March Madness

In our home, March is a month of Spring-like weather, playing outside, and of course... basketball! We have enjoyed watching the tournament while sporting the best color in the world... Carolina Blue! Our beloved Tar Heels went farther in the NCAA Tournament than they did last year, and more importantly, they made it farther than the Dookies did this year! Unfortunately, the Heels did not make it to the Final Four this season.... Next year boys, next year!

Even though UNC's basketball season has come to an end, Ava has continued the March Madness here at home. Shooting hoops with her dad is one of her favorite things to do. If you listen closely, you can hear Ava say, "sish" (swish) after every shot.

Ava has officially kicked crawling to the curb... Which makes shooting hoops much easier! :)

Breakin' It In

It has been a while since I've posted anything on the blog. Quite honestly, I didn't think that anyone would notice, much less care, that I have been slack on the blog-front lately. Apparently I was wrong. By no means do I intend to sound like the masses have been asking me to post something new. Quite the contrary, actually. Instead of the masses.... it has been one, single, solitary person. My brother, Ryan. The following 3 text conversations took place over the course of several days.

1. Ryan: You've been slacking on the blog lately.

Me: Ha! I didn't know you read it! I will get something up soon.

Ryan: Kayla and I look everyday.

Me: I remember asking you about it once and you said you just look at the pictures. Well, maybe you still do only look at the pictures. :)

Ryan: You know me too well. I have Kayla read it and give me the Cliffs Notes version.

2. Me: Did you guys get snow this morning?

Ryan: No. Did you?
Me: Just a dusting.

Ryan: Cool. Are you going to put it on your blog? You still have one, don't you?

3. Ryan: Is Erin in town?
Me: Yes

Ryan: Cool

Me: Why do you ask?

Ryan: Just wondering. I remember you saying something about it. Maybe she can help you with your blog.

So, in an attempt to appease my brother, and stop the texting-harrassment, here is a brand-spanking new blog post! I put plenty of pictures below, Ryan. This way, there will be plenty for you to look at and Kayla can fill you in on what is happening in the pictures later. :)

My sister-in-law, Erin, and my nephews, Jack & Finn, have been in town for the past several days. They came over this afternoon to officially break in all of the parts to Ava's swing set. First on the list, the swings.

When Finn was done with the swings, he ventured over to the slide. Finn is officially the first kid to ride down the slide, independently, since the swing set has been in our backyard.

Finn is probably also the first kid to find out that the slide is full of static electricity. It didn't matter if Finn was under the slide....

Or on it.... His hair was crazy!

While Finn was sliding, Jack was pushing Ava in her swing. I wish so bad there was audio to this picture... Ava was laughing so hard she was cackling!

After pushing Ava, Jack made his way to the fort. Where he made silly faces.

What playground adventure is complete without trying to stay safe from Evil Uncle Matt? In the following picture, Jack and Finn were just about to whiz down the slide when they saw Matt hiding behind a bush. Yeah, I would have had second thoughts about going to the slide as well.

Once the coast was clear, and Matt was no longer a monster, Finn gave the rope ladder a try.

And after every inch of the swing set had been played on, the boys spent some time playing with Fergalicious. Getting attention from 2 kids, at the same time? I believe she was one happy dog.

All of the above happened while Ava chilled out in her swing. Her absolute favorite place to be. Matter of fact, several weeks ago, I taught her to say, "Weeeeeeeeeeeeee" (which comes out as a very high pitched 'Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee') while swinging. Now, every morning after breakfast, Ava points to the door leading to the backyard and enthusiastically screams, "Eeeeeeeeeeee!!!"

While we're talking about 'breaking things in,' here is our latest adventure. The potty seat. A few weeks ago, I realized that every time I stood Ava in the bath water, she would take a look at herself (down south), stare for a few seconds, pee in the tub (while standing), nod her head and say, "pee pee." It was obvious she knew that something was going to happen since she would look, and stare before anything ever came out. So, she has been breaking in her new potty seat for about a week now. We put her on it right before bath time. As of yet, she has not actually used the potty, but she hasn't peed in the bath either.

Breaking in the swing set, check. Breaking in the potty, check. Breaking in the walking shoes.... check, check, CHECK! Ava has been cautiously taking steps/walking around the house for over a month now. Today however, she threw caution to the wind and has decided that walking is her newest form of transportation. She has covered HUGE distances today, and at times, walks so fast she almost appears to be running. A few times this morning, Ava would crawl three or four feet, then stand up in the middle of the floor and continue to her destination by walking. Could this be the end of dirty palms and worn out knees on her pants? Let's hope so!

Road Trip

My mom is a teacher. This past week, my mom was on spring break. My mom had time off from school. Ava and I had a clear schedule. Need I say more? We packed up, hit the road and spent some time at Oma and Opa's house.

Our four days in Fuquay-Varina were packed and full of excitement. Here are some of the things we did...

When I was in high school, I spent a lot of time at Cary Town Center (the local mall). It was a decent mall at the time, but nothing to go crazy about. Now, 10 years later, the place has been totally re-vamped and is much nicer than I would have imagined. And, um, hello? Where was the merry-go-round when I was in high school?

On the 2nd night of our stay, we enjoyed a fire in the backyard. Ava enjoyed cuddling with Oma while Uncle Ryan made sure the flames did not die down.

Ava also enjoyed sitting in her very own chair. Brings back memories to my childhood camping days.

What backyard fire is complete without s'mores?! Ava had a bite of my first... and second... and third s'more. You can see the evidence on her face...

Ava spent a lot of time walking around the living room and the play room upstairs. My brother loved seeing his little niece walk on her pudgy feet. In this picture, he was trying get Ava's attention by playing something on my phone (probably Elmo's World). 

If you live in Raleigh, or ever happen to be visiting, you've got to give 'Marble's Kid's Museum' a try. It is a great museum and a phenomenal price! During our visit, Ava enjoyed all of the exhibits, games and toys. I managed to get a couple of pictures of her playing dress up as a veterinarian...

She brushed a cat.

And gave the cat a shot.

The following picture was taken in one of Ava's favorite rooms at the museum. It is a round room with sea animals covering the walls, sea creatures on the floor and a disco ball illuminating 'bubbles' throughout the room. It's an underwater wonderland! Ava enjoyed sitting on this bubble and bouncing her biskies up and down.

Other adventures at the museum...

Ava playing in a yellow submarine.

And driving a city bus...

And learning about money...

And catching a wave...

And posing for a picture...

Whew! I am certain Ava took a nap after coming home from the museum. As soon as she got up though, Ava got right back to playing. As a matter of fact, she enjoyed a tea party with Oma.

And a horseback ride on her latest toy.

No matter how busy we were or what we did, the best part of our trip was being able to spend time with family! Thanks for letting us come and making our trip so much fun!

Tents and TP

Several weeks ago, I gave Friday the name, "TV and picnic day." At precisely 10am on Friday mornings, I turn on PBS and Ava watches Sesame Street. Well, she watches the first 5 minutes of Sesame Street and then gets bored and moves onto something else (have I mentioned how thankful I am that Ava doesn't care much for TV?). Then, at about 10:40am, the theme song to "Elmo's World" rings though the house, and Ava's attention quickly returns to the TV. When Elmo is over, we play for the next hour or so until lunch time. In weeks past, we have had a picnic lunch in a tent on the living room floor. Now that the weather is warm, I plan on having our picnics outside in the backyard!

Two weeks ago, Ava was tuned into Elmo's World, like any normal Friday. Suddenly, the cable went out. How do you explain that to a 15 month old? Yikes! I quickly pulled out my phone and pulled up an episode of Elmo's World on You Tube. I sat Ava in her tent, gave her my phone and let her watch Elmo to her heart's content. I think it's safe to say she got over the fact that the cable went out...

If you have children, then you know that if they are being perfectly silent in a room down the hall, they are probably up to no good. See what I mean?

When I originally found Ava, she had taken the toilet paper and was laying on the floor underneath the clothes hanging in the closet. By the time I ran down the hall to get my camera, she had crawled out from her hiding space...

I stepped out of the bathroom for about 30 seconds to see if she would follow me, or find something else mischevious to do. Why did I even think she would make the choice to follow me? She managed to unroll a few more yards of toilet paper before I nipped this game in the bud.

Every day is an adventure, and I am so blessed to be able to spend my days with my favorite girl!

Say What?

Ava may have been slow to walk, but she has made up for it by being quick to talk...
To many of you, this post may be quite a snoozer. All I am going to do is list the words that Ava can currently say. Boring, I know. You see, I am one of the world's worst at scrap-booking and keeping up with Ava's baby book. To make up for my lack of writing things down in a book, I plan to turn this blog into one. 20 years from now, I would love to look back and see what Ava was able to say at 15 months of age. The following list shows words that Ava can say, unprompted and independently.

Here are the current words I can think of. There may be more, but these come to mind quickly.

Mama
Dada/Diddy
Oma = Mmmm-Ma
Opa = Pa Pa
Mimi
Poppy = Pop Pop
Jesus = Jee-Juh
Jack = Ja
Ziya (Our Lunch Buddy at Joyner Elementary) = Yie-Yah! (Yie, like 'pie')
Drink = Dink
Fergie = Dergie
Ball
Football = Bootball (rhymes with football)
Buh Bye/Byeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Uh-Oh
Moon = Boon
Book
Balloon (Bah-ooon)
Bow
Banana = Nana
Airplane = Payne
Please = Pea
Thank You = Dank Doo
Keys
Fish = Sish
Swoosh = Shhhh
Dog
Bird = Bid
Bed = Bud
Elmo = Meh-Mo
Bath = Baa
Toothbrush = Buh
Pull-up Bar = Bar (almost with a British accent)
Shoe = Ooo
Star = Dar
Penguin = Pey-Pey
Butterfly = Buy-eeee/Buh-Buy-eeeee
Baby
Toe = Tuh
Tar Heels = Dee Dees
Turtle = Tuh-doh
TV Remote = Mote
Amen = May-Men
Church = Chich
Pom Pom
Car = Ca
Cookie = Tuh-Tee
M&M = Meh Meh Mem
Belt = Boop
Truck = Duck
Biskie (Ava's rear end) = Bip-pee
Cracker = Ka-Ka
Broccoli = Bick-key
Tent = Tin
Computer = Poo-Der
Phone = Own
Hat = At
Mitten = Bip-Ben
Bib
Dirty = Dir-Dee
Mail = Mole
Belly Button = Bo Bo
No

-When she sees a candle or fireplace, Ava points to it and says, "ot" (hot).
-What does a tiger say? Roar!
-What does a ghost say? Boo!
-What does a cow say? Booooooooooooooooo (we're working on the 'm' sound)
-What does Santa say? Oh oh oh
-What does the clock say? Bong
-What does an owl say? Whooooooo
-What does a squirrel say? (She makes a clicking sound with her tongue)
-When we bring food over to high chair, Ava clasps her hands and says, "pay" (pray).
-When the car pulls into the driveway, Ava says, "ome" (home).
-When she sees a camera, Ava says, "Deeez" (cheese).
-When a basketball game is on the TV, she enthusiastically says, "BALLLLLL!"

Born and Bred

Last night was a happy night in the Gardner home. Why? Well, because Carolina beat Dook and the Tar Heels are the ACC regular season champions. If you know Matt, you know he is one of the biggest Carolina fans on earth. If you know me, you know I grew up in a household with no loyalty to any particular team. I have grown to love the Tar Heels though, and I was super excited last night!

Speaking of being super excited... Ava was thrilled to watch the game. Whenever Ava spots a basketball game on TV, she enthusiastically points at the television, followed by yelling, "BALLLLLL!" Already, Ava is a sports fan and a Tar Heel fanatic. Anytime she sees the Carolina logo, Ava goes nuts and says, "Dee Deees" (Tar Heels). I've said it before, and I'll say it again... such a Daddy's girl!

To celebrate Carolina's win, Ava got all decked out for church this morning. A Carolina dress and Carolina shoes to match.

Go Heels!

Resurrection Cookies: A recipe for sharing the story of Easter

I am all about traditions. I love my family's traditions. I love Matt's family's traditions. And I love the traditions that our family has made and the many traditions our family has to come.

Easter is right around the corner and while the pastel colors, baskets, eggs and bunnies are cute, they pale in comparison... No, they have no comparison to the real reason we celebrate Easter. While flipping through my "Mom Sense" magazine this week (a magazine for MOPS), I stumbled upon the following recipe/activity. I haven't actually made these cookies myself so I do not know if they taste good (although the recipe calls for chocolate chips, so they can't be that bad, right?). Ava may not be able to currently understand the meaning and significance behind this activity, but I plan to start it this year and continue it for years to come. I thought that the idea was too good not to share. Whether you try these cookies or not, I do hope you have a special way to discuss Jesus' resurrection with your kids/family.

You'll Need:
1 cup whole pecans or 1 cup mini chocolate chips (for nut allergies)
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
Ziploc bag
Wooden spoon
Tape
Bible

**If possible, make these cookies the evening before Easter**

1. Preheat oven to 300.
2. Place the pecans (or mini chocolate chips) in bag and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, the Roman soldiers beat him. (Read John 19:1-3).
3. Let each child smell the vinegar before putting it into a mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, he was given vinegar to drink. (Read John 19:28-30).
4. Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his life to give us life. (Read John 10:10-11).
5. Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers and the bitterness of our own sin. (Read Luke 23:27).
6. Add sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because he loves us. He wants us to know him and belong to him. (Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16).
7. Beat egg white mixture with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. (Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3)
8. Fold in broken nut or mini chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. (Read Matthew 27:57-60)
9. Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven off. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. (Read Matthew 27:65-66)
10. Go to bed. Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers felt despair when the tomb was sealed too. (Read John 16:20-22)
11. On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. He is risen! He is risen indeed! (Read Matthew 28:1-9)

Simple Weekend

We spent this past weekend with family and enjoying the simplicity of life... Can't think of a better way to pass the time.

My parents came into town on Saturday. We played on Ava's new swing set, ate lunch, went shopping, played in Ava's tent, went for a walk around the neighborhood.... We did plenty of fun and exciting things, and I didn't manage to get a single picture! Arg. Our shopping extravaganza took place at Target... A trip to Target is fun and exciting any day, anytime. While we were there, Ava kept oohing and aahing at various items in the store. Somehow, all of those items made their way into my shopping cart... Hmm, could Oma be to blame for that? Hey, I am not going to put the blame on anyone since my mom flipped the bill at the end of our trip. Maybe next time though, I should ooh and aah at things in the clothing department and see if I have the same effect on my mom as Ava does. Doubtful.

One of the items purchased for Ava... These stinkin' cute shoes. I have the hardest time finding shoes that fit Ava's incredibly puffy feet. When I realized these sandals fit Ava's feet, I really think I saw a glowing light surrounding the shoes and heard harps and angels sing in the background. I just have 3 things to say: 1) Adorable 2) Cankles 3) Do they come in my size?

After my parents left town, we headed to The Harbor Inn to celebrate Nannie's 96th birthday. Nope, that's not a typo... 96! Nannie is Matt's great-grandmother, so that makes her Ava's great-GREAT-grandmother. It is amazing to me that 1) Ava has a great-great-grandmother. 2) Matt has a great-grandmother. 3) Matt's mom still has a grandmother. 4) Matt's grandmother still has her mother around! How many people in their 70s do you know who still have a living parent? Simply amazing!

Below is a picture of 5 generations, all because of Nannie (click here to see last year's photo). Nannie (Matt's great-grandmother) is at the bottom of the picture, front and center. Then, from left to right: Matt, Ava, Judy (Matt's grandmother and otherwise known as Mema) and Kim (Matt's mom, otherwise known as Mimi).

Happy Birthday Nannie! We can't wait to celebrate your 97th next year! :)

After church this morning, we headed to Bur-Mil Park for a picnic and some playground fun. Who could resist this beautiful weather today?

Ahhh, I love weekends that are slow, easy going and relaxing. Here's hoping yours was as enjoyable as ours!

And so it begins...

RSV

Medically, RSV is defined as: Respiratory Syncytial Virus. In our house, we change the letters up a bit, and define it as: Very Rotten Sickness. Either way you look at it, it's here, and Ava has it.

Ava has been suffering from a cough for a while now. A few days ago, she added several more symptoms to the mix. I'll spare you all of the bodily fluid details, but let's just say my washing machine has been working overtime lately.

I figured a visit to the doctor was in order, so yesterday we went to go see the fabulous Dr. Brett. This particular trip to the doctor will go down in the record books for sure. Blood, sweat and tears were all present and accounted for. Literally. At the beginning of the appointment, the nurse had to draw blood from Ava's finger to check her white blood cell count. Then, I had to administer a breathing treatment to Ava... by myself. This breathing treatment was not as serene as it might sound. Just picture me trying to hold a hissing mask up to Ava's face while the loud machine the mask was attached to, roared in the background. Not fun. And if that wasn't enough, Ava ripped the band-aid off of her pricked finger... Which meant that while she was fighting me and the breathing mask, she got blood on my clothes, my face, my hands and my neck. Add that to her tears and the fact that both of us were sweating by the end of the treatment and it looked like Ava and I had a fist fight. Did I mention that during the entire visit, Ava was s-c-r-e-a-m-i-n-g?!? No? Well, yes... she was. And no, that didn't add to the fun at all. :)

I am happy to report that the breathing treatments are going much better now that we are home! I let Ava familiarize herself with the face mask while it was not attached to the machine. Also, she gets to watch The Wonder Pets during the treatment and she is rewarded with an M&M when it is over. Matt and I really are so proud (and amazed) that Ava will sit silently and motionless on my lap for the 10 minutes it takes to administer the treatment. For the next several days, this is what Ava will look like after she wakes up and before going to bed:























What a little trooper. I must say, having Xopenex, Amoxicillin, Prednisolone and Ibuprofen pumping through Ava's body for 24 hours has made a world of difference! Matter of fact, as I sit and write this post, I can hear Ava breathing (and not coughing) through the baby monitor as she sleeps peacefully in the other room. Praise God she is on the mend! Thanks to everyone for your prayers... They are felt and appreciated! :)

Free Playground? Yes Please!

Back in December (around Ava's birthday), some friends of ours were looking to get rid of their swing set. The conditions were: If you can come pick it up and haul it yourself, it's yours... free! Conveniently for me, Matt, my dad, my brother, my father-in-law and my brother's massive pick-up truck were all at our humble abode for Ava's birthday party. Inconveniently for them, it started snowing, and started snowing hard while they were at my friend's house taking down the swing set.

After some hard work, creative thinking, elbow grease and frost bitten fingers, all of the swing set pieces made it to our backyard. Since the day the swing set was brought to our house we have endured several snows and unbelievably cold temperatures. Meaning... the disassembled pieces have been laying on the ground for more than 2 months. The playground is disassembled no longer! Matt took advantage of the beautiful weather this morning to go out and put the whole thing together! What a great dad and husband!

Here is a full-view shot from the front:

And from the side:

As soon as the swing set was functional, Ava wasted no time getting into a swing... bare feet and all.



Three swings came with the set. The swings can accommodate every swinger from beginner, to advanced. Take your pick.

The slide:

The rope ladder:

The fort:

The counter and bar stools:

The (empty) sandbox:

This was how Ava looked when Matt and I left to grab a bite to eat. No, no. We didn't really leave her in the swing all by herself. Although, I think she would have rather stayed in the swing instead of getting lunch. She screamed something serious when I took her out of her swing.

I am so looking forward to spending many, many summer days and evenings out here with Ava and as a family. Thank you Carlyle Family for letting us 'take this off your hands' for you!