Recap

I totally forgot to mention that I visited Carbondale on a whirlwind....a complete whirlwind.  I was in the car driving to and fro longer than I was actually there, but I just had to go.  Marti was visiting from California and who knows when I'll get the chance to see her again.  We spent a few hours catching up at one of the wineries on the Shawnee trail.  Oh my goodness, it was so good to see these girls, see that old town of ours.  I was so happy I decided to go down.  I will never again have a group of friends like these Carbondale friends.   

 

I have a real love/hate relationship with Carbondale, but I think I'm finally turning a corner.  On my way back out of town I drove past our old house.  The only light on was in Evangeline's old bedroom.  I got swept up in a sea of emotion when I slowed to reflect on my time there.  I pictured me and a baby E.B. spread out on our blanket in the side yard eating pumpernickel and reading books.  I drove around the block and envisioned all the walks I'd made with Che and Lucca, and even more walks with a baby carrier, a stroller and then a toddling toddler.  I stared also at the Abbott's house across the street.  It was the first time I had seen it since they had moved.  It was so bizarre.  I felt alone.  It made me want to go home to Evangeline and Kyle.  It felt weird being at the house without them.   

Back in Marshall.....

I hate to sound like I wished a week of my life away or that I'm ungrateful for last week, because I know my life is pretty darn great and I am thankful for each day I get here in this life, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't relieved last week is over with.  I had my first semester evaluation, which is a whole week process.  It was just one heck of a stressful week.  I didn't sleep well, relax well, eat well, etc.  Ahhh, but now it's over and I'm back to good.

 

We got to visit the cherub again before they left the hospital and Evangeline finally mustered up the courage to hold him.  She loved it.  After she ate her dinner she pointed to Cale and whispered to me that she wanted to hold "that" again.  She just gazed down lovingly at him and patted his head, smitten like all the rest of us.  

 

Wow, that little girl of mine has sure come out of her shell in the soccer department.  We have had two more games in the past week and I just cannot believe how aggressive and outgoing she is!  She gets in the mass of kids and makes a real honest effort at kicking the ball.  She even does it sometimes.  Last week she dribbled it a good ways down the field.  She even blocked a few goals when she got to be the goalie!  I'm so proud of her.  She did not get all of these skills from me, that's for sure.  She's always pretty pooped out at the end of the day.

 

I absolutely adore having my lil' peanut at school with me.  She's doing so great too.  She made it to the "beehive" last week, which means she's ready to start the reading program.  It's exciting.

Here are a few of her recent quotes:

 

Evangeline:  "You know what?  That guy that sits next to me in Mrs. Reynold's does not like purple.  I was like, shocked."

One night I was ordering a pizza and asked Evangeline what kind she wanted.  She said to me, "Mommy, this is really big-girly...I'm going to choose the 'begitable' one."

Here's a little song she was singing the other day as she was bumpying.  She always makes up songs and I just happened to be sitting next to a pencil and paper when she came up with this one.
"God loves us and we love him.
He knows when we're bad.
He loves us no matter what.
He knows what we do.
He can see us through.
He loves us.
He dies on the cross for our sins.
He loves us so."

And here is a poem she wrote at the Lincoln Log Cabins when we were listening to Kyle play the guitar a few weeks ago.  It's about Abraham Lincoln.  She wrote the poem as I recorded it in her notepad.
"They were great presidents
and their mother was a great milk churner.
Abe Lincoln was great at reading books. 
He was a great president.
He kept notes in his hat for good luck.
He lives in a great house.
He worked very hard.
He and Mary Todd got married in ______. "

She told me that I needed to look up the year that the Lincolns were married to fill in the blank.  I just looked it up and it was in 1842.