Go, Go, Goers!

This little family flew out to Colorado to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with my parents...the weather was wonderful, the food was fantastic, and the time spent was filled with fun!  We did NOT partake in any Black Friday shopping, except for a random trip to Target on Friday afternoon.  It was oddly quiet at Target when we went, so we figured we must have come well after the rush.  Fine by us! We spent Wednesday at the Denver Zoo, Thursday doing thankful turkey stuff, and then Friday at the Denver Museum of Science & Nature.  And then we flew home on Saturday afternoon.  It was a quick trip, but we made some fun memories and Grandma Karen and Grandpa Doug got to be entertained by Ava, non-stop.  One of my favorite moments was when we were eating lunch before leaving for the airport...after 15 minutes of eating, she suddenly stopped chewing, and quietly asked, "Why is everyone staring at me?"  Because she was right - we were t...

November is a perfect month to take a good look at life and count our blessings.  For the last two Novembers, I've done a daily check of something I'm thankful for in my life.  Some days it's silly, some days it's serious, but every day, it's sincere.  I just read something a good friend posted on Facebook, and am inclined to agree: People feel 25% happier when keeping a gratitude journal. (source: Super Soul Sunday, 18 Nov 2012) By focusing on the positive, it leaves less room to focus on the negative points in life. And I think everyone can benefit from that choice. Here's what I've been blessed with the last eighteen days (starting with November 1): Day 1: Today, I'm thankful for people with a sense of humor. Unexpected laughter can make any situation bearable! Day 2: Today, I'm thankful for the energy of four year olds, cause I'm feeling old! Day 3: Today, I'm thankful for my circle of girlfriends. I am so blessed to hav...

Even though we don't live in a neighborhood with lots of kids (still hoping to change that in 2013), we're fortunate to have friends with kids right around Ava's age.  One of my closest friends, Angie, is dating a man who has a four-year old son, Brady.  We've had a few play dates, and they seem to really get along and play well together - even minus the common factors such as princess dress-up or Transformer toys.  This past play date, Ava was getting a little pouty near the end, and like a nice little boy, Brady was trying to cheer her up and make her laugh.  Since this isn't the first time it's happened between Ava and a little boy, it made me ponder (very briefly) how early the "traditional" gender roles manifest themselves with children.  All I can say, is that I think someone is going to have their hands full with our stubborn and sassy girl! :) Angie did a fantastic job of lining up activities for Ava and Brady to do at their last play date....

October has been a fun month, full of activities and adventures, spooky stories, and sweet treats.  Our fall bucket list "made" us get out there and do things we might not usually do, so I'm grateful that Ava's pre-school sent the list home with her, and encouraged us to do all of these fun things. This past Halloween week was especially busy, but there are certain things that HAVE to be done...like carving a pumpkin!  Last year, we carved 6 (I think), so this year, it was a blessing to realize we only had to carve one BIG pumpkin.  We did end up going the route of a fancy design, as opposed to a more simple face.  However, Scott and I took turns cutting out the detailed portions, so I didn't get utterly sick of carving like I did last year. Love the free laughter!     Princess Darla   Lucky's not quite so thrilled to be wearing a tiara   Scott was busy...he dug out a huge window well for our bedroom in the basement, so ...