Up to date

Jeff has come and gone again. He had a week off but the time just flew by. It took him a couple of days to get over his jet lag and when he was all rested up I took my turn on some R & R. Jeff put me up in a hotel and let me have some quiet time all to myself. It was really nice not to have to take care of anyone but me... I spent the time dabbling in my lasted hobby, making hair bows.

Before I went to the hotel I hit up a fabric store for a variety of ribbons and that night I made about 30 little hair bows in no time flat. I love being crafty and creative. Jeff thinks I should try to sell them. If I buy the ribbon by the spool I can make each one for about 10 cents each but in the stores they sell for around $2. Maybe someday I'll go by a little kids store and see if they want to sell the bows I make.

After our days of rest we headed down to Granni and Grandads house on Thursday night. Friday we went to Moody Gardens to check out the dinosaur exhibit then we went to Palm Beach, and topped off the night with an IMAX movie on dinosaurs. It was a day of super fun. Ty really got into the dinosaurs and digging for fossils. He spent the next day in the backyard with gardening tools trying to dig up dino bones. Jeremy cleaned off a chicken bone and snuck it outside to granni, who was assisting with the dig. She secretly burried it in the dirt, you should have seen Ty's excitment when he found the "dino bone" in the ground.

Another note about Ty... he has gotten the idea that he has to say my name 1 gillion times a day. It's "mommy" this "mommy" that before he says ANYTHING and then during his statments he seems to throw in "mommy" another 5 times. I got to be honest with you folks this is driving me CRAZY! The other night I told him he could say "mommy" anymore for the night. So he started calling me April. But it only lasted for about 10 minutes then it was back to "mommy"

It's not just all in my head. When Jeff was home he laughed about how many times the kid calls out my name and seems to work itself into every 3 words Ty says. Its to the point of driving me crazy that this morning as he was talking to me and had already said my name for what seemed like 100 times that I said...hey why don't you watch some cartoons? Thinking that distracting him with tv would give my name a chance to rest...I was wrong. Instead he kept talking and wearing my name out as he explained and talked about the cartoons. So seriously any advice?

He hasn't always been so keen on using my name a trillion times a day. I did tell him that when its just me and him and there isn't anyone else he can just talk to me without calling my name out b/c I know that he is talking to me b/c their is no one else around. He got the concept, it's just that its so ingrained in his head now that does it as a reflex..."mommy...mommy sorry I said your name mommy." HELP!

Miss Ava is growing like a weed. She'll be 6 weeks old this Thursday. Time has flown by. She's getting better a holding her head up for longer periods and she's starting to spontaneously smile more...it think it's still just gas bubbles tickling her tummy. She really is a good baby. She still eats about every 4 hours and at night she'll go without eating for 6-7 hours. She's not on any kind of a schedule but typically she only wakes up once in the night around 3am. Her sleepy times are in the morning to early afternoon. Around early evening she is awake for a few hours before crashing for the night. I really can't complain she is a pretty easy baby. Her biggest thing is wanting to be held when she is awake. Since I bought a sling (the best baby invention) I just put her in that when she wants to be held and then carry on about my business.

In random news.. I have figured out the cause of my struggle and constant rash that I had off and on for 3 weeks. Apparently after having Ava I am now allergic to peanut butter. Random..yes! But apparently it happens, b/c of all the hormone changes...of all things my body decided to be allergic to peanuts (my one and only food allergy) why can't it be allergic to sea food for something that I hate. I'm not a huge fan for straight up peanuts but I love a ton of things make with peanut butter. For instance some of my favorite candy is peanut butter M&Ms, butterfingers, and reeses peanut butter cups. I guess it could be worse, thank goodness I'm not allergic to chocloate.

In other family news... I can announce some very exciting things happening to each of my siblings. My oldest sister Jennifer is PREGNANT with her second baby and due in mid February, perfect timing for a little Ava playmate. Christina (and her family) who is currently living all the way in Virgina, is moving here. Her husband Cory got the youth minister job at our church and they are moving HERE!!! His first offical day is September 9th. Ty is more then excited about living so close to his cousin Levi (and Titus...but mainly Levi). Levi is only 6 months older then Ty and these 2 LOVE each other. They only get to see each other a couple times a year. I am thrilled that Chris and I get to raise our kids together. They have been living far far away for WAY too ling. And then my little brother Doug... He and his wife got thier first job and they made the move to Texas as well. He and Jenn only live 30 minutes away from each other. Now my whole family lives in TEXAS! I see lots of weekend visits and getting together for all the fun stuff that we've been missing out on living so far away...like birthdays and nonmajor holidays:) Life is GoOd!

The pictures are from our week of rest and then our time at Moody Gardens. Jeff had the camera the 2 weeks he was in Australia so I have some picture taking to make up.

The pictures below are in random order. I wish I new how to move them around.

Some time this week I'll schedule another anel photo session before Ava gets any bigger.

***note all of Ava's cute bows, made by yours truely***

Taking care of business. Although the temperature gage read 104 yesterday the lawn had to be mowed. You can see the sweat pellets dripping off of Ty.

Ava's first trip to the beach (at Moody Gardens). She really didn't cry the whole time. At this point she was ready to eat I just wanted to snap a quick picture....she didn't agree. I think its a funny shot.
Eatting a little snack with grandad. I held out buying her a swimsuit (while I was pregnant) knowing I could get one on sale...I was so proud of my purchase $1.99 at the childrens place:) I love bargain shopping~
Ty getting burried in the sand
The kid loved the sand. He would lay down in it and just roll around until it stuck all over his body-YUCK!
Ty wanting to be just like his daddy


Ty trying to feed a baby dinosaur
This picture just cracks me up..I took it b/c it looks like they are all really into the exhibit and Jeff is teaching them a thing or two. But in reality Jeff is just pointing on a map where he was in Australia....all so interesting!
Me and Aunt Val:)
This was Ava's position for the majority of the day..she loved it, and slept like a baby!
My sling of salvation!

Aside from the fact that I look like I just woke up, this picture isn't half bad considering Ty took it.
This is the first pair of shoes I put on Ava. And I don't have much luck keeping them on b/c of Ty. He constantly takes off her shoes to play with her little toes. It's the worst in the car.
All decked out to go to the beach
At the dinosaur exhibit. Ava is in the sling I'm wearing.
Fearless.

These pictures are to display the intense and dramatic emotions Miss Ava can display in less then 30 seconds.. ***note her cute little pony tail. Yes, she has enough hair and its long enough to pull it back and put a bow in it***
No she is not intentionally smiling yet (although Jeff and Granni disagree with me)

This was a random, caught in the act smile just miliseconds before all havic broke loss and lead to the last picture.

This is a look I get alot...

I love sleeping photos...I just can't get enough of them