Earlips...?

A: "Momma, I would really like a new pair of earrings to put in my earlips."
Me: (chuckling), "What in the heck is an earlip?!"
A: (pulling on her earLOBE), "You know Momma, this thing, your earlip."

Little moments like these remind me that even though she's 4, she is still so little! :-)

When all else fails: random afternoon photo shoot in Gav's room!

Rub-a-dub-dub, 2 floating thingies in the tub?

So we thought that tonight might be a good night to attempt this whole assembly-line style tubby routine and do BOTH kiddos at once. On paper, the idea is awesome-- no having to fill up the tub twice, everyone gets clean at the same time (and thus earlier bedtimes), and good ol' fashioned bonding time for our kiddos. That was, until Ava exclaimed in a very disgruntled manner:

"Ewwwwwwww Mommmmmmm, Gav just peed in the air and it got all over me! Gross!!!!"

followed a few minutes later with:

"What are those two floaty thingies underneath Gavin's noodle? Are those floating balls?? How come I don't have any?"

In conclusion, joint tubbies have been discontinued until further notice. Thank you, and have a great day.


Right after the peeing incident-- look at Ava's disgusted face!


Right after her discovery of aforementioned "floating ball thingies" - again, look at her face:


Gav's just taking it all in- he loves it!

And she's off!

Well, one of the best things about turning 4 is getting a brand spankin' new, pink & purple, Disney Princess big-girl bike, (complete with sparkly streamers and cool bell) from your Nana & Grampy! We thought for sure that the first time out would inevitably end with cuts, scrapes, bruises, tears, and at least 4 Hello Kitty band-aids.
As it turns out, she's a fearless pro with an amazing center of gravity. Not one fall whatsoever, and man is she fast! When all was said and done, the only tears shed were mine, in the realization that the next set of wheels she takes out for a spin won't require a helmet or a Barbie water bottle...

Tradition is a pretty cool thing.

Four-year old Ava, birthday morning 9*28*09:





Four-year old me, birthday morning 1*3*85:

The birthday girl through the years...

One more thought as my little girl's 4th birthday comes to a close....and as I look at these pictures, it is very hard not to cry! Happy birthday baby girl!!

Four years old today!

It's official, my "baby" girl turned 4 years old today. And what better way to commemorate her 4th year on this planet than: a trip to Build-a-Bear, a new hairstyle, a family trip to her favorite restaurant (Bugaboo creek!), and a very special gift from her new baby brother. Not a bad day if you ask me! :-)