Keeping Mama Humble

Days have been good lately, as Evelyn has teamed up with another toddler-fellow, Julian.  Julian is three days older than her, and quite a bit more adventurous and jolly.  I'm not saying Evelyn isn't a happy baby, but she is and always has had a very serious soul.  She can be silly with the best of them, but she didn't crack a smile until she was probably three months old, and we still have to make a pretty good effort to get a good chuckle out of her.  She can most often be found analyzing-- a book, a puzzle, a stuffed animal, a piece of furniture-- poking and examining.  Julian is a go-getter-- sitting on the coffee table within seconds of entering a house, attempting to drink out of two sippy cups at the same time while playing the toy piano.  

I loved Julian's mom's description comparing the two to Downton Abbey characters-- Evelyn is the Dowager Countess and Julian is the American cousin.  I'm sorry I don't have any pictures of them yet to put on the blog.  I will at some point.  Julian has thick, long hair with big round rosy cheeks, and always, except at nap time, a big smile!  

Here is Evelyn just before going to Julian's for the first time.  All ready with her purse and her horse, wearing her Hilary Clinton power suit.  

She loves Mommy's scarf fashion.  She fits in really well with the Ripon College crowd.  

Lately, we haven't been great about getting out and doing things together as a family, besides going shopping at Target and Pick N Save, so tomorrow we're excited to be making our first journey down to Madison, WI.  A church member is in rehab down there and I've wanted to go to the zoo for a long time, so we are going to spend tomorrow in Madison killing two birds with one stone (is there a less violent expression I can use?)  I can't wait for her to see the animals in real life.  We used to go to the St. Louis Zoo all the time because it was close and free, but we moved before she really reached an age of understanding and being excited to see the animals.  Now, she knows about 20 animal sounds (she's seriously obsessed with learning them.  She even knows lizard, rhinoceros, and penguins.  Three sounds I was quite unsure of before she told me.)

I have to be honest, here.  It's good to catch you all up on my blog and let you know what's going on in our lives over here, but the true reason that I wrote this blog entry was to share these photos of Evelyn wearing Hello Kitty slippers and a diaper.  

She keeps me humble, you know.  When I think my job and all the errands I have to run are SOO important and the world would collapse without me, this little girl comes running into the room all excited because she's wearing cats on her feet.  And then I remember... Oh yeah, that's what life is for-- loving and living and laughing.  

Good girl.