Ward Summer Party (7/17/10)

We had our ward summer party on Saturday the 17th, it was a lot of fun. We had a barbacue and played at the beach at Spring Valley Lake, we even got to go out on the boat on the lake too. (Again as with everything sure wish Trena had been there). We had games scheduled too, but everyone was having so much fun visiting and playing in the water, that we just canceled all the games.

Happy Birthday Ava Lou, We Love You!!!

Two years ago today we were blessed with our second miracle. Ava Angeline (aka Ava Lou, Ava Lu Lu, booger, little sis, love bug, etc) entered this world bringing with her a ray of sunshine, that this family had longed for for a very long time.

It was love at first sight for all of us. I had to kiss those cute lips that very first moment I saw you and they were all puckered up and ready! I still love to kiss those lips.

Look at your sisters proud face, she was so excited to have a baby sister to love and play with and to share secrets with.

Oh and your daddy, boy was he upset when he found out you were going to be a girl, it was actually quite comical. But oh my the second he saw you his heart completely and totally melted he couldn't believe how much he loved you! You can see it all over his face every time he looks at you.



It is so hard to believe how much you have accomplished in your two short years. You can count 1 to 6, you have beautiful manners and often remind your daddy to say excuse me. You can run super fast and you love to jump off of everything, you can also jump straight up in the air and get both feet off the ground. Your favorite color is yellow (lello) and we love to hear you say it. You still take a 2-3 hour nap everyday (thank you), and sleep a full 12 hours at night (thank you again). You love to go to Nursery it is your favorite place and you call your nursery leaders "nursery", and are so excited when you see them. You still love to sing and be read to more than anything, but you have found a new love for T.V. which your dad hates. You love Mickey Mouse, caillou, and Elmo and just learned about Wonder Pets. You still don't play very well with toys, you'd rather do a puzzle, read a book or color, but you are getting there. You are beginning to really enjoy fisher prices little people, you love to comb the My Little Ponies hair, and to hold your baby dolls and of course Puppy. You are very protective of your Mommy, if daddy is tickling me you don't like it. You have also really begun to open up to other people, and to become friendlier, its been fun to recently watch as you've really begun to interact with other kids. You LOVE all animals. You have the sweetest giggle in the world. It is so fun to hear how excited you are when you realize daddy is home from work. "Daddy's home, Daddy's home" and you run to the back door. And boy do you love your big sister, and want to be like her. You want to do and be everything she is and you love it when she plays with you. Your favorite foods are pizza and cheeseburgers, (without pickles, but you do like mustard and diced onions) you also love popcycles, suckers and chocolate chips (choc ut bips), your favorite fruits are grapes, strawberries and watermelon. Although these are your favorites you pretty much will eat anything: tonight you cleared your plate of salmon, cous cous and green beans. You are such a girl, you LOVE to wear dresses and always want your toenails painted, and if you've been wearing one color too long you bring me a new bottle and the remover to change it. You also LOVE chapstick (bips). You LOVE being outside whether its to go for a walk, a bike ride or just to play, you could stay out there forever, or at least until the sprinklers come on then you beeline it for the door! You are a very good helper, you help with the laundry, getting the mail and taking out the trash. You are also very good about helping to pick up your toys. You love to talk on the phone especially to your Wa Wa's (grandma) and Bampa's. You still love your beep beep, but only use it at naptime and night time. I love it when I say "I love you my baby" and you say "I love you my mommy". I LOVE our special snuggle time each night, as we read 4 books, say our prayers and sing primary songs and you kiss me goodnight, say "night, night, ove you" it makes my world perfect!


Thank you for coming to our family, it would not be the same with out you. We love you Ava Lu Lu. Happy Birthday!!!

Primary Activity, movie night (7/16/10)

We had a really fun Primary Activity at our house last week. We had a movie night where the kids watched a movie projected onto a wall and they were able to "buy" popcorn, drinks, rice krispie treats, licorice and cookies. It was a great success!

We had wanted to do it in the backyard, but it gets dark so late and we wanted the younger kids to be able to come so we moved it inside.
My living room is quite large and has NO furniture except a piano so it was perfect. I took the pictures off the wall and voila, movie screen.

The kids knew about the activity for about 2 1/2 months. They earned tickets each Sunday by coming to church, wearing church clothes, participating, bringing their scriptures and of course good behavior. The younger kids who don't have scriptures got a freebie each week. The range in tickets was quite surprising, but the kids loved it! Each item cost 3 tickets, except the licorice was 1 ticket a stick and water was free.

We chose a G rated Disney movie "The Rescuers" we wanted something a little older that maybe some of the kids wouldn't have seen and would better hold their attention. All the Primary kids were invited, even Nursery age. There were 3 Nursery kids and they didn't earn tickets they just got a little of everything.

Getting ready for the movie to start



Ava and her pal Josie

The movie has started. We had 20 kids total, which is really good because we have a pretty small primary, we were only missing 10 kids not counting Nursery.

The goods, the brown bags were filled with popcorn.

Mojave Narrows (7/11/10)

After church and naps we went to Mojave Narrows so Ava could play at the park and we could walk around and enjoy the beauty of the park. Sadly due to flooding the lake is closed, but it was still fun to walk around and see the horses and let Ava play, she still refuses to go in the splash park.

This girl loves slides! They have a twisty one there that twists twice and she has no fear at all.

She wants to try everything

Including each and every way to climb up to the slides

Some of them she can manage very well on her own


Others take a little assistance




Cheese!

It was a fun Sunday evening and we were glad that we got to share Mojave Narrows with dad.

Our last day in Utah (7/5/10)

So our last day in Utah we had some great activities and moments, and funny thing didn't have my camera for any of those go figure :(

Ava wasn't so sure about cousin Cameron's rats, she liked them in the cage but out of it not so much.



Then Grandpa Art got out Trena's old electic car and Ava thought that was really cool.

After that me and my cute sister Kayleigh headed to get pedicures, just the two of us. They were running behind so we had to sit in the massage chair with our feet soaking for a whole hour before they got to us, what a shame. We had a great time just sitting there chatting and enjoying the time alone. (no pics, left the camera with Brent who didn't take a single picture while I was gone).

We were then going to go to lunch just the two of us, but we decided to call Brent and see what they were doing for lunch, they were going to Sweet Tomatoes so we figured we'd all go there too.

After that we went to Raging Waters haven't been there since Trena was two, we did the Monday night special where you can get 8 people in for $50 for the last 3 1/2 hours, it was warm enough and definitely enough time. I didn't take my camera because Brent told me not to it would get stolen :( The little poop, I totally wish I had my camera there because we could have gotten some adorable pics of No Fear Ava on the slides. She loved it! Brent and I went with Ava, my sister Kayleigh, her husband Taylor, my brother in law Chezlyn, and nieces Kyndra and Shayla, and nephews Brendan and Cameron. So fun. If we move back to Utah we are definitely getting summer passes again (we had them in 2003).

After that it was a quick dinner at chick fil la and then time for goodbyes.

We stopped by to say goodbye to grandma Hanson ( I didn't make it to my grandparents)

Grandma gave Ava this cute kitty cat



Goodbye to Uncle Taylor

Goodbye Aunt Kay



Goodbye baby bump! Isn't she cute and she's only 15 weeks!



And then we loaded up at 8 the next morning to head back to Cali, and of course we stopped and got Cafe Rio on the way home; because we are NOT allowed to go to Utah and not have it.

So 3 1/2 days and a whole lot of fun and family, adios Utah until next time!

3rd day in Utah, Fourth of July, Grandma's birthday (7/4/10)

We started off our morning with my best friend Heathers newest baby girl Brooklynne's baby blessing. I didn't bring my camera, but she is one of the most beautiful babies ever! I even got to sit next to my other really good friend Miriam, her hubby and little boy Zack. I also took my sister Kayleigh with me, this meant I had prego's on both sides of me. I then ran Kayleigh to her ward so she could teach primary and I went and met up with Brent, Ava and my in-laws at their ward, my parents ward and our old ward, so we got to catch up with alot of old friends there.

When church was over we packed up our gear from my parents and headed to my in-laws where we were going to spend the next two nights. We started off with a family dinner of tamales, even Grandma Hansen and Shelly, Chezlyn and the kids came. We were celebrating my Mother-in-laws birthday which was on Tuesday the 6th.

Grandma Joyce opening her presents



While opening presents this little trouble maker came into the kitchen with a whole lot of toilet paper in her hands and a poopy bum.

Upon further inspection I found a toilet full of toilet paper (Dad got to clean this one up)

After that fun was over we went outside where the neighbor was doing fire works. He had four hundred dollars worth of legal fireworks, about 4 hours worth of fireworks. Yes, there is such a thing as TOO MANY fireworks!

The girls lined up on the street. Ava is sitting with her cousin Shayla, this is in the beginning when they were doing turtle races and parachuttes, etc.

Grandma bought the girls these fun glow necklaces, but Ava preferred to just carry hers around



Then came Ava's first introduction to SPARKLERS!!!
Yep, she loved them and so did her cousin Kyndra.

This is Ava with the camera in firework mode.

We then actually sat down and watched a few fireworks before heading inside away from the bugs.

Grandma Joyce and Kyndra


Shayla and Ava


Brendan, Brent, Camerson, Grandpa Art, Grandma Joyce and Kyndra

Utah (7/3/2010)

The morning started out with an impromptu play date. A good friend of our family, Jenn stopped by with her two sweet babies. Amara turned 2 on July 1st and Micah is 1 month old and is super little.

Here is Ava and Amara playing with her new drum from Uncle Wade and Aunt Traci



Here is Ava helping Uncle Taylor fold up the tent

Amara and Ava were so cute laying there "talking" to one another

What one would do the other would have to do



My mom, Karey and Trena all went and got pedicures. The lady was super nice and did her nails and added flowers for free.

When I went to get a pedicure on Monday the lady kept telling me how beautiful my daughter was, I have to agree.


Mom, Trena and baby Micah. He is so sweet, we all had to take turns holding him even Trena and Brent.


Here is Taylor practicing for the future, two two year olds.


We then went to lunch at Rumbi Island Grill and then Taylor, my mom, Kayleigh and I went and saw Eclipse. This is the first time I have seen one of the Twilight movies with my family. Taylor thanks for treating us to the awesome movie, with popcorn!

While we were at the movie Brent took Trena and Ava along with his parents and nephews to Wheeler Farm.

These are my favorite kind of photos





Always have to get the outhouse picture


With Grandpa Art



Ava with Grandpa Art and Grandma Joyce


After Wheeler Farm we all met back up at Braxton's grave


The ham in front made it quite challenging to get a good family shot


Ava adding the finishing touches to her sisters tower


And then because we were in Utah the fourth was celebrated on the 3rd instead of the 4th, so it was off to Fireworks!

Waiting for fireworks to start, we got there super early



wrestling around



And back home to night night stories with Grandma. We found this book Eensey Weensey Spider, at Trena's school book fair and it quickly became a family favorite. We shared it with Grandma and it became one of her favorites too. The book has multiple verses to the children's song going along the day of the Itsy Bitsy Spider (that's how I learned it), and they are all sung to the tune of the Itsy Bitsy Spider. All of you with kids should find this book.

So here is Grandma singing with the girls

And that was our last night with my mom, dad, Karey and Trena as I took them to the airport the next morning at 5 am, where they flew to NC to see my Grandma. I won't see my Binx again until Aug 11th!!! Isn't that the cruelest thing to do to your mother, I think so, but she is happy and I guess that's what matters. I will have her 1 1/2 weeks of the whole summer. So much for doing anything as a family :(