an emotional number...

I put on some classical music for the kiddos at nighttime since they both seemed wide eyed and bushy-tailed. After they were tucked in, Ava started yelling for me...keeping Asa up, poor guy. Anyways, when I whet into her room, Ava remarked, "Mommy, this music is very good. It about emotions. Some songs are happy and some are sad. But right now I'm singing about presents".

sweet and sassy...

ok, really I don't have a lot to post here...I just wanted to show off some cute pics of Ava!

update...

ok, hm...what's been going on around here...

Asa:
-loves to drool
-loves to rolls around everywhere
-loves applesauce, but hates green beans (who wouldn't- puree that is)
-loves to talk...or shriek when he wants something
-loves to flirt
-loves to "fly"
-love to suck his thumb when he sleeps
-loves "playing" with Ava and finds her fascinating
-love being home and routine

Ava:
-loves to learn new words...has a bigger vocab than me!
-love Toy Story
-not loving naps right now...tries to find excuses
-loves testing us right now
-loves to do things...anything...
-loves to do "cowboy jumps" and "space jumps" inspired by Toy Story
-loves to continue to be cowboy Ava
-loves drawing on her magnadoodle
-loves us taking pictures of her
-loves to brush her teeth with her eclectic toothbrush
-loves to pretend all day
-does not like to be called anything but Ava...no nicknames allowed

cute stuff

super cute Asa...I just wanted to share his sweet face...

Rain, rain...

Finally! Today has been rainy...I have no idea why we say we have a monsoon season?!?! It never really rains. It rains more in February. Anyways...Ava was so excited to wake up to the rain that she picked out her own outfit equipped with rain boots and her new umbrella and got dresses all by herself (refusing my help I might add). Asa joined us as well, but just gave Ava funny looks and she tapped dance and did some "rock star" move she calls it which I'm not sure where she learned. She could have spent all day outside if I'd let her!

A Wide U Turn

I just thought this blog entry was simple yet so truthful, honest, and powerful and thought I'd share it....
It's from the blog Our Crazy Marriage

Joanne: More of a wide U-turn than a turning point

So a couple of people have asked me in the past day or so what the turning point was in our story. Of having the conversation to call it quits to moving back to some sort of a happy "normal" life.

And as I've thought about it and answered someone last night, I realize there was not really a turning point. It's not like one day we were headed for divorce and the next day we weren't. There wasn't really a defining moment when I thought, This is it. We're turning a corner and we're okay now.

It was really more of a wide U-turn. So slow and gradual that it took a year or so rather than a moment or a day to get turned around. So slow and gradual that we didn't even notice it was happening at first.

The truth is, it took a while to hit bottom. And we stayed there a while. And it took a while to climb back out. And we're still climbing.

love....is thicker than....anything, really.

"blood is thicker..." how does that quote go "thicker than water"? ok, its late. I can't even remember. Anyways, I guess that's true in all, but is that really the thickest bond? I'm not saying that because I'm close to my family, in fact, I think saying that underplays the strength of true family bonds and friendships that are as strong as family bonds, because those bonds have nothing to do with my gene pool or family tree. True bonds are formed from love and trust and time and tears and smiles, etc. I have to say I know and love and am surrounded by so many good people that my family and myself would not have been or will be the same without.
The truth is we don't spend nearly enough time with all these people that have strengthen us and love us. I guess life just happens. I guess I'm not use to voicing how I really feel about people or I'm not use to being intentional about it. Or what if I did, how would people respond because its not necessarily normal...that's pretty lame though. I don't even spend any time with so many people I love....some of my favorite people probably have no idea I even like them! Let alone know the fact that I stink'n adore them!
Anyways, I just feel incredibly blessed to know and be loved by so many amazing people. I want to be more diligent and intentional about telling people how much they really mean to my family and me....ok, I'll start with you. Ya, you. The fact that you are reading my jiberish I wrote late at night when I should be in bed is pretty amazing. Thanks. That's love for ya.
Man....If I really want to thank people and let them know what they mean to me...my list is going to be really, really, really long. I'm not sure if I'm tired because I'm thinking about this or because its stink'n late...and Asa is going to wake up soon : )

pictures from the hospital

Answers from a Three Year Old...well, almost

I saw these questions on Becki's blog...so I decided to ask Ava, though she got really bored of it fast and kept telling me wanted to play with her play kitchen and trying to wiggle off my lap. I'll try again later, but her answers were pretty cute anyways.

1. What is something Mom always says to you?
"You always say I love you, I love you, I love you...you keep doing that to me."
(YES!)

2. What makes Mommy happy?
"gray, like that" (pointing to the color gray) hm...

3. What makes Mommy sad?
"I don't know what mommy makes sad"

4. How does Mommy make you laugh?
"Agh, sigh" she just wanted to go play at this point combined with the fact that I must need to
work on my comical impact on her or something

5. What was Mommy like when she was a child?
"you were little like this (making a small circle with her fingers...I was small..not that small),
and you had baby milk, and now you are a big girl like me now!"

6. How old is Mommy?
"three...I don't know"

Mommy: "you want to know how old I am...25...is that old or young?"
Ava:"young" good answer

7. How tall is Mommy?
"this big!" holding out her hands wide....I hope she isn't taking about my width : )

8. What is Mommy's favorite thing to do?
"play with me!"

9. What does Mommy do when you aren't here?
"Go to appointments"...that's true

10. What is Mommy really good at?
"playing with me again!" yeah!

11. What is Mommy not good at?
"playing hair with me" ...true again, its hard to get a 2 1/2 year old to stay still

12. What is Mommy's favorite food?
"gold fish" I obviously have such refined taste

13. What makes you proud of Mommy?
"saying baaa to me" she was getting really bored about now

14. What do you and Mommy do together?
"play together, shake like this" (shaking her arms and legs, we had just sung the hokey poky
song)

15. How do you know Mommy loves you?
"this much!" holding hands out

Jordan Asa Mick

Jordan Asa Mick
born May 18th 2009
weight: 8lb 6oz height: 20.5 inches

I haven't yet shared pictures of little Asa on our blog...for one, I'm bad at keeping it updated...but determined to get better! And two, things have been crazy around here...two kids and all, sleep and schedules turned upside down, envibum starting up, etc. I really am looking forward to having time again...just having time...would be nice, but I love this time with little Asa.
I went into the hospital for a non-stress test and ultra sound because I was suppose to get checked out ever couple days since I was past my due date (May 17th), which could have been expected since Ava was born almost two weeks past her due date...hey, its comfy in there. But after the ultrasound nurse said I pretty much had no ambiotic fluid in there...poor guy. So after talking to my doctor they thought it was very necessary to induce me...which meant the dreaded pitocin, which I was trying to avoid....after the nurse wiped the smile off my face, as she put it, I started feeling the most annoying, irritating, just weird pain ever, much different than with contraction with Ava...then I said bring on the epidural, I couldn't handle it anymore. I thought for sure I was at least 7 mm dialated. NOPE. just 3! Man, Jen, You go girl! (She had pitocin and no epidural!) Anyways, it actually wasn't long after that he slipped out..ok, maybe too much info! sorry.
Ava is a great big sister! She sometimes says she wants to cuddle with him but I'm not invited because "You're too big, Mommy"...way to give me a complex. She loves giving him giving him kisses and hugs and playing with him, but is she sees or smells a poopie diaper, she's outta here. I do love seeing how they interact. Asa recognizes Ava and now smiles...instead of scrunches his forhead like he use too.
Ava loved the fact that Asa wears socks on his hands so he doesn't scratch himself...she decided that she should do the same and came running from her room with socks. She also loves it when they both dressed up in their super suits, Ava being "Super Ava" and her side kick "Super Asa".
I'll have to get better hospital pictures from my sister, but I wanted to share a few.
When Asa was 1 month old, Jill, my mother-in-law, who is....wonderful! got to visit us for a couple of days from West Virgina. Not only was she such a help Asa loved her...and of course Ava does too!
Asa is so sweet and cuddly. My sister calls him squeakers because...well, he squeaks. He is now 10 weeks old and I feel like his newborn stage is flying by! He is such a cute little guy and is started to coo and talk...which melts my heart! His poor little head went through a lot since birth. It started to get flat on one side and while I tried to have him lay on the other side of his head, it seemed that his neck was hurting a lot. So I found out he had a pretty had sutcher, which means that one part of his scull bone was behind the other messing up all sorts of things. He started crying in pain last week when I was simply changing his clothes. It was so so sad. So I've taken him to a pediatric chiropractor and a cranial sacrum therapist and its amazing the difference, not only in the back of his head, but his face and demeanor too!
Anyways, I so glad we get to hold Asa now. He was a long time coming...well, at least it felt like it. I'm so blessed.

Baby Belly

At 28 weeks...I think I look like I could give birth already...well, ok, I'm still not as big as I was with Ava...yet. I'm so glad my little boy is doing so well...he is a little mover and kicker. Ava always puts her face up to my belly and says, "He kicked me!" even when he's not moving. It's so cute. I'm sure May 17th...or whenever he decides to come, will be here before I know it! Ah, I have a lot to do : ) I'm not too worried as of right now. Instead I just have an excuse to eat ice cream. Oh, man, maybe the baby fat will be easier to work off since I have two...Hey, mom sister's doc told her that ice cream makes the biggest babies...and big babies make good sleepers...right!?!?!?

Avaisms

Funny things Ava says...I know there are more...but here are some...

Ava: "That's Weird"

"Ava, you're a cutie"...Ava: "No me Not! Me Ava"....she thinks you're calling her one of those
little oranges called "cuties". "No me not" is a catch phrase of hers and can frequently be heard
around my brother-in-laws house when Ava isn't there and he doesn't want to do something.

Ava got a ball pit for Christmas...she calls it her "armpit"... I don't correct her, it's so darn cute.

computer: "puter"

treats for potty training: "poo poo prizes" and "pee pee jar" (that's fun to talk about in public...though now she gives me poo poo and pee pee prizes...I don't complain)

She thinks you eat candy canes (her favs) like carrots...crunch...she must hold some kind of
record of fastest candy cane eater in the west of something...

Uncle Jay and Aunt Rachel were putting Ava to bed, looking at one of her favorite books that
happens to be about the human body...including muscles and veins and stuff...no idea why it's
her favorite. Uncle Jay asked Ava is she wanted to be a doctor when she grows up and Ava
excitedly said yes, "I fix Nana!"

"I be the shark, you be the dolphin," (deep voice) "I'm gonna get you..." don't know where she got that

"A is for Ava!"

Ava sometimes does school work (with my help) while my nieces do there school work. One day
Ava played geography bingo with the girls...you never can get an early enough start right. That
night the baby moniter was on after she went to bed...I heard her wisper, "bingo" and I
wondered if I heard right...then she screamed, "BINGO" yep, I did. I should take her to a
nursing home to play. She would love it.

Ava says to Mommy, "I have curly hair...you have (pause) that hair!"

Concentrating as she is looking at the baby (in my tummy)...."Mommy (pause) you have wrinkles" (referring to my stretch marks...that she made!) ...then "I want baby wrinkles" (looking at her tummy) ahhh...

Aunt Rachel had gas...Ava was walking behind her...Ava starts to gag and cough, "Aunt Rachel, are you going poo poo?" gag, cough some more...sorry, Rachel, just so darn funny!

a couple of cute pics

Peek-A-Boo

My Fairy Wings

Get your free online pregnancy calendar from WhatToExpect.com

the many faces of Ava

Snow Angels

When Ava had just turned two, she loved and still loves to play with her little doll as "they make snow angels". She learned it from TV...even though my little Arizona girl has never been in snow before.

Mommy Wrinkles...

It's happening...my sister tells me that her girls have always had a knack to telling the truth, but for insulting her with it. Yeah, its happening...first is was, "Mommy, I have curly hair (in an adorable bragging voice)...and you have...that hair". Ok, really funny. Not so bad. So I have really straight hair and she recognizes it as less than hers : )
But Not only has she giving me stretch marks, she...well, the other day she lifted up my shirt to see my growing belly, so she could talk to the baby. I could tell she was really concentrating and thinking about something. Then she points to my stomach and says, "You have wrinkles, Mommy". I couldn't help it. I started laughing. I told her she made those wrinkles on my tummy when she was growing inside of me as a baby and that they were 'mommy wrinkles'. She then lifted up her shirt to look at her tummy and said, "I want mommy wrinkles on my tummy"...ok, so she totally made up for it. That was adorable. Hey, I know. We should all be proud of the mommy wrinkles! I had been thinking about how ugly my deflated wrinkly tummy would look once my baby was born...but instead I'm going to be grateful. Mommy wrinkles are so worth it...

"the clarnet and the fute"

a while ago, Ava and I went to a band concert my nieces, Alyssa wasplaying in. Alyssa plays the clarinet and Sarah plays the flute, which Ava now loves can calls "clarnet" and "Fute". My wonderful, yet embarrasing sister relentlessly told Ava to yell things to the girls...especially when it was quiet so everyone could here...oh yeah, and she gave her a lollipop to make sure she was good and loud...ok, I did think it was cute and pretty funny...what a great influence Aunt crazy is! Oh, wait, and I forgot to mention that she brought along two presents for Ava...two flashing shirts! that would light up everytime she moved...Just in case she didn't get enough attention.
For Christmas, I bought her a recorder from the dollar store...I know, I'm crazy. She loves practicing now with Sarah and Alyssa. She takes practicing with each of them...taking it very seriously...

My Baby Einstien

My brother was going to garage sale this...uh...Einstein wig...or maybe it's suppose to be a hat. But we put it on Ava. Oh my gosh! It was hilarious...but the funnier thing was she actually liked it. This was in early January and we were living with my sister Rachel. We were going to the store and my nieces told Ava she should wear it in the store...of course, they go off and Rachel and I are left with baby Einstein! You couldn't' tell it was a wig! I've never gotten as many double takes before...ok, I know I'm beautiful in all...oh, wait, it wasn't even me, it was my Einstein baby. Yeah, it was embarrassment. Ava loved it.

reindeer

Oh, my cute Ava...

"Happy Thanksgiving Everyone"

I will never forget how Ava learned to love to yell, "Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!" at the Thanksgiving Day parade in Fountain Hills. In fact...she still does. You would have thought she was in the parade! She frequently relives the event where she got candy and coloring books thrown at her. Very exciting! This is also where her passion for candy canes began. It was my favorite parade of all times.

Turkeys and Leaves

Thanksgiving...what could be more festive than turkeys and crunchy leaves...

We use to walk a lot : ) We will again soon...but in our neighborhood, there was a house with huge turkeys...Ava would love to go "visit" them. Poor neighbors...we went trampling over their yard and their rocks were even raked! Who does that! Sorry, if you do...if you do, then maybe you should come over and clean off my porch or something. Anyhow, Ava also loved the fallish leaves at Jeremy and Karina's house...you can't find them much here...the leaves that is...