Week in Review

I just thought I would start off by sharing what our mornings usually look like around here. I had the camera out and Ava saw it, so she wanted her picture taken. Then I took Lily's picture too for posterity's sake. Yum, breakfast!

The week seemed to fly by. The girls and I went to the park for a playgroup on Wednesday instead of music class, where Ava tried to scam EVERYONE out of food. If I fix her something to eat - no way; if somebody else has it, it is the most delectable thing in the world. I tried to tell the other moms they didn't need to feed her, but they just laughed me off and said it wasn't a bother.

Last week I attended a book group discussion and this week had a few activities out with friends as well. Elliott taught Ava where I was going - "out with the ladies." So that is one of her new favorite phrases now - "Mommy out with the ladies?"

Elliott and I read in a magazine article this week that the terrible two's are a myth and it is really the terrible three's. Oh boy! If that is so we are really in for it. Ava's will grows stronger everyday and she is really starting to get tricky on me. One night during dinner, Elliott hadn't arrived home yet and I was just pooped so we started dinner without him. As Ava and I were sitting there she picked up her peas, one at a time, and started throwing them overboard. She knows this is a no-no and my patience was wearing very thin. "NO throwing food!!" She looked at me, pushed her food around for awhile and then took another pea and sent it over the side. "What did mommy say?" I roared, "no throwing food!" To which Ava calmly replied "No throw food. Fingers drop." She had me up the creek on the that one. I tried to turn my head so she didn't see me laughing.

Jack had a rough week this week. We took him into the vet on Friday after his front paw swelled up and he kept licking at them all. He has had allergies since last fall and we just try to keep his discomfort to a minimum and monitor it. When it is really bad I don't let him hang out in the yard. But this had reached a new level and Elliott thought it was time to have the vet see him again. Turns out the poor puppy had a bacterial and yeast infection in his paws from all that licking. And since his allergies didn't clear up over the winter (that I remember) the vet thinks he might have food allergies. So he got a steroid shot; has been put on a hypo-allergenic diet for eight weeks; twice daily antibiotics for two weeks; paw spray; and twice daily doses of Benadryl for the remainder of his life. All that being said, he hasn't looked this peppy or his paws this healthy in a long time.

Saturday I stopped by a garage sale and picked up a few things, but the big purchase (if you call $15 big) was a water table toy for Ava to play with in the backyard. I had wanted to purchase one of these at the beginning of summer, but they run around $80-100 so at that time we opted for the $10 pool instead. She loves it! She spent quite a bit of time out there splashing and playing. I think it will get some good use.

Elliott and did watch the presidential debate Friday night. I had wanted to post a separate blog entry about our reactions to it, but since it is now Monday and Friday seems so long ago I will give you our general impression instead. We thought McCain was highly nervous talking economy, but came into his own when talking foreign policy and war. He dropped alot of names but we thought it was a good tactic at showing how few leaders Obama had met and/or talked to on issues of foreign policy and the war. Obama is definitely a smoother speaker, but McCain was more passionate. All in all Elliott and I gave the debate to McCain, who we are not ashamed to admit highly surprised us in his proficiency during the debate. We thought for sure Obama would wipe the floor with him. This is not to say we will be voting Republican, as Elliott leans more heavily each day at voting Libertarian and I am still as yet undecided. BUT WE WILL BE VOTING!

Updates in Our Furnishings

Can you find the queen bed in the picture? Hint: it is not the bed in the center of the room. In an attempt to get the guest bed out of the garage to free up more space to manuever around the car, we figured out that a queen bed on its side is the exact length of a king size bed (which we have in our room). So on Sunday Elliott and I moved the guest bed into our room where it became - our headboard! Eventually I will make a nice slipcover for it, but that will just have to go on the "to-do" list for now. OK, so it is a little tacky BUT nobody will see it but us; it is super comfy to lean against to watch TV or read; and Ava LOVES to bounce off of it while jumping on the bed. So all in all a creative and interesting solution to our problem.

Our Little Princess

Our neighbor Amanda gave me some clothes for Ava this past Sunday and among them was a pretty purple dress. Up until recently Ava really didn't understand the notion of "princesses" but her favorite show Super Why has a character named Princess P. So she enthusiastically donned the dress and claimed she "was a princess. Princess P."

The Indoctrination Continues...

Elliott shares his love of football with his daughters as they all watch the game together. Even Lily (who was really into it).

Week in Review

I feel badly not posting as much over here on my home life blog, but honestly I feel we have been uber-mundane and have nothing to report. The things I type now seem like highlights of the week and yet so dull. Oh well, that's what you get folks!

Two events happened last week which I forgot to mention:

1) We got a BBQ! Granted it was a freebie from Josh and Lizzie, who inherited it from Kam and Sarianna - BUT HEY, we have a BBQ. And I feel that the BBQ must like being kept in the family as we are the third Kay sibling to own it. Last Sunday Elliott cooked up some steaks and they were oh so yummy. I am so grateful for that grill.

2) I got my sewing machine fixed. YEAH! I haven't busted it out yet to work on the plethora of projects which seem to have piled up (ok, projects I created for myself) but there is such a peace knowing it is at home and working anytime I want to use it. Also, the quilting store which serviced it is an awesome find and one I would frequent more often if it wasn't on the other side of town (Literally! If you take a big diagonal line and run it through a map of Las Vegas, my house would be on one end with the quilting store on the other). I bought some cute fabric to make a couple of nursing covers and am a little jealous that I didn't have this fabric for my own cover (that's how cute I think the fabric is).

This week we seemed to have a social activity every day (how does that happen with two under two?) but had a great time being out and about for park trips, play groups, and visits with friends. Somewhere in there we had to have the washing machine fixed (the problem - the sensor on the lid which senses it is shut had shorted out and it thought the lid was open all of the time so it wouldn't wash the clothes). AND Lily learned to sit up all by herself. That's right - she can do it! This milestone along with her inchworm mobility make crawling and absolute freedom imminent. Oh boy!

Lily is really getting in to feeding herself, but her hand/eye coordination isn't quite up to par which causes her frustration. I still try to give her little things in the highchair to amuse her - bits of sweet potato or banana - but fruit puffs seem to be her favorite. They are not quite as sticky as most soft foods she would be able to eat so she is able to grab them easier. I have also learned (the hard way) that Ava can't have a TV program on while I am trying to feed Lily, as Lily gets REALLY into watching the TV. It's a little scary for her to be so young and so tuned in, but once again my super smart almost two year old, raised on PBS programming, is a good reminder to me to simply monitor and limit, not freak out and cut out all TV programming.

Lizzie and I got a couple pretty good Freegan hauls from the grocery store this week, allowing me to freeze some baby food peaches, red and yellow pepper strips and blanched green beans; prepare stuffed green peppers, corn on the cob, and Jell-O with strawberries for dinner one night; and prep and refrigerate lettuce, baby carrots, radishes and cucumbers for salads. (Boy that list made me realize how grateful I am. Thank you God!)

Elliott and I are talking about what to do in our backyard right now. The ultimate goal we decided is to put in a concrete patio and fake grass over our existing grass. Our yard just stays so shady (which is a good thing!) that it is hard to overcome that, plus watering restrictions, for a green yard. So a landscaper came today to take some measurements and will let me know how much that will cost to put it all in. I think Elliott and I are in agreement that it is a good investment whatever the amount, because with the weather cooling off I will want Ava (and soon Lily) to be able to go outside and play in a nice yard. This being said, I am not saying we will be able to automatically afford a costly upgrade. It may take us awhile to accomplish this goal but it is one we are committed working on.

Week in Review

Lily was a little off this first part of the week, resulting in a trip to the doctor's office. Of course I made the appointment two hours before everything seemed to blow over. Note to self - let the fussiness ride out FOUR days, not three and then we will save an insurance co-pay. Oh well! Better safe than sorry. I had chalked everything up to teething (fussiness, loss of appetite) but she had been rubbing at her face quite a bit, and even though I know tugging at their ears is also a sign of teething, you never know about ear infections. So after day three of screaming (not crying , screaming) from my normally sweet and mild girl I broke down. Good news though - nothing detected and she is back to her old cheerful self. Yeah (and sigh of relief).

I told you about how Ava likes to sing. Well yesterday she also started accompanying herself on the piano. I took a short video clip and intended to upload it here, but alas my computer had trouble with it all day (which is why this post is late in coming). Anwyay, it was VERY cute and perhaps in the future I will be able to get it posted.

We started Music Makers class last week with Ava (although Lily comes and enjoys from her carseat). It meets every Wednesday morning for one hour and is filled with 10 minute segments of singing, movement, and fun. A group of ladies gets together at their church and put it together like a co-op and we are fortunate to be able to join in. Afterwards we go to a local playground and let the kids run off more steam. Between all the fresh air and the day's activities, Ava slept a LONG time that afternoon. Extra bonus!

The weather has been cooler and we have been enjoying that. I usually have the house open all morning and only shut it up and turn on the A/C when the girls go down for their afternoon naps. Somtimes it gets a little warm by then, but I crave the fresh air after being behind closed doors for so long that I just grin and bear it.

I started my Thursday morning Bible study group this week and am very excited to be a leader this year. I was an apprentice last year and now I have my own group. I am also apprenticing under the administrative leader, to help her with all the paperwork stuff like emailing and scheduling, etc. I have a great group of ladies and I can't wait to see what God has to show us!

Elliott has been enjoying the start of football season again and watching BYU trounce the competition. Yesterday we put Ava in a BYU shirt and taught her to say "Go BYU!" and "Yeah Cougars!" She likes the attention and daddy likes to see her being actively involved in something he loves. (Did I mention he has already indoctinated Lily by making her listen to a BYU game on the radio?)

We also celebrated our anniversary this week - 3 years. When I write it or say it 3 years just doesn't seem like long enough for all that we have accomplished together. A cross-country move two children, and a complete change in lifestyle from Boston. Wow! 3 years. Wow.

Ava-isms

Ava is obsessed with McDonald's at the moment (though she's been once in the past month). Yesterday she said "Daddy work at Da-DON-dalds". No, daddy works at the hospital. "Daddy eat at Da-DON-dalds."

Last week I had the door to my bedroom open and Ava came running in. "Ada jump on mommy's bed." OK Ava. As she starts jumping around in circles on the bed she cries out "Mommy, I excersising. I excercising!"

Scared is one of her favorite words at the moment, although she isn't afraid of everything she claims. This morning she ran to Elliott - "Get you daddy. I scared of Jack."

Her love affair with Super Why continues. She now has become VERY interactive with the show, putting her arm in when they say "put your arm in" and screams "RESCUE!" when they say "super why to the rescue!" She has even started wrapping herself in towels and blankets and saying "Ada super" as she runs through the house.

One of her favorite words right now is "so", as in "Lily is soooooo little" or "Lily is soooooo tired". Which I think is soooooo cute.

She can sing the Elmo's World theme song and Itsy Bitsy Spider all by herself.

The other day I had both girls sitting in between my legs, facing each other. Lily started to get a little fussy, so I rubbed her back and said "It's OK Lily". Ava immediately leaned in, grabbed Lily in a big bear hug and started saying "So-kay Ninny, so-kay."

She is becoming a little mother to all of her stuffed animals and dolls. She has been nursing Minnie Mouse (she wanted me to do it but I told her I only nursed Lily, so she did it) and changing imaginary diapers. She came to me holding one of her dolls and said "Poopy panties mommy." So I said why don't you go change the doll's panties. She wandered off and came back in a little later and told me they were all clean and went back to playing.

If you are behind a door she will bang on it - "come out Mommy, come out!"

Her vocabulary skills have officially exceeded her signing skills. I know this has been the case for awhile but her new favorite pasttime is sayiing something then saying "like this" and signing it. For example, we were in a parking lot when she looked up and saw a helicopter. "Helicopter mommy. Like this." And then she did the sign for helicopter.

My heart has melted away

My neighbor and friend, Ashley McFerrin, came over last week and took some photos of the girls. They are just SO gorgeous! I have never had any professional shots taken of them and these absolutely melt my heart. So if anyone in the Las Vegas area needs some photos taken, you MUST look her up - Belles & Beaus Photography. Thank you so much Ashley!!

Deeper Still - The Event

What an amazing weekend I had! I was blessed to attend the Deeper Still event in Las Vegas Friday and Saturday. Hosted by Lifeway Ministries, it featured three fabulous, livin' for the Lord sisters (or siestas as Beth Moore likes to call us - long story) who taught us alot about our magnificent Savior. Too much, too much to write down here but it was such an uplifting time of fellowship with ladies from my church; an amazing time of worship with over 5,000 other Christian women from Las Vegas and beyond; and powerful messages that the Lord intended me to hear and apply to my life. I even took Lily with me on Saturday and she was SUCH a good girl. She enjoyed the music and teaching as much as I did!

Read more about the weekend and the event by visiting the Deeper Still blog. Praise you God!

Things to Do With All of My Stash...

Thanks to a posting on CFO: Chief Family Officer I came across the Betty Crocker webpage which helps you transform your pouch and box mixes into something special. Since I seem to always be buying things like this when they are on sale (and hence insanely cheap/free and how can I not take them home?) I am going to have to try a lot of these. First up I think - Buckeye Delights. Happy cooking everyone!

A Lovely Day

Lily had her 6-month check-up today and she is still a big girl. Weighing in at 19 pounds 8 ounces and 27 inches long, she is as big as a 12 month old no doubt. She gets cuter every day (well, both my girls do!) and here are some cute pictures for you to enjoy:



The weather here has turned; it feels just like a nice summer day, not a sweltering hot day. Ahhh! We left the windows open last night and I have just now shut up the house for the day. It is so nice the house gets an airing out. It will be getting hot again for the rest of the week but cooling off this weekend again.

We went to the park yesterday in the afternoon since the weather was so nice. I had been saving up bits of bread to feed the ducks, but by the time we got there the ducks had had their fill of bread. We were old news after all the Labor Day picnics. Poor Ava just couldn't get any of them to come and see her. In the end I think I have to admit feeding the ducks was a much more exciting activity for me than for her. Takes me back to my own childhood.

I will leave you with the funniest Ava quote to date: "Daddy at home with Jack". No Daddy is at work Ava. "Daddy eating at DaDon-dalds." (Hmmmm, does she know something I don't?)