THANKSGIVING 2012

It was so great to spend Thanksgiving with the Gomez's this year! It was a family adventure to travel through states that we'd never been to...

 We ate the best food...

Made the best of friends...

And relaxed in the best kind of way!
Thank you so much for a wonderful vacation...We'll be back!

JAINA'S FIRST TOOTH

Miss Jaina has been extra fussy lately and now we know why! I felt the sharp little edge today...it's her bottom right tooth in the middle (I'm sure there's a real name for it) :) 

Riding home from the grocery store, Ava had on a new pair of gloves and Donald and I were enjoying a little snack. Ava wanted some and said, "I'm gonna take off my gloves so I can eat it with my skin hands." :)

On not such a good note, Ava has learned how to lie to avoid getting in trouble. After a couple minutes of coaxing out the truth, the spilled medicine on her skirt went from just a little accident to a "pouring it down her throat because it tasted good." I gotta say, she's pretty good at it and didn't even crack a smile to give it away...need to keep an eye on her! Good thing there wasn't much medicine left...I told her that it can be very dangerous to take too much medicine and that she could die from it. She said, "I promise not to die anymore, Mama!" 

...AND SHE'S MOVING!

She moves all over the place without crawling...it's a curious thing. :) 
We've been forced into sleep training. She rarely falls asleep when I feed her now and I don't always have the time (or patience) to stand and bounce her. So the past couple of days I've been laying her in her bed and letting her cry. Last night she cried for less than 3 seconds and then fell asleep! Seriously, this kid is so easy! (knock on wood) The only side effect is that when she's playing out in the living room and I walk out of her sight, she screams her awful scream. :) 
She's also learned what happens when she drops something over the side of her exersaucer. It's so cute to watch her push something over the edge and lean over as far as she can to find it. :)

HOW KIDS THINK

"Mama, why are there 3 Mamas?" 
(yeah, I guess that could be confusing)

"Mama, does Santa Claus have claws?"
"No sweetie, he doesn't have claws."
"Yes he does because he's Santa Claws!"
(no wonder she doesn't like him)

Ava dresses up like Cinderella and calls me "Stepmother"...she calls Donald "Stepguy" :)

"Ava, how do you spell doughnut?"
"S-H-A-R-I-K-P"

Speaking of doughnuts...when Ava starts her whining and crying, Donald asks her if she wants a chocolate doughnut. She stops immediately and shakes her head yes. Obviously we don't give her chocolate doughnuts because she would be 100 lbs if we gave her one every time she threw a fit. :)

THINGS I'M LOVING RIGHT NOW

• Warm fall mornings at the park.
• being able to go outside without melting.
• Boots...cowgirl boots.
• Farmer's Markets.
• St. Ives Green Tea Face Scrub.
• new "Clear - Total Care" shampoo and conditioner. Amazing.
• lavender coconut oil lotion.
• Biotin...my hair is growing back. :)
• essential oils - especially grapefruit in my water.
• lunch dates.
• having a hubby that works from home.
• long quiet evenings.
• my Ninja blender.
• favorite recipe in my Ninja blender:

      2-3 bananas
      2 cups of ice
      2 cups of almond milk
      scoop of unsweetened  cocoa powder
      dash of vanilla
      glug of honey
      spoonful of almond butter

• green juice in the morning.

      bunch of spinach
      5 stalks of celery
      1 cucumber
      3-4 small apples

• my new phone. :)
• Skype....I love Skype. 
• sisters.
• looking forward to the holidays. 
• 97.1 FM "Country Legends" Finally! A station that plays only old country! Enough of this country gone pop/rock garbage! :)
• The sunshine :)
• Ella's Kitchen baby food pouches...they even have screw-on spoons! Seriously genius. 
• sweet tea. 

FIRST COMES LOVE, THEN COMES MARRIAGE

Dave & Janis Lund - July 18, 1981

Oscar & Jean Lund - June 19, 1951

Robert & Lillian Zeleznikar - May 10, 1952

Robert & Laura Mae Waldo - Nov 9, 1974

Glen & Ellen Waldo - Dec 11, 1942

Dean & Martha Fuller - Dec 24, 1951

LATELY

It seems that there haven't been any huge events lately...just little day to day stuff that make our lives so awesome. :)

• the weather has been much more pleasant. Anywhere from 60 - 80 degrees with a touch of fall in the air.
• Kenny came to Texas and went to Mountain Peak with us. So good to see him.
• Ava has been singing "Give Me a Heart" ...so sweet.
• another good day at the market in Montgomery selling pecans...we enjoy our outings.
• Ava has been so sweet. She tells me all day long, "I love you, Mama."
• For some reason, she calls me "Mama" now.
• Did I mention that Jaina said "Mama"? Pretty sure it was a fluke.
• baby Ava and Jaina are alike in so many ways...crazy hair, the little noises they make when they eat, "humming" themselves to sleep...I love watching them grow.
• Ava said today, "Mama, I love Jaina. She's so beautiful. She's my best sister."
• the other day, Ava said, "Mama, have you ever seen a noodle chase a cow?"
• Ava has been learning new words and it's hilarious to listen to her try to use them! She rambles on and on and makes no sense whatsoever. "It's no fair to get some resist on him!" Umm...what does that mean anyway?
• Ava made her own PB&J sandwich today for the first time. She even cut the crust off.
• I'm trying to treasure the 'in-between' days and make the most of them. 
• Ava's bedtime routine has changed to a tight hug and kiss on the lips. :)
• Tap has been extra naughty lately...I wonder if he's mad at us. 
• I'm thankful for Skype and Facetime...it makes friends and family seem not so far away. 

THE HEALING OF A SNAKE BIT TOE

1. in the emergency room
2. in the emergency room
3. three days 
4. three days 
5. one week
6. week and a half
7. two weeks
8. almost three weeks - I peeled the blister. See the fang marks?
9. four weeks

It's been almost 7 weeks now and my toe is almost back to normal. There is still some redness and my toe feels numb and sensitive at the same time. Ava and Donald both have boots...I still have to find a good comfortable pair. :)

JAINA: 5 MONTHS

• 17.6 lbs
• fits perfectly into 9 month clothes
• after a dozen leaky diapers, I bought a box of size 4. One thing I've learned is that the weight range printed on the box of diapers is pointless. There are only a couple of reasons why diapers leak time after time...too small or too big. So, even though the range for size 4's is something like 22-37 lbs, we're having much better luck. 
• she can sit and prop herself up by her arms but it doesn't last long.
• she loves Tap..he makes her smile and laugh without doing a thing.
• she definitely knows her name.
• I think she said "mama" the other day but I'm sure that she has no clue what it means.
• she loves to eat. Sweet potatoes are her favorite and she makes a "mmmmmm" noise with every bite just like her big sister did when she was a baby.
• her hair is growing...it's coming in blonde and you can see the line of color change...just like Ava's was.
• I still rock and nurse her to sleep...I cherish those quiet moments with her, knowing that she'll be putting herself to sleep soon enough.
• she's social and likes to be held.
• she's working on getting some teeth...chew, chew, chew.
• her scream is piercing. It's awful. 
• she's just getting over her first cold.
• found her ears (I guess grabbing at them does not mean she has an ear infection even though finding her ears and having her first cold would lead one to believe that infection could be possible) 
• found her hair...and she pulls it...hard.
• I can't be sure but she might be left handed...wonder if this will be effected by her broken clavicle?
• loves the pat-a-cake song (especially the "roll it, roll it" part)
• grabs at everything.
• scoots all over on her tummy.
• does anyone else think that she looks like Uncle John in this picture?

A SWEET GOODBYE

Ava's friend Dixie and her family just moved to Arkansas. We'll miss you more than you know. ;)

MOUNTAIN PEAK CONVENTION

Our first convention in Texas was wonderful. The weather was perfectly cool. Ava found a new friend...Her name is Ari. Convention with kids is never easy but there's unspeakable joy when they love convention and don't want to leave. 

We were lucky enough to be able to stay in a trailer...Tap had his first stay at the doggie hotel. :)