Resting

This pretty much sums up our day.  Lots and lots of resting in our jammies :) Last night Travis and I decided that Ava had come down with her first cold because she was coughing and sneezing so much.  She was kind of fussy and sweaty, so we just hung around the house and catered to her every whimper.  There is nothing sadder than a baby who doesn't feel well.  Fortunately for us, when we put her down for bed, she slept 8 hours!!  I was so happy for myself when I woke up :), but also for her.  Sleep was exactly what she needed and she got it.  Today she is feeling much, much better.  She hasn't been coughing or sneezing and she's had some really great naps.  In fact, as I'm typing this, she is fast asleep in her swing.  We gave her a bath and now she's out...oh how I wish someone would do that for me!  

Unfortunately, Travis was also home sick with us today.  He didn't feel well last night and this morning he woke up with a bad sore throat, body aches and a sinus headache.  He took the day off and I sent him back to bed.  He's sleeping again now, but I think he's doing better.  I really think he's just worn out from his weekend camping trip, followed immediately by VBS this week.  He's really just running on empty.  We were both sad to miss VBS today, but it was good for everyone to have a quiet day to rest.  We've been very busy lately and I think it just caught up with all of us.  I am feeling fine so far, just exhausted from taking care of everybody else :) I did manage to get a Target run in for some much needed groceries, so tonight I plan to cuddle with my baby and my husband and hunker down at home.  Let's hope tomorrow is a better day!   

Week in Review (in Pictures!)

Happy Wednesday!

Well, as promised, here they are (for the Grandparents) the latest pictures of Ava...

We got to Iowa last Wednesday night and Ava was immediately scooped up by her Grandma and Grandpa.

She's started opening her mouth like this when we go in for a kiss! I love it.  

I showed you my big purchase for the week a few days ago, but needless to say, Ava was "all smiles" whenever we put her on her new activity mat.  She especially loves the little hanging monkey and elephant.  She grins and even giggles looking at them!

Grandpa is always game for a walk around the house or the yard!  This girl does not spend much time being put down when we're in Iowa :) 

The big reason we made the trek down however, was so that Ava could get some time with Aunt Stacie, who was home for a visit.  What a great time they had together :) 

Ava loves her aunt Stacie!!

One request from both of my sisters was to be present for one of Ava's baths :) 

How many sisters does it take to bathe a baby??  Apparently all 3!

Guess who loves her bath every time now??

Yep, that's right.  Ava likes to be clean :) 

I'm not sure what I love more in this picture.  The wet, slicked back hair?  The curious expression on her face? Or the massive double chin she has going on???  That's a hard one.  I think I'll pick all three!

All dressed up in the new outfit aunt Stacie brought her from North Carolina.  It has shells all over it, how fitting :) 

Maybe she's going to smile, or maybe she's going to scream?  You never can tell with that look on her face...

We walked around downtown after dinner, then stopped at Cup of Joe's to sit outside for a coffee.  And yes, the outfit had a matching hat!

Oh, I love my little Pagey :) And I want to eat her up when she furrows that little brow!

Ava loved snuggling with her Uncle Dave too.

It was such a gorgeous summer night, complete with a perfect sunset, and we kept trying to adjust her hat, which was way too big and floppy! 

It was really to fun to be home again, all three of us girls.  You can imagine that my parents were thrilled about that :)

Here's another shot of that grin and double chin :) Even Ava was getting amused by all the fuss over her new hat!

Yesterday we made a trip to the student health center at UNI, to visit my Mom for lunch. 

Ava decided that she would rather stand with Aunt Stacie, than sit and watch us eat lunch.  

And why not?  Especially when she looks so cute in those pants from her Grandma Texas!

Ok seriously, can you stand this?? Thank you to aunt Melissa again, for the ridiculously cute hairbows that keep gracing Ava's head :) I LOVE this one! Poor Ava has no chance of going without one, now that we have MANY to choose from!!

She is one stylish little girl in her stroller! And one tired little girl too. I think we might have our first official cold today...major bummer. She has been coughing and sneezing alot this afternoon, but we are home now and able to have a quiet night with Daddy.  We've got VBS at our church the rest of the week, so hopefully we can all get a good night's sleep tonight and feel better in the morning.

Here's hoping, right??  

In a Rut

I can't believe how infrequently I have been posting lately, I'm almost disappointed in myself :) I had lots of people tell me, "You definitely won't have any time to blog after Ava is born " (which usually bugged me) and while it may seem like that is the case, my lack of blogging really isn't due to lack of time, instead it's more like lack of interest. I'm in a self-declared, blogging rut.

This isn't the first time it's happened to me and I'm sure it won't be the last. Really, my lack of blogging is quite indicative to the stress I am feeling. It's officially summer now and that means our schedule has ramped up like crazy. Summer is so busy in student ministry, not necessarily because of weekly stuff, but due to trips and camps, etc. In fact, Ava and I are in Iowa at the moment because Travis was gone last week from Thursday to Sunday on a camping trip near the boundary waters between Minnesota and Canada. He got home last night and we'll go home tomorrow night, but this week is just as full. It's VBS at our church, which is a huge deal and will draw 1,000+ kids. Travis and his student ministries staff do all the games and I help with registration. It's always fun, we do love it, but we'll both be exhausted by the end of the week!

Ava and I came to Iowa to see my family and to spend time with my sister Stacie, who flew in from North Carolina for the week. We've been having a great time, but I am trying to catch up on some things that are hard for me to do when I'm home by myself with Ava, like thank you notes, and wedding stuff. And speaking of wedding stuff, that is where 90% of my stress is orginiating. I have 3 weddings in July and just now I am working on getting all my orders finalized, which means lots of phone calls, meetings, and paper work. It's all fun in the end, but I would bet that most people have no idea how much time it takes to pull off. In fact I've decided that I need to be charging much more than I am, due to the way these weddings take over my life.

Anyway, all that to say that I am here and I am reading most of your blogs, but I'm feeling a little apathetic about posting to my own. I do have lots of fun pictures from our time here and I need to write a 2 month update because Ava turned 8 weeks on Friday! I will get to all of that soon. For now, here are some pictures of the little girl you all want to see in the first place. I bought her an activity mat that I've always loved while nannying because I noticed she was really starting to look at things more intently. That was a good decision on my part because she LOVES it! Check out that growing tummy too...the girl likes to eat :)

Yep, we'll keep her :)

A Little Slice of Random for My Readers!

Are you ready for some RANDOM Tuesday ramblings???  Here we go...

-The celebrity jungle show...are you watching??  I'm sad to say that we are.  Simply because of two people.  Spencer and Heidi.  Yep, "speidi."  They are so over the top we have to physically turn away and yet so riveting because we cannot believe what is coming out of their mouths at any given second.  It's stunning.  Of course it now appears that their "jungle days" are over, if you could ever really believe that they started, but you know darn well that they will do anything to keep their names in the press, so I'm sure we haven't seen the last of them yet. 

-Jon and Kate plus 8.  I don't even know what to say about this.  I don't watch the show, but I did watch the much talked about season opener and found it incredibly sad and depressing.  It seems inevitable that their marriage is far from strong and possibly already over.  I don't know them (obviously) and I don't have any history to base this on, but I truly hate to think of them as divorced.  I hate it for the kids, but I also hate it for them.  If financial security and fame comes at the cost of your marriage, is that not the saddest thing??  We all make choices, but in this case, I would love to see them disappear from the public eye and heal a marriage that's in disarray.  Or seems to be.  Again, I don't know them so I won't cast any judgement, but I do think the whole thing is sad.  

-I am reading the most interesting book right now, I can barely put it down.  It is written by a Brown college student, who goes undercover as a student at Liberty University, (yes that's right Jerry Fallwell's Liberty :)) for a semester just to see what going to a strict Christian college is like.  It's totally fascinating to me for several reasons.  First, this guy doesn't pull any punches about what he thinks and yet, he is very respectful and open about the whole "Christian world" he isn't a part of.  Second, it offers a very telling look at the impression Christians leave with someone who is not like them on the surface and yet more alike than it may appear.  And Third, I am not a huge fan of the school, nor of it's founder, but it's riveting to read about much of the inside scoop that goes on there.  The book of rules would be enough to send me screaming for the hills, but then I do have some scarring from a legalistic church/school background, so that may explain it.  I think it's a fine school for lots of reasons and I know plenty of people who graduated from there or currently attend, but it wouldn't be for me.  This book however, is really, really good and I am enjoying it immensely.  It's kind of raw though, so don't expect a sugar coated read.  I would love to know what you think of it if you do read it :) 

 

-After several weeks of the worst hair of my life, I FINALLY got it cut and highlighted on Saturday!  YAY for vanity :) Seeing my new color(s) and some healthy ends every morning really puts a spring in my step.  And being able to hack a 3 hour appointment because my baby will now successfully take a bottle, isn't so bad either!

-Ava is in so many ways, her father's daughter!  She loves to sit with Trav while he reads to her, but other than that, my baby has her Daddy's energy and needs to go, go, go all day long!!  She seriously cannot sit still unless she's sound asleep :) She does not like to be cradled, she prefers to be standing up with her own strong legs or to be facing out when we hold her.  Her little arms are always flailing around and her legs are kicking or moving too.  Now she's babbling and cooing all the time, it seems like she is just dying to move and speak!  I would love to know what's going on in that red head of hers :) Lord help us when she's mobile.  I think we will be making lots of trips to the gym just so she can run!!    

-Parenting is exhausting.  And she's only 7 weeks old!!  Just when we've had a string of really good days, full of napping and predictable schedules, and just when I feel like I've got this Mom thing down, I realize once again that I don't.  My plan doesn't seem to be Ava's plan today.  She keeps taking little cat naps instead of the looooong nap she needs and has been accustomed to taking.  I am crossing my fingers right now however because she seems to be sound asleep and has been for a little bit.  Maybe I'm in luck???  Please have mercy on me Lord!!!

-And finally, yes, Adam has officially chosen Rolling Stone to "come out."  Really?  Was anyone actually questioning this??  It is what it is.  He is still crazy talented and I am still wishing my favorite Danny, would have won.  No hate comments from you Kris fans though!   I love him too :)  Whether you loved it or hated it, you cannot hide from the fact this was the most talented top 3 ever!  I am sure they will all have long careers to come.  

So there you have it, just a slice of the randomness going on in my sleep-deprived mind today!  

Ava's First Photo Shoot!

Remember when I told you we were going for Ava's first photo shoot a few weeks ago??  Well I thought you might want to see some of the sweet results!  We had the great privilege of having Ava's first photographs taken by one of my blog friends, Erin.  She is a wonderful Minnesota photographer, whom I did not know until our paths crossed in blog land :) As it turns out, her parents live just 30 seconds from our Church and she grew up in Eden Prairie as well!  She was so gracious to us and very patient with Ava, who was everything but easy that day!  She slept, she cried, she smiled, she screamed, she snorted and she pouted...sometimes she did all those things in just a matter of seconds-I'm talking about Ava by the way, not Erin!  Anyway, we love these photos and will always cherish them because she captured some of our favorite things about Ava in those early days.  Ava was 4 weeks old in these pictures and cute as a button.  If you live in Minnesota and are looking for a photographer, we highly recommend Erin!  Check out her blog and her website to see her work.  Here are some of our favorites from that day....

Who doesn't love a sleeping baby??  I love her little arm hanging down...she was down for the count here.

She's always loved having her arms crossed and tucked in tight to her chest...must have been that way in the womb!  

Her furrowed brow is priceless :) 

Totally at ease with her giant pacifier in her mouth!  I was the same way as a baby, I loved my pacifier :) I think she looks like my Dad in this photo.

I love this profile shot because it captures those forehead wrinkles perfectly!

She's so long and lanky!

Precious. 

Little miss expressive :) Classic Ava.

10 tiny toes.

One of my favorites.

I love her head in my hands, someday I'll remember how tiny she was when I see this photo.

One of my favorite looks of her's...so serious :) 

The apple of our eye...and finally asleep after a big meltdown :) 

L-O-V-E this one, always will.

She's already got her Daddy wrapped around her little fingers :) 

What a little honey she is :)