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.

Happy Birthday Week Baby! Part 1

Happy Birthday Princess Evangeline!

Although it was a few weeks ago, I wanted to share some photos from Evangeline's birthday week. On the Sunday before her birthday she celebrated with her Best Friend James. James is three days older than Evangeline and she was jealous of his cake...

Evangeline camping out in the Kitchen on her birthday morning.

We shared breakfast of biscuits (Evangeline's favorite) and played in the kitchen for a while. She is really into the refrigerator right now--she loves the magnets and photos on it and loves standing in the door when it is open. She loves the game of taking things out of the fridge while mommy and daddy are busy trying to close the door.

Later that day, Evangeline hung out with her girl friend Claire at a picnic at a park near our house. Claire shared her baby doll, water cup, toys and snacks. Claire has recently become more sure-footed and so she and Evangeline are running around the park like I had never seen before. Evangeline has been walking for more than four months, so it is nice her friends are now able to play with her on that level too.

I love how these girls are running now.

That evening, after several delays, her Aunt Sarah and Grandma Carri were in town. We all went out to Sophia's to celebrate.

Thursday her Aunt Catelyn and Uncle Daniel arrived after flying all over the eastern part of the country to get there. On Thursday, Aunt Sarah also came to Evangeline and my Mommy and Me Yoga class. Sarah also snapped a few photos for the instructor.

Evangeline and I at our Mommy and Me Yoga class.

Evangeline is one!

Congrats to Evangeline on one year. Mom and dad love you more thank you will ever know.

Eleven months

Blue eyes and dark reddish brown hair

Evangeline loved the apple orchard

She rode in the stroller in her first Race for the Cure

Beautiful. She is so cute in her Fall wardrobe. She even plays with her skirts.

Climbing the stairs with her new favorite food an apple.

Playtime with mommy

We're eleven months into this parenting adventure. We also celebrated Greg's birthday this week, so I'm a little late with the post. Evan is growing so quickly. She loves books, dancing and building "nests" of toys around the house. Below are a few photos from this month.

Playing downstairs, or getting into trouble.

Looking out the front door for Daddy.

Playing with bubbles in the laundry room.

Building a nest.