Discovery Center and Bojangles!

Today was a better day! Here's a picture of Evie from Heart Day last year! Boy, has she changed - she was not nearly as cute as I thought she was. HA!

We went to the Discovery Center in Murfreesboro. It was so much fun. Evie has not been since the Tiny Town opened. They have a little Home Depot, Post Office, Kroger, music studio and kitchen. Evie loved it. I think the music studio was her favorite although she liked the obstacle course too. It was so fun to take her somewhere and see her walk everywhere. I usually hold her when we are out and about. Evie continues to be fascinated by big girls and had fun sorting food in the grocery store with a big girl.

We really miss Bojangles living in Middle Tennessee. They have one in Murfreesboro so of course we had to stop and get some while we were in the area. Nothing is better than a ham biscuit and some french fries. Evie was not as impressed with the biscuits as she was the last time. All Southern girls love biscuits - even if they pretend that they don't - so we will have to work on that with Evie.

I had to go to the eye doctor this afternoon. It's a good thing that I went there before going to get a Tennessee license because I probably would not have passed the vision test. Evie did not nap so she was ready for bed at 6:30. I made some chicken piccata for dinner. Delicious - I love all things lemon. We are supposed to get some more snow tonight and into tomorrow! El Nino, I'm glad you only come every few years! Baby Boy - it's time to go back where you came from.

Miles Apart!

Today was a very disappointing day! We had planned to drive to North Carolina for a visit with my parents, Evie's one year pictures and go to a baptism for our special friends the Hortons. Mother Nature had a different plan because she put snow in our path going and coming! I was so teary because I had looked forward to this weekend for so long. These are the days when I wish we were not so far from our family. Four or five hours would be much more manageable for me to drive with Evie without Carl. Our photographer, Lindsey Turner, was super sweet about it and told me she'd fit us in on the 27th. I am doing a little better now that we have a new date to go but this is exactly why it's not always fun to live so far away from your family.

I was really looking forward to James' baptism and seeing Lindsay and Susan. Not to mention the delicious cake that Lindsay had made for James' special day. It's much harder to see your friends when you are a mommy. Carl still has not met James and at the rate we are going they might meet at Evie and James' wedding. Just kidding, I am feeling a bit dramatic in case you have not noticed. Carl was trying to make me feel better and said we could make chili tonight. That's the last meal I would make - all of this cold weather has made me tired of all of my cold weather foods. I know we made the best decision for our safety especially since it's snowing in Charleston but it's still not what I wanted.

Evie has been a doll today. We spent a lot of time on the floor. She thinks it is really fun to crawl over me - over and over again. It wears her out too so she had two super long naps today. I found a new website that gives you ideas of things to do with your baby. It seems like I am not the only one with the winter blahs. There are a lot of great ideas out there but if you have a little one at home check out this website.

Evie has been eating with a spoon for several weeks. She prefers to pick up her bowls and containers and drink the contents as if it were a glass. Evie took it a step further at lunch today by pouring it on her head. What a mess! My camera battery was charging but it sure would have been a cute picture. I am sure that I will have plenty more chances to catch her pouring food on her head.

We ran a few errands this afternoon. It was pretty cold so I dressed Evie in her little bear hat. Carl and I were obsessed with bear stuff last winter for our little baby bear and this hat still fits Evie. Well, if you are trying to get in and out of Kroger quickly, do not dress your adorable baby in a cute bear hat unless you want to spend an excessive amount of time in the store. I lost count of how many people stopped us to talk with Evie about how cute she was in her hat. I agree, she's pretty cute. Evie is still not so sure about random people talking to her. Sometimes, she engages in "conversation" with them. Other times, she shrinks into the corner of the cart. One lady told me that Evie was embarrassed. HA! I did not want to tell her that Evie just does not appreciate people in her face. I wondered what these people thought of me because I had no makeup on and a pullover on - my usual attire for the winter months. I was laughing at how scatterbrained, I have become as I could not find all of my coupons at checkout. Evie had been plucking them one by one from my hand so we lost some along the way. Kroger is not our favorite shopping destination since they do not offer cookies or bread samples. Evie perked up on our trip to the Puffy Muffin. Since, we are going to be here for Heart Day, we needed a few sweets. I bought some mint brownies, lemon squares, sugar cookies and a mini eclair. That should make the weekend a little sweeter!

Evie and I picked up some dinner at Pei Wei. Carl was at home when we got back. Evie was happy to see her Daddy but even more excited about her mandarin oranges. I an slightly concerned that she may turn into an orange because she averages a can every two days. Too bad she does not feel the same way about green beans or carrots. Guess, she takes after me!

Have I mentioned that it's cold?

Enough of this cold! Our high was 35. It does not seem to bother Evie but then again she is all bundled up. Not to mention she is carried to and from places.

It was a pretty ordinary day. We went to Harris Teeter twice! I just cannot get it together anymore to get it all done at once even with a list. Oh well, it's somewhere to go and it's warm in there. Plus they have free cookies and bread which makes Evie happy.

We had Kindermusik this morning. It was good to see all of our friends. We had lots of fun playing. Evie is really into animal sounds these days. She can bark but that is the extent of her animal sounds so far. Evie thinks it's really great when I make the animal sounds. Her favorite is the bear.

Evie was so cranky when she woke up from her nap. She was not feeling well. Luckily, she perked up after a snack and a little juice - a rare treat at our house. She neeed some juice to help her out in the bathroom department. Poor thing but she is all better now. I am not against juice at all but I figure there is plenty of time for juice in her future. She does not express her opinion about the lack of juice in her diet so we will stick with milk. It's better for her growing body anyway. We made a new recipe for chicken broccoli casserole for dinner. I say we because Evie hangs out in the kitchen playing with all of the pots and pans. The casserole was good but any casserole with crushed Ritz tastes pretty good to me. Evie approved too.

Carl made it home in time for dinner. He had to make a trip to Memphis. Evie was so happy to see him. Carl was able to go to the Peabody - the hotel famous for the duck parades. We would like to take Evie there soon. Maybe she will learn to quack at the Peabody.

Black and White Wednesday

It's Black and White Wednesday over at The Long Road to China . I just love this beautiful picture of Evie. It's one of my favorites that I have taken with my new camera. I have just recently learned how to convert my own pictures at home. It's so easy so I am not sure why I never tried it before. Evie looks like such a big girl in this picture. Black and white pictures are my favorite. They really capture the beauty of the person especially in children!

Hired Help!

Evie and I had a pretty low-key morning around the house. She helped me with laundry and organizing a few things. I am amazed at how helpful she is now. Laundry is her favorite chore but it takes her longer than most because she tries on each piece before sorting it. It's hysterical to see her with so many articles of clothing around her neck. I try not to laugh because she is so serious! I am noticing her copying me more and more too. She took the cap and tried to put it back on the milk. It's amazing all the things that she is putting together now. We were supposed to go to a Valentine Day party this morning but we just did not make it. Sometimes it's more fun to stay home!

Evie was not interested in napping this afternoon so we headed out to The Factory and to a playdate. Evie was so happy to see her friends Logan and Cassidy. I was so happy to see Amanda and Carol. Mommy friends are so important especially if you are staying home - it keeps you sane. Playing is hard work. Evie was so exhausted that she stayed asleep when I pulled in the garage. Usually, her little eyes pop right open to see what's happening next! I was able to quickly snap a picture of our Sleeping Beauty!

Have you heard the St. Jude's telethon on the radio this week? I missed it last year - guess I was a little busy being a new mom! I have a whole new perspective on it now that I am a mom. We are so lucky to have a healthy, happy little girl! My heart breaks for those families - families just like mine except that their children suffer from terrible diseases. Each day with Evie is special even the hard days. I cannot imagine seeing Evie go through tests and treatments - my prayer is that I never have to experience that type of pain.

Our little Evie has turned into a cookie monster! She is still loving Girl Scout cookie time and recognizes that special box in the pantry. It's so cute to see her point for it. One cookie never hurt anyone! We had a fun evening playing with magnetic letters and reading books. Evie loves her giraffe now and pushes it all over the kitchen. Her legs are not quite long enough for her to propel herself but she loves to take a little spin around with a little help from me.

More Snow is falling all around!

Well, schools were closed today. Nothing new around here. I am starting to wonder if these kids ever go to school. One of my friends clued me in - I did not know that Williamson County builds 10 days into the calendar to create 190 possible school days. Kids must pray for snow around here because if the snowdays are not used they still go the scheduled days. This clears up all of my confusion because I was wondering why the schools were so quick to close before the first flake even fell from the sky.

Our floors are still not finished - Monday is our new target date. They will not be back until Monday so it will be so nice to have our house back. It's so hard to keep Evie out of the kitchen not to mention that I have been packing our lunch and snacks so we were not in the way. Needless to say, it will be so nice to be back in the kitchen!

Carl kept Evie while I went to get my haircut. It's a little different than usual but I needed a bit of a change. I enjoyed my little break. It started snowing on the way home. What a beautiful sight! Although, sunny skies, tulips and warm days are beautiful too. I made homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner. It was a little bland to me but Carl said it was delicious. He has requested it once a week in the winter. My favorite part of the dinner was the fabulous grilled cheese that Carl made for me. YUMMY! I love grilled cheese sandwiches and can never get them quite right.

Snow is falling all around!

Brr . . . it is so cold! I had to go to the post office this morning and since it was so cold - Evie went in her pj's and sleepsack. We met a lady that had locked herself out of the car and needed a penny. Not sure what the penny had to do with it but I gave her one. She said it helped her get the spare key. Evie and I were glad to help! I mailed our taxes today to NC since I have no idea who to use here. Plus they know us there and will do a good job! I met another lady at the post office that was mailing her taxes to Colorado. That made me feel like I was not the only crazy one.

Our floors are still not done! I know these guys have been here awhile when Evie feels totally comfortable with them. They ran out of wood today and were unable to finish. It's a disaster zone! They will be here at least two more days. I am thinking they really under estimated this job. We were supposed to have a playdate in the morning but I had to cancel due to the mess. Evie will be so disappointed when she does not see anyone her size.

Evie had a super short afternoon nap since it was not optimal napping conditions. We played blocks, read books and sorted bows. Evie is standing up on the mantle, the ledge in the bathroom and the toy basket - then she jumps off. It makes me very nervous but she thinks it is so much fun.

It's snowing but the novelty has worn off since this is the fifteenth time this season. It's pouring right now and reminds Carl of a winter wonderland.