Many thanks to my mom for making the beautiful Cinderella and Rapunzel costumes! More photos coming soon.
Archive for the ‘Ava’ Category
11 Oct
Member of the week!
Ava was last week’s member of the week at her after school program. She won a free dinner at Applebee’s, and we celebrated there last Thursday.
This was a big relief to us, because at home, she’s been a little, well . . . unhinged. We’ve attributed the cranky behavior to the new environment and change of pace, and we’ve tried not worry much. But, when she brought home the teacher’s worksheet from one of her classes (a benefit of her member-of-the-week status), we had to laugh at the word she had selected to describe “apple”–it seemed right on point:
At least she’s sweet at school, I suppose!
5 Oct
“We’ve got spirit, how ’bout you?”
Nope. No spirit here.
Each year, the KU spirit squad hosts a fundraiser. For about fifty bucks, you can send your little cheerleader down to the sidelines to cheer on the Jayhawks during a football game. One of Ava’s sitters cheers competitively at the high school level, and she invited Ava to participate. I thought she’d have a fabulous time—what’s not to love? Between the band and the mascots, not to mention about 40 other little girls, I was sure she’d have a blast.
Our photos from the event, however, tell a slightly different story…
Ava just wasn’t into it.
Not. At. All.
And, she became increasingly miserable.
I found myself vacillating between a desire to scoop her up and save her, and a complete and total frustration at her unwillingness to participate.
I always wanted to be a cheerleader. I said this to Bryan in one of those moments of frustration, irritated that Ava wasn’t grateful for this experience I wanted but could never have. (Bryan said, “You could have been a cheerleader!” Yeah, no. “Says who?” Says the panel of judges that turned me down after I tried out. Two years in a row. “Oh.”)
I realize, of course, my attempts to live vicariously failed. Hard. And I feel terrible. Not only because Ava was so unhappy, but also because I should know her so much better than I do. I am always shocked to see she’s shy, shocked to learn she’s not excited by the things that excite me.
So again, I am reminded she is her own person. (I should note: She might be a bit like her dad, who said, “Who can blame her? I’d hate it out there.”)
My concern now comes from how I can adjust to better suit her. I can’t just sign her up for everything I’d find fun. I am really going to have to work to understand what makes her tick. I feel like I should know this already—that it should just be ingrained. I’ve been with her for six and a half years.
One thing I do know—she’s friendly. And being with her friends makes her happy.
So, apparently there’s some spirit after all.
3 Oct
Big 12
There’s a part of me that struggles with Nebraska’s new Big Ten designation (and I say that as Wisconsin alum). So, I’m grateful we still have a Big 12 tie, and we’re cheering extra hard for the Jayhawks this year. Not that it’s much of a struggle—the players have heart, the fans are great, and the coach is a fellow Husker.
We took advantage of Saturday’s Homecoming events and headed to campus for the parade, a quick (but fun!) event for work, and then the game. It was about 35 degrees out when I took this photo at 7:30; by 2 pm, we were sporting sunburns in the stadium.
More on the fun weekend soon!
2 Oct
Emma Fix
From Ava’s homework:
I like to do the following activities: SWIMMING, READING
If I were an animal, I would be a(n): OTTER, SO I COULD SWIM A LOT.
If I had a million dollars, I would: BUY AN OTTER.
A little known fact about is: MY REAL NAME IS EMMA.
22 Sep
A day in the life
Here’s Ava, standing on her head, holding her breath, waiting for me to give in. I didn’t give in; she didn’t pass out. Pretty sure I won.
13 Sep
Treasure hunting
We spent the Memorial Day weekend at Mom and Dave’s with Gramma and Grampa Great, enjoying good weather, great company and even a bit of treasure hunting…
The lake is a bit lower recently, and the banks hold thousands of glass remnants, polished from decades in the water and sand. The pieces are from vessels held in the old cellars and homes that were abandoned when Republican City was moved to accommodate the reservoir construction. (Anecdotally, the reservoir was was built with the help of Grampa Great–he spent a summer clearing trees and other debris from the area the lake was to cover.)
Ava and Olivia were pretty pleased with their pretty finds.
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