Smiling Faces

Ellie is really getting into smiling an cooing so I thought I would try and capture some of this in a video. Ava thought I was just taking a picture and Sassy, as usual, just wanted attention. Take a look.

Jeremy was able to get some good shots of Ellie smiling. She is just too cute!

Singing in the Rain

For a while now Ava has been asking for an umbrella. I tried to get a kids umbrella at Wal-Mart and Meijer but had no luck finding one. Jeremy and I were cleaning out the garage last Saturday and found an extra umbrella that had never been opened. We both agreed that Ava should have this. On Sunday (Father's Day) it started to rain and our daughter was the only one outside enjoying it.

You Thought You Had it Bad

We are all suffering from the economy some how, but the Fisk's have all started chipping in.

Timely Quote of the Day

"I don't want Father's Day." -Ava

Step Aside Nancy Sinatra

Ava is the stereotypical girl in that she loves shoes, boots, sandals, etc. She wore her rainboots EVERY DAY for nearly a week after Doni bought them for her. These were sunny, blue sky days with no hint of rain. It didn't matter. She needed to wear her rainboots.

There is a character in Toy Story 2 called Jesse who is a cowgirl doll. Ava is a big fan. Woody is cool and Buzz Lightyear is flashy, but Jesse seems to be the main reason Ava likes to watch that movie.

Given her appreciation for all manners of foot coverings and that she would be the president of Jesse's fan club if there was such a thing, I thought that Ava would probably really like a pair of cowboy boots. I had a pair of black cowboy boots as a kid and I kept them long after they would no longer fit. In fact, they may still be in the closet of my old bedroom.

On a recent trip to Chicago we stopped at Tony's Saddle Shop in Valparaiso, IN to see about getting a pair. They have a wall of boots covered with so much leather and decorative stitching it would make Clint Eastwood shed a tear. We checked out our options for Ava. There were only two sets of boots in her size. The first were black and pretty standard, run-of-the-mill boots. The second option were a pair of bright pink, flashy, over-the-top boots that screamed girl power. If you looked long and hard, you could almost make Ava's name out in the stitching. These boots were made for her. On the other hand, they were also $20 more than the black pair. Knowing the answer, I asked her if she wanted the pink boots. She cocked her head to the side, looked at me out of the corner of her eyes, and said through a perfectly timed grin, "... Yeah". Shortly thereafter we were walking out of the store with her boot heels hitting loudly on the floor with each step and my wallet becoming a little lighter after another purchase for daddy's girl.

Great Grandmas

A couple weeks ago we were able to spend Saturday in Michigan visiting the great grandmas. Here are pictures of Ellie with Grandma-ma and Grandma Alice.While we were visiting, Jeremy's cousin Dusty took Ava for a ride on their four-wheeler. She had fun until she realized mommy wasn't with her. It's kind of hard but try to notice Ava's new cowgirl boots. She wears them everywhere.

8 Weeks Old!

Yesterday Ellie had her 8 week checkup and first round of vaccinations. She weighs 10lbs and grew 1/2 an inch (22 1/2 inches now). I gave her some Tylenol before we left so she did pretty well with the shots. She cried until the band aids went on and if you remember that is what Ava does. The rest of the day she was sore but I kept up with the Tylenol and continued to move her around so her legs wouldn't get stiff. She slept a lot and we were afraid she wouldn't sleep last night but she did great.


Memory of an Elephant

At Ellie's 4 week check up the doctor gave Ava a princess sticker and in exchange Ava was suppose to use the potty (she never did). After this appointment I took Ava to the sitters for some play time and when I picked her up the sticker was gone and she would not stop talking about it. Four weeks later we are in the same doctor's office and Ava is telling the nurse about her missing princess sticker. She thought Ava was just asking for a sticker so I explained how she was referring to last time we were here. The nurse was so impressed that Ava remembered after 4 weeks that she found 4 different princess stickers and gave them to Ava. She was thrilled. She put one on each of us and her baby. This morning only Ava and the baby still have their stickers. I don't think these stickers are going anywhere.