Christmas Card

Yes, I had big plans for our family Christmas card this year—plans that included our entire family posing beautifully within a festive scene. We would all wear matching outfits, with Ava in the most adorable dress I could find. Visions of our holiday happiness danced in my head.

Then the toddler spoke, sharing her opinions. Her independent opinions. WHICH IS NOT A BAD THING; I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY FOR THE RECORD. Remember? I WANTED her to be an independent woman!

And her opinions? No, she did not want to take a picture for the Christmas card. No, she did not want Mommy or Daddy to be present, even if she did finally concede to this horrible request. No, she would not wear a dress. No, she would not be smiling for the camera. Needless to say, it was looking like I would never create the perfect Christmas card. Although I did manage to convince Ava to pose for several photo shoots, nothing turned out well.

Until a random day at Mimi and Papaw's house. Ava suddenly decided she was ready for her close up. Wearing a purple sweat suit, with not a bow in sight, she proudly posed alone with a big grin. And me? I was more than happy with that, as those of you know who did, in fact, receive the Smith family Christmas card this year. See? I’m not picky! I take what I can get!

Happy Holidays!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Waving to Santa as he circles the Christmas tree in his train

As most of you know, Christmas is my hands-down favorite time of the year for a multitude of reasons. In fact, before the last remnants of my Thanksgiving meal have fully digested, I am already making preparations for the holiday season to come. This year I am doubly blessed during this time of year, as I finally have a willing cohort in all my holiday hijinx—you guessed it: Miss Ava Brooklyn Smith. She has embraced Christmas with a gusto I hadn’t actually expected. Not just the typical Santa excitement, but every single aspect of the yuletide. Let me expound upon a few such happy moments between Christmas-crazed mother and daughter.

Making the tree beautiful

Perhaps my favorite tradition to share with Ava was the time-honored ritual of decorating the Christmas tree. (Note: last year, since it was our first Christmas in the new house, Erik lowered himself to allow me to purchase a live tree, which in my opinion is the only tree worth having; however, his allowance came with a price; namely, that every year thereafter we must use an artificial tree.) I, however, have refused to let this transgression dampen my spirits in any way. Moving on….

Ava literally vibrated with anticipation as I unpacked the ornaments and other decorations for our tree. She had personally selected some shatter-proof balls at K-Mart to add to our collection, and she could barely wait for me to attach the hooks. You may not be able to tell in the pictures, but the entire bottom section of the tree is fully ringed with these beautiful blue, red, and silver balls. All courtesy of Ava’s hard work. I focused on the upper levels of the tree, and between the two of us we are quite pleased with the result. Still, I will forever cherish the memory of my little daughter meticulously selecting her ornaments and finding just the right spot for them. Priceless!

Posing with our masterpiece (ignore my pants, please, there is no excuse!)

Next we tackled Christmas cookies. Ava saw a commercial for Betty Crocker sugar cookies on TV that featured Santa, so naturally she simply had to make some herself. Thus, we duly armed ourselves with a package of the very same Betty Crocker sugar cookies, plus icing and a variety of holiday sprinkles. After assuring Erik that making a mess was all part of the process (even if our cookies weren’t entirely homemade), we dove right into the project.

And Ava? She mixed dough. She rolled said dough into balls. She arranged said balls on the cookie sheet. She (with a bit of help here) added icing to the completed cookies. She sprinkled to her little heart’s desire to finish the cookies. She smiled her beautiful smile. What a wonderful way to start our cookie tradition!

Lastly, I want to share a moment that occurred as Ava and I were unpacking the Nativity scene. She is quite familiar with this story, as last year Mimi and Papaw got her a Fischer Price Nativity set that she plays with year round. Her favorite piece? Baby Jesus, of course! Our actual Nativity scene—as you can imagine—is quite breakable, a fact I was trying to impress upon my little adult. She simply couldn’t understand why she wasn’t allowed to play with these pieces like she did with her own. As gently as I could, I pried away Mary, then Joseph, then the wise men, and finally the various animals. As I did so, Ava vehemently clutched the breakable Baby Jesus in her tiny fist. Her mouth set firmly, her eyes daring me to try it—just try it. Finally I broke the silence.

Mommy: Ava, honey, I’m going to need to add the Baby Jesus to our Nativity scene.

Ava: Mommy, you can’t do that to me! PLEASE DON’T TAKE THE BABY JESUS AWAY FROM ME! I need the Baby Jesus! I LOVE the Baby Jesus!

This was said in such a desperate pleading voice that I went against my strong Catholic tendencies and let her play with the Baby Jesus. And you know what? She didn’t so much as chip the little figurine.

Ah—I love miracles at Christmas time!

Sweet Stuff

Because it's so rare to capture that adorable Ava sweet smile on camera, I simply had to post this picture. Unfortunately, I cannot take credit for it (thank you, Jordan!), but I can nevertheless revel in the fact that she's not glaring, shouting, picking her nose, or sucking on her fingers. How sweet!

Thanksgiving

Although I am late this year sharing my Thanksgiving thoughts, it by no means reflects my lack of appreciation for all that I have been given in my life. In fact, as Erik is quick to point out, we try to be thankful year-round, not just on a single day. As you may notice from this blog, we in the Smith family take joy in the simple pleasures that daily life offers us. However, in honor of Thanksgiving (which was wonderful, by the way, full of incredible people and delicious food!), I would like to list some of what I am most thankful for in my life.

• Family, above all else, which God has continually blessed me with
• A husband who brightened my life from the moment I met him
• A daughter that gave my life meaning, joy, and fun
• Parents whom I consider best friends
• In-laws that I love
• A job that keeps me challenged
• The bubbly wonder that is Coca-Cola
• The head-spinning variety of fast-food that I cannot quite cut out of my diet
• Ok, now I'm just being silly, and besides, there are too many things to list anyway.....You get the idea!

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! On to Christmas!

The Logic of a 2-Year-Old

A recent conversation on a random week night with a particularly clingy 2-year-old.

Mommy: Ava, can you please give me some space?

Ava: What??

Mommy: It means step away and give me some room. Back up a little, please.

Ava: Oh, no, I can't back up from you! I LOVE YOU!

How can I argue with that? The logic is beautiful.

Read All About It

One of my and Ava’s most treasured routines is our every-two-weeks trip to the Huntingburg Library. From the moment I opened an account there and Ava realized the purpose of this castle-like brick building, she has adored the library. Although at first she was a bit shy and slow to participate, she now feels like an honorary visiting dignitary each time we arrive. With her head thrown back proudly, her arms swinging in her own little rhythm, she walks through the double doors, past the central counter, and into the children’s area. Once there, she first peruses the available DVDs, usually coming away with something princess-themed. Then it’s on to the bookshelves, where she meticulously selects her 5-10 books for that trip. We then stack these books on the single existing children’s table, where we read through them together to make sure Ava has made the appropriate choices.

Then it’s home with our goodies for endless reading fun!

Halloween

Looking back, we had quite a lovely Halloween in the Smith family, mainly because Ava and I finally convinced Erik to wear a costume! Sound the bells and the Halleluiah chorus! Sticking with our ubiquitous fairy tale theme, Ava dressed as Belle, I was Cinderella, and Erik wore a royal robe as Prince Charming. Not too shabby, eh?

Friday night we took Ava trick or tricking, mainly in Huntingburg to various family members where she could wallow in the princess identity she so adores. However, we did make a special trip to Otwell to Papaw and Mimi's church for their annual Trunk or Treat. All in all, it was a fun Halloween.

Then, on Saturday night, my parents threw their annual Halloween party. Once again the Smith family was out in full fairy tale regalia. We love this party because it combines my wonderful, crazy family (WHO ALL DRESS UP!) with some of the yummiest food you can imagine. Toss in a bonfire, lighted pumpkins, and smores, and it was a blast. Of course, Ava's favorite part was the new chickens Mamaw and Papaw had. She spent much of her time (still in her Belle costume) feeding and holding the new chicks. Oh, how I love my daughter! She is an outdoorsy girl just like her mother.

Yes, I let her hold a chicken! She loved it!

Incognito

There are several reasons why I love my neighborhood. For one, my 84-year-old neighbor, Bill, shares all his newspapers with me, which he hand-tosses onto my porch when he’s finished with them. Love that! I also enjoy that most of my neighbors with pets will stop by our porch, just to let Ava love up on their little cuties. She loves that! Furthermore, I found it fully heartening that most porches at Halloween sported hand-carved pumpkins with a variety of faces on them. Anyone that takes the time to carve and display pumpkins gets an A in my book, as you well know!

But perhaps my very favorite thing about the neighborhood is this: one can leave a large, fully-stocked purse in a driveway in full view for any number of minutes, and thank the lucky stars NO ONE STEALS IT!

Yes, this frightening event occurred yesterday when Ava and I left for a quick trip to CVS. Apparently while strapping her into the car seat, I unerringly left my purse in the driveway. We made it all the way to the CVS parking lot before I realized I had no purse, at which point I panicked and slammed the car in reverse. Ava was quite impressed with my NASCAR-like driving skills, and she kept up a running commentary all the way home. Mommy, you lost your purse. We’re going to find your purse! This is fun! Are you mad you lost your purse? Move it, lady! (This in direct mimic of a similar comment I made, as you can imagine.)

Thus, my love of my neighborhood swelled when I returned to find my purse still safely sitting in the driveway, exactly where I left it. Ah, the relief! Of course, Erik credits its wellbeing to the fact that it was a leopard-print purse, and according to him, No one stole it because no one could see it! It was incognito!

Here is Ava posing with the now-infamous purse:

Carving Pumpkins

Last night was a momentous occasion in our household, as I initiated both Ava and Erik in the beloved tradition of pumpkin carving. No, my holiday-suppressed husband had never attempted this in his twenty-six years of life (and to be frank, he took very little part in this particular event), but at least he tried. Ava, on the other hand, exhibiting some of her mother’s strong traditional genes, immediately took to the festive task at hand. In fact, I recall her rubbing her hands together in anticipation as we carted the two largest pumpkins into the kitchen and arranged the tools of the trade. With a stiff warning about keeping some distance from the sharp carving knife, of course!

First, Ava and I drew some facial options on paper plates. This was her second-favorite part of the ritual, coming in behind the actual de-gutting of the pumpkins themselves. Armed with a spoon, a measuring cup, and a strong fist, she went right to work. Her verdict? Mommy, this is slimy, BUT FUN! Ah, how my heart swelled!

To cap off our new Smith Halloween tradition, we cleaned some of the pumpkin seeds and cooked them for a late evening snack. Then munched on them as we admired our handiwork all aglow on the front porch. And yes, we did manage to drag Erik out there as well, although he refused to try a pumpkin seed.

Baby steps, I tell you, baby steps.

McCain....Obama....Cinderella?

At a recent parade, Ava received a small American flag, which she has proudly been waving at home ever since then. With the upcoming election and all of Erik's discussions about politics, he thought perhaps she had picked up some of his American spirit.

Daddy: You really like that flag, Ava! Are you proud to be an American?

Ava: No. I'm proud to be a PRINCESS!

The Power of Pretend

Despite all the money we've spent on toys, I'm still insanely proud that her imagination is her most prized possession.

For Love of Bread

Lately the grocery store, in all its glory, has been on my mind. Not because I enjoy fighting crowds over my cereal, or because I feel a desperate urge to satisfy my intense craving for fresh fruit. Mainly I am interested in the grocery store because it seems to have become an open forum for my family’s adventures. Yes, I am talking about the grocery store, not some fun-filled escapade like Chuck E. Cheese or Miniature Golf. It seems any given foray into such a seemingly bland store ultimately leads to one of those moments where I think to myself, This should so go on the blog! Here are two such mini-adventures from the past few weeks’ worth of grocery visits.

Story #1: I think this unfolding concept of The Grocery Store started with a recent bathroom trip for me and Ava. (As you may recall, we have a particular luck when it comes to bathrooms—BAD. See A Toddler’s Honesty in the archives if you don’t believe me.) Anyway, we were on a routine bathroom trip, again in the handicapped stall. You don’t have to tell me that I have a bad habit—I AM PERFECTLY AWARE, thank you very much. As we were preparing to exit the stall, I went first and can only thank God that Ava hung back toward the toilet. I turned to speak to her, most likely to hurry her along from running her hands over the filthy tiled walls (one of her bad habits), when our world suddenly rumbled. By rumbled I mean the entire door to the handicapped stall wrenched itself from its hinges and toppled overtop of us. Okay, it mainly toppled on me, who in a rare moment of heroism blocked the impact from my tiny daughter. Yes, this did happen. Yes, I can say with some certainty that a handicapped stall door weighs approximately the same as a small African elephant.

In a rare moment of Lori Assertiveness, I hunted down the manager and told him EXACTLY what I thought about the condition of the store’s restrooms. Ava added that it was A BIG DOOR. Unfortunately, I did not receive any free products or store coupons as a result of this incident. However, Ava did leave with a newfound fear of handicapped restroom stall doors.

Story #2: On to the next adventure. For some reason unknown to me, Erik and I have always considered shopping a family event. Even before Ava blessed our lives, we were an unstoppable shopping duo. Neither one of us seems able to properly buy groceries without the other one present. I cannot explain or defend this habit. It just is. Well, now having a two-year-old to keep entertained during our self-imposed family shopping trips, I have come up with a variety of methods to limit the screaming to a minimum. Unfortunately, Erik rarely follows these methods that Ava and I hold so dear. One such method is this: after I select an item, I hand it to Ava and allow her to toss it into the shopping cart. She LOVES this. If a certain item seems too dangerous for a toss, I simply sneak it into the cart. Problem solved.

What I failed to account for, however, was Erik’s deep love of sliced bread. I won’t even get into the fact that he refuses to eat whole grain wheat and instead stubbornly purchases white bread. I’ve learned to live with that. What bothered me on this particular shopping trip was that he had taken ten minutes to select the perfect loaf of bread. He had inspected it for minute holes that might decrease its freshness. He had checked it to be sure each slice was properly formed. He had smelled it longingly through its wrapper to assure proper flavor and taste. Then gingerly he placed said loaf into the cart.

Seconds later, a package of spaghetti noodles and a box of Easy Mac came tumbling into the cart to join this immaculate loaf of bread. YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN ERIK’S FACE! His horror was palpable as he realized the routine Ava and I had been practicing for the past seven aisles. Apparently his devotion to bread had distracted him from this routine, as if we hadn’t been doing this since before Ava can remember! After a ten minute discussion/argument about our current practices, I informed him that either he sacrifice the bread to whatever items Ava might throw its way, or he would have to carry the bread in his arms.

For the next fifteen minutes, Erik not only cradled the bread in his arms, but he continually smoothed out the plastic as we walked. And I swear I heard him whispering sweet-nothings to it shortly before checkout.

Just another grocery trip for the Smith family.

Why I Love My Daughter

Reason #38: She loves to take walks, a hobby she enforces daily and independently.

Reason #54: When Daddy bought her a basketbal goal and tried VERY HARD to initiate the process of turning her into a future baller, she very eloquently shot him the "ol' middle finger" by hanging all her dolls from the net, which I FIND TOTALLY AWESOME!

Reason #103: She isn't the least bit disturbed when Papaw brings by his latest deer kill, even when she notices a bit of blood on its mouth. In fact, she finds the entire process fascinating.

Reason #124: She is one hell of a poker player. (There you go, Erik, you're one for two!)

Reason #152: Instead of putting stickers on the floor, the wall, or other inappropriate places, she rather artistically arranges them on her own leg. BRILLIANT!

Go Cowboys!

Last weekend, we attended the first football game in Ava's memory. (As an infant she watched the Southridge Raiders play a few times, but of course cannot remember these incidents.) So anyway, we went to watch two of Southridge's 6th grade intermural teams battle it out, mainly because Uncle Chris was coaching one of the teams. It was rather exciting for Ava to see her uncle out on the football field guiding these young players. Her enthuasiasm grew, and at one point she shouted out wildly, GO COWBOYS! No, neither of the teams was called by this moniker. However, she clearly knows that Uncle Chris loves the Dallas Cowboys. Yes, he's trained her well. Too well.

All in all, it was a good time.

Herbstfest

From sitting....

....to Bouncing!

A Celebratory Sucker

Picking out her Elephant Pumpkin

This past weekend, our family attended the much-anticipated Huntingburg Herbstfest. For those of you unfortunate enough to never have known the joy of this fall fest, I must say, IT IS AWESOME! Yes, it is small. Yes, we spent a small fortune on food, games, and rides. I don’t care. I will defend the Herbstfest with my last breath, even to my own husband, if need be. (If you’re reading this, Erik, you know you loved it! YOU DID!) My deeply rooted love of this fest goes back many, many years, and I could bore you with all the reasons I love it. But that is another story for another post.

Let’s talk about Ava! For her, the highlight of the fest was the children’s bouncy things. I’m sure there is a technical name for these air-filled, inflatable contraptions (moon walks?) that children jump around in—I just don’t know it. So I will be referring to them as bouncy things throughout this post. Now, there are two things you must know about my daughter to appreciate this story. (1) She may look just like her father, and be opinionated just like her father, and make people laugh just like her father, but—believe it or not—there is a part of her that IS LIKE HER MOTHER. (2) She will do things in her own time. Period. Just like me.

So she decides she wants to try out these bouncy things. Erik, myself, and my parents all make the trek over to witness her greatness at bouncing. There are a few children inside, but plenty of room for Ava. She pays her dollar (and how sweet is it to see a 2 year old pay her own way?), removes her shoes, and cautiously climbs inside. We are all waiting anxiously to see what she will do, as this is her first foray into bouncing. She stops, observes her surroundings, and proceeds to sit down. Um. Yeah. Okay.

So now she’s sitting in the bouncy thing. Watching the other children with a doubtful expression on her face. Erik begins shouting at her to GET UP AND JUMP ALREADY! That doubtful expression of hers becomes something remarkably close to a glare. My parents inch closer and gently urge her to do the same. She turns her back on them. I am merely swiveling my head, trying to discern whether or not anyone else is witnessing the unusual behavior of my child. It is at this moment that it suddenly dawns on me—I realize she is acting like me! This is something I would have done as a child! Of course!

It is a great moment for me, because I actually understand what my daughter is going through. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve felt this myself before. She is in a different environment. She is cautious. She doesn’t want to be watched while she tries something new. I totally get this! Immediately I explain this to my family, ushering everyone away to a safe distance, and give her some much-needed space. A few minutes pass. She starts swaying back and forth on her knees. She starts smiling at the other children. Finally—as we watch with bated breaths—she rises up on her feet.

AVA IS BOUNCING! I cannot explain the rush of maternal pride that I felt at this moment, but it was WONDERFUL! I felt a connection with my daughter that was completely exhilarating. I felt bouncy inside as I watched her become part of the fun-filled group inside that bouncy thing. She made friends! She laughed! She bounced.

Priceless

Pancake Ingredients: $8

Children’s DVD: Free from the library (plus $3 late fee)

GiGi Hardback Book: $12

Microphone for Singing: $15

Throw Pillows: $20


A Relaxing Saturday Morning: You guessed it….

PRICELESS!

A Toddler's Honesty

DISCLAIMER: If poop stories make you nauseous, please disregard this post.

It seems only yesterday that Erik and I spent countless hours poised at Ava’s mouth, desperately hoping that the words Mommy or Daddy would invariably pop out. We dedicated myriad conversations toward attempting to translate her various burbles, raspberries, and mewls into some sort of language. Believe me, it was a full time job.

Well, baby, we’ve come a long way since then! Ava is now one of the most fluent toddlers I have ever met. More than that, she brings honesty to language in a way that I find intermittently refreshing and humiliating. I no longer need a mirror to discover my physical flaws. Mommy, you have a pimple—right there (pointing). Nor do I need to continually peruse her adorable little face to intuit her current emotion. Mommy, you are making me angry (foot stomp)! I’ve taken to recording these clever Ava-isms in a small red journal, and if I’m having a bad day all I need to do is travel through its pages for an instant pick-me-up. Of course, there have been a few incidents I would rather not record for all of posterity.

Take a recent trip to Wal-Mart. As usual Ava and I ended up in the bathroom. This time, however, it was due to Mommy and not Ava. You get the idea.

Ava: Mommy, your POOP STINKS.

Mommy: Please, for the sake of all that is family, lower your voice.

Ava: But it STINKS! Are you DONE YET?

Mommy: Get in my purse! Read a book! Chew some gum! Sit on the dirty floor! Anything!

It was at this moment—not my proudest—when Ava and I both noticed a distinct pair of shoes standing outside of our stall. I probably should have mentioned that we were in the handicapped stall, as I had assumed it would give her more room to move around. Uh-oh. As I froze, Ava took interest and approached to investigate. Just then someone rattled the stall door hard enough to have her scurrying back toward the toilet and me wishing for an invisibility cloak. Or a tranquilizer dart.

Ava: Somebody’s OUT THERE!

Mommy: *&%F#^*^(&*^(^*&!

I waited, hoping this woman—whoever she was—would take pity on my soul and seek out a different stall. In desperation I dropped my head to the floor and counted at least five other available stalls. Why was she still here? Why was she determined to stand in a cloud of toxic vapor? WTF?

Frantically I finished the task at hand and gathered up my daughter, the scattered contents of my purse, and my tattered dignity. Then, with a deep breath, I prepared to open the stall door and come face-to-face with the woman who was determined to witness my walk of shame. Much of what came next was a blur, as my only real memory of this woman remains the soft blue loafers she wore. However, in passing, I did notice that she was rather large in size, a fact which perhaps would explain her determination to wait out the handicapped stall. My main focus was the door, my gateway to escape. I had almost reached it when….

Apparently Ava felt it necessary to explain to this woman why we had taken up so much of her time. My beloved toddler’s honesty simmered to the surface once again as she offered up a sunny smile.

Ava: Mommy POOPED. It STINKS.

How’s that for honesty?

Hopscotch Lesson

A touch of attitude with my hopscotch!

What a jump!

Learning the finer points of hopscotch

Awhile back, the Bell triplets (Katey, Avery, & Libby) came over for a visit and taught Ava all about hopscotch. They were very patient with her, and she had such fun learning the new game. One of my favorite things about my daughter is her love of learning. I think it will serve her well in life. As you can see by the photos, she truly enjoyed herself, as well as spending time with the triplets.

The Hunt for Belle

As a lifelong Disney fan myself, you can imagine my maternal pride when Ava finally began her own love affair with the wonderful world of Disney Princesses over the summer. I am not ashamed to admit that I have been slowly contributing to this preference since her birth—buying princess apparel, encouraging the viewing of Disney DVDs, and even allowing her to purchase Disney dolls as a reward. Nevertheless, this was entirely her choice and she has been enjoying it ever since.

Cinderella was an early favorite, and in fact for several months Ava has been acting out various scenes from the movie. Her favorite role-play is where the evil stepsisters destroy Cinderalla's pink dress and she is forced to flee to the garden in tears—where she is miraculously met by her fairy godmother and receives an even-more-beautiful blue dress (Ava's favorite color). Erik and I have both filled the supporting roles in this scene many times. It's actually quite fun! We think we may have a little actress on our hands.

However, Cinderella has been placed on the backburner as Ava explores yet another princess: the beautiful Belle. We are currently engaged in a desperate search for the infamous yellow dress for Ava's Halloween costume. She is determined to dress as Belle for Halloween, and I for one refuse to accept failure. So if anyone knows where we could purchase such a costume, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

One of THOSE Mornings

There’s just something about certain mornings, especially mornings where a behind-schedule mother is trying to get everyone (toddlers included) in the household prepared for the day—oh, yes, now I remember—they SUCK. Now generally I am spoiled in this department, as my mother cheerfully arrives each morning to watch my daughter at my house, usually while she’s still blissfully asleep. Talk about a calm, warm-hearted start to the day! This does make me feel somewhat like a cat with cream.

If it’s any consolation to those moms who have to face this daily struggle with THE MORNING and are currently mumbling various curse words about me, please know that you have my total and utter respect, admiration, and sympathy. You see, on Fridays, Ava attends the day care at the high school where I teach. The idea is to build her socialization skills and allow her some play time with other toddlers. Thus, on Fridays, our schedule shifts in unexpected ways, and while sometimes I can feel like SuperMom and get everyone off with a smile, sometimes—unfortunately—I do not.

Case in point: last Friday. To appreciate this story, you must know two pieces of background information. (1) As fall approaches, the weather is getting cooler. (2) My daughter, who is already tall for her age, hit another growth spurt over the summer and outgrew all of her long pants except for two pairs—a completely respectable pair of jeans and a scrubby, spaghetti-stained pair of pink sweatpants. That’s it. For the past week I have been politely reminding my husband that we need to take a shopping trip for this poor toddler and get her some new clothes. Naturally, he kept pushing it off—maybe Wednesday, Thursday would actually work better, how about Friday? I’m quite sure an athletic event was occurring somewhere in the world—televised, naturally—at all moments during the week. I’ve learned to accept this as a fact of life.

So here we are on Friday morning, with low temperatures, and we must dress our child for day care. I always give Ava two choices when dressing her, a routine that she holds dear to her heart, and you can begin to imagine our current situation. Ava wants a choice. Mommy does not want her to wear the embarrassingly disgusting pink sweatpants. Daddy’s verdict: YOU ARE WEARING THE JEANS!

This order does not meet with acceptance. The screaming—please make it stop—I don’t need this stress in the morning!

Ava: PINK PANTS!

Daddy: YOU ARE WEARING THE JEANS!

Ava: PINK PANTS!

Daddy: YOU ARE WEARING THE JEANS!

Take this conversation X100 and you’ll have some idea of the morning I had last Friday. Needless to say, when I finally arrived at school, frazzled and trembling, I realized several things. (1) I had forgotten to brush my teeth. (2) No deodorant either. (3) More proof that our daughter is stubborn, independent, and clearly in control? She wore the pink sweatpants to day care.

What a doll....

I just had to share this photo of Ava, from early summer. We were doing an impromtu photo shoot one morning, and at her request I prepared to include some of her dolls. It was then she informed me that she wanted a picture with ALL her dolls. Lest you think my child isn't spoiled, I must clarify that these are NOT all of her dolls. These were merely the ones handy in the playroom at the moment of photography. We were sadly unable to include the many dolls upstairs in her bedroom. However, as you can see, that fact did not dampen her excitement in any way. I love this picture because you can just see how much fun she is having. And that is what a photo shoot is all about, after all.

Summer Fun

One of my favorite parts of being a teacher (other than inspiring the lives of our future) is the fact that I get the summers off to spend with my family. It gives me a dose of life as an SAHM (stay at home mom) and basically allows me to HAVE FUN WITH MY DAUGHTER!!

This summer we got passes to Holiday World, along with my mother, and that quickly became Ava's favorite summer getaway. We've spent countless hours discussing her favorite rides (the carousel and the fish), the many virtues of Splashin' Safari, and yes, even the wonderful food of pizza and fries that I allowed my child to consume while there. For a moment, I must brag on Ava for two reasons. (1) By her third trip she had gathered the courage to ride the Holidog Roller Coaster, despite the fact that she may have been a tad too short. (2) She became quite the Skeeball princess, winning several prizes which are now scattered around the house.

Most of the pics included here are from Holiday World. As you can see, we had a blast.

Smith Update

Sometimes a good writer needs to let an idea percolate in her brain before she shares her brilliance with the world. While that may have nothing to do with the fact that I took a several-month break from the blogging world, I nevertheless feel that it is an appropriate excuse. Either that or I was just having too much fun in the real world to bother with this silly old website.

I didn’t mean it! I’m just being silly! It’s ISTEP week; give me a break. At any rate, I plan to return with a vengeance. Top of my Christmas list is a newer, better digital camera so that I can share pics more easily. I also hope to incorporate some essays about living life as a Smith.

So what has happened in our family since May? Erik got a new job, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. We no longer need to return unopened gifts to Wal-Mart so that we can afford groceries. Okay, I only did that once, I swear, but it’s nice not having to live paycheck to paycheck. We continue to car-pool together, which will undoubtedly provide further fodder for my essays.

Ava is bigger, brighter, and even more brilliant—if you can imagine that. There are times I have no words for how wonderful she is. She continues to bless our life and keep us entertained. So far I have been keeping a journal of everything she says, and so far the only people who have read it are myself, Erik, and my mother. I’m hoping to share a few of the more amusing ones on here. I need to spread the knowledge of her humor!

As for me, I am settling into the new school year and enjoying the fact that EVERYONE IN OUR HOUSE NOW SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT! That alone is celebrational enough for an update.

Check back soon for more info.

Ava at Play!

Ava the IU Cheerleader

Meet the Smith Family

Okay, I know this is an old photo, but it's one of my favorites of our family. Sometimes I can't believe how much time has passed since Ava was a baby. Since turning 2, she's become such a big girl! No more ty-ty (pacifier)! No more diapers! (She is truly a potty-training genius....keep your fingers crossed.) She is truly a big girl now. More pics and more info to come regarding that little transformation.



If you're reading this blog, you probably already know all about us, but I thought my first official post would include some general information. Just in case anyone's actually curious about us. Erik and I are both teachers (he elementary, me high school), which provides us with the unique situation of car-pooling together most days to work. It makes for interesting conversation! We have one daughter--the remarkable and brilliant Ava Brooklyn Smith--who makes our life truly wonderful. Last year we bought a house in Huntingburg and have been enjoying making it ours. (Well, I've been enjoying doing that and Erik has mainly been rolling his eyes....but you get the idea.) The main purpose of this website is to keep everyone up to date with Ava's many adventures, but I'm sure Erik and I will be making myriad appearances as well.



My final thought: I will try to wrap my brain around current technology and find a way to upload more recent pics. Keep an eye out for those....coming soon (I hope!).