Meeting Santa

This year all I wanted was to get Evelyn's picture taken with the Dickens Festival Santa (He is the real deal).  I was so excited to see her reaction when he saw him.  I knew it was going to be tears, but I wasn't prepared for how long it took to get to them.  Evelyn sat on his lap turned and smiled, looked at him, turned and stared at me, then looked one last time.  On the second turn she lost it.  She realized she was done hanging with Santa and wanted down.  She is such a great girl and here are some pictures we will cherish forever.  Special thanks to my mom and Janet for making it happen.  You are the best.  

PRICELESS 

Evie-isms

1) She loves to play with the rock and roll Elmo!  When the guitar plays she likes to rock out usually by dancing and swinging her arms.
2) She started crawling last Sunday and in one week has mastered it.  She is in to EVERYTHING!
3) She loves handles and knobs.
4) She is passionate about food and will eat us out of house and home.  We have started giving her finger foods and she is now a pro at getting it in her mouth.
5) Her favorite movie now is Tinkerbell: Secret of the Wings
6) She is still a loud talker at church and frequently visits the hall!
7) She had her first road trip to California last week.  Despite having car trouble she enjoyed Balboa Island and soaking in some California rays.
8) She still enjoys looking at herself in the mirror.
9) She knows when it's bed time and starts whining.
10) We took her to the Jubilee of Trees.  She loved the lights and ambiance of the event.  It was fun to see her smile so big.
11) She does not like cotton candy.
12) She is still a mommies girl.
13) I love it when she says momma and dadda.
14) We are currently trying to learn how to wave.  She kinda understands it, Ill keep ya posted.
15) We went and visited our friends the Crowthers.  They have 3 darling boys, but Evelyn only liked playing with 2 of them.  Poor Evelyn and Owen did not see eye to eye when it came to sharing.
16) She makes a motor boat noise with her mouth.  She does this all day long and soaks the front of her shirt.
17) She has another tooth working its way out.
18) She is all about the details.  She constantly looks at strings, and fibers and small details.  She is a great studier.
19) Tonight, Josh was rocking her before bed when she would sit up, find me, smile and laugh then lay back down, then sit up smile and laugh at me then lay down.  This girl makes me laugh and melts my heart.  We love her!

"Dad I want some"

BYU vs Boise State

Evelyn and I flew into St. George just in time to head up to Provo for the BYU game.  My poor dad had surgery 2 days prior and couldn't make the trip.  He gladly gave me his extra ticket and I was thrilled to go cheer on my Cougs.  Friday we headed up north and ate at Tucanos with Skyler.  We then took Miss E up to my cousins house.  Thanks Dutton family for taking my little one.  I wish she could come with me to the game, but she had way more fun playing with Anna.  

It was a great weekend and a great game!

Thanks Uncle Tim for the tickets you gave my parents

Evelyn loved Shayla!

While in Provo I was able to catch up with my old roommates Shayla and Alexandra.  We had a great time catching up and enjoying some great food.  I miss these girls and cant wait to see them again.  

Happy Halloween

Before we left for Utah Evelyn and I were able to go to the Mesa Ward Trunk or Treat.  It was so fun to see Evelyn's buddies all dressed up.  I love these girls and their darling kiddos!

This Halloween we were without Josh (gone on interviews), but we got to spend it in good old St. George with family!  This was Evenlyn’s first Halloween, but becasue Josh was MIA we were going to keep a low profile.  I originally had a family costume idea, but that fell through, so Evie was just going to go in her skeleton pjs.  About a week before Halloween Janet showed me this darling ghost costume and I loved it so much I had to make it.  It was really easy to pull together and Evelyn looked darling.  We went to my parents ward for the annual trunk or treat then off to Great Grandma Reber’s for her party.  Evelyn did not know what to do with all the fun boys running around.  She loved to watch them chase each other around GG Rebers house.  When Ashley's little girl, Chloe, showed up Evelyn looked slightly relieved to have a little girl to play with.  We were so lucky to be able to spend Halloween with family and I'm so happy that Evie got to spend this time with her grandparents.

Evie-isms

1) She is loving her time in Utah!  I think we are both enjoying some much needed cooler air. 

2) She loves food.  Lately, she has prefers veggies over fruit.  Some of her favorite foods right now are sweet potato, applesauce, mixed veggies, squash, and bananas. 

3) Gerber Puffs are a lifesaver.  She lives for those and recognizes the bottle as soon as I pull it out.  When she picks them up she is very meticulous.  She only eats one at a time and likes to use only her right hand to put them in her mouth.  Looks like she will be right handed. 

4) She focuses on the details.  If there is a tag, knob or stray thread she will focus, and study it. 

5) She is a distracted eater.  It is hard to get her to focus long enough to finish a bottle or jar of food. 

6) She is becoming more mobile.  She doesn’t crawl, but she will role and sit up then role and sit up.  I have to scan the floors now to make sure now little trinket is on them because of course she will find it and it will immediately go in her mouth.

7) She struggles at night…again.  One day she will sleep through the night again right?

8) I don’t care what time church is, but it is hard.  She seems to think that when we sit down in sacrament meeting that it is time to be hyper and loud.  At least we entertain those around us. 

9) She love TV.  She will try to maneuver around you if you are blocking her view. 

10) Grandma Merrell made homemade applesauce and sent some to us.  It is delicious and we love to gobble it up. 

11) We have our first tooth!  I blame the teething for my lack of sleep.  It looks like it is going to be a long road, but I’m so happy to see that little white tooth pop through on the bottom. 

12) Josh has been away interviewing for residencies so we Facetime at night with him to get our Josh fix.  When he pops up on the screen she gets so happy, smiles big, and laughs.  This girl loves her dad.

13) Jenna Dog and Jazz Kitty are her best buds.  Mom is no longer fun when they walk in the room. 

14) She stayed with my Cousin Jennifer and her cute family while my mom and I went to the BYU football game.  I was so nervous dropping her off seeing as she has not done so well with sitters in the past, but as soon as we got there and Anna pulled out new toys I was a thing of the past.   She didn’t blink twice as I walked out the door.  I was relieved but a little sad. 

15) She loves to her herself talk.

16) She found, ate, and chocked on her first leaf. 
17) She loves to clap her hands.  If you clap your hands she is quick to follow suit.  

Our Little Pumpkin

Evie-isms

1) She is trying to crawl! AHHHH we are going to have a mobile girl here soon.  She can get on all fours but doesn’t know what to do after that.  She usually crashes to the floor. 

2) She can pull herself up to her knees.  She did this earlier today and lost her balance, crashing to the ground head first. 

3) I found her a play station toy at the consignment store for $9.50.  She loves to push the buttons and watch the lights and listen to the music. 

4) I swear there are days were I put her on the ground to play and she looks at me with eyes that seem to say “Really we are playing with these toys again.”  One day I will get her new toys, but it is hard when she really just wants to play with my kitchen utensils. 

5) She loves sweet potatoes, bananas, and apples.  When she really likes what she is eating she lunges at the spoon mouth as wide as it will go. 

6) She has moved to a high chair.  Stop Growing!!!

7) Church is fun, but exhausting.  She wants to out talk those around her.  I feel bad we have a very distracting, but cute, child.

8) She loves play group.  It is fun to see her enjoy watching others play around her, and frequently she laughs and waves her hands at whatever they are doing.

9) She gets very excited over every little thing.  She is an easy to please baby.

10) She wet the bed…Boo

11) She started finger foods.  It is funny how fast they learn.  When I first gave her some Gerber Puffs she could not coordinate her fingers to pick them up and then put them in her mouth.  She finally just starting shoving her fist in her mouth haha.  Now she can pick them up and get them in about 80% of the time. 

12) She loves to be social.

13) If I’m cooking she is happy sitting in her highchair watching the show. 

14) She says “momma”.  She doest know what it means, but it is so great to hear. 

Sick Girl

Ive got a sick baby!  Nothing major, but to this first time mom it is the end of the world.  For the last 2 days she has had diarrhea, which has lead to a rash (TMI Sorry) and she is not sleeping well.  Poor girl is trying to be happy, but it's clear she is not herself.  Although I love the extra late night cuddles I miss my sleep!  I hope this passes soon for my sanity and hers.

She is playing in this box because it made her happy.  The things this girl likes to do...one of a kind.  We love her. 

Last Thursday's Food Truck

Josh and I have lived in El Paso for almost 4 years and had no idea there was a food truck night downtown.  I had gone to one of these with Ceri in Florida and loved it.  It only happens once a month and is tiny, but we needed to try it out.  We packed miss Evelyn up, in pjs since it is after bedtime, and headed downtown with our friends the Eccles.  It was small, nothing like the one I went to in Florida, but it was so a blast.  Evelyn loved the live band and playing with Angelina (Jason and Iris’s daughter).   

Thanks Sam for dancing with her and Angelina for always making her laugh :)

Evie-isms

1) She loves bath time and grins ear to ear when I turn the water on.  

2) She is very attached to mommy.  I’m scared to death to leave her with a sitter.  Not because I’m worried she will be in bad hands, but because I’m scared she will cry the entire time. 

3) She cries every night we put her to bed.  You would think that 2 months of doing this she would get used to it, but no. 

4) We go to a lot of play groups.  I have an AMAZING group of friends who all have small children.  To keep our sanity and to get out of the apartment we get together probably 4 times a week.  Evelyn loves her buddies. 

5) She eats a lot.  This girl probably eats more then I do.  I was worried about it at first and would limit how much she could eat, but id rather have a baby full and happy then hungry and miserable. 

6) She has learned she can get from a to b by rolling over and over.  She tried to roll right out of church last Sunday.  We sat by the door in 3^rd hour, Evelyn noticed this and decided she was done and began rolling out of church. 

7) I put up the Halloween decorations and put Miss Evelyn in her pink skeleton pjs.  She looks so cute. 

8) She likes to watch me cook.  Most of her toys are my kitchen utinsels.  

9) Josh bought her a booster/ highchair that sits on one of the kitchen table chairs.  She looks like such a big girl.  I love eating with my little family.

10) Evelyn and I are heading to Utah for 3 months.  Im a little nervous about how she will sleep, but excited to spend the holiday season with family.  Josh will be in and out while he interviews for radiology residencies. 

11) She still loves Tinkerbell.  She laughs and claps at her favorite parts.

12) She has learned to clap. I love it!

13) She loves to Skype and Facetime with family.  I was worried that us living so far away she would not know her grandparents and cousins.  But if you watched her face when I turn the computer you would see she absolutely knows and loves them. 

14) She is the LIGHTEST sleeper in the world.  Any noise and she wakes up.  Luckily she falls back to sleep quickly, and without mommy holding her.  

Grandma Janet Visits

We are so lucky that Grandma Janet (Josh's mom) came down this weekend to visit.  I have loved living in El Paso, but it is hard seeing family here and there and not all the time.  I am weird in that I would be more then happy to live on the same street as the relatives.  Lets just say I LOVE FAMILY.  Anyways, while Janet was here she gave Evelyn some good old grandma love, as you can see.  We don't want to see her go on Monday.

Happy Nappy with Grandma

6 Month Photos

I love to take pictures of Evelyn.  I want to capture every phase of life she goes through.  Lately she has been so fun.  Her little personality has come through so much.   I have a feeling we will have a wild woman on our hands soon.  Here are some of her 6 month photos.  

Our Princess

We love the many faces of Evelyn.  She is so animated.

Could die over those rolls.  So CUTE!

She will put anything in her mouth, including mud and grass.  Her face says it all.

We had to snap a quick photo of her yoga.  She does this probably 40 times a day.  If I ever leave or she wants to see something this is what she does.  Girl is going to have abs of steal. 

Love these two.