she's two...

sigh....i may be in denial!

this girl has brought so much fun, joy, and love into our world...not sure what we would be like without her! i still look at her sometimes and can't believe she is ours! it seems like yesterday i found out i was pregnant, and now she is two....TWO! where did the time go?

you love:

horses, puppies, macho (cats), mommy, daddy, all the family (especially maddy & sissy), princesses (especially ariel), watching disney movies (mommy may let you watch too much, but you always ask for them....), elmo, dancing (the girls got moves!), going in the car, shopping, your purse...or as you call it your "person", you want to take it everwhere, usually stuffed with toys, kisses, morning snuggles, MILK, juice, most fruit, shoes are a major obsession...i actually let you leave the house in two different colored flip flops the other day...you insisted, outside, swimming, water of any kind (falling from the sky or in a cup), getting bites of daddys honey bun, trips to wal mart...each trip is like a parade and everyone is there to see you...you wave and greet everyone!, playing at the park, music...all different kinds, but especially "she'll be comin' round the mountain", & so many more wonderful things

you are:

amazing! outgoing! stubborn! funny! fearless! imaginative! chatty (much like your mama)! a parrot! a bit bossy! happy! our sunshine...

nick-names we call you:

baby girl, sugar, sweetie, pumpkin, munchkin, booger, boog, squirrel, av, doodlebug, stink, little missy, little miss bossy boots, princess...

current favorite phrases:

what happened?

where'd ______ go?

be right back...

i don't like it.

love you ______.

come on _____.

i'm comin'!

we are so lucky & we fall more in love with you every day!

xoxo,

mama

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baby boy update...

i had a doctors appointment this morning along with a sonogram to check out the little man! the stonographer said everything is looking really good, she was super nice and checked everything out for us! then we checked how big he was...yeah, he's pretty big! he's measuring about a month ahead...so we're going to have another big baby! i'm going to get another sono at 37ish weeks to check his size and see if they may need to induce a few weeks early. i was just so relieved that he is growing so healthy and strong...can't wait to meet him and it may be sooner than we think! we have got a lot of work to do around here :)

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little cupcake...

tonight we had a small family get together out at the lake for ava's 2nd birthday...i can not believe this girl will be two on tuesday...it is amazing how quickly time passes...it seems like yesterday i found out i was pregnant with her and trying to figure out how i was going to tell bo! and now my baby girl is almost two....sigh....
anyway, here she is in cupcake heaven!

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purdy...

today i thought it would be fun to take ava up to nonna's salon and get her nails did :) we have been up there several times for donna to show off her grandbaby, but ava has never gotten her nails painted...too squirmy! i wondered how it would go and was hoping to get some really cute shots of her sittin' all pretty in the chair, hands out on the table, nonna painting away...but alas, she wasn't quite sure about the whole thing so she had to sit on my lap during the painting process, so this was as good as the pics could get! anyway, she eventually loved it and the little fan she got to hold her hands in front of to dry her nails...nonnna even painted her toesies to match! so sweet! i really do have the best mother in law in the world! we had a fun time and everyone oohed and ahhed over ava's pretty nails...i'm sure next time she'll sit in the seat by herself like a little pro all sassy and stuff! so now she has pink nails to match her pink swimsuit for her little family lake party on sunday...crossing my fingers they will still be pretty and pink!

okay, so i have the sweetest and cutest mother in law in the world! nonna and ava (being a bit of a grump...she was about an hour past her nap and not wanting a picture...but i was determined!)

xoxo,
a

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day with friends

today ava and i headed out to haslet to have lunch and a playdate with my friend heather and her sweet little guy landon! heather and i used to teach kindergarten together in what seems to be a whole other life to me even though it wasn't that long ago. getting together with her makes me miss that other life a bit...or at least all the wonderful people that were in it. i have tried to keep in contact with many of my "teacher friends" but it's hard...people are busy, etc., etc. i am so thankful that heather and i have kept in touch...and even though we may not see each other very often, it is always a special treat to get together with her & catch up (& not just because of the fantastic food she spoils me with...including banana pudding....yummy!)
ava and landon are 7ish months apart and they are so funny together! ava didn't want to leave, she had such a great time playing with landon and all of his super fun toys! he is such a little sweetheart and i loved watching him and getting to know his personality a bit...we hadn't seen him since his first birthday, so he has grown and changed since then...it's amazing how quickly kiddos grow and learn new things. one of my favorite moments today was when ava and landon decided to play chasey...they ran around chasing each other and laughing...there is just something so joyful about little children having fun and laughing...makes you just want to freeze the moment and stay there forever!
by the time we left, i think both kiddos had worn each other out and ava crashed in the car before we got out of the neighborhood! thank ya'll so much for such a wonderful day...it really was a special treat & hopefully we can make it happen more often :)

i had my camera the whole time, but didn't get it out until just before we left...too busy visiting, i guess! anyway, both little sweeties with their blankeys...i tried to get them both resting on the floor...but this was as close as i could get!

isn't he the cutest?! i swear, if i didn't think heather would have noticed, i would have snuck him home with me!
ava "sleeping" on the floor...notice the cars she won't let go of! such a funny girl!
xoxo,
a

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she's gonna turn into a fish...

so we just can't get enough of the swimming pool this summer...and ava and i are both loving it. we have swam almost every day for the last week and i'm not complaining! it is about the only thing i can stand to do outside with her...and she loves being outside! so thank goodness for big pools of cool water to play in during this hot texas summer...yes, it's only june and it's painfully hot already...especially for an 8 month pregnant lady chasing around an almost two year old! i'll have to try to get some video of ava swimming...every time we swim she learns something new, today she actually floated on her back without us holding onto her! and when we would hold her in the water, she wanted us to keep letting her go and she would kick her legs to try to stay afloat...my little fish! thank goodness, her daddy and i are both water babies, can't imagine if our kids didn't like the water!

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to my daddy

i had to sneak on while mommy isn't looking so i could put up this cute slide show of me and daddy...daddy, i love you and i hope you have a great father's day! you are the best daddy in the world & i am the luckiest little girl in the world to have you....oh yeah, and mommy thinks your pretty awesome, too (& she said something about "hot"...whatever that means?)!

click on the arrow to make the movie go:

love you daddy,

your girl

*daddy.o: frances england. fascinating creatures cd* it's awesome...if you have kids, you should own it!!!*

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to my dad

happy father's day dad! can't tell you how much you mean to me...so glad that we are so close! i love you...

xoxo,

a

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ebay addict

i saw this swimsuit on a little cutie pie the other day and decided my baby girl NEEDED one, too!!! since her birthday is coming up in about a week, i thought, why not?? so i searched for it online and found it in a bunch of botique kids stores but wasn't about to pay what they wanted for it....i'm too cheap, i guess. then i turned to trusty old ebay....and there she was, for a fraction of the price (brand new!). a big adrenaline rush and three hours later, i am now the proud owner of this precious bathing suit (well, they have my $...hopefully the suit will get here!...i've never had any problems with ebay, but you never know!)!!!! i think ava is going to look scrumptious in this little suit:

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splashing & sunshine

we met up with mimi and poppy today for some fun in the sun! ava loves to swim and she had so much fun showing off all her tricks for mimi & poppy! the girl is so fearless, especially in the water...it can be a bit scary for a mom, but i am so thankful that she is so confidant...that's something i always wished i had more of! i hope it sticks with her as she is growing up...right now, she doesn't let anything stop her! oh the lessons i can learn from my almost 2 year old!

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random ramblings...

sorry it's been a while since my last post...we've been busy! ava woke up sunday morning with a 101.5 temp. so we spent the day pumping her full of fluids and tylenol to bring the temp down. wasn't sure if it was teething, another ear infection, a bug, or what, but it was worrying me. monday morning she woke up fever free...i still called the doctor (spoke to a nurse). she said it was probobly a bug, but to keep her going on the fluids and keep an eye on things. so we took monday and tuesday pretty easy around the house and that pesky fever never returned! yay! tuesday morning i had a dr. appointment. everything is going good with little mister...got to hear his heartbeat, which is always reassuring to a worry wart of a mama...and we go back in two weeks for a sonogram/checkup. so excited we are to the ever two week visits...maybe this will help speed these last few months along. ava was getting pretty stir crazy by tuesday evening (as were bo and i) so we decided to go for quick swim over at nonna's pool (bo's mom). she lives just a few blocks away and the sun and family fun time really did us some good! we hung out over there for a while and then came home. ava got to watch some of her favorite movie (at the moment), spirit and then went to bed. she was pretty tired after the swimming! after she went to bed, bo and i spent the evening moving the computer from the office...soon to be hollis' room into the kitchen...i know, not the ideal spot for a computer, but i was definitly not putting it in the bedroom (that is a technology free zone) and the living room is so crammed with ava's toys, and pretty soon some baby gear (swing, etc) that i knew that wouldn't work. so in our tiny house, the 39" space between the refrigerator and the doorway to the living room worked out pretty well. i am just so relieved we are finally getting started on the babys room! only ten weeks to go, he'll be here before we know it! next on the list is to get ava's big girl bed painted so it can go in her room and the crib can be moved into hollis' room...she is getting pretty heavy and it's starting to get a bit hard on me to lift her in and out of her crib....so hopefully, next week, when bo is off, he can get her bed sanded and painted...if not, it's black, and as much as i want it to be "spring green" that can always wait! next week is the deadline, if it's not painted, it's going in black....and that's that!!
tonight after ava went to bed i did my pregnancy pilates video...the sidekick series....which i should have been doing religiously the entire time i've been pregnant...my legs are really suffering! why is everything so hard when your 30 weeks preggo? not wanting to complain, i feel totally blessed that we are having another baby and will feel especially blessed when he gets here and is healthy...but he is totally ruining my body!!!!! i've heard this rumor about boys...and always thought it was a rumor...WRONG!!! with ava, no stretch marks...so far, i've gotten a few from this guy, and with ten weeks to go, i'm sure i'll get even more(even though i have always applied my burt's bees mam bee belly butter daily, sometimes more that once...ugh! also, the spider veins and vericose veins that are appearing on my calves are making me sick! i can't believe it! i thought somehow that evil gene had somehow missed me and i have always been so thankful...WRONG AGAIN! it didn't miss me, it just waited a while to get here! ugh! i told bo that i will never ask him for any type of plastic surgery...i'm more of a do it yourself kind of girl, or find undergarments that make it look good...but if these icky veins don't at least calm down after this baby, i will be getting lasered, or tasered or whatever they have to do to make them dissapear! seriously! and i'm not even going to get into the cellulite....not even going to go there...let's just say, i have a lot of work to do after little guy gets here... ALOT of work to do! and like i said, i don't want to sound ungrateful, i am so thankful that this body has been a cozy home to two gorgeous children, and if i have to wear stretch marks for the rest of my life to show for it, i guess it'll be bearable...just some random thoughts from a hormonal pregnant lady that should be in bed!
sorry no pics...maybe next time!
~a

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sleeping beauty has...

nothin' on this girl!!!

i had to wake ava up from her nap today...she was sleeping so soundly that opening her blinds and snapping some pictures of her didn't even wake her! we headed over to mimi & poppy's house for a craft night! i worked on a cocoon and maryann did some sewing. ava got to spend some fun one-on-one time with her poppy! i think she had a total blast with him! they watched movies, played, and he even took her to the park!!! he said she loved the swings tonight! i totally appreciated him taking her since i have been avoiding "play" (that's what ava calls the park) because it has been so darn hot and we have also had some strange rainy weather lately....but mostly it's the heat...can't stand it....and it's only june...ugh! anyway, thanks for having us over mimi and poppy, it was a blast!

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happy 4th anniversary to us! (a few hours early)

it feels like yesterday that i woke up early to a balmy day in jamaica. i wasn't able to sleep because i knew that day would be one of the most special, unforgettable & amazing days of my life. it was on this day four years ago on a beach in jamaica, bo and i promised to love each other forever...& a deal's a deal mister!!! i adore you and am so happy to be living this life with you. happy 4th anniversary baby...fingers crossed next year we'll be back at the beach!

gosh i loved this day!

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28 weeks...ugh...

so now that i started this...i feel like i have to finish it...more clothing may be coming up in the next few shots...don't want to scare everyone away from my blog! ha! however, i am glad that i am documenting the baby belly this go round...may not be pretty...but it is what it is and i am trying to enjoy every minute!

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swim, swim, swim

this afternoon after daddy finished his yard work and ava had a nice long nap we all went swimming over at nonna's pool! it was so nice! just the thing we all needed, i think! ava loves the water and her mommy and daddy, so she was in heaven! we swam for an hour and then went and picked up fajitas for our "anniversary dinner" ha! our 4th anniversary is on thursday & bo has to work, so we figured we would have one of our favorites tonight and celebrate a bit. my how things change with children! we used to have to get all dressed up and go to a fancy restaurant to celebrate on our anniversary and now all that matters is that we're together and it makes it even more special to share it with our little one...soon to be two! it was a wonderful evening and i am so glad we got to spend some quality time together. bo has been working so much lately, so we really needed some fun time!

love that railroad tan!

hope ya'll are staying cool in this summer heat that's coming on!
xoxo,

a

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more baby love

so i can't get enough of this little girl...she was just sooooooo sweet! had to put up a few more of my favorites!

yes! i'll get up some pics of lovely miss ava soon, too! we have had a few busy days and i just haven't taken my camera out! today we are supposed to go swimming later, so hopefully i can get some cute ones of her with daddy swimming, one of her new favorite things to do!

xoxo,

a

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little cutie

today i got to go take pictures of the sweetest baby girl! she is 4 days old and just an angel! i have never taken newborn pictures before, so this was a first for me and i loved it! i'm sure it helped that this sweetie slept the majority of the time and made it really easy for me! anyway, chose a few of my favorites to share....isn't she a beauty?!

i finally got to try out one of my knit cocoons...yep, i made this one!! (thanks to lori for helping me with the pattern! such a sweet heart!)

and i finally got to use one of my hats...made this one,too :) loving knitting!

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up!

we took ava to her first movie yesterday! UP! it was soooo cute and she absolutly loved everything about the movies! she was in awe of the huge screen, i swear when we walked in (the movie was already playing) she said "wow!" she just sat in her chair the first few minutes watching...and of course enjoying handfuls of that special movie popcorn! she didn't quite get the concept of whispering...which i thought was strange, because sometimes around the house we play whispering games...but she was having none of that during the movie! i can't tell you how many times she said in her loud little voice "what happened?" and "where did he go?" (some of her favorite phrases right now...oh yeah, and "PUPPYYYYYYY!" hopefully we didn't drive the people sitting near us totally crazy. luckily, the movie wasn't very full. we actually got to stay and watch the whole movie. i was predicting we would last about an hour and then have to make our exit due to a wiggle worm...but she did so good. she got a little wiggly towards the end, but she just stood up and drank her sprite, walking between bo and i.

the best part was during the movie every once in a while she would lean over and give me a hug and say "i love you, mommy". totally melt my heart...but even better was when she leaned over to bo and gave him a hug around the neck and said "i love you, daddy". ugh...that girl knows how to work it! such a fun afternoon and i can't wait until we get to go to the movies again! such an adventure!

and yes, those are her bracelets around her ankles and blanket also had to go to the movies with us! blanket goes EVERYWHERE with us!!!

xoxo,

a

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ice cream love

saw this today on a site, thought it was appropriate....i can't get enough (ice cream...not nesting...still waiting for that instinct to kick in)!!!!

xoxo,

a

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