Ava's Tea Party

Have I mentioned before what a dramatic and imaginative child Ava is?? Well, let this demonstrate.

She loves to play with her tea set. She even pours "tea" into her cups and pretends to take a sip. She takes the spoon and pretends to take a bite off the plates! It's priceless to watch. Today I saw her sharing her tea with her dollies. Apparently she is waiting on Daddy to come home because she's holding the tea party at the back door. Then, just like the good little helper she is, she cleans up her mess!!!






She is also a very good little Mommy. She must have an excellent role model ;) She will get her dollies (every single one she can find) and a blanket (yes, one blanket for each dolly...we are very consistent) and put them "nite nite". Sometimes I even hear her singing a song to them...usually it goes like this: "row row row row boat hmm hmm hmm hmm dream". She will cover them head to toe and pat them on the back... a little rough at times, but we will work through that eventually. She has also learned recently to put her dollies in "time out". Now, I know this must come from daycare because she has sat in time out a total of maybe 3 times at home. And...they ALL have to go, not just one...ALL of them. Maybe she's not such a good mommy, I mean really, if you're gonna have that many kids at least control them! :)

opening presents

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Originally uploaded by amyrshores@yahoo.com

Here is a quick little video of Ava opening some of her presents on Christmas morning! She loved taking the paper off the packages :) And she was super excited to get her puzzles...

More Pig Tails

Look how long her hair is getting! So So So sweet! And, she is brushing her teeth, she's gonna have some good grooming habits :)

Party Hat

Celebrating our friend, Matt! He turned 3 today so we went over for a little party. Complete with cake, ice cream, and party hats!

Happy New Year!

Dinner with friends to welcome the new year! Ava tried her best but we only made it until 1030... she is too busy and nosey to just find a quiet corner to lay down and rest. She tries to keep up with the big kids, she's afraid she'll miss something! I carried her out to the car and she was asleep on my shoulder before we even got to the end of the driveway! Happy New Year!!!! We hope that ya'll are all blessed with the joy that comes from great friends and family!

Three Christmases

Christmas Number One: Christmas Eve
We visited church with the Brakemeyer's tonight to see "The Music of Christmas". Ava loved the music. She danced and shifted from one lap to another. Our friends came over for Christmas Eve lasagna. Matt and Ava exchanged gifts...Ava gave Matt the "Hungry Hippo" game and had tons of fun playing with him!




Christmas Number Two: Christmas Morning
Ava had such excitement on Christmas morning. She was still trying to wake up at first but once we showed her how to tear into the paper, she was an unwrapping machine!

She loves the car her Nana and Pawpaw gave her! It's her first set of wheels...can we count on ya'll again in about 15 years?? Look at that smile :)




Oh! Look at that excitement...Ava has her own chair!



What fun it is to unwrap presents!!






She already knows to go to Daddy for help opening those difficult little twisty ties that hold the toys in the packages! ;)




Look at her...she is ALL girl! Talking on the phone with her foot up in the seat with her...



Christmas Number Three: Christmas Afternoon
We spent the afternoon at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We got to see Uncle Mark and Aunt Nancy! It was such a fun time. Ava got lots of lovin' and spoilin'...just what is supposed to happen at the grandparents!













That smile sums up our day! Ava was a doll and she loved Christmas time in general. She loved to see all the lights outside and on our tree. She learned quickly how to turn our lights on and it soon became the first thing she asked for each morning. I so enjoyed watching her experience the joy and excitement of Christmas this year! I look forward to hearing her share that laugh and excitement with us more in 2010...

Yogurt Baby

What a *fun* evening we had tonight!

I came home with a ton of groceries this afternoon and decided to let Ava have some yogurt while I put the food away. She loves yogurt {usually} and likes me to put it in a "bowl" so she can feed herself. This is what I found soon after I put her yogurt in front of her...

...yep we got a bath very quickly!

On a happier, cleaner note - Ava can count to 5. She likes to sing. Her version of Row, Row, Row You're Boat is "row row dream". And she adds a little personal touch to Jingle Bells.

This morning as we were getting dressed {I was *helping* her put on her socks} she looked at me and said "socks first". Such a smarty!!

After her bath, Lily started barking...Ava said "Dada home?" She really catches on quickly. I am amazed at how she learns, remembers, and tells me how smart she is. We are so blessed to have such a sweet, loving, and amazing gift!!