Saturday Morning Fun

Saturday mornings are generally fairly lazy around here.  Especially now that Dan doesn't have to mow every week!  Evelyn took the opportunity to tear the place apart this morning...while Dan and I just watched in awe.

She loves little spaces!

She just started doing this when I tell her to say "cheese"

One view of the damage

Playing with her new book from Grammie & Grandad

Hey guys - did you see my mess?

Playing on the stairs with Daddy

This was the real fun of the morning, though!

This started because I was trying to toss one of her dirty diapers up to the top of the stairs so she would quit trying to play with it.  I missed the top of the stairs and it came tumbling down...she thought it was hysterical.  We traded the diaper for the basketball.  She'll belly laugh as it bounces around coming down, and just about loses it when it knocks her in the belly (or head...).  Who knew a staircase and a basketball could be so much fun?

Grammie Came to Visit

My Mom came to visit for a few days this past week!  It was so much fun having her here, and makes me miss being close to her always.  Sigh.  Here are some pictures of her time here!

Evelyn getting ready for Grammie to visit

Playing on the stairs

Eating blueberries

Showing Grammie the fish at the aquarium

Reading books with Grammie

Showing Grammie my sand/water table

I think there's something on my hands, guys

Reading with Daddy (look at those tired, I've been playing with Grammie all day, eyes)

On Tuesday, both Dan and I had to work, so my Mom watched Evelyn. 

They played on the swing...

And pushed around chairs...

And played with Mommy's fall decorations...

And talked to my cousins...

Happy to have Mommy home!

Love Grammie!

Playing outside

Getting ready for bed...

Come back, Grammie!  We love having you here.  Counting down the days to Christmas!

Fun on the Stairs

We have gotten to the point where we will leave the gate for the stairs down when we are in the same room with Evelyn.  I still put it up if I am making dinner, or something where I am in the kitchen and can't actually see the stairs. 

Tonight, she ventured into her new found land of fun.

 Something about little squishy bottoms that make you smile...

 Oh, hi Mom!

 This picture makes me realize she's not a baby anymore :-(

Broncos Football!

Oh the gloriousness that is Broncos football.  I love it.  I love it, so.  Today was Evelyn's first "real" Broncos game.  Sure, last year she was around for the season, but she slept through most of the games and didn't really seem engaged in what was happening.  Not so today.  My little girl spent the 30 or so minutes of the game that she got to watch walking in circles around the living room and yelling at the TV.  Made this mama proud.  It may be my proudest moment as a mother yet. :-)

Of course, when I busted out the video, she calmed down a little - but you can get the picture.

That's my girl!

1.  Daddy and his Broncos cheerleader!     2.  Dan calls this her 'game face'.     3.  Hooray Broncos!

And I'm a little concerned.  I generally can not stand Cris Collingsworth and his just general dumbness...but tonight he made me laugh.  Twice.  I love the Broncos.

Flying

This is one of Evelyn's favorite things to do...we tried to video it tonight.  Pardon the sketchy video - we had the phone perched on top of the couch so you could see her face and I could still catch her safely. 

Hi, Siri? It's Evelyn.

Evelyn has figured out how to talk to Siri on my phone.  It's hilarious.  She will sit there and talk to my phone and poor Siri is confused.  You can't hear her in this video, but she keeps saying, "I don't understand, XXX" (where XXX is some random word that Siri thinks Evelyn is saying).  Enjoy!

Aquarium Fun

Yesterday we went to the Texas State Aquarium - it's our local aquarium that we have heard was really nice, but had yet to visit in the 4 years we've lived here.  We actually became members because after two visits, the membership pays for itself - unlimited admission (to the exhibits, shows, and the splash park they have), free parking, discounts on food, gifts, and admission for guests...hint, hint...come visit.  Evelyn definitely liked it - I can't wait to take her on a less busy day when she can roam around on her own a little more.

Watching the dolphin show

She loved the exhibits that were on the floor-level

I can't remember what we were looking at her - but her face cracks me up!

In one of the seahorse exhibits, you can crawl up into a bubble and be "in" the exhibit.

Hey - there's a seahorse!

And there's my Dad!

Hi Mommy!

Looking at some more exhibits

Seeing how her wingspan measures up...um, short

Dan has the wingspan of a turkey vulture

We didn't get to go to the splash park today because this rolled in from the Gulf

Stingray exhibit

Had I shot this 2.74 seconds later, you could have seen her touching the stingray!

At the underwater portion of the dolphin exhibit

And so you can see that I was actually there as well...

It was lots of fun - we'll definitely be back.  Evelyn's nanny is getting a one-year membership for herself for her birthday this week as well, so I'm sure this will be a favorite thing to do!

New Sippy Cup

Evelyn kept trying to get my Camelback yesterday morning, and being the stellar Mom that I am - I didn't want to share.  So I got her a sippy cup that we haven't used yet because you have to bite the straw to get it to work.  She spent the next hour (I am not exaggerating at all!) walking around like this...

 And this...

 And this...

And, well...this...

Then she got annoyed because she wasn't really getting water from it - so she started carrying around her normal sippy cup and her straw cup so she could drink and be happy.

She did eventually learn how to get the straw to work. :-)