Here is Ava...
And.... here is Olivia
And here is two shots of these crazy girls...
Thursday, August 6, 2009
A Wagon Full Of Peaches and Attitude
Wow.... summer is flying by. Tonight we went for a little walk with the girls. We had a random evening of delivering peaches to some of the neighbors with a wagon and a very annoying little dog that would not stop barking. We tried not to claim the dog, but the leash tangled around our ankles was a dead give away as to who owned him. The girls insisted on wearing hats..... I pulled out the camera when we got home, we got some really fun pictures of them. I do not have time tonight to write much, but there is much to tell... for now, the photos will speak for themselves.
Here is Ava...
And.... here is Olivia
And here is two shots of these crazy girls...
Here is Ava...
And.... here is OliviaAnd here is two shots of these crazy girls...
Monday, May 25, 2009
The Ice Sculptures Take Down the House!
The Ice Sculptures from this year's YMCA annual Ballet performance at the Pantages Theater in downtown Tacoma were a hit! Ava and Olivia have been practicing since last fall for this show. By their precise movements and attention to detail you would have guessed that they have been doing this same routine for years! I worked back stage and had the best seat in the house. When you watch the show you will see Olivia come out first followed by Ava who is third in line.
The extremely flamboyant ballet instructor who was in charge of the show was thrilled that Ava selected a blue cast which coordinated perfectly with her costume. For those of you who do not know, she fell victim to the monkey bars at school about a month ago. She was the first monkey bar victim this year, I hear there are more to come.
Olivia was the youngest person to perform. You had to be three by her actual birthday, so she barely made it. She was sort of the unpredictable wild card of the performance but she came through with flying colors. She even took time to wave at me off stage at the beginning of the show. Most of the time the behind the scene volunteers do not get any credit for our hard work, so it was an honor to have her acknowledge me this way!
Enjoy the video (courtesy of Grandma)!!
The extremely flamboyant ballet instructor who was in charge of the show was thrilled that Ava selected a blue cast which coordinated perfectly with her costume. For those of you who do not know, she fell victim to the monkey bars at school about a month ago. She was the first monkey bar victim this year, I hear there are more to come.
Olivia was the youngest person to perform. You had to be three by her actual birthday, so she barely made it. She was sort of the unpredictable wild card of the performance but she came through with flying colors. She even took time to wave at me off stage at the beginning of the show. Most of the time the behind the scene volunteers do not get any credit for our hard work, so it was an honor to have her acknowledge me this way!
Enjoy the video (courtesy of Grandma)!!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Olivia and Tommy
Olivia is 3 and 1/2 now. One thing that I have known about Olivia since the first day she was able to express herself is that she has an incredible amount of love for all living things. She will pet worms, she pretends she is a baby piggy, she checks under the same two loose bricks in our walkway on a daily basis to be sure that the beetles are doing all right. She chases bees because she says they are, "soooo cuuute!!!" She notices every dog out the car window and is in awe of butterflies. At bedtime tonight I said, "Goodnight Olivia, I love you more than anything you could ever imagine." She topped my greeting and melted my heart by responding, "Mom, I love you more than beetles and worms and snakes!" What more could a mother ever dream of hearing!
One thing Olivia has always wanted is a kitten. Zach and I surprised Olivia and Ava a couple of weeks ago with a new TINY little Kitten. The first name that Ava came up with was "Tommy." After a lot of deliberation between "Tommy" and Olivia's suggestion, "Frosty the snowman," we all decided that Tommy was the name.
For days we did not know if Tommy could even walk... only because Olivia would NEVER set him down. It has been about two weeks now, and she still holds him about 75% of the time. I have never seen her so obsessed with anything. When Tommy decides it is time to play and Olivia insists on holding him, of course she ends up with some scratches. The first time this happened,I did not know what was going on, and I could hear her saying, "Ouch.... awwwwhh that's OK. Ouch... oh, you cutie, that's OK. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch." It is fun to watch her bond with this little life. All in all, Tommy is a really good sport. She holds him like a baby (on his back) and often has him wrapped in a baby blanket. He is her baby... by his expression in these images, you can tell that he is still adjusting to his new mother!
I love this image of Olivia and Tommy. If you could see Olivia up close you would notice that she has glue in her hair, markers all over her fingers and probably a bit of her snack on her shirt. A perfect 3 year old. This has been Tommy's life for the first two weeks with us.
Tonight I spent some time outside taking some shots of spring. While I was outside, Zach was bathing the girls. There I was, innocently shooting pictures of pansies when the naked little bum of Olivia ran past me giggling. In her arms was none other than her little companion, Tommy. She is such a goof ball! For her sake, I will NOT show you those photos!
She and Tommy will be friends for years to come.
One thing Olivia has always wanted is a kitten. Zach and I surprised Olivia and Ava a couple of weeks ago with a new TINY little Kitten. The first name that Ava came up with was "Tommy." After a lot of deliberation between "Tommy" and Olivia's suggestion, "Frosty the snowman," we all decided that Tommy was the name.
For days we did not know if Tommy could even walk... only because Olivia would NEVER set him down. It has been about two weeks now, and she still holds him about 75% of the time. I have never seen her so obsessed with anything. When Tommy decides it is time to play and Olivia insists on holding him, of course she ends up with some scratches. The first time this happened,I did not know what was going on, and I could hear her saying, "Ouch.... awwwwhh that's OK. Ouch... oh, you cutie, that's OK. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch." It is fun to watch her bond with this little life. All in all, Tommy is a really good sport. She holds him like a baby (on his back) and often has him wrapped in a baby blanket. He is her baby... by his expression in these images, you can tell that he is still adjusting to his new mother!
I love this image of Olivia and Tommy. If you could see Olivia up close you would notice that she has glue in her hair, markers all over her fingers and probably a bit of her snack on her shirt. A perfect 3 year old. This has been Tommy's life for the first two weeks with us.
Tonight I spent some time outside taking some shots of spring. While I was outside, Zach was bathing the girls. There I was, innocently shooting pictures of pansies when the naked little bum of Olivia ran past me giggling. In her arms was none other than her little companion, Tommy. She is such a goof ball! For her sake, I will NOT show you those photos!
She and Tommy will be friends for years to come.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Honored Student
Today Miss Ava was an honored student at her school. For a kindergartner, this is a HUGE deal. She has been telling me for days how excited she was about this day. She just could not wait. She went in front of all of the students, and her principal spoke words written by her teacher and fellow students. He read..."Ava is a nice person, and she is always interested in others. She tries hard at everything she does, always helps in the room, and enjoys sharing." It was fun to watch her stand there filled with pride. I hope she will always feel proud of herself, proud of who she is and what she stands for. Proud of being sweet, considerate, and caring... proud of being a sensitive, beautiful girl who loves to please and succeed.
School can be hard, kids can be hard... one day they are your best friend, and the next day they can say horrible hurtful words. I pray that Ava and her sweet soul will be able to weather the storms of her elementary days and simply enjoy childhood and the carefree times of her youth. I hope to see her face filled with pride for years to come. She has so much to look forward to.
When we asked Ava what her favorite things were about being honored student, she said she really liked getting a gold pencil, a sticker and the message from her teacher. BUT, her most favorite thing was getting tulips from her daddy. Funny, sweet girl.... I love you.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
My Heart Said WHEEEEEE !!!
What could be more exhausting than a birthday party at Pump It Up on a Thursday night when we all are tired and ready for the weekend? Oh, that's right... that is me that is tired and ready for the weekend... the kids are fine.
Tonight Olivia and I took Ava to a birthday party of one of her classmates, Emma S. (whatever you do, do not forget the "S" on her name or you will not be talking about the correct "Emma"). Ava was thrilled to see that her ENTIRE class was invited to this party. Pump it Up is a child's dream. There are Giant, and I mean GIANT, inflatable jumping toys and slides that the kids and even the adults play in. They play for hours and then have pizza and cake to top the night off. We planned on dropping Ava off, but once Olivia saw where we were, leaving was no longer an option. Emma's mom was kind enough to let her stay and play.
It was so much fun to watch Ava play and interact with her friends. I tried to keep an eye on Olivia as she ran and climbed and slid with all of the "big kids". The slide was definately her favorite. She shot like a rocket down a huge slide. There is a bumper at the bottom of the slide to keep the kids from flying off, but convienently for Olivia, she is small enough to shoot right through it out onto the floor. She had so much fun.... she ran up to me after she got of the slide and she screamed....."Mom! Mom! That was so much fun! My heart is saying WHEEEEEE!"
Keep Ava's teacher in your thoughts. The poor lady will have 25 completely exhausted kindergarteners tomorrow. Thank goodness for teachers!
Tonight Olivia and I took Ava to a birthday party of one of her classmates, Emma S. (whatever you do, do not forget the "S" on her name or you will not be talking about the correct "Emma"). Ava was thrilled to see that her ENTIRE class was invited to this party. Pump it Up is a child's dream. There are Giant, and I mean GIANT, inflatable jumping toys and slides that the kids and even the adults play in. They play for hours and then have pizza and cake to top the night off. We planned on dropping Ava off, but once Olivia saw where we were, leaving was no longer an option. Emma's mom was kind enough to let her stay and play.
It was so much fun to watch Ava play and interact with her friends. I tried to keep an eye on Olivia as she ran and climbed and slid with all of the "big kids". The slide was definately her favorite. She shot like a rocket down a huge slide. There is a bumper at the bottom of the slide to keep the kids from flying off, but convienently for Olivia, she is small enough to shoot right through it out onto the floor. She had so much fun.... she ran up to me after she got of the slide and she screamed....."Mom! Mom! That was so much fun! My heart is saying WHEEEEEE!"
Keep Ava's teacher in your thoughts. The poor lady will have 25 completely exhausted kindergarteners tomorrow. Thank goodness for teachers!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
My Tea Cup is Overflowing with Memories
What am I doing right now.........I am sitting in a small green chair at a small table all by myself. The table is set for tea and there is an appetizer of lemons and eggplant. I am sitting in a small kitchen with a small store nearby. I am looking at a small pink Christmas tree with tiny white lights, a jewelry box, some jammies on the floor, and a high chair with a penguin who is sipping on tea as well. There is a paper apple tree with a variety of pink and red square apples. I can see silly slippers and Elmo, Scooby Doo posters and a shopping cart filled with books. I see a rainbow colored pile of princess dresses and a stuffed kitten. I am listening to a song that says life is beautiful but its complicated... We don't need to understand, there are miracles, miracles..........stand where you are, we let all these moments pass us by...
I was working on putting the laundry away. I realized 10 minutes into the job that I needed to sort through them and donate the ones that don't fit anymore....... Memories started flowing through me when I dropped each item into the box. Can I smell the beach in these khaki pants Olivia wore when she ran into the Ocean the day we took her to the coast?
Here is the soft white cotton dress that Olivia wore when she turned two... right there is where the chalk mark was...
and I can see her squatting in the yard while she was looking for bugs. 
This skirt is practically still spinning from Ava... these tights have a permanent addition of wood chips from the playground. This hat, Ava Loved it, it is a soft red with a sparkle in the yarn. I can hear Ava say, "don't I look like a strawberry?"
I love when Ava would say that her favorite color is "rainbow". What a great thing!
There are so many things that I do not want to ever forget about you girls. You are everything to me. I could sit in this playroom by myself and never get bored. Everything I look at is filled with you two... your smiles and your laughs...... I can hear your feet as you run on the floor and the thump as you hop out of bed. I know that you are only 3 and 5 years old, but I just never want to forget all of these simple memories. Memories of your joy.... pure joy. Joy without worries of money or health.... no worries about tests or friends.... no worries about love or life... everything for you just "IS". You are miracles, pure and sweet. You are gifts, you have made me a better person. Thank you for being such amazing little people. Thank you to you and your daddy for giving me a couple hours tonight that I could come up to your playroom with my computer and just soak up all of these memories... just like the song said, I do not want these days to pass me by. They are the best days of my life.
I was working on putting the laundry away. I realized 10 minutes into the job that I needed to sort through them and donate the ones that don't fit anymore....... Memories started flowing through me when I dropped each item into the box. Can I smell the beach in these khaki pants Olivia wore when she ran into the Ocean the day we took her to the coast?
Here is the soft white cotton dress that Olivia wore when she turned two... right there is where the chalk mark was...
and I can see her squatting in the yard while she was looking for bugs. 
This skirt is practically still spinning from Ava... these tights have a permanent addition of wood chips from the playground. This hat, Ava Loved it, it is a soft red with a sparkle in the yarn. I can hear Ava say, "don't I look like a strawberry?"
I love when Ava would say that her favorite color is "rainbow". What a great thing!
There are so many things that I do not want to ever forget about you girls. You are everything to me. I could sit in this playroom by myself and never get bored. Everything I look at is filled with you two... your smiles and your laughs...... I can hear your feet as you run on the floor and the thump as you hop out of bed. I know that you are only 3 and 5 years old, but I just never want to forget all of these simple memories. Memories of your joy.... pure joy. Joy without worries of money or health.... no worries about tests or friends.... no worries about love or life... everything for you just "IS". You are miracles, pure and sweet. You are gifts, you have made me a better person. Thank you for being such amazing little people. Thank you to you and your daddy for giving me a couple hours tonight that I could come up to your playroom with my computer and just soak up all of these memories... just like the song said, I do not want these days to pass me by. They are the best days of my life.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
The things my kids say...
The things my kids say just blow my mind. They make me laugh, they make me cry, they make me question my parenting, they make me proud, they confuse me, they make me wonder what I did to deserve them. Daily I find myself thinking to myself, "Oh, Please God... please do not let me ever forget that funny look, that pouty lip, that smile, that messy hair, that kiss..." This is for my family...for my kids... so someday we can always look back and recall these fond (and sometimes not so fond) memories.
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