Sunday Fun Day

My House

This is the last Christmas gift we had to put together. Ava was so excited. She kept saying "My House". She even wanted us to get in. Teddy and I got in but it was a tight fit. Daddy was to big so he just knocked on her door.

Bedtime

Bedtime has got a little interesting with Ava. She has a few items she likes to take to bed with her. Some days it's one or two. Others it is all of them.

List of "must haves":
Book- wheels on the bus
Pillow pet
Little kitty cat
Big kitty cat
Purple dinosaur
Green dinosaur
Big purple brush
Little pink brush
Yellow school bus
Yellow car
A huge (like the size of her) stuffed cow

So somedays I go in there after she is asleep and take things out.

Mama is 31

Ryan and I spent an extended weekend at L'auberge in Lake Charles to celebrate my 31st birthday. It's the perfect distance to get away and relax.

Ava on the other hand had a great time at Mimi and Gramps. She was not only spoiled by my parents but her Nina and Niño (godparents) picked her up Saturday evening. They went to build a bear (Ava actually built a kitty) and out to dinner.

It was Mimi's 52 birthday, but Ava thought everyone was singing Happy Birthday to her.

..and the other children enjoyed their stay too!

Dinosaurs

This week in Ava's science lab they are learning about Dinosaurs. I think she might be going through a little obsession with them. When I pick her up from school we walk by the science lab and she points to all the Dinosaurs and says, "Dinosaur Big" or "Roar" like a Dinosaur. Then, when we get home she wants to watch Dino Dan.
So looks like I'll be buying her some dinosaurs soon!!

Saturday night with my LOVE

Movie date!

Full week at school

We have made it a full week at school with no tears!! Ava is well adjusted and back to her normal little self at school. When Ryan drops her off in the morning, she is fine and goes with the flow. In the afternoon when I pick her up, I stand outside the class and watch her for a few minutes. She is definitely in her element now. She is laughing, loud and having a good time. Makes Ryan and I feel so much better.

Ice cream date with mom to top off the week!!

Bedtime Book

Lately we have been reading Ava's favorite book The Wheels on the Bus before bed time. She REALLY enjoys this book. We used to rotate books, but we are stuck on this one. She even wants me to read it over and over....and NOW she wants to take the book to bed with her. So I have let her a couple times.
Last night I put her to bed with her book and went to my room to turn on the monitor. While I was laying in bed I heard her talking. So I checked the monitor and she was sitting up in bed flipping through the pages and saying/singing "The Wheels on the Bus...Up and Down". Too stinking cute!! Ryan and I couldn't help but stare at the monitor watching our sweet baby girl.

Chores

Ava loves to help me around the house. She will help me with the laundry, unload the dish washer, fold clothes, sweep and now she vacuums. Now only if she'll start picking up after herself...

Love this cute litte vacuum Tito (uncle Gabe) bought her for Christmas. It makes noise and lights up.

Post Day 1 of school

Ryan picked her up from daycare yesterday. They told him she cried off and on through out the day (makes me so sad). And...today he dropped her off and she threw a fit. Ryan said she was holding tight to him and saying, "No Daddy". Makes my heart hurt.....

1st day at a New School

Today was Ava's 1st day at her new school. I wanted to take her to school. We both slept in a bit and had breakfast at home. I took her to school about 8. She thought she was big stuff  walking in on her own, but once we were in her class room she realized I was about to leave and grabbed ahold of my leg. I thought we were both going to cry, but we made it through the morning. Her new teacher Ms. Catherine took her just in time to distract her so I could sneak out.
So far I have been checking in on Ava through out the day and she seems to be settling in just fine. Whew....makes me feel so much better. Love having a daycare camera!! Best thing E-V-E-R created.

New Year 2013

I have come to the realization that News Years Eve is an evening for people without children. Haha! To be honest I cant stay up past midnight, I don’t drink like I used to and I refuse to have a hangover with a child. Plus Ava had shots that morning and the weather was terrible. So we spent NY Eve at home just us 3. We cooked a great meal and drank champagne. Ava stuck to her usual bedtime routine and was in bed by 9. Ryan and I were in bed by 10.

The next day was even more low key. We stayed home all day. Ava stayed in her pj's all day and played with all her new toys while Ryan and I clean the house & garage. Fun times at our house!

2yr Check Up

Sunday we went back home and back to reality. Most the day was spent taking down the Christmas decorations, putting Ava's new toys together and trying to get Ava back on a normal sleeping schedule.
Monday Ava had her 2 year check up. All went well and she was actually very good. No crying and screaming when they called us back. Only when her doctor started checking her out and when she got her shot. Then she started crying for her "daddy".

Stats:
Height: 34.75" (75.49%)
Weight 30lbs. 7oz (88.23%)

Its crazy how fast these 2 years have flown by. Ava amazes me every day and even more now that she is speaking so well. There are so many new things she is saying and doing now. I just love her so much. She has been such a blessing to our family. I cant help but smother her with hugs and kisses

Things I want to remember:

Ava screaming Help! Help!
She love piggy back rides on dad
She loves for me to pretend she is a baby. She will even let me wrap her up and she'll say wah! wah!
Her favorite game now is to race us in the house. She will push the stroller/baby and we push the grocery cart with teddy in it.
We will say Ready - Set - and she says Go
She will tell you if something is Big or Little
She will tell you if something is Cold or Hot
She will tell you the color of something (she is wrong sometimes)
Great at telling mommy/daddy to "do this", "get that" or "I want"
Her favorite toys right now (after all the great toys she received for her birthday and Christmas) is a yellow toy car from Sonic and of course her Big Truck (but its too cold to ride it).
Her 2nd favorite toy in her cupcake kitchen
Her favorite book for me to read before bedtime is The Wheels on the Bus
She'll try to whistle like I do when I call the dogs in. Cracks me up
When we put the dogs in the kennel, she'll say they are in trouble
When she doesn't know where someone is, she'll say they are at work
If we are traveling, it is a must to have the DVD player. She will watch Dora over and over and over
She finally has started to watch movies. She has sat through Lion King and Ice Age
She will ONLY wear her Hello Kitty shoes (and this girl has a ton of cute shoes)
She still takes her pacy (aka her baby)  but only at home with us....hmmm. I tell Ryan he is the enabler
Lately after I put her down for bed she will stand up in her crib and yell for me. When I go in she will say, "I want milk". It worked the 1st 2 nights but this mama put a stop to that. I'm positive she was using that as an excuse to stay up a little long.

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Birthday

I cant believe my baby is 2 years old! Or maybe its that I cant believe I am the mother of a 2 year old, which equals I'm getting old. Haha!!
Anyhow, we celebrated her birthday at Incredible Pizza with her cousin Garrett. She had way too much fun. She rode on the horse and train over, and over, and over, and threw a fit when it was time to leave. Yay! The terrible 2's kicked in right on time.

Vacation Continues

Ava & I stayed at my parents house all week long. Ryan had to go to work the day after Christmas (boo). Ava loves spending time with her Mimi & Gramps and I love the memories she is making with them. We slept in too late, stayed in our pj's too long, made cookies, went shopping, ate out, played with her new toys, watched movies and stayed up too late. Ahh fun times!!

Christmas Day

This Christmas was wonderful!!....and I know it will just get better and better. We woke up at Mimi and Gramps house about 9. Ava came downstairs and around the corner to see all her Christmas presents and the truck (a big truck - in Ava's words. It stole the show.) She must have been a very, very good girl because she was spoiled rotten.

The rest of the day was spent with my family. We opened a few of Ava's gifts and played all afternoon. That evening we had our usual prime rib and rented a movie.

Christmas Eve Festivities

Busy! Busy! Busy!!

This was the second year we traveled to 3 different homes from Spring to LaPorte in one evening and I'm hoping it’s the last. I love to see everyone on such a special evening but it worries me having Ava out on the road. So next year I'm hoping to only stay in one town. We shall see...
Anyhow, our 1st party was at Steve and Lisa's house. Ava was such a silly girl. She kept chasing their Yellow Lab Reno and calling him Boudreaux (or Boug in her words since she cant say his name). Then it was on to the next party at Mary and Chava's house. We got there just in time to do the adult white elephant exchange and have a couple drinks/adult time while the kids stayed in a room/sleep until Santa comes to see everyone.
Ava was the 1st name Santa called and she didn’t want anything to do with him. She was pulling away from me when I took her up to Santa and refused to sit on his lap. We got her present and waited on Santa to give everyone else a gift. Ava just stared at him the whole time. Once he left she relaxed and was ready to open all her gifts from her family. Lastly we made it to Mimi in Gramps. By this time Ava was fast asleep and we set out all of the presents.

Hello Vacation

My last day of work and Ava's last day at her daycare for 2012 was Friday 12/21. Ava has been there since she was 9 weeks. I love the people there but it was time for Ava to move on and start school at a learning academy. I thought it would be a little difficult to tell everyone bye, but it actually wasn't. I guess because I knew we were making the right choice for Ava.