Baby Sprinkle for Kate Olivia

My lovely friends hosted a baby sprinkle one evening at a favorite restaurant of mine, Bread Winners. It was a small group of us. It was perfect!

Erin and I share the same due date- May 18th!

Evie was a great helper during presents!

The camera got passed around. Jillian took some artistic shots. 

The lighting was perfect!

Easter 2013

Evie had her fill of Easter parties and Easter egg hunts! At school she learned the Easter story. We reenacted the story when Jesus came into the city riding a donkey and all the people waved palm branches shouting, "Hosanna!" She really liked that part, and she was thrilled when we sang a "Hosanna" song at church. I'm so glad she has started to comprehend the reason why we celebrate Easter. The Easter Bunny, egg hunts, candy, and Easter baskets are fun, but I'm so thankful she is already acknowledging that the holiday celebrates Jesus. As she said when we walked into church on Easter Sunday,

"Mommy, today we are going to have a party for Jesus!"

Egg Hunt at Church

The Easter Bunny visited our garden...

Easter Best

33 Weeks

Spring Cookout

We have had such beautiful weather lately, my friend decided to have a spring cookout complete with dying eggs and an egg hunt for the kids! She had a great idea! Unfortunately, the weather to a turn for the worse, but that didn't stop us! It was pretty chilly and a little rainy, but the kids had a great time.

Spring Break

We spent spring break doing a lot of fun little things like going to the park, planting carrot seeds in our garden, going to the dentist, getting a hair cut, and spending time with friends. It was simple. It was what we needed!

29 weeks

Evie went to the dentist for the first time! She was a champ. The only thing she was afraid of was the hose that sucks the water out of her mouth. Once, the hygienist convinced her to just "kiss" it, Evie didn't mind it at all. She actually enjoyed it! If you ask Evie, the best part was she got to watch a Tinkerbell movie during the visit.

During break, I also had a chance to see our baby in 4-D! She's getting pretty big and is measuring about a week and a half ahead.

Independence

This month Evie hit the 3 1/2 years old mark, she and has really grown in independence. It all started one Saturday morning when she announced that she was awake like she usually does. Then she proceeded to tell us with excitement that she had dressed herself! Sure enough, she dressed herself in a cute little pair of shorts and a shirt with a bicycle. She even changed out of pull ups and into panties. 

On another occasion, as I buckled her in on the carousel, she told me to go away and that she was riding alone! 

After dance class one evening she asked if she could wash the dishes! It was more like playing with bubbles and the scrubber, but to her, she was really cleaning the dishes!

Most recently, she has started helping me pack her lunch box. Her job that she can tackle quite well is to make the peanut butter sandwich. In between spreading the peanut butter, she licks the knife and eagerly sticks her fist in the jar scraping out more peanut butter to lick. She comments, "It's tasty." 

All this does not make me sad as it would some moms. I take so much joy in watching my daughter grow into a confident little girl. With each new discovery she makes, my heart leaps with excitement. 

First Day

> It's February, but we are starting at a new school anyway! We found a preschool close to our house that meets three days a week. My mom will watch Evie the other days. We've found that we no longer need the convenience and expense of a traditional daycare. Now that my mom is here, we have the flexibility to send Evie to a part time preschool! She was so excited to meet her teacher and new friends. Her teacher used to teach elementary school, she's young, and is expecting her second child in June. The school has "fine arts" classes like music, chapel, p.e., science, and outdoor learning, so she'll have quite a few teachers! There is also a garden that the children help plant and maintain! I'm so thankful for this opportunity!
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