Fun with Miss Clare

Every morning when I drop off Evie at Clare's, Evie eagerly bounces and leans toward Clare to greet her good morning! She then looks to find Chloe, the little white shih tzu. Evie and Clare have a great time playing all day... jumping in the jumperoo, playing with blocks, reading books, sitting by the pool, playing with Chloe the dog, grocery shopping, running errands, and laughing at Miss Clare's sons Nick, Trey, and Chad. Pretty soon, a new DePoincy will join the family, grandbaby Sophie! Next year Evie will have a friend to play with all day long!

So happy, she can't sit still for a picture!

Picking up Evie after work.

(Evie's laughing at Trey.)

Trey was jumping around in circles

to make Evie smile.

First Visit to Florida

For Spring Break, we went on our second airplane trip with Evie. We FINALLY flew home to Florida, so Evie could meet all of her aunts, uncles, cousins, and most importantly great grandparents. Evie slept the majority of the time flying to and from Florida. We are so LUCKY to have such a "chill" little girl. To our disapointment, the weather in Florida was pretty chilly for March, only reaching the high 60's. Evie couldn't wear all of her fun spring clothes. Once the afternoon hit and the sun was out, the days were pleasant. We stayed pretty busy during our stay. Here's the day by day run through...

DAY 1

We flew in this day and took it easy. After Evie took a nap, we went out for lunch at Dela's Delectables, the deli where my mom used to work when I was in high school. I even had a fun summer job there one year making chocolate candy. After work, Grandpa Chip stopped by to meet his first grand-daughter. Later that night, my parents babysat Evie while Judd and I went out for dinner with a friend at a favorite restaurant in South Tampa, Ciccio and Tony's.

Meet Grandma Chip

DAY 2

We spent this day relaxing and visiting. After Evie's morning nap, Judd and I visited our friend Eliana and her ten day old baby boy, Everett. Eliana's daughter, Michaela, just came home from preschool. She had fun showing Evie her babydoll collection, which Evie doesn't fully appreciate yet!

Baby Everett

Dean Family Dinner

That night, my dad's side of the family came over for dinner. The kids found entertainment by feeding the cows weeds. My parents don't live in the country by the way. There is just a pasture behind their house.

Evie getting a kiss from her cousin Quinn

Cousin Owen and his mom, Tiffany, visit the cows.

Quinn and her mom, Sarah

Quinn with her daddy, Marcus

Uncle Mark and Owen

Evie meets a cow!

DAY 3

This was our busiest day by far! We visited the beach, ate lunch at the Columbia at St. Armand's Circle, visited Mote Marine, and met Meaw and Pop.

The first stop of the day included taking family pictures at Lido Beach in Sarasota. It was VERY chilly and windy. Evie had fun at first, but then she got very frustrated by the cold wind. Our fun family beach visit turned into a screaming baby at the beach! We probably spent 15 minutes at the beach. Judd's dad suggested we visit Mote Marine Aquarium, which was a GREAT idea!

By the time Judd had his picture taken with Evie, she was done with the beach.

Grandma to the rescue!

Mote Marine Aquarium

This is a small aquarium close to the beach. I think many people had the same idea we did. Since the beach was so cold, the aquarium was packed! Evie touched the glass every time she saw fish.

Evie met Meaw and Pop, her great grand parents!

Evie and cousin Abbie

DAY 4

Lunch at International Mall then to the airport!

3:45 Flight to Austin

Connect in Austin at 6:15

Arrive in Dallas at 7:30

8:45 Home

Fun with Daddy

I leave it to Judd to play a little rough with Evie. Being a first time momma, I'm always a little nervous about it, but I loosen up when Evie has a fun time.

Foot in the Mouth

Evie's new trick is to put her foot in her mouth. Many times we when are driving around town I'll look in the rearview mirror to see Evie sticking her foot in her mouth. Sometimes she just chews on her sock! We finally captured her new talent on camera.

My Little Reader

At work I am a member of Scholastic Book Clubs and get special teacher prices and deals. Since Evie was born, I have started shopping from the toddler and preschool catalogs. The other day I found a really adorable book, My Pretty Pink Alphabet Purse! Oh my gosh! It is so girly. I had to get it.

Momma, I'm tired of reading! Time for a snack!

Yummy in My Tummy

Lately, I have started to introduce new finger foods like a small piece of a REAL banana, a tiny slice of a strawberry, and most recently Cheerios! To my surprise, the second Evie saw the Cheerios she carefully grasped one or two and put them right in her mouth! I totally was not expecting her to be able to pick up one. She gummed the cereal, sucked on it, and then swallowed. She liked it! She was fascinated with them and slowly manipulated them with her index fingers. This very intense fine motor activity quickly tired her out, so most of the Cheerios ended up stuck to her face and hands or landed on the floor. Now, Evie LOVES Cheerios. After she eats her meal, a fruit or vegetable, she gets Cheerios for dessert. She has a few every day.

Valentines Day

The whole family gathered to enjoy Uncle Gio's famous ribs. The night consisted of babies playing, napping, and eating at different intervals, the boys playing video games, women cooking in the kitchen, and Uncle Gio racing the clock to prove he would have dinner on the table by 7:50 on the dot. Uncle Gio ended up being ready on time, but the sweet potatoes were late, so we ate around 8:15.