Evelyn's First Birthday!

On her actual birthday, Evelyn got to have another small celebration with just Mommy & Daddy.  Which mostly consisted of eating another cupcake and opening a couple more presents.  Evelyn and I were leaving the next day on a trip to Kansas, so we wanted to make sure we got lots of time in with Daddy first.  Here are some more fun birthday photos.

Evelyn's 1st Birthday Party

For Evelyn's first birthday, we decided just to have a simple celebration at our home with Joe's family.  We ate dinner together, opened presents, and enjoyed some yummy carrot cake cupcakes.  It was Evelyn's first experience with a sugary treat, and we chose to make one of the cupcake recipes that we loved so much from our wedding three years ago.

Daddy's Day!

While we're still a couple of years away from gifts of colored macaroni glued to paper neckties, we wanted to really celebrate Father's Day this year in honor of Joe (who is already simply the most amazing dad ever). On Saturday night, we left Evelyn with our dear friends, Vicki & Ray & Gola, while we went to dinner at Fogo de Chao (one of Joe's favorites).  Sorry, no pics were taken on Saturday night, but let me assure you that we looked good.  After church on Sunday, we met Joe's sister Sylvanna and his niece Sophia for a late lunch.  Joe had a great time acting like a child playing with the girls.  Like her momma, Evelyn is such a lucky girl to have such a fun, thoughtful, and caring daddy in her life.  We love you, Joe!!

side note: Evelyn's adorable dress was made by my talented friend, Vicki, for her little girl, Gola Wren, who is now three.

Someone's in the Kitchen with Mom-ma!

As a distraction, I put Evelyn in the kitchen sink while I was cooking.  It's a tight space for her now, but she seems to enjoy watching me, and snatching whatever pieces of food (in this case, lettuce) are within her reach.

Also, she's discovered how to turn on the sink faucet, which is very entertaining for her.

Evie Pulls Up!

This week, we've seen Evelyn pull herself up twice into a standing position.  While she isn't motivated yet to start walking around furniture, she'll stand to get into a cabinet or her bookshelves.  (BTW, it isn't cold here, the leggings are to protect her knees while she's crawling all over our apartment).

Daddy's 35th Birthday Party

On Saturday, we had a little party for Joe's birthday over at his mom's house.  Here is a small glimpse of the party (our camera was sadly underutilized that evening).  Evie seemed to really enjoy all of the fun and everyone who came for the sole purpose of entertaining her.  We're very fortunate to have these wonderful people in our lives.

Daddy's Birthday

Joe decided that he could get up a little early on his birthday to open his big, mysterious present before work.  There were two smaller boxes inside, and Evie loved helping her daddy unwrap his gift.  We're considering just wrapping up a bunch of empty boxes for her birthday this year.

First Splash Pad Experience!

After meeting Sylvanna, Steve & Sophia for lunch, we headed over to the splash pad.  Evie is not walking yet, but she didn't require much assistance in enjoying the water and watching the other kids.  (Note to self: next time, bring Evie's swimsuit).