The Sweetest Things

Andy and I say it all the time, Ava is the sweetest little girl. She is so kind, sensitive and thoughtful. Sure, she has her moments when things are hers and only hers, when she's a bossy little sassy-pants (I don't know where she gets that from) and on occasion, she has to go to timeout. But she honestly is a great two-year-old. Knock on wood. She doesn't hit, well I take that back, she's hit a few times in her short little life and when she has, she starts crying out of remorse before I even have to say anything. She doesn't throw major tantrums. Instead, she throws what we call "fits." They're more Ava's brand of dramatics and theatrics than actual anger-induced rages. The best is when a fit comes on while we're in front of the mirror (usually when it's time to brush teeth) because she will stare at herself, watching her face contort as she cries. It's pretty entertaining for all parties involved. Anyway, she's two. She has her moments. But those moments are small in comparison to the sweet little moments that flavor our days. Today was no exception, as a matter of fact, today she was extra sweet. I mean, she was so sweet she gave me a little toothache. Here's a taste of the sugary goodness that is our Ava.

This morning, Jax was up first. He and I were downstairs doing our morning business when Ava came down and announced her awakeness (that's not a word) with a perky little "Hi Mama, I'm awake." I reply, "Hi honey, I'm happy to see you." She smiles, gives me a little hug and says, "I love you Mama."

Later, at lunchtime, as Ava was enjoying her delicious cream cheese and jelly sandwich (something my Dad introduced me to as a child) and I was cleaning the kitchen she asked, "Mama, can I help you with the dishes?" She loves to help load and unload the dishwasher, but I was about done so I told her she could help me next time. "Okay, thanks Mama." Silence for a few seconds, and then out of the blue, "Thanks Mama for making me this lunch." It was just a cream cheese and jelly sandwich, I didn't have to think twice while making it, so for her to thank me for it... ugh, it just made my heart melt.

Even later, Ava and I were watching "Dumbo" in mine an Andy's bed (Andy, of course, was watching football downstairs) when Jax woke up. I went into the chunky monkey's room, was greeted by a big gummy smile, and brought him back into my room. Jax lights up when he sees his big sister, he smiles at her and kicks his legs and flails his arm with glee. "Hi, big boy!" she says, "Mama, come lay Jax by me, I want to cuddle him." I know that someday in the near future cuddling will be out of the question for these two, so I can't resist the opportunity to see them loving on each other. Ava puts her arm around her baby brother, it's a funny sight. She's obviously taller than him, but only about eight pounds more... so from the stomach up, they look about the same size. Jax tries to eat Ava's hair. Moment over.

Tonight, as we were getting Ava ready for bed, she grasped tightly to her little "Children's Hymnbook." Whenever both hands were available or she was able to put her head down (there wasn't a toothbrush in her mouth or a brush in her hair) she would quickly flip through the pages, determination on her face, as if searching for a specific song. Finally, she stops and begins singing with great gusto, "I Am a Child of God." Before Ava was born, but was doing acrobatics in my belly, I used to pray that she would have a love of music especially hymns. I don't know what made me begin making that request to my Heavenly Father, but I just did. The day we brought her home from the hospital, I knew my prayers had been answered. As we left the hospital Ava was asleep in her carrier. Andy attempted to put her in the car delicately, but it being his first time, he failed miserably. He jostled the car seat and made loud noises as he snapped her in. But, Ava didn't move. Then, he turned the car on and the classical music station I listened to while I was pregnant came on (it's supposed to make your baby smarter). Ava woke right up, but didn't cry. She was completely calm. So, fast forward to now. Ava hears a song a couple of times and has it memorized. She sings as she plays, she sings as she eats, she sings as she pees. She knows a large portion of the songs in the Children's Hymnbook. She loves music. And she wants everyone around her to love it as much as she does. As she belted out "I Am a Child of God" tonight, she asked Andy and I to join in. We smiled at each other as she emphatically sang each word, and of course, she was standing in front of the mirror watching herself. She's sweet... and a ham. She's a honey-glazed ham.

We started this blog for our parents. I know they miss Ava and Jax terribly. They miss out on a lot of these little moments so I thought it so important to share them. This is just a miniscule glimpse into the joy Ava brings us each and every day. But, it's enough to illustrate just how awesome she is. I'm so thankful that Jax has such an amazing big sister to look up to. And I can't wait to see him grow into a little person, with a fun little personality, which, no doubt, will be greatly influenced by Ava.