Happy (belated) 3rd Birthday Evie!

My baby isn't really a baby anymore....of course she will always be the baby of the family...but she is growing up in so many ways! We love her to bits...despite her toddler antics...she is a vibrant personality who knows exactly what she wants and most of the time wants to do everything by herself! Independent, sweet, silly, and with a fiery temper...it's hard to imagine our family without her.

Here are some things we want to remember about Evie at this age:

- Evie loves her plethora of muslin blankets...doesn't matter which one she takes to bed...as long as it has a tag that she can crunch up and stuff her face in!
- Evie loves the idea of having friends...and will often call someone she just met her best "fwiend"...she calls her cousins and her aunts and her grandma her best 'fwiends' too!
-She churns out cards to all those she loves on a daily basis..and has an uncanny 6th sense of knowing when I have 'purged' some of these cards she has made...haha

Our little Peppa!

- Evie loves to pretend to go to the splash park with her babies and of course me! She loves ordering me around like she's the mom...my favourite part is when she tucks me into bed for a nap as part of the game...a little relaxing time for me! :)
-She has recently learned how to ride a two wheeler bike without training wheels! She can't stop or start but can go as long as she wants without falling! So early for her to know how to do that!
- Evie says all words that start with 's' as the sound of 'f'....for example....splash pad is 'fwash pad'...or swimming is said 'fwimming'...or special is said 'feshial'. Soooo cute!!
- Evie is slowly (very slowly!!) learning that pinching is really hurtful and not kind to do to her sisters (mainly Lily for some reason...poor Lily!) or to anyone! And she is working on saying 'STOP' to her hands before they hurt others. This has been a big challenge for her (and us) but we have been encouraged as of late with her progress towards pinching less and using her words more often! Oh Evie!!
- She LOVES watching Peppa Pig...giggles at all the funny things Peppa and George do...and even requested a Peppa Pig cake for her 3rd birthday (which Phil delivered with amazing skill!!)
- She adores her sisters and from the moment her feet hit the floor in the morning she is asking 'where are the girls?'....much to their dismay sometimes but in general they are really good with Evie and incorporate her nicely (until she pinches them! ahhhh!!!) into their play.

Phil's cake masterpiece...Peppa Pig!

- Lily is especially playful with Evie and will often play the role as Evie's pet cat...(Lily LOVES this as most days she would prefer to be an animal anyways) where as Kaitlyn has naturally taken on more of a mothering role with Evie (first born!)
- Evie's bedtime routine is fairly set (if she goes to bed late...there is no skipping over things!) and she enjoys books, praying, singing and tickles. She usually is asleep within the first 3 songs. Sometimes she will join in the singing (twinkle twinkle) or request a song or sing to me...very sweet. Her faves have been Zacheous was a wee little man, Skinamarinky dinky-dink, Jesus loves me, and This little light of mine to name a few...I just love (and try to cherish) those still, quiet moments right before she falls asleep with her heavy eyelids and her perfect, sweet, chubby face close to mine...happy and safe and content right in that moment with me...I just love it....a great way to end some of those more 'trying' days! :)

- Often Evie will want to be within 3 feet of me...whether I'm going to the bathroom, cooking, reading to the girls, going upstairs to get something....Evie will want to come with me....
- Evie really enjoys playing 'mom' to her baby doll and will often take her for a walk, or put her to sleep or feed her or have a tea party with her....and wants me to be there for all that of course! :)
- Evie really likes 'cow cheese' (the laughing cow cheese), waffles (cold!), coke (a VERY special and rare treat for her), any kind of gum or candy (lollipops are always a hit with Evie!), frozen bananas and blueberries, strawberry smoothies, tea with too much sugar, and for some bizarre reason...Evie doesn't really enjoy Ketchup that much (Whaaaaaat???Whose daughter is she?)

My sweet girl

-Evie is now in a 'big girl' bed and even though she looks so tiny in this big bed, she is growing up so fast and was totally ready for the upgrade from the crib
 - Evie ditched diapers in the daytime in the spring this year...when she was about 2.5 years old...she was heavily influenced by her older sisters and one day she decided that she wanted to go pee in the big toilet and that was that....(unlike the woes we had with one of our other kids where I had to carry around a potty with me for about 6 months while we potty trained her!!) She still wears diapers at night but recently has been waking up with a dry diaper so who knows....we may be totally out of the world of diapers sooner than we think!!
-Evie attends a little preschool, run through our church...two mornings a week..she had her first day last week and she did well! We are hoping she continues to enjoy going as it gives her a chance to have 'her thing' while I homeschool the other girls.

Evie, running like the wind,
hair flowing wild, arms joyfully
swinging in barefoot simplicity.
Love it.

Evie has been through a lot of change in her short little life thus far....back and forth to Chad, moving 4 times since last November (within Canada)...hearing about this 'Chad' place but not really remembering it, yet we talk about it often and our 'home' there. She has struggled with the instability and the many transitions we have been through this past year but yet, is remarkably happy and full of confidence within our family...which has been so good to see. We are so thankful for her spunky personality, her sweet and funny words and all the ways she adds to our family life!
We pray that as each day passes, she would learn more and more about what it means to be kind and loving to others, learn to use her words rather than her fists, learn to obey with a joyful heart and to be a kind and thoughtful friend and sister. We pray that she would learn more about the One who loves her and made her and has a plan for her life...and we pray that she would have a huge desire to submit to His great purpose for her life and that she would grow in wisdom and knowledge of her Creator.

We absolutely LOVE Evie and love that she is a part of our family...for better or for worse....during 3 year old tantrums or those 3 year old cute moments...we will still love her, now and always! :)

Happy 8th Lily (slightly...well more than slightly belated!)

Lily. You are a giggly, lovely, beautiful girl. Our girl. You have grown up so much...in so many ways...inside and out. You love to scream and laugh and run like the wind. Your voice is loud (and high pitched!) and full of joy (most of the time)...usually excitedly recounting a funny thing that happened or making up some funny word to laugh at. Lily, your toothy smile and contagious laughter bring joy to our family....we love you!

These are some things that you are into these days:

- You still need to have your blankie with you when you sleep (it is surprisingly in tact considering it's age and amount of use it gets...long may that last! We don't have a back-up!)
- You refuse to cut your hair and want to grow it super long....like Tangled (we'll see about that...)
- You are obsessed with reading...anytime, anywhere, all day if you could...we love it....the library is THE highlight of the week when you can choose more adventures to read.

Lily and her book(s)

- Some of your favourite foods are: Corn pops cereal (a rare treat in our house), green beans with lots of butter on them, mashed potatoes (or any kind of potato for that matter), cucumbers and cheese (mini sandwiches), chicken tettrazini, salt and vinegar chips, milk (litres of it!!), and butter (according to you..it's a food group!) to name a few.
- You are meticulous at brushing your teeth, washing your hands brushing your hair...and prefer to wear your hair up in a braid or a ponytail...probably so it doesn't get in your face when you are running at top speed (you run often)
- You are a skinny minny girl...I always say as I hold her dainty wrist, "Lil, I could break you like a twig!" (just for fun) and you smile your toothy grin at me and giggle.
- Evie has a current obsession of you...she always asks 'Where is Lily? I want to pay (play) with her?' and you are so good about including her in your games (as is Kaitlyn)...but there are times when you have had enough and I will find you hiding...trying to get some alone time from Evie! :)
- You have several friends (Mackenzie and Noah) who you love to play with (and gallop with) but you have to be in the right mood to put down your book or want to go out...you love to be home Lily.
- You have perfected the skill of galloping like a horse (on all fours) and have recently added jumping over obstacles on all fours as well...very impressive...just not when we are at a person's house whom we don't really know that well...perhaps don't gallop around their living room??!!
- You and Kaitlyn are best friends...you get each other, you play well with each other and have been there for each other through a lot of transition and changes over the years. I love how close you two are in age and friendship.

Lily would love to be a horse! 

- You were made for homeschooling....self-driven, independent, curious and you have a desire to learn new things...thanks for putting your head down and getting it done (most days) without too much motivation from me. That kind of work ethic is going to take you far one day Lily. Proud of you!
-For the first time ever, you had a real paying job....a newspaper route! You shared it with Kaitlyn (and Evie, kind of). Every week you would put the flyers into the papers and then deliver the newspapers to 77 houses in our area. Lots of work but you didn't complain and ran most of the route...rain or shine (it seemed like mostly rain!). We were proud of your hard work Lily!
- You love to run and you run like the wind, but you intensely dislike chasing games.
- You will often draw pictures or write notes to people whether it's grandma or me or Evie or Daddy etc....lots of pictures and notes are created from your hand Lily...you love words...whether you are reading them or writing them. Love it!
- You aren't really that into fashion and will often choose the item of clothing that is at the top of your drawer...much to Kaitlyn's chagrin who will sometimes intervene and 'set you right'...you don't seem to mind (most of the time) and when you do try, you will often use Kaitlyn as a model for how you want to dress. Little sister looking up to big sister...cute! And of course, Kaitlyn LOVES that!
-You still want to be tucked in each night and have a hug and a kiss goodnight....long may that last! I'll take it as I know that won't always be the case.
- You started playing recorder this year and have caught on quickly! I just bought you a new book so hopefully we can continue to learn how to read and play music!
- Your dream came true this year when you were able to take horse-back riding lessons...your little pony Swiper was a good little guy and you were loving life up on his back! Animals are and I'm sure will forever be a passion of yours...your heart is sensitive and compassionate towards animals and you would love to have a pet of your own (i.e: A dog...to which your mean mom has said 'No'....but you can get one when you move out!!)...You do have 2 cats but Whiskers and Fluffy are back in Chad. Hang on a little while longer and you'll be reunited again!

Our Lily

 - You have handled major change with surprising ease Lily...heading back to Chad last Oct only to return without Daddy two weeks later...living in Nana and Grampa's house for two months while we waiting for Dad to come home, moving to Grandma's house for Christmas then into another house to rent a month later...then moving again 6 months later to a house we bought (yay!)...homeschooling throughout and not knowing for sure how long we'd be back in Canada for (we still don't really know). We had lots of chats about the craziness of it all and how unstable everything felt and how stress and discontentment can steal your joy...you saw me struggle but you knew where I drew my strength and assurance from...we lived it out Lily...cuz we had to if we wanted to make it in this crazy life of uncertainty and change. We knew that we could count on God, who never changes and is always there and is totally in control. It was very cool to see and hear you piece that all together and I know it was God who calmed your spirit in the midst of all of that craziness.

Well Lily, you are a joy to us and we love you...quirks and all...you are growing in so many ways and we love that you are in our family.

Happy 8th Birthday Lily!

Love and hugs,

Mom

PS. We surprised you with a Minecraft cake (you were going through a Minecraft obsession at the time) complete with blue jello for the water, chocolate cake for the dirt and green icing for the grass...with some fun Minecraft toppers like TNT and Steve! Then for your actual birthday party (of course we saved it for when we were at the Soontiens farm - cousins - and we had some games and a fun treasure hunt/map game where the prize was BB8 cupcakes...another love of yours! You loved having 2 parties!! Some of the presents you received were: a real bow and arrow, a beanie boo fox, a reading light, and a temporary tattoo marker kit to name a few. All in all, a great birthday!