Everyday Memories....

I've noticed that it's sometimes hard for me to remember the little, everyday things that are full of joy and profound meaning - unless I write them down! We've had a gratitude-full and wonder-filled holiday season, starting with seeing family in MI for T-day, and now recently finishing with seeing all kinds of friends and fam around the city and then throughout MN for Xmas and New Yrs. I feel full of bright memories and meaningful moments; a few that I want to be sure to remember include:

- watching Eva tap dance her little heart out with her new shoes, fluffy skirt, (loud) recorder and (hipster) skull cap with the VerHage fam
- opening up our "Petersen Baby May 2012" cookie at Opart Thai
- Eva reading her fave books to herself, and to us, this season (Sergio, Party in Kalamazoo, B-Bears, The Skin You Live In, various Bible stories, etc.)
- Eva playing by the tree like I always did, just to stay close to it
- everyday - but such deeply good - friend time, like making cookies with Danielsons, caroling with Edstroms/crew, dinner with Marxs, soup with Nordlunds, museum with Leah, backyard fire with Bassetts, coffee with Al, late night chats with JR, etc.
- visits to Field and Shedd and Children's Museum in Mpls with Eva, and watching her run to each section with open-hearted joy
- having Bonnie in town for fun and on the run fried rice!
- lunch with mom and talking with dad in Rochester
- best peanut-butter choc blossom cookie batch - ever - a la Mom!
- seeing animated lights with J and K in Mpls
- New Yrs party fun with mustaches, karaoke, and good friends
- SS Advent series with various music, space to listen, and hearing tender/wise thoughts from others
- Eva getting into the season by dressing up as Santa Lucia, playing her first part in a play as a little angel in the church Christmas story, and attending Santa Lucia at the Swedish museum - insisting that we walk with the mile-long parade of candles and lights together!
- watching Eva play fox and goose through snow trails with Gramps, and get out old Barbies and use homemade playdough with Grammy  
- Little Town of Bethlehem at NPCC = unreal!
- Eva's preschool "concert" at her "PBS school" under the arched stained glass windows and twinkling Christmas lights
- seeing Eva delight in carefully crafting paintings, picture frames, sticker pages, etc. as gifts for others; and picking out a sweater that she loved to give to her dad  
- long lunch with Molly and Eric, enjoying so much in common and so much to learn from each other
- playing with Joey (and Jeanne and Paul!), in their sunny, warm and beautiful home
- brunch with Satte and playing in the freezing cold car with Eva ("Now Sarah, you and mom are the girls and I will be the mom that drives us to the museum exhibit," says my three year old!)
- getting jeans that fit and discovering body sugar scrub for dry skin!
- Christmas Day night darts with Bo and Megs, Josh ("Have I seen you since Thailand?"), and having a Bruce sighting :)
- date night with Peter at Zzest, great long car drive conversations, and laughing a lot
- Blue Nativity night, with "The baby Jesus was just light, mom!" and "Why didn't the camel try to eat me?"
- Eva playing baby Jesus with me as Mary and Peter as the manger
- night out for just our family of three, shopping at Red Balloon, getting hot cider at Cafe Latte, and skipping up the sidewalks while singing in the frosty night air
- reading the Christmas story over and over and over to an eager listener/questioner at her bedtime
- drives and chats in the minivan while on the way to Owatonna, the airport, and around town with my fave Seattle family members
- walking around my home town and seeing the old/familiar and the new/surprising with equal delight
- Eva asking, "Mom, does God love monsters too?" 
- driving while watching E dance to the music in the back seat, singing her heart out, along with "Do You Hear What I Hear?" - and then knowing she will always crescendo to a loud finish, with her arms flung wide open, "He will bring, us, goodness, and LIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!"

Eva-isms - two more

I forgot a couple additional standard Eva sayings:

- "puter" - computer, pronounced just like computer minus the first syllable
- "Pee-caw-joh" - currently how she is pronouncing Chicago. :) This word has gone through a couple derivations, this one is my favorite.

Eva-isms

I've noticed certain vocabulary "isms" that are particular to how Eva talks at 3 1/2 yrs. A couple friends at church were even commenting on a couple oft-repeated words of hers, which made me smile and realize that even in the name of accuracy, I don't want her to outgrow the certain way she pronounces some words - not yet at least.

The most common Eva-isms these days include:

- "actually," said correctly and all, but just used - A LOT (I've noticed how much I say this word - correlated?)
- "excuse me," said again, correctly, but very, very often - when she disagrees, wants to talk, wants you to do something differently, etc. etc.
- "cans" - her version of because, or 'cause
- "I begot" - her version of forgot or forget
- "bemember" - remember
- "just joking'" - when she is being funny, or says something incorrectly, she laughs and says, "oh, sorry, I was just joking"
- "I'm uh ladee" accent; she LOVES accents of all kinds, and hearing me imitate various accents lately, and has even developed her own accent called "being a lady" - it's pretty funny. :)  

Grateful for this Fall...

- Baking fresh peach and apple crisp
- Beautiful fall wedding on University of Chicago's campus
- Boots, sweaters and wraps
- Warm sun on the porch in the mornings
- Pool, pretzels, drinks and laughing with twenty-somethings who graciously included our three year old
- Family-made empanadas and truffles just down the block
- Soft blankets, nose nuzzles and cuddling
- Bedtime with Eva
- Finally making friends with the local UPS store
- Puddle jumping
- Morning prayer in Celtic prayerbook
-12 years of marriage to an amazing man
- Berenstein Bears books
- Lots of new babies being born into the world this season
- Crunchy leaves at the playground
- Eva's declaration that she wants to be a ballet teacher when she grows up
- Free training sessions with fun strangers at the gym
- Lasagna, chili, and homemade soup
- Striped umbrellas and jean jackets
- Discovering Almond cake
- Afternoons in Evanston
- Eva putting her arm around my neck on the couch to pull me close
- Laughing in bed in the mornings
- Getting into a preschool routine
- Bookstores and lattes
- Fresh new season full of fall energy

Firsts

Firsts this summer that I want to remember include:

- first Father's Day present that she picked out by herself (fish wind chimes from 10,000 Villages)

- first church picnic (with LOTS of sunscreen, courtesy of Sanne)

- first time writing her own name (mostly; A is still hard; and the E has 4-5 horizontal lines)  :)


- first time on a roller coaster, and other kiddie rides (at Cedar Point)

- first paddleboat ride (at cabin) 

 - first trip to Seattle (visiting Bo and Megs with Grammy and Gramps for their 40th)

- first week going to VBS (at NPCC, Egypt and Joseph theme)

 

- first Lego sets (Winnie the Pooh fishing, and outdoor fruit market stand), first Trio set (Construction set with wrecking ball), and first princess doll (Ariel for the bath)   

 - first play (Rapunzel, that we saw with Kate, Izey and Ando)

 - first garden - for all three of us :) - including a plot at church and one in our backyard

 - and that reminds me... first backyard :)

 
- first ballet class

- first Cubs game at Wrigley (on an unseasonably cold and rainy night, with dad, Leah, Sanne and families.)
 

Celebrating Eva at Three Years Old!

It is amazing to me that it was three year ago that Eva came into this world! The root word behind her name means "life," and many times over this past year I've thought about how much life she carries everywhere she goes, and how much life she brought to me in so many ways. As she turns three, I think about the things that make her who she is, the things I want to celebrate and cultivate and remember - and smile over....
Eva is fundamentally an emotional, creative, and exuberant personality. She's quick to learn and pretend, is creative and musical, loves the trampolene and playing tag, is pretty extroverted and talkative with others, and has kept her on-going love affair with puppies and dogs of all forms as she gets older. She loves the Sound of Music, reading, kiwi, her sandbox, swimming/baths, chocolate, being goofy and silly, playing with her dollhouse, being with friends, dancing, her trains, dress-up, cuddling with her mom, coloring, and cooking with her dad.   

Eva has grown up a lot this past year; she often makes these colossal jumps forward and I feel like we catch up afterward. Oh, now you wear size 4T and 5T and you have three new inches of hair somehow!  Oh, now you want to do that all on your own, are strong enough for that, and won't eat that. Thanks for letting me know. :) She's made amazing leaps in her capacity for learning, talking, listening, remembering, being creative, and in relationships with others. She explained "echo-location" and how bats squeak to find things while on a car ride the other day, easily remembers the words to songs she hears more then a couple times, and can whack her t-ball across the yard without hesitation. She surprised me by starting to write the first two letters of her name lately, and has long been able to spell her name and also M-O-M. Her logic seems to grow daily, as she strings together how food goes in your tummy and then turns into poop, how seeds need water and sun and then they grow into plants, how if she listens well she gets a sticker and then she gets a new toy (we think she gets this one - we'll see!). She tenderly cares for and dresses her baby dolls, makes up animal sounds and names routinely, and loves pretending of all kinds - with her doll house people, baby dolls, animals, puppets, book characters, little people, etc. She's also still crafty, loving paint/draw/color/cut and glue/sticker time, and pretend reads to herself often.  

Opening birthday presents last week

Eva is also still very expressive, and I watch with interest as her emotions continue to develop. She still flaps her arms when excited (which is often), and exuberantly welcomes people when she sees them with big hugs and exclamations of, "I am so glad that you're here!"  She loves time with our friends who come over, family out of town who visit, friends her age at church, and folks she sees all the time - like the grocery store guy who gives her chocolate, or the teacher at gymnastics. She also feels and names new feelings lately, like being proud, guilty, or feeling shy. It is cool to watch Peter help her understand her feelings when they overwhelm her (and sometimes me!), as the two of them talk through what she feels or what he intuitively understands she feels when she isn't able to express it herself. He is such a great dad in many, many ways, but it's a God-given gift that he can help her process and feel her wide range of emotions in certain settings, since he is wired more that way himself. I, on the other hand, tend to help her talk about her feelings and her thoughts, and provide the verbal affirmation that she is safe and connected and loved, based on my wiring. Eva sometimes seems to ask each of us for this emotional affirmation, that she is solid, she is secure, safe and connected. It could be reaching out to hold my hand in the car, or snuggling up at night, or taking my cheeks in her hands; maybe its jumping on her dad to tickle with him or chasing him while brushing her teeth - she's just a fabulously affectionate little person. 

Ta-da! New ballerina leotard!

Eva is also a bit of a performer already and loves to make up songs, dance in her ballerina leotard, dress up, try on clothes/hats/shoes in front of her mirror, and see pictures/videos of herself. She laughs at herself and us easily, and has a giggle that lights up the room!  Her common phrases include, "Oh dear," "That's cool," "Maybe I will....," and "Here's the deal...." She has started throwing in surprising vocab words too, like "actually," "definitely," and "recently" - although she says, "last year" for any unit of time previous to the present. She still easily picks some basic spanish from tv shows and a few books, and loves hearing her french books read to her too.   

We've also continued to see what Eva doesn't do so well. She's not great at goodbyes, or with not knowing that something is happening ahead of time - especially a big transition. She is also perfecting the art of making discipline of all varieties into a power-struggle. She doesn't do veggies right now, doesn't listen super well if she's distracted or playing on her own, and gets pretty cranky if she watches too much tv (obviously more of a parent lesson here :) !) She can be bossy and is also what is sometimes called a strong-willed kid, or a strong personality in many ways - she quickly shares her opinions, feelings, wants, and needs (sometimes this is a good ting, sometimes it's a challenge.) I wonder if she'll struggle with her wide ranging emotions as she gets older, and I think about how much her emotional sensitivity to tone and discipline shape how we as parents can love and guide her. I also marvel at how in touch she is with what she is feeling, how full of excitement she is, how she can mischievously growl at and then compassionately hug her toys a second later. 

Even though I think the power-struggle days have just begun, I can't wait to see all that this next year brings with it for our little Eva Margaret. She's so full of potential and life, and I keep being amazed by her each day! Happy birthday to Eva M - aka, baby puppy, little bird - you're truly a gift.                         

Christmas 2010!

We just had the last of our houseguests for the holiday season leave today... and we are ready to rest, catch up on normal life, and jump into 2011. But - we have had such a great time seeing family and friends this season, and have a lot of fun photos and memories from it all that I want to remember to capture.

This Christmas, Eva was 2 (and 3/4) and was interested in being part of much of it with us. She loved singing (Jingle Bells, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Frosty, Silent Night, and Feliz Navidad, were favorites), and asked me about the other songs that she didn't know yet; "Mommy, what this is about?"  She made Christmas cookies and her own mini cupcakes from a new baking set, got hand made aprons and books and Christmas decorations/ornaments all her own this year, and helped us decorate the tree - until she got bored :). She liked the movie "Small One" - about the donkey Mary rode, and "Lady and the Tramp" (the story starts with Lady being a puppy present under the tree, and ends with the whole dog family at Christmas under the tree), and sometimes liked "Frosty II" (but not the Jack Frost character). She was even interested in the Christmas story bedtime books and hearing about how Christmas is when we celebrate Jesus' birthday (and yes, she's already heard her mom tell her that Dec.25 is not really Jesus' birthday, but that we remember it then.) She also loved the various nativity sets we have around the house and that she could hold baby Jesus and arrange the animals that are part of the least fragile set.    

A few other favorite and funny Christmas-season memories:
- Eva being part of Santa Lucia at church with Leah, and stealing the show with their singing, asking for candy, and dueling candle routine.
- Eva helping light the advent candles on Christmas Eve in MI - and wanting to dance up front to the hymns and so ultimately having to leave the service :). "I Want To DANCCEEE!!!"
- Faithfully opening her advent calendar of fair trade chocolate with me every morning, and loving the sweet treat AND learning more of her numbers.
- Looking for inflated Santas and other yard decorations as we drove around our neighborhood; having her tell me which ones are fragile
- Eva rubbing  a present to her face before she opened it and cooing, "I just LOVE this," but then not really enjoying opening presents all that much.
- We made Swedish Meatballs from scratch this yr successfully, using mom's recipe, and they were fabulous!

- Playing with Bex and Lucy
- Hearing her snore while putting Josh to bed in the loft
- Eva sledding for the first time with Alicia, Dave, Josh and me
- Watching Eva ice skate with Tim, Meghan and Peter
- Decorating our new apartment for Christmas
- Building our first family snowman in the first fluffy snow of the winter, and how much she talked about it after that - even when it had melted
- Zoo Lights with Izey and Ando and the excitement of playing with their family on New Yrs Eve
- New Yrs party for the adults with the perfect mix of par-tay and chill!
- Having her look out over our dinner table when extended family were here and saying, "All my friends are here!" And how she whispered to Bo when they arrived, "I am so happy you are here!" 
- Sleepovers with Kaden and Anna on their way out and back from Seattle.
- Talking about the story of Christmas with her - I think her version is about this: "Baby Jesus used to be in Mary's tummy, and Mary rode a donkey, and wise men rode camels, but then he was born, and he didn't have any hair, but he was just a little baby, and he cried, and then he grew up to be big, and now he loves everyone."  Amen!

There is so much to be grateful for during this season, and beyond - and having a little mind and heart help us experience the joy, wonder, and story of Christmas makes it such a precious and fun time. Yeah for family and friends and holidays from work!

FYI, pictures for family in MI with VerHages and in Chicago with Mosbos are now on smugmug. And below is a little video of her preparing Christmas cards for people this year right before it all began. :)   Happy 2011!  

Check out the memory on this kid!

I have been stunned at Eva's capacity to remember details, stories, and events lately. She regularly recounts things to me that have happened months, or even a year, before with specifics, accuracy, and certain details that stuck out to her at the time - and that seem to still help her recall the tale now. This morning seems to have triggered a bunch of her specific tales, because in the last two hours she has recounted the following stories/details for me:

 - (While sitting in the dining room next to some Christmas decorations:) Look at the carved Santa momma, its carved, its wooden, its made of wood. Do you know who carved it? Jed did! And Santa is holding a birdie, he is not waving, he is holding a birdie. And he is made of wood. (This story is completed by details I gave her about a month ago when we got out our Christmas decorations, and she randomly brings it up every few days or so, almost exactly in this same order.)

- Look at baby Jesus momma, he is sleeping, but he is not inside his house, he is outside, he is in a manger. He is by the other guys, those guys rode camels. Did you know those guys rode camels? They rode camels for a long time to visit baby Jesus, they rode camels a long time. And Jesus was inside his mommy's tummy and she rode a donkey, and then he was outside her tummy, and he was born! (She pulled these facts together from various stories, books, and times looking at the nativity - today was the first telling of this particular tale.)

- Did you know we want to a museum, and there was a scary statue, and we didn't go up the stairs, and Izey didn't want to go up the stairs, and then we went on the alelater (elevator) and we saw colors and books and hats? (Recalling our trip to the Swedish American Museum about a week ago with Izey and family - she remembers him not liking a scary statue and has told many people about this, kind of with the tone of, "So don't try to go by that statue ok? Bad idea.")     

- (Walking through the dining room while we are playing something else, she says:) One time we were at a museum and it was dark, and we had to be really quiet - and look, I was there! (Here I figure out what she is talking about, as she's pointing at our Ravinia poster on the dining room wall that shows a night scape scene of an outdoor concert there.) We were really quiet, and then we heard music, and it was Peter and the Wolf music (I think this translates as classical music in her brain!), and then we sat down, and it was dark, and I was really quiet and there were stars.

- (After talking to Grammy on the phone, the story I heard was:) When Grammy and Gramps come I can ride in their van, and we can all get groceries, and Gramps can sit in the back, and momma can drive, and Grammy and daddy can sit in the back, and we can all ride in the van together, and I wear my seat belt and then I don't fall out of the van and then I don't fall and get hurt, and then I can get to make cookies and ride in the van!

- (In the office, she looks up at the bookshelf and sees my camera and says:) Momma that's your camera, and one time Josh was sleeping and I was with Izey. (I was stumped here so asked a question or two, to which she replied:) I was with Izey and Ando and we heard Josh snoring, you know, big Josh? He was sleeping and snoring and we didn't wake him up, but we were playing and you had your camera and I was at Izey's house! (This was an actual accurate story of her view of a birthday party - either Ando's or Izey's, probably at least one year ago, could have been earlier even, when we were hanging out at Danielsons and Josh snoozed on the couch a little. I was a little floored at this one!)

- And my all time most amazed memory example from this kid happened a month or two ago, when she and I drove out to a suburb to the JCPenney photo studio, which we only do once a year to get her picture taken. We drove into the parking lot, and got out of the car, and she started to ask, "Where is Kara?" (that is her Aunt in Minneapolis,) and I was confused and said something like how Kara isn't here, she lives in Minnesota remember? But we can skype her if you want later, etc. But the girl keeps asking for Kara, and says Kara is here, Kara is here, where is she? And then I remember - Kara came with us, one year ago, to pick up our portraits at this same store. We had not been there since then, and somehow, even though it was hazy in my own head, Eva connected the parking lot of this mall store to who we came with last time. Unreal to me! She also asked for Meghan once we got into the studio inside - her Auntie who came with to help her smile for the photos the past two years when she was in town. So the parking lot is associated with someone, the studio is associated with someone else, and somehow being in those surroundings pricks her memory from a year ago. Crazy!     

It's the Little Things

Little things that have reminded me that our two year old is rapidly growing up lately include:

- needing to dry her long and ever-thickening hair before going to bed at night, and hearing her say, "I have blond hair! It is called blond!"
- having her look at me with her intense lowered eyes face and say, "I am disappointed," when I tell her she can't climb over the couch.
- watching her at an adult birthday party tonight and seeing her introduce herself, ask about the Christmas tree, listen and have conversations with people of all ages, and mostly just blend right in! (well, along with entertaining people, spinning, and dancing during the singing)
- reading her longer and longer books and having them hold her attention
- hearing her remember things from up to a year ago that she recounts in great detail to me
- watching her connect with friends her age and kids a little older with absolute glee - she always goes for hand holding, playing chase together, and laughing while dancing. I can just see her doing this as she gets older!   
- hearing her call me "Mom" sometimes, along with the regular momma/mommy
- hearing her say, "I will do that myself." :)

Reasons that 2.5 Year Old Eva Cracks Up Her Mom

1. She often pronounces "I love you," as, "I lub you." Still 'bery' heartfelt though.

2. She makes deals with me - in similar fashion to how I sometimes talk to her. Although my deals go like this: "If you eat two bites of veggies, you can have some ice cream - deal?" Her deals go like this: "Oh-KAY, here is a deal, I will watch TEE-vee, not a lot, just a little, and then go to sleep, and then wake up, and then watch TEE-vee, and then we can play together, and then watch TEE-vee - is that a deal?" 

3. When I picked up her cup that had fallen on the floor of the car's back seat, she exclaimed, "Momma, I am SO proud of you!"

4. She dramatically uses the phrases "I promise" (sometimes accurately, often when telling stories about herself), "That is just terrible!" (when trying to type her name and struggling), and "Don't say that!" (when I say no to something.)

5. She tells intricate stories to and with her toys, dolls, and me and her dad - most of the day. Some of them I can track, those that have characters and plot lines - some I can't so much... Regardless of the story arc, her little voice recounting the adventures  of a bunny going to school or a little girl driving with Diego to the grocery store are pretty darn cute - and funny - to overhear. 

6. Am pretty sure she has two imaginary friends, Galla and Holly; sometimes they are her friends, sometimes they are called her sisters, and sometimes she says, "My sister and my brother" - names and person-hood changes are fluid it seems.   

7. She plays a game lately that usually signifies that she wants to held, cuddled, or reassured in some way - I call it the "The baby animal game." It goes something like this: "Momma, are you a momma bumble bee?"  I say, "Yes," so she can say, "I am a baby bumble bee, and I need you to hold me, I hurt my wings, I can't fly." (Then she lays down face on the floor, flapping her "wings" until I pick her up and hold her.) Or another common version of the game is:" Momma, are you a momma polar bear?" "Yes, I am."  "Oh, I am a baby polar bear, I hurt my foot."  This morning it was, "My foot fell off - help me, help me - oh, there it is, silly! It was in the water. Got it! Silly polar bear!"

8. She apologizes at silly times - like when others make a mistake (I drop something and she says, sorry!), or an inanimate object runs into/get run into by/  her (like say, a pole in an aisle at Home Depot, which she runs into and then chuckles, saying, "Oh, sorry pole.")

9. She can tell the story of Lady and the Tramp in a reader book of hers almost word for word; its actually impressive/ little scary how much she knows what detail comes next and in what order. My favorite lines are the repeated ones that Eva retells with exaggerated intonation and smiles. "What's that noise, Lady assssssk-ed." And, "Lady, we are safe and sound, I'm the bravest dog around!" with a rhythmic punctuated thing going on.

10. She dances, a lot, all over our house, in the yard, at stores, while waiting for food at restaurants, etc. Her latest new place to dance is in front of the mirrors on the doors at our new apt. - and she GOES for it, talking and singing to herself, admiring her bad skills pretty happily. :)

11. She pronounces some words really cute - like "a-pot-mint" (apartment) and "wool-pill" (whirpool) - random ones I just heard tonight and remembered as so funny... should remember more later on. 

12. She plays giggle, tickle, hiding and sleeping games with her dad ALL THE TIME. One of her recent ones includes hiding under a towel or blanket, saying "Shh, I am asleep," and then throwing off the cover to exclaim "Surprise! I am not asleep!"

13. She pretends to put us to sleep. Complete with tucking us in bed, kissing us, saying "Good night sweet-art," then closing the door - and a split second later, opening it grandly saying, "What's wrong? What's wrong? Do you need a song?" Then she sings an abbreviated version of one of her favorite nighttime songs, and does the whole routine again, closes the door, and then opens it abruptly again, asking, "What's wrong?" She can do this up to about twenty times if we go along! (Keep in mind that as far as games go, laying in bed while she sings to us and hands out kisses is an okay one to play along with.)

14. She remembers words to songs like its her job; I catch her singing large snippets of Chim-Chiminey, Feed the Birds, Baby Mine, Sesame Street, Jesus Loves Me, Clang went the Trolley, and standards like Twinkle and ABC's at random times. I don't even know that she know these songs until she sings them back to me. (Then I secretly start to think about what songs I better sing more of so that she will know them and repeat them back!)

There are so many more, but I wanted to remember some of these hilarious little quirks that make Eva M our little joy. I am loving this girl's personality and all she teaches and reminds Peter and I about - I can't wait to see how she continues to develop and entertain us with her sweet, funny, emotive and larger the life expressions!       

Favorite Books

Eva is voraciously reading/having us read her fave stories over and over lately. Several of the repeats are gifts from others and many are often requested several times in one sitting, both at bedtime and naptime! So before I forget, here is what our "on her way to 2-1/2" year old loves to read lately:

Daddy Loves His Little Girl, by John Carter Cash
Because I Love You This Much (Polar Bear kiss one)
Momma, Is It Summer Yet? by Nikki McClure
Waiting for Wings, Elhart
Market Day, Elhart
My First Colors (flap book)
The Best Christmas Tree Ever, Tonka Truck book
Eva's One Year Old Book (from Alicia and Dave)
Good Night Gorilla
If You Give a Pig a Pancake

Summer Fun List '10

We've had a busy and fun start to the summer. So much so that I am not taking photos, blogging or reflecting much about it lately. But that is a good problem... I will update photos and other fun snippets for grandparents soon :) - but in the meantime, I thought I'd quick post the "fun summer list" that has been in my head this past month. I finally jotted it down last week and its been kinda fun to see what we've already accomplished and what we hope to still make time for this summer. I am in a phase of needing to write down details, plan ahead, and make good use of intentional time and relationships - hence, a summer fun list! (Plus it doesn't hurt for me to see things crossed off and associate some accomplishment with a jumbled up summer schedule.) Here is what we're doing - or hoping to do - this summer in the fun category (I also have some impressive "to-do" lists, but those aren't as, you know, "fun.") If you want to help make our fun list come true, lemme know and we can have fun together! :)

Fun Stuff for Summer List:
 Visit the Library
Fly a Kite
Visit the Beach
 Go to the Zoo
Go to the Children’s Museum
Go Camping – with Eva? Without?
Visit a State Park/go Canoeing at park or in the city
Take a long bike ride and picnic
 Play Nerts - lots
Play an outdoor lawn game we haven’t played before
 Plant flowers on deck/backyard space with Eva
 Take a (big) boat ride on Lake Michigan
Find a friend with a (small) boat on Lake Michigan
See fireworks
Go to a new discount/thrift store
Go to garage sales in our hood or Evanston
 Make homemade popsicles
 Do crafty-something-super-mom-ish with Eva
Play softball
Go to Ravinia
Do something at a Covenant Camp
Go to Chicago Fire Game and/or Cubs Game
Visit Shedd Aq
Go Dancing at Night
Train for and/or run a 5k (by October do the actual run)
Do Karaoke
Go swimming in a pool for first time with Eva
Do gymnastics with Eva
 Take Eva to dance/music class
Pick fruit/veggies from a garden
See at least two movies in the theater
Date night seeing a play/musical/performance/downtown
Paint one room in our apt.
Find great salsa/pico de gallo recipe – make it
Make at least 2 kinds of cordials/liquor for the fall
Visit somewhere new that is nearby – MI vineyards, or WI somewhere…
Go bowling
Play mini-golf
Watch Mary Poppins, Music Man and/or Sound of Music as a family
Go to Farmer’s Market
 Volunteer at church event/community event as a family
Try one new neighborhood restaurant
Read (at least) one great fiction and one great non-fiction book
Find new devotion/reflection book to use ongoing
Record something for fun with friends (singing, piano, etc.)
 Have fun grandparents weekends planned with both families
 Pick out fabric/clothing design for handmade Eva outfit
Spend quality time with a friend from out of town who I don’t see enough
 Spend quality time with a friend in town who I don’t see enough
Enjoy a campfire/backyard fire
Go to street festival/neighborhood carnival
See the view from the Sears Tower
 Take Eva on the el/bus ride

What I Love About Eva at Two Years Old....

Our little girl just celebrated her second birthday! Two years ago we brought this tiny little bundle home - and now she is tearing up and down the hallway and making up stories for us and her dolls. Time does keep flying by…



I wanted to document what I love about Eva at this age, and the cute and funny things that make her Eva Margaret. At two years old, I would describe Miss Eva as spunky, giggly, sweet, cuddly, outgoing, sensitive, extroverted, smart, funny, fearless, and active. She loves being on the move, being around other kids and adults, and trying out new stuff. She has many little personality traits that keep developing – she laughs at herself and us easily, sometimes even being silly or playing tricks on us; she almost always loves reading to herself or being read to; she picks up words and emotions from people around her pretty quickly; she’s fairly adaptable and flexible, but also thrives on some structure and having things explained to her ahead of time (which Peter thinks might be her mom’s influence!) She’s definitely had her bad weeks/phases (where nursery at church was hard, babysitters couldn’t put her to bed, or she got really whiney and crabby for no real reason) – as all toddlers do. But in general, she’s a pretty easy going, vocal, sweet and smart little girl who I daily marvel at. Also, I think she is about the most adorable kid I’ve ever seen but – that is just me.

So – Happy Birthday Eva M! Your mommy and daddy love you so much and so do a lot of other people. I can’t wait to keep seeing the little girl that you grow into and keep learning how to be your mommy. Cheers!

I love…
- watching her cook “wuffahs” (waffles) in the morning with her daddy
- when she bonks my glass with her sippy cup and says, “chaizz” (cheers)
- reading the Ladybug Book and the Counting Kisses book at night while cuddling
- having her ask me to sing Baby Mine and hold her at night while cuddling
- how she scrunches up her nose to make her ‘cute face’
- how anytime she hears music she likes she dances, swinging her bum and shoulders back and forth, and often asks me to dance too
- seeing her excitement over so many things; walking up and down the stairs, playing peek a boo, Pooh, Elmo, going to the park, getting in the car, when her favorite songs begin, taking a bath, swimming, going outside, taking a walk, having her favorite sitters come over, having friends come over, when she can hear one of us coming up the stairs to come home, etc. When she’s excited she still wildly flaps her arms up and down and opens her mouth like a little birdie, like she has since she was tiny!
- watching her tuck in, feed, and take care of her baby dolls
- when she spontaneously breaks into singing the alphabet at the top of her lungs
- when she counts to thirteen (“firteen”) but almost always forgets “4”
- when she says, “be right back,” or “wait just a mitten” (minute), ‘cause she hears us say that; or “bit of elmo” to watch a video on the computer, “I hung-ee” when she’s hungry, or “crib, up ‘n down sky” to get in our bed and be lifted up high and dropped down by her dad
- how she always picks up on when people/characters in a book or on tv feel sad, even often crying or making sad sounds along with them (“aww, baby sad”)
- how she carefully sets up and runs her train on the tracks and over the bridge, over and over and over..
- how great she is at puzzles, especially the shapes and animals (with the missing fish) ones
- how often she says “okay – okay – okay,” “again, again,” and “yesss.”
- how she likes to go into a room, closet or bathroom by herself (even in the dark), close the door, and giggle until we open the door to “surprise” her; then she says “Stay! Go!” indiscriminately (she confuses those words.)
- that she likes to watch and ‘play’ Zuma  - she calls it the ‘froggie game, ball game’
- how she will talk to herself while laying in her crib, often going over the day she just finished at night or remembering stuff in the morning, like talking about a random event that stuck in her mind from earlier in the week (i.e., “Izey sick, mommy daddy home soon, swing park, abcs….”)
- that she usually obeys/responds when we explain something and reinforce it once or twice (so far!)
- that she likes to help “keen” (clean) with her broom, and by taking baby wipes around the house and cleaning her chalkboard and the mirrors, etc.
- how she plays with her hippos/duckies/turtles/dollie in the bathtub, often making up conversations between them all as they ‘climb’ around the tub
- snuggling in the morning with her and Peter in our bed; including having her tell us to ‘seep, seep’ and ‘awake, wake up’ while we pretend to be asleep or awake, and including Peter’s many flip and twirl and flying games in our bed
- hearing her uproarious giggle – when she gets tickled (especially under the chin), chased, when we play catch or kick the ball up and down the hall, and when she looks over the shoulder of one of us on the stairway and sees the other person behind her on the stairs
- that she loves to go fast on the road (while I am driving) and spots buses, trucks, cars, and stop signs from the backseat with great enthusiasm
- that she knows when we are getting close to certain routine destinations just based on the roads, like the ‘him, him’ (gym) where she plays ‘base-bull’ (basketball) in the playroom, or ‘Izey’s house’ (where she hangs out on Fridays.) We can be several blocks away from where we’re headed and she will recognize where we are heading – which amazes me!
- how she closes her fists and puts them under her chin when we pray, and loudly says “Ah-mein” when we are done
- how she sings along with songs like Winnie the Pooh, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Frosty, ABC’s, Jesus Loves Me, Sesame Street, Elmo’s World, Rock A Bye Baby, Baby Mine, Sing a Song, and my favorite, Halo (from Glee.)
- that she wants both her crib rainforest music player AND her CD player on a the same time while going to sleep
- seeing her dress up (in her hats, in her sunglasses, in our shoes, in empty boxes, with her necklaces, with her purses, with my bracelets, in my hats, etc.)
- how after we tuck her into bed, she pulls the covers up to her chin, snuggles with lambie, and waves to us while saying “bye, bye.”
- that when I come home after being gone she runs up to me, gives me a huge hug, and yells “Mommy! Mommy! You home! I yuv you, I yuv you, I yuv you too.”  That is the best.

Fave Books List

Grandma V suggested once that we write down Eva's favorite books before we forgot what they were, and I thought that was a good idea! Parents everywhere will know what I mean when I say that just typing in each book title reminds me of exactly which page, which sentence, and which picture made/makes Eva squeal with glee. And yes, I can recite from memory most of these books... not sure if that is something to be proud of or not? :) But I am proud of how much Eva and both of us parents love reading together - and do want to remember these titles in the future.

First/Early Favorite Books:

- Where is Baby's Belly Button? (flip book)
- Tails (touch and flip bk)
- Alphabet Books (Baby Einstein in a Box Series)
- Goodnight Gorilla
- Where is Baby? (flip book)
- Baby's First Words (fish on front)
- Touch and Feel Farm Animals
- Are You My Mother? (soft bk with plush bird)
- Global Babies

One Year Old Favorites:

- Duck Ellington Plays Jazz
- Ella Elephant Sings Scat
- God Loves You Just As You Are
- Baby's First Nursery Rhymes (peek through bk)
- Baby's First Bible (peek through bk)
- Baby's Praise Songs (peek through bk)
- On Noah's Ark
- Snuggle Puppy
- A Baby's First Year (Eva's Birthday Book!)

18 month old Favorites:

- Go Dog, Go
- 4 Pups and a Worm
- Counting Kisses
- Dr. Suess's Alphabet Book
- Corduroy BIG Book
- Elmo and the Schoolhouse
- Green Eggs and Ham

Proud Owners of a New and Improved.....Toddler

I think it's official; we have a toddler in the house. Here are a few snippets of our last week and why Eva has me convinced that she is truly fulfilling the age-appropriate stereotype:

Cute thing she did all morning: said "Wow!" over and over when she saw something she liked.
Not as cute thing she did the same morning: threw her hat in the toilet.

New skill she has mastered: climbing stairs
Skill she has regressed on: walking (she now prefers that mom and dad swing her along in between us while she sings and squeals)

Her new words that she says accurately: mo (more), Ah-do (Ando - for little Anders Danielson), bay-bee (baby), may-ow (meow, when she sees a kitty), dat (dad - in addition to the previously learned "daddy") and goh-goh-goh-goh (for go)
Her new words that she often confuses: ah-doh (all done) and a-may (amen)

Sweet thing she now does: cuddles much more & gives us hugs/kisses un-asked for - and often!
Not so sweet thing she now does: smears yogurt/hummus/'insert-food-product' here, all over her arms/legs/face/ 'insert-body-part-she-can-reach-while-in-her-high-chair' here.

Ah, Eva - she is a funny kid. :)

Summer Lovin' ... Part 2

(a few more fun things to remember from our summer...)

Favorite sweet moments:

- Watching Eva dress, feed, kiss and push around her dolls, stuffed animals and toys
- When I ask for a kiss and Eva gives me a big "mmmm-ah" and kiss; and then keeps kissing me!
- When Peter askes for a kiss and Eva gives him with a big "mmmm-ah," and then he melts and doesn't leave for work on time, just in case he might get more kisses! :)
- Reading, cuddling, singing and rocking in her chair at night together; Eva often wants me to kiss her lambie for her, kiss her forehead, and hold her hand/cheeks while falling asleep at night, which I truly love doing.
- Having her lean back on me while in my lap, or lay on/lean on me/Peter while we snuggle in bed together in the mornings.

Favorite funny moments:

- Dancing - while standing, sitting, at the table, in the car, in her crib, in her diaper, naked, in the tub.... you get the idea
- Twirling and twirling, around and around, to any music that is on - for so long that she gets dizzy, or tips over, or falls down laughing!
- Watching her try on things (hats, long bead necklaces, my shoes, Peter's shoes, sunglasses, our glasses, ...)
- Hearing her wake up in the morning (through the baby monitor), which usually sounds something like this: scuffling sounds, a few yelps, a dull thud from her lambie being thrown on the floor, a sharp snap from her paci being thrown on the floor, her music from her crib player thingy getting turned on, and then her cute little voice starts chatting/singing along with the music.
- Eva learning to whisper. She does it most often in the mornings when one of us gets up with her and the other one is sleeping (and by 'other one' I mean me.) When she wants to come into our bedroom to get the other parent up, she holds her finger up to her mouth and says, "shhhh," and then slowly pushes open the door and tiptoes over to our bed. Truly funny to watch.

Summer Lovin,' Had Me a Blast

It seems like summer is flying by lately - August always seems to do that. We've had a lot of fun these warm months with our newly walking, chatting, happy toddler. And I've learned that as a parent, I definitely enjoy this age more than the newborn stage! It feels like we have this real little girl now - a changing, evolving, learning, responsive, facinating little person that shares every part of life with us. I am slow to adapt to change sometimes (this is funny in its understatement, if you know me well!), but I am grateful that I now feel like I am in a place where I can fully embrace that I am a mom, that I even like being a mom, and most importantly, I LOVE being a mom to Eva and I LOVE seeing Peter be her dad. :) Ah, growth.

I want to remember some of fun things that have shaped our summer and the ways that Eva is changing, so I am compiling some "summer favorites" lists/pics. Here are the first few....

Favorite "firsts" this summer:

- Dance Class ("Everybody Move" infant and toddler sibling class in Evanston), where Eva learned to twirl, sing the rain/thunder/lightening song, and chase her older friend Lily

- morning visits to the library (Budlong Woods) where she was more interested in the other kids than she was in the books

- swimming in a kiddie pool with friends (Izey) and at the cabin

- visiting the playground and learning how to slide down the short slide on her own; watching her love the swings and swinging alongside mommy or daddy

Favorite "everyday moments" from our urban summer life:

- Eva playing out on the deck and entertaining herself (inside her tent, playing hide and seek with mom, watching the puppy and two girls in the yard next door)

- Eva yelling back (loudly) at the ambulance sirens as they drive by outside

- Pointing at the many airplanes that fly overhead (our apartment is located under three routes for planes landing at O'Hare)

- Watching Sesame Street.org video clips when we're inside (Elmo, Destiny's Child, Fiest, and the LaLaLa Song are favorites)