Walking

it happened! she took her first teetering, unbalanced and lunging steps on tuesday. we get great joy out of watching her but not as much joy as she does herself. every time we set her out to have her walk towards us she giggles and smiles. when do we ever take such pleasure in the simple things in life? when was the last time you delighted in walking a few steps? in the feel of a cats fur against your hand? the fun of splashing in water? the thrill of discovering something for the first time? if there is anything we can learn from an almost one year old it's that life is something to be celebrated, cherished and enjoyed. and don't take life so seriously. laugh a little. especially at your daddy who's being silly. or at nothing in particular. just laugh. just love. just learn.

Pictures

Well, in order to download photos to Walmart.com I had to give in and load pictures to our work computer. So now I can put a few more pictures on our blog.

This is the nativity which is housed inside the church at the Grotto. It is all made from stone, shells, etc including a 300 pound Brazilian amethyst. It was awesome.

Here is the Crucifixion. It was all done so beautifully. I think if you click on either picture you can see the rocks better.

Giving Evie kisses.

Our VERY adorable family.

And last but not least...this is a picture of Evelyn I took a few days ago. I was trying to get pictures for her birthday invitation but she kept giving me these shy giggles and looking down. Every picture of her is her looking down...but this one tugs at my heart. It really captured the her delightful spirit. You can see her little smile if you look close. And she is wearing a sweater which not too long ago was huge on her. Now you see that it doesn't even cover her arms all the way. I love her.

Happy

I did something yesterday that I haven't done in quite awhile. I cried. No, crying is an understatement. I bawled. I sobbed. Now you are all asking yourselves: Why? Evie stood this weekend without any aid for almost one minute. That didn't make me cry (almost but not quite). What made me cry was my baby girl standing in our living room and looking not like my baby anymore but like a big girl. Where has the time gone? Where has my baby gone? Where did this little girl come from?

We went to Iowa this weekend and had lots of fun. One of the highlights was a trip to the Grotto in West Bend, Iowa. Now if you've never been I highly recommend a visit. What it is, is a chronicle of Jesus' life on earth. It's done in these limestone sculptures which are beautiful. But what is special is where they are housed. A catholic priest erected this whole place out of stones, shells, and other natural items that were collected from all fifty states AND from every country. It is amazing to behold. If I can I will get a picture to post so you can get an idea what I'm talking about. It is definitely worth the travel...even into Iowa;o)

What I do have to share is a recent (taken 8.10.08) picture of our family. We are so very happy. God is good...all the time. All the time...God is good.

Moves and naps

Even though Evie continues to need a few middle of the night cuddles and nursings, she is an excellent napper. Typically she takes her first nap at 11am and will sleep 1-2 hours. Then she goes down around 4-5pm for one-half to 2 hours. On average, it lasts one hour. It would be nice for this trend to continue until she was a kindergartener but good things rarely last. I am content to enjoy them while they last. In the meantime, she wakes (most of the time) in a very happy, chipper, and ready to play mood. Can't get enough of those sunshine smiles.

I've given her a new nickname: George. It's short for Curious George. No matter where you are or what you are doing she has to investigate. She is always getting into trouble but in the end you can't get mad at a cute little monkey.

My sister and family are moving closer. Don't get too excited. It's only one hour closer. Instead of a 19 hour drive it will now be an 18 hour drive. Wh00-hoo!! Chris got an excellent job (yeah and congrats) in Texas. Everyone keeps asking where, for who and what he will be doing. To tell you the truth I've been more interested in when, and where they will live. They will be buying their first house (exciting) but moving away from all of their good friends (tear). I am a tad disappointed and majorly sad that they aren't moving to Minnesota but I am getting used to them being so far away (used to but not liking). Our goal as a family is to be able to fly there at least 3-4 times a year. Not to tour Texas mind you. My memories of my stay there while a bit hazy do include a memory that it was hotter then h***. And I mean it. I am sure Satan would be very comfortable there. It will be interesting to see if they develop the Texas way of talking. According to Bill Engvall, my favorite comic, they say things like "I'll tell you what..." And the rest of us are like "What." Their answer: "I just told you."

Train

Thanks to Evie's grandma A. I can share a photo of Evie on her "train" walker that was a favorite toy of Shawn's. See the big smile from all the fun!!

Musings

As I was putting Evelyn down for her naps today I kept thinking about how short a period in her life this is. In less then one month my baby will no longer be my baby. She will enter another period in her life, that of a toddler. As I held my precious sleeping girl I marveled at the sweet moment that God has given me. To hold her and cuddle her. To smell her sweet scent. To kiss her tiny head and soft skin. She is so delicate and precious. It was hard not to squeeze her tight and cry. It is impossible to fully describe the feelings that overcame me today. Those of you that are mothers know how I feel. Can the love for your child ever be accurately described, written down, sung, or photographed? It seems that despite the thousands of photos and journaling I have yet to feel that I've completely recorded my love for Evelyn. Evelyn, you will never understand the depths of love that I have for you. Only when you hold your own precious child will you ever comprehend what I have been feeling for the last 11 months. I love you! Mom

Look out for crazy walkers!!

I can't emphasize any more how much Evie loves walking. I couldn't even get her down for a second nap because all she wants to do is grab my fingers and walk. I am thinking that as soon as she gets the balance thing down she will move from walking to running within 24 hours. I am sure to lose all the weight in a few weeks running from room to room keeping her out of trouble. In the meantime we found a "stroller" for her baby dolls that doubles as a walker. It's great, EXCEPT she cannot drive it straight. She spends 5% of her time walking and 95% of the time frustrated that she's run into a wall, chair, coffee table, etc. She will hopefully master this in the coming days.

I wish our computer worked so I could show you the photos we took of her this weekend at her grandparents house. They brought out a "train" walker that Shawn LOVED. She had a blast walking (and not some much of a blast running into things) and sitting on it while Auntie Laura pushed her from room to room. The pictures are adorable. I am thinking of finding pictures of Shawn with it so I can scrapbook them together.

I went wedding dress shopping with Lyn and of course the bride-to-be, Laura. It was a blast and I am so thankful and happy they included me. The bride is torn between two dresses but she looked gorgeous in both. I won't describe them in case the groom happens upon this page. It's going to be a surprise that he will have to wait 341 days (from their website on Knot.com--I didn't count...I'm not that crazy). My only worry about the wedding is Evie's job of flower girl. She will be 22 1/2 months and I am concerned about a cranky, crying baby on the big day. We'll have to try to be as low key as possible. But there is so much to worry about: not messing up her dress or mine, getting in naps, getting her fed, not messing up the hair, smiling in the pictures, not crying during the ceremony or pictures, not screaming etc. Can you see I've been thinking and worrying? And I know that it will all come down on me. Shawn is a great helper but I'm the mama and usually that means the bulk of the work and the worry. Hopefully things will go off without a hitch. In any case she is sure to be the MOST adorable flower girl. The MOST. Even if she is crying, her hair is a mess, and she has food stains all down the front.