End of a busy summer

So, you may have noticed that this blog has been a bit neglected lately. We were too busy having fun, going places, and learning new things this summer to even stop and write about it! One of the many things that Evynn enjoyed doing this summer was working on the garden. She happily helped me to water it, pull the weeds, and harvest the vegetables all summer long. In fact, she LOVES to pick tomatoes. She wanted to pick every tomato she could find, big or small, ripe or not. Mommy wouldn't let her though. She got to pick one red tomato which she would sit in the grass and eat while Mommy gathered the ripe veggies to take inside. Until now...

Now that the summer is over, Evynn has free reign of the garden!

She always remembers to wash her tomatoes before eating them.

Well, not always.

Fun with Daddy

"Wow! I can climb this too?!"



"Hi, Mommy! Like my slippers?"

"Hmm, what else can I get Daddy to do?"

First Steps

Mittens

Yes, it was 90 degrees today, and yes, she's wearing mittens! Evynn discovered a pair of mittens today, and was very excited to wear them! She didn't want to take them off. She kept admiring her hands. She was quite proud of her mittens.

Loving her baby doll

Evynn has become very interested in her dolls! Today, she took care of her baby for an HOUR, and that's an unheard of amount of time for her to focus on a single activity. It's so sweet. She feeds the baby, gives it hugs and kisses, tucks it into bed and gives it a pacifier. She even got out a little first aid kit and pretended to give the baby medicine and feed her with a spoon.

Lesson learned

I decided to share my smoothie with Evynn today. I thought she might like it. I was wrong. She LOVED it!

So, now I know. Instead of sharing my smoothie with Evynn, I'll make her one of her own next time!

Evynn's favorite smoothie recipe

4 big strawberries

1 frozen banana

1 nectarine

a splash or 2 of almond milk

blend and enjoy!

Oh, and Evynn's secret ingredient: Drop a couple of your avocado chunks in it...then it's extra yummy and mommy will let you have the rest to yourself!

She's a shoe girl!

Evynn has a favorite pair of shoes! She wore them for the first time yesterday, and she didn't want to take them off. Every time I took them off, she gave them back to me so I could put them back on her. She's very proud of them!

A Letter to my Birthday Girl

June 20, 2010

Dear Evynn,

You are turning one year old! I can’t believe how quickly this last year has passed. It feels like only yesterday that Daddy and I were on our way to the hospital so you could be born. We were so excited. The anticipation of meeting our new little one had been building for nine months, and we were finally going to get to hold you, see what you looked like, and get to know you. I knew that something wonderful was about to happen, but I had no idea how wonderful it would really be. From the moment the doctor placed you in my arms and every moment since, you have brought so much joy, laughter, wonder and happiness into our lives.

You are very lucky. There are so many people in your life who love you so much and want only the very best things for you. You have been blessed with three great grandmothers, a great grandfather, two grandmas, three grandpas, and aunt, and two uncles. All of these people would say, though, that they are the ones who are lucky because they get to watch you grow.

We are still learning about you, but this is what we know already: You have an insatiable curiosity. You love to explore and touch things. You watch everything that is going on around you, and want to know more about it. You want to learn by touching, tasting, and looking at things. You point to objects all day long in hopes that we will tell you more about them. You love to learn from books. You look at the pictures in such a way that I know you are really figuring out the way the world works.

You have a sweet, gentle, and happy personality. People often comment on what a laid-back and content baby you are. You are happy just about all of the time. We have been blessed with lots of Evynn smiles over the past year. When we are planning to take you somewhere new or do a new activity with you, we always wonder if you will like it or not. We shouldn’t wonder, though, because you always do! You love everything, and can find a reason to smile no matter where we are or what we are doing.

You love to learn. Every new thing that you learn is absolutely amazing to watch. The spark of amazement in your eyes when you figured out how to bat at toys with your hands, the determination in your wobbly first crawl, the pride on your face when you pulled yourself up to stand for the first time… You show incredible patience and persistence when learning something new. When it’s hard and frustrating, you calmly try again, and again until you have it mastered.

Above all, this is what I know: You are an amazing human being, and you are going to grow up to do wonderful things. I want for you to be happy and healthy and confident in yourself. I want you to live to your full potential and do the things that you love with nothing holding you back. I feel so lucky to be along for the ride. You are a “big girl” now, but to me, you will always be my baby. I love you so much, my sweet baby.
Happy Birthday.

Love,

Mommy

Berry Sweet things that Evynn did today

1. After she brushed her own teeth, she brushed her stuffed dog's teeth too!

2. She shared her banana with me. She took a bite then held it out for me to take a bite, took another bite, held it out for me...

3. We were playing with a frog puppet, and she kept taking her pacifier out of her mouth and putting it in the frog's mouth.

4. She escaped with a bare bottom during a diaper change. She giggled uncontrollably when she made a puddle on the floor. :-)

cake smash

Babies have been smashing up their first birthday cakes since, well, since they started getting birthday cakes! More recently, the cake smash has become a very important event. In fact, instead of a piece of cake, often babies get a whole cake to themselves to maul to pieces. And...the newest fad is to do a formal "cake smash" photo shoot. We did one in our living room, and it was a blast! Here's a little bit of the fun:

Excuses, excuses

I know, I'm a terrible blogger. This tends to get pushed to the bottom of my to-do list, and then eventually forgotten. =/ Here are my excuses...

1. I've been slaving away on Evynn's playhouse in hopes that it will be done before her birthday. 2 sides are done, 1 side is almost done, and 1 side is still blank. All four sides have been sewn to the top, and one side seam is done. Phew! Here's a glimpse of what it will look like.

2. Evynn has gotten another new tooth, which means that we have been having lots of cuddle time and very little "mommy has free hands to type on her blog" time.

Can you see her new top tooth? That makes one on top and one on bottom.

And with new teeth comes a new toothbrush! She was using a baby finger-brush before, but she's very excited to have a toothbrush that looks like mommy and daddy's now!

COSI!

Today, we visited COSI (Center of Science and Industry...Columbus's children's science museum). A.K.A. toddler heaven! COSI's "Little Kid Space" has all of Evynn's favorite things. Climbing,

toys,






water play,

and everywhere you look...BALLS!

Coloring

A few weeks ago, we let Evynn try using crayons, but she decided she would rather eat them. Today, we gave it another shot, and while she still thinks they're pretty tasty, she also liked drawing on paper! After watching Mommy draw some lines on paper, Evynn added her own! She drew several pictures, here's one:

Another HOT day!

More fun in the pool.

Followed by some cuddle time in the hammock.

My very busy day

It has been mentioned (by several people) that my blog needs to be updated more often. :-) So, here's what I was up to today.

It started at 6 am, because I LOVE to wake up early! After breakfast, play time, and crawling around in bed trying to wake up Daddy, I got to go to Mansfield to see Papa, Grammie, and Great Grandpa George! I had lots of fun exploring a new house. Grandpa George collects toys and trains, so there were lots of fun things to look at and play with! I loved watching his trains go around the tracks. They make noise and even blow smoke! Then, I got to play with a

cool car!

We went out to lunch, and everyone watched, amazed, as I devoured two dill pickle spears...yum! I watched the fish swim in the pond outside the restaurant and practiced my walking with Papa.

After we got home from our trip to Mansfield, I got to play in my little pool in the backyard! I had fun scooping up water with cups and pouring it out on the grass. Then, I took all of the cups out of the pool, then put them back in the pool, then took them out...you get the idea. After this fun-filled day, I took a nice, long nap!

Mommy's little helper

Evynn loves to try doing things by herself! She brushes her hair and her tooth, she's starting to practice putting toys away, and her newest trick...:-)

Some rainy day fun

What to do on a rainy day...read books? Did that. Do a puppet show? Done. Make towers with blocks and knock them down? Yup, did that too. What to do.... Fingerpaint!

Easy and non-toxic homemade fingerpaints

1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 c. water



1.In a saucepan, gradually add the water to the flour while stirring with a whisk. Cook until it bubbles and becomes thick. (About 7-8 min)

2. Pour into bowls and add food coloring to make your desired colors. Let cool.

3. That's all! Now you can paint.

Evynn's favorite breakfast

Well, besides her toes...

Banana Blueberry Pancakes

1 egg

1 banana, mashed

1/2 cup blueberries

1 1/2 cups of your favorite pancake mix

Mix together and add water until they are the right consistency.

Yummy, healthy, and something that mommy, daddy, and baby can all enjoy. No syrup for the little one, and they're so sweet that the grown ups only need a little bit.

Evynn eats these every Saturday morning, so if you ever wonder why her fingers are stained purple on the weekends...

Hmm, what's this?

I'm sure mommy put this here for me to play with! Too bad it was at the end of the roll...

Did you know...

...that young children should stay rear-facing in their car seats well beyond the one year and 20 lbs required by law? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear-facing to the limit of your child's car seat. Rear-facing is far safer for children. All covertible carseats are made to safely rear-face until the child is 30 lbs, and most are made to safely rear-face until 35 lbs or more.

From http://www.car-safety.org/

• Rear-facing is safest for both adults and children, but especially for babies, who would face a greater risk of spinal cord injury in a front-facing carseat during a frontal crash.


• Rear-facing car seats spread frontal crash forces over the whole area of a child's back, head and neck; they also prevent the head from snapping relative to the body in a frontal crash.
  


• Rear-facing carseats may not be quite as effective in a rear end crash, but severe frontal and frontal offset crashes are far more frequent and far more severe than severe rear end crashes. Rear end crashes account for only 4% of crashes.
  


• Rear-facing carseats are NOT a safety risk just because a child's legs are bent at the knees or because they can touch/kick the vehicle seat.
  


• Rear-facing as long as possible is the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatricians, and can reduce injuries and deaths. Motor Vehicle Crashes are the #1 overall cause of death for children 14 and under.

Still not sure? Read this article and watch this very convincing video. Many people are unaware of the benefits of extended rear-facing, so please share this information with anyone who has young children.

Look out, Beyonce!

Evynn likes to dance! And sing!

It's small, white, and very sharp...

It's a tooth! Evynn's first little chomper made an appearance today. Well, almost. It's pretty hard to see it, as it's just poking through her gums, but a quick check with a finger confirms that it is definitely there! She's handling it very well. She was a little fussy this morning, but between teething toys, cold snacks, her amber teething necklace, and teething tablets, she appears to be pain free. Let's hope it stays that way!

It's here!

We were both excited about the package that arrived on our doorstep. For Evynn, it was a new toy to play in.

For me, it was the fabric that I'm going to use to make Evynn's felt playhouse!

Playhouses are fun, but they take up so much space! Not this playhouse...it's made of felt, and it fits over a card table. When we're done playing with it, it can be folded up and put away! Each side of the house has a different interactive theme: fishing, a garden, sending mail, etc. Check out my inspiration here and here.

The caterpillar was too slow

Evynn discovered something new yesterday when Papa came to visit. We found a fuzzy caterpillar, and she watched it crawl around on his hand. Well, she couldn't resist touching the one we found today.

R.I.P. caterpillar

A berry sweet little girl

Now that Evynn is growing, moving, and learning so quickly, we have so many new things to share! This "berry sweet" blog is going to be a place where I post pictures, videos, and journaling about life with this sweet little strawberry.