First Movie

On Sunday, Ava attended her very first movie at the theater. I had been patiently waiting for a princess-themed movie to be released, but none were forthcoming. Then Ava herself saw a preview for the new Hannah Montana movie and announced she planned to see it. She has recently started watching the TV show, and although it's not her favorite, she enjoys the music and dancing that always seems to surround good 'ol Hannah. So we decided it was time to venture forth to Jasper 8 Cinemas for her first movie experience.

How did it go? I guess you could say she got the best of both worlds! (Ok, cheesy joke, I admit it.)

Anyway, she was able to sit through and appreciate the entire movie. Plus consume popcorn, candy, and a Sprite. Yes, I relented and let her go wild. Plus she danced at her seat, sang along a bit to the songs, and even laughed at some jokes! When did this baby grow up on me? In all honesty, she couldn't have behaved better and had a wonderful time. So she was definitely overdue to experience the movies. My mom went with us and agreed that it was a great experience for her. And although Erik didn't attend, his presence was known as we were leaving the theater and Ava decided she simply had to play some arcade games. In fact, I think my favorite memory of the entire trip was seeing my petite three-year-old poised on a large motorcycle, zooming back and forth as she actually raced on the screen. I guess you had to be there, but it was hilarious.

Fun times!

35 Weeks

The Reader

Two guesses as to how she inherited this little beauty of a hobby. I doubt you’ll need them both.

Mesker Park Zoo

On Saturday, we journeyed to Evansville for our annual USI Day at the Zoo. This is a tradition we started when Ava was just a baby, and each year we attend she seems to love the zoo more and more. This year, she even recognized some features from last year, which just proves that her memory is incredible. One of my favorite things about this trip, sponsored by USI (my and Erik’s alma mater), is that they have animal encounters where the children can pet and interact with various animals. They’re usually pretty good about switching animals each year, so Ava has had the opportunity to meet a variety of creatures. Plus, they provide free snacks and refreshments as well, and you know I was loving that!

This year, Ava met a parrot, a skink (lizard), a snake, and a goat. She also got to experience the new Amazonia attraction. But her favorite part of the day? According to her, it was picking out her toy at the gift shop! We were also pleased that my parents were able to accompany us again this year; Ava always enjoys sharing her fun experiences with them. There’s something so satisfying about watching your child truly enjoy herself, and of course I myself am a huge fan of the zoo anyway. Yes, fun was had by all. Even Erik—and don’t let him tell you any differently!

Happy Easter

Once again, we had a busy, but fun-filled Easter. It all started bright and early in the morning, with a visit from the Easter bunny. Ava clamored downstairs to discover a basket filled with goodies (which I forgot to take a picture of before she completely dismantled it). Then it was outside to hunt for eggs. And—for the record—the Easter bunny brings us actual colored boiled eggs; none of those wimpy plastic eggs for us, thank you very much! Ava had a blast, although she wished that ‘ol bunny would have brought more eggs. Of course, being as I’m the only one in our family who eats hard-boiled eggs, I doubt she’s going to be getting more than a dozen for quite some time. She also enjoyed the fact that Mamaw and Papaw stopped by in time to help her on the hunt.

Then it was off to church in her adorable Easter dress, which she picked out herself this year. As you can imagine, it was blue—her favorite color. After church, we began our annual ritual of traveling to all three Easter celebrations: (1) Lunch at Great Aunt Margaret’s with my Dad’s side of the family. (2) Afternoon meal at Bill and Kaye’s with Erik’s side of the family. (3) Supper at Sandy’s with my Mom’s side of the family. Yes, I ate a full meal at each stop. No, Ava did not. As for Erik, he was so obsessed with watching the Master’s that I don’t know if he even realized food was being served throughout the day.

All in all, we enjoyed the chance to visit with relatives while partaking of excellent food. Especially the pregnant woman! And Ava couldn’t have been happier, since her loot pile grew with each subsequent stop we made. Seriously, I would list all the gifts and candies she received, but it would take forever. So I’ll just leave it at this: thanks to everyone who contributed to my daughter’s Easter happiness!

Brilliance

Recently, on a family trip to Evansville, we stopped at CVS before our departure. While there Ava bought some stickers, which she lovingly held back in the van as we began our hour-long drive. Before pulling out of the parking lot, however, Erik reminded her that she is not allowed to adhere those stickers to any part of the van. (Some of you will remember that when we had a loaner car from Uebelhor’s around Christmastime, while our Jimmy was being serviced from its run-in with a deer, Ava put holiday stickers all over the back passenger door.) Anyway, Erik was simply informing her that we did not want any such stickers on our new van.

Ava: Ok.

No problem. So we continued on our way. Ava was playing with various toys, although she still held onto the stickers. About twenty minutes down the road, Erik remembered those stickers and kept silently glancing back at Ava to make sure she wasn’t disobeying his fatherly command. And the verbal exchange that ensued was absolutely adorable.

Ava: Daddy, why do you keep looking back here at me?

Erik: Cause you’re so cute.

Ava: Or is it because you think I’m going to put my stickers on our new van? Is that why?

Sometimes the brilliance of this child astounds me. It really, really does. How funny!

Portrait of a Family

Our time as a family trio is now limited, so I thought I'd share this photo of us before we become a quartet. Although I couldn't be more excited to meet my son, there's a part of me that will miss having only one child. Right now, Ava is the total focus of my life. We do everything together, and I always have time for her. I know we're going to face new challenges together, but I also know we were meant to add this new baby to our family. Together we can do anything.

Here's to our changing family!

Future Soccer Mom

Yes, it’s official. We, the Smith family, have formally joined the mini-van club! After discussing it for many months, we felt that it was finally the right time to transition our vehicles into the next phase of our lives. Of course, this may have had something to do with two minor factors that transpired around the same time. (1) Following the big snows of February, the battery in Erik’s Mustang went out due to lack of use; it was basically just sitting in a snow bank for weeks. (2) Shortly after that, the transmission in my Jimmy kerplunked (yes, that’s a technical term) completely out of the blue. This naturally left us without any vehicle at all to drive, although thankfully my mother let us borrow her car for awhile. Thanks, Mom!

Now we have our new van, plus the Jimmy with its new transmission. Hopefully we are done paying money for vehicles for the time being. Keep your fingers crossed! At any rate, should it really feel this cool to drive a mini-van?

Happy Birthday, Ava!

Ava posing with her princess birthday cake

Opening birthday gifts

Yes, this is our bathroom; Ava invited all the females into this room for some dancing; no, I have no idea where she gets these ideas!

On March 25, Miss Ava turned three years old, and let me tell you, it is a truly breathtaking experience to look at your child and be completely blown away by the person she is becoming. Already Ava has such a strong sense of self, and I am so proud of the little girl I now see before me. Yes, I know that probably sounds incredibly sappy, but I can’t help it. She is amazing!

Per her instructions, the third birthday party had a blue princess theme. Each year I get Ava her own cake (generally to destroy as she eats it, a tradition that has lingered since her first birthday), but this year she decided blue cupcakes were the way to go for her own special treat. In addition, Mimi arranged for a large princess sheet cake to share with everyone else, and I (being pregnant and full of cravings) created quite the smorgasbord of snacks, along with a little help from my mother. Toss in some balloons, extra chairs for seating, and princess decorations, and we were in business.

Luckily the weather was beautiful the day of Ava’s party, and afterwards she was able to enjoy her new swing set from Mamaw and Papaw, as well as play with all her new gifts. Thanks again to everyone who helped make her birthday so special!

Tina's Shower

Helping Tina open her gifts

Dancing with Aunt Jenny

The Girls
(Remember: I am pregnant, dehydrated, and anemic--pick an excuse for my appearance--lol)

Recently, my soon-to-be-cousin Tina had her bridal shower in Huntingburg, and since I was FINALLY starting to feel better (cue Halleluiah Chorus), Ava and I ventured forth into the great social network of the world. We had so much fun! We both needed a girls-only outing filled with food, fun, and old-fashioned gossip. Even though Ava was the only child there, she managed to maintain being the center of attention and made her usual rounds with everyone. As you can see from the photos (soon to come), she equally entertained others and was entertained by most of the women there. What can I say? It’s what she does. ;)

Fun Fact: Tina and Casey are getting married in the Dominican Republic at the end of May! Of course, my family will be unable to join them as we will be welcoming our own new addition around that time. Lots of new beginnings!

Catch-Up Time

Wow, this has officially been my longest break from blogging (other than last summer when I was home without any Internet connection, but let’s not count that, okay?). First off, let me report that I AM FINALLY FEELING HUMAN AGAIN! YES, IT’S TRUE! I never realized how much the normal person takes good health for granted, but I am going to make a concentrated effort to never do so again. Right now, everyone should take a deep breath and say a prayer of thanks for good health. Life without it is just so unbearable.

Thankfully, as a result of my long-awaited return to the fit world, I was able to enjoy the end of March and all that it brought to our family. Yes, I did have to rest quite a bit over Spring Break, but we were still able to do some wonderful activities as a family. Rather than elaborate here, I’ll simply wait and add further posts that individually discuss all the fun the Smiths encountered over the past couple of weeks.

Check back soon for more stories and photos.