A Trip To Allerton Park...Part I

We decided to take a short drive to Allerton Park and enjoy this nice Fall day. These days are going to be few and far between more than likely with winter being right around the corner. So a picnic and a day outdoors was in order. It has been quite a long time since I've been to Allerton Park. Definitely long before I had Ava that's for sure. Ava had a lot of fun running around outside and kicking up the colorful fall leaves blanketing the ground.

This zip up hoodie of Ava's reminds me of the character Uniqua from "The Backyardigan's".

There were thousands of those tiny ladybugs that fly (whatever they are called) everywhere today. It was kind of creepy how many there were.

So carefree!

Ava was very fascinated with this door. She wanted to go in, but of course it was locked. She even knocked on the door and was like "is anybody there, it's me Ava".

I have many more pictures to edit from our excursion to Allerton Park and will hopefully get to it in the next couple of days and get them posted on here. We've been so sick lately that I have several projects and photos I need to edit and get caught up on.

Crazy Hair Day...

Crazy hair day was the theme for today. Well that or a wig or a crazy hat. Since we own no wigs or silly hats it was time to be a bit creative and do some crazy hair day style. This is all Ava would let me do to her hair, and even then she was a bit hesitant.

The front of the crazy hair-do. She had multiple ponytails in her hair.

The back view of her crazy hair-do. I don't think she will let me do this to her again next year. May have to look into a silly wig or crazy hat. She is only 4 and already is worried about what others will think. Seriously? At 4 years old? When she got home from school though she was in a much better mood and wanted to leave her hair up in the silly little pony tails. So I guess it wasn't as horrible as she imagined it would be. :)

Pajama Day...

Today was pajama day for Ava's school in celebration for Red Ribbon week. The yearly "Say No to Drugs and Alcohol" campaign. She thought it was so cool to be able to wear pj's to school. She even had some brand new Tinkerbell pajamas to wear for this special day. :)

She was loving her new Tinkerbell pajamas. All smiles this morning for me. :)

Ava with her friends before school on Pajama day. Tomorrow is wear a crazy hair, wig, or hat day. Will have to be sure to get pictures of that too. :)

A late summertime photo session...

I love doing photo shoots with Ava. Seriously. Love. It. I've always enjoyed photos, but since having Ava I've tried to become a bit more "creative" with my hobby of photography. Today was a perfect day for photographing my little cutie and she was actually quite receptive to the idea. I opted to kind of go for a more classic/vintage feel for this session. I love her "I love the 80's" kind of outfit and big clunky mary janes she had on. So here goes...

The above photo is one of the poses she wanted me to take a picture of.

The above photos is one of my absolute favorites from this shoot. I love her legs propped up casually on the wall. She was initially looking up at the sky and then moved her arms to cover her eyes. So cute!

Her clunky Mary Janes. I heart these shoes...and so does she! :)

No photo shoot would be complete without the silly side of Ava emerging!



Ava and "Backpack" enjoying this beautiful summer afternoon.

First Day of Pre-K...

The first day of Pre-K for Ava is finally here. This time last year, I thought I would be ready for this day and it wouldn't be all that hard. I mean afterall, it is only for a few hours a day, five days a week. But oh my gosh, I was a mess this morning once she boarded the bus and then that little bus pulled away. There are no parenting books or advice from other parents that can prepare you for letting go and trusting others with this little being you've poured your heart and soul into for the last four years. When we went for the Pre-screening in February, August still felt like a long time away. But those 6 months literally flew by. No one could have prepared me for this feeling so alone and lost without her. Yes, I know it is only like 3 1/2 hours a day, but she is part of almost everything I do in my life and who for the last four years has been my main definition of just WHO I am. Today, I had to let go just a little and watch my little girl venture out into a world so big and brand new to her.

This is the Ni Hao Kai Lan backpack Ava picked out. She could have had any backpack she wanted and she picked this one. We are on our way to the bus stop!

Getting on the school bus for her first day of school. She just seems way to little to be doing this!

Lined up with the majority of her Pre-School class. Not one little kid had the same backpack. I found that kind of funny.

Lined up and ready to head inside for their first day of Pre-K.

And off they go on this brand new adventure in their lives.

Happy Birthday Ava!

Today is Ava's birthday! I can't believe she is 4 years old already! Each year I wonder how it is possible another year has passed. This year is no different. Time certainly does not stand still for anyone or anything. I enjoy Last year Ava experienced our local Children's Museum for the first time on her birthday. This year both Ava and Alyssa enjoyed the museum again. We even had a little picnic after our adventures at the Children's Museum. After that it was time to head home and get ready for her birthday party with our family.

Ava playing with the water table. I think she just likes to play in the water more than anything. But then again don't most kids!

Ava and Alyssa playing on this wall of "gears" where you can put these little pieces together and spin them around. It is pretty interesting actually.

Ava and Alyssa grocery shopping! It was so funny watching the girls pick and choose what items to put in their cart and what they didn't put in their cart. Kind of amusing really! :)

The girls playing in the doctor station. They were taking care of the little babies and then of course making sure they washed their hands before handling the babies.

Congresswoman Alyssa of Illinois. I love this picture of Alyssa. It is actually the part of the museum which talks about the life of the historic 16th President of the United States Abraham Lincoln.

Ava loves this Train Town table. She could play with this for hours I think.

Alyssa on this windy kind of path thing-y. LOL For lack of a better description. It is really cool whatever you call it.

Another view of Alyssa climbing up this crazy contraption.

Ava playing in the bubbles. This is one of my favorite parts of the museum. I love these huge wands that make these gigantic bubbles.

Birthday presents and cupcakes. What is so funny is my sister and I both bought the same gift bag for Ava's gifts, and then both of my brothers picked the same gift bags for Ava's gifts. All at different times. lol

Ava, Alyssa, and Jordan. I can't believe this year I didn't get a group shot of all the kids together. After this there was a water balloon fight which I missed because I was inside. All in all a great birthday party for Ava.

The Greatest Love Of My Life...

How could she not be? Even on her most "spirited" day, she brings incredible joy and meaning to my life. I have never felt a love as intense and amazing as being a Mom to this amazing gift from God.

She brings a sense of purpose to my life I never had until she came into my life. Don't get me wrong, I of course had goals and ambition and dreams before she came along. But once she came into my life, my life's work has been to be the best Mom that I can be for her. I still have my dreams, my goals, and ambition, but my priorities have changed in ways I never expected. My heart beats for her. She is my first thought in the morning when I wake and she is my last thought in the evening before I close my eyes. I live and breathe for this little girl.

Yes it's true, I am very blessed indeed.

An Evening Picnic...

Such glorious weather we have had for pretty much the entire month of July. The calendar assures me July does actually come after June, but the weather these past two months have me questioning the calendar. June was hot (unbelievably hot) and July has been inviting and wonderful. This evening I decided we needed to enjoy this weather because who knows what August will bring. Hopefully more of the same that July has offered us. So we ventured tonight to a little park a little ways up the road from where we live. It is a very quaint park. It has one baseball diamond, a tetherball court (minus the the tetherball), a small basketball court and a very small area with playground equipment. Ava found more fun on the unoccupied baseball diamond to wile away the evening and to exert a lot of three year old little girl energy. For me this presented the perfect photo op. We did start off the evening with a picnic which surprisingly Ava ate quite well. Most of the time she is so distracted by wanting to play that she barely touches her food. Tonight she surprised me though and ate quite well. After the Mom in me was satisfied with what she ate and how much she ate, I allowed her to run and play until her heart was quite content. She gave a once over to the playground equipment and then set her sites on the baseball field.

Yes, a dirt field will win the heart of my daughter over brightly painted playground equipment almost any day. But then again that is probably the case with most children. I knew she was going straight home to get a bath after this evening adventure, so I was not worried about just how dirty she was going to get. I am sure she was surprised at my carefree attitude this evening. ;)

I even was so bold to suggest that she remove her shoes and run barefoot on the baseball field. I am sure Ava thought I might have just lost my mind to let her go barefoot in a public park without worry of her stepping on something. But Ava did not let her mind ponder on my carefree attitude for but a mere second or two and plunked right down in the dirt to remove her shoe. First she just took one off and was running around with one shoe in hand and the other still on her left foot.

Eventually she decided it was not near as much fun to run and play in the dirt with one shoe on and one shoe off. So off the other shoe came. She stopped for a bit to pick at some dirt under her fingernail. Oh how she can not even imagine this was just the beginning of her adventure. :)

Running in the dirt with her beloved baby and doggie is a exhilarating evening for a little one. Such a carefree spirit she is. Her eyes just sparkled and danced with joy this evening.

This photo above just amazes me at how much she is growing and becoming quite a little girl and is leaving behind this toddler phase I am not quite ready to let go of just yet. I want to hang on for a while longer, but when I see photos such as this it reminds me that her growing up is beyond my control and I just have to enjoy the moments we have right now. It truly just amazes me at how much she has grown since last July. I never thought it was possible to love her anymore that I already do, but I fall more and more in love with her every single day. I never knew this kind of love was possible until I had her.

Okay so onto Ava's dirty baseball diamond adventure! :) See the twinkle in her eye and the joy on her face in the above photo. Her laughter was so contagious tonight. A sheer evening of joy for not only her, but for me as well.

Here she decided it would be fun to toss dirt up in the air like it was raining. Her scalp after all was said and done tonight had a layer of this dirt in it. You could barely see any color of her scalp she was so "dirty". And my bathtub tonight was proof of just how dirty she was able to get tonight. :)

And now she ponders what else she can explore before we call it a night and head for home and a much needed bath on her part.

Oh yes how could she not inspect tiny blades of grass and little granules of dirt. No adventure would be complete without doing this. I find it amusing to watch her explore and discover the little things in life and the things that surround us. If we allowed ourselves to really get down on the level that children do when they want to learn or see new things I think we could learn a lot more than from where we stand and see things. Our view often times is unclear, but we can learn so much from children and the way they do things.

And finally the sun was close to calling it a night and so we needed to head for home. as well Ava must have been wore out because she didn't even protest when I said it was time to go and when it was time to put her shoes back on. While walking back towards the car I followed her and was so caught up in the moment of seeing how independent she has become in just these few short years I had to take one final picture. Here's to many more evening picnics and walking barefoot through the dirt with my daughter.

The Love of A Daughter...

Today I got little done on my list of things to do because I found myself unable to walk about from watching the tribute/memorial to Michael Jackson. Below is the short clip of his daughter Paris sharing just a piece of the great love she has for her father to the entire world.

Michael Jackson has blessed this world with three beautiful and remarkable children. May he rest in peace and may we all remember the great things he has done in his life and for this world. This world is truly a better place because of him. Rest in peace Michael Jackson. And my thoughts and prayers are with your family and friends as they try to put together the pieces of their lives and may they be able to find more and more reason to smile in the days, weeks, and years to come.

County Fair...

We spent a little time at our annual county fair this summer. This was the first year my nephew entered some photos in his age group for the photography contest. He was so excited to enter and I have to say for being only 11 years old he already does quite well. This year I actually sat out on the competition for entering, but may just have to enter some of my photos next year. Maybe. :)

No visit to a fair is complete without the customary over-priced, high in fat, covered in powdered sugar funnel cake and Lemonade shakeup. Ava was in heaven.

Making sure she does not miss even a little sprinkle of the powdered sugar. Can we say some little girl is going to be on a "sugar high"?!?!

Look at the greasy napkin! lol Now that is one unhealthy food. ;)

And of course finishing it off with a drink of her lemonade shake-up that was mostly ice!

Kylar posing with one of the photos he took that won 2nd place in his age division for photography! We were so proud of him! :) The photo he titled it "A Soft Place To Land" because if you look closely there is a fly resting on the flower!

An unneeded blow up Dora doll that Ava just had to have. How long will this thing last? 24 hours? A week if we are lucky?

Ava on her very first fair ride ever. She was excited and a bit unsure. But as soon as the ride started she was all smiles!

Ava was too afraid to go down this slide, so Kylar went by himself. A little overpriced if you ask me for one trip down this slide, but what would a fair be, if not over-priced! :) The kids though had fun and at the end of the day that is all that really matters anyway!

How strange it is....

I was doing my dishes from lunch just a little while ago and as "fun" as that may be for some, my mind tends to drift to a million other things while doing such a mundane task. Inevitably my thoughts settled on my Mom and her Alzheimer's. Now days thoughts of my Mom's battle with Alzheimer's is never far from my mind. And then I began thinking more and more about this disease and how strange it really is. Don't get me wrong I know everyone progresses differently with the disease but as ugly and heartbreaking as this disease may be it is also quite complex and even interesting in a strange sort of way. The way that it destroys so many of the memories a person has. Take my Mom for example, she can is not able to recall so much about her children and grandchildren and our history, but you can play a song from her past and she can recall it word for word. I find myself wondering why exactly that is. I can guarantee you she would much rather have the memories of her children and grandchildren, than to know so many songs of her past word for word. This disease would not be nearly as impossible to deal with if it was able to take away the memories that do not matter as much in life and instead it left all that was happy and wonderful. Just saying!

Stampin' Out Alzheimer's

Below is a video from Susanna Boyd owner of Papercraft Planet. She has teamed up with Jen Tapler, along with several other sponsors to do a 7 day stamping event for a minimum donation of only $5. You are welcome to donate more, but with this $5.00 donation you will not only be giving towards an important cause that affects millions, but you will be rewarded with free products as well.

I hope you will join in this cause that changes the lives of not only the person who is diagnosed with the Alzheimer's disease, but the families who are dealing with the devastating effects of this disease. This cause is extremely close to my heart because my Mom was diagnosed at the age of 52 with Early-onset Alzheimer's Disease. I have shared a part of my Mom's story below. I hope that you will take 5 minutes to read about her battle with Alzheimer's Disease. This disease no longer just effects the elderly generation. All funds donated during this event will be given to the Alzheimer's Association. There is a donation link on my right-hand sidebar. Please help us in this fight to preserve the memories of our loved ones. It is a fight we cannot afford to lose.

The Face of Alzheimer's Disease Is Changing....

Alzheimer's Disease is no longer a disease that just affects the elderly. Above is a photo taken of my Mom in the very early stages of her battle with Alzheimer's Disease. At the time this photo was taken we were not yet aware of what was going on with my Mom. She was becoming more forgetful and the having more episodes of "walking into the room and forgetting why she went in there in the first place" type instances. Her Dad had passed away several months before this photo was taken of my Mom, so we just assumed she was under a lot of stress. Near the end of 2005, my Mom still felt like things were just not quite right, and she felt like something was really wrong. In 2005, my Mom had just turned 50. Her Grandma had Alzheimer's and died at the age of 81, and my Mom's Dad was showing early signs of the disease when he passed away at the age of 72. So, my Mom made an appointment with a neurologist to see what was going on with her. My Aunt and I went with my Mom to this appointment and shared our concerns about possible Alzheimer's, since we obviously have a family history of the disease with my Great-Grandma and my Grandpa having the disease. My Mom went through a series of questions the doctor asked her, which she did not do to well with at all. The doctor told us she was "too young to have Alzheimer's". Those are words I will never forget. Because going into the doctor appointment I was concerned since I had heard of people getting the disease earlier in life. He never sent her for further testing even though our family has a history with the disease. He diagnosed her with Pseudo-Anxiety and Depression. His reason for her being diagnosed with depression is because of her Dad passing away in 2003. I will admit a part of me was a bit relieved thinking okay this is just depression we can work through this and my Mom will get better. So after many visits to a psychologist and a counselor things were still not getting any better. In fact, they were getting worse.

For almost 2 years my Mom went for the counseling and even tried different anti-depressants to try and find the right combination. All the while she just kept declining with her short term memory. And we were even starting to see some changes in her long term memory. At this point she no longer knew the birth dates of any of her children (she has four children and could always tell you the date and time we were born). She always knew how old we are and now her mind was just blank when it came to that. She couldn't even manage to make a guess at how old we were. Yet, if she would hear a song from her childhood or when she was a teenager she could sing the song word for word. She can hear a song from the 70's and 80's that she knows and is able to sing it. But then then it came to her finances she was no longer able to even manage a checkbook. Something she had done before I was even born. Growing up my Mom was always the one in control of our family finances and now she could no longer even balance a checkbook. In July of 2007 we went to see a different neurologist and after his initial visit with my Mom he sent her for more testing over the next several months to find out what was going on. I knew that this time if this Dr. did not have my Mom go for additional testing we would be going to more well-known hospitals. I didn't care if we had to drive 3 hours away from where we live or where we would have to go. So after several months of different tests, blood work, MRI's, etc. my Mom was diagnosed in December 2007 at the age of 52 with Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease and we were told she was in the middle stages already of the disease.

For me when all the testing was going on with my Mom, I thought I would have a bit of relief that just knowing what was going on with my Mom. There was even a part of me that felt like if this came back to really truly be depression and not Alzheimer's a part of me was kind of upset with my Mom, because I just wanted to shake her by the arms and be like "snap out of it". And then I thought if it isn't depression and it is Alzheimer's then we can put her on the medicine and that will slow things down and it might even help a little. I also thought if it was Alzheimer's then I also wouldn't be upset at my Mom because it isn't something she can just snap out of. The not knowing for 5 months was a really hard time to deal with. So many conflicting emotions to say the least. No one ever wants to hear their loved ones has a disease that does not yet have a cure. And one that you are powerless to really even stop. You are at the mercy of the medical world to find a medicine that can hopefully slow down the disease and hopefully one day find a cure for this disease as well. When my Mom was diagnosed I find myself really struggling to make sense of all this. And even now I still am not able to make sense of this disease and why it had to happen to my Mom. I struggle all the time knowing that my Mom is not able to really enjoy the life she has and she is no longer the Mom I grew up knowing.

Since my Mom's diagnosis, she has been on Aricept, Namenda, and the Exlon Patch. She is currently on the highest dosage possible for the Exlon patch and is also taking Namenda as well. My Mom's pharmacy actually had to special order the Exlon Patch dosage that my Mom needs because they never had to fill a prescription with a dose that high for someone before. Even with the dosages being increased like they have for my Mom, these medicines have yet to slow down this disease. My Mom has deteriorated mentally with this disease pretty quickly. Right now she is still in the phase of the disease where she is aware sometimes that she has forgotten or that she is not able to follow through with even the simplest of instructions or things that came second nature to her. This disease has left my Mom a shell of the person she used to be. She was the person who never knew a stranger, who everyone loved to be around, and she had the ability to make friends easily and she had many friends. She loved to have her family around her and had many holiday parties and cookouts at her house. She was always loving, kind, and encouraging. Now it is rare that we get to see the person we've always known. She was an incredible Mom and so I find I struggle greatly with all that I've lost in having my Mom like she was before this disease. My Mom does not deal very well with having Alzheimer's. Instead of trying to live life and take it all in and be as much a part of it as possible, she hides herself away. She rarely goes out of the house and often times sleeps the days away. There are days she will not even get out of bed because she doesn't want to deal with yet another day. She no longer goes to most family events because she is so paranoid that people are talking about her...and really no one is talking at all, they just want her to be there. But because of her own insecurities she rarely goes to anything. This disease not only robs a person of their memories, it can even alter the persons personality in ways you cannot begin to even understand. This disease does not fight fair. It is an incredibly ugly under-handed disease. It takes the things that mean so much to a person. My Mom is now only 53 years old and at the age where she should be enjoying the middle part of her life with her husband now that her children are all grown and out of the house. She should be able to enjoy her grandchildren and being the Grandma she was able to be the first 5 years of her eldest Grandson's life. She should be able to enjoy the fruits of her labor into raising her children to become the adults we have become. But instead she is now battling Alzheimer's at the age when she should really be enjoying the life she had built and worked so hard for.

I am sharing this because I want people to know Alzheimer's can happen at an earlier age. Alzheimer's does not discriminate against age, race, gender, sexual orientation, or religious beliefs. There may not yet be a cure for this disease, but if we work together by bringing more awareness to this disease, we may just be able to find a cure before it is too late for my generation and I can only pray if not a cure for my generation, then a cure before it is to late for my daughter's generation. We owe it to our children to find a cure, so they no longer have to worry if Alzheimer's disease will affect them. We can no longer sit by and believe that this is a disease that only effects the elderly. Please help in joining the fight to find a cure for Alzheimer's.

Fields of Grace

I love this time of year when the trees are regrowing their leaves and no matter where you go you are bound to find a field of flowers! Something magical happens every spring. And having a toddler taking it all in around her renews my spirit as well. Watching Ava pick a fistful of flowers to add to her growing collection, as she was quick to tell me this afternoon, makes spring even more amazing in my eyes. This afternoon was gorgeous and we spent it outside until it was just about dark. We ended up finding an amazing field of yellow flowers that was sheer delight for Ava. She got out and picked flowers until her little heart was content.

Her showing off the fruits (or should I say "flowers") of her labor. A fistful of yellow flowers. I have no idea what kind they are but I can assure you they will soon be adding more color to my kitchen.

After we left this field of flowers, we decided to continue our journey through the countryside and eventually made our way to Wolf Creek, where Ava picked even more flowers. This time adding some white and yellow flowers to her collection in the car from our first stop.

Before leaving Wolf Creek I was able to get Ava to let me take a few pictures of her. We were literally just steps away from the lake and this very weathered log was just begging to be my prop in taking some photos of her. Of course, here she is still hanging onto her flowers. She was not going to let these beauties out of her sight or out of her grip! Surprisingly she is very choosy about the flowers she decides to pick for her collection. :) Okay so this was a very unplanned photo op for Ava since when we left the house her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and by this point the ponytail was no longer! But I still like how some of the photos I took of her turned out.

I am actually very surprised she actually let me pose her in any of these photos. But she did. I love this one below of her. She just looks so innocent and peaceful.

This one is just simply a black and white version of the one above. I love it in black & white as well as in color.

This one is just slightly different than the one above. Her eyes are a little more open in this one and she is looking right at me. Again I love the peaceful expression on her face. The lake was right behind me, so maybe that helped in giving her such a calm expression.

After taking these photos we made our way over to Eagle Creek so she could play on the playground until it was time to head for home. She was definitely one worn out little girl when it was time for bed tonight!

Not A Care In The World...

Yesterday it was kind of a dreary day outside, so Ava spent some time totally engrossed in watching some of her Barbie movies! We actually do not watch a lot of TV around here overall but on days like today it was just one of those movie marathon kind of days. So while she totally ignored me, I decided to take the opportunity and snap some photos of her just off in her own little world.

I love this photo below of her just chilling on the arm of the sofa and then of course how she has her foot kicked up. She was laying like this for quite some time. :)

In this photo I love how she has her lips. She was so unaware of me taking any pictures of her.

There is just something about this photo that I love. She just looks so content. And like the title of this blog she doesn't have a care in the world right now.

She is holding one of her baby dolls she has had since she was a newborn. And again here she look very content as well.

Am I Ready For This?!?!

I went and registered Ava for Pre-School. She had the pre-screening for Pre-K in February and I got the call in mid/late March from her soon to be teacher, that she was accepted into the Pre-K program and that registration was on April 20th at 9 a.m. As much as I thought I was ready for Ava to go off to pre-school for a couple of hours a day, I know emotionally I am not ready to let go of her just yet. Just thinking of her growing up so quickly, makes me want to hold on just a little longer. Parts of me want to home school her just to keep her close. I know she is excited to go, and it is only for a few hours a day come this fall, but she still just seems so little to be taking on such a big responsibility in her life. I did go on Monday and register her for Pre-K, and though the very end of August seems quite a bit away, I know it will pass by more quickly than I want it too and the day she goes off to school will be here before I know it. I sit here and really wonder where all the time has gone and how is it possible that it passes by so quickly. If I am this sad to see her go off for just a few hours a day, I am going to be a wreck when she goes to Kindergarten all day next year!

Two of my favorite girls...

and two of my most favorite football teams! :) I am definitely ready for football season to start again! Ava was wearing her Chicago Bears cheerleading outfit and so we got out Ava's Illinois Fighting Illini Cheerleading outfit for Alyssa to wear. Then I put both girls hair up in pigtails and tied it with some navy blue ribbon. Such adorable little cheerleaders!

Ava & Alyssa were all smiles for me. I love when they let me take their photos will little begging on my part! :)

Alyssa smiling for me. I love how she has her hands on her hips in this one! :) Now here is to hoping the Bears and Illinois have a much better season this year than they did last year! :)

My Little Princess...

Ava can be such a girly girl at times and then other times she is a complete tomboy. That is just one of the many things that I love about her personality. And sometimes she can be wearing a dress and totally want to dig in the mud and play with rocks or climb a fence. She just wants to have fun and enjoy life no matter what she is wearing. Yesterday, I put on her Easter dress to get some photos of her. It was gorgeous outside and what a way to capitalize on this great weather we are having. I spent a lot of time in stores and even looking online for an Easter dress for her. I couldn't find one that I even wanted her to wear even looking online at many of the Children's stores. Then when I found this one, I just fell in love and I found it at TJ Maxx for like $25. What a bargain. I knew as soon as I saw this dress, this one was the one! :)

Ava was actually quite preoccupied here with playing in the rocks, but I was able to get her attention for just a split second and was fortunate enough to get this photo of her just as she turned towards me.

It seems like in order to get some cute photos of Ava, I have to bribe her and let her know if she will smile for me in some pictures, she can then make some funny faces and I will take pictures of her doing that too. So this is her making one of her funny faces.

I love her expression in this photo below. It is one of my new favorite "Ava" photos. And I even love it being in color more than I do in black & white. So odd since my favorite photos almost always tend to be black & white ones, but the colors in this photo add to the mood of this photo.

The wind picked up just a bit when I took this photo, but I love how the little wisps of her hair are blowing in this photo.

The next few photos are just detailed shots of her dress and shoes. Often times we forget the little details and I just want to have photos to remember those little details. I love the photo below of the bottom of her dress and her sandals.

Another favorite of the details of her dress, but Ava without her sandals. I love the barefoot shot I was able to get. And I like how you can see a bit of detail from the dress in her shadow.

And this just shows the back of her dress with the bow. I like how I was able to capture this image through the slats of the stairs. It just gives it a framed sort of look. :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day...

Wishing you a very Happy St. Patrick's Day...even if you aren't Irish. We hope you wore some green and didn't get too many pinches if you didn't! :)

Letters...

I have been working with Ava on writing her letters. She knows how to write her first name already, but considering her first name is actually only 2 letters out of the entire alphabet, I have my work cut out teaching her the other 24 letters in the alphabet. Today we did practice on the letter A and I also introduced the letter B and C to her as well. Below are a couple photos of her practicing her letter "B".

Right now I am just working on lower case letters with her. I probably need to make some flash cards with my Cricut sometime soon. Hmmmmm. :)