It's Officially Summer!

We had such a fun swim on Memorial Day! Gosh, any fears we had that Ava wouldn't love the water as much this year as she did last year are GONE! She had a blast and was so content to just sit on that top step and splish splash away. She didn't even seem to mind when the sun went away and it got FREEZING.

We had so much fun at the pool that I hassled some Smith's employees until they went to the back room and dug us up a little baby pool for our deck!

Who knew that splashing...

...and pouring water out of a measuring cup...

...could be so much FUN!!!

We've got a Mover!

Ava's latest game...moving things from one location in our house to another- and then back again! I know, doesn't sound like much fun to me either- it's like making a mess just so you have something to clean up... Craziness Ava Girl!!! While most of the things she likes to move are messy, kinda destructive and usually just asking for a time out (toilet paper dipped in toilet water then placed in a choice location before throwing the pile in the trash, bringing a whole bag of diapers into the living room and opening the sticky tabs before returning them to her room, moving food chunk by chunk to the coffee table and then back to her plate, moving q-tips, jewelery, you name it- from it's put away spot into the living room- getting told, "Ava, put this stuff away!"- and then very obediently (most of the time) putting it back...) this one is pretty cute and clean!


"Hmmm, what should I bring out first?"

"I think, this can will be next!"

A pause in the moving to smile for the camera!

Here is our small pile.

"OK I think that's enough, I'll put these things away now!"

"Gosh this can is heavier the second time around!"

"I think this is where this one was!"

"Just a few more..."

"DONE!!! Oh, oops I forgot that box of pasta... Oh well, Mom'll get it later!"

Just Checkin'

Just one year ago... Things change so fast!

Ava has her 18 month Check Up this morning!

Here are the stats:
Height: 32 1/4 inches (50th percentile)
Weight: 23.6 (35th percentile)
Head:19 inches (75th percentile)

Our Big Girl is getting so big! We asked Dr. Koil about her snoring... just allergies he said. Ava's currently on her second round of Goat's Milk. She's tried Cow's Milk twice now- once at a year and once again after a few months and has continued to get a little rash with it. So we are re-introducing it each month to see if the symptoms go away. She was slightly more friendly to the doctor and nurses this time and only cried half the time- a vast improvement! She got 2 shots and will only have to get 1 more at her 2 year visit in order to complete her vaccines until she's 4! Kurt and I are so glad we decided to take the vaccinations at a slower pace and we can't believe that we've finally reached the end! Some talk about potty training- Doc thought it was pretty hilarious that I actually love diapers and am sad to see them go- not really looking forward to finding a potty at every store/ restaurant/ park in Albuquerque- and it means our baby isn't a baby anymore! Though I love our doctor I am glad we get to start going less often for visits- it is so stressful for Ava which means CRYING and CLINGING and as a result means a lot of sweating for me...which is just embarrassing!

Boo for shots!

"So Big!"

Tea Party With Dad!

Thank goodness for Tea Parties... actually, thank goodness for Dad's who initiate tea parties with their little girls! The idea of a tea party never even occurred to me! Not when Ava pulled out her mini pitcher and kept dumping the milk and water from her sippy cups into it, not when she pulled out those cute little plates and said, "nack!" (snack), and not when she brought that little cup into the bathtub and drank half the tub with it... And I call myself a girl who loves girly things! GEEZ- it took Kurt coming in from the gym, cleaning up ONE pitcher/chocolate milk dumping mess to think of having a tea party!

This was one of my favorite daddy/daughter moments- So, sorry Kurt that you aren't wearing a shirt, but it was too precious to pass up:

"Here Ava, let me scoop you some corn!"

"Cheers!"

"Cheese!"

Mother's Day Weekend!

Ava- Dani- JoJo, Mother's Day 2009

What a wonderful Mother's Day! Though this day is always such a nice excuse for kids or husbands to praise and appreciate the Mom's in their life- I realized this year that it is also a day for Mom's to sit back and appreciate the blessing that being a Mother truly is. Just given the gift of a few extra minutes of sleep yesterday morning and the opportunity to sit at the kitchen table and just stare off until my Starbucks arrived (thanks Kurt!)... I was overcome with the joy of my place, my job, my role. Starting my day off with a moment to reflect on my life, rather than to start my day off running around gave me a little perspective. This Mother's Day I learned that this day is not only a day to tell your Mom that you love her but a day for a Mom to look at her own life and see not just crazy children and never ending laundry and cleaning... but to see the amazing blessing and untouchable JOY that comes with our job! I love being a Mom and I am thankful for my sweet husband, my little Ava-girl, my parents and my brothers and sisters for making me feel so special- giving me a little break and helping me check out my life from a different vantage point. I woke up today with a little more gratitude and a little less grumpy because of all of you! I love you!

Surprise! Mitch came in town! and Surprise! We're eating outside at Savoy... Again!

Such a Big Girl- No High Chair anymore...

Kurt and I hardly ever take pictures of ourselves anymore... so when we do (and we look kinda cute) it's going up!

Happy Birthday Great- Nana!

Ava and I went to visit her Great-Nana (my Grandma) to wish her a Happy Birthday and to just hang out and play! Grandpa and Grandma were so cute- they definitely knew the way to her little heart... they pulled out some fun new toys for her to play with, bought her a super cute little towel dress for summertime AND Grandma made peas (and other yummy stuff) for lunch!!! What a wonderful visit! I don't know if Grandma or I loved the peas as much as Ava but it sure was fun watching her chow down!

Great-Nana and Ava!

"Serve me up some more peas- G-Nana!"

What a cute Pea Smile- it's like when you smile with a lemon peel in your mouth (except kinda grosser!)

Yum! Yum!

"My kind of lunch!"

AVA!!!!

So, the precursor to this story is that Ava is at the perfect height to open all of the drawers in our house and reach inside. Though she isn't quite tall enough to see what it is she's reaching around for, sometime she comes out with a real treat!!!

Yesterday I was just cooking dinner- So thankful that I didn't have a little chef trying throw in her two cents when I turned around to this:

Apparently she reached and reached and came out with Mom's Dark Chocolate Bar!

Lesson: Eat your Easter candy ASAP or someone else will!

She must have sensed that camera time was ending cause she stuck those fingers in her mouth and sucked away all the way to the sink!

P.S. Earlier yesterday afternoon Ava got her hands on Kurt's peanut butter M&M's... though she didn't eat them (she chewed them up and spit them all over the floor and her shirt) she made sure that they were no longer edible. Hard Day for old Easter candy!

Asper Kourt at Nob Hill Bar & Grill

Asper Kourt will be playing at Nob Hill Bar & Grill tomorrow Sunday May 3 from 5pm to 7pm! Come listen to some great tunes and eat the best french fries in town (my opinion!)! Ava and I would love to see you there!

Nob Hill Bar & Grill:
http://www.upscalejoint.com/