Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Cuter than a kitten!!!

Just another fun day with my bright and bubbly two year old.








 

When her Daddy came home she ran to the door meowing at him.  Today she was Ava the cat and I think she really enjoyed her "cat face", as she called it.  I'm really loving my Tuesdays with her.  They really are a nice break and she has been extra cuddly with me lately so we lounge and cuddle during morning cartoons.  It's such a gift to have such a wonderful child...she really makes my days brighter.  This is what we were but on this earth for.  To have children and watch them grow...it is our one true purpose.  It's like all the time that existed before them was simply a waiting period before life truly began.

I am beyond blessed....it is such a happy life.

Monday, January 10, 2011

I heart faces--Smile

Smile...

I have a ton of photos with smiles in them but I really love this one because of the moment.  We were at Nan and Pop's to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary.  I asked Nan to sit in the chair with Pop and snapped a few photos.  Nan turned to Pop and said, "put your arm around me like you actually know me" and when he lightly popped her in the chin.  She grabbed his hand to hold it down and he just laughed.  He is so clearly proud of himself and it shows.  I love when personalities shine through. 


The photo is not perfect and was taken at night in a small dimly lit living room with flash (blah) but the moment is perfect.  I could have choose a photo of my smiling two year old out in the bright sunshine but when I saw the category I just knew this was the photo I wanted to enter.

Click on the button below to see more great entries.


Saturday, January 8, 2011

Mommy's Never Sick...

O wait...at least that's what I always use to think.

Now that I am the Mommy I realize that it's not that Mommy isn't ever sick but that Mommy's don't get sick days.  Even when they are allotted sick days at work or school they have to be saved for when the kiddos are sick.

InterruptionAlert:  Excuse me while I regain my train of thought.  Ava just brought over a bottle of silver glitter nail polish and asked to have her toes painted.  Which is followed by a careful method of blowing on each single piggy one at a time until it's dry.  She came up with that method by the way.

So where was I...Ah yes...Mommy's never being sick.  I often find that it is better to go to school or work if sick versus staying home to be care taker of a child because children do not allow Mommy's to sit let alone rest while sick (or ever really...until they are teens and that's all they do).

So where do I start this story....maybe back on Tuesday of this week when I took Ava to the doctors for a rash.  I should not have taken her because I knew it was due to a skin irritation and to treat with Aquaphor and Benadryl but alas my Mommy guilt crept in and made me doubt my instincts.  All those annoying what ifs came to mind and so to the doctors we went.

Now since the doctors thought it may be a strep rash they put her in with all the other sick kids.  One certain 9(ish) year old boy was standing next to her and just straight coughed all over where she was playing.  Ummm, I so wanted to turn and say didn't your Mother ever teach you to cover your mouth but they called us back.  I proceeded to cover Ava in the purel that was in the room but it must not have been quick enough.  She must have managed to get a finger in her mouth or nose or some orifice before I could properly cleanse it so by Friday (Thurs night to be more exact) she was all stuffy.  My little baby came down with her very first cold.

Interuption Alert #2:  I just asked Ava a question to which she replied sponge bob and pointed in another direction for me to look at.  I have found that when she wants to avoid a question or doesn't want to be bothered she simply says sponge bob and points for me to look another way.  Now my question is why sponge bob...she never even watches sponge bob and another question is where do they learn this stuff.  Ok, I had to get that out....back to my post.


 So since you do not give toddlers cold medicine she has been getting tablespoons of local honey, warm water, plenty of fluids, benadryl, and sleeping propped up with pillows.  So we are just relaxing and waiting and not getting much sleep.  Well, I am not getting much sleep.  Aaron is also sick and became sick about a day after Ava.  I do not have a cold but I have been battling upset stomachs.  Something that became a common place for me after the removal of my gallbladder.  Well actually about 8 months or so before they removed it.  I feel I am most likely intolerant of a few things...the biggest being dairy and quite often my stomach gets pissed after meals that aren't bland and boring.  Life is not fair sometimes.  Everything yummy hates my stomach or my stomach hates it.  So to get back on track  I ate dairy the other day and so I haven't been feeling exactly peachy lately.  So I have been trying to rest up as much as I can when Ava is resting because that's about all I'm gonna get.

After Ava's nap today we got out the art box and her tin of markers and crayons and some paper.  The pictures aren't the greatest because I didn't want to use the flash or turn on the florescent's since Aaron wasn't feeling well so we just had dim lighting in a basement so yeah, this is what you get.









I also just realized that I never posted this video the other day.  This is one of Ava's new favorite things to do.

She also loves to brush peoples hair and we already knew she loved dress up.  Typical girly girl.

Before I go I will leave you with a Mothers Prayer I found in a book I have for activities for toddlers. It's called the Toddler's Busy Book by Trish Kuffner...it's got a ton of great ideas in it.

A Mother's Prayer:
Dear Lord, 
     So far today I've done all right.  I haven't gossiped, I haven't lost my temper, I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or very indulgent.  I'm very grateful for that.  But in a few minutes, Lord, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on, I'm going to need a lot more help, Amen.

I'm not a religious person but found that to be so fitting.

Tomorrow we are off to JoAnn's to pick up supplies for our new to 2011...drumroll...art and music Tuesdays.  Tuesdays and Fridays are the only days I will be home and Fridays are reserved for laundry and various chores so Tuesday it is.  I feel with school and homework I get caught up and don't do special projects with Ava so this year we are instilling a special day for projects.  I also have a few projects for myself so it should be fun.

Ok my arm is being drug away by a toddler who wants a Popsicle and since she doesn't feel well a Popsicle she gets.  Til next time...

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Then and Now

We love leggings around here...here are a pair of babylegs that have been around for a while.

Four Months Old- This was almost two years ago...how did she get so big.  This was yesterday...I swear it was and then I went to sleep and woke up and she is two....HOW???






and this was today...







Excuse me now while I go cry.

Just like Daddy!!!

Little girls can be just like their Daddy's too and the more and more reckless my little miss gets the more convinced I am that she is heading down her Daddy's footsteps.

We used her Christmas Money from her Great-Grandparents and got her this....
Please ignore the crappy cell phone pic(it isn't the last to be seen in this post either...gasp)

Ava is now the proud owner of her very own KTM Strider bike.  Her exact words were..."Mommy it's a box...no Mommy it's a bike"  I said, "It's Ava's bike" and she just looked at me with the biggest smile on her face.





We waited until Daddy got home from work...literally until he walked in the door and then she got to ride it.





Then this morning she woke up ate breakfast and brought me her helmet.  Technically a helmet isn't exactly necessary at her current slow speed and the fact that she is indoors BUT come spring when she wants to go outside she will need to wear one so we might as well get her use to it now.

 
 



Aaron can take credit for her riding skills but I am taking credit for this because we all know Aaron doesn't work on his own bikes.
 


Here are a few videos from earlier this week and some pictures from last week...

She loves wearing my shoes around.

 We got a TV wall mount and Ava is in LOVE (so is Daddy)

This day Ava stayed in her jammies because she has a rash on her belly and back and was itchy.  Poor thing and her sensitive skin...benadryl is our friend in this house.