Friday, May 20, 2011

Tooth Fairy

Ava is just a few days away from losing her first tooth. She's so excited to leave her tooth for the tooth fairy, however, Ava is in the top bunk of the bed and quite the wiggle worm which make the tooth fairy nervous that the tooth or the money she leaves could end up in a crack... not to mention, I'm told, the tooth fairy is preggers and reaching the top bunk is a little tricky.

So, we made this little doozy.

It hangs right on Ava's door, eliminating the possibility of a pillow issue. The mouth is actually a pocket where Ava will leave her tooth and the tooth fairy will leave the money.

The best part is Ava and I made this together! She chose colors, helped me sew, stuff and hot glue! We hope the tooth fairy likes it!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Dress Rehearsal


Ava has been counting down the days to her dance recital for about a month now. Unfortunately, she didn't make it. Our poor girl woke up early, early, early Saturday morning crying that her ears hurt. Of course, having had my fair share of ear infection experience with Jax, I knew she was suffering from a double ear infection. She was sick and congested all last week which led to the ear issues. She spent most of Saturday laying on the couch in horrible pain, barely able to move because any pressure change hurt just too much. She was, of course, terribly disappointed to miss her recital, but fortunately she was able to attend the dress rehearsal the night before. I took my camera along to the practice and was able to get video (although, the picture isn't great)

Here's the tap routine (sorry for my shoddy video-taking)




With her dance friends Maria and Kennedy

And here's the ballet routine:




Our sweet friends are giving Ava the opportunity this weekend to perform her routines for an audience. I felt so terrible that she missed her big recital (and performing for her friends and family) that I asked if she could use their hardwood floors (perfect for tap shoes) to put on a show for all of us. They happily agreed and Ava has been practicing at home this week in preparation for the big event. Dancing really is her favorite thing, and I'm so excited she'll have the opportunity to share her love for it with a group of people who love her so much!

Monday, May 2, 2011

A Pleasant Surprise

Andy's been really busy lately with work and his church calling. He rarely has a weekend off. This weekend was no exception, he was gone pretty much all of Saturday and Sunday after Church. So, he took Monday off. Fortunately, he has accrued quite a bit of credit time at work, most of which he is saving up for when the baby comes, but I suggested he dip into it this week. He deserves it. Not to mention, I am more than in over my head with my little business and welcomed the help with the kids today so I could get a little extra work done.

We were out running a few errands this afternoon when Andy mentioned that he wanted to stop by the Mississippi River (yes, we live that close, we can just STOP BY) to see how high the water level was. The most convenient spot for us to visit the river just happens to be at the site of the kids' favorite park. So, we thought we'd take them there to play for a little while. But, all plans to swing and slide came to a screeching halt when we arrived and saw that the water play pad was turned on! The kids certainly weren't dressed to play in the water, so my initial thought was to bring them back another day in their bathing suits. But they were just too excited so I said, "What the hey" and let them go for it in their clothes which, in Ava and Jax's eyes, made me the coolest mom ever!





 He stuck his head in one of the fountains RIGHT as it began shooting water.

 Using Daddy's shirt as a towel.

 Ahhhhh....

Once the kids were soaked to the bone we walked a few hundred feet to get a better look at the river. The water level has actually swelled so much in recent weeks that crews were out building up the levy. It was  neat to listen to Andy, the civil engineer, explain what exactly the crews were doing, why they were using a particular technique, etc

I love having Andy home with us and find myself a little sad, after an extra day off, when he has to go back to work, although I am extremely grateful for his job. The good news is, it's only four more days until the weekend!