Pearls and Pigtails

Memorial Day Weekend!

2009-05-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

Three day weekends are just the best! Having an amazing family to spend it with is even better!!!! We went to Grapeland this past weekend to celebrate Memorial day with Matt's family, and it was wonderful time as usual. The kids spend most of their time outside running wild, fishing, playing on the swing set, running through sprinklers, tractor rides or exploring! Oh the endless options!!! One of my favorites is when the girls go on a walk and pick some beautiful wild flowers to put in a vase :) so sweet. Grapeland is so great because there is no internet access or cell service, so you really are "out of pocket." It is all about family and spending quality time together. Once we got back in town from a great weekend we headed over to my parents house for a fabulous BBQ dinner! Yumm! The best ribs and potato salad ever!!! Thanks mom! We are so blessed with our families and thankful for those who have served this great country.

Pregnancy...such a crazy thing!

2009-03-31T10:47:00.000-07:00

Pregnancy is one crazy slap in the face to your body (I know I am preaching to the choir!), but it has now really taken over my brain! Aside from walking into rooms and then completely forgetting why I went in there, not being able to finish my thoughts out loud, and forgetting almost EVERYTHING.....I now have an intense desire to "Nest." It is like nesting on steroids!!!! I am talking about a list that I have been compiling of things that MUST get done before the baby is born, and I must say that some of the things I thought about were quite humorous :) I am wanting to reorganize every closet in my house, every drawer, Rearrange bedrooms, make the baby bedding/ finish her room, repaint ALL of the baseboards in my house, clean out the garage, replace my kitchen counter tops, have our carpets professionally cleaned....and the list goes on! It is pretty funny, but my poor husband :) I have been wanting to get around to doing all of these things, but now they have a dead line!!!!! Ahhhh! I am now laughing and thinking, it just doesn't matter. This baby will be born into a wonderful home with a family that is crazy about her no matter what the list says! hee hee :) I will do my best to conquer the things I find important, and will try not to let my hormones stress me out! Oh the joys of pregnancy and all of the fabulous side effects that come along with it :)

It's a Girl!

2009-03-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

Okay so Facebook has sort of taken over any spare time that I never really had! Hee hee :) Aside from that, we are having another sweet baby GIRL! Yay! We are sooooo excited and feel so blessed with this baby. She is so active and her little kicks are so sweet....at least for now that is ;) We are still throwing around some names ideas and are very close to choosing one. I just can't wait to call her by her name! Thank you to all who voted on the sex of the baby....you were mostly all wrong!!! It was such a wonderful surprise to find out that Ava was going to have a baby sister. What a special moment. Opening that envelope was like God telling us himself exactly what he had in mind for us. AMAZING. Thank you for all of your sweet wishes and prayers. I cannot tell you how much it means to us. What great friends and family we have.

Great Recipe!

2009-03-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

Okay so I was wanting to try a little something new for dinner tonight, and came across this great recipe online! I bought some fresh salmon at the store this morning and tried this new recipe.... it was WONDERFUL! I am so happy with the way it turned out, it will definitely be added to the rotation :) I paired it with grilled asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes, but anything would go! Even Ava loved it and ate it all! So if you like salmon, give it a try! The key is to let it marinate for at least 2 hrs if not 3.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
lemon pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
salt to taste
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.
In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat grill for medium heat.
Lightly oil grill grate. Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

ENJOY!

Family Fun

2009-03-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

Today we headed down to the Dallas Zoo for some family fun! It is one of our favorite things to do together :) The weather was perfect and the crowds were small....we could not have asked for a better morning! Ava was super excited to see the Gorillas this trip. She pounded her chest with her fists and said "Ooh ooh" the entire way there. As usual it was so fascinating to see all of the amazing animals. God created them all so different, and BIG! We got up and close to an elephant and the giraffes were out to play! It was a fun day of outdoor walking and just spending time together as a family.

After we made it home from the zoo, we all crashed and took naps! It was wonderful :) Once we were up and running again we all headed to the airport (one of Matt and Ava's weekly Daddy/ Daughter date). Since it is a special Daddy and Ava thing, Ava assumed I had never been there and felt she needed to show me everything! It was so precious to watch her run over here and show me the star on the ground...and then run over here to show me the children statues....and then run over here to show me how she runs down the grass hill.....and then look, an AIRPLANE! hahahaha.... I just love her.

What a day it has been. I am so blessed to have spent the day with my wonderful family. I hope tomorrow is just as fun :)

Wacky Day!

2009-03-05T07:13:00.000-08:00

Today at Ava's preschool they are having a Wacky Day! They were to dress silly, mix and match, dress inside out, crazy hair, etc.. So Fun! Ava looked hilarious leaving the house :) It was such a fun morning dressing her up, especially as into it as she was. We had such a blast this morning :) She thought it was so fun to wear shoes that didn't match. Those that know Ava....know she is obsessed with her shoes (like a true woman!). At the end of getting her all ready, I realized that my child looked like she had just stepped out of the 80's!!! LOVE IT! Wish it was 80's day EVERYDAY! In the pictures below she is missing her huge flower shaped sunglasses that she just HAD to wear...too funny!

On a side note: We find out the sex of the baby in a week and a half! Wohoo! Thank you to everyone who has voted. It is interesting to see what you think ;)

A Day at the Park

2009-02-20T13:59:00.000-08:00

Today the weather was just beautiful outside! It was a nice change from the freezing cold, although the cold weather will be back tomorrow! Urgh! Ava and I walked to the park in our neighborhood and played like best friends...it was the best :) We collected flowers and sang songs. Just precious. I am amazed at how quickly she is growing up right before my eyes. It is so fun and sort of sad all at the same time. I realized today as I watched her play, that she is her own little person with such an incredible imagination. When did all of this happen?!!! I feel like she was just a sweet baby girl, and now she is a pantie wearing, sentence talking, fun loving little girl. Did I mention Sassy??? WOW! It is probably the pregnancy hormones, but today it hit me just how much I cherish each and everyday with Ava. I love you baby girl!

How Smart is Your Right Foot?

2009-02-15T19:31:00.000-08:00

This is hysterical. You have to try this. It is absolutely true. I guess there are some things that the brain cannot handle.

HOW SMART IS YOUR RIGHT FOOT?

You have to try this please, it takes 2 seconds. I could not believe this!!! It is from an orthopedic surgeon............ This will boggle your mind and you will keep you trying over and over again to see if you can outsmart your foot, but, you can't. It's pre-programmed in your brain!

1. Without anyone watching you (they will think you are GOOFY......) and while sitting at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.

2. Now, while doing this, draw the number '6' in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction.

I told you so!!! And there's nothing you can do about it! You and I both know how stupid it is, but before the day is done you are going to try it again, if you've not already done so.

Dr's Appointment

2009-02-11T12:13:00.000-08:00

I went to the Dr this morning for my 12 week check up, and everything looks GREAT! Hooray! I heard the heartbeat (the most precious sound ever!) and heard the baby moving around too! The heartbeat was 150, which is great, and my doctor started laughing out loud at all of the baby's movement. Apparently it is a busy little thing in there :) Anyway, it all looked great and I am beginning to feel normal again. Well, the term "NORMAL" is sort of a stretch, but better than before! We go back in a few weeks for our next appointment, and we will actually get to find out the sex of the baby then!!!! Wohoo!!! I cannot WAIT :) This is all so exciting, and today's appointment could not have gone any better. Thank you so all so much for your prayers!

12 weeks!

2009-02-10T18:51:00.000-08:00

Yay! I am finally 12 weeks pregnant!!! I have a Dr's appointment in the morning to hear the heartbeat, and to make sure everything still looks okay. Please pray for a wonderful visit with the Doctor, and for a healthy baby! We are so excited about this baby and just can't wait to meet him/her. Do you think it's a boy or a girl??? Who knows! Ava also thinks she has a baby in her tummy :) It is pretty cute. I can't wait to see her as a big sister...she will be the best! Well that's it for know...more after my appointment!

Girls Day!

2009-01-27T11:41:00.000-08:00

Well it is absolutely freezing and icy outside, so Ava and I are spending the day in! We have had so much fun today. We have played games, had tea parties, painted, snuggled, watched movies, and we even had our own dance party! We must do hair and make up when she wakes up :) FUN! Wait until daddy comes home and sees the mess we have made! Hee hee. We have been potty training all weekend, so it has been nice staying at the house just in case ;) I am so proud of Ava. She said on Friday that she was all done with diapers and we haven't looked back since! I must say that I almost went through an entire bottle of disinfectant the first two days, but now she is having about one accident a day! Yay! Thank you to everyone who gave me advice on this! I got completely prepared to do it and just waited for Ava's timing. As most of you said....she approached me about it. Glad I waited, I think with it being "her" idea and "her" thing really helped with her motivation throughout the process. Although we are far from accident free and all of the other joys that come along with learning to use the potty, it is going good. Please pray for our first public bathroom outing! I am already grossed out and have a travel can of Lysol ready to go! Ewww!

Fast Food Napkins!!!

2009-01-16T18:43:00.000-08:00

Okay here it is! Many of you have heard my rants about fast food restaurant napkins, but here is an entire blog post about it! Ahhhh! So what is up with these napkins?! I mean they are COMPLETELY useless and a disgrace to the napkin community. I find it hilarious when I try to clean up a spill of some sort with these rectangular pieces of plywood. There is Noooo absorption!!! What in the world!!!! Restaurants should just save the napkins and throw in a sheet of construction paper. That way my child can at least color on it!! I mean there is no other purpose for those things! You can use a good 15 napkins and there is still mayo stuck to your hand! In fact, I find that these ridiculous napkins dissolve and crumble as you TRY to use them! What is the deal? Is this honestly the best they can do? UGH!

So there it is....I am officially done. I will sleep better tonight now having that off my chest. Thanks for listening :)

Dr.'s Appointment

2009-01-13T18:32:00.000-08:00

Today we had our first Dr.'s apt for baby Murph! It went great and was such a relief to hear that everything looks wonderful! We had a sonogram and got to see our sweet little baby for the first time! It was so precious and it's little heart was just beating away. We saw the baby's body and head along with the umbilical cord. It is just amazing how wonderful technology is these days. Everything looked great and I even got some new medicine for this CRAZY nausea I have been experiencing! YAY! Please continue to pray for this sweet little life and check back for updates!!!

I'm Pregnant!!!

2009-01-12T12:01:00.000-08:00

Today I am 8 weeks pregnant! Yay!!! We are so excited and just blessed to be pregnant (we had a miscarriage back in October). We know that God has his hands on this baby and pray that it is growing into a sweet lil pumpkin! Ava gets it and can't wait to be a big sister! I have not blogged in a while because I have been SO SICK (URGH!) I will do my best to keep everyone posted :) We have our first Dr's apt tomorrow and will hopefully hear the heartbeat. Please pray for a good visit...I will keep you posted!!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2008-12-18T13:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had Ava's Christmas party at her preschool, and it was adorable to say the least. They had lots of fun things planned for the kids along with a neat gift exchange. My personal favorite was when they lined up the two 2 yr old classes in the Chapel to sing the parents Christmas songs!!!! ADORABLE! That would melt any parents heart. Anyway, here is one clip of Ava singing.....wait for the ending!!!! Merry Christmas!

Great Weather!

2008-12-15T12:21:00.000-08:00

We had awesome weather this weekend! On Sunday it was about 75 degrees (now it is 30 degrees!?!?!?!?!?!?) WHAT! Anyway, we played outside all day to enjoy the nice weather. Ava loves sidewalk chalk...almost as much as her daddy :) We had lots of fun drawing pictures and hopping our way through the hopscotch. Then off to the park for more outdoor fun!

Chocolate Milk ROCKS!!!

2008-12-10T11:13:00.000-08:00

It is FREEZING outside today!!! I'm talking in the twenties people! We are hoping for snow later today, but in the meantime, Ava and I have been throwing an indoor party!!! Wohoo! We have been dressing up in LAyeRS of warm clothes, putting on the silliest hats we can find and then running outside to feel how COLD it is!!!! Ava thinks the cold weather is Silly FUN! So when lunch rolled around I decided that we should have some chocolate milk :) YES!!!! Chocolate milk is just the most amazing drink in my book. It has been forever since I have had any, so today was the perfect occasion! Ava has had chocolate milk only a few times, but understands the pure beauty of it. We sat at the table and just had a moment of silence while we both sipped on our wonderful milk :) Ahhhh....these are the things I will forever cherish!

Christmas!!!

2008-12-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this time of year!!!! The cold weather, fireplaces, hot chocolate, Christmas music and all of the wonderful decorations!!! I LOVE IT! We got our tree up and finished decorating this past weekend, and boy is Ava excited about Christmas! This year is going to be so much fun with her. She is finally old enough to really get it, so you can imagine the excitement in her eyes when she looks up at the Christmas tree. She stares at the tree like it is the most spectacular thing she has ever seen. Watching her excitement brings back childhood memories for me. It's funny how much Christmas changes once you become a parent :) We have started some of our very own family traditions, and are looking forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus. Randomly throughout the day I hear Ava shout "Happy Birthday Jesus" and "Where is Santa Mommy?" It brings a smile to my face to see the joy in hers. Merry Christmas!

Food for Thought

2008-12-01T13:57:00.000-08:00

This time of year is always filled with dreadful colds, flu's and grouchy Christmas shoppers! One way to spread God's name in a positive light is to say "God Bless You" whenever someone sneezes. I challenge everyone to do this every time you hear someone sneeze, especially strangers! In general it seems that when I am out running errands, I tend to hear God's name being used in vain, or to say "Holidays" instead of "Christmas." It is CRAZY!!!! So I think this is a small way for people to hear God's name being used in a positive way. I sometimes catch myself in a hurry and focused on what I am doing, and not able to acknowledge a strangers sneeze! I will do my best now to take this as a wonderful opportunity, and I encourage you to do the same :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-25T09:49:00.000-08:00

Gobble Gobble!

Good Friends, Good Times!

2008-11-16T19:53:00.000-08:00

We had a great dinner over at a friends house tonight, thanks Becky! Aside from having a good time, watching all of our kids play together was absolutely entertaining to say the least. It is just the best to watch them in their own little world. At one point Ava and Jillian went back into Fletcher's room and got awfully quiet. I went back there to check on them and was shocked at what I had found. They both had crawled up into his bed with books and were just sitting next to each other reading!!!!! It was pretty CUTE! Now these are two year olds, so the fact that they were even sitting STILL was a shocker :) After they got caught being sneaky it turned into a PARTY!!! There was even a little kissing going on! Shhh don't tell Daddy...

HALLOWEEN!

2008-11-05T10:16:00.000-08:00

This year Halloween was just the best! Ava is finally old enough to participate in trick or treating and LOVED it! It was so funny to watch her little mind put hings together after she went to the first few houses. She was absolutely amazed that every house she went to, she got candy!!! She started out slow, frequently checking her bag to make sure that her loot was still there....Heaven forbid anything happen to it. We went trick or treating with Dottie and Harry (two of my nieces and nephews) who are professional trick or treaters. They taught Ava everything she needed to know about the art of door bell ringing, and so much more! Thanks to Hannah Montana and Peter Pan, Ava is ready for next year! After about the third house she realized that the entire neighborhood was in on this! She ran down the street with her cousins shouting for joy and yelled, "So Much Fun!" This was definitely a Halloween that we will never forget.

Las Vegas!

2008-10-30T12:32:00.001-07:00

Oh my my! Where to begin! Matt and I had a much needed weekend getaway last week to Las Vegas. It was absolutely fabulous to say the least. My mom and Kelley came to watch Ava, so we were kid free! Weeee! It was almost like a second honeymoon. We stayed at the Bellagio and had the most amazing room that overlooked the fountains. GORGEOUS! If we were in our room, we were glued to the window! The Bellagio Fountains are just insane! I attached a video of them from our room...but seeing them in person is a whole different boat! We rented a fun Pontiac Solstice convertible and drove down to Hoover Dam for the day. That was so neat. The construction, etc. of the Dam is really incredible. Riding in the car with the top down and music going was a vacation in its own! No carseats allowed and not a care in the world! We ate AMAZING food and really enjoyed our special weekend together. I feel revived and rested and hope that we can do an "us trip" every year!

PRECIOUS!

2008-10-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

Today Ava wouldn't go down for her nap without her Bible. The girl LOVES her some Jesus! I let her bring it to bed with her, tucked her in, and off I went. A few seconds later I heard her screaming like she had just been shot and that her Nunny had been stolen! I was going to the bathroom at the time, so I couldn't exactly drop everything and run in there. I then heard that she was crying for her Bible...I assumed that maybe it fallen between her bed and the wall and was just out of sight. As soon as I finished using the restroom, I hurried into Ava's room to find her reaching out of her bed for her bible that was lying on the floor right beside her bed. Mind you this is a small toddler bed that sits about 12 inches off the ground...it was maybe one inch away from her fingers! Ha! She very easily could have gotten out of bed, grabbed it, and then jumped right back in bed! Instead she was crying like it had fallen off a cliff 100 feet to never be seen again. You know like in the movies when someone is reaching over a cliff trying to save someones life, and they just can't reach! HILARIOUS! After I realized that nobody was dying, I picked up her Bible and safely handed it to her. She was so relieved to have her Bible again (like it had been missing for months). She stuffed her Nunny into her mouth and rolled her tired eyes into the back of her head. This experience was clearly exhausting for her! She started saying "go night night, go night night" like everything was now okay to go to sleep. Here comes the cute part... she immediately laid down all nestled in like she always does, placed her Bible right in front of her, folded her little hands like she was praying on top of the Bible, and then fell fast asleep. PRECIOUS! While my eyes couldn't believe it, my heart just melted.

Makes me smile!

2008-10-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how a child's laughter and silliness can just put a smile on any face. Ava does just that for me everyday. She is just so funny :) Her giggle is the most beautiful music to my ears. No matter what seems to be going on in our world, she is able to put a smile on our faces with just one look. We are so blessed to have such a sweet little girl, and the joy she brings us is priceless! Thank you for your silliness Ava... we love you!

A fun Weekend!

2008-10-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

We had my sweet Niece, Claire, come and stay with us this past weekend!!! She is such a doll! We did lots of fun things and really had a blast with her. We played at the wooden Castle Park, went to the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch, painted fun picture frames, and so much more! It was sort of like "Claire Camp." I do have to say that one of my favorite moments was when I had my other Niece, Dottie, join us to make cupcakes! It was just the girls!!!! They were all so adorable in their cute aprons holding spatulas! I think we each ate our own body weight in icing that day, but it was so much fun :)

Big Girl Bed!

2008-09-30T19:02:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we moved Ava into her big girl bed! What an exciting transition this is, but I must say that it was also kinda sad! Taking her crib and bedding and packing it all away :( My baby girl is no longer a baby girl!!!! Boy does time fly. The big girl bed is so fun and exciting, and Ava absolutely loves it. We sat down as a family and put it all together on Friday...it was pretty cute to watch Ava help her daddy with the screws and holding pieces together. I will never forget the excitement on her face when it was finished. I was sooooo nervous about her going to a big girl bed. She could now wander throughout the house in the middle of the night, or come and see me! Ahhhhh! So far so good...she has not gotten out of bed once. When she gets up in the morning she sings and plays in her crib and then after she is ready to get up, she calls for me. Is this for real?!!! It HAS to be only a matter of time before she is waking me up eye to eye, right? hmmmmm. Well as for now this is great! I can't help but peak in on her after she goes to sleep each night ...that little body in that sweet bed :) PRECIOUS!

The Zoo!

2008-09-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have written a blog post, life has been a little crazy with my parents in town due to the hurricane. They suffered hardly any damage and now have electricity as of Friday evening!!! Wohoo! Anyway, last weekend we went to the Fort Worth Zoo and had a great time. There is nothing like cool weather and a day to play outside with your family. We saw lots of neat animals and took a fun little train ride! It is neat as an adult to see all of the different animals at the zoo, but the real joy comes from watching Ava's face as she sees all of these animals up close and in person. It is just awesome to see her reaction to them and then to hear what she thinks! So funny. Her favorite animal this trip was the Gorilla. She also loved feeding the birds and chased them all around, but I must say that the train ride is what really iced the cake! The girl LOVES trains!!! She choo choo'd to her hearts content and asked to do it over and over again. Another great trip to the zoo...

First Day of School!

2008-09-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Ava had her first day of preschool! Weeee! She did great and absolutely LOVES it! She has been talking about her teacher, Mrs. Svajhart, ever since I picked her up. "Silly Svajhart" is a ball of energy and is just so much fun! I couldn't be happier with the way things went and the program itself is just awesome! Ava got to be the "prayer leader" in her class yesterday, and also has her sweet friend, Jillian, in there with her. Together they are two peas in a pod! They learn Bible verses, paint, sing songs, ABC's, colors, shapes, crafts, and everything else under the sun. They also have Chapel once a week, where they learn a song or two along with arm movements.....it's really cute! I have come to the conclusion that Ava's preschool is like a year long VBS!

I also had just as much fun yesterday doing absolutely NOTHING!!!! It was fantastic! I had so many things that I could have gotten done, but I just came home, hurried back into my pajamas and enjoyed another cup of coffee while I watched T.V.. How awesome is that?!!! Too bad that won't be the norm, but boy did that feel good to just sit! Ahhhhhh!

HILARIOUS!

2008-09-07T10:36:00.000-07:00

Okay so I went with a friend yesterday to get a pedicure, and it totally reminded me of this hilarious video! If you have EVER gotten your nails or toes done you will laugh out loud! This is a comedian named Anjelah Johnson, from Mad TV. She is absolutely hysterical.

ENJOY!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsWrY77o77o

Here is another clip of her working at a burger joint.....too funny!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZkdcYlOn5M

Sarah Palin

2008-09-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

I've gotta say that I LOVE Sarah Palin!!! We watched the RNC all week and awaited her speech to learn more about who she is, and she rocks! I am officially excited about the McCain*Palin ticket and cannot wait to vote come November. I think she brings a fun and sassy energy to the ticket and I almost wish she was running for President! I love that she isn't a "pant suit" wearing frump, and loves to rock her pearls and lipstick!!!! I am confident that all gloves will be coming off, and this will be a FIGHT til the end.

Ta Da!

2008-08-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

Last week at Ava's gymnastics class it was Olympic week! She got to climb the podium and receive her award!!! It was so cute! She has learned so much through this class and has a blast every week. Yeah Ava! Way to win the GOLD!

Time is Flying!

2008-08-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

Ever since Ava turned two, time just seems to be flying by! I can't believe how quickly she is growning up! She has GOT to slow it down a little :) Today we met with Ava's preschool teacher, Mrs. Svajhart, at Lamb of God (the church where Ava will start preschool twice a week) and just LOVED her!!!! It is such a blessing that months ago when I was looking into all of the preschools in the area, I fell in love with Lamb of God, and especially Mrs. Svajhart's 2 yr old class! I got to sit in and watch their two 2 yr old classes, and was completely impressed with both, but Mrs. Svajhart really seemed like she was CRAZY FUN! Ava is going to have a blast at preschool...can't wait!

So now that Ava is 2 she thinks she is such a big girl! It is so awesome to watch her imagination run wild, and to watch her grow everyday. What a funny little girl she is. She loves taking care of all of her babies...changing their diapers, and even taking baths with them (thanks Tamasan!) She pushes them in their baby stroller everywhere she goes, with a purse on arm while talking on her cell phone!!! It is a sight to see!!! Ava also plays in her play kitchen like she had her own cooking show! HILARIOUS! Thanks to the Grandparents, Ava makes me breakfast everyday along with coffee...so much fun!

I hope she slows down just a bit, otherwise my next blog article may be about colleges we are considering!!! AHHHHH!

Big Girl

2008-08-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

Today Ava Grace got her FIRST HAIRCUT!!!! What a momentous occasion :) We went to this wonderful children's salon over by our house called Hair Diddle Diddle. They did an awesome job! At first Ava cried! She wasn't sure what in the world was going on and if she could actually trust these people. After about 2 min she realized that it was pretty fun sitting in a pink airplane and watching Elmo!!! Too cute! I think I may request something like that the next time I got to get my hair done! hee hee. They cut about an inch and a half off the back of her hair, and it looks super cute! She got a "first haircut certificate" along with her picture and a lock of her hair. It was a great experience.

Wahoo I'm Two!

2008-08-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

Ava turned two this past weekend and I just cannot believe it! I swear she was just a baby. Time sure does fly when you're having fun! We had an outdoor water party for her on Saturday with all of her favorite people there. The kids splished and splashed in the outdoor water park we created! It was tons of fun. There was even "baby bowling" down the slip and slide! HILARIOUS!!! It was a great birthday with lots of friends and many laughs. Thank you to everyone who helped make it such a special day. Happy Birthday sweet baby girl!!!

Oh the Joy in making a Mess!

2008-08-04T11:11:00.001-07:00

It is too hot to go outside and play today, so we stayed inside and painted!!! Weeeeeee! Ava LOVES to paint and create what she calls "beautiful pictures" so we encourage it! Yes it is a mess to be reckoned with, but thanks to Crayola Washable paint....we have no stains!!!! My friend Kay told me how awesome Crayola Washables were, and I must say it is like watching a miracle take place before your eyes! It's neat to see Ava's creativity and to watch her little imagination go! So Fun! We experimented with some fun new colors today, thanks to Ava and her mixing skills. Looks like we have a little Picasso on our hands :)

Ridiculous!!!

2008-07-31T13:08:00.000-07:00

The fact that it is 105 degrees outside is just ridiculous! The very thought of going outside makes me miserable, and not to mention that the leather seats in my car have burned my bottom for the last time!!! AHHHHH! The only way we are surviving this crazy heat is by going to the pool. Praise the Lord for swimming pools and water! We had another fun morning at the CAC...

Good Times

2008-07-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

Last night a couple of girlfriends and I went out for a fun little Girls Night! We had great food, watched Mamma Mia, and shared many laughs! It was so great to get out without our children :) hee hee! Thanks for all of the funny stories and great laughs! Let's do it again soon!!!

A thousand miles an hour!

2008-07-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

Pretty much sums up the day....oh you mean the day isn't over yet?!!!! AHHHHHHH!!! Not sure if the dried spaghetti sauce in my hair says anything?

Ava has been 1,ooo miles an hour today. She has tried on every shoe in the house and has been taking a mental note of what her boundaries are. She already knows them, but for some reason needed a review today. "If I touch this is it okay? No, it's not...so what if I touch it again??? Then if I do it a third time is Mommy going to flip out??" What a stinker!

Boy life is crazy! Ava is almost two and just about the funniest thing I have encountered! It is so neat to watch her grow into her own little person. She makes me laugh every day. Life is great and I am so blessed to have my family.