17 Apr
I have been looking for my makeup compact for days. This morning, I asked Ava if she borrowed it, and she said, no, the only one she has, has her name on it. (Several months ago, I gave her an old one and painted the letter A on it so we’d know it belonged to her.)
Today, I found my compact among her things, and she had used marker to scrawl “Ava” across it.
I don’t know if I should be pleased or annoyed.
14 Apr
Ava, as we left Gramma Great’s house on Sunday: “Mom, I don’t feel well.”
Rebecca: “You’re not going to throw up, are you?!”
Ava: “No, it’s not my stomach. It’s my heart. It hurts because I will miss everyone so much.”
13 Apr
I finally figured out why it’s so great to be an aunt: You never have to say no. In fact, you can say yes to just about everything. So, when I hear sweet little Leo saying, “Auntie, let’s go for a walk,” my only response is “Where to?”
13 Apr
We took the girls to Nebraska for a whirlwind trip this weekend. We started out at Dad and Rose’s Saturday morning. Grandpa joined us for brunch, and Ava and Rose spent the morning working on a few craft projects.
Then, we headed over to Bryan’s parents’ house for the afternoon and overnight. Grandma Smith set up an elaborate egg dying station for Leo and Ava, and Wyatt got in on the action for a bit, too.
Josh and Laura arranged an Easter egg hunt for Ava, Olivia, Leo and Wyatt, allowing us an opportunity to spent part of the gorgeous afternoon outside.
The next morning, the Easter Bunny managed to find both Ava and Olivia, though they had to search a bit for the spoils.
We said goodbye to the Smiths, then headed over to my grandparent’s house. We were joined by the Tooleys and Mom and Dave, which made for a very fun afternoon. Gramma Great hid several eggs (many, many times) for Toby, Ava and Olivia to find.
Grampa Great treated us to perfectly cooked rotisserie chicken…
And Gramma made this adorable bunny cake.
We didn’t start home until after 6 pm, leaving us a bit tired for today, but it was completely worth it. Thanks, everyone!
10 Apr
Rebecca, upon answering what turned out to be a relatively important call while transporting the girls around town: “Hello, this is Momm—er, Rebecca.”
8 Apr
I recently mentioned to Ava that Dagny was almost nine years old. Ava asked her birth date (April 1), then immediately suggested we throw her a birthday party. She remembered the Hello Kitty party hats from her third birthday (which, fortunately, were still stashed in the basement), and she suggested making a cake. We settled for cat food instead, but with a candle at Ava’s request.
Ava kicked off the festivities by wrapping a few presents she picked out for Dagny.
After signing Happy Birthday, she presented Dagny with her flaming dish. Dagny, having had her whiskers singed once before by a burning candle, kept her distance while Ava blew out the candle and opened the presents herself.
Dagny seemed slightly less aloof than usual, so I think that means she appreciated the effort. Perhaps it was just the treats, though.
Ava took this party very seriously. She did a great job–in fact, I think I’ll let her plan Liv’s second birthday this fall!
7 Apr
Ava, upon the start of a lecture about honesty: “I really hope this is a short talk.”
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