Week in Review

I already told you about the start to our week, Lily's pediatrician check-up. Her round of vaccines left the little one a little "off" this week, throwing off her normally upbeat mood and sleeping habits. She has been a little more on edge and can't quite decide if she wants to smile or cry at any given moment. She has also had problems sleeping, which in turn makes her even more irritable. Poor little girl! I hope she feels better soon.

Wednesday Ava went over to her cousin Xander's house to play for a couple of hours so I could get some yard work done without her "help". Lizzie and I think trading-off is a great system for getting stuff done on our to-do list which never quite makes it to the top based on importance but which we would love to accomplish nonetheless (like cleaning the fridge or organizing a closet). So we are going to try switching off once a week with childcare, allowing cousins to play together and mommies to get some chores done. Win-win! (Believe me, I have a million and one things on that list which I can't do with Ava around so I am very excited.)

As far as the yardwork goes, Elliott thought I was CRAZY to be out in the heat but a mild form of obsession had kicked in and the pile-up of leaves and dead branches had simply been an annoyance to me for too long. Two hours and three bags of gunk later, ta-da! Yeah, yeah, I know - what the heck are you looking at? I raked out all the build-up under the bushes and trimmed the dead branches (and even a dead bush) and NOW I can enjoy my backyard. Again, Elliott too thinks I am crazy.

This morning the girls and I went to my friend Babette's house for coffee and donuts, and to spend time with some of my other girlfriends and to meet Babette's parents, who are visiting from the Netherlands. We had a fun time and it was so nice to have some "girl time". Lily showed off her arm strength and Ava enjoyed all of the attention. (Here is a picture of her with Babette's mom.)

Also, as a special treat this afternoon we headed over to the 7-11 for a free Slurpee (why? because today is 7/11!) and I promised Ava an ice cream cone (I had a free coupon for Dairy Queen) but the DQ wasn't open yet, so we came home and I fixed her one here. She loves ice cream cones! Oh the joys of summer.