Ava-isms

The other day Ava asked for some cheese. All I had in the fridge was a new German variety that she hadn't tried before. As I handed it to her, I waited patiently for her response. We've really been trying to work on manners lately. Hoping that she would thank me for stopping what I was doing to fix her a snack, I waited and waited. So finally I said, "Ava, what do you say?"

From the other room she yelled back, "I say this is YUCK!"

Oh Ava, how dull life would be without your sweet sassiness! How I love you little bug.

Maybe in a Few more years....

Had to share this little cutie today. Is there anything more adorable than pink bows and lingerie?

I can't imagine that anyone is still even checking this blog after my blogging vacation, but I hope that you still are because I have so much to catch up on. I can't wait to share all of our European Adventures with you! Life is finally slowing down (after two baby showers that I am hosting and a huge craft night at church that I am in charge of all in the next three weeks), I am just about finished decorating our home and will post pics soon. Also coming up will be pictures and journaling from our fabulous trip to Switzerland! Stay tuned....cause I'm Baaackkkk!

Indoor Beanbox = Hours of Fun

Indoor Beanbox: I wish I could say that I came up with this idea all on my own, but I have to give credit where credit is due. My friend Angela B. is the cutest mom and super creative. She is always full of great ideas for fun and interesting activities. The concept is an indoor sandbox of sorts that your children will be able to use year-round.

What you will need: A large, shallow container with a lid, and bags and bags of your chosen filler. I used a 30 qt. Rubbermaid container and filled it with the large dry white Lima Beans simply because I thought they would be the easiest for clean up. Finally, you will need various measuring cups, spoons, toys, match box cars, etc.

Hours of Entertainment: As you can see from the photos, Ava and Lauren quite often enjoy sitting inside of the sensory box. I would highly reccomend adult supervision depending on the materials used and ages of your children. We like to keep our beanbox in the kitchen. It's easy to sweep up the stray beans off the tile floor, and I can keep an eye on the kiddos while I am doing the dishes or making dinner.

Our Petite Eater

Such a big mess for such a little girl....

Is It Gonna Be One of Those Days?

Is it gonna be one of those days? Poor, little Ava has had a rough morning so far. First of all, Lauren asked to hold her, which she has done a million times over the course of the year. I am ALWAYS close by and have trained Lauren to tell me "I'm done" when she wants me to take the baby. I turned away to help a little girl that I was watching this morning for two seconds and turned back again just in time to see Ava flying through the air and landing on her face on the floor. Apparently Lauren was finished holding the baby. I frantically checked for blood and bumps and after a few mins. of hard crying she seemed to be ok except for the large goose egg on her forehead. Thank goodness we have carpet in our living room instead of wood floors.

A few mins. later upon returning to the kitchen after running something into the other room, I found Ava covered in sticky ant poison from head to toe. I know this sounds like I am seriously neglecting my children, and those of you who know me well know this couldn't be further from the truth. If anything, I probably "hover" too much. She found the ant trap that I had hidden behind the garbage can and proceeded to dump the sticky contents all over herself, as well as the floor.

So after getting Ava bathed and the floor cleaned up, I set her on the floor in the living room with a pile of toys. She promptly tottered over to the fireplace and before I could grab her opened the glass hinged door and closed it back up on her hand. She had been getting dangerously close to figuring out how to open the doors for a few days now and just happened to finally figure it out right that min. Poor baby. I scrutinized her hand carefully. No real damage; she didn't close the door all the way....just a small red mark and I think it scared her more than anything.

After the hand incident, I turned my attention back to the dinner that I was desperately trying to finish for a friend. I have child proof locks on several of my cupboards (all of the important ones anyway) when Ava pinched her fingers in one of the kitchen cabinets that wasn't child proofed. I mean seriously! What else could happen to this sweet, little baby this morning? All of this and it wasn't even 10 a.m. yet. Is it gonna be one of those days? Is it nap time yet?