14 months old

Evie is now 14 months old. We are so blessed to have her in our lives. She is surprising us almost every day with something new that she has learned. She is unfortunately beginning to show the not-so-nice pre-toddler signs. But overall, she is still the same happy and laid back little girl. She is a lot of fun these days!

Since my last post, she has moved to the Toddler Room at school. She is so little compared to the rest of the children but she holds her own quite well. Even though she is not walking yet, the children treat her the same and she always gets a big welcome each morning. It's quite sweet. At school she is learning how to brush her teeth, drink from a cup, use a spoon and fork, and to recognize shapes, colors, and animals. She loves books. We often find her sitting in the middle of her floor with a book in her lap. And she has grown quite fond of stuffed animals. It is so precious to see her cuddling and giving kisses to her koalas, cat, polar bear and Mickey Mouse.

We have tried to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible...she loves to be outside. We've gone swimming at the community pool and splashed in our wading pool in the backyard. We also took in the USA vs. England World Cup match down at Victory Park. It sure was noisy but she enjoyed watching the people and the match on the big screen. We are watching a lot of soccer in the Dusza household at the moment!

Thank you Ms. Sheila and Molly for the cute Minnie Mouse swimsuit.

Practicing drinking from a cup - we end up with wet clothes and a bib full of liquid but we'll get there.

Using a spoon - she can't quite get the food on the spoon yet but she can get it in her mouth.

Enjoying soccer with Daddy

And Happy Father's Day to Mat! You are an amazing father and incredible husband. Evie and I are greatly blessed. We will continue to pray for you as you lead our family. We love you very much!

Growing up

Video of Evie over the past couple of weeks...


She can name several animals and make their sounds.


Learning to walk.


Standing on her own.

Happy Birthday to Evie

One year ago today God blessed us with a beautiful little girl. What a wonderful year this has been! She has brought such unimaginable joy to our lives and we thank God every day for this gift. Thank you to all of our family and friends for the love and support you have given us this past year. We are amazed by your generosity and your love for Evie. We are so blessed! God is good!

So, how much has she grown in a year? Physically not a whole lot. She is definitely petite.

4/16/09 - 7 lbs 1.5 oz, 19 3/4 inches
4/16/10 - 19 lbs 9.5 oz, 28 1/4 inches

However, in a year she has gone from being completely helpless to almost walking, talking and feeding herself. Amazing!


To celebrate her birthday, we drove down to Victoria last weekend to share it with my family. It was such a great time. She had a ball playing with Gran and Papa, and Mat and I even got to go on a date! Thank you to Mom, Dad, Maw Maw, Paw Paw, Aunt Linda, Courtney, Ashley, Aunt Paula, Lindsey and Kendra for coming to celebrate with us.


My mom made my birthday cakes growing up so I thought it would be extra special if she would make Evie's first cake. She agreed. Of course the theme was Mickey Mouse, what else? Evie got to have her first taste of Chick-fil-A (Mommy's favorite). We also had a fresh fruit salad and Rice Krispies Treats in the shape of Mickey.




She was mesmerized by the lit candle. She stared at it while we sang "Happy Birthday" to her.

Tasting chocolate for the first time.

Not too sure.

Chocolate is yummy!

She was really enjoying herself...laughing along with us.

I am 1!

Trying to get a family pic. If anyone got a good one of the 3 of us, please send it to me. Mat was the photographer most of the time.

After a bath, we opened some presents. Thanks everyone!


This wasn't one of her gifts. It happened to be sitting near by and she felt like going for a ride. Loved it!


After the party, we went outside to get some photos in the wildflowers that were growing on my parents' property. Just beautiful! I love Texas!


Going after the cat.



She is constantly pointing at everything and saying "sat?"

Thank you God for our sweet Evie Charmaine.

Hello Spring!

I am so happy that spring is finally here. I love the winter but it seemed like this year it dragged on and on. And since Evie is old enough this spring we have already had alot of playtime outdoors.

Evie got a swing for Christmas and we finally hung it up. She loves it!

Evie exploring the grass and wildflowers in our backyard. Her facial expressions make me laugh!

Whatchoo lookin at?




This is my favorite!

Balancing act



Drool baby

At our church's annual Picnic and Easter Egg Hunt.

The cousins

Riding in Austin's wagon at his birthday party




And for our Aussie family and friends, Evie having vegemite on toast for the first time. Much to my surprise, she likes it. I don't get it...sorry.

Next post...Evie's 1st birthday! Can it be already?!?!