This morning as we are all in bed snuggling and tickling Evan, he starts telling us what he loves to eat. Here is his list, in no particular order: Evan loves McDonald's, apples macaroni, chicken nuggets, carrots, french fries, hot dogs, cabbage salad, peanut butter and jelly, cheese, chips, hamburgers, bananas, and then the favorite-- ice cream!!! We asked him if he loves borscht (Ukrainian soup), and he said, "oh yeah!" but then told us, "it's ok!" that we don't have it here in America. His favorite expression is, "whatcha doin?" and uses "it's ok" as both reassurance to us (see post below!) or as a question when he's not sure if he's done something wrong.
He's such an easy-going kid! When he doesn't think he'll like something to eat, he'll say, "ma-maaaa!" (drawn out as long as possible) but then usually tends to like whatever we put in front of him anyway. We get comments all the time about what a fun kid he is and how well he follows directions and/or doesn't complain. (I'm thinking that's going to change when he starts school in August!!!) When we go to places like Target, Meijer, Wal-Mart, etc. he is so good about just looking at things and not whining for us to buy them for him. He's content with just browsing and then is so excited the times when he's allowed to buy them. You may have read earlier that he wrote in church that I love shoes. Well, this boy LOVES sunglasses! He now owns 5 pairs and is delighted that he has more than Tim or me.
Evan just loves having family and extended family. He talks about his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins frequently and wants to know when they are coming to our house. His face just lights up when we tell him we're going to grandma and grandpa's for lunch or cousin Tessa is coming to hang out with him. He doesn't seem to mind that Mama and Papa go off to school and he stays home with his Grandma or Tessa. I have big shoes to fill next week when I'll be home with him for the summer-- the two of them spoiled him good while they took care of him!
It's so fun seeing things through his eyes! He delights in Papa rubbing his summer goatee on his cheeks at night (Wow, cool, papa!), tickling him is an almost everyday activity, and just watching how Teagan finds his lap anytime he's watching TV brings a lump to my throat. Evan enjoys helping with planting flowers and trees and is always up for peeling a carrot or an egg. Our neighbors down the street have a pool, and I think he's wondering why he can't go there every day!!! We need to enroll him in swimming lessons this summer at the YMCA by us.
Watching him open presents for the first time was an amazing thing! We had to show him how to tear the paper to find out what was inside. He's had a lot of practice since then with a "welcome home" party from Tim's Social Studies department and my school. Because he came home a day after his birthday, we decided to celebrate it a little later. The party on Memorial Day weekend was a resounding success!!! Everyone has been more then generous about making him feel welcome in America.
Yesterday afternoon we went to the "members-only" (
thank you Homestead Social Studies Dept!) preview of the new exhibit, "African Journey" here at our Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. Along with another neighbor and three of her kids, we spent over an hour in this one area. It was very cool to see hyena's and lions so close (only seperated by 2 inches of glass!) and watch giraffes being fed. The weather was perfect and it was a great time that ended with dinner at Chick-Fil-A.
Now that school has ended for the year, I will have more time (supposedly!) to post more often. Here are some pictures (one showing 4 generations on Tim's side) and a video (showing how he learned how to ride a bike in a little over 30 minutes!) to tide you over for now.
