Counting My Blessings

My baby you'll be

2012-02-09T10:05:00.000-08:00

Happy 2 months my sweet little Jack! Can I say I have the absolute sweetest baby. He is already two months old - how is that possible??

He weighs 10 pounds 6 ounces at the end of two months. He is still in the 10th percentile in weight and the 40th percentile in height.

Jack has the sweetest disposition. Most people have never heard him cry. He is happiest in Mommy's arms or laying on the couch smiling and cooing at us. He sleeps so well, but he is still sleeping with Mommy and Daddy. HE is not going to know what to do when he has to sleep by himself :)

He loves to watch Ava and Sam and smiles so big for them. I am in big trouble when he starts moving around!!

He eats about every three hours - 5 or 6 ounces. He leans his head all the way back so he can see me when he eats or is going to sleep - the sweetest thing ever!

Jack - you are such a blessing to all of us! We love you!

Older Than Dirt

2012-01-27T13:20:00.000-08:00

James turned 40 on January 4th!!! Somehow I pulled off a surprise birthday party with some of our closest friends and family! I keep giving him a hard time about being so old - ha! But I hope he knows how much we love and appreciate him!

I did not get great pictures - just too much going on. I didn't even video his reaction when he came in the house. I am trying not to still be upset about that :(

James is opening his gifts - here are his new Depends!

Holidays 2011

2012-01-27T13:11:00.000-08:00

The holidays seem like such a long time ago now and to be honest it was a little bit of a blur. I want to wriite about it though so I can remember these fun, crazy times!

Of course, Jack was born the Monday before Thanksgiving so we were not driving anywhere. My family brought Thanksgiving dinner to us that day and we all had a very laid back day. We all loved to just sit around and look at Jack all day. I am having some tecnical difficulties with my computer holding my Thanksgiving pictures so they will have to wait.

The next couple weeks were very busy getting ready for Christmas--

I actually had a little photo shoot with the kids for the Christmas card. I had very low expectations and was so excited that I got a good picture of all three.

Ava had a little party at dance and loved wearing her pink Santa hat

Our elf, Sprinkles, was one of our favorite parts of this Christmas s season. I hate that I didn't get more pictures, but the kids had so much fun. Sprinkles was pretty sneaky this year and Sam and Ava had a lot of fun finding him every morning - except for when that lazy elf forgot to move :)

Sam is telling Sprinkles his last minute Christmas wishes

Christmas Eve cookie making

When I was going through these pictures I looked at this one and was trying to figure out which baby doll she was holding. It took me a minute to figure out it was Jack :)

Christmas Eve - leaving cookies for Santa

...and Christmas morning! Santa brought them both four wheelers to ride out at our land. This made for a comical Christmas morning. They crashed into just about everything in the living room!

She just can't believe it :)

Jack's First Christmas

Ava and Haven at Mamaw's house - Christmas Day

Papa and Jack - Grummer Family Christmas

First family picture with all five!

We are feeling especially blessed this holiday season. Jack was unexpected, but he was certainly the best gift we could have ever received. These three kids made this holiday (and really every day) so special and fun!

Jack Michael

2012-01-17T09:41:00.000-08:00

Long time.. no see!! Now I know why people don't have any pictures after two kids - no time :) I have A LOT of things to post, but the most important is the arrival of our baby boy so I am going to begin there!

We went to the hospital very early in the morning on November 21st. I have to say that for some reason I was more scared this time than with Sam and Ava - you would think that the third would be easier (not for me)!! It took a while to get my IV in and to get things starting. James was definitely very supportive. As scared as I was - James was excited. Once things started they went really fast. They induced me around 9:00, broke my water at 9:30, and I was in intense pain pretty soon after this. James was watching the monitor telling me how strong my contractions were - "here is a big one." Ha - yeah thanks :) Erica, my mom and my dad got to be there through most of it - I was thankful for that.

I was dilated to 3 when I got to the hospital, so I didn't have to progress very far to get my epidural - thank goodness! It was such a relief from that point, and it really went fast after that! At about 11:00 it looked like my contractions had just stopped, and because I had my epidural at that point of course I couldn't feel them. But I did feel some pressure. We waited for a couple minutes and Erica couldn't wait any longer so she went to ask the nurse why my contractions had stopped. The nurse came in to check and Jack was READY. At this point I was still scared - I just wanted him to be safe in my arms!!

Our doctor was there before I knew it, and it was time to bring Jack into the world. It took two pushes and about a minute and a half and he was here. He was (and still is) perfect! I think no matter how many times you give birth it is such a miracle and the instant love is just overwhelming.

Jack Michael Piraino

6 pounds 15 ounces (exact same as Sam)

20 1/2 inches long

perfect in every way :)

Love at first sight

Proud Daddy

I can't wait to write all about our adventures since we have been home. There is never a dull moment in this house!!

Sam's 3rd Birthday

2011-11-04T18:51:00.000-07:00

Sam turned three on September 18th - this post is better late than never :) I remember looking at Sam that week and thinking that he is not my baby anymore, and that makes me sad! For so long I have thought of him as my baby boy, and even though he will ALWAYS be my baby, he is not going to be the baby of the family. And he is looking and acting like a little boy now.

Some things to remember about Sam at 3:

There is no in-between with Sam. I am either laughing at him because he is so sweet and hysterical, or I am crying because he is making me crazy!

He is hungry ALL the time. He wakes up at 5:30 every morning and comes to our room asking what is for breakfast.

He doesn't like hugs, kisses, or snuggling (heartbreaking), but he does say, "Mommy, I love you" all day.

He is Daddy's buddy. He will follow James anywhere and everywhere. James can do no wrong as far as Sam is concerned!

He is obsessed with tractors - seriously obsessed!

Some of his favorite foods: Pop-Tarts (these are going to go away when I feel normal in the mornings again), macaroni and cheese, yogurt, any kind of fruit, muffins, cinnamon rolls - Sam REALLY likes breakfast!

I am so proud to be Sam's mommy. He makes all of our lives better in every way!

We bought some land out in the country last year and James has been working hard fixing it up. Sam loves to go out to the land and ride tractors and just hang out with Daddy. So, for Sam's party we met at the land and had a tractor party complete with a hayride. It was very low-key and the perfect party for my little tractor boy!

Birthday Boy

All the cousins

When it was time to open presents, Sam asked, "Is it time to open my tractors?"

Hayride - AJ and Sam

Nick and Tyler

Cute girls!!

We love you Sam!!

Way Behind!

2011-11-01T17:53:00.000-07:00

Well- once again I am WAY behind on my blog. I just can't keep up with everything going on, and things are about to be REALLY crazy :)

Anyway, I wanted to pick up where I left off and maybe I will catch up to Halloween before this new baby gets here!!

A couple months ago we started our back to school routine which means we have something to do every day. I do like having a routine and the kids are much happier having things to do every day, but I do miss sleeping in! Here is what our schedule looks like:

Monday: MOPS
Tuesday: Preschool/Mother's Day Out
Wednesday - Dance
Thursday- Preschool/ Mother's Day Out
Friday - Playgroup

And I am taking one class and completing 200 hours of my internship (on Tuesdays and Thursdays while kids are in school). And in between all of that getting ready for baby!

Here are some of the shots from our first days:

We had to go to the store to buy some new ballet and tap shoes for Ava. I told her that we could get one new leotard since the ones she wore last year are a little tight. She saw this one and HAD to have it. She has worn it every week and all she does is check out herself in the mirror :)

First day of preschool - I am SO not looking forward to kindergarten next year!

Sam on his first day of Mother's Day Out. You can't tell from this picture but he screamed all morning because he didn't want to go. He LOVES it though and is so excited to tell me everything about his day when I pick him up.

The Big Reveal

2011-08-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

We did something really fun to announce the gender of our baby this time around. Let me start off by saying that I thought about not finding out at all. But since I thought we were done I had given away just about everything baby thing we had, and I am a planner I needed to know. I have to decorate a nursery before this little one gets here!! So we found out and planned a gender reveal party to share our news with everyone!

We knew that we would be thrilled with either a boy or a girl. So James and I went to the ultrasound appointment on July 7th and found out the gender, and most importantly found out that everything looks healthy. We were both sooo excited, but we had to keep our secret for a couple weeks until we had planned our reveal party! It was really fun to keep the secret with James :)

On July 22nd we invited family and a couple of our friends over to swim, cookout, and to finally find out about the new little member of our family. First, we had everyone choose a team when they arrived - Team Pink or Team Blue!

Team Pink

Team Blue - notice that both Sam and Ava are on this team!

We had a great time visiting with everyone, and the kids had a blast playing with their cousins and their friends!

The kids having a great time!

James, Joey, and Brandon

Sam and his buddy Brooks

And then it was time to make the announcement. I had made cupcakes earlier in the day filled with frosting to let people know the gender. So we passed out cupcakes and told everyone to take a bite at the same time....AND

IT'S A BOY!!!

(Excuse my appearance in this picture - it was 110 degrees that day and I had been swimming and I have pregnant face)!!

It was such a fun way to share with the people that we loved and see all of their expressions. Everyone was so happy. James and I both feel blessed beyond anything we can have imagined , and we can't wait to meet and hold our son!

Little Fish

2011-08-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

OK - well I promised to update regularly and I have failed!! I can blame it on a lot of things because we have been beyond busy. But the truth is I keep this record for the kids and for me to look back on and they deserve better, so I am going to try to be better!!

We have had so many things going on this summer, but I am just going to start at the beginning. The first two weeks of June Ava and Sam went to swim lessons. They had the best teacher, Ms. Lynn, who I refer to as the miracle worker. Prior to swim lessons Ava would barely put her chin under water and always used floaties. And Sam was absolutely terrified in the pool - he screamed the entire time. I don't know what changed for him from last year to this year, but Lynn told me that is pretty normal around the time a child turns 3 and just becomes more aware.

So I had pretty limited expectations for swim lessons, but I thought we would give it a try. Well, Ava now swims without floaties (unless she is in the deep part), swims under water, dives for toys, jumps in the pool without help. I am seriously amazed. She has become a little fish, and has even had swimmer's ear twice this year. Sam still uses his floaties, of course, but he is not afraid at all and will even put his head under with a little coaxing. I am beyond thrilled at the transformation this year, and I love seeing how much fun they are having in the pool every day!

For some reason, I still can't upload videos here, so you will just have to take my word for it about how great they both are :)

Announcement

2011-06-09T14:42:00.000-07:00

It is about time that I made this official. The very week of my last post our lives changed in a VERY unexpected way!! We are expecting baby #3 in November.

I was extremely shocked (yes- we know how it all works) and terrified for a while. I have to say James was excited from the very beginning. There are so many reasons not to have another baby right now. But through all of this I have come to know a couple things--

I know that I am blessed beyond anything that I could have imagined. There was a time that I thought that I may not find the right person to marry much less have kids. And I did find him and we have two beautiful, healthy kids and now one more on the way! Being Ava and Sam's mother has been the blessing of my life and this new baby will be no different.

I am a planner - and I mean I plan everything. I write lists for every day, every trip to the grocery store- EVERYTHING. So when we had our little girl and our little boy - I thought I had really planned that out well :) But, I have to step back sometimes and remember that God 's plan and my plan are not always the same. And his plans for me have exceeded anything that I could ever have imagined for myself.

So - I am 16 weeks pregnant today. I just came back from the doctor and the baby looks healthy and wonderful. The doctor tried everything to see if there is a little boy or girl in here, but he or she wouldn't cooperate so we can wait another month :)

And I thought I would share some ultrasound pictures: (Forgive the blurry pics- my scanner is not working)!!

Can you see the little hand- he or she is giving a high five!

The baby's face- eyes, nose, and mouth

I promise lots of new posts coming soon. We have been busy lately and I have so many things to post about the new things that Ava and Sam are into!

Hooray for Spring

2011-03-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

I was so ready for spring this year. I can only think of so many things for us to do inside this house, so it has been a blessing to be able to get outside and play this week! The kids and I made our annual trip to Wye Mountain this morning to take our pictures with all the daffodils. I definitely got a workout :) They could not stay still long enough for many pictures, but I thought I would share a few.

Ava wanted to dance and twirl in the flowers, so I have about 40 pictures that look like this!

I do all kinds of things to embarrass myself so the kids will look at me when I am taking their picture! Didn't work here :)

I promise I brushed their hair before we left home; it was just a really windy day

Love this one!

and this one :)

Ava REALLY wanted to pick some flowers. After I had told her that it was a no-no, she spent the morning looking for a hiding spot so she could snatch some without anyone seeing her - sneaky little thing. Luckily we found a section of flowers that you could pick. She was a happy girl!

Fancy Ava Birthday - Oooh la la!

2011-02-21T20:32:00.000-08:00

We had a Fancy Nancy birthday party for Ava this weekend. I worked really hard to put this party together, and I was really excited that all of the little girls had so much fun. I spent a lot of time looking at other people's ideas ; I am not very original, but I am a great copycat!

Fancy girls - Ava and Haven

Ava and Jennifer

Even Elle got fancy

When the girls arrived, they decorated fancy tiaras

Snack time - we made ham and cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in fancy shapes, fruit kabobs, and pretzels coated in chocolate and sprinkles.

After snacks the girls got to dress up in boas, tutus, glasses, and jewelry. They LOVED this part and they were sooo cute! I seriously lost sleep over the fact that I did not get a group picture :(

Even Sam got in on the action :)

After dressing up the girls got to have their makeup done and fingernails painted. Thanks so much to my mom, Jennifer, and Erica for helping me out!

James had just put on some music, and I walked in the room and all of the girls were dancing. This was not part of my plan, but they were adorable.

Cake and ice cream - the girls got to eat their ice cream in fancy glasses and made parfaits with sprinkles, m&m's chocolate chips and marshmallows

This party was everything that Ava loved, and I loved planning it for her!! I owe a big thank you to Ann, Momma, Erica, Andrea, and Jennifer. I seriously put them all to work as soon as they came over, and they were so willing to help. I could never have pulled it off with out all of them.

Happy Birthday Ava

2011-02-17T09:52:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to our Ava!

We love you so much! You have made our lives better in every way. I thank God every day that he trusted me to take care of such a special girl.

4 years ago - right before we left for the hospital

And after a very long night...

Ava Margaret Piraino

5 pounds 1 ounce

Born at 4:49 am

(Love at first sight)

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, and Sam

Merry New Year

2011-01-26T11:05:00.000-08:00

At least that is how they say it in Turks and Caicos. James and I spent five days on the island of Providenciales the week after Christmas. Words cannot even describe how much I loved that place and how much fun we had.

I need to mention first that somehow my camera did not make it into my bag for the trip. I was devastated!! We bought a disposable camera when we got there though. And I have to say that was actually pretty fun. It took me back about 15 years. It was fun to take a picture that you had no idea how it was going to turn out. And I had even more fun picking up my pictures from Wal-Mart!

The view from our room

I will stop anyone, anywhere and ask them to take our picture. James hates that :)

We went to this store for souvenirs, and the next thing I know the salesmen had convinced James to buy some cigars. Funny!!

The food on this island is amazing (and expensive)!! And another thing that I loved about this place was very little humidity. I was able to wear my hair straight at the beach, and for a frizzy hair girl like me, that is a BIG deal!

Our ill-fated fishing trip! The only thing that James really wanted to do was go fishing! So we found someone to take us for $650.00. I thought that was outrageous, but he really wanted to go. So we headed out that morning with complete strangers to go fishing. And then about 20 minutes after we started, the boat started sinking. If you notice James' shorts are wet because he had to get out and help push the boat to shore. It turned out to be a really funny trip with no fish to show for it!

As much as I miss the kids when James and I go on one of these trips, I am always thankful for the memories that just the two of us get to share!

Christmas

2011-01-10T11:27:00.000-08:00

Well, I have so many things to write about, but I thought I would start with Christmas. This Christmas was wonderful for us. We are so grateful for all of our blessings. We managed to see almost everyone from both sides of the family. I know Ava and Sam enjoyed seeing everyone, and I hope we made some good memories :) Here are some of our favorite pictures from a few of our Christmas celebrations. I will share more later!

Ava posing in her Christmas outfit

Pretty girls!!!

Erica and Nick

My dad makes a Lebanese feast every year for our Christmas celebration - it is one of my favorite traditions!!

Sam has perfected the art of the bottom lip :)

We tried getting a picture of all of the grand kids - of the 25 that I took this is the best one!

After the grand kids, we had a photo session in front of the fireplace!!

At home on Christmas Eve - this is the one shot I got of us making cookies. I let Ava roll out the dough and then Sam got in on the action with the icing and the sprinkles. It got a little wild!!

Ava couldn't take her eyes off of the cookies. Loving Sam's smile!!!

Christmas morning - Ava's favorite gift is her Rapunzel "salon."

Sam's new train table! If we even mentioned Santa, Sam said, "choo choo." I think he liked it!!

Barbies everywhere!!!

Roar!!!

Barbie Dream House

We celebrated Christmas with my mom, and then went to Texas the next day and spent some time with James' parents. And then James and I went on an AMAZING vacation, so there are definitely more posts coming soon!!

Christmas at Our House

2010-12-21T11:41:00.000-08:00

We have had such a fun time getting ready for Christmas this year. I think Ava and Sam are both at such fun ages, and we have been able to begin some new traditions. I just wanted to give a glimpse of what Christmas looks like at our house this year.

Our tree

Can I just say that I think the most beautiful trees are the ones full of homemade ornaments. I will never have a fancy tree - I can't wait until mine is just covered with ornaments from the kids!

Ava and I had a blast making the gingerbread house - Sam had a blast eating half of it :)

It would not have been the same here without our Elf on the Shelf - Sprinkles. Sam seriously can't stand it every morning until he finds him. And I have to say James has had probably just as much fun finding spots for him! And to make it even more fun Sprinkles occasionally leaves little gifts for the kids - this morning he left Christmas pajamas!!

I love everything about Christmas cards - making them, sending them, getting them!! I always keep them and will have fun looking at them again next Christmas!!

Ava REALLY wanted to be Santa Claus in the bathtub - Sam did not!!

Our new Christmas pj's from Sprinkles!!

I hope everyone else has had as much fun getting ready for the holidays!!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

We had a busy (and really fun) Thanksgiving holiday. First, we celebrated on Wednesday night with my Daddy, Andrea, Erica's crew, Jordan, and Conner. We missed you Jacob :( We had a very non-traditional meal - spaghetti and meatballs. We also celebrated Tyler's (my oldest nephew) birthday. He is 14 years old which I absolutely cannot believe. In two years he will be driving!!!!!

Conner and Sam are hiding from monsters under the table

The birthday boy

Jordan with the girls

The girls had such a fun time playing dress up with Jordan- what a good uncle!!

and a good Papa too :)

On Thursday we went to my mom's and had Thanksgiving lunch with Matthew and Erica's family. It was a delicious lunch, and all of the kids had so much fun playing

Mama with all the kids

and then with just the girls

We took this picture first and Sam wasn't in the mood - obviously!!

I hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving. I can't believe it is already time for Christmas!!!

Thanksgiving Feast

2010-11-23T13:30:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday Ava's Mother's Day Out class put on a program and had a Thanksgiving Feast. James and I were so lucky to go together and have lunch with our little girl!! She had so much fun playing with her friends after lunch!!

Ava made several goodies for us. One was a Thanksgiving place mat listing all of the things that she was thankfull for. The first thing listed - Elle (our dog). First of all, her teacher was baffled that anyone would name their dog Elle (she spelled it "L"). I assured her that Ava was right and that was her name. Then I wanted to make sure with the teacher that she didn't say Elle first - she did - haha!! The order -- Elle, Sam, Mommy, and James. Oh well- third is not too bad- at least I wasn't fourth :)

I hope I can get the video figured out on this blog, because I have another cute one!!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Pirainos

Gymnastics Girl

2010-11-21T11:16:00.000-08:00

We have been going to a combo gymnastics, ballet, and tap class for several months now. We just LOVE it. I have to say that I was a little worried because I didn't know what to expect. However, Ava is in her element there. She is so excited in the morning when it is her dance day. We have made new friends, and my normally shy, quiet little girl is such an extrovert when she is there.

Last week the moms got to go in and watch (take videos) of the girls doing gymnastics. I just thought I would share some of my footage, but I can't upload my video for soem reason- BOO!! I will keep trying because it is worth it :)

Halloween Fun.....a little late

2010-11-11T17:43:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween weekend. I have just been to busy to sit down and write about it. Ava had a lot of input about the Halloween costumes this year - she felt VERY strongly about being Jessie from Toy Story. Then Ava and I decided together that Sam should be Buzz - maybe next year Sam can pick out his own costume :)

The kids and I had SO much fun decorating these pumpkins. I just didn't want to carve a pumpkin this year and was so excited when I found these cute Potato Head decorations at Target. I cannot even explain how excited they both were every time we went outside. I just took them apart yesterday.

James' parents (Grandma and Grandpa) came to spend Halloween weekend with us. We made a little trip to the Pumpkin Patch on Saturday. The highlight for both kids was riding the ponies!

Sam and Grandpa

I was working REALLY hard to get smiles - not to be!!

The whole gang

Sam and Ava on the hayride

Ava said that she really needs a pony now - HA!

On Sunday night we had such a great time trick or treating with our little Jessie and Buzz. James had to nearly drag me home along with the kids - I kept saying, "Just one more!"

Miss America - Ava waving at the trick-or-treaters as they walk by!

I got very few pictures of Sam - he was too busy to be still for my pictures!

Here we are at Rob and Margaret's house - ready to go!

The thing that I always want to remember about this Halloween is how sweet my kids were when they went up to the houses to get candy. They were so polite, and Ava took such good care of her little brother. She held his hand and waited for him, and when Sam was reluctant to talk she talked for him. I am so glad that I have been blessed with these two kids :)

Playgroup Fun

2010-10-08T11:34:00.000-07:00

We have had some really fun playgroups lately, and I thought I would share. The kids and I enjoy spending our Friday mornings with this wonderful group!

A couple weeks ago we went to Funland in North Little Rock which has little carnival rides for kids. The last time we went Sam had no fear and rode everything, and Ava was a little hesitant. This time around was the opposite - Ava was fearless, and it just wasn't Sam's day!

Poor little thing had a hard day! He was so excited and ran to get on every ride, but when I turned around to leave he started screaming like this.

Ava and her little friends! She was rocking this Ferris wheel which nearly gave me a heart attack but you could hear all the girls giggling!

The next playgroup we went to the Faulkner County Fair to see all of the animals. Both kids loved it, and we talked about it for days.

Finally, this morning we went to the Fire station for a little tour with all the kiddos. Both of my kids were afraid of the firefighters and would not get a picture. But Sam really wanted to ring the bell and finally had his chance at the end of the day!

Ava was reaching for me to get her down, and Sam didn't even pretend to be interested in the picture (he is in the bottom right corner)!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! And because I don't want to be disowned - Go Hogs!! (although deep down I am an Aggie fan too)!!

Dumbo

2010-10-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

Look at what happens to my poor little Sam when he gets a mosquito bite. We went to the doctor today, and he assured me that there isn't anything to worry about!

I hope that everyone is having a good week. We are trying to get over a terrible loss for James' Aggies football team last night - next weekend will be fun to watch the Aggies and the Hogs play! It is so gorgeous outside that I am planning to spend the weekend outside with the kids - hopefully without running into any mosquitoes!

Party Time

2010-09-24T00:19:00.000-07:00

We had a little party for Sam on his birthday. It was very low-key; we only invited family and our friends Joey and Jennifer. It was Cars theme. Every time you ask Sam what kind of birthday he is going to have he says, "Vroom" - his word for car!

Tyler and Erica

Mimi, Sam, and Papa

We watched the Razorback game before the party- and I was so glad the Hogs pulled off the win :)

Sam had a lot of help with the presents!

Sam and Woody (or as Sam says Woowy)

Mama and Sam

Erica and Sam

Haven and Ava (my little fashionista picked out her clothes for the party)

We all had a great time - especially the birthday boy!

Sam is 2!

2010-09-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

My baby turned two on Saturday!

2 years ago

Today

Sam is so full of life! He is such a Mommy's boy still. He is a little apprehensive around people he doesn't know, and likes to stay close to Mommy :) He loves his sister and wherever she wants to go he will follow. And every day I ask him, "Are you my buddy?" and hes says, "No Daddy!" Daddy can do no wrong as far as Sam is concerned. He is an eater. He will eat just about anything that I put on his plate, and he is still eating when the rest of us have been done for a while. He is not taking a lot, but is definitely starting to say a lot more lately. He loves to play with balls, cars and trucks, stuffed animals, and destroy anything that Ava is playing with! He sleeps with three bears, his pacifier, two pillows, and his blanket (and you have to find it all before he goes to bed)! He is pretty stingy with his hugs and kisses, so I really treasure it when I get one! Sam - you make our life so full and have completed our family. We love you!

Back to School

2010-09-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

The kids started back to Mother's Day Out last week. As much as I love summer, I was so ready to get back into a routine. We are definitely busy (busier than I ever thought I would be staying at home).

Our schedule:

Monday - MOPS and I have a night class
Tuesday - MDO
Wednesday- Dance
Thursday- MDO
Friday - Playgroup

I surprised them with new backpacks on the first morning. As you can tell they were a big hit!!

Sam was done with pictures at this point :)

Dance Dance Dance

2010-09-08T11:28:00.000-07:00

Where do I even begin? We have had so much going on lately! And I am mad at myself for not blogging more about the kids this summer because this has been such a fun time to watch them grow. Like the fact that Ava is obsessed with clothes - seriously. She calls her clothes her "wardrobe," and she has to look at, count, organize, sleep with, her wardrobe every day. And we have a battle EVERY morning and EVERY night about what she is going to wear? Is this normal? Am I raising a diva? Too many Fancy Nancy books? I don't know!

And Sam is such a boy! He is not happy if he is not eating, making a mess, or playing with cars or balls! He is talking a lot more now - some new words this week - Buzz (Lightyear), yes (before he just grunted), and watch me!

Anyway Ava started dance a couple weeks ago, and she loves it! It is so funny because she really has a tendency to be shy in a new situation, but she has not been like that at all in dance. She is making new friends and having so much fun which is exactly what I wanted.

Showing off her new dance bag!

Alaina, Ava, and Ellen - dance buddies!

I told her to do a ballet pose and this is what I got - ha!

I hope everyone is having a great week - more posts to come :)

Viva Mexico

2010-08-11T10:22:00.000-07:00

James and I had the opportunity to spend a week in Punta Mita, Mexico. It was absolutely wonderful and a much needed break for this tired Mommy!!

The welcome reception our first night -gorgeous view and the best Mexican food ever!

A little boat brought in fish every day, and the guests could pick a fish and the chef would cook it for you- how cool is that?

The building where we stayed was surrounded by this lazy river.

The amazing pool

This vacation was exactly what every vacation should be. I spent every morning here - at the spa!!

Catching Up

2010-07-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of catching up to do. This has been such a busy summer. I just feel like I can't catch up with anything. We had such a fun 4th of July that I wanted to post some pictures - better late than never right??!!

We had lots of family visit our lake house in Hot Springs. We all had so much fun and hope to do it again next year :)

Grandpa and Ava are ready for a boat ride

We didn't pull anyone on this, but the kids loved to sit on it when we stopped to swim.

Group picture (Aunt Linda was taking the picture). Love how James and his dad are in the background!

Sam jumping to Aunt Susan

Love this picture (and this boy) as you can tell!!

I tried so hard again to get a good 4th of July picture, but this is the best we could manage - ha!!

We let Ava stay up and watch fireworks . Words cannot express how much she loved it. She screamed and giggled for two days after.

Brayden, Sam, and Ava. Love the look of pure concentration on Sam's face :) And does Sam not look like he is Ava's age here? He is just three months older than Brayden. Why is my baby growing so fast (sniff)?

Uncle Alan, Ava, and Russell

Water Babies

2010-06-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

We have been swimming like crazy lately in this heat. I will admit that I fought James tooth and nail over putting in a pool (and it still scares me a lot). On the other hand, it is nice to have it at home. There are a lot of things to pack and get ready to go to the pool - it is very nice to have all of that in the backyard. It has really saved me this summer.

Sam completely scared me the first day he got in the water. I wanted him to love it (and he does), but he has no fear. I have since taught him how to climb into the pool using the stairs instead of just falling into the pool anywhere. He still wants to jump in though and will jump off the diving board. He is wearing a little puddle jumper which has been great for him.

Ava just picked right up where she left off from last year. She is still wearing Floaties (which is fine with me) and is really comfortable swimming all around the pool. Right now we are working on putting her head under and floating on her back. Swim lesson will probably wait until next year!

I Am Still Here!!!

2010-06-04T11:47:00.000-07:00

I sincerely apologize for not posting in so long (especially to Ann and Sammy)!! Has everyone else been as busy as I have been? Between school, working on the house, taking care of two monkeys, etc I have put some things to the side. I am not promising regular posts, but I am going to try to do better.

Also, I am having some computer issues. I am still in the process of changing computers, and I think I have lost a ton of pictures (which really bums me out). I was planning a big post on everything we have been up to in May, but I can't find my pictures anywhere!!

I did manage to hang on to my pictures of Memorial Day weekend though!!

On Friday night I got a real treat! I got to go with some of my girlfriends to a Sex and the City benefit and then got to the movie. This benefit was hosted by Katy Allen, and we did get to meet Kris Allen. I happened to be with some really big Kris Allen fans who all got pictures with him - I did not :( It was so fun to get dressed up though!!

Then on Saturday morning we headed to Conner's graduation party. It was such a fun time for everyone. We are so proud of Conner and wish him the best at U of A.

Then the kids and went to the lake where James and the Potts family were waiting for us. We had a house full of kids - 5 kids 5 and under!! We all had so much fun though!

Amanda, Sam and Brooks

Blakely and Ava are about to hit the water!!

Isn't this cute??!! Blakely kept saying, "Ava is my girlfriend."

Sam discovered popsicles!!

I will have another post soon about Sam in the pool - all I will say now is he has NO FEAR!!!!

Sam, Brooks, Ava, and Blakely

Bennet, Ava, and Blakely (they all did so well on the boat)!

Easter

2010-04-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter. The Easter Bunny did not disappoint and brought lots of candy, books, cars for Sam, and lip gloss for Ava. She did not appreciate the fact that Sam thought her lip gloss was candy!! Oh well! We spent the day in Russellville with my mom and Matthew. She made a wonderful dinner and put a lot of work into hiding eggs for the kids.
Is it just me - or does it look like James is trying to make a getaway to anyone else??

Time to hunt!! My mom had two areas - one for my little ones, and the other for Erica's kids.

On a side note, I really did take some pictures of Erica's kids hunting eggs, but they are just blurs in the picture. They were moving fast to get those eggs!

Catching Up

2010-04-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

I have lots of things to write about Easter, but I am not organized enough yet to download the pictures. I will just catch you up on what has been going on.

We are redoing our living room. We sold most of our furniture, and we spent last week sitting on the floor :) Our new furniture is in, and I will post some pictures as soon as I am done decorating. I am already in love with it!

We are playing outside a lot. We go to the park, ride through the neighborhood in the wagon, play with chalk in the backyard, etc. Their favorite thing to do though is dig in the dirt.

I am just swamped with school. I have decided to take a class in May and two summer school classes, so it is not going to get better any time soon! I am just ready to get through.

I promise to write all about Easter this week (with all the pictures for Grandma and Grandpa).

Spring Has Sprung

2010-03-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

It is officially spring since we made our little trip to Wye Mountain yesterday to see all the beautiful daffodils. Here are just a few of the pictures I took.

They pretty much refused to look at the camera the whole day :) The flowers were much more interesting I guess.

Every once in a while you get a picture that really captures your kids - this is one of them!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! We are going to enjoy this nice weather today before it gets cold again tomorrow!

In Love

2010-03-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

I adore the new Liberty of London line at Target. I have been spring shopping for the kids, and I stopped in Target yesterday and fell in love! They also have the cutest kids clothes and hair accessories. Ava has had to wear her new headband for the past two days.

It has been so long since I posted. Everything is really crazy right now, and I don't think it is ever going to slow down. Also, we are doing a little rearranging in our house, and I am changing computers. What a pain to move everything from one computer to another!! I hope everyone is having a good week :)

A Child After My Own Heart

2010-03-01T10:16:00.001-08:00

Did you just love book orders in school? I did! Ava got her first book order last week at her little Mother's Day Out class, and she cannot stop looking at it. She won't even stop to eat a snack.

Ava's Birthday Week

2010-02-25T10:12:00.000-08:00

I felt a little bad because we did not have a party for Ava this year. Instead we did a little something just about every day of the week to celebrate her birthday!! It worked out great; in fact, I think I want a birthday week this year:)

On Tuesday night we went to Russellville and had dinner with my mom and Matt. We had Italian Gardens lasagna (yummy!) and cupcakes. Ava had fun sitting in my mom's lap and listening to stories. Sam even found a new friend in Matthew.

On Wednesday, Ava's actual birthday, we went to have a birthday lunch with James. And we surprised her with her big present - a princess bicycle! Also, Grandma and Grandpa drove in from Texas to celebrate the day.

James put the bicycle together at his office and took us on a little treasure hunt to find it.

Ava would absolutely not look at me. She was so excited to get a little bicycle.

On Thursday, I took cupcakes and Ava had a little party at her Mother's Day Out class. She was so cute wearing her special little hat and watching her friends sing Happy Birthday. Can you believe I forgot my camera for this?? I am still kicking myself.

And then finally on Friday, we had a birthday dinner with the family.

Tyler and AJ

My mom was very excited about bringing this cake (she said she always wanted one.) Of course she didn't come, but I had this made because it meant so much to her.

What a cute picture - totally jealous!!

A special thank you to Grandma and Granpda for all of their help this past week. I could not have done it by myself!

Whew!!! Lots of work but totally worth it. I hope it was a special birthday for a very special girl!

Ava Margaret Piraino

2010-02-17T10:58:00.000-08:00

February 17, 2007

I remember everything about this day three years ago. I couldn't believe how much you could love someone. She was so tiny, and I was absolutely terrified of taking her home and being responsible to keep her alive. I loved watching James with her (and still do). It is hard to imagine that it has been three years.

Ava at 3 months

Ava at 6 months

Ava - 1 year old

Ava - 2 years old

Ava,

You are such a special girl. I knew from the very beginning of your life that you were beautiful from the inside out. Your dad and I are so thankful that we get to be your parents.

You are always singing (usually at the top of your lungs). And you make up songs. The other night you said "Let's sing the shu shu song." I have no idea what that is so we made one up. You thought that was pretty funny.

You won't drink anything unless it is chocolate milk.

You love your brother. When you go to Mother's Day Out and I pick you up, you are both more excited to see each other than me.

You love to dance. After dinner Daddy turns on music and you and Sam dance in the living room.

You are my little snuggle buddy. You STILL wake up in the middle of the night and come to our bed. You usually bring your pillow, blankie and at least two of your dolls with you. I don't get any sleep when this happens, because you have to hold onto my neck.

You really want to be Fancy Nancy. The other day you looked at her mommy (in the book) and said, "Maybe I can have that mommy". I was horrified by this statement, and you said, "OK Mom, I will stay with you." Geez- thanks!

You and your daddy play this game that I think is horrible! You look out the window for scary things - snow monsters, witches, etc. I am afraid that you are going to have nightmares for a long time. Your daddy thinks it is really funny. He teaches you dances to keep the snow monster away - terrible!!

You are such a picky eater. You like chicken, french fries, oranges, noodles, bread, and anything sweet.

You say your best friend is Haven. You are just glued to her every time we see her.

When you make a mess you say, "Don't worry mom, you can just clean it up." You say, "Don't worry mom" a lot!

You like to cause trouble with Sam. You say, "Come on Sam, let's go where Mommy can't see us." I can hear you say that :)

You are sweet. If someone is hurting or sad, you want to help them. When we are reading books, and a character is sad, you insist on going to help them. The other night you actually cried because I told you I didn't know where Fancy Nancy lived to go help her. You said we could just get in the car and find it. Precious!

Happy 3rd Birthday Ava! We love you so much!

Prayers Needed

2010-02-12T06:59:00.000-08:00

My mom's husband, Steve Barham, passed away suddenly on Monday night. If you know my mom - you know she has been through a lot in her life, and she had finally found the person that made her happy. She really needs all of your prayers right now.

Surprise!

2010-02-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

We had a surprise 60th birthday party for my dad on Friday night. It has been planned for what seems like forever, and he had absolutely no idea. It was such a fun time. He should feel very loved - there were tons of people there, and a lot of people came from out of town. Then the lucky ones went to the races yesterday (my dad's favorite). Those of us with toddlers stayed home :(

Picture of the grand kids
Of course, these two were joined at the hip.

Everyone was waiting at the front door, and they surprised us by coming in the back door. Ava and Haven were back there to greet them though. The first thing my dad said - "Ya'll are awful." He was laughing!

The air hockey table was a hit with the boys.

Ava and Jordan

There was even a live magic show.

And I would have watched the show except that Sam was pretty entertaining himself. James tied a balloon to his pants and he chased it for a good 20 minutes.

Cute little Olivia was wanting to play with Sam - he wasn't that interested!

I had to include this picture, and I honestly have no idea what this is about. I was trying to leave around 9:00 and my dad was busy opening gifts, so I couldn't say good-by. However, when I looked he had something on his head which looked pretty funny. What the heck is that?

On a side note the best part of the night for me - James! He got up early that morning to work out of town. I knew he was not going to be able to come, and it was okay. After working all day he drove from outside Hot Springs just to be there for about 30 minutes before he had to drive back. He didn't have to do it (and he knows that), but it meant a lot to me that he did!!

Happy 60th Daddy!!!

Ava at Her Best

2010-02-06T10:14:00.000-08:00

Ava wanted me to take her picture after she put on some pink lip gloss (of course, without my knowledge)! She had to stand this close! She was so proud of herself.

We are having a pajama kind of weekend (cleaning, laundry, homework, etc.) No Super Bowl parties for us this year :(

I Am Exhausted...

2010-02-04T08:26:00.001-08:00

and here is just one of the reasons why.

Winter Wonderland

2010-01-30T10:10:00.001-08:00

I must admit, I was hoping that the forecasts were wrong. We had big plans on Friday to go visit Carla and then a double date with Brandon and Amanda (and for a stay-at-home-mom who doesn't get out very much this is pretty huge). Well, the forecasts were right and we got ice and snow - and a lot of it! I got over my disappointment pretty fast, and we have had a great time playing outside. Ava just loves it. The first thing she did was lay on the ground and make snow angels. Sam was not so sure at first, but every time we go outside he likes it a little bit more.

Ava catching some snowflakes with her tongue

I said "smile" and this is what I got - hee hee!

James and Ava looking for deer (or reindeer as Ava says) tracks across the street!

We did try to build a snowman, but on my 3rd attempt that Sam destroyed I gave up :) Maybe next year!!

What We're Reading

2010-01-21T10:56:00.000-08:00

We (and by we I mean Ava) are completely into the Fancy Nancy series right now. We have four of the books and I have read each of them about 4,089,763,721,085 times! She has even started calling Elle "Frenchy."

Ava really likes just about every Dr. Seuss book. Her favorites are There's a Wocket in My Pocket, Oh! The Thinks You Can Think, and Green Eggs and Ham. The last one was my favorite growing up, so I am really glad she likes it.

We both really like Olivia. Every time I read this particular book to her there is a line where Olivia's mom says, "You know, you really wear me out, but I love you anyway." Every time Ava says, "I love you anyway too, Mom."

I wish that I had a list of Sam's favorite books, but sadly he won't sit still long enough yet. Maybe one day!!

On a side note, the weather was really nice yesterday so we went outside for a little while. Sam has been sick all week, so this was a nice little break from going completely stir-crazy.

I let Ava pick out her clothes yesterday since we were not going anywhere. She initially picked out a hat with nothing else, then she spotted this in the closet and had to wear it. Naturally!

This poor little guy has just been miserable this week. It is hard to watch him not have an appetite and lay around because he is usually the opposite. And he is a terrible patient. When he doesn't feel good, nobody else in the house does either!

I hope everyone is having a happy week!

Long Time No Blog

2010-01-19T20:06:00.000-08:00

I would like to introduce you to my new bff's--

School has started and life has gotten crazy again. There are a lot of late nights in my future. In addition to this, we are renovating a room in our house, and I have started working for James in his office two days a week. I have so many great blog ideas and so little time. I am confident that I can get it together soon and give this blog the attention it deserves!

My little artist

2010-01-11T11:25:00.000-08:00

along with her assistant.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for the great gift!!

Happy Birthday James

2010-01-07T17:26:00.000-08:00

James celebrated his birthday on Monday (and yes I am a little behind with this post). The kids and I spent the day decorating the house, making a cake, and cooking a birthday worthy dinner. Ava was just so excited about it - she has asked every morning since if it is Daddy's birthday and/or her birthday.

The best part of making the cake!

Happy Birthday Daddy!! Check out the remnants of Sam's lasagna - that was really fun to clean up!

The morning of James' birthday we woke up to snow. It was really a pitiful amount, but it was still pretty coming down and the kids and I went outside and played for a little while.

Happy Birthday James - we love you!!

2010

2010-01-02T17:25:00.001-08:00

This is how we spent our New Year's Eve - big party at 6:45. Then I was sound asleep at midnight! Ava had a blast as you can see - Sam was not too thrilled about the hat. I have been working on my list of resolutions for the new year.

1. Cook healthier. I am not bad - really. We rarely eat out and I really try to put out fruits and vegetables at every meal. But I really want to cook organic when I can and work on using more fresh fruits and vegetables. I also want to make something with fish at least twice a week!

2. Finish decorating the house. We moved in when I was 6 months pregnant with Ava and I have not slowed down since. Of course, there is stuff in every room, but I don't feel like it is completely decorated.

3. Plan date nights at least once a month. It really should be more often (like once a week), but with James' crazy schedule that is really impossible.

4. Be a better friend. Like most people, after I had kids I just became a crazy person. I need to send notes and cards more often and really make more time for my friends.

5. Take it easy on myself. Sometimes I can be really hard on myself - especially as a mother. I always think I am doing too much or not enough, and I worry about what other people are thinking. I really am going to try not to do that and just enjoy all of the blessings that I have in my life.

Happy New Year!

Highlights

2009-12-29T10:27:00.001-08:00

Here are a few highlights from our Christmas at home--

making cookies on Christmas Eve

Santa did come and bring Ava a kitchen and an umbrella

and Sam a train set and a picnic table

Christmas at Mama's

and at Mimi and Papa's

We had a great Christmas. The kids (especially Ava) loved making cookies for Santa, opening gifts, and getting to see the family. This year was really the first time that Ava understood and it was really magical to watch her eyes light up when she noticed that Santa ate her cookies and to see what he put in her stocking! Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas in Texas

2009-12-23T11:07:00.000-08:00

While we were in Belize, our kids were staying with James' family in Texas. Ann and Sammy (Grandma and Grandpa) were very welcoming and really went out of their way to make sure our kids were comfortable and happy. I am especially grateful for that. Ava is still talking about all the things they did - especially the horse poop!!

We got to spend a couple days with them before we left for Belize.

Ava loved riding the mule with her grandpa to see all the animals. I am kicking myself now for not getting a picture. Here she is getting ready to go.

Such a cutie - boogers and all!

Grandma, Ava and Grandpa waiting in line to see Santa. I did get their picture made, but I don't have a scanner so you will have to take my word it is really cute. They are both actually smiling!!

Still waiting in line!!

James and Sam

While in Texas, we also got to attend the Piraino family Christmas. It was so much fun and I cannot express how glad I am that we got to go. We had some yummy Italian food and had a blast opening gifts. I really enjoyed getting to spend some time with the family since it doesn't happen very often!!

Kim and Sambo

James' cousin, Missy, has two adorable twin girls. Ava had so much fun talking to little Kaylee. I never could get a picture of her sister, Presley.

Sam and his Uncle Steven

Ava pretended like she didn't even know who I was at this party. She was a little social butterfly. Every time I looked up she was doing something different with someone. Once she was putting on makeup with Aunt Barbara then she was having a tea party with Lauren - she seriously loved every minute of it. Here she is with Aunt Jo.

You Better Belize It!!

2009-12-22T10:59:00.000-08:00

OK - so I know this is the corniest title for a blog, but I couldn't help myself! James and I were so lucky to get to spend five days in Belize last week. It is the third time we have been, and this place holds a lot of special memories for us.

I missed the kids like crazy, but this trip was amazing and words just won't do it justice, so you will just have to settle for some pictures.

We went fishing a couple days, and the last day James caught these!

Huge barracuda - it took him forever to get this sucker in the boat

Our guide, Tacio, took us all over the island. He is such a fun person to be around and is one of the reasons we love to go.

Tacio cleaned the fish and James cooked for dinner

Merry Christmas

2009-12-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

We are leaving today for a little over a week. When we get back I have about a mountain of presents to wrap, Christmas movies to watch, cookies to bake, etc.. Our Christmas card - for those of you that I don't have an address. Merry Christmas from the Piraino Family!!

O Christmas Tree

2009-12-10T19:37:00.001-08:00

I am not a big Christmas decorator - never have been. It just seems like so much work - and taking down the decorations - Ugh!! This year I probably did more than I ever have. We have Christmas trees in both kids rooms, a big tree in the living room, wreaths on the door, and Christmas lights!!

Here are the kids with their trees. I had this idea that we would keep them on the floor - HA!! They are now on dressers and out of reach. They both absolutely love them and it was one of the best things that I have done.

Our tree

I really like ornaments and I cant wait until my tree is covered with homemade ornaments from the kids - those are my favorite. In the meantime, I wanted to share some of my favorite ornaments.

Ava's ornament from last year. This was just a very fum memory. She loved everything about making this and she would run and look at it first thing every morning.

An oldie, but a goodie. This one is from Tyler and Nick years ago. Look how little they were!!

Our ornament from Christmas 2005. James and I went to Belize and stayed at the same place we will be staying in a couple days.

Ava's ornament from last year at Mother's Day Out. It is such an Ava face she is making.

Sam's ornament from Mother's Day Out this year. He is by far the youngest in his class and his teacher said he followed directions better than anyone making this ornament. And the poor little second child- I still haven't put a picture in his Baby's first ornament from last year - on my to do list!

This was a gift from James' parents last year- I think it is so sweet!

Also, I wanted to say Happy Birthday to my sister, Erica whose birthday is on Saturday, but I will be out of town. She definitely deserves her own post, but this will have to do. She does so much for everyone else and rarely anything for herself - I want to her to have the MOST special day. I saw this quote once (don't know if these are the exact words, but it is something like this.) "A friend knows the song in your heart and sings it to you when you have forgotten the words." Erica has been that friend for me for as long as I can remember. Happy Birthday!!!

What's Going On...

2009-12-07T19:36:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been busy here at the Piraino house.

Next week at this time James and I will be in Belize. I am so excited, but at the same time already know how much I am going to miss the kids. I don't know why it is so hard for me to leave them, but it is. The last time we were in Belize, James proposed. So much in our lives has changed since that last trip, and I am excited about going back to where it all began!

My last class of the semester is tomorrow night. I have a huge final and I have been studying like crazy. The class is Research Methods and I will be so glad when it is over!!

I love being a mother to Sam, but does he ever wear me out! Today alone he knocked over the tree in our kitchen, ate about a handful of dog food, broke three Christmas ornaments, broke baby Jesus' arms off the Nativity scene, and dropped two tins of Christmas candy that I had made as gifts! But he also gave me kisses all day, said three new words, and he laughed so hard at Ava that he fell down! He makes me totally crazy, but he makes my day every day.

Ava helped me make Christmas candy and cookies over the weekend. Can you tell she liked it?? She has started calling me "mom." Seriously, what is that about? I thought that would start when she was ten or something. Today she said, "Mom, Sam is my best friend." I look at her all the time and I can't believe that I created someone inside of me so beautiful - and I am not talking about her blond hair or her blue eyes. She is just beautiful from the inside.

And Happy 18th Birthday to Conner!! (I am mailing your card tomorrow)

Turkey Day Times Two

2009-11-28T10:21:00.000-08:00

We got to have a family Thanksgiving twice this year - how lucky are we?? On Tuesday night we hosted my family here and had a big spaghetti dinner. All of my brothers from that side of my family were here which made it extra special. We even had a little belated birthday for Tyler.

Jordan, Tyler, Conner and Jacob

Sam and Jacob about three seconds before he started screaming! (Sam - not Jacob)

Jordan and Ava

On Thursday we went to Russellville and had the traditional Thanksgiving - with turkey and all the good stuff. I was so mad at myself because I knew the batteries in my camera were low and I decided to chance it. Of course my camera died after I had taken two pictures!!! Oh well - at least I got a family picture before it died!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

13...and late!!!

2009-11-23T10:51:00.000-08:00

Tyler, my oldest nephew, turned 13 on Friday (sorry I am a little late).

A teenager.

I can't believe it!!!

Tyler and Ava - 2/07

Tyler and Sam -9/08

We love you and Happy Birthday from the Pirainos!!

Llamas and Goats and Zebras....Oh My!!!

2009-11-18T11:00:00.000-08:00

The kids and I spent this past weekend with our family on a little mini-vacation. We went to Timber Lodge in Amity (outside of Hot Springs).

Our favorite was the petting zoo they had--

There were zebras just roaming around - Ava's dream. She chased this one for a while.

This fawn loved to lick their little hands. Ava thought that was hysterical and said, "That is so disgusting!

Erica and Sam

We went on a tour of the grounds in these little cars and 4-wheelers. Here was my crew (minus AJ and his rabbit ears!) Tyler says I drove like a grandma!

Erica and Nick on the 4-wheeler (very funny)

Isn't this adorable??!!

Matthew and AJ

Sign of a good day - they were like this before we hit the main road on our way home.

The only bad thing about the weekend - no James. You know what they say about all work and no play!!

Fall

2009-11-16T10:29:00.000-08:00

I love just about everything about fall--

especially this!!

Our weekend at the lake

2009-11-11T20:10:00.000-08:00

included:

lots of walks outside

Whatever you do, don't smile :)

making lots of messes

Total team effort!!

and flying our first kite!

I hope everyone is having a great week.

Thanks Beth!!

2009-11-10T07:52:00.001-08:00

Beth Pittman - a high school (and blogger) friend - gave me this great blog award. There are just a few rules: Answer the questions with one word answers and pass the award along to six of your favorite bloggers.Here it goes:

Where is your cell phone? Who knows??

Your hair? frizzy

Your mother? working

Your father? laughing

Your favorite food? chips and salsa

Your dream last night? can't remember

Your favorite drink? Diet Dr. Pepper

Your dream goal? my kids are happy and healthy

What room are you in? office

Your hobby? reading

Your fear? something bad happening to someone in my family

Where do you want to be in 6 years? at home with James, Ava and Sam

Where were you last night? home

Something that you aren't? a good cook :)

Muffins? banana nut

Wish list item? a pair of Uggs

Where did you grow up? Dardanelle and Conway

Last thing you did? lunch with Jennifer

What are you wearing? jeans and T-shirt

Your TV? ESPN

Your pets? sweet Elle

Friends? neglected

Your life? busy

Your mood? stressed

Missing someone? no

Vehicle? new

Something you're not wearing? shoes

Your favorite store? Tough one - Target??

Your favorite color(s)?red

Last time you laughed? last night

Last time you cried? can't remember (probably recently at some movie)

Your best friend? Erica/James

One place you go over and over? grocery store

One person who emails me regularly? Andrea

Favorite place to eat? Benihana

Now I get to 'give' my award to six bloggers...Kristy, Stephanie, Katie, Julie, and Amber. Can't wait to read your answers.

Little Mommy

2009-11-05T19:42:00.000-08:00

For about the past month Ava has been doing this at lunch-

In case you didn't know, Sam will eat anything from anyone (this happened to be one of his lunchtime favorites - yogurt). And in case you couldn't hear, Ava is saying, "Open wide baby - here comes the airplane." Now, I am quite positive I have never said that in my entire life as a mother - so who knows where she came up with that. These moments make up for all the dirty diapers and laundry and cleaning the highchair :)

Halloween Fun

2009-11-01T09:53:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that Halloween is not my favorite holiday. I don't get into the dressing up all that much and the scary stuff is not my thing. However, now that I can share it with Sam and Ava and see how much fun they have - it may be one of my favorites. We had such a fun night last night. We didn't do anything extraordinary - just went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood and stopped by to see a couple of our friends. The kids (especially Ava) had so much fun!! Ava knocked on the door every time and said "Trick-or-Treat." She was not her usual shy self in the least. Maybe it was the Dora coming out of her or maybe the candy!! After we left each house she said, "OK, I am ready to go to another one." She loved seeing all the other kids and they all loved seeing Dora and Boots. I must say that their costumes were a hit with everyone!! I may start planning early for next year!!

I still can't believe she wore this wig!! She didn't want to until she saw herself in the mirror!

Trick or Treat!!

Joey, Jennifer, Boots and Dora

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

We made our family trip to the Pumpkin Patch yesterday. I have been so excited about going for weeks, but it was either raining or we had something else to do! I told James earlier in the week we were going no matter what. Well, as it turned out James and I were both sick with a cold (the kids are great), but we went anyway! We did not ride the hayride or the ponies (poor Ava), but we still had a fun day!

We held up the line in front of this little photo op, and this is the best I got!!

Both of my kids could watch animals ALL day!

Sam LOVED the swing! I tried to get a video of him because he was laughing so hard.

Sam worked for a while trying to pick up the pumpkins - he is a persistent little guy!

We played for a little while when we got home and I took some more pictures - aren't these two just adorable!!!

Ava's Alphabet

2009-10-20T09:55:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to share something very cute that Ava received recently. My mother-in-law, Ann, is a very talented artist. She made Ava a little box and filled it with flashcards for each letter of the alphabet that she illustrated - it is wonderful!! Ava absolutely loves to look at them. I think it is so special and it is something that she will always have from her grandma!!

Take a look at the flashcards-
http://picasaweb.google.com/spiraino/AvaSAlphabet#

Sad Day!!

2009-10-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

Today was such a hard day for me - my baby got his first haircut!!! It was past time - I have just been having a hard time coming to terms with it. It is so wierd - I couldn't wait to get Ava's hair cut and I just want Sam to stay a baby forever. I teared up a couple times this morning, but I really held it together at the salon. As for Sam, he was perfect. I was so proud of him - he was such a big boy sitting in the little chair. As for the picture above, has there ever been anything cuter than this??

We took this before we left the house - Ava wanted a picture with the pumpkins!

My before picture! We went back to Pigtails and Crewcuts (where Ava got her first haircut). They have a airplane, taxi, and a fire truck as chairs - Ava chose the fire truck for Sam!

Of course, Ava had to sit in the taxi during the haircut.

All done - my baby looks like a little boy now :(

Random Pics

2009-10-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

I just felt like having a little photo session in the backyard this weekend and here are some of the shots!!

Hogs and Aggies

2009-10-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

We went on a little family trip last weekend to Dallas. It was our first time to drive and stay in a hotel with both kids. It was much better than I anticipated. The kids were actually really great and I only had a couple meltdowns!! Ava LOVED the hotel and did not want to leave. She ran around opening drawers and stayed on the telephone. Sam was as happy as he could be following her around.

When we got in on Friday night we went to dinner with James' aunt and uncle and some of his cousins. We both loved seeing everyone, but we had two hungry, grouchy kids!! We ate about two hours past their bedtime. Ava ended up being a real trooper, but poor little Sam had a hard time!!

Rick, Sam, Linda, Lauren and Ava

Linda and Lauren were so sweet to play with Ava and she loved every minute of our visit with them.

James' parents came in Saturday morning and we took the kids to the Dallas World Aquarium. We were in Dallas for the football game, but that might have been the highlight of the trip for me. The aquarium was more like a zoo, and both of my kids just loved it! It is so fun for me to see things through their sweet little eyes.

This bird decided to sit on Grandpa's shoulder - Ava thought that was so funny!

Sam loved the birds - he pointed and laughed all day!

I have very few pictures of Ava's face while we were there. She seriously did not have time to turn around and smile for the camera!

Sam enjoying his ride!

Ava was devastated when she realized we were leaving. She planted her feet on the ground and I had to carry her out. We will definitely plan another visit the next time we are in Dallas.

Saturday night we got to go to the game at the new Cowboys stadium. The kids stayed at the hotel with Grandma (James' mom) and Andrea. James rewarded the guys he works with and their wives with a box at the stadium - which was awesome. We had so much fun - especially the Razorback fans :)

James and I were both as anxious to see the giant TV as much as the game. We had heard so much about it, and just so you know it is as great as everyone keeps saying!!

Margaret and me

The guys hanging out in the box - I think they were chowing down on the most delicious nachos I have ever had at any sporting event!!

The Aggie band - they may not have won the game, but they won halftime by a landslide!!

My little artists!!

2009-10-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

I was very brave last week and spent one afternoon painting with the kids in the backyard. We had such a blast. Ava loves to paint - anything and everything, and Sam loves to eat paint!! What more could you ask for?

Believe me when I say this picture does not do justice to the amount of paint that Sam had on his entire body!!

I haven't written in so long because I am a little overwhelmed with school. It seems like every minute that I am not taking care of the kids or the house I am studying, but I love every minute of it! One thing that I do want to mention is that James and I celebrated our anniversary two weeks ago. He really deserves his own post, but I was crazy that week so he will settle for this. I feel blessed in so many ways to be able to share my life with him. He keeps me grounded, makes me laugh at least once a day, watches chick flicks because he knows I like them, and makes our little family his top priority. The list goes on and on - it just comes down to the fact that I am very lucky!!

My surprise anniversary gift-- ( I would have taken a picture of the real thing, but it is raining outside!)

How is he ever going to top that???

Party Time

2009-09-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Sam's birthday this past Saturday with all of our friends and family. He had a Radio Flyer wagon themed party and we had a blast. I am so thankful for everyone that came to make his day so special. We have lots of pictures to share--

I got these cute wagon centerpieces for the table. Because the party started at 2:00 we just had finger foods - chicken nuggets, mini sandwiches, fruit tray, veggie tray and chips. Ann (Grandma) also made some delicious bon bons for everyone.

I made these photo collages for Sam's party - one was pictures of everyone holding him a year ago and the other was just a combination of my favorite pictures from this past year.

Gift bags

Sam's wagon cake - you can't see but it says Happy 1st Birthday Sam in the center of the wagon.

Family shot

I really did my best to get a picture of Sam with everyone, but I failed miserably. Here Erica was afraid that he would cry if she held him so we were trying to be sneaky!

BFF Haven and Ava

Sam and his buddy Brooks

My dad came for most of the party and then headed to Fayetteville for the game - it was a long day for him!!

Opening gifts - something must have been really funny.

Sam really wanted this one.

Sam got so much good stuff!! His grandma and grandpa got him this Radio Flyer wagon and he loves it when Ava lets him play with it!!

It looked like it was going to rain all day, but it never did. We had sidewalk chalk and bubbles out for all of the kids to play with.

Sam did great all day, but when it was time to eat the cake he was pretty tired. He dug in a little bit, but he was pretty much done at this point.

At some point during the party I couldn't find Ava and I opened her bedroom door to find her and Haven like this - cute!!

My new favorite picture of all time - Jennifer and Sam.

Happy 1st birthday Sambo!!!

Sam is 1!!

2009-09-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

Sam is one today and I just can't believe it!! I am just especially grateful today for two beautiful, healthy kids and getting to enjoy every day with them. It has been such a wild year with Sam and I wouldn't trade even a second of it!

Sam at 1

You yell constantly at everyone and everything!! You are so loud that I am cannot go anywhere without drawing serious attention! You are such a Mommy's boy. You sometimes screams when people just look at you. Even though it is sometimes hard, this may be one of my favorite things about you. And when it stops, I will be so sad! You love to eat. I could list some of your favorites, but it is really anything we put in front of you! You scream at any meal until you have food in your mouth.

You laugh at everything!! Seriously - everything. And you have the cutest smile! You love your sister, but your favorite thing to do is pull her hair. You think this is really funny. She doesn't!!

You are walking everywhere and are into everything. I didn't have to babyproof the house until you came along! You can say bye-bye and dada. You love to play with your daddy and your eyes just light up when you see him.

You love to dance - when music comes in you stop whatever you are doing and really get down! You have a stuffed bear that you just adore- you sleep with him and we have to take him most places. At Mother's Day Out when you are crying your teacher gives you the bear and you start laughing.

You make us so happy and it is so much fun to get to watch you grow - we love you Sambo!!

September 18, 2008 -

Born at 12:35 pm

6 pounds 15 ounces and 19 1/2 inches

September 20, 2008 - 2 days old

3 months

6 months

9 months

Today - riding in his forward facing car seat for the first time!!

Where did my baby go??

2009-09-15T10:54:00.000-07:00

Friday is Sam's first birthday and I just can't believe it. We are in full party mode here at the Piraino house. I have been working on a little photo collage for the party this morning and it has made me really emotional. It is not often that I have time to sit down and look at old pictures and I just can't believe how much Sam has grown and how fast a year went by. The other thing I can't believe is how little Ava was when Sam was born - what were we thinking???!!!

Here is a picture that I completely forgot about- LOVE IT!!! Sam was a month old.

All about Sam this week--

supporting Daddy's team!!
He will climb on anything and just stand there until someone helps him down!
Love this picture - I think he has the CUTEST smile!!

Fun at The Wonder Place

2009-09-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

The kids and I met Carla and Lucas for a fun play date at the Wonder Place in Little Rock on Friday. It is such a neat place and both of my kids just love it and it is imaginative play so I love it. It is hard for me to find a place right now where both of my kids can have fun, so it is worth the drive. Not to mention the fact that they are not messing up my house for a morning - definitely worth it!!

Lucas was so funny too - he is obsessed with butterflies. I think that is so funny!! Carla had mentioned it before, but I didn't realize the extent of it. He found a butterfly decoration on the wall and he would just run after it yelling, "Fly, Fly." Too cute!!

They have a little play veterinarian station set up and Ava just loved playing doctor with the little puppies. Here she is giving the puppy a shot.

All three kids loved this big water table-

I really took a lot of pictures of Sam, but most of them turned out a blur. He was too busy to be still for me. Lucas and Sam sat and played together with these balls for a little while!

The sand box was probably our favorite!! Sam had to be removed because he was eating the sand (and liking it)!!!

Chef Ava making a sandwich for Mommy!!

First Day

2009-09-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

Ava and Sam both started Mother's Day Out yesterday! Ava was more excited to use her new bag than anything else - she talked about that bag for two days before school started. Not a good sign :) Of course, it all turned out the opposite of how I expected. I just knew Ava would do great and that Sam would have a hard time. Well, they both cried when I dropped them off. Ava's teacher had to pry her off of my leg. Sam watched all of this commotion with Ava and had no idea what was in store for him. Then I went to Sam's room and when the teacher took him, he was stunned. Of course, he was screaming as I walked out the door.

When I went to pick them up Ava was so excited to see me. Her teacher said she had a really hard day and teared up for me throughout the day. Then we went to Sam's room and he looked at me like, "Who are you?" His teacher said he did GREAT and adjusted so well! It is so funny that I really think I have them figured out!! Anyway, I have complete faith that Ava is going to have such a fun year with her teacher and her friends!!

Update

2009-09-04T09:55:00.000-07:00

It feels like forever since I have written a post and I apologize to all three of my readers :) Things have just gotten ridiculously busy in this house lately! We have pretty much started a new schedule for the fall, and I have not gotten my bearings yet.

Monday - MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)

Tuesday - Sam & Ava MDO, I have class at night

Wednesday - class

Thursday - Ava MDO

Friday - Playgroup

First, I started school and I love it!!! It is hard, but I definitely expected that. I feel like every minute that I am not taking care of kiddos, cleaning, laundry etc.. that I need to be studying. I have barely even seen James in two weeks.

Everyone in the house has been sick except me. How that happened I don't know!! We spent last Sunday at the ER because Ava's fever was 105. Sam had a pretty high fever too, but it wasn't that bad. They both had a virus, but Ava had mild viral pneumonia. Five hours in the ER with two sick babies is not fun!! They are both doing great now!

Sam is a walking fool. He is EVERYWHERE!!! Ava runs screaming from him now, "Mommy, Sam is going to get me!!!" It makes him so happy that he can walk though and I am so proud of him!!

We have not actually started Mother's Day Out - it starts next week for both kids, but we did got to Open House last night. Ava loved it last year and I am sure it will be more of the same this year. I was very impressed with her teacher and I think she is going to have a great time! Sam, on the other hand, I am worried about. It will be harder for me to leave him next week, just because he has such stranger anxiety and I am a worry wart! I think it will be really good for him though.

Some pictures of our week:

I took these last Saturday and normally they play so well outside and laugh!! I took my camera to try to catch some of that, and this is what I got. But, when we came inside I noticed Sam felt hot and he had 101 fever. Ava started running a fever a couple hours later - poor babies!!

Ava loves to "cook" while I am in the kitchen. She puts on her little apron and gets to work with a bowl and spoon. Sometimes I give her a real treat and put a little water in her bowl! It is so funny now because Sam wants to play with her and she picks up ALL of her stuff and moves it about a hundred times to get away from him.

Ava no longer empties her drawers when she goes to bed, but now she goes to sleep on the floor! I don't know exactly what this means, but when I leave her room James and I can hear her making a spot by the door. She brings a pillow, blanket, baby and I find her there EVERY single time. At night I put her in her bed before I go to sleep. When I ask her why she sleeps on the floor she says, "Mommy I so sorry! I love you too much." What do you say to that??

I hope everyone has a great Labor Day Weekend. Our plans are to watch football and work around the house!!

First Steps

2009-08-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

My baby is walking!!!! How is that possible? I am so excited and sad at the same time.

I am proud of my little Sam!!

Daddy's Girl

2009-08-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

I knew very early on that I was going to have to be the bad guy in this family. James hates to say no to Ava. He will do it, but he just can't stand it; it REALLY bothers him. I had to wait until he was out of town to let her scream it out in her bed all those months ago because he could not stand it. And she already has it figured out - when she wants something guess who she asks??!! Anyway, since I took away the paci Ava has given up on naps. I close the door to her room and she stays in there. I make her stay in for an hour - she cries, then tries on her clothes, then cries some more, then reads a book etc.. James came in the other day to have lunch and I didn't hear Ava in her room. I went in to check on her and this is what I found!!
I hope everyone has a great weekend!! We are on our way to the lake tomorrow.

Ava at 2 1/2

2009-08-19T10:05:00.000-07:00

It is so hard to believe that my little Ava is already halfway to three. It seems like yesterday that James and I brought her home and started on this journey. We have had so much fun watching her grow and become the sweet little girl that she is.

Some things about Ava right now:

She is still and maybe always will be my little cuddler. She loves to snuggle under a blanket with me and could stay there all day. She will sit on any one's lap for as long as they will let her!

She loves to read - she would literally let me read her books all day. I have to bargain with her. She says, "We read five books," and I say, "How about three books," and she says, "sure." Her favorites are Pinkalicious, any Dr. Seuss book, Brown Bear, and a new favorite Llama Llama Red Pajama.

She is getting so smart - it seems like her vocabulary is expanding daily. She can count to 15 and knows all of her colors. She can even count to 10 in Spanish - thanks to Dora!! She is starting to ask why about everything and we have some funny conversations lately - for instance yesterday
Ava - "Can I give Sam my car."

me - "Yes, but he may not give it back."

Ava - "Sam is going to hurt my back?"

me - "No"

Ava - "Why?"

me- No, he is not going to hurt your back, he may not give you the car."

Ava - "Why?"

me -sigh!!!

She is the BEST big sister. She has her moments and we are still working on sharing, but for the most part she is so sweet to him. She is always telling me what to do or not do for Sam. "Mommy, Sam's hungry" or "Mommy, Sam doesn't like that." If he is crying for her cup or anything like that she will give it to him every time. Sometimes when he is really crying about something she gets so upset she tears up. One of her favorite things to do is go play with Sam when he is in his crib - she just climbs in and I walk in and they are both laughing at who knows what. This is one of my favorite things to watch.

She really likes to play outside - she is getting so much better in the pool, but her favorites are digging in the dirt and sidewalk chalk.

She is pretty shy around other kids right now. She will play with them, but she has to observe first. She is not the type of kid to jump right in and start playing. She is also pretty lazy - and I say that in the best possible way. She just wants other people to do stuff for her, and the sad thing is it usually works out for her. It may be a sign of intelligence :)

She is really starting to get into the girly stuff like tea parties and playing mommy with her babies. She spends literally 10 minutes setting up a tea party on her table and Sam stands up and knocks it down in a second.

Some of Ava's favorite foods - grapes, cheese, pizza (cheese only), goldfish crackers, apples and strawberry milk (she calls pink milk.)

She has always been unpredictable. Just when you think you have her figured out - she will do something completely out of character. I know to the outside world she seems so sweet and pliant - and she is a lot of the time- but she has a stubborn streak!!

James and I both love every single day with her and are so honored to get to be her parents. I feel so blessed that I get to stay home and watch her grow and change. I can't wait to see what she is going to do next!!

Ava at:

One day

3 months
6 months
9 months

11 months
1 year

16 months
19 months

22 months

2

I'm Back!!

2009-08-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while since I posted anything. There are a couple reasons - I have been soooo busy and have really been uninspired about the blog lately. Last week was such a crazy week - there are some big things that happened.

First of all, my dad was in ICU almost the entire week. He is doing well and everything is OK. He is home and I think probably at work as I am writing this, we are all VERY thankful for that!! It was horrible though because I left my phone in the playroom all night and didn't hear it ring at all. No one had James' number, so the next morning I had 18 missed calls - never a good sign! I felt terrible for that, but everything worked out OK.

Ava gave up her paci last week. I cut the end off (my pediatrician's recommendation) and it has really worked. She looked at it the first night and cried hard. She said, "My paci's broken. I need glue. Mommy please get glue" over and over. The next day we went to the park and she would literally tell everyone about the broken paci. She still holds it occasionally, but she is definitely going to sleep without it.

I registered for my grad school classes for school counseling this morning. I am so excited, but very nervous about it. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed right now with the kids and the cleaning and the laundry etc. I hope it won't be too much. But I LOVE going to school and I am so excited about it. I feel very lucky that James is so supportive of it!

And because I don't think I can have a post without pictures!!

Sam loves his bath!!

We are not potty training full time, But Ava wants to sit on the potty occasionally. She pee-peed (sp) on the potty for the first time this week - very exciting!! She is waiting to call Diego (aka Conner) and tell him all about it.

My mom had a family get together at her house on Sunday. Here are Nick, Ava and Haven in front of the chicken and peacock house!! Ava could have stayed there all day. She is an animal lover!

Holding Nick's new puppy - isn't it adorable!

I was so exhausted after a couple hours because I could NOT put Sam down. He was just overwhelmed with all of the people - he cried pretty much every time someone looked at him! What am I going to do with this child??!!

Look at Sam standing - he is taking a couple steps! My baby is growing up too fast :(

Sleeping Beauties

2009-08-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

I really have no reason to complain - my kids take a nap at the same time and sleep 12 hours a night (usually). It is wonderful and there was a time that I thought it would never happen!!

My little Sam is the best sleeper!! I mean I just put him in his bed and he goes to sleep by himself and always has. When he wakes up, he doesn't cry - just plays until I go and get him! He will not snuggle though and it breaks my heart. I want to rock him and snuggle in bed with him and he literally pushes me away like he needs his own space or something. I have to literally force him to sit in the rocking chair with me before it is time for bed - sad!! He does sleep with a little bear that Ava "gave" him as his coming home gift which is really cute!

Ava, on the other hand, is my snuggler - she would let me rock her all night still. She is getting much better in the big girl bed. She occasionally comes to our room at night - maybe once a week. She goes to bed at 7:30 and I close the door and assume she goes to sleep - right? Well, last week James came home right after I had closed the door and he went in to lay down with her. She was sitting in her little chair watching TV!! I could not believe it - needless to say we unplugged the TV. Now every morning when I go in her room she has emptied the contents of at least one her drawers onto her bed. I don't know exactly what to think of this!!

Here is what I found yesterday morning-

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!!

My New Obsession

2009-08-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

I happened upon these the other day when I was blog surfing and I am TOTALLY in love. They are gorgeous and I am definitely ordering something - I just might have to wait for a sale!

You can find them here http://www.emersonmade.blogspot.com/

Our week

2009-07-31T10:06:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures that I took this week-

I don't even remember what that big wet spot was, but she was so proud to try on my shoes!

Our nightly ritual is dancing in the TV room after dinner.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Sam at 10 months

2009-07-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

All I can say is my Sam is showing signs that have me SCARED!! He is such a little wild man. And I know that is what I get for having such an easy mild-mannered first baby, but geez! All I can say is that he doesn't do anything halfway. He doesn't crawl, he speedcrawls. He doesn't talk, he screams. He is literally into everything and it is new territory for me.

Sam eats a lot. He really doesn't care for baby food so much now that he has had a taste of the real thing. I still feed it to him though. For a typical breakfast he will eat a container of baby food and rice cereal. He is still screaming for more at that point. Most of the time he will eat a whole banana on top of that!

He is starting to do some new things. He can wave bye-bye. I HAVE to get it on video because it is so cute, but I haven't been able to. He is shaking his head no (imagine that)! He stands up and looks like he wants to walk and then falls down to go after something. It really won't be long! He wants whatever Ava has (and vice versa), but he will chase her down to get it. His new favorite thing is to climb on something and dive head first to the ground. Luckily, he can't climb anything yet that could cause serious damage.

Ava and Sam have a funny little relationship right now. Ava wants to cuddle and hug Sam while he is pushing her away to hit or pull her hair. The other day I left the room for a second and came back to Ava's screams. Sam had a big smile on his face and seriously a fist full of her hair. (Sigh)

One other thing that Sam does is dance. But it looks like nothing I have ever seen - like a little baby headbanger or something. I got a video of it the other day when my family was here. He usually gets a little more into it than this. WILD MAN!!! (Also, excuse the messiness of the play room - remember it was my birthday week and I was on vacation :)

Birthday Week

2009-07-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

That's right - I get a whole week for my birthday!! And I pretty much took the week off except for taking care of two little monkeys. I am already paying for it today with my mountain of laundry and stack of bills! UGGGGG!

On Tuesday, my actual birthday, the kids and I met Andrea (Mimi) in Little Rock for lunch at PF Changs (yummy) and then went to the mall for a little bit. James was supposed to be out of town, but he finished early and came home and surprised us with cake and balloons. I say us because the kids really LOVED it.

Sam was so mad when his little piece of cake was gone (and it was gone in like a second). He will have no problem at his first birthday party!!

It was time to go to bed and they (James included) were still playing with balloons!

On Wednesday, we had a little pool party here. We always have a joint celebration for Andrea, Nick and myself because our birthdays are so close. The highlight of the day (besides the cake) is Ava got to hold a baby frog. She talked about it all night.

I think I was on vacation last week from taking pictures, but Andrea took this one of Haven holding the frog. You can see that Ava loved it. Then James and I took the kids down to the lake for the weekend and even though we had kids it was very relaxing and so nice to get away!!!

I took VERY few pictures this weekend, but I did take this one of James taking Ava fishing. I took this from the balcony and I was just laughing trying to imagine the conversations they were having!!

And this is all I really needed for my birthday!!

Swimming Success

2009-07-20T23:14:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of my Ava in the pool this year. Considering that we were asked to leave our last swim lesson because she was upsetting the kids, I think she is doing great in the pool. We are no longer using the life jacket and she is only using floaties. She keeps saying, "I love it." We are in the pool at least 3 or 4 days a week right now, and she would just stay out there all day. Sam, on the other hand, gets really frustrated because he is not on the ground moving so after about 30 minutes he is done! I took this video the other day when Carla and Lucas came to visit.

Happy Birthday Nick!

2009-07-17T10:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I am one day late, but that's OK! My second nephew turned 11 yesterday - hard to believe!! We are planning to spend one day with him in Dardanelle next week so I didn't get to see him on his actual birthday. He had some friends over and went out to dinner last night, but the thing that he really wants for his birthday is a puppy!! He told me had already saved almost $300 - so I found some puppies that I would want if I were him!
maybe a little Elle??

Aren't they cute - it almost makes me want a puppy - HA!! Happy Birthday Nick!

Bathtime Buddies

2009-07-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is having a great week!!

Here Comes Trouble

2009-07-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

I took this picture one year ago today and it may be my favorite picture of all time. Ava used to make this face when she didn't get her way - already showing a little attitude!

Busy Week

2009-07-13T10:09:00.001-07:00

Last week is still such a blur to me! I am so amazed at how busy we all are this summer. First of all, two of our favorite people came to visit last week, James' Uncle Alan and Susan. I have to say, Uncle Alan is the first person I met from James' family because he comes to Arkansas for business and I just loved him so much and thought if everyone else was as nice as he was, I would be just fine! They were also with us on our engagement trip to Belize - we just think the world of them! This was the first time that they really had a chance to spend time with Ava and Sam and my kids loved them too! Ava woke up in the morning looking for Susan and is still asking about her.

Susan and I ventured to Little Rock with the kids one day last week and just looked around downtown. We happened to walk into the Peabody when they were bringing in the ducks and Ava was just amazed.

Sam was just happy to sit in his stroller and take it all in - very unusual for him these days!

On Saturday, our neighborhood hosted a family movie night outside on the golf course with a big movie screen and games for the kids. SO much fun!! I am still so mad at myself for not bringing my camera thought because Ava was so stinking cute. When we pulled up, I noticed several little kids around her age playing so I was excited for her. Well, she spotted two little girls (about 10 or 11 years old) sitting on a blanket and said, "I am going to go play with my friends." She had NEVER seen these girls, but she went to their blanket and sat down with them. Grace and Sophie were so sweet to her. They held her little hand and walked her around to get candy and a drink. Ava was in heaven and was kicking and screaming when we had to leave before the movie was over!!

Yesterday we had Jerry, Dana and little Landon over for swimming and dinner. We had a really good time and Landon did such a good job for his first time in the pool!

Ava had a good time after dinner hosting a tea party for the two boys!!

Mommy-Daughter Day

2009-07-08T17:22:00.000-07:00

Ava and I had a special day today! We went to Dora Live and then out for lunch in Little Rock. First, we dropped Sam off with Mimi, Papa and Conner (thank you guys!) Ava was soooo excited to go see Dora and we had such a fun time there. She was just so happy and stood pretty much the entire time watching the play. Her favorite part - a tossup between Swiper and Diego!! After the play we headed over to West Little Rock for lunch at The Purple Cow - very cute and kid friendly little restaurant.

Ava was so sweet all day asking about Sam. On the ride to Dora she probably asked about him 10 times (along with singing Dora songs). "Where is Sam?", "Is Sam OK?", "Is Sam hungry?" She was more worried than I was!! During intermission she said, "Mommy I a princess and Sam a prince." Yes!! And when we were buying her a little shirt - she said, "Sam too?" So sweet - I could not make another one like her if I tried!

A trip to the Purple Cow would not be complete without a purple vanilla milkshake- YUM!!! Ava obviously enjoyed that part of the day!

She has worn her Dora shirt all afternoon and will tell anyone that will listen to her all about it - she was not too happy to have her picture taken though.

I know that Ava had fun today, but I think I had more fun. I loved watching every little reaction and seeing things through her eyes. Hopefully a lot more Mommy-Daughter days to come!