January: Here and Gone

Jed is always doing new things.  He says the sounds for dog, horse, cow, cat, rooster (he says cockol, it's cute) and does kind of a growl for bear, dinosaur, etc.  He loves to tell people "hi".  A few weeks ago I was eating with my mom and Evangeline at Panera and Jed was sitting in his high chair telling everyone that walked past "hi".  Most of the people noticed and said hi back to him.  He looked proud.  He still does a lot of communication with sign language.  He does the signs for book, more, all done and drink.  He even strings two signs together like "more drink" or "more book".  My favorite thing he is saying right now is "iss", which is what he is calling Evangeline.  Every so often he gets out all the sounds for sis, but mostly it just comes out "iss". 

Jed's also started saying "no" when he doesn't want something or doesn't want to do something.  He used to just shake his head and make a little garbley sound, but now he says "no".  It's adorable.  For example, I ask him if he wants to go night-night and he shakes his head and says "no".  He was eating a banana yesterday and I told him that monkeys eat bananas.  I asked him if he is a monkey and he said, "no".

Evangeline continues to amaze me every day with her reading and drawing.  She is also so sweet, considerate and caring toward others. 

Our neighbors, Joe and Alice are out of town for 3 months and asked us if we would like to receive their Terre Haute newspaper while they are gone.  Evangeline has really enjoyed the Sunday funnies.  She reads them start to finish each week and it's so cute to see her sitting at the kitchen table with the page held out in front of her like a grown up.  The day I took this picture she opted for the floor.

There's been lots of cat snuggling going on around here.  Pickles is a special cat, that's for sure.  He sure loves Evangeline and he is right to be super nervous around Jed. 


Kyle had to go to Springfield for a few days for work.  Evangeline was very upset about him leaving.  She moped the whole time.  She was so excited when Kyle got back home.  He brought her what we call the "Daddy doll".  It's Kris Bryant, but it looks just like Kyle!  We were all cracking up.

 

I found a note in her little journal and was sure to send a picture of it to Kyle while he was away.  It says, "I am feeling sad today.  Daddy left us to go to Springfield.  He had to go to a meeting there.  I bring my locket every day to school.  Somethings I just think of him.  I miss Daddy and I bet he misses me."

I spent some special time with Evangeline last weekend.  We attended a Marshall band fundraiser, Cocoa and Canvas.  We created a decoupage snowman picture and there was a cocoa bar there which made it even more exciting.  It was fun helping her make this canvas (she did most of the work).  She kept calling the event "Mama and Me".  She really looked forward to it and we both enjoyed the whole experience. 

Friday was the 100th day of school.  I can't believe how fast the years fly by.  First and second grade made shirts with 100 items on it.  Evangeline and I both made a shirt with 100 balloons on them.

Our house is feeling more and more like a home lately.  We recently bought furniture for the sunroom.  I organized the shelves with all of the kids games, craft supplies and books now easily accessible to the big girl and not so easily accessible to the baby.  We have been spending so much time in there and I think we will live in there in the summer. 

It snowed after church this week.  Nothing stuck, but it was the kind of snow that made you feel like you were inside a snow globe.  After lunch Evangeline wanted to go outside and play.  I looked out to check on her and saw that she was just sitting on a rock at the end of the driveway staring out in to the corn field.  She sat there for the longest time.  When she came in I asked her what she had been doing outside and she said, "just sittin' on a rock looking at the pretty world."  I told her that I saw her sitting out there and she said, "Just sat there on the rock thinking about God.  I don't know why, I just wanted too."

 

The days just seem to fly right by.  It's hard to believe Wednesday is already the first of February.  We are just doing our thing...wake up, work, home, dinner, play, showers/baths, bed....do it all again tomorrow.  This is the time of year where I crave summer vacation.  It's far off, but I'm really looking forward to a break in the routine.  It's exhausting sometimes. I'm ready for time to slow down again.  I'm ready to have my babies all to myself.  



 

 

Winter Fun

Evangeline's become a master potholder weaver.  She made 3 potholders they day we opened up the kit she got for Christmas.  She was so proud of her accomplishment.  As she held a potholder up to admire it she said, "I don't even want to use if for potholding. I just want to hug it."

 

It's been such a mild winter so far.  We filled up the bird feeders last week.  There are so many birds that visit our yard.  I've seen many cardinals, blue jays, and woodpeckers.  We've also had lots of deer and wild turkeys.  

 

It's snowed a little bit.  Not much, but there was enough on the ground to try out the new snow gear.  Jed didn't seem to enjoy himself.  At one point he fell and got little snow under his mitten.  He was so mad.

 

My little artist draws pictures of the snowy scenes we wish for....

 

My friend Lesley was in town for a brief visit.  I got to meet her baby, Madisyn, for the first time.  It would have been nice to get all the kids in a picture, but unfortunately Lesley's mom was rocking Madisyn to sleep when we thought about it.  Evangeline took this picture for us, so Jed was the only child to make the picture....we'll try again next time.

Pickles The Christmas Kitty

After several tears and several trips to various humane shelters we finally got our kitty.  Who knew adopting a shelter cat would be so challenging. 

 

We went to the Terre Haute shelter to look at the kittens.  We left with a cat in mind, but we decided we would get the things we needed and come back for a kitten the following day.  The next morning we stopped at the store and bought all of the necessary cat supplies before heading back to the shelter to adopt.  Evangeline was beyond excited.  When we got to the shelter we were told that all the kittens had gotten a cold so they weren't going to let any of them go home for 7-10 days.  Evangeline was crushed.  The Marshall shelter was closed so we couldn't look there, so we decided to find out if the little orange kitty that she had originally seen on Pet Finder was still available in Clinton, IN.  He was.  She had to wait another day to get him because they were closing.  It was a hard day to wait because her heart was set on getting her cat that day, but well worth it.  The orange cat was just what she was looking for.  

 

Pickles is so frisky and playful.  He is like a little puppy.  He follows Evangeline everywhere.  She is so attentive to him too.  She's a good little pet owner.  She was even scooping the litter box right out of the gate without being asked!  I'm very proud of her.  She just adores Pickles.  He is one lucky cat.  

 

 

 

Evangeline had all kinds of welcome signs out for Pickles.  She had made a few different cats of different colors so she could be ready to throw the right one up depending on what the cat she picked out looked like.  I'm sure he felt very loved and welcomed the very moment he stepped foot into our home.

 

Evangeline made sure to tell me that her dreams came true the day we brought Pickles home. 

 

 

 

Joyeux Noel

Evangeline came into our room sometime in the middle of the night or early morning.  She woke up around 6:00 and was chomping at the bit to go down stairs, but Jed wasn't up yet so we made her wait a while.  Finally around 6:50 we told her that we would wake Jed at 7:00.  At one point during that 10 minute wait I rolled over to look at her and she was sitting straight up with Kyle's phone in her hand just watching the clock.  She was SO excited.  We got Jed and headed down stairs to see if Santa came.  Evangeline squealed with excitement when she got in the living room.  Jed stood in amazement at they both checked out the huge tee pee that Santa had left for them.  (It's a good thing we don't have furniture in that room yet.  The tee pee barley clears the ceiling.)

 

Jed could not stop pointing up at the tee pee.  He had a big smile on his face.  He was probably seriously wondering what in the world was going on.  

 

Inside the tee pee Santa had left Evangeline craft supplies and Jed received some books.  They both got a book in their stockings and some treats.  Evangeline got the book she asked Santa for, Magic Reindeer.  Jed got the book, How to Drive Your Sister Crazy. 

 

 

After the coffee was made we exchanged our family gifts.  Jed's favorite gifts seemed to be a fork and spoon from Mommy and Daddy and Sesame Street figures from Evangeline.  

 

 

A few of Evangeline's gifts included the next Little House book we are ready to read and a spy kit from Jed. 

 

 

Her most favorite gift was a box of cat toys and cat treats.  She was totally confused when she found these things inside the box.  It took her a minute to process that she was going to get her long wished for cat for Christmas.  She was bursting with excitment!  

 

I used to think that nothing could ever top being a kid at Christmas.  I now know that being a parent at Christmas is way better.  Christmas morning is always so magical.  The whole thing.

 

 

 

Last year I really slipped on Christmas breakfast.  I was not going to make that mistake again this year.  This year I made buttermilk cheese biscuits with 3 kinds of toppings, apple butter, cheery butter and sweet onion jam. 

 

 

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the farm.  Jed and Cale are fun to watch.  Jed is in to absolutely everything.  He is like a bull in a China shop and Grandpa's house is not exactly childproofed.   I love all the family time at Christmas with both sides of our family.  I feel such intense happiness at Christmas....I always have.  

 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Isiah 9:6