Ava is 2 1/2 years old pics

This post is seriously overdue, but I wanted to be sure to include it.



Ava is now 2 1/2 years old! She is turning into a little girl, now. She continues to be our sweet, beautiful princess. Where to begin?



Ava has such a creative mind. In the pictures below, you can see that she wanted to put things in her car (aka the blanket) and drive using the steering wheel (aka the pillow). For the first few times she did this, I wasn't understanding and kept putting items back where they belonged. She got upset, letting me know that she wanted these items in her "car". Oops! My bad. :-)



She really enjoys doing arts and crafts (painting, coloring, etc) and baking with me. The other day she made her own hot cocoa (a very special treat after the E.R. visit) and was extremely proud of herself. She can draw her name, vaguely, when we ask her. She knows how to spell her name and recognizes words that start with "A", saying "Ava starts with an 'A', too!" She likes to trace her own hand and other people's hands, on paper.



She enjoys books. Lately she enjoys reading them aloud after we read them to her. A frequent visual in our living room includes stuffed animals lined-up neatly in a row, while Ava reads books to them.



She has her own fashion sense. In the pictures below, you can see that she wanted to wear her winter hat, striped top, cupcake p.j. pants and red glittery dress shoes for a Saturday afternoon. Style maven!



Ava loves all things girly. She enjoyed dressing up like Cinder-lella for Halloween. She likes wearing dresses and any sparkly shoe. Every night she likes to cuddle-up in her Princess "bean bag" (her sleeping bag). She continues to love her pink velvety blanket as her most prized possession. As of lately, her pink princess backpack gets lugged with us everywhere we go. This was a gift from Aunt Sherry for Christmas. She loves her babies; she likes to dress them-up and takes great care of them.



For being two, she really does enunciate well and communicate her thoughts and feelings really well. One day recently I must've said something about my Mom. She said "Mom, Grandma Pam is your Mom!" I was amazed that she was able to understand that. And, by the way, Doug and I are no longer "Mommy and Daddy", we are "Mom and Dad". I'm not sure where this came from. When I asked her who calls their parents "Mom and Dad" instead of "Mommy and Daddy", she said "Ava does". Got that. :-) She cracks me up when I ask her a question and she honestly answers, "Umm? I'm not sure?"



She says a prayer every night, which often goes something like this: "Dear God, thank you for blessing us and thank you for the beautiful day. Thank you for Mommy and Daddy and Ava and Liam and Grandmas and Grandpas (Uncle Joe and Aunt Kristy, you're often in this list, too, as well as other family members and friends, depending on the night). Thank you for blessing ALL the children of the world. In Jesus name, Amen."



She LOVES to sing. I'm impressed that she actually sings the notes to songs so well. She now makes up her own songs and likes to sing to herself in the mirror as I brush her hair. She doesn't care who her audience is, either. The grocery store patrons, company, her brother... they all get free concerts :-)



She uses the potty by herself and is normally accident-free for naps. She doesn't wear Pull-Ups for her naps at day care and does great. We do put a Pull-Up on her during the night. Normally they are dry, as well, but I guess we'll make the jump soon... She still takes about an hour nap during the day. She goes to sleep around 8 - 8:30 every night, and wakes at 7 a.m., regardless of how late she went to bed.



After Christmas, it seemed like Ava blossomed into this social, extroverted little big person. Before Christmas she was a little more reserved and shy. After the holidays, she seems to be ready for fun and want to be part of the action wherever she goes. She makes fast friends. Over the holidays I saw her "leading" another little girl (older than her) through the tunnels at Chuck E. Cheese. She makes me proud to be her Mommy, to see how lovingly and respectfully she plays with other kids. I'm sure there are some situations, but she really does seem to do well playing with other kids.



When she grows up, she wants to be a firefighter or a doctor. Her favorite animal is an elephant. Her favorite color will vary depending on the day you ask her. She LOVES fish sticks. She likes oatmeal with cranberries in it for breakfast, or "Pink cereal" (Strawberry frosted mini-wheats).

We love our sweet Ava-girl!

Mommy and Daddy

Helping Out With Baby Brother

Ava loves her baby brother.  She wanted to feed him on this particular day.  It was cute to watch her try to feed him.  He sweetly looked up at her, trusting that big sister is going to take care of him.  ;)


Peace, love and real-life baby dolls,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

Liam is Five Months Old

Has it already been FIVE months since Liam has been part of our family? It’s hard to think that almost half a year has gone by since he’s been part of the crew!




































He watches Ava like a hawk. He can track her movement faster than anything. And we know his sense of hearing is fine… he whips his head around whenever he hears something loud – including his sister!

















My heart melts when Ava and Liam get “cackling” together. They can both make each other laugh like nothing else. Liam tries intently to “talk” to Ava quite often. He likes to repeat “oh” after someone says it to him.

He can sit up on his own for about 30 seconds but will topple over soonafter. He is trying to crawl, but is going backward at this point. It’s hilarious… He’s really good at it! It looks like he’s trying to do “the worm”. If Liam wants to get somewhere, he ROLLS there. Seriously. We put him on the floor and find him “five rolls” away from where we put him. I’ve got to give him credit for being resourceful! He does like to sit-up nestled into the Boppy and play a toy piano.

Liam LOVES his food. This cracked me up… One day he was crying before I fed him. When I was finally able to feed him, I noticed half-way through his meal that he was staring intently at the spoon of food and just smiling, as if to say, “Food? I love you.” I laughed out loud when I saw the expression on his face.

He now prefers solid food over his bottles ANYDAY. He has three vegetable servings per day now, as of this week. And the poor kid will let you know when he is hungry. He is eating cereal, pureed peas, green beans, carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes. I continue to make his baby food in ice cube trays, just like I did for Ava. I told Doug that Liam will definitely be eating us out of house and home when he is a teenager, if this keeps up!

I still don’t nurse him often due to his acid reflux, but instead I pump. I wish that were different, but at least he is getting immunities from me that he otherwise wouldn’t. I would like to return to nursing him, if possible. (They say breastfed babies have higher IQ’s because of the close contact to Momma…) I told myself that I nursed Ava for one year (actually over one year), so I need to give that same benefit to Liam, if at all possible.

Speaking of reflux, he is THE spit-up king! He goes through SO many outfits at day care, due to spitting up on them. When he’s home, he normally ALWAYS has a bib on, so we don’t have to change outfits that frequently. And it doesn’t matter how long it’s been since he last ate a meal… He could spit-up two hours after eating his last meal.

He sleeps pretty well now, getting tired after 7:00 p.m., and will sleep until 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning. Lately when he does wake up during the night, it’s because he needs his diaper changed or wants his pacifier. He will sleep anywhere, fortunately. I couldn’t say that about Ava, but Liam will put up a fight for a minute and then konk out wherever he is. I LOVE this! And he’s also been pretty flexible with the schedule. I LOVE this, too.

I love picking him up from day care. When I pick him up, he is super-geeked to see me. He definitely knows and loves his Momma. He face-plants open-mouthed kisses on my cheeks and grabs the sides of my head / hair with his hands. He will give me kisses for the first ten minutes he sees me. :-) His day care teachers gave us an early Christmas present of a tree-ornament with Liam’s footprint on it. The footprint is HUGE! They also included the book “Twas the Night Before Christmas” and a Veggie Tales Christmas video.

Before our next update, I think he will be crawling, and will definitely be sitting up unassisted. The doc still thinks he will walk before 9 months. We’ll see… he is a little powerhouse!

Peace, love and machine-gun rapid-fire Liam-giggles,

Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

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Why the sad face?

















Up to something!

Santa pic #1

We've had a great time with pre-holiday festivities, so far...

Last Thursday we went to see the Lights of Life (University) . It was PERFECT to walk around the campus, viewing the lights while listening to the campus bells playing Christmas music. I LOVED every minute. That is what Christmas is all about. Family, twinkling toddler eyes and lights, and the sentimental toll of bells on a chilly, dark evening. Warms my soul.

We also went for a free carriage ride and free picture with Santa at the local portrait studio on Friday. Ava has really been "talking-up" Santa lately. We've gone over what she might say when she gets to sit on Santa's lap PLENTY of times. So, when we walked into the portrait studio to sit on Santa's lap, she DIDN'T EVEN WANT TO GO INTO THE SAME ROOM AS SANTA. Starstruck, I guess. We finally coaxed her into the room and then up onto the box she stood on in the attached picture. She wouldn't let go of her "Santa Comes To Town" book, that you see her carrying in the picture. After the picture, we went on a carriage ride around the same outdoor shopping plaza.

Saturday we went to the local park to watch the lighting of the large Christmas tree and then sit on Santa's lap. We got there a little late (didn't want to be in the cold for long with Liam), so we were actually JUST walking into the park as the mo-ped beeped us out of the way so Santa could pass on his sleigh. So, Ava was the first kid that Santa got to see and wave at. She started jumping up and down in place with sheer glee after he yelled "Merry Christmas" to her and waved. It was adorable. I loved seeing her chilly, rosy little cheeks and twinkly-eyes lit up as she looked-up at the glow of the Christmas tree in the park. She was so happy.

Christmas at East Cobb Park

Frosty at the park

We then waited in a monstrous line and finally got to see Santa. Ava was fine until a woman in a fur coat ripped Ava from my arms to put Ava into Santa's lap. It was then that the tears started. :-) After Ava was back in my arms, she was fine to sit in Santa's lap. Santa made her feel right at home, saying "I know you're just tired..." He was so nice. She told him in the tiniest possible voice that this year she wants: "PINK PRESENTS." Of course. What else would a two year old princess ask for? :-)

Ava calming down :-) with Santa

Sunday afternoon we made Christmas cookies. Ava even brushed them with the icing and put her own sprinkles on them. She LOVES to decorate. We also made our own little foam snowmen crafts, complete with glitter glue. Score!

Well, many other holiday festivities on the way! Wishing you the merriest of holiday seasons this year!

Peace, love and Santa belly-laughs,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

Mitch’s Visit to the South

We had a great time when Doug’s cousin Mike visited Georgia for business a few weeks back.

When Doug and I were dating, the first time I met Mike, Tracy (Doug’s sister) and Doug kept calling him “Mitch”. When I called him by name and seriously referred to him as “Mitch”, everyone started laughing. So, “Mitch” it is. :-)

Before Mike came to Atlanta recently, he and Doug figured out that Mike’s training class was two buildings away from where Doug works. So they got to carpool to work together for four days. How crazy is that? Carpooling with your grown-up / out-of-state cousin for a week.

Mike even got to drop the kids off at day care with Doug on those days. I think he got a kick out of the babies in Liam’s class getting excited to see Liam when they arrived every morning. In their own baby language, the babies all expressed they were happy to see Liam, and vice-versa.

Uncle Mike, Doug, Liam and Ava before dropping the kids off at day care
























Ava having fun at Chuck E. Cheese (establishment codename: Charles E. Fromage)
















Uncle Mike and Liam - he even carried Liam while playing skeeball!
















Ava enjoying a ride on the horse at Chuck E. Cheese





















Everybody hop in!























Liam "gunning it" and trying to win some tickets (with a little help from Dad)...
















He is "all boy", isn't he? :-)

















Doug and Liam

Ava really seemed to enjoy having “Uncle Mike” around. He gave her a fun gift every night after he and Doug got home from work. Mike even pacified us by going to Chuck E. Cheese with us one night. (The one request Ava had while Mike was in town). What a sport Mike was! Liam seemed to enjoy Mike’s smiles and every hug. J Liam always seemed to spit-up on him…poor Mike!

After his time spent with us, Mike commented on just how much work kids can be. Not that Ava and Liam are bad kids by any stretch of the imagination, kids are just WORK! I’m sure he appreciated Bosley (his dog) that much more upon his return home to Pittsburgh.

Uncle Mike, the kids (and Doug and I) miss you already!

With love,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

Thanksgiving 2008

We had a nice, peaceful Thanksgiving at home this year. Instead of traveling to Michigan, we decided to stay put in Georgia so we can spend more time with family around Christmas.

I. HAVE. NEVER. MADE. A. TURKEY. IN. MY. LIFE. I admit it! So, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to cross that item off of my "bucket list". :-) With a little help from Martha Stewart, I brined, chopped, diced, peeled, whisked, basted, baked, boiled, rouxed, stirred and seasoned.



















The spread


















Making holiday dessert on Thursday morning

I went the ultra-traditional route this year. We served up a brined turkey filled (YES FILLED!) with stuffing, extra stuffing on the side, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy and a yummy salad. I made everything from scratch (short of growing and snapping the green beans myself!). We had a Marty Salad like they used to serve at the Family Buggy Restaurant in Rochester, MI. For dessert we had a Black Forest Trifle, completely avoiding a "caloric coma-inducing" pecan pie. Ava helped make (or should I say eat!) the dessert.

Not normally one to appreciate stuffing INSIDE the bird, I had to do it. Once. For tradition's sake. Check. I do think brining the turkey definitely made the difference in how nice it tasted. Next year, I think a Honeybaked turkey is the way to go, unless I find some shortcuts!

It was nice to fill my own home with the scents of a holiday meal this year, I must admit. :-)

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These are the recipes from this year's Thanksgiving, for posterity's sake:

-Marty's Salad
-Martha's Perfect Roast Turkey
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/marthas-perfect-roast-turkey?xsc=stf_MSLO-RECIPE
-Gravy
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/gravy?xsc=stf_MSLO-RECIPE
-Simple Stuffing
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/simple-stuffing?xsc=stf_MSLO-RECIPE
-Mashed Potatoes topped with Parmesan Cheese
-Green Bean Casserole
http://www.campbellskitchen.com/recipedetail.aspx?recipeSource=search&recipeID=27303&page=0&index=1&SearchText=green+bean+casserole&advSearchParams=&LastIndex=false -Black Forest Trifle
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On Friday we put up the tree and holiday decorations. I'm loving the cable channel that plays holiday music! It's nice to work from home and be cozied-up near a Christmas tree all day.

Ava and Daddy decorating tree

Hopefully I will be posting more blog entries soon to catch up. Ava has amazed us with the sweet prayers she now likes to say aloud at the dinner table. I guess when I say "let's pray", she thinks SHE should do it. Her sweet prayers put a smile on our faces. She prays for "the children" and names many friends and family members. I'm amazed at how grown-up her prayers sound! They're too cute.

Until next time...
Peace, love and leftovers,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam