Archive for the ‘Ava’ Category

29 Mar

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Olivia.

As we walked into Disneyland, I was amazed at all there was to see. I didn’t know where to focus—it was truly disorienting. As I adjusted to this new level of intensity, Ava and Olivia jumped right in. From 100 feet away, Ava spied Mary Poppins, and thus began our first of many queues over the course of the week.

Olivia was full of trepidation, but Ava showed her the way.

Speaking of Olivia, the first thing she noticed in the chaos of the park was an airplane. As I scanned the shops, statues and characters around us, she pointed to the sky. Somehow, despite everything around her, she had noticed a jet at 35,000 and was THRILLED. Bryan said for her fifth birthday, we’ll take her to an airport.

28 Mar

Happy 5th!

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Olivia.

We celebrated Ava’s fifth birthday at Disneyland this week. We kicked things off by joining the Little Mermaid for a special dinner Wednesday night. More photos to come in the following days!

24 Mar

Happy birthday!

Posted by Rebecca in Ava.

I’ve encountered many surprising facts as a parent over the last five years. Most notably, though, is the startling discovery that my children aren’t little versions of me. I just assumed Ava would have my personality, and we’d be on the same wavelength from the start. The blond hair should have tipped me off.

Ava continues to amaze me everyday. She is entirely her own person–completely unique and individual. I have no idea how this has happened, even having seen it firsthand, but this transformation over the past few years is nothing short of awesome. I often feel guilty that I’m not one of the moms who sobs through Kindergarten Roundup, but honestly, I think it’s because I simply can’t wait to see what she will do next.

21 Mar

Spring break

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Family, Olivia.

Ava and Olivia spent spring break with Mom and Dave at the lake, allowing Bryan and I to act like we’re 22 again (we’re not). While the girls spent their days coloring and playing outside, we eschewed plans to organize the basement and plan our summer trips in order to watch basketball and spend St. Patrick’s Day downtown.

I’m sure the girls would have happily stayed at Mom’s another few days, we were very relieved to have them—and our normal routine—back.

Although it was only a week, Olivia’s vocabulary seems to have exploded, and Ava’s adding and subtracting numbers that I have to think twice about. They both look like they’ve grown at least a couple of inches. We kept in close touch via the phone a few times a day, but it’s just not the same as having them here.

There’s adorable little reminders about the good time they had—when I put Olivia to bed on Friday night, she said, “Sweet dreams,” which I knew she had heard from my mom.

I recall quite fondly the time I spent at my grandparents’ houses growing up (and still today), so I’m grateful we have parents so willing to take them in for a few days at a time. The Smiths get their turn later this summer—Bryan and I will have outgrown this irresponsible phase by then, and perhaps we’ll use that time to clean the basement. Or go to a concert. We’ll see.

16 Mar

“Smile really big this time.”

Posted by Rebecca in Ava.

12 Mar

“Our trip to the zoo” or “Mom’s a pushover”

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Bryan, Olivia.

We ended up taking the girls to the zoo last Sunday—we had a few errands to run in Topeka, and it seemed cruel to be in such close proximity and not stop, especially after the shenanigans the day before. I’m glad we went—the rest of the town was there, too, and the weather was gorgeous. We even ran into friends!

Perhaps most notable, we saw the new mountain lion exhibit for the first time.

Olivia called to him, “Here kitty, kitty, kitty.” It worked!

The rainforest is also one of my favorite stops.

We found this guy roaming around . . . Bryan was certain he should have been caged, and Ava was not amused.

And, just as my dad used to visit the zoo only to make “you otter…” jokes, Bryan trotted out the favorite, “Hey, let’s go see your cousins” line once again.

All in all, Ava was right: It was a pretty good way to spend a weekend day.

11 Mar

Make a wish

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Olivia, Rebecca.

Bryan and the girls made me a birthday cake (from scratch!) earlier this week.

The only one more surprised/excited than me was Olivia.

For what more could I possible wish?

10 Mar

Calming a fussy baby…er, toddler

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Olivia.

Overall, Olivia is handling this latest transition pretty well. On Monday, she seemed totally down with it, noting, “Pacifiers are for night-night time” and, once she got to daycare, she chirped, “Pacifiers are at home today.”

Every now and then, though, she has a little meltdown. In an effort to distract during one particularly sorrowful moment, I swaddled her up just like we did when she was a baby. Guess what? It worked!

Guess who else wanted to be swaddled?

As you might imagine, it didn’t last long…

7 Mar

Actually, this isn’t so bad…

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Olivia.

See, weekend days at home can be fun.

I will note that clean-up wasn’t exactly the highlight of the last 48 hours!

6 Mar

It’s my weekend day, too!

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Overheard.

After another extremely hectic week, I opened my eyes this morning to find Bryan setting a cup of coffee on my nightstand, tearing off my covers and flipping on the lights. Apparently, it was 9:30, and 9:30 is TIME TO GET UP.

I came downstairs to find Ava campaigning for a trip to the zoo.

“It’s too cold.”

“The animals went south for the winter.”

“I am not sure the zoo even opens until May…”

Really, though, the reason for sticking around here today is that a weekend at home with no real plans is very rare. And, besides, “no real plans” doesn’t mean we don’t have errands, chores and projects held over from the week.

As Ava bellowed, “It’s my weekend day” over and over, I stopped her and said, “Hey, it’s my weekend day, too.”

At that, she announced that she simply could not live in this house any more, and she was moving. She started to pack up her DVDs, and I reminded her those belonged to our family, and she’d have to leave them for Olivia. She stomped her feet and growled, proclaiming us the most BORING. FAMILY. EVER. (Sometimes it’s hard to remember she’s going to be five and not 13.) “I can’t take it anymore!” she cried.

In an effort to distract her from packing (and to allow myself to return to reading the newspaper quietly), I said, “Here, let me read you your horoscope: ‘Aries: If you feel like taking off, the sooner the bet . . . um, you know what? Nevermind.”

Hope you all enjoy your “weekend days” too!

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »