Looking for a Cure..

...to TODDLER BOREDOM!

Okay all of you out there - I need some serious help coming up with ideas to help entertain my 18 month-old. She's been on this Little Mermaid kick where she wants to watch it 1, 2 or even 3 times a day. I say yes to 1 time on most days, sometimes yes to 2 times, (when I'm enjoying getting project time - though feeling guilty about it) but no to 3 times. Of course, Mommy gets a little bored sometimes too. So - needless to say, we could use some fresh ideas.

If only she had a twin to play with! (right, Anne Marie?)

How do you keep an 18-month old, with no siblings, happy and entertained? Generic and Original ideas welcome!

Lobster or Chicken Fingers?

Tonight we went out to eat to celebrate Chris' new job. We went to McCormick & Schmick's on the plaza for some seafood. We had once eaten at a McCormick & Schmik's in Baltimore for Christmas dinner with Chris' family and loved it. We were really disappointed this time because they didn't have the Maryland-style crabcakes that Chris loves and I have grown to love. I guess you just have to be in Maryland to get the real things. (Actually, we've found that we can make some pretty mean crabcakes using the lump crab we can buy at Costco - guess we'll be doing that soon.)

Needless to say, we did have a nice dinner. Chris had lobster & scallops, I had salmon & caesar salad, Ava had chicken fingers and french fries. I think we covered the spectrum. Oh and we also had some yummy chocolate cake.

Holiday Spirit

Okay - it's got me - the holiday bug. I'm sure a lot of my feelings of holiday happiness are brought on from the commerial aspect of Christmas and Thanksgiving, but in general I just love this time of year. I'm also feeling very blessed right now. Heavenly Father has blessed us with so many great things - I can't help but feel gratitude. I'm also realizing how important it is to give back and to find ways to help others. We were at the grocery store just last night and Chris overheard a family talking about how expensive their Thanksgiving dinner was going to be and somewhat worried over whether they'd be able to afford it. It just reminds you that there are always people who are in need in ways that maybe we aren't.

I plan to and encourage all of you to try to do something different or more this season to bless the lives of others! I hope to not just stop there but to continue trying to share the blessings.

I'd love to hear how you serve or give back to others and/or the community.

What a Mess

I don't have much exciting to write about. I've been working on collecting fabrics and just finished the top to an I-spy quilt. (Thanks for the new addiction, Camie! I'll add that to my list of addictions, which include: scrapbooking, food, email, web/blog-surfing, various TV shows, shopping, speeding, etc.)

Needless to say, my house is a disaster area. It's too hard to manage all of the "other stuff", when you're immersed in a project. It's too bad we can't just spend all of our time doing the things we want to do. I'm still praying for a cleaning fairy.

The Little Mermaid & the Hospital

Ava's new obsession is for the Little Mermaid. She wants to watch the DVD all the time, listen to the music CD in the car, play with her mermaid doll (Okay, so we got her the doll which means we're slightly encouraging this obsession) and she even wants to sing the part where the mermaid sings, "Ah, ah, ah, ah.....ah...ah...ah...ah..." If you've seen it you'll know what I'm talking about. The other morning she woke up for a few minutes, starting singing this and then went back to sleep. :)

Where does the HOSPITAL part come in? Well, it has nothing to do with the mermaid. Chris just accepted a new job at LMH in town. We're very excited about it. He will no longer have a long commute, will be compensated much better, and will have better opportunities for the future. YAY, Chris! It will be so nice to have him close to home. Ava and I can go and see him and eat hospital cafeteria food for lunch, "YUMM-O". (thank you Rachel Ray for the tasty word).

Had a Sono Today

Well, we had a sonogram today and it looks like it's going to be a GIRL! The tech said she was pretty sure and that we'd check it again at my next sono - but added that she'd be surprised if it were a boy.

Our Little Monster (Monis)

Our little girl dressed up as ELMO this year. She absolutely LOVES Elmo so we had to do it. FYI: She's Our Little "Monis" because that is how she says monster...ie, cookie monis or just monis for cookie monster.

We went to our ward's Trunk-or-Treat. Other than the fact that it was cold, I think Ava had a good time.
Give me some candy! She kept taking her "hood" off so we had to be quick to snap some shots with it on. The nice thing was that almost all of my family was at the trunk-or-treat, so we could all congregate together.
A car nearby was playing Halloween music. All of the sudden, Ava just started busting a move. Some of us circled around her and just watched her boogy to the music. She kept going back for more too. So cute! I love how uninhibited she is.

Here's Ava looking at herself in the mirror at Grandma & Grandpas. (We all headed over there after the trunk-or-treat.)
Family Shot...Chris had been wearing devil horns earlier but opted to take them off (well, not figuratively of course ;). I was a cat, cliche I know but super easy when you already have the headband and like wearing black.