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Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

7 Apr

Just add water

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Family, Owen. 4 comments

When Ava was a baby, she had an unusually fussy day while we were visiting Gramma and Grampa Great’s house. Gramma suggested a bath might help, and kindly offered her kitchen sink. The moment Ava’s toes hit the water, she calmed down. This trick is one that works well–in fact, it was a warm shower that brought Ava back from the brink of a meltdown last night after a too-long playdate in the country. (In hindsight, I should have tried one for both us a couple hours later…)

Last weekend, when Owen was struggling with an ear infection, eczema outbreak and four(!) new top teeth, we plopped our cranky baby in the kitchen sink. It worked beautifully, Gramma!

26 Mar

Candy Land!

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Family. 3 comments

We celebrated Ava’s eighth birthday with a Candy Land theme last Saturday. Doug and Karyl were kind to host us in Nebraska for the weekend, and we were joined by aunt, uncles, cousins and grandparents. Many thanks to everyone for making it a very special day for Miss Ava Kate!

20 Mar

Little sisters, man.

Posted by Rebecca in Family, Olivia. 2 comments

The girls are visiting their grandparents this week, and I woke this morning to find this hilarious email from my mom:

“I was lying down with the girls at bedtime tonight, nose-to-nose with Olivia. As I was watched her close her beautiful little eyes and thinking what a pretty girl she was, she put her finger in her nose, turned over and stuck a booger on Ava’s forehead.”

For what it’s worth, this really made me miss them both!

14 Mar

Overheard

Posted by Rebecca in Family, Olivia, Overheard. 2 comments

Olivia: “Gramma told me that her hair turned a different color because she heard too much whining.”

11 Feb

Streak!

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Family. 2 comments

Grandma and Grandpa Smith (or Grandma and Grandpa Lucky, as the girls have taken to calling them) and their brand new puppy, Streak, visited us this weekend.

Streak, a Blue Heeler/Australian Shepherd, is eight weeks old and just as cute and tiny and fluffy as you’d imagine. She’s named for the split of color on her face, but given the difficulty I had shooting a photo of her that wasn’t blurry, I’m going to assume the moniker has something to do with her speed as well. (Although, none of my photos of Doug and Karyl were particularly in focus either, so perhaps it’s the photographer more than the subject…)

2 Feb

Gramma and Grampa Great Fix

Posted by Rebecca in Family, Owen. 9 comments

Gramma and Grampa came down to Lawrence last night. We were all thrilled to see them, but Owen seemed especially happy…

4 Jan

Save the date!

Posted by Rebecca in Family, Rebecca. 4 comments

Many months ago, Katie asked me to design her save the date cards. Or perhaps I offered. In any event, I tested her patience over the fall and into the winter, and then finally set to work shortly before Christmas.

We found the basic knot idea via a set of instructions provided by another bride online, then tweaked the layout to suit paper size and the design to match the tone Katie’s setting for her wedding in the country.

The real work came in the assembly–the 140 pieces needed to be printed, cut, scored, punched and tied. Thankfully, Mom and Gramma helped while they were here for the holidays.

23 Dec

Stocking Shenanigans

Posted by Rebecca in Family, Olivia. Leave a comment

It appears someone may have altered the girls’ stockings…

I bet there’s coal in there either way.

Nope–empty. Go figure.

16 Dec

He sees you when you’re sleeping…

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Family, Olivia, Rebecca. 1 comment

Santa has long been one my very favorite things about the holidays, and sharing this tradition with my kids has been incredibly enjoyable.

When I was a kid, I vividly recall my mom telling me she spied Santa checking up on me–it was July, and he was peeking around the big red barn as she mowed the lawn. Then, close to Christmas one year, I found sleighbells in my stuffed animals: Mom supposed Santa dropped them while looking in on me one night.

Perhaps not coincidentally, Ava and Olivia found bells in their beds one morning in November–undoubtedly dropped from Santa’s accoutrement as he peered over them as they slept.