Update

This year is just flying by. I know everyone says that, but really – it is! I’ve been on here so sporadically that I don’t really know how to start.

July 4th
We took Ava to a minor league baseball game because they were doing fire works after the game. It is a brand new stadium very close to our house, and you can buy really cheap tickets to sit in the grass along the field. We bring a blanket and just park it and Ava can play in the grass and hang out. I think it’s better than sitting in a seat because who wants to have a toddler sit in a seat for 3 hours surrounded be people? We went out to the parking lot during the 8th inning, and we did sparklers and watched the fireworks from the comfort of our air-conditioned car.

Ava is now officially swimming! Not bad for only being 3 ½. Both sets of grandparents have pools with no kid-fences around them, so I wanted her swimming as soon as possible. She is still hesitant sometimes, but once she gets in the water, she will go, and the more she does it the more confident she gets. Brent gets most of the credit for this, because he has been working with her for weeks. He is strict but it is working. Once he took away the arm floaties, there was no more and he didn’t back down. This past weekend we went over to my parent’s house to swim, and she was jumping in to us and swimming from person to person. Good stuff!

We are very excited to be going to New Jersey soon. We haven’t been up there in about 2 years. Ava was only 1 ½ so of course she doesn’t remember. The plane ride will be exciting because she doesn’t remember the other 2, so it’s like her first time. She thinks NJ sounds like a pretty magical place, and it’s true…it is.  It will be our only family vacation this year since I just finished school and Brent is starting fire school in August. The rest of the year will be spent getting ready for baby!

I still don’t know what I’m having yet. We should find out shortly after we come back from our trip. I am really looking forward to having the ultrasound. I have been pretty anxious most of this pregnancy. I guess that’s one of the side-effects of miscarriage – you are always preparing for the worst. I think I have felt the baby move this week, but it is really hard to say. I felt it 2 times yesterday, but I haven’t felt it again so I start to second-guess myself.

Well, I will have some pictures posted soon.

12 Weeks down...

and I am exhausted! I have no motivation, other than to eat.

Here's a picture party of Ava, in no particular order, since I've neglected for the past few months.

I feel sick!!

Ava had her first school play today, and I took a ton of great pictures, and then...I ACCIDENTALY DELETED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!!

I felt like kicking my own butt for doing something so stupid. Ava was a kangaroo, and I got pics of her singing and doing the animal stuff, and then there was a parade. I had some pictures of me and Brent with her. I was messing with the camera afterwards, trying to figure out how to turn the pictures black and white on the camera, and I hit the button to format my memory card, which wiped out all the pictures. SO STUPID.

Break Down

I took a nice long break there. School started for me, and it seems like I am busy with something just about every minute of the day, so the blog suffers. Ava started her first gymnastics class this past Tuesday, and it was very blog-worthy, so I thought I would post some pictures.

Happy Birthday!

Happy 3rd birthday Ava! Today is Friday, and even though we had to work we still had a great day. We had a party for you at Max's house, and Isabelle, Giuliana, and Brian came to celebrate. You got some toys that you loved, including a Little Mermaid jacket, a Little Mermaid bath toy, a nice outfit from Jenny, and a pink Care Bear from Isabelle. You also got an "autographed" picture of you and Lightning McQueen! You haven't opened all the gifts from Mommy and Daddy yet - we are saving those for this weekend. You are the sweetest kid when it comes to opening gifts. You always say thank you and no matter what it is, you make a big deal out of it. When I gave you the Ariel jacket this morning, you said "I've always wanted an Ariel jacket!" I asked you if you liked it and you said, "I really do love it." Many times you open a present and say,"I've always wanted this!" We don't have to prompt you to thank people.
You also had a really cute Care Bear cupcake-cake. Mommy will post a picture of it as soon as she has time. She has lots of pictures and things to catch up on on this blog! The big thing for your birthday was going to Disney World for the first time! We went last weekend and it was so much fun. We have already started planning when we can go back. You loved most of the rides, with a couple of exceptions. I should've known better than to take you on "Snow White's Scary Adventures" and "Pirates of the Carribean." But you didn't cry, you just sat on my lap and buried your head in my neck. Afterwards, when we asked you if you liked them, you said yes, but when we asked if you wanted to ride them again you said no. Your favorite ride was "Small World" which is secretly my favorite too. It is the one thing there that will never change. We were there from the time the park opened until it closed, and you were a trooper. You lasted the whole time with no problem. We watched the parade, the fireworks, and made it through the whole place.
It's about Mommy's bedtime, but I have to share one more thing I thought was so cute. I was bringing you to preschool the other day, and the classroom had pictures of different professions (doctors, police officers, etc) and a big question - what do you want to be when you grow up? So right there I asked you what you wanted to be when you "get big." I said you could be a doctor, or a teacher...and you said "I'm going to be a mommy when I get big." I am so happy to be your mommy Ava. I hope that when you do "get big" and become a mommy, that you have a little girl as wonderful as you are. I couldn't imagine a life without my baby bear in it. Happy Birthday!