No Tricks, Just Treats

Last night, my brother, Matt, Ava and I carved our pumpkins for Halloween.

This was the first time Ava had truly taken part in pumpkin carving. To summarize what happened: She was not a fan. I believe the words, "Eeeew" and "No" came out of her mouth more than any others while we were scooping out the pumpkin guts.

Eventually, Ava's curiosity got the best of her, and she stuck the very tip of her index finger into the pumpkin mush. Only to come running over to me saying, "Yucky, yucky!" Hello OCD.

And here are the final products: My brother's pumpkin.

Matt's pumpkin.

And in honor of Ava's Halloween costume, my pumpkin.

After a night of sleep, our family woke up to the smell of pumpkin yumminess permeating the house. Ava enjoyed a very special pancake breakfast. Pumpkin pancakes, that is.

Following breakfast, Ava received her trick-or-treat bucket, pre-filled with treats.

Atta girl. Way to go for the good stuff.

Once her focus moved beyond the candy in her bucket, Ava fell in love with the puppy dog (who she later named, "Punkin").

Ava loves Punkin so much, she even tried sharing a Reese's with her new found friend.

After a nap and dinner, we headed to our church for the Annual Fall Spectacular. Is it just me, or is Ava the cutest little owl you've ever seen?

Ava bounced... Or rather sank into part of the bounce house while bigger kids bounced around her.

Ava also enjoyed the bean bag toss. Who wouldn't enjoy throwing a toy turtle through a whale's mouth, only to be rewarded with a piece of candy?

After the Fall Spectacular, we headed back to our house to do some good, old fashioned, trick or treating. Between houses, Ava snuggled up with a blanket and enjoyed the ride. (In case you are wondering, that is NOT Ava's candy loot in front of her. Since no one was at our house to pass out candy, Matt and I brought it with us to hand out on the go!)

Do you remember coming home from trick-or-treating, spreading all of your candy out on the floor, and taking inventory of everything you just collected? Somehow, that trait is embedded in our DNA because that is exactly what Ava did after we got home tonight.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Pumpkin Patch Playdate

This morning Ava and I met up with some of our friends from MOPS, and we went to a pumpkin patch.

First, the kiddos listened to a woman read friendly Halloween stories while sitting on a pile of hay. Clearly, Ava and Izzy weren't too enthusiastic about story time. I do have to give them credit for quietly sitting and listening to the books though.

After story time, was the highlight of Ava's day... The hayride!

Again, the excitement on Ava's face may not be visible in this picture, but trust me, it's there. Hiding behind her, "please don't take another picture of me" glare.

What trip to the pumpkin patch is complete without running through a field of pumpkins and rolling them all over the place?

Cutie Pa Tootie Pumpkin + Cutie Pa Tootie Scarecrow = BFF

If anyone happened to see the moms set up for this picture, I'm sure they got a good laugh. This was one of those, 'everybody pick up your kids, run over to the hay pile, throw the kids down on the hay pile, back away as fast as you can, and take rapid fire pictures' moments. Of the 10 pictures I was able to take, I got at least one good one before kids started to freak out and/or get up and walk away.

Apparently Ava proposed to be life long friends with Izzy... with a pumpkin.

And Izzy accepted said proposal with a hug.

We spread out a blanket and enjoyed a picnic lunch while at the pumpkin patch. For whatever reason, Ava ate the majority of her lunch while leaning up against a tree.

Before it was time to leave, I wanted to get a picture of Ava and Izzy with their pumpkins. Izzy was willing, but Ava had moved from the 'please don't take another picture of me glare' to the 'I'm DONE' position.

I think Izzy was checking Ava's pulse to make sure she was ok.

Have no fear, Ava was fine, just a tad bit dramatic. We had a great time at today. Love fall, love pumpkins, love being outside in beautiful weather, and love my friends!

ABC ID

A couple months ago, Ava received a Leapfrog Text & Learn Toy. It is something I probably would have never picked out for her, but boy am I glad that she has it! Over about a 2 week period, Ava has learned to identify almost every letter of the alphabet, and many letter sounds... All due to the Text & Learn! Whenever we are in the car, the Text & Learn is what she wants to play with!

If we are driving in the car, reading a book, or watching TV, Ava will point out each and every letter that she knows. Currently, the letters she is able to identify and SAY independently are: A, B, C, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, W, and Y.

When asked, "Ava, what does (insert letter here) say?" She currently says the following:

B: buh

F: fuh

G: guh

H: Huh (not quite sure how to spell that sound, but you know what I'm talking about)

I: (short i sound)

K: Hi-Yah! (high pitched, karate sound) This is currently my favorite. When Ava pushes the K button on the toy, it says, "K. K says kuh, like karate kick. Hi-Yah!"

M: Mmmmm

P: puh

Q: coo

S: ssssssss

T: tuh

The teacher in me is blown away that Ava has already picked up on all of this knowledge on her own. She's not even 2! The mom in me is terrified that she has picked up on all of this knowledge on her own. I believe at some point in the very near future, this little angel will be able to give me a run for my money!

Semi-Big Girl Bed

It is a fact that Ava has always loved her bed. It is also a fact that Ava has always slept like a champ in her bed. Do we dare risk changing Ava's awesome sleeping patterns by altering her bed in any way, shape or form? It was a question Matt and I discussed for several weeks, and finally concluded that, yes, it was time for Ava to switch from a crib, to a semi-big girl bed.

Several nights ago, we removed the front rail of the crib, and replaced it with the toddler rail seen below. Any fear we had of Ava not liking her new bed went out the window when she screamed, "Big Girl Bed" and dove onto the mattress.

Has she fallen out of bed while sleeping? Not yet. Does she stay in it after we close the door at night? Absolutely. Does she want to get out of bed in the morning? No. But let's face it, neither do I. Whether it's napping, going to bed, or just laying down in bed by herself... because she can, Ava is a happy camper in her semi-big girl bed.*

*I say "semi" big girl bed because for her birthday (on December 3rd), Matt and I are giving her a REAL big girl bedroom.... Complete with bunk beds and all! Shhh! It's a surprise, though. ;) If Ava was this excited about the front railing of her crib coming off, she is going to go nuts when we reveal her new bedroom!

Over the River and Through the Woods...

...To the Blue Ridge Mountains we go.

Today, Matt, Ava & I took what is becoming, our annual October trip to the mountains. Thanks to a cold front that blew through (literally) a few days before our trip, a lot of the leaves were already off the trees. We didn't care though. We were together, we were in the mountains, and we enjoying God's beautiful creation.

One of our first stops was the well-known Viaduct.

As we got to a clearing, this was our view. Ava excitedly pointed to the horizon and said, "Ooooh! Beach!" Hmm. Don't get me wrong, we love the mountains and we enjoy spending time in the mountains... But I guess it is safe to say Ava knows where our hearts truly are.

Ava immediately (and with little effort, I might add) posed for a picture with Daddy.

Then came the picture with me. 

It was evident...

That Ava wanted nothing more than to goof off...

And give me a run for my money.

Eventually, about 20 pictures later, we got a good one. :)

This next one is my favorite from the day. As seen in the pictures above, Ava wanted little to do with me, and everything to do with her daddy during our trip. I know Matt's heart was gushing all day long.

A very kind passerby captured what is a very rare moment for us: A family picture! 

After driving several more miles on the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway, we made a stop at Grandfather Mountain. Ava enjoyed seeing several interesting animals... 

Including 4 of these guys. Have no fear, they were not roaming free. They are on exhibit as part of the Grandfather Mountain tour.

Once we reached the top of the mountain, we bundled up and headed across the swinging bridge.

On the other side of the bridge, Ava enjoyed climbing on the rocks while picking up and throwing whatever pebbles, twigs and sticks she could find.

And yet again, a kind passerby offered to take a picture of the 3 of us. Two family photos in one day? That almost never happens!

After we loaded back up in the van, we enjoyed another scenic drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. All of the mountain air, walking, and climbing had clearly taken its toll on Ava. She was able to catch a 30 minute cat nap on our way to Blowing Rock.

Apparently a 30 minute cat nap was all she needed because as soon as we arrived in Blowing Rock, all Ava wanted to do was play on the playground.

She crawled through tunnels.

Climbed up ladders.

Slid down slides.

Played on a rock climbing wall.

Matt even got in on the rock wall action too.

What better way to top off a day in the mountains than with a special white chocolate dipped, sprinkle covered Oreo from Kilwin's?

What a blessing to be able to spend an entire day with the two people I love most.