Happy 1st Birthday, Evelyn!

Today is our little princess' 1st birthday! We celebrated this milestone with family and friends yesterday. Evelyn wore the hanbok sent from Mrs. Lee, who was her foster mom in Korea. As you see, she looked beautiful and very grown-up. To kick off the celebration, we had the traditional tol. It is a ceremony of sorts where the dad walks the child around a table set with specific items that predict the child's chosen path in life. Items include a bow & arrow (becoming a warrior), needle & thread (live long), jujube (have many descendents), a book (successful scholar), rice (become rich), a ruler (talented with her hands), and a knife (good cook). Evelyn first picked up the ruler and then touched the book; so it looks like she will be talented with her hands and a successful scholar--watch out Yale, here she comes! While everyone ate, Mommy changed Evelyn into a dress and then we opened gifts. Once again, our friends and family were very generous to our angel. Then, it was time for the cake. At first, Evelyn didn't quite know what to do with it, but soon figured it out and cake was everywhere on her face! It was a fun-filled day with good food, good friends, and a little one who is getting all too big too soon!

Getting Big!

Mommy has a snow day today--thank goodness! She was up sick all night and prayed for the day off to recover! Since she has had the day at home with her Korean angel, she thought she would share some big news about Evelyn! Evelyn began pulling herself up to a standing position in the crib over the weekend and now wants to do that on EVERYTHING!! In fact, she is trying to climb up on Mommy as she types this post. Also, Evelyn is getting around very well with the crawling issue--she is quick! Yesterday, she was able to get herself into a sitting position from crawling without any assistance. We are contantly amazed at the rapid changes in our girl now that she is nearing 1 year old, which is another issue that Mommy is not dealing well with. It is so exciting to see her growing more everyday, but a little heart-breaking at the same time.

Valentine Dinner

Our agency hosted a Valentine's Dinner at our church tonight. All money raised from the dinner benefited OrphanCare, which is a program supported by our agency that helps children in various countries who are waiting for a family. Evelyn seemed to really enjoy herself--especially when she did the Chicken Dance with Daddy. Of course, our BFF's Owen and Avery were there to add to the fun. Evelyn loved seeing them along with Miss Tammy, who is our social worker. It was a fun-filled evening that helped touch many lives.

Big Snow

Lucky us--we got about 8 inches of snow last night! Of course, Mommy was happy to have a snow day to spend at home with Evelyn, but Daddy did as well! So after shoveling the driveway and letting the sun begin to melt some snow away this afternoon, we headed out into the powdery white world. It was Evelyn first time to really get in the snow and touch it. She is truly her mother's child--after a couple of minutes of looking at it and one touch, she was done with the stuff! I think her philosophy of snow is like mine--it is pretty to look at in a snowglobe!