It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Summer

When we stepped off the plane in Arizona last week, I remembered why I don't miss it. There's nothing fun about walking into a giant blow dryer. How I survived 23 years in the sweltering heat of Phoenix and Tucson, I'll never know. What I do know is stepping off the plane in SLC felt heavenly... as opposed to, well, the other option.

We've been blessed with some lovely weather here in our neck of the woods. Not too hot, but warm enough for shorts. A gentle breeze in the afternoon and cool, relaxing, sweat-free nights. Love it! As do the kiddos. If Ava sees sun outside in the morning she assumes we should be in it. I can't blame her. So, outside of the normal every-day errands, I've been trying to get the kiddos and I as much face time with good ol' Mr. Sun as possible (don't worry, face time includes vats of sunblock).

Last year we got Ava this cute little Elmo sprinkler for the backyard. It hooks up to the hose and then twirls around spraying water. Ava loves jumping over or trying to escape the water streams.Taking a break

Jax, on the other hand... well, he didn't know what to think. Despite his love of "Elbo" as he calls him, he wasn't a big fan of the Elmo spraying him with water. So, the little mancub made like a bull and attacked the furry red guy.



When he finally realized that Elmo meant no harm, Jax joined in the watery fun... at a distance.
Ahhh... I just love summer. Oh, I should mention that tonight we consumed almost an entire watermelon (with the help of my wonderful friend Joni and Ava's Little Buddy Ethan). Of that's not a sign of summer, I don't know what is!

An Arizona Vacay

Hold on tight... you're in for a long ride...

I survived my very first plane ride ALONE with my kids!! And to be completely honest, I don't know what I was so worried about. I did panic a little inside when halfway through the flight, Jax was asleep in my arms and Ava announced she had to go "poo-poo, really, really badly." Fortunately for me, just a few seconds later she said, "Oh, wait. Pump fake, it was just a toot." Phew.

So, while Andy is out globetrotting, the kids and I took a weeklong vacay to Arizona. We spent the week at my best friend Jaime's house, which was interesting. Jaime has a little boy, who is just a few months older than Ava and a little girl a few months younger than Jax. Joey and Ava were the best of friends when they were younger. However, times have changed. Okay, now, to be fair, we stuck a pair of three-year-olds in the same house for a week. We should have been prepared for a reality TV-like fight. But, there wasn't a ton of fighting. They were more like an embattled pair in love. One minute they'd play nicely together, the next they were screaming at each other. The good news is, they left on a highnote, playing all that morning and hugging when we left. Ava even told me on the plane she couldn't wait to see Joey again.

Jax and Brooke

Bath Buddies

I had to post this one too. It's Ava and Joey when they were one. WOW! Time sure does fly!!

The kids got to spend quite a bit of time with both sets of grandparents. Jax just loves his Grandpa Ralphie. I think it's because their hands are the same size! :) He also took some of his very first steps for G-Ma!Ava, of course, loved running around like a wild woman with her G-Pa, and even talked to Uncle Ben (my brother) which is a new thing. And she can't stop talking about Grandma's record player. She's pretty amazed by it!

The week was full of fun and firsts for the kiddos...

Ava shot her very first BB gun, thanks to Uncle Curtis and Cousin Nathan.



The kids also spent an afternoon swimming with Cousin Nathan. Jax had a ball
and did great keeping his ears out of the water (did I mention he has ANOTHER ear infection?!)

Showing off her cute little bathing suit

Jax took 10 WHOLE STEPS ALL BY HIMSELF!!! Unfortunately, I don't have pictures, but I promise he did it. But, what I do have pictures of is his very first birthday! We reserved a ramada at a park, however, when we arrived, it was cold and windy and then proceeded to rain and then hail. So, we moved the shindig back to Jaime's house. The baseball theme would have gone great with an outdoor party, but hey, the kids didn't care. They played and ate, what more could they ask for?

Getting every last bit. He didn't get nearly as messy as I thought, or as his big sister did on her 1st birthday.

In the adorable cape Aunt Courtney made

A trip back to Prescott would not be complete without a ride on Hopi for Ava. As soon as she was near Hopi she said, "Oh Hopi, I'm so happy to see you!"

Reaching down to pet Baby Oakley

Jax petting Baby Oakley

Ava also rode a real bike (with training wheels) for the very first time. It took her only a few tries until she got the hang of it. She did great! I'll post the video later.



Jax's hair was getting a little shaggy around the edges so I gave him his very first haircut. It's amazing how a little trim transformed him from a baby to a little boy. And, I've gotta say, not too shabby for my first try.

BEFORE

AFTER

More than anything, the kids just loved seeing everyone. Who knows when we'll be back! I've always considered Arizona home, and more specifically, since moving to Utah I've thought of Prescott as home. However, this time around, it didn't feel that way anymore. Maybe it's because I know our next home is one Mississippi away from Arizona. Maybe, we'll never end up back there. Who knows. What I do know, is no matter where our little family ends up, we'll always have several good reasons to go back to Arizona. And I'm not just talking about Hopi :)

DANCING FOOLS

My kids love to dance! I love that they love to dance! It's fun for them to do, fun for me to watch. We spent many-a-winter day, music blasting in the living room, and Ava, Jax and I dancing like a bunch of crazies!

Ava has been in a ballet class since the fall. The class is focused on getting the students (all 2-3 years old) comfortable in their feet and familiar with coordinated movement. It's been great for Ava to, not only learn, but have a special class that is all her own. It's amazing the skills she has developed in the eight months she's been in the class. But, best of all, is seeing her face as she dances, the joy just radiates from her. At the end of June she'll move up to a "Big Girl Class" (3-4) which is less carefree than her current class. Her teacher, Miss Michelle, will remain the same, but the class is much more structured and begins to focus more on actual ballet techniques and positions. Ava will be the youngest in the class, but she's ready. She did tell me she was a little afraid because she didn't know what to do in the "big girl class," but I assured her that Miss Michelle would teach her. As with all things, her desire to learn far exceeds any concern she may have about her skill level. She'll catch on quickly, she has such a love for dancing. Here she is doing her "Mamma Mia" warm-up routine. The second video is "freestyle" dancing.

MAMMA MIA





Jax, I think, has learned to dance by watching his big sister. As soon as he hears music he begins to bounce his booty (if standing), shake his head or wiggle his whole body. It's pretty darn cute!



Jax is very aware of the effect he has on people. Sensing how adorable we think he is when he dances, he's begun to use his booty-shaking abilities as a means to acquire food. He knows we can't resist his adorableness, so he uses it to his advantage. Watch this video and you'll see what I mean.

A Duck's Mouth

Ava has become very interested lately in people's real names, nicknames, etc. She was shocked when I told her my real name is Rebekah. She really only hears people call me "Bekah" or "Becky" so, finding out that Mommy has yet another name came as a surprise to her. A few weeks ago she asked what all her grandparents' names were. I told her and the conversation was over. However, today it came up again.

"Mommy, Grandpa's nickname is Ralphie."
"Actually, honey, that's Grandpa's real name. But you call him Grandpa. What's Grandma's name?"
"Cherryl, like my favorite on the dancing show." (She and I watch "Dancing with the Stars" on Mondays and her favorite pro is Cheryl Burke)
"What about G-Pa?"
She stops and is thinks very hard.
"Do you remember, honey? What is a duck's mouth called?"
"BEAK! G-Pa's name is Beak!"
Through laughter I correct her, "Birds have beaks. Ducks have bills. G-Pa's name is Bill."
"Oh, G-Pa Bill. No, he's just G-Pa."

She also remembers my mom's name (Patti) by calling her "G-Ma Patti-Cake." Whatever works, right?

A DOOZY

This past week has been a doozy. Three-quarters of our little family was hit pretty hard with illness and we're just beginning to finally recover. Ava had a slight ear infection (not enough for antibiotic), sore throat and a runny nose. Poor little Jax suffered his second ear infection in less than a month. Actually, the doctor didn't think he had completely recovered from his last ear infection and had likely developed a resistance to Amoxicillin, so she prescribed Omnicef and it seems to be doing the trick. I have been worst of all. Before I go on, I should say that I am feeling TONS better today and actually went outside for a bike ride with the fam. Outside of a cough and a headache from lack of sleep caused by said cough, I feel pretty good. That said, I somehow got the H1N1 virus... otherwise known as swine flu. I only feel okay sharing that now that I'm pretty much over it and no longer contagious. We were hesitant to tell many people because of the misconceptions about swine flu and didn't want to wake up one morning with quarantine tape across our front door. I feel like I now know how Curtis (#3 of the 5 Kleinman boys) felt when his brothers would taunt him with "Contagious, contagious." I feel your pain, Curty. Anyway, really, it's just the flu. All the same symptoms -- fever, green snot, hacking-up-a-lung cough, painfully sore throat. H1N1 is just a different strain of the flu virus.

So, I'm going to take it easy a few more days, but I think I'll be back to myself soon enough. The only blessing that has come from this wretched sickness is the opportunity to sit back and reevaluate my business. I think I got sick because I was only getting 3-4 hours of sleep a night for about a month, weakening my immune system. I was just up late every night working, coming up with new designs, answering e-mails, etc. I don't work when the kids are awake, so naptime and nighttime are really my only windows to work. However, that being said, I don't need to be up until 2 am working. I'm not going to lose customers if they have to wait an extra day or two to get their orders. I don't have to come up with new designs every day. I do fine with the ones I have. This business was just supposed to be a little side thing to help earn a little extra money, but I've let it turn into a full time job. That's not necessary, and it's certainly not healthy. It's unfortunate it took the swine flu to make me realize that, but I think it had to be that extreme or I would have kept it up. So, I've vowed to stop working by 10:30 every night. I'm excited to go to bed earlier and see my face without bags under my eyes... it's been so long, I've almost forgotten what I look like well-rested.

I wanted to post some pictures of the kids... because, let's face it, that's why you're really here anyway. Ava pushing Jax and me on her trike

She is always so interested in watching Andy shave and asked one day if she could too. She has some Tinkerbell foam soap that we let her spread on her face and "shave" with her finger.

Just like his Daddy, happiest in the buff.

Huh?!

LOST SNAIL... GOES BY THE NAME AVA

Ava has a new pet. A snail. Whom she appropriately named Ava. Ava the snail entered our lives via the backyard a few days ago. Ava the little girl sat and watched her and fed her leaves for about an hour and then kept checking on her for several more after that. When she woke up from her nap, Ava the snail was gone. Ava the little girl was, of course, devastated that her pet had "run" away. I explained that Ava the snail was probably just visiting her family and would be back in a few days because snails moves at, well, a snail's pace and take a long time to get from one place to another and back again. That seemed to suffice. Ava the little girl hadn't mentioned Ava the snail since then until this morning when I heard a delighted shriek from the backyard:

"Mama! Ava is back!!"

Sure enough, Ava the snail, or a cousin of hers, had made her way back to our backyard. Ava assumed she was tired from her long journey and gave her a nice resting place in the shade on our back steps. She fed her, introduced her to Jax, you know normal pet stuff. All of which would be a little weird if she weren't three, but since she is, it's all kinda cute. So, after the feeding, talking and introductions, it was time for lunch followed by a nap. Several times during lunch Ava the little girl poked her head out the back door and called, "Ava are you still there?" and then with relief, "Oh, there you are." However, once again after naptime was a different story. Ava bounced down the stairs and in to the backyard to greet her pet, but alas, Ava the snail was nowhere to be found. With a sense of urgency in her voice Ava rushed inside and announced, "Mommy, we need to make a sign! Ava is lost. And we need a map so someone can bring her back to our house!" So, Ava the little girl and I promptly went to work on creating a MISSING SNAIL sign. She drew Ava the snail and I wrote, "LOST SNAIL PLEASE RETURN IF FOUND." I asked Ava the little girl to write Ava the snail's name on the paper and she replied, "But I don't know how." "Honey, it's the same as your name." "No, it's different because it's HER name." I guess that is a confusing concept to a young child. Anyway, eventually I got through to her and she wrote Ava's name on the sign.

We were getting ready to post it when she demanded she and I go look in the backyard one more time. So, there we were, walking around the backyard calling, "AAAAAVVVVVVVAAAAAA!" No luck. However, we did find several roly-poly bugs which quickly gained Ava's interest and Ava the snail was soon forgotten. The MISSING SNAIL sign is sitting on our kitchen table. Since the news of the lost snail isn't getting out to the masses, I thought I'd take it to the blog. So, if you see a snail and it answers to the name Ava, please return her. A funny little girl will likely begin missing her again tomorrow.

Searching for her snail in her Cinco de Mayo dress (which was mine when I was a little girl)

11-Months-Old

Jax turned 11-months-yesterday. I have just one month left of saying my baby is "X-months-old." After this months, I'll have to say he's one. I can't believe that. I was just telling my best friend yesterday that it seems like he got to this age so much faster than Ava did. Yet, when Ava turned one she seemed like such a big girl to me, Jax is still my baby. It's very strange the things we think with second children.

Anyway. Jax has developed so many new talents in the past few weeks. He's started saying several new words, making animal sounds, folding his arms during all prayers (and KEEPS them folded) and standing on his own.

Here he is walking with a push toy. Be sure to watch the whole thing, because he says his newest favorite word at the end.



He has 6 1/2 teeth with a few more coming and has quickly learned the benefits of having chompers. Honestly, I rarely have to cut his food up for him, partly because he's tearing it out of my hands before I have the chance, but mostly because he uses those teeth like a hungry lion attacking a fat zebra. I think it's the only explanation for his rapid tooth growth -- he's willed his body to shoot those suckers through his gums so he can tear through his food more quickly. He often eats more than me at dinner time and rivals Andy in the amount of food he consumes. My growing boy!


Here he is playing with his wooden car and making the VROOM sound that goes with it. Such a boy!