Ava's First Movie

We went to see Smurfs last week with the Hobson and Cunningham boys. We were the ONLY ones in the theater!! It was really fun. Being Ava's first movie, I wasn't sure how she would do...especially with the movie choice (not necessarily something I knew she'd enjoy) but she did great!! It was FREE popcorn night so that definitely helped. =) She giggled a lot at the little Smurfs! At one point she told Katie, who was sitting next to her, to check out her painted toes! LOL!

She only said "I'm all done" right at the end with about 10 minutes left so we went out and then immediately she said she wanted to go back in. So back in we went (after refilling our CAFFEINE FREE Diet Coke) and she sat and watched the rest. It was a decent movie and I enjoyed some free popcorn too!

Travis and I are excited that now we can start going to movies! I hope there are some cute ones out this winter for little ones!

SUMMER LOVIN'

I have been a HORRIBLE blogger this summer!! UGH. And summer is winding down. Here's a little bit of what we've been up to! The pics are not really in any order because I always forget to upload them backwards. =) Regardless, we have had a GREAT summer! I have so enjoyed every single second I've had with Ava and going back to work is always bittersweet. I am fortunate to have a job that I love and I enjoy my students, but of course, I will miss Ava tons. Luckily my days are so fast paced and get over quick and in the blink of an eye it's the end of the day!



Rock Band!!! Testing, Testing!!!



Lots of manis and pedis. :)




Playing with my bracelets while I get ready :)


Lots of splash parks, pool days, and fun hanging with our friends. Loved this pic of Ava and Lauren in their 4th of July suits!



Fun at the library. We frequented both public libraries to check out books and play. Ava loved it!


Putting our animals in time out!


We made it to the Fun Run most Friday evenings and Ava enjoyed getting her ribbon, seeing her friends and receiving a trophy on the last fun run of summer!



Out and about with Bitty Baby. Ava is all about safety, LOL!

Mommy and Daddy went on a vacation to Playa del Carmen, Mexico and it.was.AMAZING! It has been a few years since we've been on a real vacation and we figure it will be a few more til we are able to go on another one so we WENT FOR IT! AND it was our 5th Anniversary, so we figured the timing was perfect! =) Don't regret it one bit. It was perfect! We missed Ava, OF COURSE, but she did great with Grandma Holtman.











Here's Ava "swimming all by herself" as she will tell you. So glad I got her this life jacket with the floaties on the arms and the piece that goes across the front (Thank you, Annie for recommending it!). It is great!

Ava and I went on our annual "Girls" Trip to the Wisconsin Dells with my mom, sisters and my nieces and nephew. Mr. Jackson is the only "boy" allowed! <3

The Gang!!!! We had a lot of fun!



Great Wolf Lodge. 2011





We just recently went to our county fair with my friend Katie and her boys. It was melting hot, but the kids had so much fun riding the rides (see pic below, Holden is helping Ava! LOVE!), eating fair food, petting the animals, getting face and arms painted by the Zoo Lady crew and checking out the tractors. We also went to my hometown fair to watch my niece Isabelle sing in the talent contest. She did great!!!




Holden, Hunter, and Ava feeding the animals.




Ava and cuz Jackson. She absolutely LOVES him!




Fun at the Discovery Museum. We also went with Katie and her boys on a Friday night and "closed the place down" :) Ava enjoyed all of the areas there to play.



Pizza anyone?????



My mom and I went to St Louis recently, as well, to the American Idol concert. We had floor seats so that was fun. =) We ate at the Cheesecake Factory, did a little shopping and met up with a friend that lives there that was also going to the concert.

(me UNsuccessfully hiding my drink from the photo, LOL!)...

So, as of tomorrow, we have ONE week til school starts. Next Tuesday is our first day back with an Institute Day. The kids come back on Thursday for a half-day and luckily for me, I get that day to work in my room because kids won't come to area classes until Friday. I will need it as I have TWO classrooms to prepare. One is pretty much ready after multiple visits this past week!! :) I am anxiously waiting to find out my schedule. It is always initially a nightmare and requires a few tweaks. BOO!

Anyway, I feel super blessed to have the best of both worlds! I can enjoy the summer with Ava and she also gets the opportunity to be around other kids at daycare while I go to work. We are excited that she is starting at a new one this year. Again it will be in-home with a woman named Lisa. I have many co-workers/friends that have kids that go there and have heard only amazing things about her. She does preschool in her home with the kids as well so I am excited for all of the things Ava's little brain is going to absorb!

*UPDATE*
I am pretty proud of myself so had to toot my own horn. Since I wrote my blog post "Today is the Day!" I have actually been really good about working out and eating better. I have cut out COFFEE (I've only had it like twice since July 5...I'm shocked! As I type this, though, thinking pretty sure I need some today =)
I have been doing P90X including the ab ripper, my old workout 'tape' The Firm, and taking walks, etc. I think I've only missed a few days. I have also been trying to eat better and will get a side salad if we eat out rather than getting fries. Of course I splurge, too. Yesterday we went to lunch and I got a horseshoe and we all shared pizza dough bites. Um, YUM.
I am not necessarily seeing any major difference *yet* but it is amazing how just one week (a little over) of working out can make you feel!!! Here's to hoping I can keep it up, especially after we get back from Mexico. I am pretty sure I won't be working out on vaca, though I always say I'll try.

Happy 4th of JULY! (a little late!!)

We had a great 4th of July weekend with lots of family and friends time!
Us at my friend Annie and Steve's on the 4th.



Ava in the bird area at our local zoo. I just thought this was the cutest pic of her so I did some fun editing on picnik.


Me and my munchkin at my friend Brooke's cookout. It took about 20 shots to get a decent one, LOL! and my smile is still goofy!


Cooling off at the splash area the day we went to the zoo! It was HOT!!!


Doesn't she look ornery???? =)

Today is THE DAY!

Well, that is what I told myself 3 days ago!! I have finally started working out again. This has been my goal since the beginning of summer and here it is after July 4th! Soooooooo---after much indulgence over the holiday weekend (and really the whole summer so far!), I am trying to get back into a good workout and eating routine. Unfortunately, I am either "ALL IN" or "ALL OUT!" I am not one that has the discipline to really watch what I eat (hence the reason I want to work out!!). I hate not being able to eat what I want!!! However, if I would just watch what I eat, then I wouldn't have to work out so much. UGH! HAHA! Truth is, though, I do love working out...once I get in my groove. It is ADDICTING...for me, anyway! And, I of course, LOVE the results!!! It is fun to see what I can do that might have been hard at first.

Before Miss Ava, I was working out like 2 hours a day. I would go to the gym right after school and eventually was running 3 miles (without stopping!), doing pilates, spinning, and some strength training. I even did the 3 miles of running and then went to spinning on several occasions. CRAZY, I tell ya! My goal was to get into shape before getting pregnant and I accomplished that. I did think I would continue to work out after having her. I knew it would be hard, but I didn't quite know how hard it would be!!!

I am also unfortunately NOT.A.MORNING.PERSON!!!! Never have been and don't think I ever will be. haha! I know I could probably make it 'habit' to get up early and workout...but ICK. I love my sleep!! For now, I am trying to work out during her nap time OR after she goes to bed. We also go on walks and then if I get in some weights, I feel pretty good. I am also sprinkling in some P90X (a few of the one I like!) and the P90X Ab Ribber..."I hate it.......but I LOVE IT!" LOL

I am also trying to be more conscious of what I am putting into my mouth. I was getting into the habit of having an evening snack (= ICE CREAM) every night!!! WHY? Cuz I can, I guess! And I also love me some wine in the evening. I haven't been drinking enough water and too much Diet Coke so those are things I'm working on. AND NEWS FLASH...I have even GIVEN UP COFFEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Since Ava was born, I think I've literally had a cup of coffee every single morning. I do love it, but it is not the coffee that is bad, it's the YUMMY, DELICIOUS hazelnut creamer that I pile in the cup. 3 tsp = 50 calories so I know that right off the bat, I've consumed 50 (and probably more...) unnecessary calories. Now, I'm not saying I'm giving it up forever...just maybe I don't HAVE to have it EVERY DAY. Jeesh! And I would never think of drinking coffee black. Ewwwww! =)

But...I am not loving the GUT I am developing. I am thankful for clothes that can cover it yet I am tired of not being able to wear half of my clothes and feel comfortable. And not to mention the flabby arms I have. EWWWWW! hahaha!

So. Today is the day!!! =)

Here's to hoping I can keep up the routine. Especially once school starts up again. I know it will be hard, but hoping if I kind of go extreme NOW while I have time, then I can do mild workouts during the school year and just maintain.

Little Diva - ReAdY for SuMMeR!!!

Well, we made it through the entire church service this past Sunday without having to go RESCUE Ava! YAY! She did cry the moment we walked in and I stayed with her for a few minutes but then she did great!! Whew...PRogReSS!

I am thoroughly enjoying my summer with her! It is going to go by WAY TOO FAST, as always...though I do believe I am a better mommy because I get to go to a job I love and it gives us a little separation time, too. And as I talked with some of my teacher friends recently, we've decided that we really don't think being a stay at home mom in the dreaded WINTER would be much fun!

She is at an age where she is really taking everything in, learning new things and retaining so much. She will say things and I'm like, "WOW, how does she know that!" It is so fun!!! She is a very perceptive and observant little thing. She notices the TINIEST things, for example the cow on her yogurt container that is literally the size of her pinky nail! The other day we were in the basement and she noticed that the little area of the basement floor where the paint had chipped and said "Puppy right there." Do you see it????



She was eating chips this day and said, "Boot?" I guess she might take after me a little bit and have an artistic eye! :)


She loves to sing and I'll be excited to get her back into Kindermusik in the fall. She can sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" It usually goes like this...
Twinkle, Twinkle (or Crinkle, Crinkle, sometimes)...Star How I wonder...Are Like a Diamond in the Sky

I think she knows it's cute and she usually sings it
repetitively at bedtime when we are snuggling. haha!

Our summer is pretty low-key.....which I LOVE!!!!!! I don't have her signed up for anything but we enjoy the Fun Run every Friday evening, going to the pool on Tues and Thurs with friends and Friday playdates. We also are signed up for both BLM and Normal Summer Reading programs and we usually go exchange our books on a rainy day - which has been a LOT lately. (BOO!). We also hit up garage sales on Thursday evenings, Friday mornings or Saturday mornings...and I do have to do go the chiropractor 3 times a week (and 2 times a week soon) and they are very kid-friendly. The girls there help keep her occupied or she can go into each area with me, as well. The only thing that really scares her is the adjustment bed which moves. She cries most days about that but there have been a few where she has been ok. The day I stopped for Starbucks and got her a cake pop - there were no tears!!! LOL
Dr. Steve does not scare her though, which is good and he is a tall guy! She will say hi to him and want to show him her snacks, etc. She even says "Dr. Steve?" when she plays with her little Dr. kit!



Ava's friends at the Fun Run...The Cunningham boys, Hobson boys, Corinne (who Ava will go to daycare with in August!) and some little boy I don't know. I am assuming he knows Holden or Colin, ha!




Ava LOVES her new water table! It is technically a sand and water table and we bought sand but haven't put it in yet. I like having it on the front porch and I don't want sand dumped out all over the porch =)

Miss Ava

Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.

{Dr. Seuss}

We have been so blessed with such a good girl...not to mention funny, goofy, silly, haha...She continues to crack us up every day. She does get her share of Time-Outs, though!!


Why, you say????? =)

This was me attempting to get her 2 year chair pics.


This was on her actual birthday. Per tradition (and until she can request the restaurant!), we took her to Chili's. They even have a FREE birthday Sundae...SCORE!! I think she liked it.

My little munchkin just chilling on the steps with her drink (probably "lemon-dade" if you ask her), a chip and her cool shades.

We went to friend Izzy's 2nd birthday party the first weekend in June and it.was.hot. We had lots of fun, though and I threw Ava's hair up in a ponytail and THIS is how it turned out. I hope her hair stays this adorable forever!!! People out and about everywhere ask me (DAILY!) if her hair is natural. It cracks me up because what I want to say is "No, I curl it every day." LOL. Am I mean????? =) ha. Just kiddin. They are just giving her a compliment, I know!


Yes, we enrolled her in etiquette classes early. 2 isn't that young!


Other randoms...
It is amazing how much difference just a few weeks (days!?) makes in Ava's vocabulary. Our pediatrician did say (or maybe I read it somewhere) that we would be amazed with the language she will gain from age 2 to 3. She is apparently listening even when we don't really think she is. For example, today we got out of the van and she said, "It's chilly outside." I just had to laugh. She has also started saying things like "didn't he" and "isn't it." I have a few Precious Moments figurines that I have on her dresser in her room and she loooooves the bunny one I have and likes to give it kisses at night and in the morning. Last night she said, "Bunnies, cute, aren't they?" Everything is "My do it." Her new thing in the last few days is "bring it wissss us?" (with us) when she wants to bring a toy with us in the van. She also is becoming more aware of her surroundings and says things like "kitchen, basement, living room, upstairs, back door, etc." She also says "my bringing it" and today even said "pretend" when she was putting her baby's bottle in her mouth and I told her we just pretend (and then I demonstrated). It was really cute. Oh and she has even upgraded "Stop that" to "YOU stop that!" hahahaha!
Not all words come out perfectly, of course.

I have been going to the chiropractor and the office is very kid-friendly and when I asked, they said to bring her with me so that is nice. I have been telling her we are going to the dr. to make mommy's back feel better. Now anytime I (or Travis) moan or groan about something or even yawn, she asks..."Dr.?? Feel better??"

I am hoping that our little excursions this summer will help with her shyness/timidness. She has done great at the chiro! The only thing that freaks her out is when the adjustment bed moves. One of the office staff ladies took her to her desk today to color. :)
Our most recent nursery visit also went a lot better and she ran around Trav's office today not afraid of ANYONE! She was giggling and showing off the whole time. HOWEVER, immediately after we went to lunch and she was fine and being social to others around (turning her head and saying "Hiiiiiiiiiiiii" to one of the waiters and THEN...she saw some regular guy sitting at a table about 15 feet away and FREAKED OUT! She cried and cried and wouldn't eat. I did get her out but only after telling her she had to stop crying (which she attempted to do) but you can see real tears and that she is really scared of something (not just whining!). So anyway, I get her out and she just sat on my lap and then when the guy and his buddy left, she said "all gone." I am not sure what to do about this! But for now we are just trying to Keep Calm and Carry On!

*KEEP SCROLLING!!!!!!! Don't Miss Ava's 2nd Birthday Party Blog Post!!!