Snow Day

As a tribute post to the snow we were SUPPOSED to get thise past weekend but DIDN'T. (They were projecting AT LEAST 6-12 inches...we got NOTHING to about a sneezes-worth.) I was okay with it because we had planned Elise's party for the weekend. Chris was pretty disappointed. We just don't get anything close to what he got growing up back East in NH.

A few weeks ago we had a decent snow, just a few inches, but enough to be worth it to get bundled up and toss a bit around. Chris agreed to take the kids out while I stayed inside, resting a sore back. I didn't feel too bad, he grew up with lots and lots of the white stuff. We really haven't had much snow this year.

Elise

Ava made a snow angel...can you see it??


So then Daddy helped Elise make one too. I did bare the cold (coatless because I'm lazy), to take a few pictures to document the moment of course.
They had lots of fun and had hot chocolate when they came in - which for them was more like lukewarm chocolate milk - but Ava said, "This is delicious!"

Daddy

Ava

Elise Turns 2!

YOU ARE SO LOVED! Happy 2nd Birthday, Elise!!!

Ava Rides!

We finally got Ava her long-awaited bike and we finally had a nice day (a few weeks ago) to take it for a spin around the neighborhood.

We ended up riding a few block to the park with some friends.

Ava was very excited to ride it - to put it on the pavement for the first time and also thought it was fun to wear her helmet.

We forgot to tell her how to stop (or at least forgot to remind her). No she didn't crash but she used her shoes to stop herself...good thing she was wearing old crocs.

It was so cute as Ava was riding she kept saying after a hard part, "I did it!" "look at me, I'm riding my bike!" "I think I can, I think I can...I did it!" It's so fun to see her so proud of herself.

Daddy met up with us after work and walked Ava home so he could see her riding her bike. I drove Chris' car home...don't call the police, but I let Elise ride in the backseat...I swear it's only a couple of blocks.
She looked so little but so much like a big girl sitting in the back seat...I had to take her picture while we waited for Daddy and Ava to get home.
After a few shots, she put her hand out and said, "No, Mommy", and then gave me her "straight" face. That reminds me -when I was a student teacher, my supervising teacher (2nd grade) would give kids a happy face, a straight face, or a sad face, depending upon their behavior for that part of the day. I guess I got a straight face from Elise...I better shape up. Anyway, we love living so close to a park and a big field and cousins and friends!

Big Girl Hair

Thanks for all of the comments and emails about the previous post...onto something else...ELISE. A few weeks ago I combed enough hair together to give Elise a pontytail. Funny how she let me give her a ponytail but then ran away when I wanted to take her picture. Just thought these were cute.

Feedback Wanted

Hey guys,
I'm excited to share with you what I've been working on lately. I'm doing a soft "launch" if you will and would love your feedback, suggestions, ideas, critiques, whatever you want to call it - on my new photography blog. My sister Heidi, aka my "graphic designer" created my logo and blog header. I'm still working out some details and am still building my portfolio - but here's what I have so far. I'd love for you to come back and tell me what you think!

http://www.lorigeorgephotography.blogspot.com/

eventually, I plan to do a real website - but for now this is where I'm at.

Thanks, Cherie

For the Pay it Forward Challenge, Cherie made me this blog design. I loved the one my sister Heidi had done for me (I call her my graphic designer) but I was thinking I was ready for a change...so I guess this came at the perfect time. Turns out she even used a picture from this post to make the borders...pretty clever Trevor!
Thanks, Cherie!

Knock-Knock Jokes

Lately our girls have been into telling knock-knock jokes. Ava does okay with mixing them up and being a little more creative. Elise, with her limited vocabulary always tells the same one.

Elise: Mommy/Daddy, Knock-Knock
M/D: Who's There?
Elise: anana (banana)
M/D: Banana Who?
Elise: eat
M/D/Elise: ha ha ha ha

Always, Always the same joke from Elise. I think she started telling the banana one because of the banana, banana, banana, orange - orange you glad I didn't say banana joke.

Then, there's Ava, who takes a few risks. Here's one she said the other day that made me hold my breath in anticipation of what exactly she was going to say.

Ava: Elise, Knock-Knock
Elise: (Who's There?)
Ava: Jesus Christ
Elise? (Jesus Christ Who?)
Ava: Jesus Christ, Amen (which is what we say at the end of our prayers)

Speaking of Jesus' name and other things - I've been kind of teasing Chris about having another baby and getting the kids to talk about it too. We hadn't said anything for a few days then on Sunday I was in my closet getting ready for church and Ava says:
Ava: Mommy, I said a prayer
Mommy: Good, what did you say?
Ava: I said, Jesus Christ can we please have another baby...and Daddy wants another girl. (It was particularly funny because she said the first part almost in a huff - which I know she wasn't intendening - it just came out that way.

And no, this is not my way of telling everyone I'm pregnant or that I'm going to be any time soon. I just like to make Chris sweat a little. :)

Okay then...

So, since I couldn't wrangle 3 people (I guess I'll go eat worms...:o(.......)to do the Pay It Forward Challenge, I'm going to just pick third person in the next few weeks that I want to make something for - with no strings attached.
So, in the next while I'll be making something for Heidi, GR, and another someone special.

Pay It Forward Challenge

My friend Cherie posted a Pay It Foward Challenge on her blog and I thought it sounded like a nice idea because, 1. Giving/Service is a feel-good thing, 2. I love to make stuff and 3. I love to make stuff. ;)
The first three people to comment on this blog post will receive something handmade by me within a year (although I will try to be much faster that that). The catch is that you have to do the same...make a post on your blog about this challenge and also make something for three people. And of course there is a risk that you won't like what I make although I try really hard not to do "ugly".

Any takers?
(As of now, I still have one more open slot!! CJ doesn't count because she's already making something for me)

Ava + Scissors = BANGS!

A little over a week ago, Ava asked if she could use some scissors to cut some stuff. Ava has been using safety scissors for several months now and we've never had a problem. She was not supervised as she was cutting what I thought was pictures from a magazine. After that, we went on with our afternoon and I didn't notice anything unusual. When Chris got home from work a couple hours later he said, "Why is there a chunk of hair on the floor by the trash can?" "What?!", I said. We then started interrogating Ava about whether or not she cut her hair, how much hair she cut and why we don't cut our hair. I told her that if she cut her hair again we'd have to cut it all off, leaving her with boy hair. She ran away when I said that. Chris and I privately shared a few laughs about it and realized that it could've been worse...it could've been a lot more hair that she cut (there was more hair in the trash can we found) or she could've taken the scissors to her sisters hair. (Luckily for Elise, she was taking her nap).

We had been planning on taking Ava for her first haircut and were now going to have to do it...so we took her to get her first haircut last Saturday (ok, technically it's the 2nd haircut, right?).

We have this awesome beauty school/cosmetology academy in town that I like to go to because then when I get my hair highlighted/lowlighted, etc. it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Their haircuts are only $7 and I swear they do a good job. For instance I recently got my hair cut and highlighted/lowlighted and it was almost $50. It would've easily been double that at a salon - I just can't justify spending that! So anyway, that's where we took Ava.
The morning of Ava's haircut she told me she didn't want to go. I think she was just a little scared so we talked her through it and bribed her with a doughnut...with sprinkles.

Here's the BEFORE picture...you can see that she gave her self bangs but missed some. It could've been so much worse....so I thank my lucky stars...

Ava would either have a blank expression or she would have a little smirk on herself as she was looking into the mirror at herself, trying not to smile too too big, although we're pretty sure she was enjoying herself.


And the AFTER picture. Not a whole lot different really...a couple inches off and some side bangs.

A "Good Mom" Day

Today is one of those days where I feel like a good mom. (A bit sappy - but it's really for me not for you anyway, right?)
Just about every morning, Ava will wake up and come crawl in bed with me. Sometimes it before Daddy leaves for work, sometimes not. Today was a "not" day. We snuggled until Elise woke up. I went and got her and then put her in bed with Ava while I started my "routine". While getting ready for the day, I look into the bedroom and see my sweet little girls, snuggled together, sharing a pillow in the barely lit room, watching a cartoon. After a while, we got up and dressed pretty uneventfully and I kept my cool even when Ava, who wasn't ready to go potty and get changed said in a defeated, tired way, "I don't want to do anything you tell me to do today." To this I responded, "I know...it's hard...I'll help you...do you want to go to the library?" We ran an errand, ate breakfast in the car - bananas and whole wheat bread...(it's amazing how much more appealing whole wheat bread is when you give it to them in the car, taking it out of the zip-loc bag as if it's something really special), and then headed off to the library for story hour and lots of time to check out and read books. I even got them a few videos even though I knew they'd be scratched up...just because...the library is the only place, that I've found, where kids can go and get whatever they want pretty much. At one point during the morning, when walking into a building, Ava says, "what a nice day. It feels fresh."
After the library we went and saw Daddy at work for a minute so they could say hi. Then, we went home and had a healthy lunch. Nap time came next. Elise acted like she was going to take a nap but then had a stinky diaper and didn't want a nap anymore. During the half-hour Elise was "pretending" to nap, I read my big girl about 5 or 6 books from the library. Elise didn't want to nap so -No big deal - let's watch a movie (one of the 3 from the library that wasn't scratched).
After movie, we went over to a friends to play and then walked/rode to the park. Ava got to ride her brand new bike for it's inaugural ride to the park. (pics later). I took some time in the beginning to teach her how to stop without using her feet, making her practice a few times to make sure she had it. I stayed close but also gave her room to try it out on her own and offered bits of encouragement along the way. She was going up a relatively steep hill and I said "I think I can, I think I can". So then I hear her whispering that under her breath on the next hill. Along the way, Ava said things like, "Look at me! I'm riding my bike all by myself!" and my favorite - "I'm so proud of myself!" :) We played at the park with friends for a long time and had lots of fun. A couple of times Elise got hurt and wanted her mommy...even after Daddy tried to comfort her. I don't want Chris to feel bad, but it just melts my heart when my girls want their mommy.
I made a healthy dinner (although the recipe wasn't that great). After dinner, we played a bit and then I helped Ava read a book! What a rewarding experience! -- and I'm a teacher by trade. She's known her letters for a long time and knows all of the letter sounds now. So today at the library I picked out some first reader books..."Mat sat. Mat has a hat. Sam sat. Sam sat on Mat (yes it said that)." She sounded out the words and figured out the words with very very little help. I'm so excited to keep teaching her how to read.
With no naps, the girls went right to sleep at bedtime after a few stories, prayers and hugs and a few tickles.
This may sound like a fairly normal day for all of you well-balanced, patient, saintly mothers...but for me, it was just so peaceful and nice.
Motherhood is underrated. (Stay tuned: tomorrow I'll be eating my words)

A few other things...

A few other things we've been up to: (This is my 2nd post tonight - be sure to read below)

Jan. 27th - my actual birthday - Kelly babysat while Chris and I went out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory (trendy, I know, but good). We both got the same dinner and it was so yummy! It was a basil angel hair pasta with breaded chicken with prosciutto, and a creamy sauce, topped with baby arugula and an acidic, maybe citrusy, dressing. We each only ate half and totally enjoyed our leftovers the next day. For dessert, I had the raspberry truffle cheesecake, also having leftovers the next day. It was nice to get away. We almost didn't make it because our van's battery had died (found this out the morning of my birthday when rushing to get Ava to her preschool). That Sunday, Ava had rolled her window down just as I was turning the ignition off. By this time I was on the other side of the car getting the girls out so I just reached across with the key to turn it on enough to roll it back up. I forgot to take the key out. Anyway, Chris tried and tried for over an hour to jump start it but it wouldn't start. We ended up just taking his car and charged it overnight with my dad's battery charger. Luckily, it started right up.

Elise: Several days ago in the middle of our bedtime routine, I was having Ava got potty before bed. Elise says, "me too!" and sits down, still clothed, on the little potty chair step stool combo we have in the bathroom. I thought, "why not? I have to change her diaper anyway - I'll just let her sit there while she and Ava brush their teeth." They finished brushing their teeth and Ava was all done, so I said, "okay, girls - come on - time for bed...Come on, Elise." Elise then says, "I see potty." So I said, "okay," letting her look at the potty chair, thinking she just wanted to see what she had been sitting on. And lo and behold! What do I see, pee-pee staring back at me! I was in total shock. Elise has expressed zero interest in potty training and isn't even 2 and I'm still recovering from Ava potty-training. Anyway, we celebrated with lots of "you did its!" and "hoorays!" She kept saying "I did it!" and was very proud of herself. I think I heard her even talking about potty while lying in bed after lights out. Since then, I've asked her at bedtime if she's wanted to go potty and she's responded with a firm, "NO." No rush!

Last weekend we saw in the paper that the local 4-H was hosting a dog agility competition and that it was open to the public. We thought the girls would enjoy seeing some doggies, so we decided to check it out. It was fun to see. They had a side for the large breeds and then for the small ones. My pictures aren't very good because I couldn't use flash, which I learned the hard way when a judge came over (I swear I had only taken 1 or 2 pics and was realizing that it probably wasn't a good idea - DUH! - what was I thinking?). Oops! Dummy with a camera alert!

That's about it for now.

Flipping Birds

Chris saw an article in the newspaper about Robin migration and how there were thousands of them roosting (or whatever birds do) on the west side of town. We thought we'd drive down and check them out. Can you believe how many birds were in the sky? Keep in mind that I couldn't by any means capture them all and that they kept coming and coming (and I suppose some were going). Ava and Elise enjoyed themselves.

Click on this one to enlarge and see just what I'm talking about!


Notice Ava's black eye. It actually was looking better than before. Poor girl bonked her eye at the park one warm Saturday slipping as she was climbing a metal ladder. She barely cried, was brave, even though I knew it hurt. Then, the next week she and her cousin Kate ran into each other at another park, this time one closer to home. Kate's temple bonked the exact same spot of her previous black-eye, a purple bruise emerging immediately after contact. Ava screamed and cried this time. We all knew it hurt real bad. I held her and tried to comfort her but the bruise was swelling and I knew ice would be best. Since we were close to home and my sister and law and my sister were there to watch Elise, I decided to run Ava the 1 1/2 blocks home to get ice. Ava was still crying. Then, I told her, just this once, that she could ride in the front seat. She was soooooo excited to be doing this that she kind of forgot about her eye and gave a little smirk, looking at me as she was sitting in the passenger seat, myself in the driver's seat. I smiled at her and gave her permission to laugh, which she did in her silly, I'm so excited, laugh. Got the ice. She did cry a little more after that and would sometimes say her eye hurt. I even put make-up on her twice when I didn't want people to wonder. (For those of you thinking that I'm a bad mom for letting her ride in the front seat...you're probably right. ;) - We were really careful and seriously a stones-throw from the park.) Anyway, this was a few weeks ago and she no longer looks abused I'm happy to report.

A W.T. moment: We went to Wal-mart I believe the day after it had happened. Chris and I had spent the day cleaning. We went to vacuum out our car so I figured I'd wait to shower. Then, we decided to just quickly run into Wal-mart - no big deal, right. Elise's everyday shoes were being washed or were too small, so I had hastily put her white patent leather church shoes on her (I think she was wearing something close to sweats), Ava had a black eye, I was showerless and basically make-up less. Then, I go in the bathroom and realize my hair, which was pulled back, was totally sticking out everywhere. To top it off, the kids starting getting really whiny and fussy and of course I ran into at least one person I knew. I then swallowed my pride officially.

(Update: Elise now has a new pair of tennis shoes which she apparently thinks are bouncing shoes because that's her favorite thing to do in them.)

What is up?

I've received a few facebook invites over the past several months and have finally decided to try it because it seems like EVERYONE and their mom, and in my case, my dad are on facebook. What's the deal??? So far it feels like trying to find as many friends as you can. It's a little overwhelming. Thoughts on facebook anyone?? Also, what is facebook etiquette? How well should you know someone before invite them to be a "friend"? This is all very new to me...yikes.

101 Things...

I know this is a long list, but I found this book the other day called, "101 Things Every Kid Should Do Growing Up" by Alecia T. Devantier. At first I was sad thinking about how quickly my girls are growing up and will continue to grow up and how it's hard to get everything in that you always dream of doing. It felt good as I read to see that we have already done a lot of the things. Anyway, here is a pretty great list of things to get you started. In the book it goes into more detail and gives more ideas on how to accomplish each of these thing of course. (Keep in mind the book says that these things should preferrably be done ages 3-12 - whew! that gives me some time).

1. Do something to make the world a better place
2. Believe in things that can't be seen
3. Go outside at dush and stay there until it's dark, watching the stars come out
4. Camp in the backyard
5. Play in the bathtub until her skin wrinkles
6. Play with play dough
7. Receive notes of support, encouragement, or "just because"
8. Catch snowflakes on her tongue and eyelashes
9. Write a thank-you note of gratitude to a relative or teacher
10. Own one really fun piece of clothing
11. Turn off the television for a weekend
12. Eat homemade ice cream on a hot summer day
13. Help create a scrapbook of her childhood memories
14. Go to a museum
15. Build a gingerbread house and then get to eat it
16. Spit watermelon seeds
17. Do a "senior study"
18. Receive praise for who she is and what she has accomplished
19. Haev a favorite book or bedtime story
20. Take a nighttime hike by the light of the moon
21. Receive an award
22. Make a special homemade present for Mom or Dad, Grandma or Grandpa
23. Express creativity
24. Learn how to swim
25. Go for a ride in a small airplane
26. Experiment with simple science projects
27. Take music lessons
28. Help bake a cake from scratch adn then lick the frosting bowl
29. Grow a vegetable garden
30. Blow a bubble gum bubble until it pops
31. Experience a family car trip
32. See a classic movie on the big screen
33. Go to a parade
34. Write in a journal
35. Creative a holiday keepsake
36. Participate in a "-thon"
37. Possess a soft, cuddly stuffed animal, that she is never forced to give up becaues she's "too old"
38. Have a collection
39. Attend a live performance
40. Let a fuzzy caterpillar crawl up her arm, and then watch that caterpillar turn into a butterfly
41. Create a self-portrait
42. Build a sand castle in the summer and a snow fort in the winter
43. Go on a factory tour
44. Decorate the driveway
45. Write a "memory letter" each year
46. Explore other cultures
47. Play dress-up
48. Eat green eggs
49. Ride a horse
50. Have a treasure box
51. Spend some time on a farm, even for a short visit
52. Be allowed the freedom to make choices, decisions, and mistakes
53. Go to a fair, carnival, or amusement park
54. Visit the place(s) where Mom and Dad grew up
55. Get dressed up and go to a fancy dinner or restaurant
56. Create a board game
57. Have one outstanding teacher
58. Write a letter to a favorite actor, athlete or hero
59. Have a pet
60. Have a hobby
61. Decorate her room according to the theme of her choice
62. Take a trip to Washington, D.C.
63. Have a secret hideout
64. Play classic games
65. Run a lemonade stand
66. Mark birthdays with a celebration
67. Clown around
68. Go to a family reunion
69. Make a pizza
70. Learn to appreciate the different abilities of people
71. Be taken for a "pajama ride"
72. Have a "get better" box
73. Blow soap bubbles
74. Spend some time alone with each parent
75. Build a model
76. Go on a scavenger hunt
77. Go to a baseball game with Grandpa
78. Play with her food
79. See Mom or Dad laugh
80. Make caramel apples
81. Publish a book
82. Have a best friend
83. Experience the feelings of love, safety, and security
84. Participate in an extracurricular activity
85. Have a pen pal
86. Have a personal library card
87. Enjoy lazy summer days
88. Experience the ocean
89. Be given a camera to take pictures, and the freedom to take whatever pictures she wants to take
90. Produce a video
91. Experience the mystery of magic
92. Go to a summer camp
93. Make a meal for the family
94. Do chores around the house without being paid
95. Spend time alone
96. Have an adventure
97. Experience the beauty of nature
98. Learn about the family's history
99. Learn the value of money
100. Have the opportunity to act like a kid
101. Have a dream for the future and an adult who believes in that dream

Bday Volleyball

You may not know this about me but I LOVE playing sports. I don't know if it's because I grew up with two older brothers, because I'm tall or what but if I could play every day I would! I played a little bit of basketball in HS and always wished I would've gone out for volleyball. For my 30th bday I thought why not get some friends and family together to play? So that's what we did. We played, visited and had some cake. I had a blast! I was pretty sore the next day from all of the jumping. My favorite place is right by the net so I did a lot of the jumping. Here are a few pics - but we didn't get the camera out until some people had already left but you get the idea. Thank you to Liz for babysitting.

Blah, blah, blah

I'm desperately trying to get rid of the winter blahs! I'm afraid I've come down with a nice case of them. It's cold, I don't want to go anywhere, I don't even want to shower because my bathroom is sooo cold, don't want to do much exercising, haven't touched a craft or project in ages, and I'm pretty content just wasting time snuggling up and watching television or reading magazines. The winter blahs on top of some health stuff I'm dealing with right now that has left me feeling sick here and there aren't a super combination. ARRGHH!
All is not blah however. There are lots of good things to be happy about too...just need to find some more winter blahs cures...got any?
I did work on cleaning out my neglected closet which is full of my craft and project stuff today - so that is a good thing.

My 30th

I'm 30 today. I don't really feel old - I don't think 30 is that old but it does mark a significant age. I guess my last significant number birthday was when I turned 18. My goal this year is to simplify and to enjoy & appreciate my family even more. -- oh, and to spend more time with my husband sans kids. Tonight, my sister Kelly is babysitting and we're going out.

My first birthday card this year was from Chicken of the Sea. It came in the mail a couple of weeks ago and gave me a good laugh. It even has a 25 cent coupon on the back. How thoughtful. ;)

2 Simple Projects

This fall I started to decorate my bedroom a bit. I wanted a sewing/craft desk to have in my room. I totally scored this desk at a garage sale for $15! Of course, it didn't quite look like this. I should've taken a before pic...but it was an unattractive light brownish wood color. Light sanding, some semi-gloss antique white paint, and some black hammered metal spray paint for the handles did the trick. You might laugh - but I was so obsessed with finding a desk for a good price that I added it to one of my prayers...and what do you know? I love finding gool deals and I love repurposing things.

My sewing corner. Another great deal is the hanging pocket thing on the wall. I found it 80% off at Hobby Lobby. I guess it was made to be a garden tool organizer but I saw it another way.

Here's a fairly easy project. I dreamed of painting a beautiful picture for above my bed but it just never happened -- maybe one day. So, I bought a large canvas (with my 40% off Hobby Lobby coupon) and covered it with decorator fabric I bought on sale. Just stretch and staple it the back and there you have it. You can't tell from the picture, but in order to make it go better with my blue bedspread I went in and colored the already light blue dots and darker blue with colored pencil.

I still have fabrics for pillows on my bed to tie everything together...but this was a start. My room has a kind of a blue, chocolate brown color scheme with black and off-white accents. A work in progress but much better than the original (of course I should be including a before pic but oh well.)