My Fella is 40

We had a little shindig for Kyle's 40th birthday at our house over the weekend.  Due to the large amounts of snow and ice still on the ground, our driveway was totally treacherous.  Kyle had to instruct everyone to park at the bottom of the hill when they arrived.  He then he drove down to get everyone and chauffeur them up to the house.  Kyle and Peggy both agreed that this is the most snow there has ever been on the ground on his birthday.  

 

 

We had a house packed with lots of family, lots of fun and lots of food.  It was a great time. 



 

Sadly Zachary and Candice had to work, but Mom brought Mr. Cale to the party.  We were all so happy to have the cute little man around.  Evangeline loved sitting with him on the couch.  She got kick out of everything he did.  She said, "he's so cute, I can't stop looking at him".

 

Savannah and Lily had lots of fun with him around too. 

 

I think everyone did a good job making Kyle feel loved that day.  I also think everyone had a great time picking out hilarious 40-year-old birthday cards.  Kyle had a captive audience as he opened his cards and gifts. 

 

I had a picture of his guitar put on his cake.  I think he liked it.  

 

And look, my 2014 blog book came!  It was fun to get to show it everyone and reminisce about the past year.  

 

Happy birthday, Kyle!  You're a very special guy and we love you very much.  

In Like a Lion

Well, we got our big snow over the night.  The only problem is it came to late!  I'm ready for spring!!!  The one thing I do still enjoy about a good snow is the way it slows things down a bit.  Everything is so still and calm.  It's nice to shake up the rhythm of things from time to time....but enough.....bring on the sunshine and warmth.  



 

For the past two years we've participated in the children's art show at the Gaslight Artist Colony.  This year Evangeline won 3rd place in another contest she didn't know she entered.  She was so, so, so excited to see a ribbon hanging next to her picture when we toured the gallery.  She also won 5 dollars, but that was nothing compared to the ribbon.  She can't wait to take it home.  She titled it "The Story of the Flowers". 

 

Kyle introduced Evangeline to Harry Potter last week.  He wanted her to have some concept of who he was for our upcoming Disney/Universal trip.  She got a little obsessed. 

 

I must have said something irritating....

 

Kyle and Evangeline did a lot of Harry Potter sketching.   

Evangeline's got quite the social calendar going on these days.  It seems like she's always getting invited to birthday parties.  We had one yesterday for Ben Sheehy.  As soon as we entered the bowling ally Evangeline headed straight for the clowns and instructed Butterbean to paint a butterfly on her face.  

Snowy Surprise

Yee-haw!  We are on our second snow day in a row.  When a groggy little person stumbled out of the bedroom yesterday morning I told her that it snowed and school was cancelled.  She got a big grin on her face and replied, "for real life?".  We were both pretty excited.  She noted that yesterday was the first snow day she's had since kindergarten.  I know I just had a three day weekend and all, but it is kind of nice to have and extra couple days to be stuck at home to catch up on some of the housework.   

 

It's been down right cold outside.  We only stayed out for about 10 minutes yesterday.  It was just too unbearable.   Today...no chance of going outside.  It is WAY too bitter.  

 

 

Sometimes you just have to come inside and warm up with a little hot cocoa action.  We did some painting, some game playing, some Easy Bakin'.....

 

Evangeline doesn't always pick up after herself or do what I ask her the first time, but man, when she's in the mood to clean she gets down to business.  She has been such a little helper.  She put on her apron and told me she was my maid.  She kept asking me, "what shall I do now?" and then I would give her jobs.  She was so proud to show me her nice, neat drawer full of folded washcloths.  (I was really impressed considering when I do it they just get tossed in the drawer in a heap.)  Today she washed all of the living room windows and dusted.  She did an amazing job.

 

 

Evangeline made this sweet little "newspaper" for her new baby brother or sister.  

The newspaper included some of the things she said she is going to teach her brother or sister.  Here are some of the things she mentioned:

-How to talk.

-How to write.

-How to read.

-How to share.

-How to help people in need.

-Don't touch the hair straightener when it's hot.

-How to help people.

-Don't' sing on stage when nobody's watching.

 

This baby is going to be so lucky to have her. 



Daisy, Daisy

The Daisy Girl Scout Investiture ceremony was held on Sunday afternoon.  This was where Evangeline officially became a Girl Scout.  It was sweet.  The second year girls lit candles and recited various parts of the Girl Scout Law and then the first year Daisy's came up to sing a song.  They all got little daisy crowns to wear which made it even more special.

 

The ceremony concluded with the Girl Scout handshake. 

 

Then the girls had an ice cream social.  Evangeline actually got a badge for the ice cream social.  Kyle and I joked on the way home about how easy that badge was to earn. 

 

Both of Evangeline's grandmas were Girl Scouts and Granny was a long time troop leader. 

 

Today we've been enjoying what is left of a glorious three day weekend.  We finally got some snow!  We had fun traipsing around the yard until our noses were running and our fingers were freezing cold.  Evangeline discovered the fun of shaking baby trees until the snow had completely dropped from their twigs.   It was so much fun for Mama to watch.  Here she was writing my name on a rock, "Mama, look!  An A for Adrienne, then a J for A-J-rienne".  I love the sounding out of words.  

 

 

Another note about reading and sounding out words...this morning I was making pancakes and Evangeline was setting up a game of Sequence for us to play.  She asked me what the game chips said, then she decided that they say "for kibs".  I realized she meant "for kids", but it is so crazy that she is reading and figuring out words on her own.  It's pretty cool actually.

 

Can you spot the Mommy and Evangeline-sized snow angels?  Every time I turned around Evangeline was plopped down on her back making a snow angel.

 

The snow has certainly had a soporific effect on me.  I took not one, but two naps!  The crazy thing is that I'm not a napper.  I hate naps.  Now, Kyle has certainly argued this point with me and I am never one to deny Evangeline of a nap, but for me to take a nap is a total waist of daylight.  However, today I took two and I have to admit it felt pretty good. 



XOXO

We had a nice little Valentine's Day.  I think everyone felt nice and loved.  Dad had us over for a delicious Valentine's feast....glazed sweet potatoes, asparagus, and scallops with a decadent chocolate cake for dessert.  It was better than anything we could have got in a restaurant. 

 

Evangeline has been so in to Valentine's Day this year.  She's spent a lot of time making decorations and cards this month.

 

Evangeline took a bouncy ball with her Valentines this year.  She told me she was sure to give herself one when she passed them out.  

 

My sweet Valentines sent some mighty pretty flowers to my work.  It was a lovely surprise. 

 

More cookies were made.  

 

Now Evangeline's talking all about Easter.  She's ready for the next holiday.  She's a holiday girl.  

 

It warmed up and got just sunny enough last weekend to break out the chalk.  Evangeline stayed out for a very long time decorating the driveway.  Here's a chalk drawing I particularly liked...it's a picture of me and Kyle.  I think it's on our wedding day.  Underneath the picture she wrote, "I love my weird dad.  I love my mom."

 

We love her.

 

 

Stuff

I've been a little slow to the writing lately.  Since the last time there's been Disney on Ice (rink side) with Papa and Karen, a horrible ear infection for the little girl resulting in her first missed day of Kindergarten, and my mom's birthday.  I finally got the last of the Christmas decorations put away and much to Evangeline's approval we hung some heart dollies on the mantle.

This is going to be the week from h-e-double hockey sticks.  It's evaluation week.  I have much to do; write a formal lesson plan, clean and organize my classroom, align my plan to Common Core, prepare my answers for the post conference (where I sit down to 2 principals grilling me about my every move)..... so naturally it felt like the perfect time to make Valentine cookies and start a pair of mittens for Evangeline.

We have to make cookies again next week for church.  I'll try to take better pictures.  We did get fancy with our packaging and Evangeline took some to school for Mrs. Reynolds.  She was SO excited to give them to her.  She walked down the hallway to her classroom with them behind her back and up against the wall.  It's a wonder she didn't smash them all on the way down to her room.

We went out to dinner at the local Mexican restaurant, Tres Caminos.  We don't go there often, but each time we do Evangeline's mind is blown.  She loves to admire all of the masks and lizards on the walls. She always makes one of those "you might be from Marshall" comments that goes something like, "isn't it cool that this is a Mexican restaurant and the people that work here are from Mexico!?"  When we went this past week she spent most of her time there copying the words "Tres Caminos" over and over on a napkin.  She took the napkin home with her and told me that she was going to take it to school the next day and ask Mrs. Reynolds if she could tell the class about Tres Caminos.  When I saw her later at school the next morning she was beaming with pride telling me that she got to sit in Mrs. Reynolds rocking chair and tell the class about Tres Cominos and show everyone her napkin.....ahhhh, it truly is the little things. 

Evangeline also shared a book she wrote with the class last week.  Her penguin book.  She got to read it to the class and then Mrs. Reynolds had her take it out in the hall to read to the principal.  Our principal stopped me after school and raved about Evangeline's book and how hilarious it was (it's a comedy) and how impressed she was with her illustrations.  She said she told Evangeline that she could be both an illustrator and author someday and that they could put her book in the library for kids to check out.  I think Evangeline must have thought she was kidding because the principal said Evangeline got all giggly and said no.  Mrs. Reynolds was also very impressed.  Since that day Evangeline has been going on about how she's going to be an author and illustrator someday in addition to someone who makes movies.  She can do anything she wants to, I tell her.  I'm so proud of my little Evangeline. 

Speaking of books...  In addition to her beloved Bernstein Bears, Evangeline loves all things Mo Wellims, and the There Was an Old Lady books....I like to note things like this for the old Mama memory.

Well, not to many pictures today.  I guess I'm tired, but I really haven't stopped to think about it.