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.