The One with the 2011 Calendar

Last year I was so inspired by the colors and designs of these pillows (and the promptings of my mother) that I decided to make a 2010 calendar based on them:


I created about 20 calendars to give as gifts and sell on etsy and at holiday boutiques. Thanks to all who admired and purchased one :)

This year I didn't have access to a nice color printer to make them again. Instead, I've updated each of the months with the correct 2011 dates and I'm giving you the files so you can download, print, cut out, and make your own! The finished size should be 5 x 7". Maybe you'll even find time today to bust a few out in time for Christmas :)
You have to click on each month and download it and then print it. Kind of a pain, but hopefully worth it!












If you decide to make one, lemme know, I'd love to see how it turns out!
Merry Christmas Eve!

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The One with Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

I made this simple Christmas card a couple weeks ago for the CREATE blog, but I don't think I shared it here...

Speaking of Christmas cards, here is our official 2010 Evans Family Christmas Card:

And the accompanying photo:

Wishing you a very merry Christmas Eve eve!

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The One with SO MUCH RAIN!

I'm from the northwest so rain doesn't bother me. In fact, I love it and miss it often here in constantly sunny SoCal. But holy moly it has been raining for nearly a week and no one here knows how to deal with it. It's all over the news. There are mudslides, people are being evacuated from their homes, rivers and sidewalks are flooded over, so on and so forth. Stories can be found here, here, and lots of other places.
I've been stuck inside all day working my buns off, but when it got so loud I couldn't hear myself think I ventured outside (in my pajamas no less) to capture the craziness.

I almost got DOUSED by a car driving through the river that is our front yard.

This one is sideways, but you get the idea:


See that blur? That's a car driving through the river.


"Rain rain go away. Come again another day. Little Foxy wants to play. Rain rain go away."

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The One with Fox's Baby Stats Print

Whipped this up last night:

I've been working on a new frame collage of fun Fox sentiments to put who knows where... but it'll be great and I'll share when it's done!

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The One when Eric and Tanya Got Engaged!

Eric and Tanya flew down here from Seattle on Friday for a special occasion unbeknownst to Tanya. (Though from the weather we've been having it's like they didn't leave Seattle at all! Rain rain go away!) Eric proposed to Tanya at Newport Beach on Saturday night. They're officially engaged to be married! I think July is the big month. Can't wait! I didn't think we'd get to see or hang out with them at all cuz of the whole hospitalization fiasco, but yay here we are!
This morning Eric and Tanya held Fox for the first time.
Uncle Eric looks scared out of his mind, haha. It's okay Eric.
Meanwhile soon-to-be Aunt Tanya is a natural :)

Before E&T headed out to go to Hollywood and see the Stars, I took some faux engagements shots.



















I wouldn't call myself a professional or even amateur photographer by any means, I just point and shoot, but it sure helps to have such lovely and willing subjects!
And Photoshop Actions :)
Congrats Eric and Tanya, I'm soooooo excited for you!

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The One with the Good Day!

YAY WE'RE FINALLY HOME!
But before I get to the good stuff, I must tell the tale of Saturday night.
Worst. Night. Ever.
The doctor came in in the early evening looking all grim and forlorn. Oh no. My baby is going to die, I thought. Turns out his urine and blood work had grown bacteria. But the bacteria in the blood sample was a kind of skin bacteria and the urine sample wasn't taken through a catheter so it all could be contaminated. Long story short, they wanted to re-do the samples. Great. More needles and pain.
Right after Fox ate we called in the nurse to do the catheter to get a new urine sample. I was worried there wouldn't be any urine because when we first brought him into the ER on Wednesday night they tried a catheter but he was so dehydrated they didn't get a single drop. But hallelujah and prayers answered they got a good sample. Much to Fox's chagrin.
Then a lady came in to get the blood sample and I can't even write my feelings or what happened. Let's just say she kept STABBING my baby with a needle and I was FREAKING OUT and CRYING like I've never cried before and Fox was about to have a little baby heart attack.
And it was all for naught.
The lady didn't hit a vein.
OMG I don't think I've ever seen Chris so mad. The lady said she couldn't do it, and we weren't gonna let her try again, so she said she'd send someone else. I probably didn't help the situation with my ecstaticness, but come on, you don't just stab and stab and stab again and HOPE you find a vein...
Then a respiratory technician came in to do a saline solution spray and Fox didn't really like that so he cried again.
Then another blood sample taker came in and I had to leave. I couldn't watch Fox go through that again. Instead, after the procedure was over (the lady got blood the first poke thank goodness), I came in to save the day. I rocked and cradled and held Fox until he went to sleep.
For the first time since he was born Fox slept through the night - 10pm to 6am. Too bad it was under such dire circumstances.
This morning I heard Dr. Golden was there. He was the only doctor that seemed genuinely interested and concerned, not to mention he's super duper uber smart. I asked for him to come in and when he did he laid it down and said he thought the test results were a bunch of bologna so he stopped the antibiotics that were already being administered to Fox. Hooray! He also said Fox was doing well enough for us to go home! YAYAYAYAY!
We packed up and headed out and now we're home and it's the best Christmas present ever.
Goodbye cramped - but so glad it was private - hospital room!

Goodbye most uncomfortable but amazingly I didn't get sore bed:

Pack'em in and move'em out!

Let's go home Fox!

We won't be driving to Utah/Colorado for Christmas tomorrow like we originally planned and we'll have to forgo our trip to Seattle in January.
But it's sooooo worth it to have my healthy, happy, baby back.

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The One with Foxy the Red-Toed Baby

Still at the hospital. No end in sight. I really thought we'd be home by now but Fox keeps changing his mind about getting better. Still touch-and-go.

In the meantime, we made a video. He has to wear a bright red light on his toe which reads his oxygen levels. So instead of singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, we changed it to Fox-y the Red Toed Baby.

We should get a Grammy for our amazing talent :)

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The One when Santa Came to Visit

Santa just made a pit-stop on his way back to the North Pole to get ready for the big day next week! (I can't believe Christmas is next Saturday!)

He brought Fox a stuffed animal and a toy that he'll appreciate in a few months. It'll be fun/sad to show Fox these pics when he grows up.

So yeah, we're still in the hospital. He looks sooooo sad all the time. Like "What is going on with me? Why do I feel like this? Why do you keep hurting me with that nose sucker?" :( :( :(

He's still the same today as he was yesterday. He's not hooked up to any fluids, his oxygen is good, his breathing is good for the most part, his pulse is good, his blood pressure is good. But he's still coughing up phlegm and very congested. My poor baby. Hopefully he gets better so we can go home soon and hang out with my brother and his girlfriend who just flew in for the weekend.

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