First Day of School and 4th of July

Evelyn started preschool on July 1! She was so excited as we got dressed and made her lunch for the day. When we arrived, she hung her backpack and placed her lunchbox in the basket. Next, we found her cubby and placed her naptime blanket, pillow, and kitty inside. We then made our way to the multipurpose room where the children can play different activities until time to go in to the classroom. We walked in, she headed straight for some toys, and didn't even look back or say good-bye to Mommy! Mommy made it to the parking lot before crying.... We are so pleased that she loves school and is excited--it is better than the alternative. As for the 4th of July, we celebrated with our court neighbors and Evelyn got to stay up really late to watch the fireworks!

Summer in STL

This summer is off to a fast pace for us! It all began the last week of school in May when Evelyn fractured her wrist in three places--yes, three places. She decided that Mommy doesn't know what she is talking about when I told her that it wasn't safe to slide off her bed onto the floor via her belly. When I turned my back, she did it and began to cry--off to the ER! They put her into a splint and we had to see our BFF Dr. Bassett (he did both of her thumb surgeries this past year). She was placed into a pink cast for 3 weeks. We also started gymnastics along with swimming lessons about this time. During that time, we headed to Indiana to visit Grandmas and Papas. While there, she got a pink Barbie Jeep! At first, she called it her "pink Pathfinder" cause Mommy drives a Pathfinder--too funny! Since then, not a day goes by that she isn't driving around the court and over to visit Mr. Jon. The following weekend, we headed to Hayti to visit Grandma Cheryl. Before we left, Evelyn got to meet Dora the Explorer at a local mall. While there, we saw some friends from church--Samuel and Andrew. That evening, we hit the road. It was a fun time as we visited with all of Rob's aunts and uncles. This weekend, we finally got to be at home and enjoy time with just the three of us. We grilled, played, and Evelyn got soaked in the sprinkler. She just cackled and grinned as she ran through and became drenched. If only these days would last forever...

He's A Lawyer!

We received word on April 22nd that Rob had passed the BAR exam! So, on April 30th, we headed to Jefferson City for him to be sworn in. We arrived at the Capitol Bldg at 8:00 AM. Rob was one of the first ones to be sworn in at the Supreme Court. After that 20 minute ceremony, we headed back to the Capitol for some snacks. Since he elected to be admitted into the Federal Courts, we had an 11:00 ceremony to attend in the House of Rep. chambers. Rob sat at one of the representatives desks while we watched from the Gallery area above. It was another brief ceremony and by 12:00 we were headed for Hayti for the weekend. Words can't describe how proud we are of his accomplishment. As Evelyn shouted, "Yeah for Daddy!"

Easter Weekend

This holiday weekend, Mommy and Evelyn kicked it off with a morning at the Zoo. We headed down early in the morning on Friday and found a place to park. Once inside the zoo, Evelyn wanted to pet some animals. We headed to the Children's Zoo first where she could pet a guinea pig and some goats. She loved it! Then we were off to see the elephants, hippos, cheetah, tigers, monkeys, giraffes, etc. It was a beautiful day and we ate lunch by the pond area. When it was time to go, Mommy wasn't even to the interstate when Evelyn was out like a light. After nap, Grandma Cheryl arrived for the weekend. We spent the rest of the evening outside playing. On Saturday, we went to swim lessons and dyed eggs. During the night, the Easter Bunny left Evelyn a trail of eggs from her bedroom to her basket of goodies. After church, we hid eggs and hunted for them. It was a lovely weekend--beautiful weather, family, and lots of fun!

3rd Birthday

Evelyn turned 3 yrs. old on Wed.! That day, we kept the celebration small--just Evelyn, Mommy and Daddy. She opened some presents from us, Grandma Jill, and Papa Dave and Grandma Jeanna. When asked where she wanted to eat dinner, she gleefully shouted "McDonald's!" Then, on Sat., we had a few friends over for a party. Our good friends, Owen and Avery came. Also, our buddy Mason attended the party. She greeted everyone at the door and they all ate some lunch. Afterwards, she opened presents and then it was time for cake. It was a princess cake and she blew out the three candles all by herself! After the cake, we played a game sort of like Pin the Tail on the Donkey, only it was Put Cinderella in her castle window. Surprisingly, she loved being blindfolded and wanted to do it several times! The winner was Owen. At 1:00, everyone had to leave as it was nap time for all the little ones. Mommy is having a hard time with Evelyn turning three--she will be going to preschool in July and each day becomes this joyful little girl.

Time Flies

Wow, has it really been about a month since our last post? So much has occurred during this time. On January 22, Rob's father (aka: Pop Bob) passed away from kidney failure. It has been a hard loss for our family. He was such a loving man who welcomed me (Kristina) into the family with open arms the moment Rob and I began dating. Bob loved Evelyn and doted on her unlike anything in this world--she was "Pop's Little Girl." While she doesn't fully understand what has happened, Evelyn understands that Pop went to see Jesus and we are sharing him just like we shared Mindy with Jesus in December.

About one week later, Evelyn has developed pneumonia. Fortunately, we did not have to stay in the hospital, but it is taking two antibiotics to fight this. We rushed to the ER on Sunday morning when her fever reached 103.5 despite our efforts to keep it low. Since then, she is recovering well. She has been fever free since Monday and each day is becoming more of her outgoing, fun self. Mommy is still watchful...

On a celebratory note, Rob received his diploma from SLU Law School this week. It was a proud moment! He also recently received his grades and did very well in his final semester (especially considering how sick his father had become during finals in December). He is now preparing to take the BAR Exam on Feb. 23rd and 24th. Please say prayers of strength, health, and wisdom as he approaches this difficult test.

Snow Day!

On Wed. night, we received a lot of snow (okay, so it was a little over 3 inches--but that is a lot to Mommy) and we had a snow day yesterday! Rob couldn't wait to get Evelyn bundled up to play outside in the snow. We layered her clothing, then put on her new coveralls, boots, hats, hood, and gloves--it was comical! She giggled as she tried to run outside and play in the snow. It was precious! After about 10 minutes, Mommy called her inside so Daddy could shovel and Evelyn could warm up.