This post has aboslutely no common thread.

So don't look for one.  Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the random pictures and meandering thoughts.

Want to see what happy looks like?

That is the face of a child in total bliss at the opportunity to spend the afternoon at the children's museum.  It would have been the perfect outing if Ava hadn't insisted on playing within 2 feet of a child who had clearly pooped his pants, and whose parents had (I hope) not yet noticed that fact.  I was pretty pleased when he left.

Ava developed a bit of a crush on this (pleasant smelling) little fellow, and thrilled him to no end when she threw her arms around him for a hug.  I think Andy and I are in big trouble when the teen years come along.  How do you think she'll feel about an all-girls school?

Ava, live at the Denver Zoo

Sunday was gorgeous here, so we packed up the family and headed straight to the zoo.  The animals were active, and Ava had a ball chasing the free-ranging geese, but as always, the height of fun was had on the carousel.  It never fails to make her - well, all of us really - smile. 

How much do you think art school is going to cost?

Art projects have become a favorite pastime for Ava and Ollie.  In keeping with this new hobby, the kids made Valentine's Day cards for their dads. 

          

Pure genius.

We might need to work a little harder on sharing.
Ollie made the mistake of trying on Ava's necklaces when he was here for a visit.  Ava made it very clear that this would not be tolerated.

Ava tries to prove that she's the Alpha Baby

That second picture says it all; Ollie looks devastated, and Ava couldn't be happier about how the whole thing turned out. 

Sorry, Ollie.  If it helps, she takes stuff from me too.

Happy Thursday!

You only think you know what you're doing.

Is laundry confusing to you? Do you sometimes wonder why your clothes don’t look quite as perfect when you put them on as they could? Well I have recently learned some valuable tips from Ava that she has given me permission to pass on to you. You might want to take notes…
First, make sure your laundry sorter is in the right place. Mine clearly was not, so Ava moved it for me.



Next, remove all items from their respective baskets and throw them into one big pile on the floor. Sorting is for losers.


Once your clothes are clean, you might think that you should fold them and put them away, but you’d be wrong. Now this next step is crucial, so pay attention. You need to climb into your laundry basket and stand (or sit; your choice) on your clothes, then bundle them up in your arms and squeeze. You must then throw them, one piece at a time, onto the floor. You may now proceed to folding.


Trust me, follow this advice and you’ll look fabulous in those clothes. Especially if you have some place important to go.

Now relax.  Laundry is hard work!

Lightening in a bottle...

Ever managed to get 3 small children to sit still and listen to a story? Not only did Lisa and I do it, but we were quick enough to get the evidence on camera. We rule.



How sweet are those babies?

A Day in the Life (cont.)

Ava loves to be in the kitchen with me. I'm so looking forward to the day (in the not-so-distant future, I hope) that she'll be able to help me measure flour, and tear fresh basil, but in the meantime she's content to sit on the floor playing with the tupperware while I cook. She opens the cabinet, pulls out everything within arm's reach, and has recently decided that plastic bowls make fabulous hats. The funniest part is watching her try on various sizes until she settles on her favorite, then parades around the house in that day's winner.

Sometimes she even brings me one to wear.

Food is still a bit of a battle with Ava, so I'm always on the lookout for anything that she'll eat. I'd love to feed her mountains of organic fruits and veggies, with a healthy side of brown rice. But since she'd rather starve to death than eat any of that, I'm reduced to serving up daily plates of macaroni and cheese, peanut butter sandwiches, and waffles. (Not together, of course.) But every now and again my girl will surprise me. She likes to eat guacamole with a spoon (but not avocado. Go figure.), and yesterday shocked me by repeatedly digging into a bowl of hummus, mumbling a heartfelt, "yummm" with each messy bite. I love that she always keeps me guessing.

Ava was invited to a birthday party recently, and in the gift bag was a sheet of Tinkerbelle stickers. I didn't think much about them until I ran across them in a drawer a couple of days ago, and to her delight started pulling them off the backing one by one the sticking them to her legs and arms. They were soon plastered all over the living room and, figuring I'd just deal with them after bed time, called Grandma Sally on skype to chat. As toddlers do, Ava soon tired of talking and scooted off to play. I looked up to see this...

Andy says this looks like a mug shot. I just think it's hilarious.

Have a great week!

Ava-nt Garde

Avant-garde: [1] The adjective form is used in English, to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics.

-Wikipedia

Now people, I ask you, what could possibly be more innovative than this...

I'll pause for a moment to allow you to marvel at the brilliance.

Are you done marveling? Great. Now I'm going to let you in on a little secret: art projects with toddlers are intimidating. When Lisa and I strapped Ollie and Ava into their chairs and handed them brushes, we had no idea what to expect. Baths at the very least; repainting the walls if things got really out of hand. (Oh, and before you decide that I've clearly lost my mind, we didn't actually give the kids paint. It's corn syrup and food coloring.) But, since fear never got anyone anwhere, we threw tarps over everything within a 3 foot radius of the kids, dressed them in old t-shirts, and forged bravely ahead. And - who would have guessed - it was a complete success.

Check out that razor-like focus. Dare I say we have a future Frida Kahlo in our midst? (Hopefully without that weird eyebrow thing. Don't know what I'm talking about? Look it up. Scary.)

Let the bidding wars begin!

A Day in the Life

You know how it is: the holidays are over, family has gone home, and meals no longer consist of 5,000 calories worth of stuffing and pie. Life goes back to normal. And normal for us looks something like this...

Our daughter - minus pants, as always - jumping on the couch, hair standing on end, gleefully wielding the drink she swiped from me a moment before. Normal.

With the new year we have also discovered a new favorite pastime. The Denver Children's Museum is a colorful, educational mecca disguised as a room full of tree houses, playhouses, games, puzzles, and even a "garden" where kids can plant pretend veggies. Ava loves every minute of it, and I can't think of a better way for kids to spend an afternoon.

Fabulous.

An another note, have any of you parents ever wished there was some children's music in existence that didn't make you want to fling yourself into traffic? (Sorry, Wiggles. You're annoying.) If so, I have two words for you: Philadelphia Chickens. Google it and take a listen. You won't be sorry. Sung by the likes of Meryl Streep and Eric Stolz, it's fun, snappy, and will have you dancing and singing along right away. No valium required. Oh, and the kids will love it too.

Happy Thursday!

Home for the Holidays

I promised pictures of Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's and - late as always - here they are. I'm nothing if not consistent.

I love Christmas in Iowa. Ava getting loved on by family and playing with her cousins, while Pat's famous Christmas cookies bake temptingly in the background. The sea of presents covering the living room, making you wonder how in the world you're ever going to get your family's share home. It reminds of when I was a kid, and I'm so thrilled that Ava will grow up with this to look forward to.

Ava baked with Grandma, cuddled with Grandpa (and Aunt Kristen, and Aunt Lisa...), opened a million fabulous gifts (OMG, a doll house, AND an American Girl doll?!?! Heaven!), and rocked the fab matching jammies Aunt Kristen bought for all the kiddos. We even managed to get all the grandkids to a portrait studio for pictures. (Which, by the way, was the funniest thing I've ever seen. Every time we'd get one kid sitting still and smiling, the other three would take off running in opposite directions. We had 7 adults running interference and still had a hard time catching them. Good times.)

And now I'm craving those cookies.

Thanks for a great time, everyone! Can't wait til next year!