My daughter, Evangeline, has been begging to record a podcast with her mom! Well, the other day, when it was rarely just the two of us, we decided it would be a perfect time to record while we were in the car.
She briefly discusses the difficulties of being a person with Autism Spectrum Disorder, but mostly talks about the things that bring her the most joy!
My daughter, Evangeline, has been begging to record a podcast with her mom! Well, the other day, when it was rarely just the two of us, we decided it would be a perfect time to record while we were in the car.
She briefly discusses the difficulties of being a person with Autism Spectrum Disorder, but mostly talks about the things that bring her the most joy!
Hello friends, this is Shannon Earley, the hostess of the nesting with the early birds podcast. And I'm so glad that you're back. For all of you that have returned listeners, thank you so much. And if you're brand new, thank you so much for coming. This podcast is really just a time for me to encourage women. If you're like me, and that's fine, too. Check it out, listen, but I just wanted to remind everybody, you're not alone. And whatever experience you're going through, somebody out there is going through the same thing. And maybe listening to these stories or listening to these words of encouragement can just help you get through those things a little bit easier. I'm a Christian homeschooling mom of four children, two of which are on the autism spectrum, one of which has a rare genetic disorder. I'm also a hairstylist, guys, things are crazy over here that I mentioned homeschooling. I don't even know because my mind is in 75 places at all times. But I've gotten a lot of tips from doing a lot of life. And I've actually even survived things like abuse, what in the world. So thank you so much for coming and checking it out. I really appreciate it and remember to share this with other people that might be interested and helped me to have this podcast grow. Thank you so much, guys. And remember, God totally loves you all the time. Hey, this is Shannon Earley, your hostess of Nesting with Earley Birds. And I am actually coming at you live from inside my Honda Odyssey minivan again, you all know I love this thing. And today's a special episode because my daughter Evangeline and I have been driving around all day doing tons of different activities. And she's always wanted to be on a podcast with me. And I said, babe, let's try out this new phone and see if it works while I drive. So without further ado, I would like to introduce you to one of the most special people in my life. This person is nine years old. She is the eldest of four children. She is a homeschooler in the third grade, which also she does fourth grade things. And she is just a joy in my life. Ladies and gentlemen, here is Evangeline!.
Evangeline:Hey.
Shannon Earley:Hey, girl, so you can say maybe some of the stuff we did today. Um,
Evangeline:I just got home. Well in the car from going to the shop, mom. But before I did that, I went to Bell class. handbells handbells. Yeah. And before that, I went to the grocery store. Before that. I got McDonald's. Before that. I went to church. Yeah, befor that. I woke up. Yeah. Oh, and there's one more store we went to today. Do you remember? The dollar store? Oh, yeah, the dollar store.
Shannon Earley:So Evangeline. Like her most favorite thing in the world is babies. So like human babies, monkey babies. Baby Doll, baby,
Evangeline:baby plants!
Shannon Earley:Baby bugs, whatever. It is a baby, right? Yep. And so Evangeline, for Christmas this year. Got a very special present. And it's in her lap. What is your present?
Evangeline:I got a doll, baby. And it was like, more than $200. Yeah, he's amazing. That's all I can say. There's nothing bad about him. I'm just gonna say he's.
Shannon Earley:So what is he? He's a baby. All right. Yep. A reborn doll.
Evangeline:And his name is bear. He's four pounds, nine ounces. And I love him. I'm spending all my money, saving money and spending it on him to get your clothes or baby toys. Yeah, all that stuff.
Shannon Earley:Yeah. And we actually have a rule in our family now that the kids have to they don't just earn an allowance just for existing. They have chores. We have the giant chore chart and they're allowed to pick any toy they want to do. And then they get earned. They earn money for it. And most chores are about 25 cents. And so evangelium has to earn quite a bit of money and then she loves buying him. Is your size newborn clothing?
Evangeline:newborn and preemie.
Shannon Earley:Yeah, so today we went to the dollar store and what do you get?
Evangeline:I got him. Okay. I got him socks with lines on them, which he is currently wearing. I got him a rattle. I got a bottle. And then so he has a thing where you can put a magnet pinky on his mouth. So looks like he's talking to me. It's adorable. Because Yeah, he has a little pacifier and you can just put it on his little mouth when we received bear at first.
Shannon Earley:which Evangeline named him Bear. Did you want to say why? One of the reasons who had an idea for that name?
Evangeline:Because my mom always wanted to name Luca, my youngest brother bear.
Shannon Earley:That's true.
Evangeline:And also she wanted toname Finnn eBear .But
Shannon Earley:yeah, yeah, I really like the name bear. But you would think with all the really awesome creative names that we have that I would be fine with it, but at the very end my husband was like, let's name him Luca. So Evangeline named him Bear and when he came, he first had a pacifier.
Evangeline:Yes.
Shannon Earley:And so Evangeline saw that the lady made it right?
Evangeline:Yep. And what I did was I bought him a pacifier at the store. And I bought in magnets, magnets. Yep. And then when I got brought home, I hot glued it on. I proved myself. I stabbed myself. I don't park but of the hot glue gun hot glue gun. Yeah, but it works good. Yeah. My brother. My brother, Luca loves Mickey Mouse. He helped me pick out the pinkie or pacifier, whatever you call it. Yep. And I said, hey, look out which one should we get? Then he goes, get the Mickey Mouse. And I said, his favorite color is orange. And they said, which one should we get? He goes, can I go? There's no orange. He goes, What's so funny? Did you guys get the red one? I was like, Okay.
Shannon Earley:So Evangeline and Luca are super big buddies and Evangeline, even though she shares a room with her little sister , Anwyn and the boys both share a room that separate every single night. All four of them sleep together, right?
Evangeline:Yeah, well, so not too much. Well,
Shannon Earley:I think when you're in Finn and Lucas room, he sleeps in there. But when it's everybody's turn in the girls room. He likes to sneak into my bed,
Evangeline:I think. Yeah. Well, Luke is the one who sleeps with me the most the most, to be honest, when it's on. That's mom and dad that it's Finn. Finn never sleeps.
Shannon Earley:Yeah. And Finn is a really hot sleeper, and he does not like people touching him in his sleep. He just wants to be left alone. And then Unwin and Evangeline and Anwyn are like kind of sleep huggers, they kind of spoon up into you. And Finn is just not having Luca. Even if he's, I think it's like a piece of bread. You just flops on everybody. And on ones like a crazy little duck, like kicking you. You never get sleep. She's in the bag. Yes. So besides, so yeah, we talked about how you like baby dolls. What would you say is something you enjoy to do? You know, enjoy doing?
Evangeline:I like to play softball?
Shannon Earley:That's right. That was new last year, too, wasn't it? Were you nervous before you started playing?
Evangeline:No, no, because I had my best friend
Shannon Earley:that brought me his friends are so great. So do you remember the name of your team? That what you're teaching the sharks, and you guys went into the playoffs? Like you guys were super.
Evangeline:We almost won the last playoff and we didn't.
Shannon Earley:someone's got to win. Someone's got to lose, you know? Yeah. And so you love doing softball. What would you say is the most fun part about softball?
Evangeline:Spending time with the people there? And like making jokes and stuff?
Shannon Earley:Yeah, like just the team itself. What would you say is the hardest part?
Evangeline:Having to hold?
Shannon Earley:A bad? We have to put your legs up. And
Evangeline:you have to put your legs up? Oh,
Shannon Earley:like when you're doing the exercise stuff?
Evangeline:Yeah, you have to hold it. When do you have to put your legs up, but you can't. Or put your arms behind your back and you just lay flat. Put your legs up. You have to point them straight. Oh, yeah. What's the world event? Hold? I don't know. I don't know. But we have to hold it for two minutes.
Shannon Earley:Yeah. And also the coach was wonderful as it was. His name is coach Tony. And this guy was like, so invested in these girls. Right? The practice, like there was a schedule that this team had that all the teams in the league had, but the coach would always add extra practices on and the practice was supposed to get out like at seven, but we would routinely leave the field like 830 like he was just rockin those girls,
Evangeline:right? Uh huh. And the thing is, one time, we lost the game by six points. He said, if we did go soft on the next day, we wouldn't be allowed to go to the next softball game.
Shannon Earley:That's right. Yeah, he was like, if you don't come to practice, you can't go on the game. And that was just pretty cool. Because you know, these kids are only like, eight 910 11 years old. And he is really teaching them like, structure and so I was really proud of her with that. So softball, something you enjoy. What else do you like doing?
Evangeline:I like taking care of babies.
Shannon Earley:What's it like in a nine year old?
Evangeline:I guess it's fun. You have more money than when you're younger? Because you don't have more chores. You can actually do more chores. Yeah. Total responsibility. What do you have to
Shannon Earley:say? I believe, yeah.
Unknown:Awesome. Could you get a lot of cool things? We get to do a lot of more things that you don't usually get to do when you're younger.
Shannon Earley:Yeah, yeah. She, this kid when she's talking about responsibilities, like, she has a legit amount, you know, we really looked to her especially as a homeschooling family for things like, Hey, you know, for instance, she'll get lunch ready for all the kids, won't you?
Evangeline:Yeah, like mac and cheese, quesadillas, stuff like that.
Shannon Earley:Yeah, peanut butter jellies. She says easy stuff this kid rather cook than do like a cold meal. And also, as a nine year old, it's interesting, because as you're growing, and I've told you before, like, I can see this beautiful young woman and I can see this person that, you know, I can't wait to be really great friends with and then at the same time I see a child and it's, you're such like an in between. Hmm.
Evangeline:I guess you say that a lot. Like, seriously? My million times every day.
Shannon Earley:Oh my goodness. What? What is it like having me as a mom?
Evangeline:Great. You're the most beautiful, like sweetest mom ever.
Shannon Earley:Guys, I did not pay or I did not practice this conversation.
Evangeline:We just got to the store moms like wonder podcast, and I was like, sure.
Shannon Earley:Um, so what do you think about mom doing podcasting?
Evangeline:Okay, it's good that you're super famous. Teaching people back God stuff. Except sometimes it's annoying because like, whenever you do it, it takes like three hours and I'm not able to see you. Yes, it really does guys to take care of all the baby. Yeah, baby sibling.
Shannon Earley:Yeah, the siblings. It's tough. I generally do it when my husband's home and off work and everything. But sometimes he might be cooking dinner. And I'm like, Guys, you can't come into the office while I'm doing it. And even though some of the episodes are only like 10-15 minutes long, all that dang editing and uploading takes forever. Yeah. He was what do you think? What? What's something you're excited about getting older?
Evangeline:I'mreally excited. Because you have to be 12 to work in the baby nursery at church. I was really excited to be 12.
Shannon Earley:Yeah, so we've kind of talked about a little bit how much evangelium loves babies. And what's wonderful about that is our family really likes to encourage each other for the things that they love to do. Like I wanted to podcast, my whole family's behind me even though it can be difficult sometimes. Eventually, in loves babies, and we have done things like volunteered with mercy mall, do you want to? Can you explain mercy mall a little?
Evangeline:um, basically what you do. Um, it's a place where if somebody had a problem, or they need a little bit, they don't have enough a lot of money or something like that. people donate. Like, it's basically the coolest place ever. Because it literally has anything like anything. And it's so cool. It's like, I guess it kind of looks like a warehouse. But then when you see all the stuff in it, they even have like, a Toys R Us shopping cart. And then like a Walmart shopping cart. Yeah.
Shannon Earley:And so basically, it's like a giant, they have goodwill, but everything inside of it is free. And so it's in Richmond, Virginia,
Evangeline:a lot of food.
Shannon Earley:And so people will sign up, they'll talk about maybe some issues they're going through and they'll talk about a lot of the things that they're looking for. And then the company makes like an appointment with them.
Evangeline:And we actually signed up to do it. Well not to get sore from that but to help with it.
Shannon Earley:And we were like shopper helpers.
Evangeline:What I wanted was really somebody with a baby.
Shannon Earley:We prayed about that.
Evangeline:Yeah, I prayed. I wanted somebody that had a baby. Well, we had somebody that was pregnant and also had like a six month old. Yeah.
Shannon Earley:Yeah, so it was really nice to
Evangeline:take care of the baby.
Shannon Earley:Yes. So we wanted the mom to be able to just enjoy looking around. She was extremely pregnant. She didn't really have any family around and they were in real tough shape. And her baby was six months old and just was a delight. He loved having that attention didn't
Evangeline:Yeah, really stinky poop though.
Shannon Earley:Yeah, he did. I changed it. I changed his boobs. I asked in advance that that was okay. But so yeah, I've Angelina and I worked in the front of the mercy mall where basically remote shopper assistance and we help people find what they're looking for. And when she says they have everything like literally new strollers car seats, by boxes of diapers, silverware, I mean, anything that people would need, and even clothes hanging up and they get to pick out outfits. It's just wonderful, lovely. And then my husband and my son's, well, I don't know if Luca and Ani, yeah, they were there. My husband was a darling and took the three younger children. And they worked in the back of the warehouse. And in the back is where they store all the donations
Evangeline:Anwyn and Finn-they love big dolls. I mean, I do too. I love them the most. They love them a lot too. Well back there. The whole time. They weren't really sorting they were playing with baby dolls that they found back there to sort but they're just playing and all the toys. And, um,
Shannon Earley:do you remember what we had to do? At the very end? What was like? The thing I was a little bit worried about? Right before the people were able to pack up their stuff. What did mom have to do to your money for them? Yes, I was worried. Yeah. So I we had to pray for them at the very end. And I was really scared about that. Because we didn't want people to feel like I were trapping you haha, but they didn't know it was a Christian organization. Yep. And then also, besides mercy mall, evangelium has twice now walked for the walk for life, which is a fundraiser for the pregnancy Resource Center of Richmond, Virginia,
Evangeline:I want to explain that place a little. Okay. It's basically like mercy. Except it's for people who, well, woman or parents who are have pregnant. And basically, it helps them if they need stuff. And if they're trying to go through abortion, it helps them not tell right? How good it is having to be
Shannon Earley:right, exactly. And it gives them free medical help, right, like,
Evangeline:gives you stuff.
Shannon Earley:And they help connect families with adoptive parents. They also have counseling for the men and women that are really, really tough situations. Because sometimes it seems like it'd be so much easier just to terminate the pregnancy, you know, to abort your child, but they try to explain to these people like Hey, man, we love you. And within there's people that love your baby. God loves you, your main his image. And so the pregnancy Resource Center is completely free, like medical help, and supplies and everything for families in need. So that we actually did a fundraiser this year for them and eventually was one of the higher earners. Right, honey. Yeah. And then they gave her a T shirt. Yeah, it was cute. And then also we brought them a bunch of supplies before Yeah.
Evangeline:Like our church. It was, I guess, summer. And I guess last year summer. And because there's not been a summer. Okay, let me just yeah. And we they had a table set up. And it had like so little soaps, like the ones you pack on vacation. Right? Right, right, right there like that. They had like deodorants, and then they had like, snacks, water, and then a Bible.
Shannon Earley:That's right. And they had a card that you could tell them your name and about you, and then say something to them. Like to make them give back.
Evangeline:Yeah. to like, be like, hope you like it or something like that? Well, what, what we did was, there is buckets of them in there. What there are different scents, soaps and different snacks that you could just put in. So we did that. We put it in baskets, we colored our things. And our family. My my mom and my siblings. Were actually the one who brought it to the pregnancy Resource Center. Yep. And what we did was we brought it there. And then other people at our church had donate like bread, right? Bread and diapers. Yeah, to there. So we brought those, and we helped them get it. And it was pretty cool there.
Shannon Earley:Yeah. So what is it? What's interesting to me evangelising is as we're talking like, you're nine years old, and you already have a passion in your life that you use for God's glory. And that's, that's wonderful. What would you say to any moms out there or kids out there? But, you know, maybe don't know if they if they can do anything with their gift? What would you think?
Evangeline:I think um to just try and I mean, it's totally hard. I've - it's totally, I mean, it can be hard, and you get really stressed and your belly hurts your show. What's gonna happen and you finally do it and you're like, Oh, that's okay. Hmm, it's good. I know you're probably like, this isn't true. That's why I think when people tell me.
Shannon Earley:Yeah. And also listeners when Evangelion says that like, you can really do it when you try, I would like to remind you guys that eventually and actually has
Evangeline:autism.
Shannon Earley:Yeah, you have autism. And that is something like I'm going to, I will cry if I talk about it, how proud I am of her because the the different skills that she has had to learn the different anxieties and worries that she has to overcome on a daily basis. They are just unimaginable unless you have a child or a loved one with special needs or autism. Like you would never know the things she needs to go through just to appear. Typical, like just just look like she showed up to the thing.
Evangeline:I also get bullied a lot for being shy away in my headphones, stuff like that. Yeah, but what I do is, I guess I tell my brother, and he beats him up. Yeah. I think one time, I was at chick fil a and sky. This kid that was older than me was saying, how were my headphones luck. Well, I told my brother and he literally chased him and tumbled him down. And he was only five at the time.
Shannon Earley:Yeah. So people do you know, people can tease her or maybe she'll hear them talking about her. And I think sometimes people think, oh, that person has special needs. They won't notice when I'm talking smack behind their back, but they do and it's extremely hurtful. Um, her brother has not beat anybody up since then. But he does. Talk about how he's going to beat them up and it makes Evangeline crack up like, yeah, a lot of scenarios, right?
Evangeline:You're gonna punch them. He says he's gonna punch them in the you know what?
Shannon Earley:Yes, sir. Brother Finn is seven. And we actually named him after Finn McCoulahan, the Celtic giant hero, so it makes sense that he'd be a little bit feisty. But my daughter of Angelina, I hope that you guys got to see a little bit about her. This is only a short episode, so there's no possible way you could know everything about this kid. Do you think you ever might want to do another episode with
Unknown:Oh yeah, just can say I'll hopefully do another episode. Yeah. If you like it, I'm gonna do more. If you don't, I'm still gonna do more.
Shannon Earley:You sound like your mom. So yeah, I really hope you enjoyed this time getting to speak with Evangeline. And I.
Evangeline:you really mean listen.
Shannon Earley:Yeah, you know, spending your time with us. Thank you so much for coming back to Nesting With The Earley Birds, and you can find us at www.nestingwiththeearleybirds.com And remember earley. And on the website, you'll be able to find an entire catalogue all the episodes and they are streamable wherever you listen to podcasts. If you need to ever get in touch with me, you can email me at nestingwiththeearleybirds@gmail.com. Thank you very much and remember, God totally loves you
Evangeline:all the time. All the time.