Taken for Granted

We had another great play date on Wednesday.  We went to the Whittle Shortline Railroad in Valley Park.  It was a very chilly day and the indoor train store was perfect for a little hour outting that let the kiddos get out a little energy.  I realized after being there and observing other kids just how well behaved Ava is.  I think I take for granted that she can sit in a restaurant for 1 1/2 - 2 hours and entertain herself by coloring or she can play quitely with Caeleigh, Sean and Carter without hitting or taking away their toys.  She is a shy but sweet little girl.  She's not so shy once you know her but she shares really well and doesn't have an aggressive bone in her body.  I love that kid so much and feel so very blessed to have her!

Ballerinas, Fairies, and Mermaids, Oh My!

These adorable little gals and guys were made by a talented lady, Dannielle, here in the St. Louis area.  Aren't they too cute!  You can check out all her little dolls on Etsy at Princess Nimble Thimble.  I adore the craftsmanship and all the little details.  Wouldn't these be cute for a little Valentine's gift or left behind by the tooth fairy for your little fairy or ballerina?  There might be a few of these showing up in our house soon... 

Big Days for Little Guys

January was a big month for a couple little guys.  Sean and Carter both turned one and that meant parties! Sean's was a train party (top 2 pics) and Carter's was a safari (bottom 2 pics).  It's so fun to get all the kiddos together for parties.  Happy birthday guys!!  I can't wait to see all the growing you do in the next year.

Printable Freebie

My mom has given me a subscription to Good Housekeeping for the past few years and I love it. They always have practical and useful information. I have numerous pages dog-eared to come back to later. In the February issue, there was an article on how to organize and keep your books from taking over your house. Very useful read for a book junkie such as myself. The article was helpful and even offered a printable freebie which I love!! They are these adorable bookplates and they even come in 3 styles. I think I'm going to print them out on full sheets of adhesive labels (8 1/2 x 11) and cut them out.

Completing the "H"

The infamous cheese face

Ava has been sick. It's been going on for almost 5 weeks now. We went from a fever to an ear infection to tonsillitis to having an allergic reaction to amoxicillin turning Ava into what we called in our house (very lovingly of course) reptile baby to the common cold and cough that won't let go. There was a small light at the end of the tunnel for about 4 days were I thought she was getting better but then she took a nose dive again. For all you who have little ones or have had them at one time, you know that if your child is sick and can't sleep that means you don't sleep either. For almost 5 weeks, we have been sleeping very irregularly. There have been a couple nights were I end up bringing her in bed with us until she falls into a coma sleep. Steve then very carefully carries her back to her bed. I am not one for having your kid in bed with you...ever!!

The other night she was coughing and coughing and it wasn't letting up. Steve went and got her to come sleep with us for a while. A while ended up turning into the entire night which was a first for us. There is a reason that the wee one doesn't spend the whole night with us other than being fearful of starting a bad habit...she hogs the king sized bed. Morning came and Steve and I were waking up on each edge of the bed and I commented on how she sleeps the wrong way. Steve casually comments, "Oh, she's just completing the "H". That made me laugh so hard that it woke Ava up. Ava started laughing because she saw us laughing but she had no clue why. Once the kid sat up, I was was laughing even harder due to the totally awesome bed head. It's a good thing I love that kid so much because we have been seriously lacking in the sleep department!!

2010 Theme

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions but I have been thinking a lot about my life in general lately. I need to make some changes. I've come up with a theme for 2010, if you will. That theme is balance. I have been solely Ava's mom for the last 18 months of my life and that is about it. Don't get me wrong, I love being a mom but it has really consumed me and other things in my life are falling away or being seriously neglected. I don't think I've been a great wife, friend, church member, exerciser (yeah, not sure if that's a word), and numerous other things that I used to be. As a way to bring balance in my life, other than being a mommy, I started a book club. I emailed a bunch of my girlfriends to see who was interested and I was surprised by everyone who was super excited. Now, I have never been in a book club, so starting one is a bit of a leap but I think we are off to a good start. There are 13 of us reading our first book, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Everyone submitted ideas for books to read and then we voted. This was the winner. It's a small step towards bringing more balance into my life but a fun one. Now I can say that I'm feeding two of my loves which are reading and spending time with my friends (minus our precious kiddos).

On a side note, I think I will post here as we choose new books and after I have finished the book. If any of you are interested in reading with us who are not in the area, I would love for you to read with us and then comment about the books. If you are in the area and want to join in the reading fun let me know! We would love to have you!!

Pink Radio Flyer

Big Papa got Ava a pretty pink new tricycle for Christmas. She LOVES it. Here's the problem. She can't quite reach the pedals and that's frustrating for her. Therefore, after she loads up the basket in front with all her favorite friends and climbs on, she looks at us and says more. That means push me in Ava speak. Steve and I are more than happy to push the little bugger around the house a few times but it never seems to be enough for her...sigh. Just a few more inches and she'll be able to tool around our unfinished basement like a pro. Until then it looks like mom and dad will be the power behind the pedals. She does love it though and all the squeals and laughter make all the pushing so worthwhile.