A while back...

...this beautiful little girl entered our lives.

After weeks of Braxton Hicks contractions, I wasn't convinced that what I was feeling on May 2nd last year {a mere 14 hours before a scheduled induction} was the real thing so I headed off with the crew to Super Target {our second home} at about 5:00. By the time we were back and finished with dinner the uncertainty had vanished and we were frantically trying to find someone to stay with the older three so we could high tail it to the hospital. Lucky for us our neighbor was home and could wait at our house until my dad arrived to take over.

 

We got to the hospital at about 7:30. Four hours and half a push later, Evie was here. When we were expecting the other three, we knew what we were getting {well, at least what gender}. With Evie, we decided not to find out ahead of time, though I was CONVINCED she was a boy. Imagine my surprise {and frustration at being made to wait a whole ten seconds after her birth} when I was told that God had blessed us with another sweet daughter. Beautiful symmetry.

As I've been told many times, the older we get the faster the years pass. While I never doubted the wisdom in this statement, I have never experienced it more fully than this last year as Evelyn raced to her first birthday. Join me on this trip down memory lane.

 

June :: here's our one-month-old babe with her daddy on Father's day.

July :: another one in daddy's arms at two-months-old.

August :: three-month-old Evie and I parked ourselves under a big umbrella while the big kids played on the beach.

September :: four-month milestone? sitting!

In October :: we dedicated our five-month-old to the Lord who searches her and knows her and created her inmost being.

November :: the 4th member of our troop was six-months-old and enjoying every minute she could outside with her big sibs.

December :: this seven-month-old celebrated her first Christmas

January :: though not quite crawling, eight-month-old Evelyn was up on her hands and knees and ready to take off.

February :: nine months of growth definitely qualified Evie for hair doo-dads; unfortunately for her Mama, she would prefer them in her mouth instead of her hair.

March :: desperate for warmer weather, at ten-months-old Evie got to participate in her first indoor mid-winter beach party complete with the sounds of ocean waves, Beach Boys tunes and a scrumptious picnic.

April :: our eleven-month-old was proficient at playing "so big." and she was...

May :: a full twelve months after she was born, Evie is still the clear favorite among the siblings. she is blessed to have two protective brothers and a nurturing sister who absolutely adore her. her mom and dad think she's pretty awesome too.

Every one-year-old needs a chance to explore the sweet sticky goodness of their first birthday cake. For Evie, this was in the form of a cupcake. Of course shutter-happy-mommy was more concerned about the proper aperture and shutter speed than the cleanliness of the kitchen so by the time she was done, the baby and the floor were ready for a good washing.

I think she liked it...

Evie was so blessed to be able to celebrate her big day with lots of family and friends. And this huge bag that I just couldn't resist putting her in. Evie, on the other hand, was not as amused.

Happy birthday, Miss Evelyn Grace!