The Funny Doings of Evie Brown

Last night, Josh, Evie, and I ate at the Cheesecake Factory for a Family/Date night. I had a really good time enjoying the food and of course the company. Evie behaved so well despite some of the glances we received from other people without children. She ate like a big girl and definitely kept Josh and I entertained. The most entertaining moment was when she decided to show us how unmodest she is.

Josh was ordering our food when I noticed that she was taking her arm out of her tank top that was a little big. Not thinking anything about it, I reached over the table to fix her shirt. Unfortunately, my pregnant belly of 39 weeks made this a little difficult. No big deal. When Josh finished with the waiter, he could put her shirt on right. At that moment I underestimated how fast Evie could undress herself. Before I could even get Josh's attention, the tank top was completely off, and there sat my daughter topless in the Cheesecake Factory. I couldn't help but laugh. Thanks to raisins and Cheerios we were able to distract her enough to put her shirt back on.

Taking a Walk on the Wild Side

This past week, Josh and I took Evie to the zoo. She was very excited to see all the animals. I think she said "animals" a million times before we actually walked out the door. Here are a few pictures of our adventure.

Little Miss Independent walking at the zoo.

Notice the water bottle Evie is holding. It was a special princess water bottle that we bought the day before. Unfortunately, the princesses got to personally visit the grizzly bears while we were at the zoo. Mommy and Daddy didn't move fast enough to catch it before it rolled over the ledge into the grizzly bears' pen.

Evie found her a new friend, and so did the raccoon.

Daddy and Evie taking a break with the black bears.

The Busy Month of June Part 2

Even though June has been busy, Evie and I have still taken the time to relax and enjoy the occasional nice day outside that's not too hot. Evie loves playing outside in her backyard. Whether it's the slide, her car, or the weeds by the shed, she enjoys it all. Sprinklers and kiddie pools, though, are a completely different story.


Playing with her car.




Evie enjoying the slide.


Anyone for a swing?


I think Evie looks so big in this picture. Definitely not 18 months old.



Checking out the weeds.

Not only have we celebrated birthdays, our dads, and nice weather, but my family also celebrated a belated Mother's Day. For the past two years, Kelli, Evie, and I take my mom to Inspirations Tea for a Girls Day Out. Last year, we just ate at the tea room, but this year we also went shopping. I even had a few hours of shopping without Evie thanks to my wonderful husband.

Nana (Cheryl), Evie, and Aunt Kelli

37 weeks and counting until Emmitt's big arrival

Evie and her newest baby

The Busy Month of June Part 1

The month of June has been busy but lots of fun. We spent one night with Josh's family at Grand Lake. Evie had a blast playing with her cousins. They are growing up so fast.

Eli looking just like his daddy.

Adam sporting his super cool look.

The whole gang together under a side table. Evie, Eli, Jacob, and Adam.

After our short trip to Grand Lake, it was time for Nana's birthday and Father's Day. Evie always has so much fun with Nana and PawPaw.

Happy Birthday, Nana!

Happy Father's Day, PawPaw!

According to Aunt Kelli, this is Nana's scary baby doll. Despite its occasional resemblance to Chucky (in the right light), Evie loves playing with her "baby." Let's hope she doesn't treat Emmitt like her "baby." With arms and legs in every direction, Nana's doll takes a beating when Evie's around.

Next came a baby shower for Emmitt. Don't you just love the cake and party favor boxes!

Staff Retreat

At the beginning of June, our family went on a staff retreat with the other pastors from our church. We had so much fun. From hanging out with friends to eating incredible food, the three days we spent together were amazing. Thank you everyone for such a great time.


Evie resting on our way to Grand Lake. Notice the blanket behind her head. Just like her daddy, she likes her head nearly covered while sleeping. This is one way that she is totally like Josh and not at all like me.




I don't think this picture looks like our typical Evie. Lately she's been throwing out some pretty funny expressions.

Evie had so much fun playing with all her friends and her daddy at the pool.

Sunset Beach 2008 Part 2

While on vacation, I discovered that I could take black and white pictures with my new camera. So, that was my favorite thing to do when we were at the beach. These are some of my favorite ones. I hope you enjoy them.

Sunset Beach 2008

At the end of May, my family and I took a vacation to Sunset Beach, NC. We all had such a blast resting and relaxing on the beach. Here are some of my pics. Enjoy!

The view from our back porch

The following are pictures of Evie playing in the sand and water. At first she was a little timid, but it didn't take long for her to warm up to the sand and waves. She even tried to eat the wet sand. I guess that day she wanted a little extra fiber in her diet.

My Dad loves to build sand castles. This was the only one he built, though, on our trip. With Evie it was a fruitless effort to build anything because it didn't take her long to notice your masterpiece and then come and demolish it. She had so much fun in the sand.

Here are our family pics on the last day before leaving.

Chris and Kelli Starke (brother-in-law and sister)


Merle and Cheryl Blow (Dad and Mom)

Evie, Josh, and myself

The whole family