A Sad Day

Evangeline's teacher Mrs. Ana is leaving today to move closer to family to support her husband who is fighting cancer. Without Mrs. Ana potty training would have been a much bigger struggle and Kaia and I have received more daily updates from Mrs. Ana than from any other teacher. We will miss her.

Western Washington Sunshine (aka rain)

My rain boots are looking at you!


Evangeline welcomed the rainy season by convincing us to buy her new rain boots. (How can you turn down a kid who just wants to jump in puddles?) After a brilliant summer of warmer than expected temperatures we are settling in for what looks to be a long wet fall/winter/spring. Thankfully this suits Evangeline just fine. As long as she can get dirty and play outside in her new rain boots, Evie Lu has a smile on her face. Doesn't it make you want to jump in a puddle too?

Parenting Is Hard Work

Okay, you need more blankets.


Kaia used to make fun of me for letting Evie Lu put blankets on me and pretend to sleep. What better way to keep my daughter occupied and get a nap at the same time? As you can see, Kaia has come to see how much fun this is. Evangeline clearly is proud. Ah, the hard work of parenting.

I put mommy to bed. Aren't I special?

Scissors and Boyfriends

Evie decides who gets cut next.


How do you keep an Evangeline occupied these days? Scissors. We picked up two pairs of plastic safety scissors (the first pair died after trying to give a doll a makeover) and Evie loves them. She will spend long stretches shredding whatever you put in front of her. All sensitive financial documents now get put on Evie Lu's desk.

Press play


Evie Lu's boyfriend at daycare continues to be Zeke. They've been in the same class since May of 2008 and the first question Evie asks every morning is if Zeke is at class yet. Miss Ana tells me that they act like an old married couple during the day. Evangeline tells Zeke how to do things and he responds about as you would expect. If anyone besides Zeke is dancing with Evie, he gets upset and says, "my Evie!" I watched them for about ten minutes one morning this week and it was a crack up. Although I will be worried if any boy Evie brings home in the future spends as much time in a pink play dress as Zeke does.

Dance Party

I'm sure it has been mentioned previously, but to catch you up Grandma Bev instituted morning dance party time when Kaia and Evangeline were in Minnesota this summer and it has continued now into the fall. If I get Evie ready quickly enough we have a little time in the mornings to jump around. Although niether side of the family has a lot of grace (why do you think we've learned to play instruments?) I love seeing Evie Lu figure out where the beat is in a song. Of course you don't really need the beat if you are just jumping and spinning.

Dogsitting

Everyone knows you color better with a dog at your feet.


Lots of kids ask for a dog, but Evie Lu got a dog in the best way, Mabel the dog is just staying for the weekend. Erik, Cam, and baby Reece needed someone to watch their beautiful pup and Evie has been having a great time. When she went to school the first thing she said to Ms. Ana was, "I got a dog!"

Evangeline has been a little skittish around dogs, but she's really warmed up to Mabel. I think having a dog on her home turf has helped. It is a riot to see Evie tell "Mabel Dog" to sit or to follow. Oscar the cat always keeps one eye on Mabel. They are coexisting, but I'm sure Oscar is hoping this is a temporary situation.

Not every member of the household is as excited about Mabel as Evie.

Say Goodbye!

It's been fun, but I'm saying goodbye to diapers.


From the information only close family will care about department, we can proudly tell everyone that Evie has been completely dry for three days! It was just last week that Kaia and I were wondering if she was really ready for this whole potty training thing, but she has proved us wrong. It is a real kick to see how proud she is of herself. We are very proud of her as well.

Talking About School

Every six months Evangeline has changed classrooms at her school. All of her teachers have been nice, but her new teacher Miss Ana is her favorite. Evie likes to bring gifts to Miss Ana (usually something ridiculous like a car air freshener) and tells us all about the great things Miss Ana teaches her. As you'll hear in the video there are subjects that are Miss Ana topics.

Fast Friends

Evie Lu and Olivia modeling for you!

Trevor, Alyssa, Olivia, and Dylan came out to visit and to get a taste of the rainy northwest. Olivia and Evie Lu have hit it off like a pair of two year olds do. For the most part they are the best of friends and then the toddler mood swings kick in we need to have them take a break. It has been a blast.

This picture will be used against them someday.

Off To School!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the school year for Kaia and a new routine for Evie Lu and me. The burning questions for the fall are whether I'm up to doing ponytails every morning, how many cartoons will it take us to get out the door, and will Oscar do anything but sleep all day?

The good news is that it appears potty training has taken!

Summer Days

Daddy, for your birthday I'll grant you one wish!

What haven't we done with Evie Lu this summer? We've gone on lots of trips, seen parades, gone to the beach, and had fun grilling in the back yard. On my birthday in July Evie Lu spent much of the evening as a princess. Apparently she thinks the snow princess sash is given out in the summer. With this look I'd give it to her.

Look what Mommy grew in her garden!


Evangeline has received a garden education from Kaia this summer too. Evie helped plant beans and is diligent about checking on them. I think she checks on them like Godzilla checks on downtown Tokyo, but they've managed to survive somehow. Evie was pleased as punch to help harvest Kaia's zucchini.

My daddy is a sucker who buys me things!


We had a great time with Erik, Cam, and Baby Reece at the Renton River Days parade. I'm not sure she understood what was happening, but with a streamer wand as a toy Evie Lu was happy as a clam.

When Blogs Collide!

I don't know how you get any sleep with all the giggling.

Somehow we all thought it was a good idea to drive halfway across the country with Evie and a bunch of her Aunt Kaitlin's stuff in the backseat of our car. Wow, what were we thinking?

What do mean it isn't possible to deliver a pizza to a moving car?


Evie was actually very good all things considered. It was an awesome sight to pull into Billings and up to the Steel's house. The first day was done and we were going to hang out with some awesome people.

Terry, we have two piano students for you.


Evangeline got to play with Olivia for the first time! Olivia is six weeks older than Evie and they had a blast.

Do you think Evie Lu would handle having a sibling?


We've noticed that Evie takes a shine to younger kids and Olivia's brother Dylan was no exception. Our little girl wanted to hold him and constantly get in his face. Thankfully he is a mellow guy.

Swimming with Daddy!

Will joined Evie and I in MN a week after we arrived. The first thing Evie wanted to do was show her daddy how she can swim. Will and Evie had a lot of fun in the water. Will took her way out in the water to the deep end of the swimming area and she didn't show one sign of nervousness. I, on the other hand, was very nervous when all I could see of my family was two little heads just above the water in the distance. Evie loved it. She loves seeing her mom get nervous.

We are currently in the middle of the hottest weather the Puget Sound has ever seen, and I think Evie would love it if Will would take her out to the lake now. In the meantime, our little kiddie pool in the backyard will have to do. She crawls around on her hands and feet in it, saying "I'm swimming!" We are going to have to get her in a proper pool very soon and start some real swimming.

Hanging out with Great-Grandma

Evie got to spend some quality time with her great-grandma (or, grape-gamma, as Evie calls her). What was cool about this trip home was that Evie started really connecting with her extended family and would continue to talk about them for some time. Great-grandma was no exception.

Great-grandma's house was our first stop upon arriving in Minnesota. We were a little tired, but Evie found her second wind. Actually, I think what happened was that Evie found Great-grandma's secret stash of toys. We visited her several times while we were in Minnesota, and every time Evie remembered what closet the toy box was in.

Great-grandma fixes Evie's hair.







Great-grandma also accompanied us to one of our trips to Itasca. Some of my best childhood memories are combing the beaches of Lake of the Woods with Grandma, looking for pretty shells or unique rocks. It brought a smile to my face to see Evie and my grandma doing the same thing. I remember keeping the cool rocks, though. Evie would just throw them back in the lake.


Evie continued to ask to go see Great-grandma long after we got back to Washington. Evie brought home one of the baby dolls from the toy box and I think it helps her remember her great-grandma. We love you and miss you, Grandma!


Great-grandma helps Evie find interesting rocks. Evie helps Great-grandma throw them back into the lake.

Farm work and farm fun

There is a lot to do on the farm, and it doesn't always involve tractors. There were flowers to pick, a giant lawn to mow (ok, so that involved a tractor), a sandbox that needed tending, and a tricycle to try out. Plus, there was a whole farm to explore! Evie helped her grandma with the yard work, mostly by waving freshly picked peonies around and hitching a ride on the lawn tractor. Mom made me a little nervous while she whipped around the lawn at a breakneck speed on the mower, but she made sure to slow down when Evie jumped on. As expected, Evie thought the lawn tractor was pretty cool.

Picking flowers with Grandma Bev














The lawn crew poses for a picture

Eventually, it was time to find her own means of transportation. Dad pulled out the old tricycle that I rode at Evie's age. Mom and I washed it up and Evie gave it a try. She needs a little more oomph in her pedaling, and ehs scoots on it more than anything. But Evie liked riding on her "cy-cycle."








Grandma coaches Evie to "push right! Now push left!"











The farm comes with its own sandbox as well, and Evie spent plenty of time getting her hands dirty. Grandpa Wayne joined in, too. Evie really just wanted to see the sand fly.


Concentration!





Evie and Grandpa Wayne build...Ok, so I don't really know what they are doing.



There are a whole series of other pictures I wish I had taken, but I was having too much fun to stop and document. Evie and I spent a lot time outside just running between the trees, spinning around until we got dizzy, and falling on the ground. It was like I was transported back to when I was a child, running this same yard on a beautiful Minnesota day spent at my grandparents. Time really moves in circles.

Evie Lu, the farmer

Before our trip to Minnesota, we had been looking at farm books and learning about the kinds of things you find on the farm. Like a lot of little kids, Evie seemed fascinated with the large machinery. She would sometimes get things mixed up, like calling all the planes on the tarmac "combines." But she certainly knew what tractors were, and when she got to the farm, she wanted to drive one. Turning me into a nervous wreck, my dad actually let Evie sit in the seat and steer the tractor. Evie kept it interesting by asking "what's that?" and then grabbing the throttle before Dad could stop her. Vrroom! Thank goodness it wasn't in gear. Of course, Dad had the tractor going very slow and always kept one hand on the wheel. Evie made a complete loop in the yard and managed to not hit anything. She talked about driving the tractor for days following.

















Evie and Grandpa Wayne walking out to test drive a tractor














Grandpa Wayne explains what everything does. Evie just wants to get to business.















"You get to do this everyday?!"

Minnesota fun!

While our blog has been on vacation, our little one has been busy having fun in Minnesota visiting family. There are lots of stories to share, so let's get started!





Our first full day in Minnesota involved, what else, a visit to one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes. We crammed everyone in the van (Aunts Megan and Kaitlin and friend Johny were visiting Grandma and Grandpa, too) and headed to Itasca, location of the headwaters of the Mississippi. One of our goals for the trip was to get Evie to enjoy swimming. Up to this point, she has been hesitant. Evidently, all it took was some coaxing from her aunts (or maybe their bribing with cheese and crackers), because Evie became a fish in the water. After wresting her into her suit and slathering her with sunscreen (or "sunscream" as Evie calls it...and it certainly involves screaming), Evie dipped her toes into the water. Then she dipped her bottom in. Then her belly, and before we knew it, she was kicking her legs while propped up by her arms on the bottom of the lake. It was such a joy to hear her say "I'm swimming!" and scream with delight. She also loved playing in the sand and we made our first sandcastles.


P.S. If you want to read the less PG version of this trip, check out Evie's Aunt Megan's blog. I'm really hoping I haven't scarred my sisters from ever raising children.

Singing With Evie Lu

Here is one of Evie Lu's favorite songs for you.

She Knows What Is Up

In the kitchen with Evie Lu


Kaia and Evie Lu are having a great time in Minnesota and I get to join them soon. Until then I have a video for you.

What Will I Do?

I know what is going to happen next!


I know that Kaia and I are blessed with a great kid even though we whine about Evie Lu's seemingly increasing whining. (I wonder where she learned it?) The fact is we have a great little girl who is learning and exploring what it means to be a little person. I say all this because two days ago I was thinking about how great it would be to have a couple of Evie free days as Kaia headed out to Minnesota. I dropped my family off at 4:30 am and by 4:45 I was at a loss. My lovely wife and little girl were gone. What will I do?

Yeah!!!!