Wimmin'

Ever since our trip to Hilton Head, SC, Ava has been asking to go 'wimmin' (swimming). Well, 2 nights ago, we inflated a pool, filled it with water, put Ava in her birthday suit, and let her go wimmin'.

The water had not had much of a chance to warm up, but that didn't stop our little fish from jumping right in and splish-splashing away!

The bottom of the pool is slightly slippery and it took Ava a few minutes to get used to the new texture. The picture below was taken mid-fall... I am not sure if her face is a result of the fall, or because of the chilly watter she fell in to.

Got to love a Daddy's girl....

We plan to do many fun and exciting things this summer, one of which will definitely be wimmin'. :)

Can You Tell Me How to Get...

How to get to Sesame Street?

I don't have to tell you how to get to Sesame Street, I can show you! This morning, Matt and I took Ava to see Sesame Street Live! The same friend that hooked us up with box seat tickets to the circus, hooked us up with box seat tickets to Sesame Street Live. A huge thanks friend, for thinking of us and giving us the tickets. What a blessing you and your family are to our family! :)

Matt and I had originally not planned to take Ava to see Sesame Street, but when the free tickets came our way, we gladly accepted. Oh how glad and thankful I am that we again had a box to let Ava run around in. I don't know about your kids, but Ava (at almost 18 months) would not have been able to handle sitting on our laps or being confined to one seat during the show. It may be her age. It may be that she doesn't watch much television, so she is not all too familiar with the Sesame Street characters. Or, it could be a combination of the two. Either way, while Ava was watching the show, or running around the box, this is what was happening on stage:

If she wasn't sitting on Daddy's lap...

Or posing for a creepy picture with me...

She was stuffing her face with "Ooooh Ohs" (Cheerios).

During intermission, we took a trip up to the Schiffman's Club where we enjoyed a buffet of complimentary... nothing. Sadly, they had run out of food before we got there. Ava did however, enjoy running around, stretching her legs and taking in the glorious view of High Point Road. (For those of you not familiar with Greensboro, the word 'glorious' was meant with extreme sarcasm).

After intermission, one of the few TV personalities that Ava is familiar with made his appearance on stage. As soon as the theme song to 'Elmo's World' started ringing through the coliseum (and my head), Ava was captivated. I am not sure what happened to Elmo's coloring in the picture below. He really was red as a tomato. My guess is that due to the dim lighting, my camera interpreted 'red' as nasty orange.

See what I mean by captivated? This was her viewing stance of choice.

Many thanks again friends, for giving us the opportunity to enjoy Sesame Street Live, stress free!

This Post Brought to You By the Letter 'S'

Sidewalk Chalk.... That can be a very misleading term. It would make one think that the chalk is solely used on the sidewalk. As it turns out, that is not the case at our house. Or, at least, it was not the case during the 2 seconds I turned my back to go get the mail. When I returned, mail in hand, I saw chalk scribbles on the window (yes, somehow Ava got it to show up on glass), the door mat, the front porch, the porch columns, the siding and the rocking chair.

Scrapes are an inevitable part of growing up. Dare I say they are an important part of growing up? Scrapes are just reminders of the times when children play too hard and tumble too fast. Not only are scrapes reminders of such things, they are also proof that kids are growing up right, and that "a little dirt never hurt anybody." I am proud to say that Ava is a rough and tumble kind of girl and that she has already earned her fair share of bandaged knees. Although now of course, we have much cuter band aids than what you see pictured below.

Slide. Ava loves going down slides. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures to prove this point. This is due mainly to the fact that when Ava goes down the slide on her swing set, she is sitting on my lap. And, let's face it, if I tried to take a shot of both of us going down the slide together, it would probably be less than flattering. Oh, and I would probably break my arm trying to balance a toddler and a camera as I zoom off the bottom of the slide.

Swinging is Ava's all time favorite thing to do. Somehow, whenever we go to a park with my brother, the swinging becomes less about Ava and more about the "Jumping Off" contest between Matt and Ryan.

Sunglasses. Ava is only a year and a half old and already she has 2 more pairs of sunglasses than I do. She would probably wear them to bed if I let her.

Splashing. What water activity would be complete without a little splashing? I think Ava found it funny that these mini fountains splashed her while she played.

Sunbathing. In the words of Cheryl Crow, "IIIIIIIIIII, I'm gonna soak up the sun....." (with a protective layer of sunscreen on, of course). I can think of only a few things that are more fun than sitting on the beach, sunbathing and stuffing your mouth with Cheez-Its. Apparently Ava agrees.

Sand. Remember before when I mentioned, "a little dirt never hurt anybody?" It's a good thing I truly believe that because when Ava plays in her sandbox, she plays hard! Normally, she gets a bath every other night, but we may have to bump it up to every night seeing as the sand is starting to collect in her crib.

Swim Suits are meant to be lived in at the beach. Good thing Ava has more swim suits than I can count on all 10 of my fingers. Hand me downs are a wonderful thing! :) How is it though, that with all of the swim suits she has, I only have pictures of Ava in this one?

Straws. See ya later sippy cups. Hello big girl cups.

Strawberries are Ava's food of choice. "Beh-Bees" as she calls them, are usually served alongside breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have already started freezing them because I am afraid Ava won't know what to do with herself when strawberries are no longer in season.

Shooting Hoops. Most evenings are spent on the swing set in our backyard or playing in our driveway. If we're in the driveway, you can almost always count on Matt and Ava shooting some hoops. It makes me smile because already, Ava is more athletic that I ever was. It makes Matt smile because, well, Ava likes basketball.

Splinters are yet another inevitable part of growing up. What am I saying? I am 27 years old and I still get splinters. How about.... Splinters are annoying. Yeah, that's more appropriate. Ava has already encountered a few splinters and fortunately (for us and her) the splinters came out after a good soak in the bath. The bridge seen below has not added to Ava's splinter count (to my knowledge)... The picture is just too cute note to share.

Sweat. Hot temperatures + humidity = sweat. I mean, just look at Ava's hair matted down to hear head.

Sprinklers are fun and a rite of passage for all children. Again, no photo of Ava actually going through a sprinkler to share, so the following must suffice. Ava loves playing with the water spigot, running her hands through the water and then gently cleaning her face (with her wet hands). Go figure.

Swimming Pools. All I have to say is, I am glad that we have so many relatives who have access to pools!

What do all of these "S" things mean? Good by spring... Helloooooo SUMMER!

Lowcountry ABCs

A is for Alligator. While visiting Matt's sister and her family this past weekend, we saw the alligator that lives in the pond just behind Erin and John's house. He is hard to see in this picture, but I didn't feel particularly inclined to get any closer for a better shot. If you look carefully, you can see his eye and snout poking out of the water (near the shore line, just slightly right of center).

Now I can handle this kind of alligator... You know, the kid-friendly, inflatable, non-living, pool-toy kind.

B is for Best Buds. Words cannot express how excited Ava gets every time she sees her cousin, Jack. Everywhere Jack goes, Ava follows. Everything Jack does, Ava tries. Ava always reaches out to hold Jack's hand and in return, Jack always gently leads her wherever she wants to go.

C is for Coligny Beach. Part of our trip was spent on the beach. Rough life, but somebody's gotta do it.

D is for Driving Around. I wanted a Power Wheels car more than anything when I was growing up. Whether or not I will get to live vicariously through Ava owning one is yet to be determined. If Ava is not the recipient/owner of a Power Wheels car at some point down the road, she can at least enjoy driving her cousin's jeep. Jack was kind enough to take Ava for a spin around the culdesac during our stay.

E is for Erin. Or, "Uh-In" as Ava says. Erin is the best. Anyone who knows her would agree. She is an amazing follower of Christ, wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend and more. We love spending time with her and we can't wait to see her again soon!

F is for Finny Finnster. Oh how I love him. I love his hair, I love his smile, I love his wit and most of all, his heart. He is beyond perceptive and to say he is adorable would be an understatement. Finn is a wonderful cousin to Ava and he is going to be an amazing big brother come November!

G is for Golf. A high percentage of Hilton Head residents live, drink and breathe golf. Well, we aren't HH residents and we aren't passionate about golf. We did learn however, that when your house sits on a golf course, it is a great place for little ones to stretch their legs and run (after hours, of course).

H is for High Altitude. Ava still loves being launched in the air by Matt. Being launched in the air on the beach just makes it that much better.

I is for I love My Family. Enough said.

J is for Jack. He is our first nephew, and one of the first people to steal Ava's heart. Speaking of hearts, Jack has one of the biggest ones I have ever known. He is adventurous, fun-loving, kind, and he is his dad's biggest fan.

K is for Kisses. No, we're not talking West Virginia cousin kissin'. We're talking sweet and innocent affection. Ava loves giving hugs and kisses and she was more than happy to dish out a few smooches for her beloved cousins.

L is for Leisurely Walks Down the Beach. Considering 2 of Ava's favorite things are walking and sand, it's pretty safe to say she had a blast at the beach. We spent a good portion of the day strolling up and down the shore while taking in the sights and soaking up the sun. 

M is for Mommy/Daughter Time. Originally, we planned to drive back to NC on Monday morning. My wonderful husband, wanting me and Ava to enjoy another day at the pool, decided to come back Tuesday instead. So while Matt worked diligently at Erin and John's house, Ava and I got to spend an extra day splishing and splashing with Erin and the boys. Words cannot express how thankful I am for Matt and how hard he works for our family!

N is for Naps. Or should I say, 'No Naps.' Typically Ava takes a good 3-hour nap in the afternoon. Not wanting to miss a minute of play time with her cousins, she did not nap as much as she needed to this past weekend. This was evident by her behavior one particular evening during our trip. I guess I can't blame Ava though... Look at those cute blond boys. Who could resist spending every minute with them?

O is for Observing the Big Kids. When you're the youngest one in the bunch, you spend a lot of time watching what the big kids do. Ava spent plenty of time doing just that, especially at the pool. Observe now, Ava. Next year, you'll get to show off your newly learned pool skills to your younger cousin!

P is for Playing in the Pool. I think Ava is part fish. She would have stayed in the pool all day if we would have let her.

Q is for Quick Lesson in Fly Fishing. Matt wanted to give fly fishing a whirl and John was gracious enough to let him try. What a natural, huh?

R is for Role Model. Jack has great manners and confidence. He is friendly, compassionate, loving and kind. Above all else, he loves God and I am so thankful that Ava has him as a buddy and role model.

S is for Splashing. Ava enjoyed one of the many water features at the Hampton Lake Pool.

T is for Tee-Ball. Since we decided to extend our trip by one day, we were able to watch Jack and Finn play tee ball. Unfortunately, this happened to be the evening that the whole, 'no napping thing' caught up to Ava. Therefore, Matt and I spent most of our evening dealing with a less than happy camper, rather than taking pictures.

U is for Uncle John. BREAKING NEWS! Ava. Loves. Uncle. John. Ava has always loved John, she has just hidden her affection for him until this past weekend. Within 24 hours of being around John, Ava willingly gave him hugs, kisses and lovingly called him, "Don."

V is for Very Sour Lemon. Every time we go out to eat a lemon slice comes in our water or tea. Every time Ava sees said lemon slice, she points at it and says, "Nana." I try to explain that the lemon is in fact, not a banana, yet my explanation seems to do no good. Even though she makes a ridiculous face, Ava seems to like lemons because she manages to eat the whole slice... every time.

W is for Waterfall. One of Ava's favorite things at the Hampton Lake Pool is the waterfall. She would literally tremble with excitement as we approached it while floating down the lazy river.

X is for X Games. Well, X-Games on a kiddie level anyway. Scooters and trikes and bikes! Oh my! The boys pulled out all of their ride-on toys and let Ava take a few of them for a spin. Kids playing in the culdesac while the sun sets after a fun-filled day. Can't think of a better way to spend an evening.

Y is for Yellow Submarine, or Baby Float. Her butterfly swimmies are great, but in order to venture into deeper water, Ava had to be in her float. Good thing she loves it because she spent plenty of time in it. 

Z is for Zonked. About 5 minutes into our 5.5 hour car ride home, Ava fell fast asleep. She has recovered and is already looking forward to visiting the Lowcountry again!