Evie Video

I’m heading out on yet another business trip.  Here’s a video of Evelyn for you to watch and me to watch, too.  Unfortunately the Mac is already packed up so we’re using the web cam on the Windoze machine.  Lower quality, but Evie’s just as cute.

Evie and Daddy

No Way

Someone taught Evelyn how to say, “No way.”  I don’t know who, but for the record, there Lost-Vivor-like score has been decremented one point.  When Evie doesn’t like something now the no way comes out.  It was cute the first time, strange the second time, irritating the third time, patronizing the fourth, and Beethoven’s fifth [that was a non-sequitur, it wasn’t supposed to make sense just in case you’re Lost].  For example today at lunch Evelyn was told to come give me a snuggle (read:hug) before going to bed.  I picked her up and said, “Give me a snuggle.”

“No way.”

Just re-telling that story has debited the person who taught her that yet another point.

Stuffed Crocs

Abby and Evie joined us in bed this morning for a ‘family snuggle’ time.  Abby jumped off the bed and out of the room to get stuffed animals.  Evie, being the little sister wanted to get her own.  Abby came in with two stuffed critters, a piggy and some other thing I didn’t get to see before Evie came in.

Evie brought a croc.  No, not that kind, think the shoe.

A Pair of Crocs

Swimming Lessons in a Pool Full of Tears

Tonight Abby had swimming lessons, but as we left Evelyn just lost it.  She cried and cried and cried.  Tears streamed down her face that we would leave without her.  We could have been going to Hell [Michigan] and she’d have wanted to come with us.  Of course somewhere in Nebraska she’d throw an equally intense fit because she was still in the car.  She’s become quite the drama queen.  I’m praying the God sends a miracle our direction to cause her quaint little happy-all-of-the-time attitude to come back.

Pulling into the parking lot at the recreation center I realized that about 25% more people wanted to recreate than could park in the parking lot.  No amount of patience that I could have or have supernaturally given to me was going to free up enough parking spots for me to fit in and get Abby to her lesson in time.  So I parked around the side of the park on a side street and we walked to the pool.  I think we cleared the quarter mile in about 6 minutes which was good given that Abby is so short and I’m so slow for being in the near prone coding position I sit in all day.  [my legal team would like me to state that I don’t actually sit in the prone positionwhile coding lest I be released from contracts for being lazy]

Abby’s swimming lesson went well.  She didn’t panic when the teacher instructed her to rest on her back (while being supported by the instructor’s arms).  She didn’t panic when the teacher tied a lead weight to her middle and dropped her into the deep end.  Abby was well behaved. [My legal department wants me to tell you that no weights were tied to Abby and the deep end of the kiddy pool is only 4 feet deep at most]

Of course the teenaged girl who was doing the group lessons appeared to be maybe fifteen or sixteen years in age if I’m generous.  Its hard for me in my nearly-thirty state to just look at a teenaged person and say, “That person is [some number] years old.”  My ability to judge ages for people on the whole is weaker now, but the teenagers throw me for a huge loop.  I’m even finding some early 20 year olds hard to distinguish from teenagers.  It is as if there’s some conspiracy to make me feel very old now.  It won’t work, I’ll get plastic surgery and face lifts until I’m 45 and then I’ll just let it all go.

I’m hoping to bring the camera to Wednesday’s lesson.  That way you can see pictures of this instructor with Abby and tell me that she isn’t barely older than Abby 😉

Evie Update

As I reported last night Evie hit her head I thought it would be good to report that she’s doing relatively well today.  She’s grumpy (which is more normal recently), and aside from the Klingon welt on her forehead she’s running around being herself.

I’d post pictures but that seems inhumane or something protective.

Oh, and she has s new nickname: Evelion.  She’s been into roaring a lot lately and so since Abby is Abigator, Evie is now Evelion.

That is all.

Pray for Evie

This evening Evie walked out of my office (where I was draining the water pipes due to yet another winter storm) and tripped and smashed her face across the bathroom door frame.  She has a bruse that runs down her forehead, nose and lips.  Its sad, really.  She was snuggling on my lap as I held her and then rolled over, sat up on her knees and then threw up all down my jacket, shirt, pants and even managed to score some into my pants pocket.  The poor little girl is not doing well.  Tomorrow is Jessica’s birthday and I’m thinking its going to be less fun because on top of Evie’s funk, Abby has a cold.

I love my family and I hate to see them sick like this.

Abby’s First Time Bowling

Tonight after work Kurt called and invited us to go bowling with he and Becky. <complete lie>Being avid bowlers</complete lie> we said, “Yes!” I actually enjoy bowling now for some reason. In fact tonight I bowled a 157 on the second game. Anyway, we said that we’d go bowling in part because it would be Abby’s first exposure to bowling. She was excited because she happened to have on a shirt with different sports balls pictured on it, so it was the ‘right’ shirt to wear. The video linked below is her first ever bowling experience. Enjoy it, it makes this daddy proud. Slowly, but surely, proud. I love to see Abby’s joy. And it doesn’t hurt that Uncle Kurt is yelling, “Go ball, Go,” either!

Abby bowls for the first time

Evie, too:

Daddy & Evie Bowling

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

I’m going to have to take some video footage of Evelyn whilst we sing the itsy-bitsy spider song.  She loves the song and demands we do it over and over.  The funny thing is that after dinner Jessica tried to switch to another song and that got Evelyn all frustrated because it was not the itsy-bitsy spider.  She sort of understands and mimics the hand motions, but the smile is unmistakable.