The first pictures of our baby

 After all the heartbeat excitement, we were so ready to get to our sonogram the next week and see our little peanut wriggling around. When the door opened for the sonogram, we saw the familiar face of a family friend, Julie.
"Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?" Julie asked as we settled in.
"Either one, just as long as there is only one in there!" I laughed. It was a nervous laugh because  a small part of me was fearing twins because my back was hurting so much and my appetite had been so difficult. She got started and was silent for a solid 7 seconds.
"Well guys, there's two in there," she said matter of factly. Travis started rubbing his head and spinning in circles, not knowing what to say. I just kept repeating the same phrases:
"You're kidding, right. There's only one, right? Are you joking?"
"See here's one baby," she said, pointing to the screen. She moved  the image. "And here's a baby."
"Oh my gosh," I said, slack-jawed. Silence.
"I'm just kidding guys," she laughed. "That's the same baby."
I thought I'd kill her.
The rest of the appointment went very smoothly. We got to watch in amazement as arms waved and legs kicked. A thorough inspection between the legs revealed no indication of a boy, but as Julie said, it wasn't too late for something to show up still. We'll find out for her at 20 weeks!

Buzz!!!!!!

For about the last month or so, Evalee has been a huge fan of the Toy Story movies. She is so excited to see Buzz, every time it's like she's watching for the first time. We never got around to taking back a birthday present I got her and then found for a much better price somewhere else, so we couldn't resist exchanging for her very own Buzz. She's been in love ever since. We even brought him to church with us this week.

Elmo desk

 My cousin Abby sent Evalee a surprise birthday present in the mail, and Evalee thought it necessary to begin construction asap.

Who needs instructions?

All this work, and I need a book break.

Once Daddy was home, construction speed picked up.

She didn't need any help from Daddy, either.

Breakdown because Daddy finished a step without her.

So then she needed to turn the screws.

Blowing bubbles with her pals

Since we got so many cool bubble toys for her birthday, Eva's been having lots of fun with them out on the porch. She has also grown more attached to her Rapunzel and Flynn dolls, talking to them and having them dance together and do all sorts of things. So it was only a matter of time until they had to try to blow bubbles themselves.

The Cat in the Hat Birthday Party

Due to Evalee's deep love for all her friends on the Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That, we had a Cat in the Hat themed birthday party to celebrate her turning 2. Despite the fact that the weather wasn't as warm as it had been the two weeks prior, it was still nice enough outside to play and watch all the men put together her new swing set from Grandma and Grandpa. She received so many thoughtful presents, and she has had a blast playing with all of them ever since her party. She was very excited to open presents, so the present opening was going well up until she opened the toy that she was most excited about: her tool set. After that, she didn't have any need to open any others. We finally talked her into it by showing her how she could use her screwdriver to tear off the wrapping paper. I'm not sure how many two-year-old girls are out there that are as excited about plastic screwdrivers as she is, but it's just another one of those things that make her the girl we love so much. We had a yummy dinner of pulled pork sandwiches, Italian beef, and lots and lots of side dishes. Then we cut into our red velvet hat cake that Abby and I made with love. I add myself very loosely, as I did about 3% of the work. It was a great day spent with a lot of great people, and we felt so blessed that everyone came to celebrate her big day with us!