Each stage of Ava and G's relationship has been so different. She was such a protective big sister when he was a little newborn...always wanting to hold him, and help take care of him (except for the diapers - that was a NO GO from her before he was even born.) When he became a little more mobile, she played gently with him, and looked for age-appropriate ways to entertain him. And now that he's running, talking, counting, laughing at her jokes, poking at her, and basically being her little shadow, she's upped her game a bit. She loves to read to him, watch Mickey Mouse with him, and even introduced him to watching CookieSwirlC (don't ask) when she has control of the iPad.
In one word, she is amazing with her little brother. And she very rarely exhibits any jealousy, which I think is incredible. I'm really excited to see how their relationship grows and changes - I hope it remains strong.
If you're familiar with the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, you'll know who Tootles is (the thing on the right.) Mickey and Minnie are depicted, as well. I'm excited that Minnie got her ears pierced and is wearing some crazy dangle earrings. Ava took so much time drawing this for G, knowing how much he loves these guys!
On a non-kid related note, Scott and I had date night last night. Both kids were with Grandma Deb and Grandpa Whitey for the evening, while Scott and I had an adult-only dinner out. It was SO nice to be able to eat a warm meal with my husband, and have the time to focus on our conversation, without little hands and voices interrupting us.
Our big plan was to go to a movie after dinner, but when we showed up at the theater, it was absolute chaos. Like, insane. There were people everywhere, no orderly lines (a big blob of people instead), and shows were getting sold out, right and left. We bailed on that theater and decided to check out the one closer to home. It was NOT chaotic, and there were short lines, but the movie we wanted to see was sold out. Huh? It's been out for several weeks and there are other movies out that have been way more hyped up (um, Star Wars?!) So, we gave up on our sad movie dream, and then laughed bitterly at the DJ on the radio when he said, "It's a cold night, no one's out doing anything." Wrong, Mr. DJ.
I was pretty bummed about not getting to see a movie, and didn't really feel like sitting at a bar, so we went home and watched a movie on demand. And both of us stayed awake for the entire thing!! That is HUGE! It was a riveting movie, which made it easier not to fall asleep, but dang, I am so proud of us! In the end, date night was a success! We're also going to try to make a point of at least once a month, after the kids go to bed, playing a game, or work on a puzzle, or something, just so we don't sit down and always fall asleep watching TV.
I came home on Thursday night, and Scott was making a wonderful dinner, which included a modified Greek salad (my favorite.) And this lovely glass of red wine...you may notice it's right next to a bottle of red wine vinegar (for the salad), so I did question him on the contents of the glass...is it wine, or is it vinegar? All I got was a shrug and a smile.
Ava has a busy social calendar today...after I pick her up from one set of grandparents, she's going to have dinner with the other set. She's going to enjoy my family's traditional German butterball soup, and Grandma Karen made her promise not to sneak any back to me. Boooo! Ava made it clear she wasn't going to put any in her pocket. We'll see if I can bribe her to bring some back to me...
The company I work at has a focus on wellness (treadmill walking rooms, monthly incentives to go the gym, using FitBits, etc.) We are going to be starting a new challenge tomorrow regarding steps accrued over the next 12 weeks. I opted for the highest goal (1 million steps in 12 weeks) and also registered for a 7K in March. I'm excited to have a more healthy year...we're going to be eating better, getting more exercise, and drinking more water (which is the hardest thing for me to accomplish...water is so blah.) Our treadmill at home is getting lots of action lately...the house is quiet before the kids get up, so it's perfect time for me to log some steps. Once the weather gets warmer, I want to take advantage of all of the great trails around here, and even check out the clubhouse in our neighborhood - lots of equipment to use, and it's included in our monthly association fees, so why not? AND, I think we'll be focusing on bike riding this spring/summer as well. I can't wait!
The next few months at work are going to be tough, so it will be nice to have a positive goal to focus on during that time!
In one word, she is amazing with her little brother. And she very rarely exhibits any jealousy, which I think is incredible. I'm really excited to see how their relationship grows and changes - I hope it remains strong.
Watching TV together, while also playing with G's drumsticks
Tucked in the corner by our desk...and totally entranced with whatever is playing on the iPad!
Ava drew the cutest little card for G. Personally, I like that he's either cute and nice, or funny and fun - but not both!
If you're familiar with the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, you'll know who Tootles is (the thing on the right.) Mickey and Minnie are depicted, as well. I'm excited that Minnie got her ears pierced and is wearing some crazy dangle earrings. Ava took so much time drawing this for G, knowing how much he loves these guys!
On a non-kid related note, Scott and I had date night last night. Both kids were with Grandma Deb and Grandpa Whitey for the evening, while Scott and I had an adult-only dinner out. It was SO nice to be able to eat a warm meal with my husband, and have the time to focus on our conversation, without little hands and voices interrupting us.
Our big plan was to go to a movie after dinner, but when we showed up at the theater, it was absolute chaos. Like, insane. There were people everywhere, no orderly lines (a big blob of people instead), and shows were getting sold out, right and left. We bailed on that theater and decided to check out the one closer to home. It was NOT chaotic, and there were short lines, but the movie we wanted to see was sold out. Huh? It's been out for several weeks and there are other movies out that have been way more hyped up (um, Star Wars?!) So, we gave up on our sad movie dream, and then laughed bitterly at the DJ on the radio when he said, "It's a cold night, no one's out doing anything." Wrong, Mr. DJ.
I was pretty bummed about not getting to see a movie, and didn't really feel like sitting at a bar, so we went home and watched a movie on demand. And both of us stayed awake for the entire thing!! That is HUGE! It was a riveting movie, which made it easier not to fall asleep, but dang, I am so proud of us! In the end, date night was a success! We're also going to try to make a point of at least once a month, after the kids go to bed, playing a game, or work on a puzzle, or something, just so we don't sit down and always fall asleep watching TV.
I came home on Thursday night, and Scott was making a wonderful dinner, which included a modified Greek salad (my favorite.) And this lovely glass of red wine...you may notice it's right next to a bottle of red wine vinegar (for the salad), so I did question him on the contents of the glass...is it wine, or is it vinegar? All I got was a shrug and a smile.
Definitely red wine!
Ava has a busy social calendar today...after I pick her up from one set of grandparents, she's going to have dinner with the other set. She's going to enjoy my family's traditional German butterball soup, and Grandma Karen made her promise not to sneak any back to me. Boooo! Ava made it clear she wasn't going to put any in her pocket. We'll see if I can bribe her to bring some back to me...
The company I work at has a focus on wellness (treadmill walking rooms, monthly incentives to go the gym, using FitBits, etc.) We are going to be starting a new challenge tomorrow regarding steps accrued over the next 12 weeks. I opted for the highest goal (1 million steps in 12 weeks) and also registered for a 7K in March. I'm excited to have a more healthy year...we're going to be eating better, getting more exercise, and drinking more water (which is the hardest thing for me to accomplish...water is so blah.) Our treadmill at home is getting lots of action lately...the house is quiet before the kids get up, so it's perfect time for me to log some steps. Once the weather gets warmer, I want to take advantage of all of the great trails around here, and even check out the clubhouse in our neighborhood - lots of equipment to use, and it's included in our monthly association fees, so why not? AND, I think we'll be focusing on bike riding this spring/summer as well. I can't wait!
The next few months at work are going to be tough, so it will be nice to have a positive goal to focus on during that time!
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