Ava @ 5 1/2 years

My beautiful Ava will be 5 1/2 years old on the 24th of this month, seems crazy!

Yes, she is the size of an 8 year old and wears size 7/8 clothes and size 13/1 shoes, it's nuts.  She always gets asked what grade she is in, ummm, still Preschool people.  But this Fall she enters Kindergarten.  A whole new world begins for us! 

 About Ava:
-Loves music, especially songs on the radio.  She is in LOVE with Justin Bieber (makes me gag!).  Thank Preschool girls for that one!  But she watches the Disney music videos that come on our Roku device and loves all the Pop music on there.  Loves "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons, which I like alot too.  She is like her Mommy, we love our music!
-Goes to Dance class, which does tumbling, ballet & tap once a week.  Though lately she says she wants to stop and go to Karate.  But she's so dang cute when she is in class and follows the teacher really well.  She has a recital in June, then we'll see if she still wants to do it in the Fall. 
-Goes to a Preschool/Dayschool the 3 days a week I work.  In the morning she doesn't want to go, but always comes home happy and talking about what she did with her friends.  Also reports to me how many time outs she recieved (had a bit of a listening problem this past Fall).
-Loves to jump on the trampoline and sing to the neighborhood!  :) 
-Loves boys!  We are in trouble!  A couple older boys at her dayschool are simply called "the cute boys" by her and her friends.  Or if we see a boy at a store or wherever, she'll let me know if he's cute.  She still has her heart set on marrying Justin Bieber, even if I tell her he's not good enough for her! 

-Not always the sweetest to her little sis, likes to push or kick her aside. But every time they get on the trampoline they are like best friends! She does have her sweet moments when she'll help Mya on the computer or help her get food when Mommy can't get her big pregnant self off the couch.
-She is so excited to meet her baby brother! She rubs my tummy and gives it hugs. She comes up with new names for him all the time, it was going to be Justin Bieber Harry Frey for quite awhile. Now she is coming up with more practical ones.
-Ava is a TV/remote hog! She would sit and watch Netflix all day long if I let her. I need to be better at restricting the amount of time she does watch though.
-She LOVES to color! She comes home with a stack of coloring pages everyday from Dayschool and is always coloring us pictures at home.
-We are still working on reading and doing Phonics with her occasionally. She loves to write notes to her cousin Kiera and friends.
-Daddy is trying to get her on her bike more, after a few bad falls last year (even with training wheels on), she hasn't wanted to ride it.  But in the past week they've been out for 3 good rides and she's loved it. 

Ava is a sweet girl, when she wants to be.  The attitude has gotten alot better in the last few months.  Don't get me wrong, she is still very Sassy!  But she is alot of fun and it's been exciting seeing her learn new things.  We do love our Ava very much!

My MYA @ 2 years & 7 1/2 months!

This post is all about MYA!  I don't do a good job of writing down all the fun things they say and do each day and by the time I get around to posting, it's months later and I can't remember anything!  So this is about Mya today, in the present!  

 Mya's favorite sayings: 
~now answers "oh yes" to something she wants (with lots of enthusiasm)
~"what the heck" (picked up from big sis)
~"that's amazing"
~"I wuz (love) that ____"  (said it to everything at Target today, especially in the toy isle)
~always says "thank you or bless you or you're welcome or please (and still will sign please while saying it)"  She has the BEST manners! 
~I've had a cough today and every time she hears me she asks "Mommy you okay?"  Or when her poops have made me throw up lately, she gets very concerned and asks that.   :) 
~Just started saying Ava right, except with a slight 'f' sound at the end.  She's always called her 'eye-ya'.  It was so cute! 
~says "no, I don't want to" quite alot
~On the way to daycare, always states "Ava go to preschool, Mya go to Betsy's"
~Shouts for a movie the second we get in "the blue car"
~Asks "what's this or what's that" alot more than Ava ever did!
~Says "I'm so cute" after getting her hair done.
~Calls our dog Jake "Jakey poo"
So much more, but those are some of the best I can think of!  This girl is a chatter box, she is such a fun little character.

 Mya's favorite songs:
1)  Wheels on the Bus
2)  Popcorn popping on the Apricot Tree
3)  Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
4)  Star shine bright (her title for it, I don't know the real name)
5)  Call me maybe ...especially the part "and all the boys, try to chase me, so here's my number, call me maybe". 
6)  I am a Child of God (used to make me sing it every night, but now it's more of Wheels on the bus)

 Other Mya facts:
~Loves to play with play dough, paint with water colors, color with markers, jump on the trampoline with big sis, play with barbies and babies, sing songs, play horsie with on her Daddy, play "ABC's" on the computer, go for walks with Daddy, take baths, and jump all over poor pregnant Mommy! 
~And she's starting to potty train!  Just last week she did her first #2 on the toilet, woohoo!  Daddy is going to work hard on potty training while off of work for paternity leave...he gets 6 weeks off! :) 

What more can I say, she is just such a delight!  The two's have not been bad to us or her, she has had very few tantrums, but she is opinionated and won't always do what we say (or eat much of anything).  But thankfully we rarely have to resort to time outs.  Ava and her tend to fight alot, but they also have their fun moments together.  I think we got pretty lucky with this little gal, we just love her to pieces!!!! :)

Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving 2012

First off, my sis Melissa & hubby Andy came into town the Sunday before Thanksgiving, which was awesome!  Unfortunately I had to work the Monday & Tuesday, but they were nice enough to take care of my girls and have quality time with them.  We headed to the Coast on Wednesday to check into our Timeshare in Seaside.  The rest of the family stayed at my Aunt & Uncle's beach house.  It was a great weekend of eating, games, little cousins playing and socializing!

 I just slipped this pic in of Ava's new haircut, she decided she didn't need to grow it out like Rapunzel anymore since Halloween was over.  She looks super cute in her new a-line bob. 

(And it's so much easier to brush!)

 Ava snuggling with Great-Grandpa Clift!

 Andrew, Andy, Grams, & Jeremy- game time!

 The cute girls!  Jessica, Ava, Kiera & Mya.  I think they were watching 'Brave.'

 My beautiful sis Melissa!  I think she spent the whole weekend knitting hats, or is it crocheting???

They all turned out super cute!

 Uncle Andy bought a gingerbread house to build with the little ones, how nice of him!

And there is Ava wearing her new hat from Melissa, love it!

 My sister had the idea of us doing family pics down on the beach, too bad there wasn't much sun.

Love this one!  Ava covered her eyes, so Mya copied her, adorable!

 My 13 or 14 week bump (I think!).

Looking BIG already!!!

 Some of my family!  Shanda, Kael & Liam were sick and couldn't come, bummer. 

Also missing 2 of my brothers.

 Andrew, Melissa, Trish & Brian

4 of 6!

My stepdad Bill, Mom, Kiera, Ava & Mya

 

 

Love my Family!!!!



The story of Baby #3

After losing a baby in May 2012, we gave ourselves a few months off, which they suggest anyways.  We decided to start officially trying in August, when we had planned to in the first place.  I wanted to go to Hawaii and enjoy it.  I in no way thought we'd get pregnant on our 1st try, I mean you know our history.  7 years of no pregnancies, then IVF Ava, then surprise Mya.  And somehow I get pregnant twice in 2012, one when planned!  We were in shock, Jeremy didn't even want me to waste a test because he didn't believe it would happen right away, well it did! 

 

I called my doctor to see if she wanted me to start Progesterone, which can help you keep a pregnancy from miscarrying in some cases.  It took insurance a week or so to allow it, so I didn't get started very soon.  But my doctor wanted me in at 6 weeks for an early ultrasound, which I was grateful for.  Well I went to the appointment alone and as soon as I saw the picture my heart sank.  The tech lady didn't say a thing to me!!!  But I wasn't dumb, I knew I should have at least seen a bean shape with possibly a heart beating.  But instead it was just a dark circle with nothing in it, measuring 4 weeks, not 6 like it should.  I then saw my doctor and she tried to be optimistic, saying that maybe I ovulated late and so it implanted later.  I still thought it was over. 

 

She had me come back in a week for another look.  But this time we saw this tiny thing inside the sac, not quite viable, but the sac had grown to what a 5 week one would look like.  My doctor didn't give me much hope this time and I didn't think it was anything either. 

 

She had me come back 2 weeks later to see what was going on for sure.  To my utter amazement, this little bean popped up on the screen and we could see where it's heart was beating!!!!  It was hard to hold back tears.  My doctor was also truly amazed, she too had given up hope as well.  I called Jeremy on my way home and was crying so hard it was difficult to tell him that we were still having a baby. 

 The about picture is my little bean at 9 weeks, but measuring a week behind at 8 weeks.

 My doctor had me come back at about 12 weeks to check for certain markers that would show if the baby had Down's Syndrome or other issues.  All looks good!  I made Jeremy & the girls come to this appointment, the girls were more fascinated with the ultrasound wand than the picture of baby.

 And on January 11th we found out the best news....we are having a BOY!!!!

Yep, that's his private parts for display out there!

 This is how we announced it to Facebook!

And now we wait....9 more weeks till he gets to come into our family!

Hopefully by then we will have picked a name....

Halloween 2012

Jeremy took the girls to Downtown Gresham to go trick-or-treating at the shops while I was still at work.  Then I came home and took them through our neighborhood for about an hour, about as long as my pregnant hips would last!  Ava was too funny, if a house had too many scary decorations she wouldn't let us go near it!  The whole hour was her dictating which house she was willing to walk up to.  Mya was such a doll and would say "twick or tweat" at every house and then say thank you!

 My brother Mark had sent Mya this super cute monster costume, but when she saw that she had to wear part of it on her head, she said  "Mya no wear that!"  And screamed when I tried to put it on her.  So we dug out this Princess dress that Ava wore when she was 2.

My cute naked baby!

Just had to put this on here!

Disney on Ice (Oct 2012)

Ava's Birthday present from Jeremy & I was to go to Disney on Ice!!! 

I was so excited to take her, I knew she'd love it and of course she did. 

At the last minute, Shanda & Kiera decided to come down and go with us, though their seats were far away from us.  The show featured Cinderella, Princess & the Frog & Tangled, our favorites!!

Waiting for the show to start!

Princess & the Frog

I had to convince Ava that the alligator wasn't real, but she was so sure of it.

Cinderella & Prince Charming (does he have another name???)

They saved the best for last, with Rapunzel & Flynn Ryder & Maximus of course.

Our cute Princesses! 

Ava as Rapunzel & Kiera as Merida from Brave

 (my Mom made both these dresses, she's amazing!)

And the next day we had another party with the Clift's.

Great Grandpa Clift turned 89 & Ava now 5!

I didn't go too crazy on the cake, but found a cute idea of putting it in a frying pan (have to watch the movie to know why!)  Ava loved it!

Ava turns 5!!! (Oct 2012)

My spunky little Ava turned 5!!!  How did this happen already??? 

There is nothing little about this girl, she is averaging the size of an 8 year!  She's probably a head or more taller than most her Preschool friends and wearing a size 7/8.  She hasn't lost one bit of her spunk or sassiness, she keeps us on our toes.  When she grows up she says she going to marry Justin Bieber and just goes crazy when his songs come on the radio.  I blame her Preschool friends and the teens that work there!  She is not shy about pointing out all the "cute boys" she sees or saying someone looks funny when we are right next to them.  We are learning on reading, though it's going to be awhile.  She does love to draw pictures of her family and writes all our names.  When she knows it's someones Birthday she colors them a special picture to send to them.  I wish I could say she is a great big sister, though she does have her sweet moments where she'll be Mya's friend or help me out.  But alot of times I'm just breaking up the fight!  She's already made plans to move out...when I'm being nice I'm told I can visit, but if I'm mean I can't!  Love her imagination!

We love our Ava!

 My awesome Mom made this beautiful Rapunzel dress for Ava!

Ava could not be happier!

Happy Birthday Princess Ava!!!