Happy 2nd Birthday to Ava

 I can't believe my baby is turning 2! Having Kate has made me especially aware of how fast time goes, and how fleeting our memories are. It makes me sad that I have a hard time remembering details of Ava as a newborn. But I love her so much and I know the memories we have created together have forged a bond that is so strong. She is such a sweet girl with a tender heart and I can't wait to watch her grow up!

She was such a hard baby to put to sleep when she was little, but she is a 

champion sleeper now!

She loves dressing up and all things girlie (sorry Erik!)

Probably one of her most favorite activities is to go outside. She requests to go outside every day when her dad gets home. She would be be outside all day every day if I let her. 

She still loves fruit :)

Her hair is so beautiful and curly and we can't get enough of it!

She talks non stop at home, but sticks to my leg like glue when we are around other people and is generally very quiet. She gets nervous easily when in large groups.

One of our favorite "traditions" is to get some crackers from the dollar section every time we go to Target. Now every time I mention going to the store, Ava says "crackers!"

She loved these cherry rain boots more than anything. May they rest in peace!

She talks about her little friends all the time, but really feels most comfortable around adults. A few friends (and relatives) have taken a particular interest in Ava (thank you!) and she RELISHES the attention.

Ava usually prefers talking to her friends over playing with them. Most other kids her age are at the exact opposite stage so we look forward to when she learns to play better and other kids want to talk more!

She loves her baby sister and is always excited when Kate has "open eyes" and when she can kiss her. She is a great helper, getting diapers and then throwing the old ones away.

We have discovered this year how much Ava loves water! The splash pads 

are a current favorite.

Ava is a sweet cuddle bug who knows the name of all her relatives and loves talking to them on the phone and the computer. We are excited to live closer to family so she can play with all her cousins more. 

Happy birthday, sweetie. We love you so much!

Chapstick

Ava has this thing for chapstick. It all started before she was one, and I have tried hard not to encourage it too much due to her daddy's hesitation that she become too girly too quickly. Finally though, Ava acquired her very own collection of chapsticks from her Grammie as an early birthday present. Boy was she in heaven! It was a fight to get her to put those down the first few days! Thankfully she has mellowed out quite a bit and can now play in moderation :) She LOVES putting them on her "yips" and will do it over and over and over. It is pretty cute. Now if only we can get her to keep from licking them! (can't hardly blame her though, as the flavors she got are all ice cream flavors and smell really good!) 

(and this one just because it's hilarious!)

my observant almost 2 year old

Ava has become quite observant these days. That, coupled with her expanding vocabulary and syntactic skills, has made for some pretty funny moments lately. She likes to label everything in the house ("Ava's shirt," "Dada's towel," "Kate's paci" etc),  

repeat the most embarrassing phrases ("stinky diaper!" and "poop" which was said over and over loudly while in a public restroom),

and the phrases that get the best reactions from us ("Mama awesome! Dada awesome!", "Uh...No like it!"). 

But perhaps my favorite from this last week was something she said after pointing to my face, "Mama tired." Yes dear, Mama is tired!

Daddy's girl

Blueberry Picking

My parents visiting + our last couple weeks in Boston necessitated a few adventures this last week, 2 week old baby or not! One fun day included another trip berry picking, as requested by Gramps. Blueberries were in season and we took full advantage! Ava, true to form, loved every minute of it. She did a great job picking the berries off the bushes (or are they trees?) and putting them in the bucket. However, that hand would promptly be back in the bucket, eating every last one. That's okay though, we came home with more than we know what to do with (almost 5 lbs)!

so excited!

Kate's excited about second hand blueberries :)

Ava giving "loves"...a near constant occurrence at the moment

Kate's eyes and hair are getting lighter by the day!

Ava loves her Aunt Andrea!

First Two and a Half Weeks

With the help of "Grammie" we survived our first two weeks as parents of two! Grammie just left so we may not fare as well the next two, but here are a few pictures from the first two weeks of Kate's life with us.

Wondering how Ava did during those first few weeks? Let me show you...

I think she will survive :)