Just another day

Typical day....
You woke up at 6am.
Got into bed with us and crawled all around, as usual.

We all got up about 6:30.
Daddy did some side work on a boat outside in the rain (that isn't typical but him doing some kind of work is)
Mommy made you toast and milk, put on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and you sat in your chair to watch your morning cartoons.
While you ate your toast I vacuumed, washed dishes and made your real breakfast of whole wheat waffles, strawberries and blackberries.

We said bye-bye to daddy, watched cartoons together and had breakfast together.
After that we ready some books, stacked some blocks....you are getting really good at it... looked at our color chart and practiced our body parts...

Head: Check...



Toes: Check....



Tummy: Check...



Now, we will get ready to go run a few errands...just to get you out of the house.
Then home for lunch to see daddy and then time for your nap at around 1:00pm.

It's not very exciting but I love every single second. Every. Single. One.

It's been a rough one.

Today you pulled your highchair down onto you. You bonked the back of your head on the stove and the tray of the highchair landed on your mouth.

Tonight while spending time at the hotel where Grandma works you fell on the tile and hit your head. I guess you were spinning around a chair and slipped on the tile and hit your head pretty hard. And to top it all off, when Grandma was trying to console you she poked you in the eye with her finger.
I'm sure that by the time you went to sleep you felt a little something like this:




My poor baby girl, you had a rough one today. Sleep well my beauty.

Funny Tummy

In 5 days you will be 16 months.
How did that happen?

When I poke your tummy like the Pillsbury Dough Boy you giggle just like the commercial and then throw you head back with a huge grin.
You will point out the eyes on all your animals and dolls and you LOVE to give them big hugs.

Blackberries are your new favorite. And you love to get a sample at the deli when I buy ham, or turkey, or whatever it is. You just want to try it.

At 15 months you are still speaking in your own language. You have quite a bit to say to the world.
You know your head, toes, eyes, nose and tummy.


You like to help me put the groceries away....everything goes in the cheese drawer.
Throwing trash away in the garbage can is now the fun thing to do...Although I have found a few of your toys in there too. (I guess you didn't like those)

You like to climb EVERYTHING!

The slide is your new favorite activity at the park.



I think we are at the stage where sitting in a shopping cart is nothing short of torture. Your daddy has vowed to never take you shopping alone again.

I know you like a book if you let me actually let me read it all the way to the end. Otherwise it's a race to the finish...let's see just how fast we can turn the pages.

Your new favorite thing to do is pick up clumps of dirt, grass, mulch, rocks...whatever and offer it up to the sky then throw it down on the ground.
You are also on a tree hugging kick.
You go right ahead and be one with Mother Nature Ava, you always have been my little nature girl. Hug a way baby girl.....Hug away!



When ever you hear an airplane you point at the sky and search until you find it. The same with birds.
You are not afraid of ANYTHING. Only once have I seen you unsure about something and that was the Black Bear at the Zoo. You didn't cry but you weren't exactly excited about being that close to it.

Grampa has started a game called "head butt" which you just think is a riot. Mommy however, does not....especially when you head butt me in the mouth or the wall.

Daddy was trying to teach you not to bite but it backfired one day when you came up and bit my hand and started laughing.

You love Toy Story. L.O.V.E.



Your cousin Hazel is your best friend.



Flash-forward 20 years....sigh.
Forever friends...complete opposites, but best friends!

Ava and Hazel

You love your cousin.

And your cousin loves you.

You may not always share but in the end.....

She takes your hand and says "Aba, Come on!"

And you happily follow.

I love you both Ava and Hazel.
I hope you always have fun together.

Sunshine and Sweaters.

I love days like this.
Days where the skies are a clear blue, the sun is shining brightly and I can still wear a sweater.
It makes me happy. Very happy.
Ava, today you took it upon yourself to climb up the stairs to the kiddy slide and then slide down all by yourself. You were SO very proud of yourself.
You jibber-jabber all day long. You love to point to the birds. WHen you hear an airplane you immediately look in the sky searching for it.
Yesterday you stuck your finger in my eye and said "eye".
Today, you looked at a tree and said "treeeee".
The words are coming and gone will be the days of your adorable jibber-jabber. So I am going to soak it all in because it is the sweetest thing to listen to you "talk". I have to say that I will miss this part of your life. Everything is new and it is such a joy and honor to watch you discover all the new things you are capable of doing. I do however hope that the days of you screaming are coming to an end. You can be so very loud.
So. Very. Loud.
We are learning together Ava and I hope that I am being the kind of mother that is helping you prepare to become a strong, intelligent and independant woman. I love you to the moon and back and will do anything to help you acheive your wildest dreams.