Feel The Burn

Watch me. This is how to stay in shape.


I am constantly amazed at what fascinates Evie Lu. Recently she has found the pilates mat we usually have in the music room. I don't know that Evangeline has ever seen Kaia or I use the pilates mat, but she seems to know what to do. If I had been just a couple seconds earlier with the camera, I could have shown you the whole workout. I try not to laugh out loud when Evie Lu is doing these sorts of things.

More Fun In The Sun

I'm coming to get you!

Evie Lu loves the slide at the park. She mostly loves climbing up backwards to see how far she can get before she slides back down. This activity causes many anxious moments for Kaia and I. We both envision frantic trips to the emergency room, but thankfully that has not been necessary so far. We have a little daredevil on our hands.

Where did you go?

Fun In The Sun

Dad, you know what I say, "Live to ride, ride to live."

It looks like we are in for two nice weekends in a row. Unbelievable. Last week we went back to the great little playground near our place and Evie Lu was all about the spring loaded ram. I think adult sized versions of these need to be made. Evie Lu gets going so fast Kaia and I are afraid she'll knock herself out, but she loves it. I promise tomorrow will bring more playground pictures.

The G forces are just too much.

More Hair Fun

Watch very closely. There is nothing up my sleeve.

Last week Evie Lu came home with a new hairstyle. Evangeline's teacher Miss Sharon had put her hair into pigtails before Kaia picked her up. We had not tried that particular hairstyle yet, but it quickly became the standard. I still can only manage to get the single top ponytail, but Kaia is a pro at the pigtails.

Ta Da! The farmer is gone!

Using Her Words

Kaia and I were worried that Evie Lu doesn't seem to have a very developed vocabulary, but then we got to really thinking about it and found she actually does. Here are the words Evangeline says to us:
Tickle
Juice
Daddy
Cow
Car
Zipper
This
Cheese
Shoes
Bye-bye
Guac (this is anything in a cup)
Dog
Animal sounds (quack, moo, meow, ruff, cock-a-doodle-doo, roar)

There are two important words we have not heard yet, "no" (even though she hasn't said it yet, we hear it loud and clear) and "mommy."

A Very Happy Father's Day

Being off kilter is the coolest.

A whole week without sickness! That is what we are celebrating. Evie Lu is now enjoying her third consecutive week of daycare and Kaia and I are adjusting to a new rhythm of life. Our little girl comes home very tired from playing and learning all day so we often see a cranky Evangeline. Just like the Incredible Hulk, you won't like an angry Evie Lu.

I was blessed with a great father's day which included a walk to our local Dairy Queen, killing a colony of spiders in the toolshed (what would father's day be without some yard work?), and a whole lot of fun with Kaia and Evie Lu. The only thing better than the day was hearing on Saturday that Evangeline will be welcoming an Aunt into the family!

Dad, you need some help with your style.

Ups And Downs

Hey, do you notice something different?

For the first time as a dad I received a call from Evie Lu's school asking for me to come and pick her up right away. Evie had another fever. Yikes. Being the nervous parents that we are, Kaia and I went to see Dr. Ann who assured us our little girl was just fighting off another bug. Good times.

No, it is not my refined eating style. Guess again.


The Friday scare was followed by the absolute joy Saturday. Evie Lu was in a good mood and even though the day was gray and rainy we had a really good time. Anytime you can sleep in, clean house, and get to IKEA you've got a good day. Unfortunately, Kaia fell victim to one of Evangeline's germs and was sick Sunday and Monday. I hear cute cures, so the ball is in Evie Lu's court now.

I think wearing my hair this way gives me magical powers of cuteness.

Home Decorating

Mom, let me take a look at the feng shui of this wall.

Evie Lu is officially back! Our little girl slept through the night and was cheerful this morning. Oh happy day! The comic moment of the day was as I dropped Evangeline off she went right to the table where some of the other kids were having breakfast. She was pulling up a chair when Miss Sharon asked if Evie Lu had already eaten. She had. In fact, I cleaned her up and brought her directly to daycare from the highchair. I'm pretty sure Evie Lu ate again.

That's crooked! Move it left.


The pictures above are from Kaia's hard work at making our home beautiful. We have pictures hanging and all we need now are visitors. Come quick before the next cold strikes.

Why do we need to hang pictures? This is great.

Back On The Chain Gang

I'd feel so much better if I could just get on the couch!

Evie Lu was back at the salt mines of daycare today. (Which reminds me, I once heard an economist say, "It is not a sweatshop if the kids want to be there." Yikes.) Her teachers said she did great and remarked how we have such a sweet tempered child. Evangeline must have been saving the crankiness for bedtime, because she gave Kaia and I fits tonight. There is still something not quite right with our little girl. Here's hoping tomorrow finds a full strength Evie Lu.

Dad, you know I'm the cute one and I'm not amused right now.

Back to our regular scheduled programming...sort of

It took a day or two for the antibiotics to kick in, and we had a few anxious calls on Thursday to the after-hours nurse about Evie's high fever, but there has been no fever since Friday. In its place today was a strange rash on her head, stomach, and back. A few more anxious calls and a trip to the after-hours clinic later, and we've learned that Evie is allergic to the antibiotics. If it isn't one thing, it's another! Good news is that it doesn't seem to be bothering Evie too much. Will and I are still exhausted from a week with a sick toddler, and can't wait until she is feeling 100%. Sorry, no pictures on this post. Evie hasn't been giving us many smiles lately.

Daddy Daycare

I may be sick, but I'm still fun.


Evie Lu was a champ in daycare last week, but she won't be going back this week because she's sick. With a temp over 101 degrees for three days we went to see Dr. Ann on Wednesday who told us Evie Lu may have an ear infection. Dr. Ann recommended starting antibiotics, so Evie Lu now has her very first prescription in her name.

A Great Day

So mom, you're telling me there is a new kind of animal here today?


The flamingos are here! The flamingos are here! Saturday was gorgeous out here and our little family made a trek to the zoo. Much to our surprise it was the very first day of flamingos. Evie Lu picked up the rockin' pink visor (which she promptly destroyed once we got home) and Kaia and I enjoyed free cupcakes from Cupcake Royale.

After the zoo we headed home to tackle our jungle of a lawn. Through five years of marriage Kaia and I have never had to take care of yardwork until this place. Kaia weeded, I mowed and raked, and Evie Lu fell down a lot. Evangeline has righteous scrapes on her knee and nose. Pretty good work for a Saturday.

Taking it all in

Daycare Bites

The scene of the crime


When I went to go pick up Evie Lu from daycare Friday afternoon I was reflecting on how smoothly this transition had gone and how Evangeline really had a pain free first week. Pain free that is until Friday. Miss Sharon greeted me at the door and told me we needed to talk. For the first time in my life I had the feeling of going into a parent teacher conference to discuss my child's shortcomings. In fact we discussed another child's behavior. Evie Lu got bit.

The picture above is out of focus (you try taking a picture of a toddler's wrist) and the bite mark has faded considerably since yesterday, but you can just make out a ring of red below Evie Lu's wrist. The good news is the bite didn't really faze Evie Lu all that much. No skin was broken and Miss Sharon put ice on it right away. I had to sign an incident report form and regulations precluded me from being told the other child's name, but knowing Evie Lu she probably just sat on the kid later in the day.

Saturday chores


And just so you know, the daycare constant sniffles have started. Oh, joy!

Today I . . .

. . . had a fun day. I played with my friends.



In our first three days of childcare we have already solved our first Evie Lu mystery. The question was how many breakfasts can an Evie Lu eat? Apparently the number now starts at two. We've been feeding Evie Lu and then heading to childcare. When Evie Lu and I arrive I inform the teacher that Evangeline has already eaten. The response I get from the staff is a non-committal, "okay." At the end of each day Evie Lu's report listed a second breakfast. Kaia asked the teacher about it today and Miss Sharon said, "We put the food out and if they're hungry they eat."
Have you seen Evie Lu? The child knows how to eat. I think we may be raising a hobbit. First breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies . . .

The First Two Days

Look, I can blog!

Evangeline Lucille is now the veteran of two whole days of daycare. At the end of each day we get a little report on what Evie Lu did during the day and a description of her temperment. The crack-up is reading the reports which are written as if Evie Lu is the author. On Monday we were informed by Evie, "I went outside today and I liked it. I had a snack and then I went outside again." For the last two days Evangeline's status has been "content." We are hoping she raises her game to "cheerful" by Friday. Seriously kid, what is the holdup?

Today our little girl came home with her painting of animal feet. What kind of animal is represented below? I haven't a clue. Does anyone out there have any guesses?

Evie Lu's first school art project

One Heck Of A Trip

Typing with Terry

Kaia posted the picture from the concert Friday night and I wish I could communicate how much fun the night was from beginning to end. The concert was about three hours long and featured moments of amazing musicianship and great humor. The concert was recorded so hopefully we'll be able to have a cd and dvd to share with folks who could not make it.

Rocking with Great Aunt Robin


Evie Lu was a trooper through the entire trip. I can't believe how lucky we are to have a mostly laid back baby. She stayed with a babsitter during the concert and apparently didn't make a peep after bedtime. What makes my heart smile is when our little girl warms up to people we love. The time Evie Lu spent on Terry's lap typing away was a hoot. Does anyone need an office assistant?

Guess what my daddy did tonight...

My daddy is a rock star!

Reading Is Fundamental

A typical breakfast scene


We are now just eleven days away from Evie Lu starting daycare and I'm starting to get worried. I'm not worried that she will be treated poorly, I'm worried about what she'll learn from the other kids. We have a mimic in our house these days.

Hey dad, did you see this?


Just about every morning our little family sits down to breakfast and Kaia and I read the paper. Evangeline has decided she wants to read the paper too. She points at a section of the paper and says, "Aaahh. Ah." Evie Lu gets a kick out of being just like us. Boy are we in trouble.

These guys are bums I tell ya.

Soaking Up The Sun

Blowing On Dandelions

In a meteorologic anomaly we had two amazing sunny days in a row! These days it feels like winning the lottery when the sun comes out and warms the earth. Evie Lu and Kaia went out to enjoy a bit of the afternoon and rediscovered dandelions.

Mom, where are more?


Evie Lu went nuts waving the stems around to spread the seeds. I'm sure the guy next door to us with the putting green lawn thinks it is an abomination to let dandelions grow wild, but I would ask who is having more fun in their lawn. Seriously.

I'll just sit here thank you very much.

Big News

Portrait of a toddler on the go.

What a week! Since our last post Evie Lu needs to give a shout out to a new friend Luke Brady who is Annabelle's new little brother and a congratulations to Olivia as she is going to be a big sister in December! So many new friends. Evie Lu knows not to hold her breath for a sibling of her own.

Does this purse make my belly look big?


After almost two years of being on waiting lists, we finally have childcare. Evie Lu has a spot in a corporate childcare center and while we would have liked to find something with more of a family feel, I think our little girl will do really well. Evie Lu starts on May 19, so keep us in your prayers as first time parents freak out.

Wait, am I forgetting anything?

You Don't Want To See This

Why oh why haven't we seen any updates from the world of Evie Lu? I have two words for you: stomach flu. In deference to good taste there will be no pictures documenting this malady.
Evie Lu is on the mend, but after she spewed on Monday and ran a 100.7 temp for two days we are all exhausted. I knew I was in trouble when our little girl refused to eat lunch on Monday. (She eats everything in sight!) She kept pushing away her food and then to put an exclamation point on it, she let me have everything she had eaten so far that day. (You should see my shoes.) I ran out of the office as fast as I could and drove home. I couldn't reach Kaia immediately so I called my favorite expert: Grandma Rhonda.
Ah the wonders of parenthood.
I promise non-sick pictures will be arriving shortly.

Sunny Saturday

First, thank you for your thoughts and prayers for Evie Lu's great-grandpa Al and our family. We were able to celebrate his life with family, friends, stories, a 21 gun salute, beautiful music, and memories of a wonderful man. We got back home in one piece, though very tired.

We decided we needed a little fun free time on Saturday. We took advantage of the beautiful warm and sunny weather and visited a nearby park. We explored the trails a little, though Evie didn't seem to like her ride on dad's back. So we moved to the playground and Evie tried the slide, going down and up. Here's a few pictures from her Saturday morning fun.


Whee!!

Will The Circle Be Unbroken

In the joyous days of childhood
Oft they told of wondrous love
Pointed to the dying Savior
Now they dwell with Him above



Will the circle be unbroken
By and by Lord By and by
In a better home awaiting
In the sky Lord in the sky

Shoe Fiend

What? I'm not holding anything.


Hey do any of you know a good place for childcare with openings? Our lovely little girl is no longer happy to play in the office while I work. I knew this day would come, but I wasn't expecting such a rapid switch. Evie Lu's newest trick is a high pitched scream. The scream isn't a sign of frustration or happiness it is simply Evie Lu testing out her lungs. My co-workers are oh so thrilled by it.

The wonderful thing about this stage with Evangeline is that she is so busy. She loves to cart our shoes around the house and she plays little games all the time. When I'm not pulling my hair out in frustration (maybe 10% of the time) I'm laughing at what Evie Lu is doing (a wonderful 90% of the time).

Alright, I'll put the shoe back.

Things We Learned Going To The Tulip Festival

Tulips


1. Getting on the road at 9 when you were shooting for 8:30 is a victory in our house.

2. When you are driving and hear a "pop" followed by funky steering, you have a flat tire.

Daffodils


3. Evie Lu does really well hanging out in gas station parking lots with her parents.

4. Having wheel locks is a good idea in a big city. Keeping the key to those wheel locks with you is an even better idea.

5. Tow truck guys and Honda dealership employees do not need to have a command of the English language or basic reasoning skills.

A rebel tulip in the daffodil patch


6. Flowers are really pretty. Fields full of flowers are absolutely stunning.

7. Everybody had the same idea we did and we met them at the tulip festival today.

Our little sleeping flower

This picture demonstrates three things:

1. Evie can turn off the light! She stands on her little chair and can flip the switch on her own. She is pretty proud of herself, as you can see.
2. Barrettes! Will bought some at Target last night, and I wrestled one into her hair this afternoon. Who knows how long it'll last, but it helps keep her growing hair out of her eyes.
3. Looking at the shelves and floor behind Evie, you can see that disorder reigns in the playroom of a toddler. She is like entropy in human form.

Evie Lu Loves Her Great Grandpa

I'm clapping for you Great Grandpa!


This is a picture from Christmas, but it is the most recent I have of Evie Lu with Kaia's Grandpa Alfred. He's been sick and in the hospital, so we've been praying for him. Kaia taught Evie Lu to fold her hands while praying before meals and I've been reinforcing it as we've been praying for her Great Grandpa. With a big Evie Lu kiss and all our love back to Minnesota.