Evie's Infant Recognition Day

Every year, our church has "infant recognition day," during which all the infants born in the past year are "recognized."  We did this last year with Charlie, having NO idea that we'd be lucky enough to do it again this year! :)  It was so fun getting to have a special day just for Evie, and she did great on her big day.  Embarrassingly, this was our first trip to church since Evie's birth (in our defense, Clint has worked almost every Sunday since she was born), and it was quite the experience.  We started off okay--amazingly, we were dressed and out the door with time to spare.  But things started to deteriorate shortly thereafter.  We had to drop Charlie off in the child-care center while we took Evie to "rehearsal."  Charlie, despite the fact that the child-care center looks like toddler wonderland, was NOT happy to be left.  He started wailing as soon as he realized what was going on, and was making enough of a scene that the women working in the nursery called me back to make sure I'd written my cell phone number down.  Uh oh.  So off to rehearsal we went, complaining about the futility of having to come an hour early for something we'd already done last year.  Since we figured we had the recognition bit down, we spent rehearsal visiting with friends and exclaiming over babies.  It wasn't until after the service started and we got in front of the congregation that we realized we had missed the point of rehearsal: to take the card with your baby's name on it to hand to the pastor at the appropriate moment.  Since we hadn't taken it, Evie's card had been removed.  So Clint and I were whispering nervously at the front of the church about how to get the pastor to say Evie's name without the card--because after getting the four of us to church and leaving Charlie in the nursery, we did NOT want the trip to be in vain.  Our solution: we were the only parents to whisper our child's name to the pastor when he got to us.  Luckily, it worked fine and Evie was appropriately recognized.  We then returned to our pew with our sweet (now very awake and very hungry) little girl to find two missed calls on my cellphone.  Clint hurried over to the child care center and found a very distraught little Charlie, who recovered quickly when he learned that he was going to get to come sit in church with us.  Everything went fine for the next few minutes while I fed Evie, but she then decided she had a burp that wouldn't come out and started wailing loudly.  I rushed out with her, and heard a loud "Mama!  Mama!" behind me.  The sound continued, and soon Clint rushed out with Charlie.  We decided we had about all we could handle, and so Clint snuck back in, grabbed our bags, and came out to shepherd us to our car.  So our first trip back to church wasn't a huge success, but hopefully next time around, we'll make it the whole way through the service.  Baby steps, right? :)

Here's Miss Evie, all dressed up for her big day.

Evie posed with her boys before the service.  She looks a little nervous, doesn't she?  Luckily, she was quite composed in front of the church. :)

 The boys, exclaiming over the mouse.

 A very proud brother. :)

Bumbo Time

Look who's sitting up!  (With quite a bit of assistance, of course :).  We put Evie in the Bumbo last week and were surprised to find that she did quite well in there.  She likes her new perspective on the world and her brother LOVES having her sitting up.  I hear the "Evie Bumbo!" command several times a day. :)

 She tends to get a bit droopy after a while. :)

 Look who else loves the Bumbo. :)  "I stuck!" has become a common phrase around here since the Bumbo came out.

Will's Wedding Weekend

As I mentioned in the previous post, Charlie, Evie and I went to Seguin for my cousin Will's wedding last weekend [and I should mention that the kiddos were amazing on the car trip--for some reason, the trips have been easier with two! (it's the only thing that's been easier, but I'll take what I can get :)].  We had a great time seeing family and Evie and I had a wonderful time at the wedding.  Weekends like this make me so grateful for my sweet parents and siblings, our big extended family, and all the little ones.  They have so much fun together--brings back so many fun memories of all of us together as kids.  Just wish we could all be together more often!

Charlie decided that he would "pay" for our stay with yard work.  He helped Papa with the leaves, and I'm sure he made Papa's job SO much easier. :)

The helper took more than a few breaks to play in the leaves...

Megan, Chris, and Elec were in town from LA for the wedding and it was so good to see them again.  Charlie and Elec are only 3 months apart, and they are starting to play together a bit.  Elec is so adorable, and watching the boys together made me wish the Parks lived closer!

Charlie, adorned with stickers, thanks to Lizzie and Emma. :)

Here's Kay Kay (known to Charlie as Big Piggy's other half), and the lovely flower girls, Lizzie and Emma.

Evie tried to join in on the cousin fun. :)

Elec and Charlie headed outside to do some more yard work.  Charlie tried hard to keep Elec away from the leaf blower and rake, telling him they are "Papa's!"  

Without a rake of his own, Elec decided it would be easier to just throw away the leaves one at a time...

Apparently some people get to use Papa's rake.

Charlie and Evie love reading stories with Papa before bed.  Is it just me, or does Evie look a bit bored with the Big Truck Book?  [The book, by the way, is a hand-me-down from Jackson, and Charlie's new favorite obsession.  The boy can't count and doesn't know his colors, but he knows every truck, tractor, and backhoe in the book!]

Here's Evie relaxing with Ali (one of her favorite pastimes).  Ali accompanied us back to Dallas and we were SO grateful.  The trip and the transition back home were so much easier and more fun with Ali along!

Can't wait to go to Seguin again!

Aunt Meggie the Photographer

Evie is a lucky little lady with many people who love her.  One of the most notable is her Aunt Meggie, who, despite being one of the busiest people I know, still finds time to dote on her niece.  Evie adores Meg--Evie doesn't let just anyone hold her, but she is always happy with Meg. :)  Charlie, Evie and I went down to Seguin last weekend for my cousin Will's wedding.  Meg and Graeme met us there and we had so much fun hanging out with them.  Meg is TIRELESS with the kiddos.  Between playing with Charlie (thanks to Sam, Meg plays matchbox cars and construction vehicles better than any girl I know :), cuddling Evie, and running with me, Meg somehow found time to photograph Miss Evie and teach me some cool tricks with my new camera.  I LOVE these photos she took--what a wonderful gift!

Meg finally caught Evie's sweet little smile on camera!

Evie was thrilled with all the attention she was getting. :)

Evie with her grandma Ali, who accompanied us back to Dallas and spent a few wonderful days helping out and playing here.  We love you and miss you Ali!!

Visitors

We have been the lucky recipients of lots and lots of visitors in the past week.  First, my dad and Uncle Robie came to Dallas for the Cotton Bowl and stayed with us for a night.  Charlie didn't know they were coming, and he was so surprised and excited on Saturday morning after the game when Papa came into his room to get him up.  I loved seeing his happy little face.  He was a bit wary of Robie at first, but warmed up very quickly, especially after Robie presented him with his first kolache.  After that, it was pure love, and he followed "Wobie" all around the house.

Next came Courtney and Ava Grace and we had such a fun weekend with them.  My Dallas SU girlfriends, Ann (plus Colin) and Cynthia, came over to hang out as well and we had such a great time catching up and letting the kids all play together.  It was hard for Charlie to share his (and Evie's) toys, but he improved as the weekend progressed.  Luckily, Miss Ava Grace was very patient and sweet with him, and he enjoyed her immensely.

Here are the kiddos posing for a photo.  Evie did NOT want to be a part of it.  Colin is the only one who looks worried about her. :)

We let Evie escape and did a few photos with just the "big kids."  You wouldn't imagine how difficult it is to get a photo of these wild ones!  [Luckily, Ava Grace cooperated with huge smiles.  This girl may have a future in modeling. :)]

On Sunday night, Charlie and Ava Grace had their first co-ed bath together.  Luckly, they behaved just like a little lady and gentleman. :)

Have you ever seen a sweeter pig and bear?

Following Courtney's visit, my Uncle Elam and Aunt Kay ("Big Piggy" (adapted from "Big E") and "Kay Kay") came to stay with us during a dental conference.  We had a great time with them and Charlie really could not get enough of Big Piggy.  Luckily, they were great sports and spent lots of time playing with and even feeding the little Prince.  I'm sorry we didn't get photos with all of our visitors, but hopefully we can get some next time they come.  We--especially social little Charlie--love nothing more than company in the house, so come back soon!

Picnics

Charlie has a new favorite word--picnic--and it's his new favorite activity.  He loves grabbing his lunch box, our picnic blanket, and eating lunch outdoors (we're not too picky about the location; both our backyard and the Arboretum have been really fun).  For some reason, eating is so much more fun when it's done outside.  Charlie's favorite picnic food is a PB "samwish," which I think he likes because he feels so big eating it (he proudly tells me that he's eating biting off a "peese of samwish" like "Papa and Dada do").  I can't believe we are getting to do outdoor picnics in January, but I'll take it...as long as it doesn't get too hot too fast!

 Another big fan of picnics. :)

Evie: Two Months Old!

I can't believe our little mouse is already two months old.  Time is flying by, and Evie is just getting sweeter and sweeter.  She has a quiet, gentle way about her, with a soft, sweet little voice.  She is smiling and cooing now, and it is the cutest thing.  When she bats her little eyelashes as us, it's pretty irresistible. :)  Charlie loves her new verbal skills, and frequently greets her with an enthusiastic "Goo Evie!"  Evie is a great sleeper, but doesn't take a ton of naps.  She takes a long nap when Charlie does (love that!), and then catches some cat naps at other times during the day.  She sleeps from about 7:30 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. at night, usually with 2 feedings during that period.  Evie holds her head up really well, and loves to observe the world around her.  Evie enjoys her toys--especially her mobile--but prefers people.  She loves to lie on the floor and "visit" with one of us.  She will wave her arms, kick her legs, smile, and talk up a storm if someone is leaning down talking to her.  Evie loves people, but prefers them in small, quiet doses--especially one-on-one.  Evie hates tummy time, and so has figured a way out of it.  She has gotten quite good at rolling over, and it's getting harder to keep her on her tummy.  But we are trying!  I cannot believe how lucky we got with this sweet little girl.  Her gummy smiles and her sweet, soft voice just melt our hearts, and I do not know how we got by without her!

I love this little face. :)

Talking up a storm!

"Goo"

Working those little legs...

...and dancing!

I haven't quite managed to catch a smile on camera, but you get the idea. :)

Evie's two-month doctor's visit went great, and our pediatrician was quite pleased with her progress.  She didn't like her shots too much, but recovered quickly.  Her two-month stats were:

Weight: 10 pounds, 5 ounces (40%)

Length: 23 inches (70%)

Head: 15.25 inches (70%)

Thank you Miss E for a wonderful two months!