All Better

It has been almost two weeks since Evie had the cast removed, and she is doing very well. Walking again! I was quite worried at first because Evie did not walk for almost five days after the cast was removed. Each day she improved from scooting around, to crawling on all fours, to walking holding boths hands, to walking holding one hand, to walking holding onto furniture, to walking all on her own!

Evie started a new preschool with a broken leg. I knew that this experience would really show how the new school would measure up. Well, they measured up! The teachers and entire staff have been so helpful with Evie through this whole ordeal! They nurtured her while she had the cast and provided just the right amount of encouragement and coaching to get her back to normal. They were the ones who got Evie to walk. They were the ones who boosted Evie's confidence. It has been difficult not being able to be with Evie full time during her recovery, but I know God placed our new school in our path at just the right time. I can't express how thankful I am for all our new preschool has done for Evie. She has really bonded to her teachers and looks forward to school every single morning. A working mother couldn't ask for more- except to be able to stay at home, of course!

Evie and Minnie

The day before Evie had her cast removed, I took some pictures of her and Minnie. When Evie broke her leg, the nurse was kind enough to give Minnie a cast too! During those LONG three weeks, Minnie provided Evie with lots of comfort.

A Purple Cast for Evie

On December 30 we spent a fun afternoon at the park. It took a turn of events and Evie ended up fracturing her leg going down a slide. She has been such a strong and brave little girl. She has one proud mommy and daddy! We have come up with some creative indoor activities to entertain this busy little girl.

Our neighbors brought over get well cupcakes!

daddy's racing helmet

racing gear

breakfast with Minnie Mouse (can you see her purple cast?)

Christmas 2011

Our Christmas was really special because Papa and Grammy were there! Unfortunately, we don't have many pictures of them from this trip!  Evie had a great time learning that she gets presents on Christmas, but she was also very concerned that everyone needed to have a present. She handed out presents to all of us to open, whether or not they belonged to her. She had such a sweet, generous heart that morning! 

Christmas Eve

We anttended out church's annual children's Christmas Eve service. Our pastor reads the Chirstmas story from the Bible. At each part, characters from the story come on stage: Mary, Joseph, angels, wise men, sheppards, sheep, and donkeys. Evie dressed as an angel. She couldn't wait for her turn to get on stage. She kept asking, "Evie's turn?" until it was time for her to walk on stage. She is right in the middle, standing in the back.

Christmas Crafts

We made several fun things to enjoy this holiday season!

Pinterest had a pretty neat glitter bulbs made with floor cleaner! I made them with my class, and I decided to give it a try with Evie. She had a lot fun helping me. We ended up having glitter all over the place!

It's becoming a tradition of making a gingerbread house! Last year I bought a kit, and it was not very user friendly. The frosting got too hard to even squeeze out of the pastry bag. There wasn't enough candy to decorate the house, either. THIS year, thanks to Pinterest, I found a recipe for really easy frosting. It was a beautiful white, fluffy consistency that was easy to spread, and it dried very hard. I used a Betty Crocker gingerbread recipe. Everything turned out great.



Great Minds Dress Alike

Joanna and I bought these shirts for our toddler's. We happened to wear them on the same day!