Spring is (Finally) Here!!!

Hi! Its been a while since I have written anything..

Crazy-ness over here at our house!! Our home is looking more and more like a play area for kids (plastic kitchen set, numerous ride-along toys, playmat, puzzle pieces everywhere, books, dolls!! ah!) and our dining room is turning into a laundry room and our bedroom is just a place to sleep. Chris and I are ships passing in the night, working long hours and seeing eachother just long enough during the week to say hi and catch up briefly before its back to the daily grind again.
Equally as busy as her mom and dad is miss Ava Jade. She is learning and changing so much everyday it is hard to keep up, but keeping a blog helps me remember milestones:) I am going to bore you with a list of "milestones", feel free to scroll past!

*Ava can say hot, dog, cat, NO (all the time), Ava, down, up, cup, "meow","ruff ruff", Hello!, Good-Bye! (g'byyyyye), book, yes (yeth), elbow, eye, "UMMM, YA".
*She can answer questions accurately!

"Ava, what sound does a cat make?"..."meow!" (sounds like "meh-now")
and she can also answer/obey commands such as "can you get me a diaper please? or "please throw away your trash!" or "can you say hello?/goodbye?"
so smart!

she LOVES Barney and will watch Caillou sometimes. but 99% of the time Barney wins.
She is a great eater, not very picky. I have noticed some textures freak her out and she is not very interested in sauces (like ketchup).

Ava loves to say no. She says no verrry emphatically, she often YELLS it at us. I don't really understand where her aggression stems from most of the time..its just Ava, she just KNOWS what she wants and what she doesnt. She will YELL it at the top of her lungs. Not in a bad-little-girl way, she just yells NO or YA to make sure we heard her. if that makes sense? Her personality is very fiery and she goes from 0 to 60 in 5 seconds flat. She is the back archer, tantrum throwing kid in the grocery store. I am the mom kneeling on the ground trying to reason with a toddler and calm them down without losing my cool. We draw a crowd everywhere we go, if its because Ava is being so cute and social or she is being dramatic and naughty. Its always something. Ava loves (and gets) attention everywhere she goes. I think in the long run her ability to charm a crowd will serve her well. Unfortunately, my inability to effectively discipline her has not served me well (as the public outbursts have proven). I am working on it. Reading "Parenting with Love and Logic" and regularly consulting with Early development Waldorf educators. *fingers crossed* I am not one day confronted with a teenager who OWNS me. LOL. Thankfully, Ava is so responsive to my subtle cue's (glares, etc) that outbursts don't last but the wind down is equally stressful.

Besides the usual challenges of raising a toddler, Ava is a joy and we truly love watching her grow and learn. Chris and I feel really lucky to have such a vivacious and smart little girl. She constantly amazes us with her sense of humor, her sweetness and her overall curiosity in the world around her! She is brave and very independent already. Typical behavior in 19month olds is being very clingy to mom and shy around strangers and also beginning to be picky eaters. Ava is NONE of those whatsoever. She occasionally gets sad when I leave her at the house with someone and its around naptime... :'(

Chris is working at Naturex and is working extremely hard. he cannot wait to finish up his paperwork and physical for the National Guard. He has also lost an amazing 40 pounds(since october!), he is such a determined and disciplined person. I could never be so dedicated. I admire him so much!

I am working as an esthetician again (YAY) and recently got a serving job at Red Hawk Casino. I plan on going full time with esthetician stuff when Ava starts preschool. I want to have my own studio and make my own hours. Waitressing will give us enough extra income to hopefully get all the STUFF for the facial and waxing room.


So happy springtime is finally here and we can go outside and enjoy the parks and zoo's in folsom. Hopefully the 3 of us can go camping or fishing this summer.
My birthday is coming up and I am dying to go back to Bella Vista and swim in the pool and have a mini-vacation with my husband! I hope we can do that...we need a break!!

Until next time...au revoir!

<3 Amy