our first "lock in"...

Each night, Reagan and I read stories to Evelyn and then put her to bed. Before reading tonight, I needed to put Ev's clean clothes away. Reagan, fabulous helper and trusty big sister, shut the door so that Evelyn wouldn't escape while I was putting Ev's clothes away. A very sound and safe decision on her part. We all cuddled in, read some books, said our prayer and off to bed. After placing Evie in her crib, I went to leave and then realized that the door had been shut and we were locked in! The door has jammed before, but Ben was home to help that time. Reagan didn't know not to shut the door. Doors are supposed to operate correctly, one should be able to shut them if desired. I tried desperately to turn the knob - it just wouldn't budge. I don't have the greatest hand strength anymore so I had to keep taking breaks and then trying back at the knob. Nothing. No tools at hand, of course no PHONE (because I am notorious for failing to carry my cell with me), no Ben and of course, no neighbors to be found anywhere. I opened the window and yelled out hoping someone could help us. The plan would have been to use our spare key which is at the neighbors house. They could come on in and help us out from the other side of the door. While Reagan kept watch for passing neighbors, I went back to work on the door. Meanwhile, poor Evie was so tired and couldn't figure out why Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dumb were still in her room when it was way past her bedtime. I finally manage to loosen the knob and free us from Evie's room. It wouldn't have been tragic to remain stuck, Ben was scheduled to be home 5 hours from the initial lock-in. It sure would have been a long 5 hours and also a fun story to tell!

snowmegeddon numero dos

This MN girl truly has no words to express the sheer winter chaos that has hit us this past week. CRAZY amounts of snow have hit us and Philly has broken an all time snow record for 2010. We are all so proud! Yesterday we were nailed again with uber snow, less than a week after the "snowmegeddon" was announced. Yesterday's snow was much more intense in weight, some ice mixed in and wind gusts to boot. Yet, again, it was AWESOME! Here are some pics for all to enjoy. Hopefully we can get out and play this afternoon.

the.most.perfect.day.ever.

We truly had a perfect day today. We awoke to many, upon many inches of beautiful, fluffy snow on the ground. A winter wonderland dream. We hurried to make sure the snow was shoveled and then off we went - The Herdrich Family was going SNOW TUBBING! Due to the Snowmeggedon that was predicted, the girls and I went on a hunt for sleds yesterday. All we could find were snowtubes. So, we got two - one for the little kids and one for Daddy! Reag, Ev, Daddy and Mommy all went over to a park with an extra-fun hill. It happened to be near our friends' home, so they met us at the hill, along with their 100 lb. dog, Max. It. Was. Awesome.! The kids had a blast. The parents had a blast. We went out again the very next day. Totally AWESOME!

Sick-As-A-Dog!

Ugh. Yesterday was a rough one. At 3:00am I woke to "stomach issues". I was up the remainder of the night with the tummy-bug and it lasted throughout the day. Having a stomach virus is not a big deal, unless you are a mommy, stuck at home with two children that you cannot care for because you cannot lift your head off a pillow. Meanwhile, the room is spinning, your guts are turning and any slight odor in the air or appearance of food will make your tummy turn. Worthy of note...you will also worry that your dear little ones are going to also come down with this stomach bug and you will be shortly holding their hair back, rubbing their backs and attempting to clean them up, while cleaning yourself up. Frightening. Simply a frightening scenario. Thankfully, my sweet girls have yet to fall ill. Oh please, PLEASE, do not let them get sick!

I did my best with the girls. I set 2 goals: 1) keep the girls safe, 2) try to stay awake between visits to the bathroom in order to make certain that the girls are safe. While resting on the couch, I had a visual on both girls. Both girls were perfectly distracted. I was thinking to myself, "I CAN do this. We WILL get through the day". Apparently and accidentally, I drifted off to a quiet snooze. I awoke to hear little Evie panting/grunting. She sounded like she was climbing Mt. Everest. What on earth could she be doing - she was reading books 2 seconds ago. Well...she WAS climbing Mt. Everest! My baby was half way up our staircase! Never ONCE in her entire 13 months in our home has she even peeked at the stairs, nor gone near them. I have never moved so fast in my life. I am SO VERY THANKFUL that she didn't fall. It could have been so terrible. I didn't gate off the stairs simply because I didn't think she could or would go for them. Why, on the only day when I could barely lift my head from a pillow, did my dear daughter decide that she was going to conquer the staircase? As sick as I was - I was still amazed at how proud I felt of her. She was so excited - and we were thrilled for her too.

As the day continued on, I did get better. It was rough but my girls made it better. I know that it was hard for them to see me "off my game". Reagan was a huge help to me. She was so kind to Evie and even gave me an extra set of eyes for additional ground support. I brought her/us a nice little snack of saltines and she said, "thank you for my snack Mommy. I was really hungry. I love you Mommy." I just about melted right then and there. I almost forgot that I was sick for a moment (and then remembered shortly thereafter when the bathroom came-a-callin'). Evie kept peering at me throughout the day with a very concerned look. After a few hours, she dared to flash me a smile - it was a tentative one, perhaps she was concerned that I would not share in our favorite little game, a smile-a-thon? Sure enough, I did manage to crack a teeny smile back and she came charging for me, squealing as she swiftly crawled across the floor.

At the end of the day, Ben ended up being our Knight in shinning armor again! He managed to get home early at 6:15 and was able to finish the evening by getting Reagan to bed so I could get some rest in our bed. Ah, it felt so good to lay my heavy head on our uber-comfy pillows.

While it is hard to be sick and at home, alone with the girls, I realized that they sure made me feel healthier, a whole lot faster.

It must be 1953...

On the majority of days, I get the girls ready (dressed & fed) before I even think about doing the same for myself. Today, while having completed Reagan's preparedness and while dressing Evie, Reagan says, "Mommy, you should wear more tights and dresses." I decided to delve deeper. "Reagan, do you think I should wear dresses here, at our house?" "Oh, yes...that would be nice." And to think, I thought that I was just letting Mr. Cleaver-Herdrich down with my frumpiness!!! :-)

Ben is sooooooo cute!

While dating Ben, oh so many years ago, I would often make reference to Ben "he's soooo cute!" Obviously, Nic-O had a heyday making a mockery of that one! Like mother, like daughter - Reagan said the following, while eating her dinner last night, "My Daddy Ben, he is sooooooooo cute!" :-)

Evie stood on her own for a brief moment today. She would have stayed there in standing position forever except she realized that she was standing WITHOUT HER MOMMY and freaked! Getting her to walk is going to be a challenge. Not that she isn't capable, she just isn't going to be willing to be without holding onto her MOMMY! Actually, I quite like that she is a mommy's girl. My sweet little buddy who gives kisses all day long. Kisses and growls - those are her trademarks to date.

While watching a movie with the girls tonight (Reagan watching, Evie and I wrestling on the floor in front of the tv), Reagan came down off the couch and sat on me. She said, "See Mom, look. All the babies come and hug and kiss me when I sit on their mommies and daddies." Sure enough, Evie climbed right on top of the two of us, and hugged and kissed Reagan. I don't know who these other babies and mommies and daddies are that she speaks of. We'll have to tackle that tomorrow.

We get to meet baby Kari this weekend! Kari is my cousin Kris' baby girl. Kari and Evie were due 3 days apart. Evie came 10 days early and Kari came 2 weeks late. They barely even made it into the same month!

One year ago...at this very moment

As I sit here at 7:36 pm on January5, 2010, I cannot help but recall what I was doing at this very moment, last year. I was also typing on our family blog. I finished the blog right at 8:00pm (started it much earlier in the day but couldn't wrap it up due to Reagan's ever-demanding schedule at the time!) just in time to see my ever-anticipated season premier of The Bachelor. Right at 8:00 pm - I was hit with CONTRACTIONS. I didn't know it at the time, but within 2 hours, Ben and I would be heading to the hospital and little Evelyn Maris was due to arrive shortly.

Evie turns one tomorrow. What a year it has been. Ben and I have learned a lot as parents. We have learned that raising kids is not easy work. We have also learned that being parents is incredibly rewarding, regardless of the challenges that we face. Parenting = challenging & rewarding, a packaged deal! We have been reminded that each of these children is a true gift from God and only ours for an undefined, unknown, glimmer of time. We were given the opportunity to be Evie's parents.

Evie was an absolute puzzle for us to figure out from the get-go. I found that a handbook really would have been helpful (why wasn't there one attached to her baby blanket when we left the hospital?). Now, at one year, Evie is thriving. We enjoy her so very much. She is a joy - a true joy in our lives. She has the best gut-busting laugh. She giggles and it is contagious. She gets cranky and lets the world know. But somehow, even when she is cranking, it is now quite cute! She has a serious side too. Most strangers see this side. She stares, inquisitively at anyone new that she meets. Some people even have commented that it appears as if Evie is "sizing them up or maybe knows some secret about them." It is almost as if Evie has a "list" in which you must be on for her to engage in smiles and conversation. Thankfully, Ben, Reagan and I are all on "the list"! :-) We seem to have figured out some food sensitivities that she may have been having which has allowed her to be a much happier and healthier baby. Her skin is so soft and her hair so fine yet thick. Her eyes continue to be a sparkling ice-gray. Truly Beautiful eyes. She is crawling all over the place now but would much rather be walking, holding on to someone's hands. Evie has found the joy in wrestling and tumbling, finding that throwing ones body weight around can have some benefit and can be rewarding! She is a good sleeper, for the most part and she loves, loves, LOVES to talk. Shocking. Evelyn's face lights up the brightest when her big sister Reagan is in the room.
Happy Birthday Little Evelyn Maris. We love you!