Hard to believe, but Evelyn is turning 1 today! To think, a year ago, we were welcoming her into our little family. That tiny baby girl was opening her eyes to a new world, seeing her parents and experiencing new things. Now, she rules the house, toddles along like a big girl, and makes us smile with her bright personality and sweet laugh. She is a great eater, she loves blueberries and yogurt. She will try anything once, the kid loves flavor and doesn’t mind a little spice on her food! Her current favorite thing to do is carry a “purse” around the house, these happen to be my old make up bags that have handles – she places toys inside and carries the purse on her arm like mommy. She has 10 teeth, 2 of which are molars. Those were a few tough days, she was extra cuddly and needed special Gigi frozen smoothies while those molars broke through a few weeks ago. She can walk a few steps without assistance, but we find that she will take many steps if she isn’t aware – for instance if she is holding a toy or babbling, she may take many steps, then realize it, and sit down to crawl. She is a fast walker with assistance, she gets going and makes very proud yelps and woo-hoos as she bounds around the house. In the evenings, she loves to get in the kitchen and move around the chairs, she pushes them along the tile as it makes loud sounds. She is strong! She spends her days with Gigi and Papa – they dote and love on her all day, she has a new swing set in the backyard at their house – she swings and slides in the cool of the morning. Evelyn also loves water, she is not afraid to splash around in her pink pool, while donning a pink swimsuit with a tutu! The kid has a better wardrobe than her mommy – she is definitely a Florida girl with her sunny dresses and light cotton jumpers. If permitted, which is rare, she will wear a hair bow – but she usually figures it out quite quickly and yanks it off her head!

Chad and I spent last weekend at the J.W. – Evelyn had a spend over at Gigi and Papa’s on Friday, then came to spend with us at the resort on Saturday. We spent time in the pool with her, she loved the shallow area for kids and walked around chatting it up with the other babies. She also enjoyed the lazy river and the waterfalls! She was the cutest kid at the pool, says her mom!

To celebrate her birthday, we are hosting a BBQ at the house this weekend. We bought a large blow-up pool and Chad is grilling. Gigi made a special birthday outfit for Evelyn – complete with a tutu! We will take lots of pictures and post.

Happy Birthday to our sweet Evelyn! What a year! Your dad and I are blessed by your presence in our lives – we loved being a part of your first amazing year!

Here are some more pictures of Evelyn on her Birthday!

Here are pictures of Evelyn’s Birthday Party!