Our Weekend

We had a really nice weekend. We started the weekend, with no plans and ended up visiting with friends and family this weekend.

Friday night was our usual, pizza night, baths, crying, no sleeping, and all around fun.

We decided that we wanted to get some house cleaning done and some things checked off our to do list. (There have been things on the to-do list for months now!). Mike's sister sent us a text Friday night of getting together on Saturday afternoon with Troy and his daughter, Kailee. So, I knew I had to get my errands done first thing Saturday morning. Mike decided to clean out the garage, empty his emergency water containers and make Ava a pirate ship. I do have to admit, he did a great job. Ava loved it.(It has already lost it's excitement, but it is still fun).

Noah even got in on the action

I also ran to Ikea to finally get a bookshelf/toy holder for Ava's room. I have been wanting to do this since we put the changing table in Noah's room.

 Ava wanted to help put it together. She was in all the tools as Mike was putting it together. Then she put Bobo and all her animals on it.

All set up in her room. The last thing that needs to be done, is a shelf above it and some pictures.

Ava has been a big helper too. She helps put the silverware away. She LOVES to do it.

Sunday was going to be a lazy day. We were pretty tired from 3 days of no sleep. (As I mentioned, Ava has been waking up 4-6 times a night. It is like having a newborn again)

Our friends sent us a text in the early am that they were having a last minute pool party. So, that was our plan for the afternoon. We checked a couple more things off the to-do list and headed over to a pool party for the afternoon. 

It was a great weekend. Hope you all had a great weekend too!

The Games We Play

Both the kids and I have been playing some fun games with each other and around the house.

Ava.

We play this game where she says "I'm looking for something (insert a color)." Then I look around the room and find something that color. Then I ask her.

We use our couch cushions and make playgrounds (slides) and obstacle courses.

We have been putting music on and dancing together a lot.

Noah.

Noah likes to mimic the noises I make. So if i make a grunt, he grunts back.

If I shake my head, Noah will shake his head.

He loves to "sing" when we play music for Ava and I to dance to.

Noah likes to try to pull Ava's paci out of her mouth when she gets up from her nap. Ava thinks it's funny until he actually gets it and then she gets grumpy.

Lately

Lately, I have been blogging in my head more than I have online.

Lately, Ava is waking up 3-5 times a night. If you would have told me when Noah was a month or two months old that we would not be sleeping at night because of Ava and not Noah, I would have laughed in your face!! Not sure what is going on? Sometimes she has to go pee-pee (or is manipulating us to come in) or she hears a noise or just wakes up and cries. Time to pull out my Toddler books to see what to do. Mike and I are beyond tired and starting to lose our patience.

Lately, both our kids think it is appropriate to wake up in the 4 o'clock am hour! (What is that all about?!?)

Lately, I can't sleep. Probably because I am always thinking I hear one of the kids waking up. (Actually, Noah does wake up at night and will babble for about 4 minutes and then go back to sleep and I usually hear him even though I have my monitor on as low as it can go).

Lately, Ava thinks its fun to sit in her high chair.

Lately, I have realized that my work is never done. I feel like there is always laundry to do, a house to clean, kids to play with, errands to run. I thought I would have more time to do all this, but with 2 kids and nap schedules to stick to, it is hard to get anything done.

Lately, Ava has been testing her limits and spending more time in timeout than ever. Some mornings she can clock 3-4 times in timeout before 8am.

Lately, I don't know what day it is.

Lately,  I have been getting excited about the holidays. I know it is a ways away, but I have already started my list.

Lately,  I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO over this heat. I know that we have at least another month before the mornings and evenings cool off, but come on already. We are cooped up in this house ALL day. It is just to hot sometimes to even run errands.

Lately, I am ready for fall clothes.(Not just for me, but for the kids too) I went to Carter's yesterday and got a head start on the kids fall clothes. Neither of them really have anything. I always say I am not going to pre-buy, because they always grow out of it. I am not sure what size they will be in. I bought Noah some 12 months long sleeves and pants, but am now thinking it might be too small or he will only be able to wear once or twice. So I am not washing until they need to wear them. I bought Ava some 4T shirts and am again wondering if they will shrink. She won't grow as fast as Noah over the next 2 months, so she might be ok.

Lately, I feel so lucky for these two kiddos....

Ava is 2 1/2 years old!

Ava,

You are 2 1/2 years old today! I cannot believe how fast it has gone. As daddy said today, you are half way to 5. 

You area an amazing big sister and daughter. You have the strongest personality. I would describe you the following ways:

Curious/Inquisitive

Silly

Headstrong

Loving

Compassionate

Smart, of course

Tentative/Shy

Your speech grows by leaps and bounds daily. You are good at communicating what you want when you want it. That is, if you are not melting down.

Your curiosity will get you in trouble as you grow up, but for now, you love to listen to daddy teach you about the world we live in. You ask lots of questions and listen intently at the same time.

You are silly-sauce. Once you get a laugh from someone, you will do or say something over and over again. You love to make us laugh. Your fish dance and your booty shaking is what makes us roll on the ground laughing.

You are definitely headstrong. I think you get that from both your parents. If you don't get what you want, you have a tendency to cry as if the world is ending. You hate it when I turn the TV off. Washing your hair is still a battle and so is brushing your teeth.

You love your brother Noah. You are such a super helper when it comes to getting things for him. If he is upset, then you are upset. I know you will protect him.

Today, we put your hair in a ponytail for the first time and it was sooo cute.

You love to read books. It is your favorite pastime. You like Search and Find books the best. You know where everything is, but you still love to do it. You will finish sentences in books that have rhyming words.

You still can't live without Bobo. You still have your paci, which we are hoping to get rid of it this year. We only allow it at bedtime, but you are always trying to negotiate having it.

You are very scared of loud noises. During the monsoon season, when you hear thunder, daddy has to sleep on the floor in your room. Your sleep, in general, in the past 2 months has left mommy and daddy more tired than ever. You wake up more times than Noah most nights. Luckily daddy has your monitor!! You still take a 1 1/2-2 hour nap every day. You have even grown out of using your sleep sack. You must have ALL your animals in bed with you when you go to bed. There are sometimes over 15 animals in bed with you!! Some sleep at the foot of the bed and some sleep on top of your blanket.

This one is my favorite because this has been your demeanor as of late!!

Nana, this one is for you, Ava is ready for her little girl apron..Maybe for Christmas!!!

Your favorite TV shows right now are Dora and Mickey Mouse Club. 

You are the master manipulator and think you can outsmart mommy and daddy. If you want attention, you complain that something hurts. My favorite is "my sideways hurts" What is a sideways anyway!?!?! If you are getting in trouble you will try to deflect it by saying that something hurts. Mommy and daddy are on to you!!

You are truly a blessing in our lives and they are only better with you! Your smile and cute little voice melts my heart. 

You are still a picky eater. You would snack all day long if I would let you versus eating a full meal.  You love your veggies and fruits and the rest is a shot in the dark.

Love your mommy, daddy and little brother Noah....

LA Trip Day 3/4: Visit with Grandma and LONG Trip Home

Monday morning we woke up and met Grandpa Mike and Dylan for brunch at Bob's Big Boy (Mike really wanted it). We haven't been out to a restaurant in a long time because Ava usually doesn't sit still and it doesn't make for a nice outing when you have to walk all around the restaurant. But, Ava and Noah did really well. Ava pretty much just ate off our plates and was quite content to do so.

Then we went over to visit with Grandma Heidenfelder. It was a quick trip over there. She was having her lunch and then she was off to nap.

After we left, things started to go downhill from there for the kids. Aunt Nancy and Uncle David came over to visit, but the kids were starting to not feel well. That afternoon, neither of them had taken a nap. Ava had been staying up until 8:30 pm each night (normally she is in bed by 7pm) and waking up at 5:30ish, so she was lacking sleep. We had been running around a lot while we were there, so I think she was run down. Noah's nose was running and he hadn't taken good naps either. That is when we decided to switch rooms. I had a feeling that Noah wasn't going to sleep well and he usually wants his mommy. That night, no one got any sleep. When Ava is sick, she just cries and doesn't sleep. There is nothing you can really do or say to get her to stop. Noah slept until about 8:30pm and then woke up. Pretty much that was it for sleep until about 2:30-5. Noah would only sleep on my chest, so I only dozed in and out of sleep the entire night. I tried putting him in his crib, but he would either wake up as soon as I put him down or 20 mins later. I think Ava finally passed out at 2:30 am. At one point, I finally got Noah down and then went into Ava's room and got her settled and then Noah woke up again.

We were all tired and I feared the plane ride home. Noah slept once we got to the airport and when we got on the plane he fell asleep again. That was nice. Ava was good until we started to land. She started crying and saying that her ears hurt. After about 10 minutes of crying she passed out cold. She was pretty cranky until we got home and put her down for a nap.

It was a really nice trip. I am glad that we went. We all just decided to catch a bug. Ava is feeling a little bit better. She is still waking up a couple times a night. Noah is just not napping well, but sleeping through the night, which is helping Mike and I catch up on some sleep!

LA Trip Day 2: Beach and Family

Sunday morning (8/14/11), we went to the Beach down in Santa Monica. This was Ava's first time at the beach. I grew up at the beach as a kid and I wanted Ava to experience it too. We had breakfast and headed out. It is about a 45 minute drive (without traffic). It was a foggy morning and quite cool down there, but it was so nice to go. Ava had so much fun. She took her shoes off when we got to the sand and ran towards the water. Her and Mike walked down to the water while Noah and I hung out on the towel. There were some guys fishing and they caught a huge fish, so she was exciting to see. We built some sand castles and hung out for about a half hour and then headed out because it was getting cold.

Here are some pictures.

Ava is looking at the sand crab that Mike caught

That afternoon, the Heidenfelder side of the family came over to visit and to celebrate some of the August birthdays in the family.

We had an assortment of yummy pastries. Mikes nieces and nephew came over and the girls played with Ava. She had so much fun. They brought over these barbie like dolls and Ava loved putting the shoes and the hats on the dolls. She was in seventh heaven.

Ava playing with her dolls and the girls

Mike's Aunt Sue was reading Ava a book.

Our Trip to LA: Day 1

We took a family trip to LA this past weekend. (8/13-8/16). The main reason for going was to see Mike's last living grandparent, Grandma Heidenfelder. She is not doing well health wise. We wanted to go and see her in case something were to happen before we made a trip out there.(Who knows when that would have been because the idea of traveling with 2 little ones is not my idea of fun).

Overall, the trip was a success. I was nervous for many reasons. We decided, well, I decided that we were going to fly. It is a 6 hour trip by car normally and with 2 little ones and a tight backseat, I wasn't so sure that was the best idea. A flight is only a hour and a half. It was Ava and Noah's first flights. To my surprise, they did really good. Ava LOVED it. Noah slept the first half and just hung out the second half. I had been getting Ava excited about the trip for the week before we went. I kept telling her we could have M&M's and watch Dora. She didn't ask for either when we were on the plane, she just loved playing with the tray table and looking out the window. We also let her have her paci the entire flight, so I think she just loved being able to have it without being in bed. When we landed she said, "That was awesome!"

Once we arrived, we got our car rental and were off to grandma Nini's house. The sleeping situation was the other thing that I was nervous about. We ended up sleeping in 2 rooms. Ava and I in one room sharing a bed and Mike and Noah in the pac 'n' play in the other room. Let me tell you, my little Ava is a mover at night. It is interesting to see how she REALLY sleeps having to share a bed with her. She snuggled up against me most of the night and I woke up with her feet on my stomach. By the 3rd night, Mike and I switched (which I will get into later as to why).

We got the kids fed, napped and headed over to grandpa Mike and grandma Ellen's house for a family BBQ. We had a lot of fun hanging out with the family. Ava loved playing on their stairs. These were the only pictures we got because I am horrible with taking pictures (and usually because I am holding Noah).

Left to Right: Grandpa Mike, Mike Grudt and Noah and I

Noah is 7 Months Old..(a little bit late)

Noah,

Updated: At his 7 month appointment (7 months 2 weeks old) he weighed 20 lbs 10 oz.

You are 7 months old. I cannot believe it. The time has flown and stood still at times.

You are definitely a happy baby. Your personality is shining through every day. You will sit for a long time and just play with your toys. We put a bucket of different toys for you and you reach in and grab them. You usually like to pull them out and put them to the side. You will find one that you like and examine it a bit longer than the others.
You love toys that make noise. It makes you smile and kick your legs and arms. You get extremely mad when someone takes away the toy that you are playing with. If I give you something else, it will usually distract you. You love, love, love your sister. You will give her "back rubs" when she stands with her back to you when you are in your "poop chair". You love to pull her hair. If she is sitting in her bed, waking up from her nap, you love to try and get her paci. You are sometimes successful. She always makes you smile and for that, I smile.

You are eating 4 bottles a day, 8 oz each of Elecare. You are doing much better on solids. You do not like peas or peaches. You make a funny face and your whole body shakes. Sometimes you gag. I guess you will be a picky eater like your mama. You love squash and apples the best.

You are also becoming a "better" sleeper. Your naps are all over the board, but you usually sleep a total of 3 hours during the day. You take  two 45 minute naps and one 1 1/2 nap. I am thinking you are about ready to drop a nap and take 2 longer naps, but I am trying to figure out how to do that so that you and Ava nap at the same time. You are an EARLY waker. You wake up between 4:30 -4:45 am. That is another reason I think you need to drop a nap. That is just WAAAAY too early for this mama. You go to bed at 6:45 pm and for the most part are sleeping through the night. We have the occasional night that you wake up, but I think that was your teeth.

You got your 2 bottom teeth on July 30th. They popped up out of nowhere. I didn't even see white spots, they were just there. And trust me, I was looking every day.

You are in a size 4 diaper. You are wearing 9 month and 12 month clothes.

You are still only rolling from you back to your belly. No signs of crawling yet either. I hope you won't be in a hurry, because that means we have to do something with sissy's toys. You will try very hard to get something out of reach though.

You know who your mommy and daddy are. You are getting more used to strangers, but are still very cautious.

You are just so darn cute. We love you so much. Even though you have given us a run for our money, we love you so much and you always make us smile and forget about those early months where you didn't sleep AT ALL.

You love to play with your toes when you eat, solids and your bottle

Silly Face, Silly Noises

Noah started making this silly scrunch face and he snorts in and out of his nose. It is so cute. Here are some snapshots.

Isn't it too cute?!?!?!