Oh, to be young...

Evangeline started a summer dance class here in Marshall.  It's a four week long class with a Christmas theme (Christmas in July, I guess).  She loves it and it's a faster pace than the class she was in at the Academy of Dance in Terre Haute.  They learn a new dance each week and get to wear a prop that goes with the song of the week.  Last Tuesday the kids got to wear a Hawaiian lei and they danced to Bing Crosby's "Mele Kalikimaka".  It is just plan adorable to watch Evangeline in action.  She is so serious about it and gives it her all.  I know I'm her mother and I am maybe just a tad blinded by love, but she is seriously so good.  I am amazed by how much she can retain so quickly.  She is also very graceful and has good time.  She's a natural.  

I'm very happy that this studio opened in Marshall and that she enjoys it so much.  Now we don't have to drive all the way over to Terre Haute for dance class during the school year. 

Finger painting....

Evangeline has had spiders on her mind lately.  The other day she said to me, "mommy, I know a little something about spiders".  She proceeded to tell me about the silk that comes out of their body and how they make webs with it, and that their webs are sticky.  I love this drawing she did of a spider in a web last week.  It's nice to see a happy, friendly looking little spider enjoying a sunny day.

I remember being little....

I remember the feeling of being totally exhausted from just having a full day of play....

wanting to watch and help my parents, and learn about why and how things worked...

I wish I still took so much pleasure in all the simple joys of life they way she does.  I wish I still saw everything as amazing.  It's easy to loose the awe and amazement with age.  I'm happy I have a little person to remind me of how truly special this world is. 

Most everything is amazing and special in this world if you really think about it. 

Evangeline had the hair mat to end all hair mats last week.  I'm not sure how in the world it happened, but I was a little afraid it was going to result in a pixie hair cut.  Thankfully with the help of some very deep conditioning we were able to salvage the curly locks. 

We have entered the phase of life where it's fun to check out the bathrooms at various locations.  I took Evangeline for a picnic at Saint Mary of the Woods last week and lets just say it was not that relaxing picnicking experience you're looking for.

We did have fun doing the Way of the Cross and visiting the cemetery.   She was full of questions.  Let me tell you, the Easter story is not an easy thing to break down for a 3 year old. 

We ultimately finished our picnic in the back yard at mom's house.

It wasn't too bad of a consolation. 

 

Here are a few of my favorite Evangeline quotes from last week:

 

"I love you, Momma, I will never let you go."

 

Evangeline: Hey, who turned the humidifier off?  I wanted to do that.

Mommy:  It was me, I'm sorry.

Evangeline:  It's okay, I just was irritated.

 

"I need to practice my dancing skills."

 

After flushing the toilet..."There's clean water now!  That toilet is so magical!"

 



Rollin' in the Dough

My daddy gave me a real gift the other day.  He took a day off from work to come to my house and teach me how to make bread in my own kitchen.  My dad makes the world's best bread and I want to be able to whip up that same bread for my family.  He's shown me many times before, but never in my own kitchen with my own materials.  I think I learn better this way. 

He's definitely the bread master.  We made two different kinds of bread that day; Struan and Boule.

Daddy never buys store bought bread.  I hope I can get to this point. 

Ahhh, if Heaven was a carb....

 

He even brought me a Cloche which he made himself....what a guy, that Daddy of mine. 

 

Boule...

As if that wasn't enough we made a delicious raspberry tart with a shortbread crust. 

I better hit the gym this week for sure.

Thanks, Daddy for such a wonderful day.

While She Was Sleeping...

I get a lot of things done while this is happening...

I'm pretty famous for piddling around and getting random stuff done, but this week I had a few things to knock off my to-do list. 

I finally got around to finishing the hem on the dress I made for Evangeline out of one of the old sheets I got from Dad's house.  I don't think I have ever wanted mother/daughter outfits more.  I love the way this dress turned out.  I made it a size bigger so hopefully she can wear it next year too.  I still have to put the snaps on the back, but it's one step closer to being done.  

I got a strawberry dish towel from Whippoorwill, one of the Marshall antique stores, over a year ago.  I simply could not resist the fabric.  I have been holding on to it waiting for the perfect project to make from it.  I already made it into a skirt, but didn't like the fit so I ripped it out.  I decided it needed to be a pillow cover for one of my couch cushions.  I think it's much happier as a pillow than it was a dish towel. 

I spent some time working on these this week....we have a big day coming up.....

For my crowning achievement...sweet rolls!!  I've been wanting to attempt sweet rolls from scratch for ages and finally got up the courage to give it a try.  I decided to make raspberry rolls.  I got them all prepared on Thursday evening.  I left them to rise on the counter overnight and when I woke up I was so excited to see that they had actually risen!!  I baked them Friday morning and oh my goodness, they were so worth it!

I've had a couple "school dreams" recently, which means that subconsciously I know that my summer break is winding down quickly.  Lately I've been using that as an excuse to do some extra relaxing when I can.  I got some new loose leaf tea at the Carbondale co-op last week and got to use the new tea ball that Colleen gave me for my birthday.  Are you kidding me with this thing??  I challenge anyone to find a cuter tea ball!!

I've been admiring these flowers in my kitchen window all week.  Evangeline picked them for me out of Grandma's garden.  She loves to pick flowers.

Friends Off to New Adventures

K.P. and I headed down to Carbondale last weekend to bid our dearest So. ILL.  friends goodbye.  I am so glad that we moved before the Abbotts because I would have been devastated in Carbondale without them.  Marti and Andrew lived right across the street from us and it was the biggest blessing.  Not only did they graciously swoop us up and take us into their circle of friends, but Marti was there alongside me for every baking, canning, gardening and baby adventure.  They were our family in that town.  They are moving to Santa Barbra, CA and we wish them success and nothing but the best that life has to offer.  

We rented a pontoon boat on Little Grassy in Makanda for the afternoon.  It was so relaxing, just a floatin' around with my pals.  Here are a few pictures...

Teresa, me and Marti.....LOVE these girls.

Me and my love, two palest people onboard.  

Eric and Andrew...

 C-dale friends....

The next morning Kyle and I hit some of our favorite stomping grounds before heading back to Marshall.  First stop, Longbranch for breakfast.  Oh, I am going to miss my Nina's special!!

I always get sentimental when I pass by the hospital where the first day of the best days of my life took place...little Evangeline entered the world here.

This is the best I could do for a drive-by picture. 

Back in Marshall the very same week I had to say goodbye to more friends.  A year ago when I met Kelsey and her daughter, Anna at the Marshall pool she was very pregnant with little Kate.  I was so glad our paths crossed that day and we were able to be there to help with Anna when they made their unexpected, early rush to the hospital to deliver.  I will never forget how excited Evangeline was to find a playmate waking up in a Pack-and-Play in Peggy's living room that morning. 

I was looking forward to having them in Marshall for a longer period of time and was so sad when I found out how quickly they were moving away.  Even though I've only known Kelsey for a short amount of time I feel like she's someone I've known forever, and friends like that are rare.  I am looking forward to hearing about all of their adventures in Baton Rouge.  We wish them blessings, love, and happiness. 

Milestones and Sweet Friends

Caution:  If you don't want to read about poop, skip to the bottom of this entry :)

 

We had a huge milestone this week!!  Evangeline has started going #2 on the big girl potty!!!  I was beginning to doubt that this would ever happen!!  She has been working so hard to earn a trip to Holiday World.  I have tried every bribe in the book to get this little girl to give it a try and finally she decided Holiday World would be something worth going for.  The look of utter shock and surprise on her face as she finally figured out how to use the potty was priceless.  She immediately started cashing in on all the incentives that had been building up over the past year.  We had what we called a "poopy party".  She told me that it was going to be the best day ever!  We went to the store and she got to choose any prize she wanted.  She picked a mermaid Barbie.  She held Grandma to her promise of dropping everything and racing over with a sea monster doll.  We got ice cream, went to lunch with Ammie and got to watch a little extra TV!  It was a big day for sure.  The stubborn little thing didn't go again at all until 4 days later though.  I love this big girl....Holiday World, here we come!!!

 

**Okay, poop talk over...

It finally got hot enough to enjoy some pool time.  We had our dear friends Anna, Kate and their mommy, Kelsey over to play.  We are enjoying their company as much as we can before they move away in a week.  We are sure going to miss them.  The little cuties had fun playing on the swing set.... 

and in the kiddy pool. 

We also spent a day this week at the Marshall pool and at the Children's Museum to escape the heat.  I'm liking these days that finally feel like summer. 

Evangeline:  "Mommy, when is a rainbow going to appear?  I've waited so long for one." 

Reuniting with Family Parsons Style

We made the long trip down to Springfield, MO last weekend for our bi-annual Parsons' family reunion.  This was the longest car trip Evangeline has been on since our Michigan trip we took when she was 11 months old, so I'm not really sure she had any clue why we were stuck in the car so long.  She thoroughly enjoyed staying in the hotel.  It was a nice big suite we shared with my mom so it had a kitchen area, common room, two bedrooms and two bathrooms.  Evangeline kept calling it her new home.  That night when we were saying our bedtime prayers she thanked God for her new bed and new home.  I also believe she thought we traveled 6 plus hours to swim in the hotel pool.  That was a top priority for her, the rest of the trip was just details. 

These reunions are really a testament to the awesomeness of my family.  People come from miles around.  Some of them are such distant relatives that I could probably get away with marrying them in some states...kidding....sort of.  I always enjoy these reunions.  They are hosted by different families each time, so each reunion is a unique experience. 

While Kyle was visiting the largest and original Bass Pro Shop I had a lovely Saturday spent hitting some of the local antique shops and a tea room for lunch.  Evangeline spent our time at the tea room snoozing on my arm.  Good heavens, she is heavy!  My arm was shaking like crazy, not to mention after having downed three cups of tea I was in great need of a trip to the ladies room posthaste.  However, I am a firm believer in the wisdom of  "never waking a sleeping baby", so I bucked up and let the little lady get her sleep. 

Ahhh, I could stare at that sleeping face forever.  What a beauty.

So here I am having a lovely time at the tea room despite the quivering arm and the screaming bladder.



I love my family.  I am proud to claim these wonderful people as my relatives.  Evangeline had a great time with everyone too.  Here she is with my Auntie Mary Jo.  I have been enjoying the honey MJ gave me.  Ohhhh, her honey is such a treat!  I am admittedly a tad stingy with it and I try to see how long I can make it last.

I always love catching up with my cousin Susan and her hubby Scott.  

Here is a picture of my mom sharing the information on all of her genealogical findings.  She has really got a passion for genealogy.  We are lucky to have someone so knowledgeable on our family history.  

I'm not sure whether to be worried or amused by what I am about to share, but whatever the case it was plain adorable...Evangeline saw a little girl drinking her water out of a stemmed glass and whispered to me, "Mommy, that little girl in the purple dress is drinking wine."  I told her that she was only drinking water out of a fancy glass and that she could drink her water out of a fancy glass too if she was careful.  She got all excited and jumped at the chance.  She kept telling me things like, "Mommy, I'm old enough to drink wine." and "I'm drinking wine."  She thought that glass was pretty darn special. 

When I told her to smile for a picture she held out her glass and said "cheers".  Oh boy...

Evangeline had a fun time playing with her little cousin, Ella. 

They knew a few of the same tricks.



The rest of the night was spent catching up, chatting about special family memories, playing games...

and getting Mary Kay facials at 12:00 AM with Susan, Alexis and Mackenzie.