More Birthday Fun

Saturday night Elliott and I hired a babysitter (who was fabulous by the way) and headed out for a night on the town to finish celebrating my 30th birthday. There were a couple of things that have been on my "to-do" list since we loved to Las Vegas and I excitedly decided to cross them off. First we went to dinner at Olives at the Bellagio. It is a Mediterranean-food restaurant by celebrity chef Todd English. I am a HUGE Todd English fan; he's a Boston-based chef, who's restaurants I used to frequent there. Even though I am not that enthusiastic about Mediterranean cuisine, I had confidence that I would like whatever Todd English created. And we did!

Olives overlooks the fountains at the Bellagio, so although we couldn't get a table on the patio with a direct view, I faced a window and saw a few shows every now and then. The service was superb and the menu was very yummy. They had a prix fix menu that both Elliott and I ordered off of, ensuring we got a little taste of most everything. Discussing it over dinner, we both agreed that we really enjoy the concept of prix fix menus - they force us out of our normal comfort zone, making us trust the chef, and 99.9% of the time we are pleasantly surprised that we enjoyed a particular flavor.

One of the funniest moments of dinner was when I came back after a visit to the restroom. We had had our dessert and I assumed in my absence Elliott would take care of the check. However as soon as I sat down I realized we were still waiting, and in the brief moment it took me to wonder out loud why the waiter appeared with a beautiful plate of three truffles and strawberry, with "Happy Birthday" written in chocolate. I almost cried with surprise and happiness. I immediately complimented Elliott on being so sneaky with the surprise, but he openly admitted he was surprised as me! He hadn't told the waiter it was my birthday! (I then realized I made a comment in the online restaurant reservation letting them know it was my birthday, and they had made note of it.) About 5 minutes after Elliott's confession he wondered outloud why he hadn't thought more quickly and taken credit for the surprise which made me laugh (and still does). Here's a photo of dessert (after we had eaten the goodies, since I didn't think fast enough to take a picture before):

And here's one of us at the restaurant:

After dinner we went to see "O" by Cirque du Soleil, also at Bellagio (so we didn't have to walk far). When I booked the tickets I did what I normally do - looked for a deal. So I purchased balcony tickets. However, after mulling this over for a week (which is what makes me know that it is indeed bothering me) I called the box office and upgraded our seats to the orchestra section. Hey, I'm only going to see the show once, it's my birthday, and I had a little money set aside. So I splurged. And after the show Elliott and I agreed this was the right thing to do. In the future if we ever go see another show on the Strip, we will always splurge for orchestra seats.

From our incredible seats we sat amazed for an hour and a half. "O" is a water show, so the stage had an enormous swimming pool where performers would swim, dive, float, (and when a floor was raised) walk and dance. It was truly awe-inspiring! MANY times I gasped outloud and was too engrossed in the performance to remember to clap. There was always so much going on on-stage, in front of the stage, and in the wings it was confusing to know where to direct my attention. I quickly learned to keep my eye on the main performers, whether aerial acrobats or high-rise divers because I would get distracted by a dancer on stage and then miss the best parts! It was a true spectacle and we enjoyed ourselves immensely.

After the show we headed to a piano bar at the front of the casino to sit, have a drink, and people watch for awhile. We both like to people watch at casinos (you never know who you'll see or what the heck people will wear) so we enjoyed a little more relaxation. Then we went outside to take in a water show (always fun) and then we called it a night. I didn't want to overdo it, but quit while I was ahead (so to speak). We went home to a quiet house (cleaned too!) and our fantastic babysitter who said she would come back anytime (yeah!) So Elliott and I are already planning our next date night. I can't wait!

My 30th Birthday

Earth Day, Sarah's Birthday. A little ditty to help you remember next year. Ha ha! Yesterday I turned 30 and had an excellent day. For the most part it continued it's normal Wednesday schedule, starting with Music Makers class at 10am, where I whispered to my friend that it was my birthday. So she helped round up a few other moms and we hit CiCi's pizza buffet (why? kids can run around a bit, giving the mommies a break, and nobody seems to mind) where they sang happy birthday to me.

That evening we went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner, where Elliott and I both agreed that dining out now compared to Boston (when no kids were around) is SUCH a different experience. Now, every restaurant outing comes with a sense of urgency (are the kids going to meltdown in 5 minutes or 20?). Oh how times change! Anyway, it was all worth it when I got to eat my favorite CF meal: fried calamari to start, chicken madeira, and Godiva chocolate cheesecake (to-go!). All in all a great way to turn 30! Not to mention we still have a date night lined up for Saturday for some continuing birthday fun. Stay tuned!

What does Ava do in her spare time?

Ava loves, LOVES to line-up things. I don't know why, but why would I question her quiet time enjoyment? She also really likes to "fold" clothes, usually taking them from her dirty clothes hamper and laying them all out on the floor. Anyway, I thought you would enjoy seeing what I see every day.

Baby Levi Shatzer

My friend Lisa Shatzer came by this morning to drop off a birthday present for me and brought her new baby boy along, Levi Devin. Ava is such a good little mommy and loves babies. So she just ate up the chance to spend time with Levi.

WFMW: Another Use For a Shoe Organizer

Awhile back I added an over-the-door shoe organizer to the back of the girls' bedroom to round up all of the random things that seem to float around the changing table. I stash hair care items (hairbands, ribbons, hairclips, combs, brushes, detangler, spray water bottle), medicines (diaper rash cream, cortizone, Vaseline, Tylenol drops), and other personal grooming items (lotions, nail clippers, "nose blower", Q-tips) that I would like to have handy to use on the girls.

The best thing about using the organizer is that I put the items I don't want them to get into in the upper shoe compartments where the girls can't reach them and leave the bottom compartments open to put actual shoes in (or whatever else Ava feels like storing in them, like her Little People.)

For more Work For Me Wednesday ideas visit We Are THAT Family.

Growing Up

Ava has officially reached a new milestone - the "why?" phase. It started out innocently enough and now it has bloomed into a full-fledged obsession, with none of you answers being the correct one until you break down and say "because I said so".

Whatcha doing' mommy? I'm calling daddy. Why you calling daddy? Because I want to talk to him. Why you want to talk to him. Because I want to say hi. Why you want to say hi? Because I want to. Why you want to? ......... and it goes on and on.

Lily too has reached a milestone - standing up for herself against Ava. The other night Lily had gotten hold of a sippy cup and was enjoying a drink. Ava decided she wanted it and came over to try and take it. Lily held on for dear life, giving Ava a run for her money. When Ava finally wrestled it away you would've thought it was the end of the world for Lily. She rolled over onto her face and screamed bloody murder. And today I was wrestling the girls during a meeting of my Bible Study leaders and my friend Cheryl was entertaining Lily with her cell phone. Again, Ava decided that she wanted to look at it and came over to take it. Lily tried desperately to move away so Ava couldn't grab it, but to no avail. One of these days though, Lily will win.

Lily also tries to dodge Ava's "loving touch." When she sees Ava coming her way she tries to move; when Ava tries to hold her hand or give her a hug Lily sidles away or falls to the ground to avoid her. It is quite amusing to watch Lily come into her own and take measures to do what she wants (or doesn't want Ava to do).

Ava must be going through a growth spurt, as she has been sleeping very late in the mornings (one day I had to wake her up at 1pm). Honestly I am overjoyed to get the extra alone time with Lily or quiet time to myself if Lily has gone back down for a nap. She also frequently asks for "cuddles" and is becoming quite physically affectionate, also requesting big hugs and kisses. I suppose we are making up for some sort of lost time when she was a baby, as she was not at all a cuddler when she was younger (much to Elliott's dismay).

Happy Easter!

What have we been up to?

Three big things happened this past week. First, we got some of the front walk planted. Yeah! Elliott was a gem and helped me dig up the first half of the sidewalk last Sunday (I just had to recognize my limitations and asked for his help), so Monday I went and bought some good dirt and veggies/herbs - two tomato plants, basil and rosemary. (Not a great picture, but the plants are still little so you can't see them all too well anyway.) I want to also plant one green bean and one cucumber, but I can't find full grown plants for these right now and it's too late to start from seed. So I still have a couple of spots open. I saw some pea plants at Wal-Mart and I have also contemplated planting some peppers. So I am giving it another week while I wait to see what type of shipments the nurseries get in the next few days. I love how it looks and it is SO satisfying to have it done. I am not sure I have a green thumb or that I gave the plants enough room, good soil, enough sun, etc. So this is all experimental. Stay tuned!

Second, Lily got some of her back molar teeth in. Poor little girl is so miserable right now! She is extra, extra clingy with both Elliott and I and she is pretty whiny throughout the day. It is trying on me, but I keep trying to remind myself that she just doesn't feel good. She didn't have any sort of an appetite almost all of last week, but it has picked up a bit, thank heavens. She continues to turn into a "big girl" right before our eyes, much to Elliott's chagrin. She stopped crawling altogether last week, walking everywhere! She also claps her hands along with you and LOVES to play peek-a-boo. Here's a little video of her enjoying her favorite game:

And third - Ava's big accomplishment this week was (drumroll please...) - learning to open doors! We don't have the lever style door handles in our house, so she has had a difficult time in opening doors, which we have enjoyed. However, she figured it out this week, starting with the front door. Talk about making us nervous! I first discovered she knew this trick when Josh & Lizzie and family were leaving after Sunday family dinner last week and I heard Ava announce "I outside with Xander." When I got around the checking up on her, sure enough she had let herself out the front door and was hanging out on the sidewalk with Xander. Elliott discovered she knew how to open the door when one night she announced "I need to go see the moon" and proceeded to let herself out the front door. Even though it does make me nervous, I know she can't undo locks yet and definitely doesn't know how to undo the deadbolt, so Elliott and I just need to make sure we are diligent in keeping the front door locked.

Five Months Pregnant

I am notoriously bad at taking pregnancy photos (I think I only have a couple from each my last two pregnancies) but last night I was inspired by other girlfriends' pregnant belly photos. I certainly enjoy seeing their progress, so I thought I would share mine. Honestly, I hadn't realized how much I was showing until I put on this particular outfit yesterday (some of my clothes hide it better than others) but when I caught a glance at myself in a mirror last night I asked Elliott to take a picture to record the date. (And I must say, I am not looking too bad for an "end of day/kids have run me ragged today" picture.)

Easter Egg Hunt

The girls and I attend a weekly Music Makers class on Wednesdays. This Wednesday, instead of class, all of the children went to a local park for an Easter Egg Hunt. It was pretty windy but the temperature was warm. As Lily was too little to participate (even though I brought a basket for her) I decided to focus on helping Ava during the hunt. She didn't quite understand the concept, and even though she was happy to find the eggs, she just didn't get that once you found one egg you could keep looking for more. She would get fascinated with the egg she found, while I would run ahead and yell at her "I found one Ava! Come over here!". Then she would saunter over and we would do the whole routine again. In the end we got quite a few treats and she is now enjoying them as an after-nap snack.

Ava-isms

We are riding along in the van and Lily is chattering up a storm. Out of nowhere Ava says "Are you ser-ious??" I answer back (although I have no idea what she is referring to) "yes, I am." Ava says "No, I was talking to Lily! Lily, are you ser-ious?" as Lily continues to chatter away.

I came into Ava's room the other day to find her sorting clothes. She cried out "No mom, go lie down on the couch. Your tummy hurts!" I guess I have been using that excuse alot lately.

While Elliott was putting her to bed one night, I gave her hugs and kisses and went to fill up her sippy cup with ice water. When I came back to the room, she was playing on the ground with her toys. She looked up at me and said "I'm mad at you!". Just out of the blue! I know I should have been more offended but Elliott and I just tried to smother our laughs as it caught us so off guard. I don't how (or why) she came up with that.

Just now Elliott was trying to get out the door to go to a dentist appointment and Ava was hovering around the door making it difficult. I called to her from my seat on the couch "Come her Ava" and after Elliott shut the door she walked into the living room and said "What!?" I guess I have said that to her one too many times.

It's a Girl!

We were excited to find out at our Monday morning ultrasound that Kay baby #3 will be another girl. Three girls, three and under. Whew! Elliott was doing the math in his head last night and discovered that every year, from August to October the three girls will be exactly one year apart. And today at the park a mommy friend of mine figured out that they would also only be one year apart in school. Fun times ahead! We actually didn't have any girl names in mind Monday morning, but by Monday night I had a couple and when I mentioned one to Elliott he liked it too. So we are "trying it on for size" at the moment and waiting to see if anything else strikes us in the meantime. Any sugegstions?

Her face

Her feet

Her profile

Lily's First Birthday

Better late than never showing you some pictures right? Lily turned one year old on March 4 and (mainly due to our crazy work schedule and my overtired mommy brain) we celebrated a little bit at a time all week long. However, the main attraction of course was the birthday cake, which Lily ate by the fistful (literally!) Both girls had a great time with cake - and subsequently baths! - and giggled at each other the entire time. Happy birthday Lily!

And here's a little video too:

San Diego Trip - Part 2

Thursday we decided to focus on the girls (like we hadn’t been already?) by taking them to the Children’s Museum, which was within walking distance. Overall, I have to tell you I was underwhelmed. I think I was spoiled by the Museum of Science in Boston, which I love for kids, but Ava seemed to enjoy it. One of the favorite spots in the museum – for both girls – was an area where kids could build a building using big cushions. Boy did they LOVE it! Just like when they take the couch cushions off at home, they rolled and dived and bounced on the cushions and didn’t want to stop. Eventually I knew it was time to go grab some lunch before afternoon meltdowns started, so we decided to head down the street a bit towards Seaport Village. We stopped for lunch at Kansas City BBQ (which was OK, but not Kansas City-style BBQ) which was also a filming location for “Top Gun” (fun factoid for you), then headed down towards Seaport Village. We walked around a bit, letting Ava run wild on the boardwalk before settling on a little grassy knoll where the girls ran around, up and down the lawn, while we watched the boats go by.

After a time we headed back to the museum to let the girls play in the cushion section again (which was just as hard to get them to leave the second time around) before heading back to the condo. On the way we stopped at the local mall so I could pop into Gap Maternity (nothing exciting that day) and pick up some dinner for the girls at the food court. Back at the condo we got the girls fed and let them burn off some of their energy in the living room before getting them down for an earlier bedtime. Once again, I finagled their sleeping arrangements a bit (Lily in the bathroom, Ava in our bedroom) so that Elliott and I could stay up and enjoy some alone time in front of the TV with some carry-out sushi, which was such a relaxing night for us. And much needed.

The next morning was checkout and I was so proud that we were completely packed and the place was picked up before our 10am checkout time and before the bellman arrived to help us get all of our stuff down to the car. Although we had to leave the timeshare, we decided we didn’t have to be home until that night (to pick up Jack), so we headed to La Jolla to visit the Birch Aquarium. Ava had been requesting to see dolphins and sharks since we arrived in San Diego, so I hoped we would get to see either or both at the aquarium. It was a very nice facility and the girls got their share of sealife viewing. Although they didn’t have dolphins, we did see some sharks, which of course by then Ava could’ve cared less about. Oh well! I ran out of steam about half-way through the visit, so I wasn’t too upset when Ava burnt out fairly quickly too. I had heard about a beach in La Jolla (and confirmed it with a Guest Services volunteer) populated by sea lions, so we decided to head into town for one last vacation adventure before heading home. We easily located the beach and an empty park bench with a perfect view of the sea lions, where we enjoyed just sitting and looking at all of the moms and pups frolicking on the sand and surf. After awhile we walked into town and lunched at a little Mexican place before settling back in the van for the trip back to Las Vegas.

I got the girls all settled for a nice naptime on the highway, which they both took (yeah!). We hit some traffic trying to get out of San Diego, but the trip for the most part was uneventful. The worst moment came when Lily woke up with a raging fever (something she had been battling for the last couple of days) and was simply inconsolable for a time. I climbed in the back and tried my best to comfort her, but we finally got her calmed down after a gas station stop for a warm bottle of milk and some crackers. Ava was completely happy watching “Monsters Inc.” three times in a row (which Elliott in turn grew extremely tired of) and enjoyed viewing the Las Vegas Strip lights as we drove back into town.

All in all, it was a great trip and one which created lots of fantastic memories of and for our little girls.