evelyn claire {one year}

she is one. just like that. my tiny newborn with wrinkled-up skin and dark hair became my bright-eyed blondie with smiles as sweet as she is.

every day of the past year has whizzed by parallel to none other. the newborn excitement with little sleep turns into the days where you can cart them anywhere and they just fall asleep in their carrier or better yet, in your baby-wearing apparatus. then they begin to really notice the world around and are all eyes, taking every detail in. then more sleepless nights as they adjust to new teeth, stuffy noses, the cold, the heat. you try to remember what safeguards to be on top of with a crawler, then a cruiser. primarily, you keep the toilet lid down (it's not just boys, after all!). you cheer for every step they take, wondering how on earth it's time for another walker again. then you realize that all three of your kids are mobile! yikes. you've packed up the baby food maker and are investing in the bibs that cover the entire body. better yet you just let your baby eat naked or give baths several times a day (there are worse things, right?).

that was our year. a blur. filled with lots of joy as this little girl has filled our hearts. evelyn is really sweet. she smiles a lot. she's not super talkative, but she can definitely make noise when she wants to. she loves her mobility and stays busy wandering around our living room, finding random toys to put in her mouth and trying to climb. she climbs into her bouncer-- isn't that crazy? my boys didn't even do that.

evelyn was 29 inches at her 12-month checkup and 20 lbs 6 oz. she is wearing 12-mo clothing and size 3 diapers. she loves peas and carrots, cheese, and blueberries, among numerous other things. she is still nursing morning and evening and drinks lots of whole milk in between! evelyn still takes two naps a day-- morning and afternoon and takes little to no effort to get to sleep. she still wakes most nights for a little "mama snuggles", but whatever, she's my third, so it bothers me a lot less than if she was my first! evelyn is growing more and more teeth-- she is getting three on the top and a third on the bottom! she took her first steps the week leading up to her birthday and on her actual birthday, surprised us with about 8 steps! she hasn't looked back! she is a confident walker and acts like she has been doing it forever.

i love watching her grow and change. i love that she still snuggles before going to sleep and listens to me with contentment as i sing to her. i love that she loves her brothers and gets WAY excited when she sees them! i love the way she is usually carrying something in her hand (someone's shoe, a toy, usually something inappropriately heavy!) while toddling around the house, as if telling us that yes, as a matter of fact, she is up to the challenge of whatever comes her way! what kind of little girl will she be? curious? hilarious? tomboy? independent and resilient? creative and artsy? athletic? maybe a little bit of all of those things. i pray each night as i lay her down that she will use the gifts and abilities that God has (already) placed inside of her for His glory; to love and serve Jesus and others. that we will point her to Christ and despite my weaknesses and imperfections, that she will love Him and know Him all the days of her life.

what a gift a baby is. a life with amazing design and unbelievable potential.

now for some pictures, because let's be real, that's why you are reading this post! i'm on to you. ;)

i like to eat race car tracks...doesn't everyone?

something about her smile-- such a cutie!

uh-oh. good thing this is the last monthly picture!

cupcake time!

a little tentative at first...

now we're getting the hang of it!

family picture, minus daddy! :(