I had a moment the other day at the grocery store when I realized that my child is really MY child.

I had just picked up a box of cereal, and I said to Ava, "Hey, it's Honey Bunches of Oats. You like Honey Bunches of Oats, don't you?"

Ava looked up at me from her position in the back of the grocery cart and exclaimed gleefully, "I don't LIKE Honey Bunches Oats; I LOVE it! I love it all day! I can't get enough!"

Only my child could be so passionate about cereal.

I'm in love with my neighborhood Jiffy Lube. Seriously. They are the nicest oil changers EVER. Larry (I think was his name) actually shook my hand through the car window in greeting as he introduced himself yesterday. Then the guy checking the tire pressure grinned and waved at Ava while he worked. They vacuumed my car--not a task I enjoy. And as we left the place, no less than 3 guys wished us a great day and smiled us out the garage door. I half expected to turn around and see them all break into song and dance: "Thank you for coming..tra-la-la-la-laaaa..We love to help you..We won't offend you..Weeeee're Jiffffyyyy LUUUUUUUBE!"

I can't wait for 3,000 miles to pass! I think I'll bring them cookies next time.

As Ava slid off her chair at the kitchen table this morning, she proudly exclaimed, "I did it like that because I'm a BIG girl now." And she is a big girl, indeed. We just celebrated Ava's 3rd birthday, and we are daily amazed by how grown up our little once-baby is becoming. She is so much fun--full of giggling, cuddling, playing, questioning, observing, and sharing. For the first few months of Ava's life, Derek and I mourned each passing day, because we thought she was so perfect and didn't want her to change one tiny bit. We eventually realized that each new stage of her life brings something interesting and fun along with it, so we are trying to embrace her growth into childhood rather than bemoan the passing of her babyhood. But it's not easy.

We began a tradition when Ava was one year old of eating at a pancake house for her birthday, and we continued this year by trying out the Original Pancake House down the street. Oh, yum. The pecan pancakes and fresh-squeezed OJ were delish. I'm still full, and it's been over a day since we were there. When birthday time rolls around, we have also discovered that Ava is quite wary of indoor flames (which we appreciate, as parents and future homeowners): she has always regarded candles with a healthy dose of suspicion, as is documented below.

And now for our little trip down birthday lane.

Ava on her Original Birthday (no pancake house this year):

1st Birthday



2nd Birthday



3rd Birthday


Ava's birthday lunch: cheese, ham, and bread puppies! Arf Arf!

And PJ enjoyed the festivities, as well. Here she is showing Ava how candle-blowing is really done.

Since my last few posts have been agonizingly long, I'll keep this one as brief as possible. Last week, our family voyaged to Sea World San Antonio. I was giddy--you can ask Derek: I was hopping up and down in the parking lot; and Ava had been studying the park map for days, planning out our visit. Here are my conclusions, having visited the park:

1. Sea creatures are very cool, especially the big ones.

2. Sea World is totally cheesy. The shows have these scripts that out-schmaltz the best of Hallmark. I couldn't make that stuff up if I tried, and I've been known to be pretty schmaltzy when I want to be...
3. The gift shops are full of glittery, ceramic dolphins. That's all I'll say about that.

4. Sea World puts its money into the shows and the rides. The other marine displays (sharks, coral reef, etc.) are less impressive than I'd have thought. I mean, it's Sea WORLD, not Sea Town.

5. You can still have fun on a roller coaster if you're sitting next to a total stranger. Nothing like a dose of adrenaline to make you lose your inhibitions regarding screaming and drooling on other people (drooling as a result of screaming at extreme speeds).
6. The real experience of an amusement park is different to a toddler than looking at a park map with cartoon pictures. Ava looked rather pensive for most of the day, though she claimed to be enjoying it. Her favorite part, I think, was the "Foam Walk" where we all rolled around and played on a soft surface. Could've done that at Chuck E Cheese, I'm guessing...

7. Amusement parks are exhausting. It took us 3 days to fully recover from our 9 hours at the park.

8. While Lik-M-Aids, wax root beer candy, and those 10-cent fruit drinks in the plastic barrels have all lost their appeal on my adult self, FUNNEL CAKES are as delicious as ever!

8. All in all, a great time was had by all.

My girls recently received these beautiful and adorable hand-knitted gifts in the mail from an old dear friend of mine, Sarah. Ava loved them instantly (I think she could sense that they were special), and PJ sucked on them with a little more reverence than her average toy.

Seeing these fantastic creations reminded me how badly I want to be an accomplished crafter. Making things brings me great pleasure, and I have taken an interest in many crafty skills such as knitting, sewing, bookmaking, scrapbooking, woodwork, pop-up art, and paper crafts of all types. I scan craft magazines, websites, and books, and Derek buys me crafty pattern books for Christmas gifts every couple of years. I have a stockpile of yarn, a box of fabric, and ideas for projects scattered around. But I apparently don't want to be a crafter badly enough, because I have far more projects-in-the-works than I have finished products. Somewhere along the way, I get busy with other things or else I realize that I'm not as talented as I imagined myself to be when I began the task (e.g., I don't know how many times I've learned to purl, dang it, and I still don't have the hang of it...). And yet I still am constantly itching to make things.

I think that some of this is due to my current at-home, non-working status. When I had a job (the paid type, not the paid-in-hugs-and-cherished-memories-type), I really enjoyed completing projects--whether it was teaching a class, conducting a meeting, writing a report, or helping some kid stop hitting another kid. Every week, I learned something new and many weeks, I did something that made me a little uncomfortable because it was different from what I had done before. And that is something that I truly miss--the feeling of anticipation/anxiety towards a new task, the excitement of the learning & experimenting process, and the satisfaction that accompanied the finished product or assignment or newly acquired skill. I absolutely believe that I am learning while I am home with my kids--there is no doubt about that. This is a job that offers all sorts of opportunities for growth, maturation, anxiety, pride, and hands covered in poop (sorry, but it's true.). And I am extremely happy and appreciative to be doing exactly what I am doing right now. I wouldn't change it for anything. Being home with the girls right now suits my temperament, as well as my personal goals. Nonetheless, I miss that certain brand of accomplishment and growth that my jobs offered me (my good jobs, that is. I don't miss being a papergirl.).

Which brings me to crafting. Sorry for the long interlude. I only intended to write about crafts and what a pathetic wanna-be crafter I am. I have a long list of projects on my fridge right now, and many more items on that mercurial list in my head. Lately I've had projects on my mind a lot, but can't seem to get to any of them. But hey! It looks like I had time to write about them!

For some inexplicable reason, I decided to write an ode to a few of the talented craftswomen in my life, and show a sample of their creations (Though there are many, many more dear crafters who inspire me, it IS 11:00, and I'm getting sleepy).

Crafty Ladies

My big sister's name is Kelly
She's artsy from head-toe-to-belly
She sculpts, sews, and draws
Her designs illicit "aaaw's"
She should have her own show on the telly!

And then there's my lovely friend Bess
Who crafts with such casual finesse
Her creations are so cute
With great sense of style, to boot
I long for her success, I confess

Jessica is my sister-in-law
She holds her needles without flaw
While she knits and crochets
Blankets that comfort and amaze
She also writes books (Ta-Da!)

Nothing like a little poetry to scare people away from a blog, eh? Come back again, and I'll try to resist the urge to rhyme. Nighty-night!

I know I've been a lazy blogger lately, but I was just so busy being lazy in Arkansas that I didn't have time to write anything. But I'm back now from our 15 days on the road: the suitcases are unpacked, the goldfish and raisins are emptied from the carseat, and I've stopped humming "The ants go marching ten by ten, hurrah, hurrah..."

I am proud to say that I accomplished my first solo Texas-Arkansas drive with the girls in both good time and good humor. It's about a 10-hour drive, give or take an hour, and the girls were truly champs. Okay, who are we kidding: I was the snack-passing, eternally-long-story-telling, singing, safe-driving champ, if I ever saw one.

The time really flew, and we had a pretty good time. I discovered a charming little pitstop outside of Dallas called Bass Pro Shops (haha). It really was perfect timing when I saw the billboard after 3 hours of driving. Ava was antsy, PJ was hungry, and I wanted a change in conversation (How many versions of the story about Ava, Daddy, and the flying pony named Glittery can I tell?). So I said to Ava, "Do you want to see some fish?" She looked at me with big astonished eyes and said, "REAL fish?" It was almost like the zoo, but better, because it didn't smell, the goats didn't slobber on us, and there were luxury pontoons to climb on. And somehow I resisted buying PJ a camouflage onesie. Somehow.

We had a great time in Arkansas. My parents are terrific hosts (complete with a freezer stocked with a variety of Ben & Jerry's) and it is wonderfully relaxing to be at home. We also traveled to Memphis to visit my brother's family while I was there. My sister-in-law Cheri was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and she is 7.5 months pregnant. Though she began chemotherapy the week before we saw her, she was still feeling good and looked fabulous (see below--yowzers!).

I know she has a rough road ahead of her, but she has the most incredible attitude you could imagine. She is so strong and optimistic; I really admire her so much. We loved seeing her and the rest of the family. While there, Ava and her cousin explored their inner princesses:


In other news, PJ is seriously starting to crawl, though she can barely sit up unassisted (this is one of her first successes). More pictures to come of the crawling, no doubt...

The Arkansas River flooded at Toad Suck Park while we were there. We took several drives to the river to check out the rising waters, the most exciting trip being the one in which we spotted two water moccasins floating near shore on debris. Oh, and the two centipedes ("Daddy" and "Baby"), which Ava was just as impressed by. This pic shows the flooded road leading into the park.

And we celebrated the true meaning of Easter with new Easter dresses (just kidding, Mom). Here, Ava is being tormented by her baby sister, while Grandma is stealthily assisting with the failed photo op.



We miss you, Grandma and Granddad! Thanks for all the cuddles for the gals and the breaks for their mom!

While we were gone, Derek soothed his lonely soul with movies that he reckoned his wife wouldn't be as eager to see, such as Night of the Lepus, Zu Warriors, Grave of the Fireflies, and Ikiru. Perhaps Derek will grace us with some movie reviews one of these days...