No More Excuses

4 days ago, there was snow on the ground. Yesterday and today, we had 70+ degree temperatures. Why hello, North Carolina weather.

I used to run several miles every day. Key phrase in the previous sentence being 'used to.' For the past several days, weeks, months, I have managed to find some sort of excuse: It's too cold. Daylight savings is over, it gets dark so early. Ava is taking her nap. I'd rather watch paint dry. I just don't wanna! Recently, my excuse has been: I don't have a double jogger to take both Ava and Morgan. Well, the temperatures outside are beautiful and thanks to a friend, I have a double jogger. No more excuses.

The only difference between pushing Ava in our single jogger and pushing Ava & Morgan in a double jogger is about, oh, 40 pounds. Holy smokes! I would guess that Ava + Morgan + Infant car seat + Double BOB = over 100 pounds. Forget sore legs... My arms are so sore from running and pushing the BOB that I can barely type this post.

Apparently Ava could tell the difference in my running speed (or lack thereof) this morning. Just by looking at her face, I could tell she was thinking, "Really, mom? You call that fast? Really?"

I don't think words are necessary to describe how Morgan felt about the run.

After I had caught my breath and Morgan woke up from her nap, we spent the rest of the morning outside. Morgan kept watch from the front porch...

While Ava walked Little Baby around the front yard.

Our van desperately needed to be washed. While I cleaned my mom-mobile, Ava worked on her red hot coupe.

When Ava finished washing her own car, she helped me finish cleaning the van. (Please know that contrary to what you see in these pictures, I do have clothing that fits my child. 99% of that clothing though, is meant for normal, not 70 degree, February weather. Looks like I need to invest in a few warm weather outfits in case these abnormally warm days continue. Last year's summer wardrobe just won't do, since Ava continues to grow like a weed. A very tall, and adorable weed.) 

Then Ava took her newly cleaned car for a spin.

What better way to end a morning outside than by eating a picnic lunch in the backyard? And speaking of eating, I think Ava is going through another growth spurt. In about 6 minutes, Ava inhaled the following for lunch: 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a handful of black olives, a bowl of mandarin oranges, applesauce, yogurt, and several pieces of cheese.

Winter Blast of 2012

Finally, the crazy temperatures this winter dipped below the freezing mark at the same time some precipitation headed our way. What does that mean? Snow! Not much, but snow, nonetheless.

I have lived in a hand full of different states, but two of them (Utah and Michigan) are known for snow. Snow runs in my veins and I was so excited to see some falling from the sky yesterday afternoon. So excited in fact, that I woke Ava up a little early from her nap (bad idea #1), forced her out of bed (bad idea #2) and made her come outside with me (bad idea #3). If you know my daughter, you know she likes her sleep. You probably also know that she does not like to be disturbed or taken out of her bed until she is good and ready. In other words, this is what happened when I introduced her to the snow...

Not a happy camper.

In Ava's defense, the falling precipitation was not yet 100% snow... So not only was Ava ripped out of her warm and comfy bed. She was thrown out into the freezing snow and pelting sleet.

Once we came back inside, Ava was perfectly fine. She brought all of her friends to the front door to watch the snow fall.

(I would have loved to continue this post with several of the adorable pictures I took of our family last night. However, my camera and my computer decided to have a fight, and I lost about 100 pictures during an attempted upload. I cannot begin to describe my frustration. My computer better be glad it does not have a face. Because I would have punched it.)

So instead of pictures, here is a quick run down of what happened last night...

Right at Ava's bed time, Matt and I decided it would be fun to take a walk around the neighborhood in the snow. I pulled Ava's snow suit out of the closet and when she saw it, she screamed, "No!"

I had to body slam Ava to the floor and pin her down to get the snow pants and jacket on. Just picture me trying to put a snow suit on a squirming, squealing pig... All of this while Ava was still shouting, "No! No!"

Matt and I forcefully put Ava in our jogging stroller and headed out the door into the dark, snowy, silent night. And again, Ava was yelling, "No! No! No!"

Ava's bad attitude didn't last long. By the time we made it to the end of our driveway, Ava turned her "No's" into, "Oh. So pretty!"

Ok, now fast forward to this morning. I let Ava wake up on her own. Lesson learned from yesterday. When Ava came to the front of the house, she seemed very intrigued by the 2 inches of snow she could see out the front windows. I was thrilled! Ava's grumpy attitude was gone, and she was ready to go outside and enjoy the snow. Wrong. I pulled out the snow suit one more time and as soon as Ava saw it.... "No! No! No, mommy. No go outside!" What in the world?

Me: Ava, why don't you want to go outside?

Ava: (Looks out the window for a few seconds, then back at me) Santa out there.

Wow. I would have never come to that conclusion on my own, but it makes perfect sense. Every time Ava sees a picture of Santa, snow is involved. (Ava is perfectly fine with Santa, as long as he is in a picture. The real deal is another story. She's terrified.) It's no wonder she saw the snow and thought Santa was just outside the door.

Once I assured her that Santa was not in our backyard, we suited up, and ventured out into the snow.

Sadly, the following picture is the only one I have of Ava 'playing' in the yard. The others were destroyed in that whole camera/computer debacle I mentioned earlier.

So thankful we finally got some snow this season!

Pull Up A Seat

Thanks to Pinterest, here is my latest sewing creation... A floor pillow for Ava's room. This particular pillow is the first of several to be added to Ava's reading nook. It was easy to make, I love it, and so does Ava!

Within the first 5 minutes of receiving the pillow, Ava used it to sit on and read a book.

She also used the floor pillow as a table to prop up her book.

And finally, Ava snuggled up with the floor pillow when she was finished reading her book.

I am sure the pillow will serve many other purposes in the future. Thanks to the nifty handle on the side, Ava can tote the pillow around the house with ease. I can't wait to make a few more pillows for Ava's room. And speaking of making more, I already have the fabric for pillow #2... Lime green and white zebra print with hot pink piping.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun...

... And today, that is exactly what we did!

Ava had some of her best gal pals over for a girl only play date. Baby dolls, accessories and play kitchens... Oh my!

Among the cutie-pa-tooties that came to play were....

Haven. She may be precious and petite, but she is fast and she knows what she wants!

Brooklyn. Adorable, curious and a great friend.

Morgan. This was her first real play date while at our house. She enjoyed soaking up everything that was going on while watching the big girls play.

And then there were these two partners in crime. Ava & Izzy. For the life of me, I can't get a picture of the 2 of them smiling. This was their, "Fine, you can take a picture of us... But only if you let us see it on the screen when you're done" face. Don't they look thrilled? Well, smiling or not, they are both stinkin' adorable.

Any of you with children will know that it is sometimes difficult to get them to smile for the camera. Especially when you want them to. And especially when there are 4 that need to smile at the same time. The blank stares on the girl's faces are due to the mommies that were behind me snapping, clapping, singing, waving their arms, making funnies faces... All in an attempt to get one of the girls to smile. I think their faces say it all... "Mom... you're embarrassing me!"

Ava loved having her girlfriends over and she was sad to see them go. We'll have to do it again soon girls (and moms)!

V-Day Treats

A few weeks before Valentine's Day, Ava and I spruced up our entryway by hanging hearts on the centerpiece.

Each heart contains the name of a special family member, friend, pet, stuffed animal, or Biblical character that our family loves.

The day before Valentine's Day, Ava and I spent the morning baking and decorating heart shaped sugar cookies. Just like when we decorated Christmas cookies, I stripped Ava down to her diaper, threw a beach towel on the floor, and let her decorate the cookies to her heart's content. And in case you're wondering... Yes, Ava is using a paintbrush (a clean and unused one, I might add) to decorate the cookies.

Ava also covered the cookies with decorative sprinkles.

Our finished product...

Then, this morning, we visited all of the great-grandparents and brought them a plate of Ava's special sugar cookie creations. First up was Gammy (Matt's paternal grandmother).

On the car ride over to Gammy's, all Ava could talk about was the basket of toys Gammy has stashed beside her couch. You better believe Ava found said basket within seconds of walking through the door.

Up next, Mema & Deda (Matt's maternal grandparents). Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of Ava playing at their house, but trust me, she did. Let's just say Ava thought the arm of their couch was a piece of playground equipment and that their treadmill was a crib for her baby doll.

Happy Valentine's Day to all! We are so thankful and blessed by our wonderful family and friends!

The First of Many

I love to cook. I love to bake. I love to clean. I am beyond blessed to be able to spend my days at home with my precious girl. In my head, I like to believe that I am quite the domesticated house wife. In reality, I know that I am a far cry from June Cleaver.

Thanks to a recent Christmas gift, I can add one more thing to the list of things I love to do... sew! With some help and pointers from my mom, I completed my first sewing project. A simple dress for Ava. Thanks to Pinterest though, I have about 50 other items/ideas just waiting to be made.

Ava, who can sometimes be picky about what she wears, gave the dress her stamp of approval by saying, "cute" when she put it on. Not only did she think it was cute, but she enjoyed modeling the dress and posing for the camera.

I couldn't help but take multiple photos...

When this cutie-pa-tootie...

Was on the other side of the camera.

They say modeling is all in the face, right? Well Ava made plenty of those today too...

Including the Zoolander.

And the, "You mean the Tar Heels choked and lost the game to the dookies the other night?" face

Man, oh man. How I love this little girl.

Not only did I make a dress, but I made a hairpiece to go with it. The hairpiece is currently not finished and that is why I do not have a picture of Ava wearing it. The rosettes are complete, I just need to attach them to some elastic. So for now, picture the rosettes, arranged like this, and sitting on the side of Ava's head.

I am ready to start my next sewing project! Now to narrow down my list and focus on just one...

Full House

Well, it's official. Ava and I have survived one whole week with Morgan at our house. And things could not have gone more smoothly. Morgan plays, sleeps, naps, plays, sleeps, naps... Sure, there are a couple of dirty diapers and spit-ups thrown in there, but overall, Morgan is a rock star baby and Ava and I love spending time with her.

In the mornings, Morgan is usually dropped off before Ava gets out of bed. When Ava wakes up, the first thing she wants to do is say hello to Morgan. This particular morning, Ava wanted to read books to Morgan and play with her on the play mat. I'm so thankful to have a daughter that is such an amazing helper, and who has such a loving heart.

This past Thursday, not only did we have Morgan to play with, we had Izzy as well! Gotta love some girl time. Izzy and Ava are just 2 weeks apart, and they play so well together. We enjoyed playing with Ava's toys, making crafts, and having a picnic lunch in the middle of the living room. While their faces look less than interested in what is going on... believe me, they were full of energy and laughter the other 99.9% of the morning. **Side note: Izzy's full first name is Isabelle, but everyone calls her Izzy... including Ava. Somewhere along the line, Ava overheard someone call Izzy Isabelle, so now, Ava calls her Izzy-belle. I love it.**

Today, we had another visitor come spend the morning with us. Say hello to Finn. What a handsome little man.

Poor guy... Most of Ava's toys are pink, or accessories, or dolls, or just plain girly. Finn found Ava's very pink, and very floral stroller and he played with it all morning. He wanted it to be known though, that while he enjoyed pushing the stroller around, he certainly wasn't going to be caught taking a baby doll for a ride. Oh no, he made sure to add some testosterone to the situation by pushing around the only blue thing he could find... his sippy cup.

What a great week. I love spending my days at home with Ava, and now Morgan. Having other little ones over is always a blessing and well, just plain fun!