This cannot possibly be comfortable.

Ava fell asleep in the car today on the way home from Monkey Bizness.  Like this...

A little holiday review.

Once again I find myself a bit behind, so let's begin our latest game of Catch-Up with a quick look back at Christmas.  It all began with an early visit from Santa.  (He's kind enough to show up at our house before we leave town for the holidays.  I need to remember to send him a gift basket.) He stuffed the stockings, and arranged all the toys and books by the fireplace, despite the fact that we forgot to leave him a plate of cookies.  (Perhaps a gift basket, and a nice card...)

Ava was pretty pleased.

Particularly with the breakfast selection.

Then, in the usual grand tradition, we packed up a car full of gifts - along with everything Ava owns - and headed for Iowa. 

Ava helped Grandma bake (ok, eat) the cookies...

Somehow managed to swipe Santa's hat. (Looks better on her anyway.)

And opened one of the biggest piles of presents I've ever seen. (Not all of them necessarily hers...)

But the best part, as always, was getting to spend the holidays with her cousins. 

Hope you're Christmas was as wonderful as ours!

Playing Catch-Up

Hi Folks!  Sorry for the hiatus, but the exhaustion that comes along with expecting New Baby has hit me right in the creative streak.  Let me dip my toes back in the blog waters with a couple of things you may have missed.

Let's Go To the Movies
Ok, so the next line of that song doesn't really apply since the only "stars" we saw were cartoon chipmunks, but Ava was nonetheless thrilled with her first movie experience.  She wasn't sure what she was in for as we bought our tickets, picked out our snacks, and settled into our seats (which her little body miraculously did not fold up into)...

In hindsight, the giant bucket of sprite may not have been the best idea.  She spun like a top for 20 minutes after we left the theater.

But from the moment the lights went down Ava was hooked.  She pointed, smiled, and danced at all the right times, and almost made it all the way to the end of the movie before she got bored and tried to high-tail down the aisle for a better seat.  I have to admit that I spent almost the entirety of the movie just watching the look on her face.

She was in such a good mood when we got home that she decided to help her dad shovel some snow. She did a pretty darn good job.

Ava's Real Halloween Costume
I never got around to showing you this, so here you go.  The 3rd and final (and only one that didn't make her cry) costume of Halloween 2011. 

She had orange pom-poms, but we - rather wisely, I think - decided not to push our luck by trying to make her carry them.

She had a ball trick-or-treating with Ollie, Brady, and Lucas, who looked pretty darn cute too.

Brady's mom adjusted his dinosaur head a dozen times.  Never did look much different than this.

Recognize this costume?  Baby Ava wore it 2 years ago!

The 3 Musketeers
I'll end with a picture of Ava, Brady, and Ollie snuggled under a blanket to watch a movie at Brady's house a couple of weeks ago.  I love watching them hang out.  And no, I don't have any idea why Ollie has a flash light shoved up his nose.