Christmas card

Here is a copy of our Christmas card this year. I couldn't send to everyone...stamps are so darn expensive these days!

PS- If you like our card, check out The Peek a Boo Image!

Let the games begin!

I really didn't think I would see a true sibling rivalry between the kids just yet, but boy oh boy has it started. Anderson may not be able to speak yet but he is getting pretty good at making his feelings known! Ava has started being really possessive and she continues to take toys away from Anderson. I think has has finally gotten sick of being bullied so he screams at her now when she does something he doesn't like...I mean literally screams at her! Dan and i also witnesses something funny today...Anderson was trying to crawl into the toy room and apparently Ava did not want him to go in so she stepped in front of him (with her back to him). He wasn't about to let that stop him! He continued to crawl and ram his head into her repeatedly! She eventually got the point and moved out of his way. As Anderson is getting older, his personality is really starting to come out. He is usually very passive, but he is starting to show his temper!

Merry Christmas!

This past month has been insane! We have had Christmas celebrations every weekend since the 13th all of which had some kind of drama involved. Here's a brief recap...

On Saturday the 13th, we celebrated Christmas with Dan's dad and his wife and also Dan's sister. We hosted the event this year so I spent time that week cleaning and cooking. Over the course of the week, Ava had had numerous accidents (as in the wetting her pants kind). This was so untypical of her, but I figured it was because I had been busy and really not paying as much attention to her bathroom activities. She had also complained about her bottom hurting. I brushed it off b/c she often has aches and pains and they usually just require a band aid to go away. By Friday, it finally clicked that maybe Ava's trouble was due to a UTI. Of course by the time I realized that the Dr.'s office as closed. So...Saturday morning we were expecting company and I had to get up earlier than usual to take Ava to the pediatrician. So we hurried to get there and back so i could still get lunch prepared in time. Everything got finished...I even had a little time to spare but I was exhausted. We had a fun day of eating and opening gifts. Ava got her first video game...she loves it! Oh and it turned out she didn't have an infection so i rushed around for nothing. Better safe than sorry though!

The following weekend we celebrated with Dan's mom and sister. The drama surrounding this party started on Thursday evening. Our hometown (to which we were traveling to) was hit by a huge ice storm on Thursday evening/Friday morning. Many homes in northern IN were out of electric, including my mother in law. As were we leaving Saturday afternoon, she still had no power. We couldn't stay there with the kids b/c she had no heat. We had a backup plan to stay at my parents but fortunately her power was back on around 4 pm that day! Christmas was saved! We went to church on Sunday morning and then had a brunch and opened gifts. The ice was actually very pretty on the trees, but it caused many limbs to fall. With the strong wind on Sunday you had to be careful to not get pelted with ice falling from the trees!

We spent Christmas day at home with the kids. It is really nice to be able to just relax and play with the kids and their new toys!

This past weekend we celebrated with my family. We spent the weekend at my parents, which gets a bit crazy with 8 adults, 4 kids (2 1/2 and under), and 2 dogs. We had a great weekend with the exception the my sister got the stomach flu and in turn passed it on to Ava and my parents. Hopefully no one else will get sick!

I guess that wasn't so brief...I hope you all had a great holiday season. It's hard to believe another year is gone!

Making (or eating mostly) Christmas cookies with mom!

Our Sunday best!

Busy, busy, busy

It seems we have been so busy lately...hopefully after the holiday rush I will have more time to post.

Quick kid updates...Ava is still enjoying school. I wish it was more than one day a week. I could use the time "off" and she could use the help with her social skills! She has finally partially cut one of her 2 year molars. Maybe by the time she goes to kindergarten she will have all of her baby teeth. And is seems that Anderson will be following the same pattern. He is almost 9 months and the Dr. could feel no tooth buds (that may be one of the only things they have in common!). His ears are finally infection free. He is into everything these days. I am starting to think that he may never speak. He is so quiet but that is because his motor mouth sister doesn't give him a chance to say anything. He usually stays up a little later than Ava so for that 1/2 hour when it's quiet he has to get in all his "talking" for the day. We had his 9 month check up this week. It was actually more like 8 months but since we were at the Dr. for an ear recheck he did it then so we wouldn't have to come back. He weighs 17.5 pounds and is 27.5". Still a little guy but he is 2 pounds and 1.5" ahead of where Ava was at 9 months. Maybe he won't be quite as shrimpy as her. She has always looked small but her size difference is becoming way more obvious as she gets older. She is literally nearly half the size of some of her friends. She weighs 22.5 pounds and is 33" tall. My nephew who is only 10 months is almost as big as her. Maybe she will shock us all one day and hit a huge growth spurt. I just hope she makes it to 5' as an adult!

Little man on the move!

On Saturday night, Anderson finally figured out how to crawl. He was in the "rock on your hands and knees" stage for quite awhile, but now he has the hang of it. It's great for him because he was getting aggravated that he couldn't get around, but not so good for momma. Today I had to chase him all over. He even has started pulling up to his knees. I'm am not ready for a mobile child! Ava enjoys crawling around with him, but she is annoyed that he can get into her toys. She is very much in the "it's mine" stage, so she doesn't want Anderson to touch her things. Guess she'll have to get over that!

On a not as good note, Anderson is 1 week post tube surgery and already has another infection in his right ear. He caught Ava's cold so he has been really congested which is what started the other infections. This time however, we can do ear drops. The pediatrician said the tubes were working b/c he could see the pus draining. After the surgery, the ENT told me to expect his ears to drain, especially the right one. They really didn't, but I didn't think to much about it. After visiting the pediatrician yesterday though his right ear drained all night. Maybe there was some wax in his ear that was preventing complete drainage that might have been moved when they looked in his ears...anyway, he doesn't seem to be bothered by it. Hopefully it will clear up with just one round of antibiotics this time.

We are enjoying have Dan home this weel and looking forward to another yummy Thanksgiving meal on Thursday!

Ava funny of the day

Yesterday I asked Ava what she did while she was at school. She told me this...."I colored and I did crap. Then I put it in my cubby." I asked her to repeat herself and realized she was trying to say she did a craft.

Anderson, the little trooper

Anderson had his surgery to put his ear tubes this morning. You can't even tell! He immediately woke up, took a bottle, and was back to himself. I have been so blessed with such an easy going baby (just wish he would learn to sleep all night!). The Dr. said that it was good that we were able to get this done quickly b/c there was quite a build up of "gunk" in his right ear. Without the procedure we would not have gotten any relief from the infections.

Relief is on the way!

Anderson will be having tubes put in his ears on Monday morning. He still had fluid behind his right ear drum today. Hopefully after Monday we won't have to do any more oral antibiotics and he will finally be able to hear correctly and sleep better!

An apple a day doesn't keep the Dr. away!

Poor little Anderson has yet another ear infection. I took him to the Dr. on the 24th and they gave him a script for the antibiotic they consider their "big gun". We did the typical 10 day treatment, but he was still running a fever so I took him back in Monday. His ears were still infected so they gave us yet another antibiotic. This drug is nasty. It is notorious for causing tummy troubles. About an hour after the first dose, he vomited all over me! That was great. That hasn't happened again, but he does have diarrhea (which means a nasty diaper rash too). On the 2nd visit to the pediatricians office, we saw the nurse practitioner. She told us that she really didn't feel that even this second round of antibiotics would get rid of the infection, but hopefully keep it controlled enough so his ear drum wouldn't burst. She feels that he will not get any relief without tubes. We have an appointment with an ENT specialist on the 13th. I guess we'll just have to wait to see what he says. Anderson is a trooper though. He has his moments, but even with yucky ears he is still a pleasant little guy!

Enjoying some November sunshine and 70 degree weather!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!!

On Saturday, we celebrated Dan's birthday (it was actually Monday, but he was in Chicago). Ava is very into birthdays. There was a stretch of a couple weeks where we played pretend birthday everyday (and it's always her birthday!). She was super excited that there was an actual birthday to celebrate. She talked about it all week and was looking forward to making daddy's cake. When I asked her how she wanted to decorate the cake, she replied, "with blue icing and Halloween sprinkles." So we indeed made a cake with blue icing and Halloween sprinkles....

Making the icing blue

And adding the sprinkles....

The decorator and the finished product (she added the candles too...can you tell?!)

And finally she got to sing happy birthday...

PS- Yes, she was dressed as Tinkerbell while we made the cake. We have dressed up like Tinkerbell everyday since Halloween! ;)

An Ava funny

I love to listen to Ava try to say the full names of my sisters...

My sister Angi's last name is Knouse (you actually pronounce the k). When Ava tries to say it she says, "Angi damouse."

My sister Kari's last name is Schwartz. Ava says, "Kari Shorts."

Happy Halloween!

Anderson, Rylan, & JacobTinkerbell (aka Ava)
Anderson the stinky skunk

We had a great Halloween this year. Ava is old enough now to enjoy it and understand how the trick or treating process works. I got the kids all dressed up and we joined all of the neighbors for a chili "pitch in" dinner. My sister's both came over with their boys so we could all go trick or treating together. Ava was so excited all week about trick or treating. She was all practiced up! In true Ava fashion though, as soon as we would get to a house she would refuse to get out of the wagon and say trick or treat. I think we managed to stop at 3 or 4 houses and then we called it a night. Ava came home and dumped her treat bag on the coffee table and asked to open every single piece. She managed to enjoy a kit kat and butterfinger before she had to go to bed. Anderson was an angel. He never fussed once about the big bulky costume I made him wear! He looked so stinkin' cute!!!

Our train ride adventure to a pumpkin patch!

On Saturday we had an interesting adventure to a pumpkin patch. My friend Kylee has a little guy that really loves trains so she invited us to go with their family on a train ride to a pumpkin patch. The train/pumpkin patch place was on the east side of Indy so we had to drive nearly an hour to get there (we live on the west side). When we pulled up, we saw what has to be one of the oldest trains EVER! And sure enough, that's what we were riding in. I should have taken some Dramamine with me...it rocked something fierce...but Ava and her friend Elijah were having fun. After about 20 minutes on the train, we stopped at a snack shack type thing. After waiting for 20 minutes there, we loaded back up on the train and headed back toward the depot. About halfway back to the depot, they stopped the train at the "pumpkin patch." Their idea of a pumpkin patch was a cleared soy bean field where they brought in a truckload of pumpkins. Each kid got to pick a pumpkin to take home. I was an interesting trip...not what I had anticipated, but the kids enjoyed the ride. Now we'll know to look for something different next year!

P.S.

Anderson's ear infection seems to be all cleared up! Praise Jesus! We finished the second round of antibiotics 1.5 weeks ago and he has shown no signs that his ear is still bothering him.

It's like a microwave!

So today I took the kids out and ran a few errands. Afterward we went to the gym so I could get in a workout before the weekend. After a good hour on the treadmill, I went to get the kids from the children's room and quickly realized as we were leaving that I didn't have my keys. Sure enough...they were in the ignition of the car with the doors locked. We ventured back inside and I called a locksmith. It was a beautiful day outside so the kids and I waited out by the car. There was a landscaped area and a grassy spot where Ava was playing. Ava was picking "flowers" (aka dandelions) for me. I had quite a bouquet. As she picked the last one, she brought it to me and said, "Look Momma, I picked a flower. It's like a microwave!" I still haven't quite figured out where that one came from. Kids say the darnedest things! ;)

Here's a little sunshine!

Happy 1/2 year birthday, Anderson!

Anderson is 6 months old today! The official stats are 15 1/2 lbs and 26". We actually hit the 50th percentile!! That's a first for the Fritz children! On a not so good note, Anderson's right ear still has a pretty bad infection. We are half way through our 2nd round of antibiotics and the Dr. said it should be looking better by now. Hopefully in the next 5 days it will improve. If he still shows signs of infection after we finish this med, he will have to go on a pretty powerful antibiotic that tastes bad and can irritate his stomach. I'm hoping and praying it doesn't come to that. If none of these drugs take care of it, the Dr. said we will have to consider using another type of antibiotic (he used a big term and I can't remember what it was!) and probably have to be referred to an ENT specialist. I'm sure it will not come down to that though. We had to wait for quite some time at the Dr.'s office today. Thankfully Ava behaved very well. She kept herself occupied by building with the mega blocks they have in the exam rooms. She built a castle and a goose. Not sure where she came up with the idea to build a goose but she did. When I told her this morning that we had to take Anderson to the Dr., she immediately started singing, " No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" I think that is the only line she knows...she just repeats it over and over.

New Tooth!

Ava cut her 14th tooth today!!! At the rate she is going Anderson will end up catching up with her (unless he is as oddly slow as she is getting teeth). The tooth that came through today was an upper canine. She still needs to get her 2 canine teeth on the left side of her mouth to have a full toothy smile. Some kids have this many teeth around age 1 and she is 2 1/2!

"Momma, I say cheese!"

My daughter is in love with the camera. Yesterday afternoon she kept repeatedly telling me to get my camera. Of course the day she actually wants her picture taken, both batteries for the camera are dead. I was able to get some cute pics and video later that afternoon after one battery had charged.
The last month has been full of snotty noses in our house. Ava was the first to get the nasty cold and soon after Dan and Anderson got it. It wasn't a super terrible bug just one that has been nagging and sticking around for several weeks. Ava finally no longer has a snotty nose. Poor little Anderson though has not had it so easy. A couple of weeks ago he was diagnosed with an ear infection. As per my previous post, i thought he was doing so much better. After we were about halfway done with the course of antibiotics, his snotty nose returned. 2 days after we finished the medicine, we were back where we started. On Sunday night, i ended up taking him to the urgent care clinic. He now has infection in both ears. They put him on a more potent antibiotic this time so hopefully this will take care of it.

Anderson is rolling all over the place now and he is trying so hard to figure out how to crawl. He flails around trying to push with his feet. It's pretty funny to watch. He is still on the small side for his age, but he is so much bigger than Ava was. His feet are already almost the same size as hers. I bought them the same size socks for winter. I haven't had his foot measured since we don't need shoes yet, but I'm guessing his foot is the same size as Ava's was when she started walking. I would think he would probably wear between a 2 or 3. Ava still wears size 4 and she is 2 1/2!

Nap time humor

Today Ava was not wanting to take a nap, but I knew she was tired b/c she didn't nap yesterday and that always throws her sleep schedule off. So I finally just put her in her room and locked the door. She screamed and cried for a little while but it didn't take long to get quiet. I was finished doing my cleaning upstairs so before I headed downstairs I went to check on her. As I walked closer to her room, I thought I heard voices. At first I thought maybe the TV was on downstairs but then I remembered I haven't had the TV on all afternoon. Sure enough, the noise was coming from her room. I have a small stereo/cd player in her room so I can play music when I expect the house might be noisy while she is sleeping. She has been playing with it lately. She likes to take the CD out and turn it over. Needless to say the CD is all scratched up so I haven't even bothered turning it on. Well this afternoon before she fell asleep, she must have been messing with the buttons and she somehow managed to turn the radio on and get it tuned to an actual station! The funniest thing is that she fell asleep on the floor beside the player. There was rock music playing right into her ear and it didn't even seem to bother her! I wish I could sleep that sound!

This and That

Ava comes up with the funniest things. On Labor day evening we went to Dan's sister's house for a cookout. We were ended up staying past Ava's bedtime. I figured she would crash on the way home. Much to my surprise, she chattered and sang her little heart out for most of the trip. At one point I told her that she needed to close her eyes and go to sleep and that meat her mouth had to be quiet. She replied, " Quiet...pianissimo!" Seriously...what 2 year old child knows that word and what it actually means! She is a sponge...she picked that up from watching the Little Einsteins. They teach musical terms while the carry out their "mission" for the day.

Ava started "school" yesterday. She did very well. Her daily report sheet said she was friendly and happy and that she participated and played with the other children. I was a little worried that she might try to boss all the other kids around.

And...we have finally completely mastered the potty!!! I fear I have created a monster though. I was really tired of cleaning up poopy panties so I created a treasure box reward system. She was able to pick out a treasure each time she went potty. The "prizes" started out being pretty big...a new movie, an Ariel barbie, a make up kit. I have tamed down the prizes and now the treasure chest is full of the $1 target bin items. When those are gone, she will probably just get random stuff I can find around the house! She doesn't much care what the prize is but just that she gets to pick one. Here's the annoying part...Instead of sitting on the potty and getting it all out at once, she will sit to go pee and then squeeze one (and only 1) turd out. So she is getting to pick from the treasure box multiple times a day! I don't really mind though...at least she is using the potty. She is very independent and doesn't usually want my help any more when she uses the restroom, but I can always tell when she is going. She always says "squeeeeeeeeeeeze" while she is trying to go. It's hysterical!

This is Ava sporting her "light up" Ariel shirt she earned for pooping in the potty!

We have all been suffering through the 2nd round of head colds in just a month. Ava doesn't even get bothered by her colds anymore b/c she is so used to having them. Little Anderson though had it pretty bad this time. I ended up taking him to the Dr. yesterday b/c he had developed an ear infection from all of the drainage. After only 2 doses of antibiotics I can see a huge change. He is a little more like himself today. He even managed to finish an entire 6 oz bottle (this is a big deal b/c 1. he's not a big eater to begin with and 2. he hasn't hardly had anything to eat since he came down with this cold)!

Other than our bout with the nasty head cold, we are all doing pretty well.

It's been some time since my last post...we have been sick and gone so much that I have had a hard time finding a chunk of time to just sit at the computer. Both kids are napping today at the same time so I figured I should use it to my advantage (though I should be cleaning).

Dan and I were able to go to Arkansas last week. I was able to visit and catch up with many friends, but Dan had to work most of the time. This was my first time being 100% child free in over 2 years! It was fabulous. I love my kids, but this was a much needed break. I actually got 8 straight hours of sleep for 4 days in a row! It is amazing how much uninterrupted sleep can make you feel so much better. The kids stayed in Winamac for the week with grandparents.

Ava has a new phrase that she likes to use repeatedly. When I ask her to do something she simply replies, "Mommy, I don't tink so." I can't even tell you how many times I have heard this over the past week! It's a little funny but at the same time not. She now attempts to get out of trouble by saying she's tired. I'm not sure why she thinks that will help but whenever I have to get after her for something, she always lays down on the floor and says "I'm sleepy." So I reply, "Then go to bed." This promptly results in her jumping up and saying, "I wake up." She also likes to say that her name is Chloe (the name of the neighbor girl) and sometimes calls my parent Pete and George. She comes up with the carziest things.

I came back from my vacation to find that Anderson went from making no attempt to even roll to his side to completely rolling over. He still struggles with getting his arm out from under him, but he does get all the way over. It's crazy how quickly they change.

Playing with Daddy's old hat!

Same old stuff...

There is not much new to report here. Ava is still doing really well with using the potty. She has 4 teeth that should be breaking the gum anytime now. They are taking FOREVER to come in!! She is learning more and more songs. I think she sings as much as she talks these days. She can finally sing her ABC's now too. She will be starting a mother's day out program in September so we are both really looking forward to that. She spent last weekend with Grandma MaryAnn...I had forgotten how easy it was to just have 1 baby!

Anderson had his 4 month check up on Tuesday. He weighs 14 pounds and is almost 24 inches. We have moved up to the 25th percentile! not too bad considering he had such a low birth weight and then didn't gain his first month! He is finally starting to get some peach fuzz on the top of his head. I think he will be a blondie just like Ava. He has shown no interest in rolling from his back to belly yet. He won't even turn onto his side. He is really laid back and a little lazy I think. He does great on his belly though and he can now sit up with the support of a boppy and "tripod" on his own. I find it funny how with Ava I couldn't wait for her to reach another new milestone but with the Anderson I would rather him just stay a baby a little longer. I guess that's probably because this will most likely be my last baby.

I am still trying to get rid of baby weight. I have been going to the gym now for a couple of months and have lost almost 10 pounds. Now only 15 more to go!

A side note...please pray for an old college friend of mine. Her 2 year old son, Issac, was diagnosed with leukemia today. I don't have alot of details at this point. I can't even begin to imagine what her and her husband are going through right now. I feel so blessed to have healthy children!

PeePee in the Potty!!!

It seems that Ava has mastered peeing in the potty. She hasn't even had an accident while we have been out at a store or at church! She wears panties all day with the exception of while she's sleeping. We are still working on the poo in the potty though. We bought her a new backpack (with Dora on it) to carry all potty necessities with us in a discreet manner. She is so little she doesn't like to sit on a big potty without her Dora potty seat ring. The backpack let's us carry that with us wherever we go without getting funny looks for carrying around a potty seat. (though I don't really enjoy carrying around a bubble gum pink Dora backpack either!)

Anderson is doing well. He is such a pleasant baby! He is weighing nearly 14 pounds now. We go to the Dr. for his 4 month check up next week so we'll have an official weight and length then. I can't believe he's 4 months already!

Our little musician

Ava is very into music these days. She loves to sing and bang/play any instrument she can get ahold of (including the big piano). Here is a sample of her musical ability!

Potty Training Progress

I started to attempt the potty training process with Ava earlier this summer. I'll admit I haven't been really consistent. I got really frustrated after days up cleaning up pee from my floor. I have a very, very strong willed little girl! We were out of town last week at my parents so we didn't do any potty training or really even talk about it. So today I decided to give it another shot. I put her potty in her toy room so it would be close by, took off her diaper, and told her if she need to go peepee to sit on her potty (I know she knows when she needs to go b/c she usually asks for a diaper). To my surprise, 15 minutes later I heard the potty "sing"(it plays music when you go potty in it). Sure enough...she actually went peepee in the potty! She was very excited about dumping it into the big potty and flushing it. Every peepee was successful today!!! I didn't have to clean up any off the carpet. The next challenge will be getting her to wear panties and still use the potty. Today was a good day but we have a long way to go. Baby steps...we'll get there eventually. Everyday is a new day with Ava. You never know what you are going to get. She could be my sweet little princess and behave so well one day and then the next be a total terror child who throws extreme fits and continually disobeys. Oh the joys of the terrible 2's!

Ava's first official haircut

I took Ava for her first official haircut today. I have trimmed the back a couple of times myself over the past 6 months, but today I sought the help of a professional to get her mop under control. Her hair is very frustrating because it is so thin and fine and it is not straight but not really curly either. She always looks like i haven't combed her hair. To make it worse, the back of her hair grows really fast while the front and sides are growing super slow. I decided it was time for some bangs because I can' keep a barrette in her hair to keep it out of her eyes. Everything I put in just slides out or she usually ends up pulling it out anyway. We went to a place called Cookie Cutters. It is a shop that does mainly kids cuts. It was a very cool place. They had a big slide for kids to play on while they waited and a couple of TV's with cartoons playing. Each hair station had a chair that was some type of car for the kids to sit in instead of just the plain old typical chairs. Ava chose the old fashioned car to sit in. Each station also had their own TV so the kids could watch while their hair is being cut. Ava behaved fabulously! She didn't fuss or cry once and sat very still. They even took her picture and printed it on her own certificate with a lock of her hair attached. To top it all off, they gave her a balloon!

Anderson is 3 months old!

Anderson will officially be 3 months old tomorrow! Time has really flown by. He is growing so fast (much faster than Ava did). And he is sleeping through the night!! He is such a different baby compared to Ava. She didn't sleep through the night until she was nearly a year old. We had his 3 month pictures done last week. I was curious to see how they compared to Ava's 3 month photos...what do you think?!



Anderson is bigger at this age and I can see a difference in their eyes, but i see a strong resemblance!

Ava's first trip to the dentist!

Today I took Ava for her first dentist appointment. I was preparing myself to have a hysterical child. Lately she has had some stranger anxiety and couple that with a strange man putting his fingers in her mouth....I was truly expecting some major tears! Boy was I wrong! Ava behaved so well. It was totally an answer to prayer. When we first went back, she got to pick out a new toothbrush. She chose a Dora mermand (mermaid) one. The hygienist used her new toothbrush to put on some yummy strawberry flavored fluoride on her teeth. I promised Ava that if she behaved like a big girl I would take her swimming this afternoon...so she attempted to tell the lady about the "big water" we were going to swim in during the fluoride application. When the dentist came in, I felt her grip on me tighten, but once he began talking to her she relaxed and did everything he asked her to do. I was so proud of her! The dentist said everything looked fine so far and that her neonatal tooth was actually in good shape compared to most he sees. He said it could fall out at any time so that everyday we have with that tooth is a blessing. It has lasted over 2 years so hopefully will get 2 more.

What a week!!

We have had one busy week! Sadly, we got a call from Dan's mother, MaryAnn, about 2:30 am last Sunday informing us that his grandmother had died (MaryAnn's mom). Then the following day, MaryAnn found out she would have to have surgery on her hip immediately. She has been having trouble with her hip for a couple of months and a recent MRI revealed that she had a significant stress fracture in her hip that had to be repaired ASAP. So the viewing and funeral were scheduled for Thursday and Friday of this past week to allow MaryAnn to have the surgery and a day of recovery. So...we went to visit his mom in the hospital on Tuesday, spent Wednesday packing and driving up to Winamac, had the viewing on Thursday, funeral Friday, followed by the trip back home to Avon. Everyone was soo exhausted. To top it off, my family has a tradition of going camping every year on Father's day weekend. We didn't spend the night this year, but we did spend all day Saturday at the camp ground enjoying the beautiful weather. Today was our recovery day. We all took good naps!

Accident Prone Ava

My dear sweet daughter just can't help but keep injuring herself! She always has the usual bruises on her legs from falling down but lately she has had 2 major bruises to her face. A couple of days before Anderson was born, she fell and hit the window sill on our bedroom. She immediately had a goose egg on her forehead. Over the next several days, the bump turned a variety of colors. Eventually the bruising continued down to the bridge of her nose and her eyes. It took a month or better to get to the point where it wasn't visible anymore.


This week Ava was playing outside on her new playset with some neighbor kids and she walked in front of the baby swing. Her right eye and the bridge of her nose took the hit. The hit managed to cut her nose and the corner of her eye. When she woke up the next morning, here eye was a little puffy and her eyelid was completely purple. The morning after that, underneath her eye was purple. This is her first "shiner." She always seems to recover quickly. She cried for a few minutes and was then ready to go back out to play in the sandbox!

Way to grow Anderson!

On Wednesday we went to Anderson's 2 month check up. He weighed in at 10 lbs. 9 ozs! He put on 4 lbs in one month. After getting off to a slow start, I would say he is really taking off. He has a bad case of reflux which caused him to not gain much weight until he was put on some medication. He didn't even gain a full pound in his first month. He seems to be growing faster than Ava did so maybe we won't have 2 pint sized kids!

Ok....so i started this blog with the intention of at least keeping it updated weekly. As you can see, that just hasn't been happening. I am finding that the only time i have to actually sit at the computer is after both kids are in bed which isn't until around 10 right now. Anderson has started to fall asleep a little earlier so hopefully things will get easier.

Let's see...since the last post, Ava has dropped out of gymnastics. Her stranger anxiety got the best of her. Maybe will try again in the fall. The kids experienced their first earthquake (of course they both slept through it). Also, Ava celebrated her 2nd birthday. Her party was a lot of fun this year. She actually understood what was going on. She loved blowing out the candles on her cake and the presents! She continued to ask for a present for days afterward.

Anderson is really taking off. He is around 10 lbs now. He got off to a slow start die to some severe reflux. He didn't even gain a full pound in the first month, but after he started some medication and we switched to lactose free milk, he has really put on the weight quickly. He will be 2 months already next week. Ava does really well with him. She is a very big helper. She is always bringing me diapers and telling me he needs changed. She is a little momma...she thinks he always need his paci (which he really doesn't take much at all) and she always tries to cover him up with a blankie (head and all). Both of the kids really enjoy playing with their cousins. Each of my sisters have a baby boy. Kari had Jacob on Jan. 30th and Angi had Rylan on April 14th. We are really looking forward to the boys getting to grow up together. I'm sure Ava will be their boss. She may be little, but she sure is mighty!

Ava's first day of gymnastics

Tonight Ava went to gymnastics class for the first time! After a very rough start, I think she really enjoyed it. She has been having stranger anxiety lately so she did not want to leave mom to start the class. It took her 10 minutes or so and then she settled down and had fun. There was only one other little girl in her class tonight so she got lots of attention from her instructor. She got to jump on a trampoline, swing on a rope, crawl under a bridge, dance, and do a 2 year old version of a cart wheel (all of this with help of course)! I couldn't take any pictures during the class because I was hiding out so she didn't see me. Maybe next week...this is a picture of her before we left the house.

We have a blog!

Well, I have finally started a blog. I can't make promises on how often it will be updated, but i will do my best.