Firsts

Brent and April had an Ugly Sweater Christmas party...it was our first Ugly sweater party and we really enjoyed it! Dustin is wearing a girls sweater and I made mine. We are looking forward to wearing these as many times as possible before Christmas!

Also, Ava has a shirt with a blinking snowman on it. Don't let her face fool you, she loved it.

Ava went to her first Thunder game and did awesome! We went with Matt, Maria and Ella and the girls were way too cute! We just hope they grow up to play basketball and not be Thunder girls...

Today is Ava's first official day of taking only one nap. When I started this post she was sitting quietly on the couch next to me (see the pic below). However, in the last 3 minutes she's managed to pull out ALL the toys I just put up and is currently trying to put on my boots. You'd think by 18 months I'd realize picking up is overrated...I'm still learning.

Two Moons

Yesterday afternoon Ava and I were at our neighborhood park when two little rugrats showed up. Two boys probably 4th or 5th grade. I knew something was about to go down because there whispers weren't as quiet as they had hoped. The smaller of the two boys came towards the playground equipment that Ava and I were headed too and bent over showing the top part of his rear to both of us. We were within 10 ft of him and I was searching my brain as hard as I could to find the right words. All I could come up with was something along the lines of how I didn't appreciate him doing that and exposing my daughter to such behavior. He said he was sorry while trying to hold back the giggles.

About 2 minutes later his friend walked passed us giggling, bent over and completely mooned us! This time I was a little more prepared after thinking what would Tiffany Roberts say to these little delinquents!

I started by telling him to pull his pants up and by up I mean I don't want to see your underwear either. I then asked him where he lived because I needed to talk to his parents. He told me he didn't know. I called him out on his lie and responded with the police could probably find his house if need be. At this point the looks on their faces were almost enough to make me start laughing. I proceeded to tell them they couldn't be doing stuff like that and could get in big trouble and that they had ruined my daughters trip to the park.

We then packed up and headed home.

On the way, I was full of mixed emotions. Annoyed that we have been so excited to live close enough to a park we could walk to and now we have to deal with these kids. However, by the time I had gotten home and repeated the story to my husband, I was cracking up. I'm not sure I ever mooned anyone, but I can guarantee that my BFF Kim tried to get me to on more than one occasion.

Anyways, here's a picture of Ava to document her first mooning experience.

two words

Even though I cannot get this kid to say please for the life of me (she nods her head for please), which I think she's doing on purpose just to stress me out, she started saying two words together!

I know this is boring to most of you, but I was sooooo excited!! Last night we gave her a snack before bed and she said "more crackers". We were shocked to hear her put the words together, not to mention we'd never heard her say cracker before!

Then this morning she said "bye bye Dad" as Dustin was heading out the door.

On occasion I've felt like my daughter didn't talk enough, mostly because her BFF is Ella and I think Ella started talking years ago. :) Comparing is never a good option people! A lesson I remember most of the time, but forget here and there....especially when my kid won't say please!

Anyways, these simple two words were like music to my ears!

Clarification....

I just wanted to say I appreciate so much more and am doing things I didn't do before I was carless. I didn't mean my last post to be a debbie downer, just to clarify. :)

Car History

This is what happened to my car when a Leavenworth citizen hit in in the middle of the night and then took off (a year ago).

It was totaled and although the police knew who hit it, he was no where to be found and had no insurance. So I was carless until Dustin's grandparents let me borrow this....

Minivan! (not an actual pic of the van) I NEVER wanted a minivan until I used this one. Now, I will most definitely buy a minivan in the future. After several months of borrowing it, we had to return it.

I'm currently driving this...

This has been my only ride during the day (besides the times my awesome friends pick me up and take me somewhere) for the last 4 months. I have to say at times I have not been pleased about this, but now that the weather is cooling off and I have a house, my attitude is changing for a few reasons...

1. Exercise was something I needed more in my life and now I get it.
2. The weather is beautiful and Ava and I do not like to be inside.
3. There's a park around the corner.
4. There's a Hobby Lobby and 7 Eleven within walking distance.
5. I spend less money because I can't go to Target.

Even though being a family with only one car comes with its frustrations (ex. I couldn't make my dentist apt because I had no way to get there), there are many positives to come from it too. Today I'm going to be positive about it and take my kid to the park.

By the way, I have no idea why the last half of this is underlined...

Making $$$

I am finally making some money. There is a catch though...I'm paying myself. Let me explain: I'm paying myself to get healthy.

Payment Plan:

$1 Running

$1 Turbo Jams

$1 Drinking 5 glasses of water

$0.50 Eating veggies

$0.50 Eating fruit

$2 Eating more protein than carbs (this one is very difficult for me!)

$1 No sweets (also a big one for me)

$1 Not eating after 7:30

The picture is of my little calendar I just made to help me keep track of all the money I'm making. :) When I earn enough $$ I will be purchasing a new pair of Jeans. I'm pretty excited about them and can't even wait!
Making actual $$ (hopefully)

I've been sewing for a little while now and am finally going to start really selling items. I'm making sets of taggie blankets and soft blocks/rattles. Here's an example of one I made for friends little boy. Hopefully I will have enough made up by December to sale them at the craft fair in West Plains with Angela. Maybe I should get off the computer and start sewing!
If you need a baby gift let me know! :)

Pooh

Ava has no clue who Pooh is but when she saw him on the shelf at toys r us, she HAD to sit by him.

(Showing me her shoes Auntie Christina bought her)

She sat a little too close and moved around a little too much and he fell off the shelf. She was holding on to him for dear life.
I managed to get him back on the shelf, but she stayed attached.
It took a good 20 minutes to get out of that isle. So sweet though. And no, I didn't buy the $50 Whiney the Pooh.

15 months

STATS

Weight: 21 lbs 15 oz 30%

Height: 31 in. 60%

Head 75%

Love/Hate

Ava loves: Melmo (aka Elmo) and Veggie Tales

-Mostly anything that has music, but Melmo is her favorite!

Ava loves: being outside. The sand box is the new favorite, although she is pretty much happy if she's outside.

Ava loves: Blueberries, spaghetti, macaroni, frozen peas, oatmeal and milk.

Ava loves: climbing. She will climb on anything and thinks she can do it (even after you've told her no).

Ava loves: Her grandmas. She knows exactly who each of them are, loves to hear their voices and gets so excited when we talk about them or show her pictures of them.

Ava loves: Bathtime. She will do whatever it takes to get in the bath, including trying to dive head first into the tub.

Ava hates: being told no. She often does it anyways and also hates the consequences to her actions.

Ava hates: grape skin (however, I refuse to peel them, so she's just going to have to eat them anyways).

Ava hates: holding my hand in the store. She will often just sit down until she thinks I'll stop trying to hold her hand. She's always wrong, but she continues to try. Strong willed much?!!

A few things we love about Ava:

I love that she smiles all the time.

I love that she thinks she's hilarious and cracks herself up.

I love that she cuddles before naps and bedtime.

I love that she (most of the time) likes to share.

I love that she loves country music (better than anything else!)

I love that she has a high pain tolerance and keeps trying after she gets hurt.

Ava we love you so much! Thanks for being such a blessing in our lives!

BFF's

Summer= popsicles

swimming or getting in and out of the pool while your mother just wants one cute picture of the two of you together in the pool!
smiles, lots of smiles
eating sand
and running through sprinklers with your best friend.
Ella graciously shared her home, toys and parents with us while Dustin, Ava and I moved in for a couple of weeks. What a sweet little girl!

Walmart and Ava

Ava and Walmart have a love/hate relationship. She gets so excited when she first gets in the cart, she can hardly stand it. However the excitement never lasts and half way through the shopping trip a meltdown tends to occur. At that point I usually push snacks, if that doesn't work, I'll hold her. She never wants me to hold her though. She just wants down. Down is never good, because she is fast. A quick one year old is never helpful grocery shopping, but for now (and I do say now, because I know this probably won't work on our next shopping trip), we found a compromise.

Naptime

The last couple of days Ava has woke up screaming during her nap and I can't seem to get her back to sleep in her crib. So, I have been lucky enough to take two naps with her on the couch. I know I shouldn't enjoy it as much as I do, but I love it!

June...

My mom came to visit and we drug her all over Kansas....Allison got married while she was here and it was soooo wonderful to get most of our friends together. I loved it! And Allison and Tyler looked so happy! We were so lucky to celebrate with her!

From KC we went to Dustin's mom's house in Buhler and had Ava's second 1st birthday party. It was great! So many people came and Ava was completely spoiled. Plus, Grandma Cheri made her an awesome cake! Later that night we attempted to head home, but only made it a few miles away before the winds were 60mph, the rain was pouring, and a tornado warning had been issued.....so I forced Dustin to turn around and wait it out. :) I love you hon!

When we finally made it back to Edmond my mom graciously watched Ava, so Dustin and I could go on a date and spend our first night away from her. We went to Toy Story 3, which was awesome, except that it made me miss Ava. Then we spent the night at a hotel down by the mall. It was wonderful! We both attempted to sleep in, but couldn't of course (thanks to be used to our little alarm clock named Ava). However, our checkout time wasn't until 2, so I got a nap in between the time I woke up and when we had to check out! I was pretty pumped about that!

So, June was a very busy month, but sooo much fun! We are so grateful for all the help we got from my mom and for Brad and Cheri throwing Ava such a wonderful Birthday party. We are so blessed!

More pics...sorry if you're sick of these!

Ava loved all of her gifts! Thanks everyone for making this such a special day for Ava. I know she loved having you there (and I enjoyed hanging out with you all!) Lets use our kids to hangout more often! :)

Pics from the party.

This was my second attempt at making Ava's birthday cake. Thanks Lovett's and Wilkins' for eating my first one! The Teddy grahams chilling under the umbrella's was Dustin's idea (it's great being married to a graphic designer...much more creative than I ever am!) Over all it turned out okay or it tasted good at least!

Where did the time go???

Ava is ONE!!

I honestly never thought this past year would go by so fast. Nor did I think I would be this emotional about my baby turning one! It really is amazing how much you can love your child. You carry them for 9 (more like 10) months and then they are born. You have this love and desire to protect them immediately, but that love only doubles every day. Some days I feel like I'm overflowing with it, because I just love her so much (I know, cheesy, right?) So true though! We are so blessed that God allowed us to be her parents!

12 Month appointment

30 inches long : 75%

19.9lbs : 25%

Head : 85%

-She is tall, skinny, and has lots of brains.....I believe there's a volleyball player in the making! (I don't need my kid to be a doctor, just play sand volleyball in the Olympics. I don't think that's a lot to ask for! haha).

Ava likes her music!

Ava and Ella Dancing

This is a little better picture....the front is exactly the same as the back. I attempted a skirt for myself with the same fabric., but it didn't turn out very well.

New Projects

I made my first Hooter Hider for Brooklyn with fabric roses and my first dress for Ava. Sorry you can't see much of the dress. Ava was not very helpful when I was taking pics.

Ava and her Daddy

Ava has been saying dadada for some time now but has just recently started saying dada when she see's Dustin. She says it in this sweet little innocent voice..it's so precious, but it's also made me aware that she has Dustin wrapped around her pinky already! It makes him so happy and I love it!

After searching my camera for pics to post, I've come to realize that we have no pictures of Ava and I. The top picture is even on mothers day and it's with her dad! haha, oh well. It was a special mothers day none the less.

Ava walking