As any followers of the blog already know, I haven’t been very good about keeping up a regular update schedule of late. I’ve also noticed that my posts tend to be nothing more than a digest of videos and pictures. So, we’ve decided to change things a bit and created an Instagram account.
For those unfamiliar with Instagram, it will allow us to upload pictures and videos immediately from our phones. That means more frequent and timely updates! You can visit the page here:
Or, if you have (or create) an Instagram account you can “follow” username eviepiper.
We’ll still use the blog for specific events, so lilvarmint isn’t dead, but we figured the Instagram account will keep Evie’s devoted fanbase supplied with more regular updates.
As I mentioned in the last post, Evie likes to make her funny faces. She learned these from her favorite show: Yo Gabba Gabba (her go to funny face occurs at the 0:36 mark).
Now, all we have to do is say, “Evie, make your funny face” and she’s ready to go:
I know it’s been a while, but I’m going to make a concerted effort to post more regularly in the near future – I can’t leave Evie’s adoring fans hanging! (Note: some of the higher quality pictures in this post take a while to load – just wait, they’ll show up eventually).
A lot’s happened since the last post. Norie and I have gone on two trips each, I’ve taught an entire summer course, and Evie has been adorable. Don’t believe me? Check this out:
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She’s still growing at a steady rate, though nothing grows as fast as her crazy ginger hair. Norie wants her to get a trim, but I say let it flow. After all, a spitfire should have locks to match:
In addition to the general cuteness, she’s also been busy visiting with people, including trips to see both sets of grandparents:
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She’s also continued to make friends and share her awesomeness with the people around her:
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And then, of course, she’s continued learning new skills. She learned how to touch trees:
Then quickly decided that she was way too advanced for that and moved on to touching poles:
She’s also honing her computing skills:
After a lot of practice, she’s gotten swinging down, both on a swing:
And a bar:
She continues to push the envelope on modern fashion (the stethoscope accessory is really what pulls the outfit together):
Her speaking continues to improve, with new words almost daily. She’s best, though, at mimicking the sound of a bell:
She’s also become an expert at making funny faces. Well, making one funny face anyway:
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And finally, she still loves her books. In fact, she’s become quite the speed reader:
With the Houston heat in full effect we don’t get to roam campus as much as we used to, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t still find time to explore:
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In general, though, we’ve been focusing on more indoor activities. She’s been obsessed with butterflies lately – pointing to them any time they show up in a book or on clothes – so we took her to the butterfly garden at the Museum of Natural Science. Naturally, she reacted with… terror:
We’ve found other indoor things that don’t scare the bejeezus out of her:
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Somehow, with all of this, she’s still never short on energy. In fact, we try to end every day with what we call “The Running of the P” right before bedtime:
All this energy made us wonder if all kids this age are so energetic, or if Evie is just a little spitfire. Evidence points to the latter:
When she does finally, crash, though, it’s usually pretty epic:
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And in case this monster post doesn’t contain enough Evie for you, here’s one more video:
I’m very close to full-time summer mode. Evie gets bored easily and doesn’t like to spend a huge amount of time couped up at home, so I’ve been trying to line up as many activities as possible to keep her occupied. Tuesdays we go to the Barnes & Noble story time. I signed her up for Little Gym on Wednesdays. Thursday is comic book store/bakery day. Once the weather clears up I’ll try to take her to the pool on Mondays and Fridays. Hopefully that will wear the rambunctious one out!
The best part of getting her out so much is that she’s starting to make some friends. A couple weeks ago she had a blast with a little girl she met at the bakery. Then yesterday she had a grand time with a little boy her age at Barnes & Noble. For an only child she does a pretty good job around kids, except for the one a few days ago that tackled her into a pillar:
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Evie also gets out for walks around campus. She’s really getting to know the place and feel comfortable. She discovered the fountain:
Is a big fan of the art on the buildings – especially the noses:
And has taken to just sitting where ever she decides is most comfortable:
Seriously, anywhere:
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She’s even taken to doing some serious stair training:
Of course, she still manages to have some fun at home. Especially when she’s pursuing the arts… in a ‘Stros cap:
And then, of course, there’s just her general absurdity:
A lot has happened in the past two weeks, but all of it pales in comparison to her two new fashion trends. The first is a pair of galoshes that she insists on wearing every day, regardless of the weather or the presence (or non-presence) of puddles. When there are puddles they make perfect sense, and she uses them well:
Her pigtails, too, she pulls off with flair:
If you put the two together, well, there’s no stopping her then:
And then, of course, there’s the general Evie insanity – seriously, lack of energy is definitely not a concern with this little girl:
She also continues to grow and develop. She’s shifted to an afternoon nap and pretty much spends all her other waking hours roaming campus – a homebody she is not. She’s starting to imitate a lot that we do, including dancing, approximating some words, and, well, this:
One other exciting thing is that Norie finally got her good camera back, so we’ve been able to take quality photos again. Here’s a sample:
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That’s all for now. Between getting the camera back and the semester ending I’m hoping to post more often in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
After another long hiatus, the blog is back! It’s been so long I’m not going to try to put together some cohesive blog – this will be a simple summary of the past month. A lot has happened. First, Evie got a visit from her grandma and grandpa Messmer in mid-March, as evidenced by this shot of her walking with her entourage:
Then we took her to Austin for a couple of days. It was hard for Norie and I to get out and do much since we had a toddler to manage, but Evie had a grand time in the hotel room:
There has also been some fun at home. I decided I had had enough of this whole “living without a piano” thing, so I went ahead and picked up a keyboard, which Evie immediately discovered was great fun:
Next stop – Carnegie Hall!
Unfortunately, shortly thereafter she got her first ear infection. That made for a rough week – she didn’t eat, drink, or sleep well, and every night we had to force antibiotics down her throat. She was pretty miserable (we all were), but she rallied in time for Beer Bike, where we continued our tradition of renting livestock:
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Now she’s fully recovered from her illness and making up for it by devouring any food in sight and racing around campus. She’s actually pretty impressive – she knows where things on campus are and even knows how to open doors:
She’s also graduated away from toys that light up and is now really into moving things from one place to another, often in stacks. Sometimes, she wants to bring us a series of stuff:
Finally, she’s really gotten into the concept of sitting down, especially when she looks at her books. As such, we went ahead and invested in an Evie sized chair. She loves it!
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And, just to wrap up, here are a month-and-a-half worth of random adorable videos and pictures:
Evie’s chewed on a faux toothbrush for months, but we went ahead and got a real toddler brush and toothpaste. She seemed only moderately impressed with the whole thing:
In the meantime, we’ve been dealing with some crappy weather. Evie, though is not to be deterred – she just bundles up and keeps on truckin’:
She’s also been undergoing a shift in her napping schedule. Sometimes she still sleeps in the morning, but more and more often she’s been skipping the morning nap and crashing in the afternoon. Regardless of when she sleeps, she’s always a joy when she wakes up:
She’s also still a goofball:
And, well, I can’t think of a lead in to this one:
Lil' Varmint 