Evan likes to play the drums. We discovered that on Christmas Day when we were at the Ripple's and we had to tear him away from Matt's drum set. So last night I pulled up a few YouTube videos of some guys playing the drums, and sure enough, Evan crawled up on my lap to watch. He sat for about 15 minutes (that might be a record) as we watched the same video 4 times. At certain parts he'd get really excited and start to wave his hands in the air and bounce. Cute.

Over the weekend I attended a baby shower for my good friend Kedra. It was great to see some college friends, teammates & roommates. Sarah, Nicole, Julie & Kay came over after the shower and we went downtown for the evening. Lots of laughs and talk of the future (Julie & Nicole are pregnant as well). A few pictures from the shower:

Yesterday Joni & Steve let us use their basketball pass so we went to watch the UW women's team play Michigan. It was kids day so there were lots of activities going on around the Kohl Center.

How big of a dork am I? That question couldn't have been answered until yesterday. I've always said it would be the coolest thing to get a picture of Evan on the jumbotron. Well, we're sitting in our seats watching warm-ups, I look up and Evan and I are on the screen. I grab the camera and manage to get like 20 shots. IT WAS AWESOME.

Then as we were leaving we ran into Bucky. Evan gave him a high-five and babbled a little bit with him. What a great afternoon!

A FEW NOTES ON EVAN:

Eric says to Evan "Hey, let's go change your diaper." Evan stands up, runs down the hall, into our bedroom and makes his way quickly to our closet. Eric finds him hiding behind our laundry basket. If we know one thing about Evan, it's that he hates having his diaper changed. Well, he doesn't really like doing anything that slows him down.

He loves to throw things. After throwing things, he likes to say "uh-oh."

His version of a temper tantrum is turning himself into a "tripod". Feet on the ground, bending down, and putting his head on the ground. Then the crying can begin.

He is pretty gentle with Wrigley. When he stumbles upon one of her toys, he walks it over to her and tries to put it in her mouth.

He loves to "brush" my hair.

He is usually grumpy in the morning, and sometimes after nap time. We need to let him have his space and wake up on his own.

He does a "food dance" that is adorable. Sometimes if I eat a bowl of cereal in the living room, he will run over to me and start to tap his feet for about 10 seconds, stop and put his hand out for a cheerio.

His favorite TV shows are "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" and "Sesame Street". Whenever the hot dog dance comes on, Evan dances along.

He loves Bucky Badger and whenever Eric is on his computer, Evan wants to sit on his lap and watch YouTube clips of Bucky.

We went to a girls basketball game at the high school the other night, and I went in to the gym before Eric and Evan did. I was sitting on the first row of bleachers, and about 10 feet to my left was a few varsity players. Evan and Eric walked in, and Evan was already busy watching the JV game. Eric said "Go to Mommy, Evan", and Evan turned to his left and put his arms up to one of the girls, quickly realizing it wasn't me. He then ran over to me. It was pretty funny.

He is really good with strangers, not really being afraid of anyone. For the most part he will let anyone hold him and will play with anyone.

Every once in awhile he needs to play in Wrigley's water bowl.

He laughs when tickled under his chin and knees.

He loves the water - baths, swimming, water parks. He also loves playing basketball in the living room.

Even if it's -10 degrees outside, he hates coming inside. He is an outdoor boy.

He thinks remotes are phones, and pretends to talk on them. He loves to play with our cell phones, and the toy cell phones his grandma buys for him.

He has always been pretty good about taking naps. He plays so hard that he usually needs a nap by 10am.

He high-fives and waves goodbye.

U.S. Bank Eve is Madison's time-honored community celebration. This family-oriented New Year's Eve celebration has activities and entertainment for everyone, so we headed downtown for some family fun. We went to the children's museum, which Evan LOVED. We had to tear him away in order to make it to the balloon drop at the bank. There were hayrides around the square, and the highlight of the night - BUCKY! Evan can't get enough of that guy.

We hope that the holidays were just as enjoyable and memorable for you and your families and they were for ours. Have a safe and a happy new year. We wish you nothing but the best for 2009 - enjoy the simple things in life!