Evelyn Hosts a Sleepover!

Prior to Evelyn, Chris and I always had Liliana spend the night, sometimes once a month!  It had been over 10 months, so we decided it would be fun for Liliana to come over and have a sleepover with Evelyn.  Evelyn's best friend is her cousin Liliana.  Although the girls are 6 years apart, Liliana is an absolute angel when she plays with Evelyn.  She is patient, kind, keeps Evelyn safe, and always enthusiastic when playing with Evelyn even though the toys are for babies.  Liliana came over during the afternoon, and she and I rested and watched The Secret Garden while Evelyn took her afternoon nap.

When Evelyn woke up the girls played with some of Evelyn new Christmas presents, including her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse ball pit.  Liliana thought it was hilarious when Evelyn's hair stood up from the static!  

 After dinner, Liliana helped give Evelyn a bath.  Evelyn loves putting her face in the bubbles, and Liliana thought that was hilarious!

 The sweetest moment of the sleepover came before the girls went to bed.  Liliana is learning to read, and she was so excited to read to Evelyn before bed.  It was amazing to listen to her and watch Evelyn listen to her and look at the pictures :)

 Of course you sleep in the same room at a sleepover!

 Playing and dancing in their tent singing the Hot Dog song from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!

 We love you, Liliana!  Thank you for being a wonderful cousin and friend to Evelyn!!

Who Needs a Bottle These Days?

Each day Evelyn surprises us with something new.  She could be exploring the hallway or kitchen, trying to climb up on the couch, the possibilities are endless.  These days it's all about her cup.  She's figured out how to get water to come out, and she loves shaking it up and down.  The only problem is that she won't let us take it away once we are finished with a meal!

Happy New Year! Welcome 2014!

It's hard to believe, but the new year crept up on us so quickly!  We opted to do something low-key and hang out with Evelyn instead of going out on New Year's Eve.  We did go to dinner with my parents and several of the neighbors that I grew up with.  It was nice to catch up with them and let them play with Evelyn.  Following dinner we headed home where our good friends, Katie and Kam, came over to have a relaxing night with us.  They brought Evelyn a Christmas present, a super soft little lamb and a cute book with a finger puppet.  After playing with Evelyn for awhile, we put her down for bed, and waited until midnight.  At about two minutes til, we brought Evelyn back downstairs, put on a hat, gave her a streamer horn, and brought in the New Year with her by our sides.  She was a bit out of it and confused, but she smiled as we gave her hugs and kisses and yelled, "Happy New Year!"  To our surprise, she fell right back to sleep when we took her back upstairs!  I don't know how we could possibly have as great of a year as 2013, but we are looking forward to the many surprises and amazing memories to come!  Happy New Year, and may you all be blessed with health and happiness in 2014!

 Take 1 and take 2 of trying to get a family photo....

 Take 3....

 Finally!

 Thank you for my gift Katie and Kam, and thank you for being such great friends!

 A little out of it :)

 Literally, the second Katie went to take the picture her hat fell down

Standing Tall!

The past few weeks have not only been exciting because of the holidays, but Evelyn has hit some huge milestones!  Not only is she crawling around in the room, but she is exploring several rooms by crawling down the hallways and through the kitchen.  Lately, I can't put her down for a nap without her standing up to check out her mobile.  She has no interest in sitting anymore.  As soon as we go to sit her down, she straightens and locks her legs so tight that all we can do it stand her up.  Each time I go to get her out of her crib she holds onto my fingers, stands up, and walks towards me.  It is absolutely amazing to watch her grow and learn.  I'm sure she will be doing cartwheels before we know it!

Christmas with the Fields!

After celebrating Christmas with my Dad's side, we headed over for a Christmas afternoon with Chris's family.  Evelyn is the only baby on this side of the family, so it is always quiet and relaxing, the perfect way to end a busy Christmas day!  When we arrived we played with Evelyn and talked with his family.  Next came gifts!  Chris, Evelyn, and I received a renewal to the Cincinnati Zoo, which we are so excited about!  Evelyn also got a rocking horse that sings to her!  Her feet don't quite touch the ground on it yet, but it will be something she will grow into and love in just a few months!  After gifts, we had a lasagna dinner.  It was a wonderful afternoon with Chris's family, and the perfect ending to our first Christmas with Evelyn!

 It isn't as easy these days to get a family picture where she is looking at the camera, smiling, and with nothing in her mouth!

 Helping Daddy open gifts

 We got Chris's mom and Grandmother Pandora bead for her bracelet :)

 Pulling herself up on some gifts to go see her uncle Greg.

 Uncle Greg got Evelyn a little electronic cat that she can chase around!

 Already playing with toys!

 Chris got an air compressor, which he was very excited about!

Christmas with Great-Grandma Koumoutsos!

After opening gifts at home and getting cleaned up, Chris, Evelyn, and I headed to Amelia to celebrate Christmas with my Dad's side of the family.  By this time Evelyn was a pro at pulling tissue and wrapping paper, so she was able to help open a few of her gifts.  She received clothes, toys, and a nativity set!  It was a great morning with Grandma and my aunts, uncle and cousins!

 Grandma's new coat and scarf :)

 Chris is running the Flying Pig marathon, so these books will help with the training!