Ballet

First ballet recital.

The freckles were killing me.

And Theo choose his Aunt Carri's lap for his nap during the show...

Six

Six years!

Happy Birthday Eva.

5+364

Here we are... less than 24 hours until you are officially 6!

This is you yesterday on your 100th day of kindergarten.  

With a refashioned womens skirt from the thrift store, some glasses, pearls and a vintage purse - you were ecstatic to be dressed as a "100 year old grandma" as you kept saying.  All the while I just could not get over you.  Such a big kid now.

It always sends my mind reeling to look at your baby pictures.  I see so much of you in those pictures - little glimpses at the little lady you are now.  The way you hold your mouth when you are thinking or the way your eyes light up and shine when you smile.  

But it is hard to look at you now and see that little baby sometimes.  It is getting all filled in with this long-legged, grinning girl.  You're so tall and all legs and arms, laughing and telling horrible knock-knock jokes.  (You are really bad at them by the way!)  Sometimes how much you have grown and changed slaps me in the face catching me off guard,  taking my breath away.

Instead of seeing that little, chubby baby, I now see these little spots and peaks of the teenager and grown up you are becoming.  Crossing your legs on the park bench, rolling your eyes a little when I get really sappy, raising your chin and staring me down when I am saying something you don't want to hear, putting your hand on your baby sister's back to help lead her in the right direction, becoming fascinated with an idea and asking question after question until you learn all you can, seeing far off places and wanting to go visit them, running to catch a friend at the bus and waving bye to me over your shoulder and then blowing me a kiss from the window, going over the alphabet with Theo and patiently correcting him when he calls a D a B. 

Your heart is so big and so beautiful, Eva.  Thank you for these six years of you.  

Happy Birthday.

spider girl

We watched the Spider Man movie and they are fans.

And somehow when they act it out - all of their mannerisms turn into grown up ones. 

Keep it up and slow it down little ones.

decorator

I am not what you would consider a decorator.  

Don't get me wrong, I love looking at beautiful rooms and drooling over well designed furniture and beautiful artwork.  I can imagine my finished rooms and me living in them. But when it comes to finding the pieces and making the purchases - I fail.  It is time consuming and until I am 100% sure I love it (or 90% sure and it is on major sale) I just can 't follow through.

It doesn't help me that the kids love to draw on the couch and use our side tables for amazing Donkey Kong reenactments.  At any moment our TV stand can become a Broadway stage and Mt. Everest for stranded climbers.  We have miles and miles of wall space and so many empty corners.  In fact we want to ditch our huge TV stand, but that would make the room even emptier - so it stays. 

Eva has taken notice of the problem and started decorating our walls.  This little doodler is always making art and hanging them all around our house.  The installation with the cut out hearts she named "Lots of Love" and is in our bedroom.  I am really thinking it should be permanent - because I am 200% sure I will love it forever.

Accessories

After all those mornings with me begging for her to leave bows in her hair...
we have finally graduated.
This little lady can not leave the house without her fancy tidbits.
Headbands, bracelets, tutus... we are fans now.
Eva has gone fancy.

first day

Miss Eva started kindergarten last week.  Of course she loves it.  We celebrated her first day with nutella waffles and her Poppy and Goggy came to see her off on her first day.

She has had a new friend everyday - and a few of them she even remembered their names.  I have been sending her lunch and even though she was tempted to buy lunch on pizza day, she decided that she was a "packer" right now so maybe another year...

We are so very proud of you peanut.

Eva and Theo

Since we have been back from vacation it seems like time has been on hyperspeed.  Vacation - The Bixlers go RVing - was so much fun and I am wading through the hundreds of photos and trying to get them in some kind of order.

After almost 2 weeks of uninterrupted parent time, no bedtimes, and all fun all day - it took awhile to adjust.  (Enter tantrums and 4:00 am wake-ups.)  But now that the dust has settled we are trying to soak up the last bits of summer... because on Friday Eva will be an official kindergartener.

She is excited.  Very, very EXCITED!  After her orientation yesterday said, "Mom, I am really big now aren't I?  Really big and really cool."  Yes, you are really big and really cool.

Eva and Theo have been thick as thieves lately.  Everything they do - they are doing it together.  From playing cars, princesses, being Mr. and Mrs. Incredible and even plotting against mommy to get on the kitchen counters looking for suckers.  They introduce each other to their friends and I catch them holding hands when they think I am not looking.

So as much as I know Friday is going to be an emotional one for me, my mommy heart breaks for Mr. Theo.  He is going to be a little lost without his big sister and especially his best friend.

later

Some nights you get to stay up past your bedtime.  Just Eva and the mom and dad.  Hanging out and hopefully making memories.  This night I hope you remember weeding the flowerbeds, singing songs and dancing - with your shoes on the wrong feet.  Good stuff.

Name Change

A few months ago, Eva started writing her name with the letters "AB" at the end on all of her papers from school.  At first I wasn't sure if she was just practicing, or trying to write her last name?  When I asked her about it, at first she just said she liked the "AB" - it gave her more letters.  

At her kindergarten screening a few weeks ago they had the kids find their own name tags and then bring their parents the huge (really huge) stack of paperwork under them.  Eva walked down the row of names, stopping ever so briefly at her own name and then moved on.  She then tells the teacher that her name wasn't there.  So the teacher asks her name.  "It's Eva."  So her and the teacher go to the tag that says her first and last name and the teacher asks if this was her name.  "Nope that's not it. My name is Eva AB.  That is my old name.  Didn't my mom tell you?"

Yeah, so she has changed her name.  Eva AB.  And I have also been informed that when she turns 6, on her very special next birthday, her name is going to change.   

It will be Eva ABC.

chores

Eva came home from school asking for chores and an allowance.  Then she asked me what was an allowance.  After we talked it through, she was excited to have "my own dollars" and save for something special.  So we made a chore list.  The last two were my idea, obviously.

·picking up dirty clothes·

·picking up her toys·

·keeping blankets and her pets in her bed·

·putting shoes and coats in the closet·

·being a great listener·

·using nice words and gentle hands·

Dishes were not on her list but she was so excited to get started she took over for me.  She is currently saving her weekly allowance for a new fairy doll. 

Last night, the toys in the living room were picked up and put away in record time!

tooth

This happened... first tooth fairy visit.  Wowza! I had no clue it was coming.  

Then there we were... first lost tooth.  She rocked it.

pretend boss

Eva told Theo, 

"Today, you can pretend to be the boss.  You tell me what cutter to use and what shapes to make.  Alright, now tell me to roll out the dough and to use the this cutter, okay?"

meeting

Can we have a meeting? 

Eva asked us to sit down at the table - she was calling her first family meeting. 

She wanted to discuss Theodore.  How he is always running and jumping off things.  And she really wanted to talk about how he is always interrupting - our talking and our playing.  Then a few seconds later, wouldn't you know that our meeting was interrupted...

five

five years

That is how long you have been with us Miss Eva.  

Really five years and nine months if you count the "Deedle Days" into the equation.  But those are so hard to count. You were in there growing, too busy making new cells to make the impression that would soon come.  You are our whole life, making us parents, and teaching us more than we could ever teach you.  

You have a fierceness and fire.  Your conviction and determination are a force.  At the same time you are quiet and gentle.  The idea of a big birthday party sounded fun but made you a ball of nervousness.  It took a few rounds of "Happy Birthday" from your family and Goggy and Poppy to get you loosened up.  On the third round, you said you were ready to smile.  All that attention made my fiery girl nervous and shy. 

This time of your life, I think we will look back on as the "Clothing Negotiation Era" of your life.   Dressing is a battle in the morning and for bed.  You stash your favorite clothing (tutus, nightgowns and a few other essentials like newborn headbands or spiderman gloves) in drawers and cabinets throughout the house so you can fix you attire as soon as you get home (or when no one is looking.)


You amaze us, humble us, improve us, and make us sublimely happy.
You rock our world Miss Eva. 

evidence: making faces

Recently discovered photos on my phone... along with 200 more.

big sis

Big sister and little sister - I can barely stand it.

Eva wanted a little sister so bad, and I am so glad that she got one.  

Seeing them together has been more than I could have imagined.  

sometimes

Most days she is too big for a nap, but sometimes I still get to stare at her lashes while she sleeps. 

her worm

Eva found a worm.  She loved it, named it and even kissed it.  We talked her out of keeping it in her room and talked her into putting it in the grass to visit its family.  It was touch and go, but the little worm survived our negotiations - but just barely.

walking

Walking home from preschool.  She was the leader.