Talking 'Bout Playdoh

The artist at work


Have I mentioned that Evie Lu has the best mom ever? Kaia recently made playdoh for Evangeline and our little girl loved it. You can see the green version, but there is also a blue, a red, and a hybrid made from Evie Lu mixing them together. Kaia said Evie Lu played for an hour at one sitting!

This is what happens when you ask me to smile


These days Evie Lu is all about pretend play. Whether she's making you dinner or performing some surgery on Oscar (have I mentioned our cat is very patient?) Evie Lu is seemingly always on the imaginary move. Kaia and I have caught ourselves laughing out loud at some of the things Evangeline does. She's something else.

Here is my real smile and it is for Grandma Bev today

Evie Lu's New Friend

Kaia and I both have very fond memories of the pets our families had when we were younger and this weekend with Grandma Bev in tow we picked out a new member of our little family. Evie Lu's new pet is a one year old cat named Oscar. Oscar is a sweetheart of a guy who was rescued from a cat hoarder. Evangeline really likes him, although getting the two of them to sit still for a picture has been impossible so far. Evie Lu doesn't say Oscar exactly, but she does say "Oskies." It is too cute.

A Weekend With Grandma Bev

Evie Lu and one of her "Bahpahs"


This weekend brought a visit from an under the weather Grandma Bev. (It is in the character of grandmothers not to let any kind of flu or virus prevent them from seeing their grandchildren.) So despite not really being able to hear, Grandma Bev and Evie Lu had a great few days together. There were many stories read, laughs shared, and of course plenty of hugs. Evie Lu can't wait until she gets to spend more time with her grandmas, after all December is just around the corner!

Stay tuned for an announcement about a new addition to our home!

Just A Little Chat Over Snack

A Pox On You

The artist at work.

There are times when you have to ask, "Is this a coincidence or part of some evil genius' plan?" Today is one of those times. Evie Lu's daycare had a teacher training day scheduled for Monday and so they are closed, but would Evie Lu have gone to daycare today? No, because she has the chicken pox. Interestingly enough Evie's doctor said the worst should be over by Tuesday and our little girl probably wouldn't be contagious by Tuesday or Wednesday. Hmmm. (Imagine toddler teachers tapping their fingers together making evil genius hand motions.)

Do you want me to sign it for you?


As a result of having a sick little girl we've ramped up indoor fun time at our house. (When I say "we" you should think "Kaia." My lovely wife is by far the more creative and fun parent.) On Saturday it was watercolor paint day. (We'll have to have Grandma Rhonda give Evie Lu painting lessons when she comes for Christmas.) Our rainy day baby is doing well, all things considered.

Not quite Picasso, but definitely Evie Lu!

Duets With Dad

Mommy would never know if I took her snacks and pens.


I get worried sometimes that Evie Lu is not keeping pace with other toddlers in the communication realm. I see other almost two year olds saying "I love you" clear as day (I'm looking at you Olivia) and I wonder when Evangeline will take that next step and have understandable full sentences. Kaia keeps pointing out all the things Evie Lu does say and how she is communicating more clearly every day. Yesterday, I stopped worrying so much.

I was sitting with Evie Lu as we waited for Kaia to come home and I asked Evie Lu what song she wanted to sing. Evie Lu replied, "Old MacDonald." I was shocked. So we sang Old MacDonald and Evie Lu joined in on the animal sounds and the E I E I Ohs. It was great. (It honor of Aunt Kaitlin, whom Evie Lu calls Aunt Kay Kay, there was a lion on the farm.) Singing with Evie Lu is the best.

Watch out for the "naners."

Getting Better All The Time

A whole week of antibiotics later and our girl is 100% healthy. Unfortunately, going so long without her thumb has messed with her sleep cycle. We'll take missed sleep as long as it means Evie Lu is okay.

The funniest moment of the week was when we thought Evie Lu was starting to swear. Fortunately she was telling us her fork was on the table by saying, "Ah, fork." Kaia and I were mortified at first, but when we realized what was going on it was really funny. Yikes.

My Sick Thumb

Life is hard when the thumb you go to for comfort is put on the disabled list. Unfortunately for our household, Evie Lu developed a staph infection on her thumbsucking thumb late last week. This meant instead of a cute story over the weekend we have only the no sleep story.
It breaks my heart to see Evie Lu in pain and it is even worse knowing the pain isn't a scraped knee that I can make better. Evie Lu is on the mend thanks to antibiotics, but I'd be lying if I said having her in daycare today didn't make me really nervous.
We'll post some cute pictures soon to balance out the trauma.

A Kiss For Everyone

Thanks to Aunt Megan for the great picture. Here Evie Lu is ready to give someone a kiss. It is probably one of her aunts since this morning she repeated Aunt Megan and Aunt Becky after I said their names. You can pretend it is for you though.

A Great Traveller

Dad, you are ridiculous.

We had a whirlwind weekend of seeing Evie Lu's aunt Megan get ordained, catching up with family, and spending way too much time on a plane. Grandma Bev pointed out that we would be on the ground for exactly 48 hours before taking off again. Ugh!

Evie Lu handled the whole trip like a champ. She was fascinated with the plane on this trip and I think the feeling of landing was her favorite part. In her 48 hours in Minnesota, Evie Lu sat through two church services and was better for Grandma Bev than she ever is for Kaia. (I think we need to bring Grandma Bev or Grandma Rhonda to church with us every week.)

If you find yourself in the Minneapolis airport with some time to kill, I recommend heading toward the F concourse where Travellers Insurance has a series of ads that are interactive. When you wave your hand in front of the big red umbrella it blows away into tiny red umbrellas then comes back together. Evie Lu and I spent quite a bit of time playing with this ad. If my daughter grows up to sell insurance I'll know why.

Off To Minnesota

You mean I get to see Uncle Chris again?!?


We are off to get Evie Lu's Aunt Megan ordained! We will only be with family for one full day, but it will be a great celebration. Here's hoping Evie Lu still does as well flying now as she has in the past.

The Story Of The Weekend

Aunt Kaitlin I have no signal here.


There are times when being a parent provides far more comic relief than I ever thought possible and Saturday night was one of those times.

Saturday afternoon was gorgeous and our little family went out to a local park where Evie Lu had a great time. There was a little kid slide and a big kid slide and she spent an hour running from slide to slide, laughing the whole way. When we got home Evangeline was warm and after a diaper change I decided pants were unnecessary for the rest of the night.

Dinner was pizza and Evie Lu went without a bib since a bath was looming large in her future. Evangeline got pizza everywhere and so her shirt came of next. After dinner was done we had about twenty minutes until bath time. Our diaper only wearing baby was playing and going between talking to me as I washed dishes and Kaia as she worked on her general exam. Evie Lu walked up to me with her pizza stained shirt and I asked her, "Evie can you take your shirt and put it in your hamper?" Evie Lu toddled off.

Then there was silence. I swear it wasn't more than a couple of minutes, but when I realized I didn't hear Evie Lu anymore I called out to her and walked toward her room. At that moment Kaia called out to me from her office, "Will, did you take Evie's diaper off?" I looked into to the office to see our little girl stark naked standing next to Kaia. After we stopped laughing we realized there was a missing diaper to be found. Kaia asked Evie where she put the diaper and Evie took us into her bedroom and pointed to the diaper pail.

Evangeline had taken her diaper off and placed it where diapers should go. I was impressed and realized at that moment pants were a necessity in our house now.

New Tricks

Can you see what I did?

This morning I asked Evie Lu if she wanted a banana with breakfast and she replied, "oh nice." Kaia and I looked at each other in a bit of shock and Kaia asked, "You know where she learned that don't you?" I hadn't realized how often I say "nice." It is a lot apparently. We have also recently heard, "wow", a very Minnesota sounding "oh no", "phone", "milk please", and "no mail." The last phrase came about because every day I pick Evie Lu up from daycare we come home and she helps me check the mail. Oh nice!

Evie Lu has also discovered she can take her socks off and put them on her hands. This tickles her to no end. Evie Lu tried to eat some animal crackers while wearing socks on her hands this weekend. (This did not work so well.)

Socks on my hands!

A Day At The Beach

What? I've got sand where?


Four new teeth, three house guests, two exhausted parents, and one general exam coming up quickly make for a crazy time for our little family.

Evie Lu got reacquainted with Aunt Megan, Uncle Chris, and Jillian over the labor day weekend and I think it is safe to say Uncle Chris is the favorite. Evangeline took a bit of time to warm up to everyone, but once she did she chose Chris as her buddy and they played for a really long time.

Evie Lu has four teeth coming in all at once and this has not been conducive to quality sleep for anyone. We knew something was up when we caught Evie Lu trying to stuff an entire blanket in her mouth and bit down hard. Thank goodness for baby Tylenol which helps the discomfort. I think I'll go take some now.

I'm serious about snacks.

Evie Lu - Rock Star Rules

You must study your instrument.


Evie Lu has graduated for the first time in her school life. She has moved from Toddler A to Toddler B. I told her it sounded like a demotion to me and I'd talk to her manager if I was Evie Lu. Evie Lu actually should have moved two months ago, but Miss Sharon liked her so much she kept her in the Toddler A classroom for an extra month and a half. (That's what I tell people about the four years I spent in third grade.)

In Toddler B Evie Lu is hanging out with other 1.5 to 2 year olds and having a great time. Evangeline is so animated these days and you can tell she's picking up a lot from other kids. (And thankfully not just germs!)

Don't be afraid to look foolish as you play.


We are getting ready to welcome Evie Lu's Aunt Megan, Uncle Chris, and Aunt by adoption Jillian. The last time Jillian came to visit us (she actually came to visit Dave Matthews, but that is another story) Evie Lu was working hard on crawling. Jillian made it her mission to get Evangeline to crawl. Jillian failed, but it was a noble effort. Fast forward a year and I'm afraid of what they will decide to try and teach Evie Lu. She is such a mimic.

Remember to pose often. You never know where your fans are.

Our Little Cook

I like to sit when I cook.


Since Grandma Bev got a shout out in the last post, I figured we needed to get Grandpa Wayne in the mix too. (Grandma Rhonda we'll just have to take tons of pictures when you come for Christmas!) Grandpa Wayne came bearing gifts for Evie Lu from Minnesota. He brought Kaia's childhood chair/step stool and some play cookware. Evie Lu took to both right away. If you come over and ask nicely, Evie Lu will cook for you too!

I'll make Grandpa taste it first.

Sorry, Grandma Bev...

...but it was so warm, and I was so cute, that I kept my sundress on after church. In fact, it was so comfy that running outside in the sun, rolling on the ground, and splashing in my pool was as easy as pie. Hmmm...pie. Because all this dress needs is another stain. Oh, well. I'm nothing a bath and oxyclean can't handle.

Missing My Ladies

Slip slidin' away!

Travelling without Kaia and Evie Lu is never as much fun as travelling with them, but it is really hard when you are seeing family and friends. (The number one question I get, "Did Kaia and Evie Lu come out too?" The second question is, "Why didn't Kaia and Evie Lu come out?") I know I'm loved, but I'm far from the main attraction.

I'm coming to get you.


These are some great pictures from an Evie Lu trip to the park. The picture below is great because the way Evie Lu has her tongue between her teeth and smiling is just like my dad. It is funny how depending on what Evie Lu is doing who I think she looks like. There is a picture of Evie Lu staring up at Grandma Bev and you have no doubt that they are related. I see my dad in Evangeline's face in this one.

Making a face like Grandpa Ralph.

Shoes!

Sometimes I like to put two feet in one shoe.

Evie Lu loves shoes. Her shoes, my shoes, Kaia's shoes, it really doesn't matter. Evangeline will bring you your shoes if she thinks it is time to go somewhere. The best though, is when she tries to put on your shoes. It may be cruel, but I've watched Evie Lu struggle to put my tennis shoes on and I let her just keep trying. It is a hoot to see her lift one leg up really high, but not quite high enough to get her foot in the shoe.

I think you'll find I'm more convincing in mommy's shoes.


Yesterday Kaia heard a strange thumping noise in the house and upon investigating found Evie Lu with one rain boot on her foot and one in her hand. Our little girl was just clomping around the house as happy as can be.

Oh no, I'm losing the shoe.

Our Little Family

Hey now, make sure you get my good side.

One of Evie Lu's teachers asked up for a family picture so all the kids could see their friend's moms and dads. And so here we are on a gorgeous summer afternoon on the back deck. The ladies look great and they put up with me, so I'm happy.

The new game I like to play these days is, "What did Evie Lu learn this time at daycare?" I was driving Evangeline to school the other day when I asked her if she liked the song on the radio. As I looked at her in the mirror Evie Lu put an index finger to her lips and shushed me! Kaia and I certainly didn't teach her that, but now it is in the repertoire. I figured I had at least another year until my daughter started telling me to be quiet. Yikes.