Evie's First Field Trip!

Last week Rowan and I got to chaperone Evie on her first field trip!  Her class went to Cal's, a local nursery that has a little petting zoo and pumpkins in the Fall.  We go almost every year to pet the baby cows and goats so Sis was extra excited to go back!

The whole thing was so darn cute.  Evie loved her first bus ride!  We always count buses on our way to school every day, so getting to actually ride one was kind of a dream come true for her.  On the way home she bumped her head on the window when we went over a bump in the road.  She rubbed her little head and told me "him is a caaaaazy ziver!"  Little cutie.  These 3 year olds, they can be such little devils, but man are they adorable!  Can't get enough.

Here are some pics from our day!

- K

So excited to get on the bus!!

None of our bus selfies turned out that well, but it was a RARE moment of actually wanting to take pictures for Sis, so I had to document.  ;)

Baby cows!

Feeding baby goats!

 This girl and her posing!  She's either all in or all out...with pretty much everything.

Her whole cutie class.  Preschoolers are the best.

Back in the car and waiting for Big Sis!  Evie's class gets out an hour before Lyla, so snacks in the car is our T/Th ritual.  :)

Birthday Dinner!

As we approached Evie's 3rd birthday I kept asking her where she wanted to go to dinner to celebrate.  Every single time she'd quickly reply "McDonald's!", and every single time I'd try to talk her into something a little fancier - Rainforest Café or Cheesecake Factory or the hibachi place we went to for Lyla's birthday.  After probably the 10th time with the same response I finally realized how silly I was to push some "fancy" idea on her.  McDonald's?  What baby wants, baby gets!

Before we headed to McDonald's I found Lyla and Evie in Lyla's closet getting all dressed up and applying makeup.  They were the perfect combination of Fancy Nancy and Jem and the Holograms.  They were the fanciest girls at the restaurant, and they had the best time I think they've ever had at any dinner.  Evie ran around the Play Place with her gigantic ice cream cone like she owned it, and told me it was the "best party ever!" over and over.

It was the cutest birthday dinner for the cutest 3 year old.  :)  Happy birthday, Evie Sis!  We love you so!!

- mama

Eighteen Months

Well, this little sister turned one and a half today.  It's hard to even find words that accurately describe my Evie Joy.  She's all buttery goodness one second and a demanding son of a gun, rolling around the floor screaming the next.  We thought Lyla was strong willed, but this one's off the charts - our mini CEO with a strong opinion about e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.  She's dramatic 'til the last drop with her fake cries and laughs, nasty looks and no hesitation in chucking whatever you hand her clear across the room while staring you right in the eye.  A little busy body, she can usually be found dipping her hand in dog water or the toilet, spreading cat or dog food all over the floor, or unraveling an entire roll of toilet paper.  Another favorite is emptying my cupboards or grabbing a stool to throw all of the food in our pantry into the trash.

Evie can say almost anything you ask her to, but doesn't say much besides "mama" and "dada" on her own accord.  She finds that an aggressive "EH!" with a finger point pretty much always gets her point across.  She also holds her own with her big sis these days and even picks on her from time to time - just runs up, grabs whatever Lyla has and runs off.  She braces herself for a fight and even if she loses she doesn't care - just walks off to the next activity.  She'd succeeded in asserting her authority for the moment, and that was a win in her book.

The funny thing is that describing her behaviors above makes her sound like such a little pain in the ass - which she is at times.  But, in between all of her sour antics she is like a little piece of heaven on earth.  She giggles and snuggles and dances and plays.  She loves to play chase and hide and seek, and constantly runs up, grabs my hand and drags me off to wherever her little heart desires.  She's independent as can be and gets busy just playing all on her own.  She follows her big sis around like a puppy dog (unless she doesn't want to) and they run and laugh and scream their little guts out.  She's obsessed with Bubble Guppies and is the best little mama to every one of her baby dolls (unless they make her mad).

Man, she is so funny, sweet and wildly entertaining.  I've enjoyed this phase even more the second time around - all those chubby little rolls running around on fat, flat feet.  I wish I could bottle up this sweet stage and hold onto it forever.

Love you, Evie Sis!  You are a dream come true.

- mama

Butterflies!

I think my most unexpected favorite thing about being a mom is how you get to see everything through a child's eyes again.  You get to help create the wonder and excitement they have with everything - from the big excitements like Santa and the Easter Bunny to the more every day little joys like pointing out a hummingbird outside our window at dinner and the big eyes and smiles when they see it themselves. 

Lyla is as curious and inquisitive as they come, and I've had a blast this summer starting to do little "experiments" with her like planting flowers and watching daily as they grow and bloom, noticing the smells and colors.  A few weeks ago we got a butterfly kit that let's you watch as the caterpillars grow, create cocoons, and then become butterflies.  It was pretty amazing to see them grow significantly each day.  When they made their appearance as butterflies Lyla got to put flowers in their habitat and feed them sugar water.  She was a pretty good little butterfly mama.  :)

The other day (after Tim got caught several times sitting on the counter next to them, licking his chops) we set them free.  Both girls were pretty thrilled to watch them fly away, one at a time.  One even let me hold it and another climbed onto Lyla's little finger. 

I hope she remembers this!  I know I will.  :)

- K

 

 

Home

Today was our first full day back home and first day at work since last Saturday.  It felt good to get back into the swing of things, and after a day of playing catch up at work I packed up the girls for a Target trip.  Lyla wanted to look for a book and we didn't have much to shop for so I was looking forward to a fun, low stress outing.  We made a thorough mess of the book section and Evie showed off her new found running skills, darting from aisle to aisle and giggling when I'd find her. 

After about a half hour we decided to actually get our shopping done when Lyla announced she had to go to the bathroom, then promptly said she pooped.  I thought it was weird it happened so fast but applauded myself as I calmly thought, "Ok, no big deal.  We'll head for the bathroom, abandon the panties, and be on our way."  When we got to the bathroom stall I learned why it had happened so fast and also that the pants would need to be abandoned as well.  Evie tried desperately to play in the toilet and settled for climbing around the bathroom floor and rubbing every square inch of herself on that nasty floor while trying to escape under the door.  I had no extra pants so I had to put them back on poor Lyla.  Mind you we'd gotten no actual shopping done at this point.

We ran for the kids department, grabbed a pair of shorts and headed for the groceries so we could grab just the necessities.  That was when Evie...spit up?  Threw up?  I'm still not really sure what happened but her entire front side was covered in something along those lines.  We grabbed our whole milk and ran for the checkout lines.  Evie screamed while Lyla tried to cover her head in Target stickers, and the clerk announced that I'd accidentally scanned my card twice so I'd need to pull it out to do it a third time.  Insert all the sarcastic faces here.

I thought the worst was behind us by the time we got home and then Evie rolled over and ran off in the middle of a diaper change, sauntered over to our brand new rug and peed on it.

It was a warm welcome home, indeed.  ;)  The truth is I wouldn't have it any other way.  Missed those girls and their crazy antics last week more than I've ever missed anything.

- K

Everly's First Birthday Party

The first week of March - right before Evie's birthday - I got to take a whole week of vacation from work.  It was really my first legitimate vacation since an entire year before when I went on maternity leave right before having Evie.  It was pretty nostalgic thinking back to that exact week a year prior - first thinking and hoping I'd have my new baby early, then L getting diagnosed with RSV and then praying the new baby wouldn't come early at all.

I remember that last week of nursing my first baby back to health and just laying, cuddling face to face, Lyla sucking her thumb and resting her other four tiny fingers on my face.  I soaked up those moments with my only baby, excited and afraid of what was to come.  I felt so unsure of how I would love another baby as much as I loved my precious Lyla Rose.

That Friday night, in the middle of the night, we rushed off to the hospital and my labor was so short it literally seemed like she just popped right out and was suddenly resting in my arms.  That first moment I held her I remember locking our eyes and feeling so much peace.  Everything was right in the world.  My Everly Joy had arrived and she was beautiful and healthy and I did love her - more than I could have ever imagined.

Man, if I thought Lyla's first year went fast, Evie's first year was at least double that.  There were a lot of things that were difficult to get used to with two kids, but that little Evie stole my heart over and over again every single day.  I would hold her and stare at her angelic, innocent face and I would pray that her beauty wouldn't be a weakness - that she would be strong and not let anyone mess with her.  I know God has a sense of humor because that girl was feisty from the very beginning.  Rest assured we are not raising any pushovers.  :)

My little Evie Sis, my heart overflows when I even think about you.  I've been smitten since day one and I fall in love with you more every day.  I love your sweet smile and your dancing eyes, your little giggle and the games you play, your loving cuddles and even the little fits that only you can throw.  I really love your head butts - the soft ones when you tap your forehead against mine and then leave your head there and stare into my eyes - just like our very first moment.  And I even like your angry head butts when you slam your tiny head into whatever just made you mad.  I laugh just thinking about it.  I love your little monkey sounds and that tiny pointer finger when you want something, and how those little arms wrap around my neck and you rest your head on my shoulder when you give me a hug.  Mostly I love how you changed our family.  You made us more complete.  You are such a blessing, little girl, and you are loved forever! 

Here are some photos from the birthday party we had in Denver.  :)

- K

I hung Evie's 52 weeks of pictures up.  It always amazes me how little they change week to week but they're like a completely different kid from beginning to end.

The closest thing I could get to a smile from my L.  :)

My whole world.

Some Evie Sis Buttery Goodness

We're officially counting down the days until Everly's first birthday (3 days!), and as I was going through my camera to organize her weekly pictures I came across these.  I took them the other day while Lyla napped.  Our girls tend to have pretty opposite nap schedules right now, which can sometimes be a drag but for the most part I really enjoy the chance to spend some one-on-one time with each of my babies.

This particular day Evie and I were playing in her room, and I was just mesmerized watching her crawl around the room, looking back constantly to throw me a big grin and giggle.  We played peek-a-boo and I tickled her tummy and she flopped around showing off just how cozy her blankies were.  I just soaked up all of her Evie Sis goodness - I had forgotten how much I love this one year old age.

I could honestly have stared at her little feet and round tummy and precious, angelic face all day long.  But I think I've decided that her little hands are my favorite.  There's something about baby hands, the way even they have that buttery baby chub, those tiny dimples and the tenderness they have when they lay those little hands on you.  I'll never forget the way she'd lay her hand on my chest as she nursed, giving me little pets the whole time.

There's something so soft and delicate about their hands.  And pretty amazing too, all the stages they go through so quickly.  From tiny baby fists, to finally stretching those fingers out, to clumsily grabbing at things, to carefully pinching little puffs and pointing out every little thing they see.

I heard once that our fingerprints are created by rubbing our finger tips on our mother's womb while we are formed.  I love that so much - one of many permanent bonds we have with our mamas, created before we even met each other.  And don't you dare tell me that's just an old wive's tale.

- K