Hoop Dee Do-Dah!

Our second day in Orlando Greg and I took Evangeline to the Hoop Dee Do Review.

Family shot before our adventure.

 I've been two times before, once when I was 11 and again right after Greg and I got married. The show is a review of American Folk Songs, ie. "Davy Crocket" and "Oh Shenandoah." The show is two hours long with dinner and music. Evangeline actually made it through the whole show--and was periodically babbling with the table of boys next to us. It was a great Disney experience for our entire family, and it fit Evangeline's attention span.

So excited while waiting outside the show.

Dancing feet.

Almost in the most wonderful place on earth

This past week Greg and I attended the National Communication Association Conference in Orlando, Florida. It was a great trip and our first chance to introduce Evangeline to a little of Disney World. We arrived late Wednesday night and stayed at two different resort hotels while we were there, first the Wyndam Bonnet Creek and then the Swan and Dolphin. Our friend Liz picked us up from the airport and took us to our first hotel.

Before we left we had a light lunch at Jazz in CoMo.

Evangeline is such a great traveler as is her Panda bear.

Evangeline is a seasoned traveler and loves to watch the plane take off.

We arrived in Orlando and she was so tired.

Evangeline brushing her teeth, her new favorite activity.

Looking out the window at the resorts.

We were really tired after our night of traveling.

Hanging out at the Swan at the NCA conference.

Nana and Sherri came to visit. We walked around the Disney Boardwalk.

On the boardwalk.

Thursday we got a surprise visit from Greg's mom and we also got to see our friends the Painters and their girls. We went to downtown Disney and ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. Maddie, Natalie and Evangeline had a great time.

First trip to Rainforest Cafe.

The girls hanging out at the Lego store.

Beautiful, happy Natalie.

Daddy introducing Evangeline to Legos.

One Year Appointment

On Wednesday we made it to Evangeline's one year appointment. She got several shots including a Flu Shot and had her blood drawn to check for led and anemia.

Here's her stats. Evangeline is in the 70 percentile for weight and 75 percentile for height. She is growing a normal rate. She weights 21 pounds and is 31 inches tall.

So tired after her shots

We have successfully been breast feeding for a little over a year now, she breast feeds two or three times a day now. Other than that, she will still only eat solid foods that she can feed herself. Right now she loves turkey bacon and green grapes.

She claps when you sing Happy Birthday (we've had a lot of birthdays to celebrate recently) or say "yay," she also says "hi, hello, dada, mama, dog, ball, okk" (which we think is book), "dadt" and points, and recognizes photos of family members including her two grandfathers.

She loves books and to climb into enclosed spaces--especially her castle which we kept in the living room after her birthday party. She shows every new person who comes to the house all her new toys and books. This week she started having a babysitter come for three hours two days a week so mommy and daddy can get some more time to do research at school.

We are still using cloth diapers, although the cleaning process is a bit more of a challenge now that we have at least two solid poop diapers a day. She wears 5 to 7 diapers a day. I wash two or three times a week.

Doctor's appointments are harder on moms than they are on babies I think. Evangeline did not like getting her shots or her blood drawn, but she was pretty resilient. I however felt awful all day for putting her through it. She got a trip to the mall to ride the train to remedy my spirits and hers.

Riding the Columbia Mall Train

So happy!

Horray its Halloween!

So my Halloween post is also a little late, but I thought I would share what we did for the week after Evangeline's birthday (which included Halloween).

The Tuesday before Halloween we went to trick-or-treat with James and Brenda around Mizzou's Greek Town. Evangeline and James got their first taste of candy. Evangeline wore an Elmo headband and carried her Elmo goody basket Grandma Carri bought her.

Evangeline and James prepare for their trick or treat trip

Getting Candy from one of the Zeta Girls

Evangeline at the ZTA house

On Wednesday, we we hung out with our neighbors Chesney and Arlen. Arlen also brough Evangeline a new cellphone toy for her birthday. They were so cute playing in Evangeline's Cozy Coupe and in the Castle (which we left up from her birthday party).

Evangeline trying to keep Arlen out of the castle.

Squeezing into the Cozy Coupe together. It's too early for my girl to get in a car with a boy.

Opening her birtday gift from Arlen.

Wednesday night Greg pulled her around in the wagon to a few neighbor's houses, we handed out candy to three dozen trick-or-treaters and watched "Its the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" before Evangeline headed to bed. We let her try a Crunch bar while she watched the movie, but only after she ate through the candy bar's wrapper while we were not watching.

Fall Family Photos

Here are our most recent photos form Lollipop Photography. Rhiannon has photographed our family seven times in the past year an a half. It's amazing how much Evangeline has changed, not to mention how much smaller I am.

Evangeline's One Year Pumpkin Photos

I got her brown pumpkin bow and Evan hippo shirt from a new boutique in Columbia, MO, called the Little Owl Boutique. Her orange dress is a Tea Collection dress I bought used on Ebay.

Birthday photo with balloons

Family shot in front of the house in your pumpkin patch

This one captures her personality perfectly

Some more birthday photos

So Evangeline did not make it through all of her presents at her birthday party. Here are a few more photos from that weekend with the Wiggins Grandparents, Aunts Sarah and Catelyn, and Uncle Daniel.

Hanging out with her friends Claire, James and Kai at the end of her party.

James in his pj's. He was not ready to leave yet.

Evangeline and Kai chatting about who gets to ride in the car.

Clapping for daddy. The closest thing we get to a thank you.

Playing with her picnic basket.

Evangeline the morning after the party.

Unwrapping a few more gifts from Aunt Edge.

Walking to Church on Granddad Will's shoulders.

Saying goodbye at the Columbia Airport. She looks so sad.

One last photo op with the aunts. I'm so grateful for such sweet sisters.

Happy Birthday Week Baby! Part 2

Friday Granddad Will joined us and we got to work putting together Evangeline's party on Saturday. We all worked worked on making the decorations come together, and worked on the cake and helped collect food and supplies for the party. Greg, Dad and Danny made her an awesome castle. Greg had been collecting boxes since April. Since the party was storybook themed we thought it fitting to set the stage with a castle.

Greg and Danny build the castle in the garage. 

Dad painting the bricks to put on the castle.

Castle ready for the party in the living room.

Sarah also made the great banner for the castle that said "Happy Birthday" too.

Catie and I moved the castle to the living room and moved the furniture so that the kids could have more space to play.

Evangeline hanging out in her awesome castle.

We also painted a sign to put in the side yard with the names of places from the literary books we read her this year.

Admiring the sign.

You can't have a first birthday without a great cake and my mom made a wonderful cake from scratch. The cake looked like a stack of books and Sarah helped to decorate it. Evangeline was not really into the cake at first but she eventually got into it and got green icing all over her face.

Mom making the book cake

Aunt Sarah making icing

Aunts Sarah and Catie decorating the cake.

Evangeline got several great toys. She recieved a wagon from her Nana Candy, a cozy coupe from her Wiggins Grandparents and a tricycle from Grandpa Jack and G'ma. She also had a great time hanging out with her friends. Below Claire and Evangeline riding in the wagon in the back yard. Can you tell they liked it?

Evangeline and Claire

James the dinosaur and his Hermine Mommy Brenda

Greg cuts the cake

Evangeline opens a few of her gifts

She loved her books

Playing with Claire

Hanging out with Kai.

We all had a great time. I could not have done it without all the family's support. I have to say this is was one of the best parties I have ever attended and I actually got to enjoy it because of all the help. I am so glad that my family came to help. I was so proud of Evangeline for growing so well over her first year, and also to Greg for being her parent too. Thank you to all who came out to celebrate with us.

I'll leave you with this.

Evangeline eats her cake.