"Dis?"

I had to try to get a picture of Evelynn asking about all of the pictures in the living room. This has definitely become a habit she has formed in the last week, but I just think it is so precious. She points at each person in the photo (especially those she is familiar with) and asks, "Dis?" I, of course, then reply with who it is in the picture. For instance, here I told her it was grandma and grandpa.

Here I told her it was Auntie A and Uncle B, further explaining that they are on a long trip. She loves to look at things on the internet, so I show their blog to her often. I wonder how much of this she understands...but I don't want to underestimate her either. So, I guess for those of you who haven't given me any pictures lately...this might be a good time to send them this way if you want Evelynn to learn your name!

While the adults were working...

...the human rake was at work!

Evelynn stayed quite busy picking up as many leaves as possible and crunching them in her hands.

Mommy decided to bring the swing on the porch, and Evelynn surprised her by climbing right in (all by herself!).

And if that weren't enough, Evelynn started kicking her legs back and forth to get the swing started in motion. Kids are soooo smart!

More Demo!

Brad stayed super busy this weekend tearing our part of our driveway and sidewalk that had some major cracks in it!

The man who is helping him is our neighbor and he is generously offering us some help, with labor, a dumping site, and material.

In these pictures Brad has already torn all of the concrete out and hauled the majority of it away, and now he is working on cutting out the tree roots which were the root of the problem - nice pun huh?

This is only the first pile of roots taken out...there was a lot of tree in that dirt!

New Family Ride

As many of you know, Elsie (my old '96 Ford Taurus) can no longer be revived. On our last trip for Evelynn's birthday, the third transmission burned-up, and we had already promised ourselves we would no longer make anymore large repairs. So, thankfully, we were able to borrow The Red Beast (aka the Buser's Suburban) until we were able to figure out what the next step would be. This '07 Chrysler Pacifica was what we decided the next step would be. Yes, it is definitely a Mommy Mobile (6 seats), but I think it still has a little more class than the mini-van I thought I was doomed to have as my next car. Another white car...I guess we are destined to have white cars in the driveway, but I have definitely moved up in the world. Here are some features that I didn't have in Elsie that Heidi provides (yes, that is her name - I like to think of the name as undercover sexy, like Heidi Klum or Heidi the tool girl on Home Improvement...anyway): leather seats, key fob (remote thing), cd player (yes Elsie was that old), among many other nice features that I won't bore you with.

Wow, I didn't think I could write that much about a car! So, what do you think of my new ride?

One man's trash is another man's treasure

Need I say more??

Opossum

So, for the last few nights we have had a cute little opossum coming and eating Millie's (our outdoor cat's) leftover food.

Also for the last few nights, the dogs have been barking like crazy in the middle of the night...

...at this strange little furry animal that they aren't very used to seeing here in the city.

So, seconds after we took these pictures, Brad put an end to that...with a pellet gun. My dad would be proud.

Grandma Buser's Visit

So, we really didn't take pictures of Evelynn and Grandma while she was in town...generally because Evelynn was a complete grump most of the time!! She had an ear infection, got an allergic reaction from the Amoxicillin that she took for the ear infection...leading to a nice itchy rash on her body, and cut a new tooth. All in all, a real cranky-pants!

Here is a cute picture of them playing in her room together...grandma getting some floor-time in!

I know these pictures aren't the best...but I still wanted to include something! Grandma Buser was here for several days while Grandpa was gone antelope hunting (and he got one!). It was so nice to have an extra hand while Evelynn was so miserable...not to mention the loot she got for us during our shopping trips! THANKS GRANDMA, WE LOVE YOU!

Typical Day

I decided to pull out the giant playmat for Caleb, and Evelynn and Sam seemed quite excited to have it back!

I love how Caleb looks at Evelynn with such affection...she must really crack him up!

Stretch (the giraffe) is a hit with Caleb as well. It's funny how Evelynn's favorites are rather universal.

The kids were amazed by the pattern on the back of the playmat...leading to Caleb looking a lot like a lime green burrito a few seconds later!

Toddler

Well, here is a quick picture of my little toddler. Sometimes I look at pictures like these, and I can't help but miss the little baby I held in my arms only one year ago! This week we completed weaning, and so it seems that the baby-chapter is closed in Evelynn's life. I know, she will always be my baby, but never will she need me in quite the same way again. Independence is a beautiful thing, but also a difficult journey. I can tell that Evelynn misses nursing a little because she needs me to hold her and rock her more than ever. She stops in the middle of playing with Little People just to get a quick kiss and hug and then be on her way again. I guess as adults we aren't so unlike little toddlers...going along just fine, until we have a sudden need for a quick chat on the phone with our mom, or reassurance that we are making the right financial decision from our dad. I suppose my heart should rest easy knowing that Evelynn will always need my love and support, but I must admit, this chapter has been much more difficult to close than I had previously expected!

Suds 'er Up!

Mommy decided Evelynn needed some bubbles in her bath! Soooo much fun!

Monkey/Rower

Evelynn is too tall for her old infant carseat, but no worries, Evelynn has found new uses for the old carrier! She has become quite the monkey lately, always climbing on something. I guess she needed a closer look at the box for her new carseat.

Another day, same carseat. She is holding an ice-scraper that had been taken out of my car.

Could we have a rower in the family?

Does anyone else sense a scholarship coming our way?!?

Watching Elmo

We brought out the old Bumbo for Caleb, and Evelynn has decided she wants to use it too! Here she is, sitting in it backward, loving on her puppy.

Watchin' a little Elmo in her...ahem...chair.

Too cute!

12 Month Doctor Appointment

Well, it's official...Evelynn is tall and skinny. We went to see Dr. Marcy today and confirmed the theory...18.4 pounds and 30 inches tall. All in all, a very healthy girl and thriving as she enters toddlerhood. She squirmed like crazy when she had her ears looked at, but amazingly enough, sat perfectly still while her finger was pricked and blood was drawn. That's a toddler for ya, never know what to expect nor when to expect it. I love being a Mommy!

Happy Birthday!

Evelynn had her first birthday party on Saturday at her Grandma and Grandpa Woods home! It was so much fun, and a lot of family and friends came to help us celebrate! Here are just a few of the pictures captured by her Auntie A, but check out the birthday album to see lots more!Evelynn knew exactly how to get to the goods!
Aunt Carrie couldn't make it to the party because she is at A&M already for school. However, the Elmo she sent was definitely one of her favorites! Evelynn is giving him a kiss in the picture, and here at home, she rarely sits him down!
Mommy and Daddy presenting the birthday cake! Yummo!
This was the adult version - if you can't tell, it was a Sesame Street themed party. Thanks Mom, you did a fantastic job with all of the decorations and the cake!
Birthday girl! I must admit, it is bittersweet. My baby is now officially a toddler, and acting less like a baby and more like a young child every day. I love to watch her grow and learn new things each day, but part of me already misses the little baby who needed me every second of the day to hold her and nurse her...I guess this is just part of motherhood.