Birthdays and a Silly Snowy Day

Kyle's 38th birthday was last Saturday.  We celebrated by bringing him breakfast from the local coffee shop.   That afternoon some of the family on his side came over for a celebration.  Since I am not really comfortable with cooking for larger numbers of people, we fell on our old staple, the grill.  Not a bad cook out if you can get past the fact that it was snowing all day.

We were blessed again with another snow day just when I needed it the most.  I don't think I took my stay-at-home mommy time for granted.  At least I tried not too.  I knew it was a fleeting gift.  If it wasn't for a set of specific circumstances before Evangeline's birth I probably would have never had the chance to stay at home with her.  I thank God for that time I had.  Now that I am working full time, a day at home with Evangeline just feels like such a rare gift. I have been so busy since starting my job that I never really had a chance to mourn my stay-at-home years.  It has been catching up to me lately though....

I made this hat a couple years ago.  It was the first thing I knitted using my homespun yarn.  When I pulled it out for Evangeline she said it looked like cauliflower.

 

Mommy and E.B. in our homespun, hand knit hats.

After coming inside, warming up and doing some coloring, Evangeline decided to draw a map to catch a leprechaun.   She insisted we go outside and search for one.  

Here she is with her map (or mat, as she called it).

Leprechaun catching face

Off we go.

Consulting the map.

She even included the big cross that we pass in Effingham on the way to Carbondale on her map.

We discovered some tiny footprints in the snow that were headed down into the woods.  We decided that the Leprechaun was on to us and headed for cover. 

I think Evangeline was picturing little leprechauns running around in our woods when I took this picture. 

We decided to just make our own leprechaun.