Dylan's Christmas Carols - Jingle Bells

Dashing thru the snow, fru a one end horse open sleigh. Thru the fears we go, laughing all the way (ha ha ha).
Bells on rapteds ring, making spirits bright. What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing sooooong tonight.
Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle mall the way. Oh much fun it is to ride foo a one end horse open sleigh, hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle mall the way. Oh much fun it is to ride foo a one end horse open sleigh!

Battling the Monster, and Rediscovering Christmas

Alright, let me preface this by saying I don't like poo. It's messy, it stinks, and it's difficult to get out of clothes and carpet. However I, like many others, don't mind going poo. So, when in our parenting we started actually making potty-training progress with Dylan, we were very excited at the prospect of not having to change his messy diapers anymore, and just worrying about poo logistics - what happens if we're out at a store when he has to go, for example - rather than wondering which of the boys was stinking up the house. Dylan was making great strides on our third attempt at getting him out of diapers for good. Then we hit the much feared proverbial brick wall. He HATED HATED HATED going poo. Anywhere. Would not do it in a car, would not do it near or far. Would not do it in a potty, would not do it nice or naughty, would not do it in a diaper, would not do it ... with something that rhymes with diaper. Toilet time was becoming battle royale on a daily, sometimes hourly basis. We were losing sleep over it by sitting in the bathroom with a very agitated and in-pain boy for hours on end, sometimes until 11:00 at night. We researched what we could find from both parents and physicians online. We were giving Dylan gentle stool softeners, increasing his fiber, encouraging, begging, bribing, fighting... nothing worked. So, we took him to the doctor.

That visit was possibly the single most unpleasant doctor's office visit I've been to. It had been 4+ days since Dylan had a bowel movement. He wasn't even trying to get it out, he would try as he had been for weeks to hold it in as long as he could. He would whimper and sometimes yell while he stood stiff-legged and butt-clenched trying to not go to the bathroom. Anyway, the doctor helped him with an initial cleaning (I am NEVER going to the doctor for that visit, I don't care what's going on), and prescribed a pediatric laxative to help get Dyl into the habit of actually going #2. Fast forward five more days. Dylan had gone once since the doctor's office visit, with the help of a laxative, and had miraculously managed to overpower a laxative three days later (that's some gol-durn strong willpower in my opinion). Our bribes had become even more lucrative but not any more enticing for little Mr. Stubborn. He had gone right back into the pattern of holding it in until the urge passed, repeated over days.

Brenda and I had reached the end of the rope. I was falling even farther behind in my studies, there was constant battling going on in the house, and we weren't getting sleep. Sunday afternoon we were waiting for a visit from our Home Teachers and we decided to give Dylan a blessing. The thought our home teachers shared with us was about the Savior not only atoning for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane, but that He took upon Himself all of our temptations, our pains physical and emotional, and experienced everything any human could possibly experience over any lifetime... and all over the course of His suffering in one evening. We also talked about the Lord's soft heart for little children - He especially does not want them to suffer. After we gave Dylan a blessing, the home teachers left and another battle started with Dylan still struggling to hold in what wanted to come out, although both Brenda and I had our Parental Patience reserve recharged by the HT visit. We gave up fairly quickly in favor of getting Dylan to bed. We put a diaper on him as is common practice until the night wetting improves, and sent him to bed. At about midnight he woke up distressed again, and I braced myself for another round. Instead of having to worry about that Dylan told me "I pushed the poo into my diaper." Indeed he had, and it was pretty impressive (as gross as that sounds). Since that night, we have had only short periods of time when Dylan fought the urge to go. For the second day in a row he has gone, and once on his own (without a proclamation to the world).

Brenda and I are extremely grateful for the tangible blessings that the Gospel and the Priesthood bring into our family! At this Christmas season we wish all of our family and friends a Merry Christmas, and encourage everyone to remember that Christ is the heart, soul and spirit of true giving and service. God bless you all, see you soon!

Hiking near Hollister

Here are some of the picures from our hike up Fremont Peak, near Hollister and Gilroy. It's the highest peak in the area, and you can see for miles in all directions... if we weren't in foggy and smoggy central Cal. It was still an incredible day, and view! Dylan and I had a blast throwing rocks over the edge, it was tough to pull him away when it was time to go.

Getting caught up... maybe.

Hey everyone. Since the last post, we've had quite a bit happening. Of course Brenda's birthday was fabulous, even though I was forced to decorate her cake. ("I don't want to, it's your birthday and you're the expert. Make a cake you will be proud of!" "Right, it's MY birthday, so YOU'RE decorating my cake!") So, as you can tell, I winged it (wung it?) and ended up creating some freakish faux landscape including a sprinkly waterfall. Oh well, at least it tasted fantastic, Bren spared nothing to make sure her cake tasted better than any other!











We spent the evening with family and friends, we barbecued, and we had a wonderful time in spite of screaming children rampaging through the house and yard. Dylan got hold of Bren's food coloring gel set when we weren't paying close enough attention to what he was doing, and he mixed up his own concoction of decorative sprinkles and food coloring gels. Not sure how it tasted, but it didn't seem to deter him.
















I also had the chance during the last few weeks to go on a real mountain biking trip (one that we had to travel farther than 20 minutes from home to get to) in Santa Cruz, on the Wilder Ranch and Enchanted Loop trails. It was fantastic, and I came out of the trip without intimate contact with the trail. Much better than the last trip I went on with the same people (Jon and Dave). Here are a few pictures.

I love biking up here because of the huge variety of terrain and wildlife you can get, even in just a few miles of riding. We started out in a grassy, open field, rode down an access road to the single track through a dense redwood grove, and ended up on another access road through a recently control-burned field overlooking the central California coast. Since we had a few minutes before our drivers (our wives) showed up with the vehicles, we finished the trail all the way to the bluffs and cliffs over the Pacific. Not too many places you can get that variety all in under two hours. We ate lunch at a little hole in the wall diner in Santa Cruz, then headed home and spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the Del Monte center shops. Dyl was really acting up in one of the stores, and before we could herd him out he fell while playing on the bottom of the escalator. I've always wondered what escalator steps do to fingers if they get caught, and I must say it's not pretty. He didn't need stitches but it sure messed up his middle finger for a while.
That's it for now. Once I get some of the pictures and videos from the previous biking trip I'll put them up for your enjoyment.

Quick update

Hi all. Nate here, quick five-second update. Not much new going on. Brenda celebrated her birthday with family and friends, including an all-expenses-paid trip in a Cessna down to Big Sur and back. According to the passengers, it was nothing short of incredible, and they couldn't have asked for better weather. We've been enjoying sun and hot temperatures for this part of California, breaking quite a few records last week. The water in the bay was even tolerable without a wetsuit Sunday.
I take the first part of the final exam in three weeks, the rest after the start of the new year. That's it for now, sorry we've been waiting so long between posts! I vow to do better.

BTW for anyone else on facebook, we finally set up.

Living in a Petting Zoo

Well, Brenda has pushed me to post again, even though she still shies away from writing anything herself. Whatever. At any rate, we live in a sort of petting zoo lately with all of the small mammals that are trying to take up residence close by. I asked property management about the problems and was told that we could take whatever measures we deemed necessary to keep animals out. Barring, of course, a rifle or shotgun from the house. (shame) So, the next time we heard something climbing around our garbage can, out came the bb gun and all the stops. I loaded before I opened the door, but missed having a clean shot in the light. I chased THREE raccoons out of the carport and into the side yard, where I got off one pot shot (there was a solid wood fence backdrop, so it was safe) but missed. So I went for the hatchet. By this time, there was only one 'coon left in the yard, a huge one. He was standing on his hind feet on the front lawn watching me, but he took off as soon as I started toward him.

Fast forward a few weeks to last night. Brenda was watching The Sound of Music (yawn) while I comfortably dozed on the couch. She paused the movie suddenly and sat forward on her seat listening. "I think something is in the garbage cans again."
"So go get it," was my lethargic reply.
"Uh... no? You go get it. Hurry though!"

So, before I even looked outside, I put my shoes, jacket, and gloves on, ready for a fight. The only thing I had handy was a claw hammer and my trusty Crosman pellet gun. So they came with me. I opened the blinds and turned on the light, which normally at least gets their attention and allows me to find out what's eating our trash. Nothing moved into view, but we could hear whatever it was munching on something. I opened the kitchen door and started toward the garbage can when I heard that the munching noise was coming from the carport, just to the side of the open door. As soon as I turned, Brenda grabbed my jacket and said "It's a SKUNK! Get back inside!" I was happy to oblige.

The culprit was a very young skunk, his body minus tail was probably only 11 inches long, give or take. And he kept munching away right there next to the motorcycle. Not to be trodden on like that by a rodent, I went out the front door and lined up a great shot. Then I started thinking about what would happen if I for some crazy reason missed and shot out the window of our neighbor's car, and reason got the best of me. I put the gun away. Since he was still pridefully eating in full view of where I was standing and I still have a fence between myself and stench-ridden torment, I opted for a less-harmful deterrent. I fixed a nozzle on the garden hose, and turned it on all the way. The noise didn't seem to bother him, so I opened it up. I think the panicked retreat was worth not being able to shoot it. He scurried under the motorcycle backwards, almost folded in half, and I heard his now wet claws scurrying all over the pavement. The most odd thing about this was that we couldn't smell him at all during the entire event. But I must say I'm glad I didn't get involved in hand-to-gland combat, since I know I would have lost that battle.

Rodents-4, Me-2 for overall garbage matches now. I hope we have a rematch soon.

Beginning of the End

Cameron is walking. Not just walking, he started running today as well. Add on top of that some molars breaking through, and you have one 13-month-old screaming meemie disaster. At least he still goes to bed easily.

Not much new on this home front, just the normal daily grind for me with tests every 3-4 weeks and daily improv briefings on how much more effort students need to be putting up in order to succeed here and for the rest of their career.

Brenda is getting ready for a baby shower (not her own, mind you) and was voluntold to bake cupcakes. Her baked goods are a hit with my coworkers - whenever I bring anything home-made to the school people will flock from classrooms down the hall to get a bite before it's gone. She's considering trying to make some money baking, but has her hands full with the boys as it is.

Speaking of Brenda having her hands full, we just celebrated our 5th anniversary by taking in a matinee of Hancock and dinner at El Torito, overlooking Monterey Bay from Cannery Row. Five years of torture for her, and five years of happiness for me. At any rate, a car show must have been scheduled for the next day so we were able to enjoy watching some fantastic classic cars cruise by right up until we realized that we would be sitting at the parking lot exit all week if nobody was kind enough to stop for us. And now I want to pick up a '69 Camaro. After I get my helicopter (Brenda - "And after I get my Mustang"). We'll see.

Men and Women are Different??

I caught this educational video today, and just had to share it with everyone because it taught me volumes in only 2.5 minutes. And yes, the English translation is completely accurate. Enjoy. :-D

Pity the Fool

By Popular Request

Dylan's Mohawk

Dylan was a real trooper, didn't complain even once during the ordeal of getting his hair cut. Since Dad was doing the cutting, he got to choose the hairstyle. Much to Brenda's chagrin and despite her constant barrage of objections, Dylan got his first mohawk. It looks pretty good, if you ask Dad, and it's started to grow on Mom.

Camerons Birthday

Cameron's Big Number One!

As freaky Friday the 13th rolled around, Cameron's first birthday bash began. It was to be a magnificent party, with a huge number of fans and friends attending. Okay, so the only person there besides his family was his uncle Eric, visiting from Colorado. But it was a great day, one of the first sunny and warm days in a while, so we spent the afternoon at our favorite park. We've experimented with a photo slideshow to give some highlights of the day. At any rate, the best part of Cameron's birthday for his parents was watching him pounce on his slice of cake and messily devour it. Good thing we were at the ready with the camera. A pack of wild hyenas has nothing on Cameron, he snarfed the cake in about 20 seconds. Give or take.

Happy Birthday (a little late on here) Cameron!

A Few Random, but Good, Pictures

**


Cameron -- oh yes, this will come back to haunt him.




This is Dylan, when once upon an Easter morn, he got hold of the dye tablets for our eggs. Once he realized it wasn't candy, of course he was quite upset.



Cameron had the right idea for how to spend a warm afternoon on the beach - kicked back, chillin' in the shade, with a bottle. Of choice beverage. Appropriate for his age.




Nate: "Hey, don't blame me! I go to work all day while these impressionable boys stay home with their mother."






Yes, Brenda did get Nate to wear purple. He makes purple look good.







The newest addition to the family. Dylan: "Hey! It's our blue van!"




... permanent press... delicates... "cutest boys" setting...









Nate after trimming the verge at the neighbor's house. No, that's not his leg hair sticking through his socks.




Brenda is very adept at avoiding the camera's lens side, but Nate vows he will work to fix that in the near future.

Light-speed travel is possible--- but only with children

Nate has decided that all theories about light-speed travel are trash. Only two have merit: The first, create an enormous self-serve line, i.e. at the "self checkout" counter at the grocery store, or at an ATM. The reason this theory holds water is based on the space-time anomaly that the person just in front of you is always slower than you. Since this is true for every person in line, by the time the last person in line makes it through, they should be traveling at the speed of light.

The second involves a room of two- and three-year olds, all running around in a circle. The combined energy (sound, motion, heat, and stress energy radiating from their parents) will accelerate all of the toys randomly thrown around the room to faster-than-light speed. The downside would be that all people, structures, and toys within a city block radius would be annihilated. In the name of scientific progress, we'll step up to the plate for this.

On a lighter note, Nate finally broke his personal best 1.5 mile run time today, with 9 minutes and 30 seconds. All he needs to max out the PRT scale for the Air Force is three more pushups in 60 seconds.

Dylan and Cameron are going as strong as ever. They feed off each other, but not in a cannibalistic Amazon jungle way. Cameron imitates some of the screaming noises that Dylan makes, and Dylan tries to copy everything Cameron does. That makes Cameron really happy, so he gets even louder! It's great for a laugh now and again, as long as it's not at 9:00 at night, when Dylan has broken into Cameron's room and is making sleep time impossible.

Brenda is planning a girls night out with some friends from the ward here. Nate was surprised to hear they want to go to a Greek restaurant in Monterey. (Brenda? Trying strange, new foods?) At Nate's class picnic she was able to sample several traditional Arabic dishes, like hummus, falafal, and some salads. (Don't forget the baklava!) Nate was too sick to enjoy any of them, he actually went home early, which was an ordeal of itself. Nothing in the military happens easily.

Long days, short nights

Well, we're finally settling into a different sort of pattern here at the Evans home, and all in all ... it's not one that we're fond of. Nate gets up in the morning between 5:00-6:00, depending on the day of the week, and normally gets home at 6:00 or 6:30 in the evening. Of course, as soon as they see their daddy, Dylan and Cameron go bonkers and hound him until he's sapped of whatever energy he had left over from school and PT. (He loves the attention anyway!) Cameron, thank goodness, is asleep fairly early, and Dylan usually lets Mom and Dad have an hour or so to themselves before they fall asleep standing up. Lately, Cameron has been waking up with his Dad, and chatting away until Mom gets him out of his crib. Dylan will sometimes wake up even earlier, and try to climb in bed with Mom and Dad. This, of course, doesn't work - since Dylan likes to see how much abuse his dad's kidneys and back can take before they give out, or before he's kicked out into his own bed again.

Nate's classes are going well, his grades are good enough that mandatory study hall isn't an issue. Unfortunately, with afternoon PT scheduled three times per week, he still doesn't get to come home right after class. He's taken to a program called Shorestorming, which is a short 2.5+ mile run on the beach instead of formation PT (which he despises most of the time). He's trying to get in even better shape, including getting his 1.5 mile run time down to 9:30 (it's at 9:50 right now).

Bren is keeping her sanity (barely) at home with the boys. Dylan really knows how to push buttons, and does everything he can possibly do to aggravate his parents. He's getting big too, which means even louder screaming, even bigger diapers, and he can throw things harder all the time. Cameron is getting very talkative (he says "da da", "ma ma", "ba ba" and "oo!", his newest favorite noise), and he definitely lets us know when he's not happy. Cameron worships the ground Dylan walks on, and follows him everywhere, even though he gets hit in the head with random toys often, and Dylan likes to try and use him as a seat. Dad's not worried - he thinks Cameron will learn what he has to do to hold his own pretty quickly. Especially once he learns to walk, and has free hands to fight back. Good thing we have health insurance.

We had portraits of the kids done a few months ago, they turned out great! We'll get one of them up here on the blog, and hopefully we'll get some hard copy pictures out to family and friends.

Pedro and Frankensheep

Educational videos at their best!