Ava Elliot

Our year in photos. 2009.

2010-01-16T00:12:00.001-06:00

The curse of being the third child.

2010-01-15T21:09:00.001-06:00

These are almost a month old. Bad Momma! She took a few toddling steps and then I thought it would be awhile for full walking. She would fall, get right back up, fall, get right back up. Over and over. Persistance is good... I think she's gonna do alright in the world.

Since these were taken, she has taken off. Literally. When you turn around for a second, she is on the other end of the house. She doesn't even like to ride in the stroller anymore. She wants to walk. Period.

365- The first two weeks

2010-01-15T20:32:00.001-06:00

4/365. Bath time is crazy time at our house. 3 wound up kids to get clean, 2 tired parents to maintain calm... you can guess who wins sometimes.

5/365. Fresh flowers always make me happy. Love them in the kitchen where we spend the largest amount of time. Ava and Olivia picked these out. "Mom, these are the MOST BEAUTIFUL..."

6/365. OK, I cheated. This is technically the same day as 5. But, I don't care. I'm gonna miss some, and the point is really to try and capture as much of our lives over the year as possible. And to that end, don't expect greatness in these photos either. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all the cool photoshops edits that people do with their photos and there is some really amazing stuff out there (I can lose entire hours looking at other people's amazing photos). But, you won't find that on here. My whole goal is just to capture the little moments that make up our year as time goes zooming by. And, to keep up with it and get them posted somewhere, I just won't do much editing. So, if I miss a day or two or end up with a crappy shot with bad exposure, I'm not going to beat myself up. And you could try, but I don't think that you could either (beat me up). Unless you are my Dad... he can still kick my butt (we'll let him think that since he is OLD, anything else would be mean).

7/365. Choo-choo train in the kitchen. The engines are in the back of this train... bet you can't spot them.

8/365. Outside in a brief respite from the cold snap that attacked Texas.

9/365. Ava diligently "trimming" all the dead plants away. The cold snap that settled in for a few days killed a lot of our tropical plants (like this ginger). We'll hope that it comes back in the spring.

10/365. Homemade soup AND bread... comfort food on a COLD, COLD day (30s are incapacitating in the south, ya'll)...

11/365. The only time you will see this baby girl quiet is at night when she's asleep, or when she is up to mischief like yesterday when she poured a giant sized (from Costco) Softsoap bottle all over the carpet. Yeah, any tips for getting liquid handsoap out of carpet? She has only two speeds... full throttle or park. This is park. Love it...

12/365. What's your name?... "Oh-wi-bee-uh"...

13/365. M is walking AND talking these days. Attitude is not far behind, I see it brewing. She does NOT like to be dressed, or changed, or carried when she could cruise on her own. The climbing has already started....Geez, I'm glad that girls are sooooo much easier than boys. I'm pretty sure if we had any boys they would be in jail at the age of 4.

14/365. I almost forgot to take a photo yesterday. But, then I got Dave. You can tell he was in a great mood. He was angry at Oliver because all the little kitty wants is some loving at night. He purrrrrs and rubs on Dave constantly. And Dave refuses to pet him. He think cats should be tough and lion like. He doesn't like pussy cats. Seriously. This is a rare cuddle that Oliver got on the way out the door.

15/365. I know where she gets its from. I love my food too. If I could get away with it, I'd probably smear it all over me too.

So there you have it. Caught up! I bought an awesome album to record the year and capture all the photos. So far, I am caught up. (that little knock-knock is me knocking on wood). I'm going to stick to it and I'll do better about posting here. I thought I could get them all into some sort of collage, but after a couple hours I gave up. Single file is better than nothing.

Happy New Year- Project 365...

2010-01-02T22:15:00.003-06:00

OK, first and foremost... Happy New Year! If you know me, and you probably do if you are reading this, you know that I love the new year!!! I won't even bother to go through all the reasons that I do. You can read my post on it from last year, or the year before since they all say the same thing. I will be choosing another word this year, like the last three years. But, I'm going to save that for another post.

This year, I've decided to take on a new project that I have followed other people doing for several years. I have been wanting to do a Project 365 of my own for a few years, but just couldn't commit since I have been either pregnant, nursing, or getting ready to give birth to children for pretty much the last three years (seriously, as I am typing that I had to double-check... but that is the truth folks). So, I just watched from the side-lines as people talked about their cool little Project 365s. But this year I am jumping in the ring. I'm ready. I'm committed.

So, what's a Project 365? Well, it could be a lot of things. In this case, I'm going to take one photo every single day of the year. Yep, 365 photos that will document the year 2010 for our family. I'm sure my cute little sprouts will dominate the photos, but I'm going to try and include some fun ones of our everyday lives along the way. The goal is to look at my everyday life in a new way and document the year as it unfolds. I've decided to use this album since it looks pretty easy and streamlined and has taken any guess work out of it for me. Let's face it, anything that will simplify this process will increase my chances of success. I've also started a group at Flickr where we will be posting our pictures and also doing some challenges each month to keep things moving along as the year continue. So, if you think this sounds fun and you want to join our little group, drop me a line or leave a comment and I will add you to our group. If not, just check back here weekly for the roundup that week. I'm still figuring out how to pull all the photos together in a collage type post, but I'll get Dave's help to pull it together by next week.

And, to start things off... Here is my first two 365 photos. Partying at the farm. Mud baths and boat rides included.

No white Christmas here, but still merry!

2010-01-02T22:01:00.002-06:00

It was predicted that we might get snow on Christmas Day. As the day got closer, the prediction turned to rain. We didn't care, it was a wonderful holiday anyways. We had a great time, just enjoying the family and hanging out in our PJs. We ate WAY too much yummy food, slept in, watched too many movies, and just enjoyed life... hope you did the same.

From our house to yours...Merry Christmas.

2009-12-24T14:39:00.002-06:00

Yes, this means that we did not get Christmas cards out this year. I love receiving them from so many of you. They are plastered on our refrigerator and the kids love to point out all the people they know and we share stories of our friends and loved ones. And, I wish that our lovely card was decorating YOUR refrigerator this year. But, I just couldn't get it done. So, this will have to do. Print it out and stick it up. And know that we love you!!! We wish you many happy, joyous memories this holiday season! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Decorating the tree.

2009-12-24T14:27:00.002-06:00

We got a fresh tree this year. We bought it during Thanksgiving weekend so Grandma and Grandpa Sasser could help us decorate. It smelled so delicious and fresh! Of course, a month later it is in need of a Christmas miracle. We got the tree place to add a water pan to the bottom, but they nailed in down so tightly that the tree can barely soak up any water. Poor thing... Come on tree, just one more night. You can do it. Hang in there.

Getting ready..

2009-12-24T14:22:00.001-06:00

Santa needs some cookies, right?

Grandma and Grandpa Sasser visit Texas!

2009-12-24T14:14:00.004-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa Sasser. The kids had a blast playing and soaking up some time with them. They even babysat while I ventured to Belgium for a couple days (work, all work people)... :-)

Fall days.

2009-12-24T14:06:00.004-06:00

The end of the year is creeping up on us. Well, really it's more like a cheetah chasing us down on the hunt, with us being the innocent gazelles totally unprepared while chewing our savannah grass. But, I digress. Christmas Eve is here and that means time to catch our breath and savor the last few days of 2009. I won't launch into all the wonderful things that 2009 has brought us (a new baby and a new job), rather I'll just post a few pictures of a recent fall day where we went on one of our regular walks to feed the ducks and played at the park. Luckily, I happened to have my camera (that doesn't always happen these days with three little ones running around).

Happy Halloween (hey, at least I'm getting this post up before the next holiday)

2009-11-06T23:02:00.003-06:00

At this rate, it's a good thing I am posting these before Christmas. Good Lord, where has the time gone. The days fly by so fast I just can't keep up. I actually asked Dave last night, "Is there a software program that can coordinate all your calendars? You know, like your Outlook calendar and your other work calendar and then your personal iphone/gmail calendar?" He just looked at me like I had live snakes for hair... but seriously folks, anyone know of such a thing... because at this point, I'll take any advantage I can get on this time thing.

Halloween was a blast. We went to the Zoo Boo very early and then had a little shindig with our friends, who also have all girls. Girls, girls, girls... we were a fleet of estrogen parading through the neighborhood demanding chocolate and candy! The Dads tagged along taking pictures and everyone was happy. It doesn't get much better than that.

Oh so thankful, and oh so sad.

2009-11-06T22:45:00.003-06:00

I was in the airport when someone said "That's just crazy about those mass shootings at Fort Hood..." And like any news story of the troops, particularly ones where I know my sister or brother-in-law could be involved, my skin got goosebumps. I found the first TV I could in the airport and caught the blaring headlines. Sara and Jeff have been at Fort Hood for awhile and I knew they were both busy working that day. I immediately called my sister's cell phone... she has one of those crazy numbers that plays music while the phone magically "finds my party..." and in those moments I was just sort of holding my breath and floating. When the phone clicked, the first thing she said was, "I'm OK. Jeff's OK." And then, I was OK too.

I have no words really. Only sadness for the many, many people who have been touched by this horrible senseless act. And such utter gratitude that Sara picked up the phone when I dialed. It breaks my heart to think of the 13 families who didn't get an answer when they dialed...

Feeeeeeeeeeed me.

2009-10-17T22:07:00.002-05:00

Beautiful day and beautiful weather.

2009-10-17T21:55:00.002-05:00

Finally, the weather has cooled off a little... we were so excited to have weather that wasn't in the 90s!

School pumpkin patch trip.

2009-10-17T21:48:00.002-05:00

Look who's two...

2009-10-05T00:27:00.003-05:00

Well, its been a busy month, to say the least. Since I started a new job two and half weeks ago, I've had trips to both Belgium and Seattle. Belgium was amazing and I had a great time learning about my new projects, seeing old friends, and seeing Antwerp on the day that I wasn't working (thanks Amy for showing me around). Seattle was also beautiful, even though I didn't get much free time to see the city. It made me miss the Northwest though; fresh air, trees, hills, houses that don't all look the exact same, good microbrews...

This weekend we celebrated Miss Livi turning two! Can you believe it, because I seriously can't. When we asked her what kind of cake she wanted, she kept alternating between "Nemo" and "Dora", so we went with Dora. Thanks Mom for another great cake! We spent the afternoon moving Olivia's crib out of her room and replacing it with a "big girl bed" (more pictures later). She was super excited about this, even though it crimped her bedtime style. She was up and down for a long time and appeared for the final time at about 9:30 pm tonight before finally settling in and falling asleep. I'm hoping that will only last a day or two until the newness wears off.

We tried to get a family picture, but that is tough to come by these days. The one on the bottom of the post was as good as we could get. :-)

Have a great week! Happy Birthday to our little spit-fire...

Olivia = iPhone Gamer.

2009-09-28T01:23:00.002-05:00

Chef Olivia test her recipe.

2009-08-31T22:41:00.002-05:00

Ha ha thought I'd post some funny videos of Olivia that we captured over the last couple days.

Olivia has more energy than you.

2009-08-31T22:39:00.001-05:00

Happy half year birthday!

2009-08-26T14:11:00.002-05:00

6 months old already. It is hard to believe!!! Someone must have told her this news though, because just in the last week she has started sitting up and also pulling her knees under her to crawl. She does a funny yoga plank position, and then knees up. She will be crawling in a few weeks! I cannot believe it. My tiny little early baby has turned into a regular butterball ready for action. So cute, I just love on her all the time. So do her sisters. Ava loves to make her laugh. And Olivia loves to give her toys or shove her binkie back into her mouth, the concept of gentle is not clear with her but its all love really.

We are busy, busy around here with lots of new developments. Ava is headed back to school next week! She and I are both excited for this. And, I am going back to work full-time in a couple of weeks. I had an amazing job opportunity that was too good to pass up. I am still going to be working at home, just more hours and more responsibilities. I am very excited about the job though and I am also excited that we have found a wonderful babysitter/nanny who will be at home with me during the days to take care of Mia and Olivia. This way, I won't have to worry about running three kids back and forth to daycare and schools. And, when kids are sick or the school closes due to swine flu (they are already talking about that here) then we will be covered. Plus, I love having them at home where they feel most comfortable and I can sometimes eat lunch with them or check in on them. I spent the past few weeks converting our guest bedroom into a full office with a pull-out couch (so our guest still have a place to stay) and I have been working there a couple days a week for my current job. It is great and I LOVE having a designated quiet space to escape to. We are finishing hanging up pictures this weekend and it should be DONE. I will post a picture when we get all finished. I think it turned out great.

I just feel so fortunate! Lucky to have such a great opportunity after stepping off the track for a little while, lucky to have a supportive boss who is flexible and didn't hesitate for a second over the fact that I hadn't been in the lab for a couple years, lucky to have found such a great nanny who my kids ADORED the minute she walked through our door, and lucky to have such a supportive husband and family that totally had my back and convinced me I really can swing all this. Lucky, lucky, lucky. Should I say it again?

Three amigos.

2009-07-29T23:43:00.004-05:00

Lil'M.

2009-07-29T23:30:00.005-05:00

Lil' M has grown so much these past few weeks. Seems like milestone city around here. She started eating solid food. Her first meal was mushy avocados, which her sisters helped stuff down her. And, she started really rolling over. We got a few rolls here and there for a couple weeks, but now the instant you lay her down she pops over. This is problem at night, because once she rolls over she can't get back onto her back. Poor babe.

Yummy! Welcome to the world of food glorious food.

Playing with sister.

Donald Trump called... he wants his comb over back.

Roll, baby, roll.

Here's what we've been up to. Part two.

2009-07-29T23:17:00.011-05:00

Ava had her first friends-invited birthday party this year (yes, I am posting this almost a month after her party). Several of her preschool friends had their parties at one of those bouncing places, so of course she wanted to have her party there. We threw out some other suggestions, but bouncer place won out. Her cake was made by Grandma again this year (four for four so far). And given that it was the middle of summer, most of her little friends were there. It was tons of fun, totally made her year... as evidenced by the final picture of our ride home.

Here's what we've been up to. Part one.

2009-07-29T23:00:00.007-05:00

We did swimming lessons this year. We went for the shotgun approach. One week, straight into the pool, first day "swim-to-me", and it worked great. Ava really wanted to learn to swim, which was the main reason we did it. That, and my never ending fear of my children falling into a body water (including our bathtub) and NOT-KNOWING-HOW-TO-SWIM. So, really our goals were for her to enjoy her first experience in the water and for her to be able to rescue herself from the water should she need to. Goal accomplished (video to come soon).

guess who is FOUR YEARS old?

2009-07-07T21:31:00.005-05:00

Four years ago we started this little blog so that family and friends who lived far away could see pictures and hear tidbits about our latest project, baby Ava Elliot. I can't believe that four years have zoomed by, or that this little girl blowing out the candles on her My Little Pony cupcakes is the same baby they handed me in that Ohio hospital who changed my life forever. Since then, our family has grown (and grown). We have moved twice and both changed jobs. Our lives are in full swing, and this birthday thing is another reminder of how fast she is growing up. Someday she will look back on the little blog and be able to read the story of her life from our point of view. This year:

She is still a little old soul. Intense and fully absorbed in whatever she is into. This year we have added some silliness to the intensity. Knock-knock jokes are a regular.
She still loves bugs and knows the names of more than I do.
She loves anything animal and her favorite game to play is some kind of pretend animal story which is usually very detailed and must be followed exactly as outlined.... "You be the Mama polar bear and I'm the baby polar bear and Olivia is the cub. This crawl space under my bed is our ice cave and you need to climb under here to protect your cubs. Here, this stuffed animal is a fish. Now, rip the head off the fish and eat it, and then feed the pieces to your baby bear cubs. Now, paw at the sea lion that is climbing into our ice cave. Oh no, your polar bear cub is escaping, better catch her."
Her favorite show is Word Girl, and this includes listening to the CD in the car OVER and OVER and OVER while she tries to memorize the theme song (which is incredibly fast and difficult).
She loves most vegetables, including salads and will ask for them regularly.
She is a great big sister (most of the time) and I love to watch her try to teach Olivia how to say a certain word or how to play a game with her. She is also smart about this, and uses it to her advantage to get what she wants at times.
She is a good mix of confidence and reservation in public. We used to worry about the reservation, only because we wanted her to feel confident enough to stick up for herself and be able to have a conversation with people without being so painfully shy. Those days are over. Whether it is just getting older, or going to school, or having younger sisters to compete with... she has emerged from her shell. I love to see her feel comfortable talking with people without looking down at the ground and then clinging to me waiting for me to answer for her.
In our household she is BOSSY, in a very matter-of-fact-I'm-four-and-I-know-what-I'm-talking-about-so-you-should-listen-way! We are working on balancing this out... not easy since she comes by it naturally I'm told. :-)
She loves being outside.
She loves her cat Oliver.
She has an incredibly high pain tolerance and never cries when hurt.
She HATES having her hair washed or brushed.
She is really a very sweet, sensitive, and intuitive little creature, although I don't think you get this from her until you are in her inner circle.
She is not a hugger, or a lovey-dovey-er. She doesn't really like fawning and doesn't always answer when you say "I love you". But, when she does... you know she means it. One of my favorite times of day is the early morning when she crawls into bed with us and says, "Mama, I need to snuggle." I always just wrap my arms around her and breath her in. Happy Birthday little lady. We love you!