is my big girl Mini, getting ready to put some cream into her coffee.



That evening we saw one of the most stunning sights in the world, a full double rainbow. I know it doesn't have much to do with the beebies- but it sure is gorgeous!



More proof of the Mini getting to be a big girl. This is a compare and contrast collage, Monk 1 year ago and Mini just two weeks ago. How the time does fly!




I swear I try to get these girls to eat right, to start them on a healthy lifestyle... I have also read that chocolate is good for you. So there!




Yep, the obligatory Monk glamor shot. At least she doesn't know she is a green-eyed knock out yet. Well, that's not entirely true...

Hey, Mini is certainly well on her way to supermodel status too. What am I going to do when my daughters are rich and famous models and taking care of me? I'll tell ya, I'm going to love every minute of it.

Practicing for all her impending overseas modeling trips, Monk has "mastered" the chopsticks. (Yeah right!)

Mini, on the other hand, is trying to put her thumb on the pulse of high fashion hair. You can see the pigtails worked nicely. I sent a picture of this to Sarah though, and she said, "Why is Jay wearing pigtails?"

At last, the HUGE news!

(Drumroll, please)

Mini pulled herself to standing for the first time EVER today!!!

Go Mini, Go Mini, it's yer berfday, Go Mini!!!!

Love you guys!

Those Crazy Evans'

Theme songs from the Land of Monkies!

A Monkey says "What?"




Ice, Ice Monkey, bum ba da dum dum duh dum...



Mini's SAAAAIIIILLLINGGGG away... Set and open course on the Ducky pond...



I'm TOO awesome for this playground, so awesome it hurts.





I believe I can slide.. I believe I can touch the sky!





Rock me Momma-daeus! Momma-daeus. Momma-daeus. MOMMA-DAEUS!

Strike a pose!

I've got you Monk, bum bum, dum dum, I've got you Monk!

While Frank Sinatra sings Stormy Weather.. Monks and Minis get along together...

(This would probably be some Bollywood song?)

Alas, I digress :) Some updates from the land of cutie primates!

Mini turned 1!! What a big girl! I dont have any pictures to offer, I got really really sick and couldn't even stay up for her birthday party. Way to go, Momma! At least it wasn't a birthday she would remember? I did make her favorite dish though, Enchiladas. Ironically, she also had to go to bed before the dinner or the party too! She was grumping around as always...

Mini has FINALLY gotten her first teeth, on her first birthday! She got both of her upper canines. Hmm.. I think becoming a vampire baby adds to the mystique of her grumpiness. Now if we could just progress to walking!

Monk has been sleeping in a big girl bed without a hitch for a week now, both bed time and naps! And I thought this conversion would be hard. Whew. At least something on this parenting road has gone easily. ;)

Love always,

Momma Llama Ding Dong, Doggie Daddy, and the Baby Monkey Farm

Like 'Snow Monkey I Know!

Oooh! Violet is so good at crawling, she can do it with her eyes closed.

Alas, it is our 5th snow session of 2010! Poor Atlanta and their Snow-Deprivation...

As anyone with a snow day knows, movies are the best past-time! This is the Mini tellin' it how it is.

Violet is also the official greeter at our front door, having regained her cheerful demeanor. With her 1 year birthday rapidly approaching, I think she just wants to show off how responsible she is.

I know this is an entirely Mini-Centric Mini post, but that's all for today!

MonkHog Day, Monxsutawney Lill' saw her Shadow!! Part 3

Ahh yes, the third installment, and we are up to date.. except, Wait! Oh No!



*singing to the tune of Lady Gaga's Poker Face* "No, you can't see my PIZZA FACE!!!!"



"Where is my, where is my, no, you can't see my PIZZA FACE?"

Alright, I'm done! :D


Hahah! Not only did that just happen, but now Monkey is acting like Lady Gaga!

Mini is like the backup singer, except in screaming. And what's that on Mini's head? Oh, that's just her PONY TAIL!!!

Whew! All that Rock Star stuff exhausted us. Better snuggle with Daddy.

Or better yet, pretend you're the baby and relax in the carseat.

How about a nice ride around the block on Daddy's shoulders to relax?

Ahh, the life of a Superstar.

I also want to point out how amazingly beautiful my kids are. Geez, I mean, not everyone can pull off a Pizza Face with such ease.

Finally, a public apology for keeping such beauty out of the cyber world for so long. I promise to be more vigilant in my Monkey Blogging-ness!

Love,

Those Wonderfully Wacky Evans's

MonkHog Day, Monxsutawney Lill' saw her Shadow!! Part 2

In the interim between Christmas and New Year's, Mini decided to strut her stuff as a fashion model. I think she feels very classy with her new duds.

And Monk took the role reversal very well, deciding to accentuate her brain instead of her beauty.

But a Monkey can never change her polka dots...

Onward we march, into the new year. A couple days after X-Mas we got our Piggy into the mix too.

One of her duties as big sister is to lead Monkey into unknown territory. The territory this time was a McDonalds Playhouse. Her very first!

We naturally had a lot of fun for the whole visit, but then the worst thing imaginable happened. The day after Piggy had to go back to Atlanta, it snowed! With out her! How could it?

And what does snow mean, boys and girls?

Cutie winter coats, messy hot chocolate, and sink baths.

Let me tell ya, Monk was NOT happy that she wasn't allowed a sink bath. (She is a little too big)

I tell ya though, there is one area that Momma here can't complain about. Eating. Boy howdy, do these little bits eat.

Monk is chowing down on anything not nailed to the floor, including the Fermented Cabbage and Pork steamed buns here.

Mini has been known to chomp on a quesadilla in her day too. MmmHmmm!

Then there are the pictures that speak a thousand words. Monka and the shoes, "Shuuuuuus" as she calls them.

Sibling rivalry.

Most importantly, Mini stealing my Coke Zero! She is quick and crafty, that one. Real ninja baby.

She told me she needed to cram for a Biology final, but I think that was a load of bull pockey.

MonkHog Day, Monxsutawney Lill' saw her Shadow!! Part 1

Okay, so I know it has been an ungodly amount of time since the last monkey blog! Oi Vey, there are reasons! Here is the time when the "Whoa, you have two babies, AT ONE TIME?!?!" kicks in. Lilly and Violet have reached a coalescing screamy stage, which came into effect about the time of our last entry. Lets start with Monkey's birthday numero 2 and work our way forwards, shall we?

So there we were: our wild and crazy Monkey turning TWO! Honestly it was a little bit of a normal day. We had our two year check up (yes I am that mean) and got a gold star! We went out for special Momma/Lilly birthday sushi, had some super fun time with Miss Sarah. Then we came back and conked out until it was time for a special Lasagna dinner and bonafied Grandma-iced cake. As you can see, she nearly dropped her hot dog right at the dinner table!

Onward, march! To Christmas we go...

I would say that this was Lilly's first real christmas, although it was her third. She was entirely more interactive this go round than either of the two before. Also, we were settled into our house and could have our very own Christmas morning!

In all things parenting I try to channel my Mom and Dad, because ideally that is how I would raise our kiddos. So I set to sketching out a stocking for Mini just as I had done for Monk last year, and spent about 6 hours on it. That is a vast difference from the 11 hours Monk's took. Maybe I am old hand at this stocking thing?

We've all seen, loved, and cooed over Mini's zebra suit. She is so fond of being a zebra!! Naturally that's what her stocking manifested as! These are also an hommage to my late Grandmother, who so lovingly made the Henry stockings.

Scene: Christmas Morning, '09

Enter, Stage Left: One Monkey roused from her bed by an impatient daddy, one Mini likewise by Momma, and two VERY overeager parents

Setting: Classic Christmas Tree, Full stockings, and a shiny... new.... BARBIE BIG WHEEL!

Mood: Instant happy Chaos!

Essentially that was it. It was glorious.

After the hullabaloo died down, we trucked on over to M & D's house for the traditional awesome festivites. Gotta love being back in Nashville!

Through the Monkin'-Glass...

Well, as is usual for this Evans family, lots of changes are afoot with the holiday season! Jay has moved on from Archangel Tattoo, to better and brighter things; Mini has decided to become mobile, albeit only with army crawling thus far; and Monk is finally sprouting the 4th front/bottom tooth that has made her smile so adorably scraggly for the past 8 months.



It's nice to know that even with all these big things a-brewin', you can enjoy the constant things in your life. Perfectly illustrated above, of course, with lots of chocolate cake eating. Be mindful that I wasn't innocent in this indulgence either! (Just off camera!)



Mini has deemed herself the honorary Reindeer of the season as well, going at her first Christmas with unmatched zeal. I don't think Monkey was ever that willing to wear those antlers so proudly! Now I just need to solve the delimma of what will decorate Mini's stocking?



Yep, that's right... Those are some big girls sitting at Grandma and Grandad's kitchen table, eating breakfast.



And of course, Daddy HAD to teach Monkey to drink the milk from her cereal bowl when she finishes. Oh, did I mention how much I loooooove those piggy-tails?

Suiting the end of this entry ideally, here is the Monk pretending to go to work. She will grab all the necessities for a grueling day at the grind, kiss everyone around goodbye, and yell "Bye!" as she is walking to the door. Pretty much the second cutest thing of all time. The first cutest is when she puts on a pair of Momma's shoes during the ritual.

Well, as Monkey's 2nd birthday is approaching, we are just loving life more and more. How lucky we are! Just tonight, Jay traded a tattoo for a Wii for Lilly's big day. Or should I say "for" Lilly. I suspect some ulterior motives here...

P.S. Any suggestions as to what should go on Mini's stocking would be much appreciated! If ya'll recall last year- I spent quite a few hours crafting Lilly's. It was a labor of love, and I had Grandmother on my mind for much of it. I still prize mine that she made for me so many years ago and I only hope to provide the same for my kids.