another week...

hi babe=)

nothing too exciting from this week. you aren't doing quite as well at the feeding clinic as you were at first, but we can't complain too much. you're a funny little girl, aren't you? sometimes you swallow your food so fast, and sometimes you just hold it in your mouth like you couldn't care less. daddy did a lot of the feeding this weekend and he seems to be some sort of a baby food whisperer. we're not exactly sure why, but you're definitely eating a lot more when it comes from him!! coincidence? probably not. he's good at stuff. i can't lie.

mommy and auntie robyn get to go see auntie shelly this week in chicago. i cannot begin to find words to describe how excited i am!!! it will be days and nights full of laughing and SLEEPING and ice cream and diet coke and pixar movies and running along lake michigan. and perhaps, if i get my wish, we'll eat some giordano's pizza. these things, with these two women, always heal my little spirit and soul. they are the best. can't wait to tell you stories. but i'm gonna miss you sweet boogar! (sweet boogar? yes. i have turned into one of those mama's who call their babies things like "sweet boogar". i didn't say i was proud.) daddy will be away at a conference so gigi's coming to hang out with you. what fun you two will have=)

since the weather has been warmer, you and i have been going for lots of runs. you are the cutest little thing in your stroller. we'll start off walking and then once we get to monument avenue i ask if you want mama to run. you usually start laughing and lift your arms up to feel the wind blowing against your hands. =) i fill your cup holder up with goldfish and you sit there strapped in and relaxed, playing with the buckle, every now and then sitting up and grabbing some goldfish, or you'll turn around to ask me for some water or look for your shadow. we have lots of fun on our runs=)

josh came to visit this weekend! we miss him, don't we? several months ago when you weren't talking much we would teach you some real sign language and then we'd make up some of our own signs for certain words. very appropriately, we decided the sign for "josh" would be the guessture you make when you "raise the roof". you caught on pretty quickly. after josh left today you and i went for a run and we had lots of fun raising the roof as we'd talk about how happy we were that we got to see josh. once again, i failed with the camera and didn't get any pictures of you two together, but here are some other photos from the past week!!

i wanted to go to the easter parade on monument avenue before we moved away from richmond. this was the year. here you are with your slice of bread, checking it all out. i was expecting an actual parade of people dressed up like bunnies or something, but basically everyone just walks around looking at the dogs and watching people dance or juggle or something, and there were lots of different vendors and food and bands playing on the sidewalk or front porches. you were very sleepy and didn't give us many smiles at the parade, but finally you fell asleep in your stroller and later woke up a happy and chipper little girl.

it was a fun surprise to see harry (our church's worship leader) singing on the sidewalk!

LOTS and lots of people walking up and down monument avenue


uh. what?



yep. daddy thought you might have fun cutting the grass with him. although y'all look RIDICULOUS, i actually think he was right. you kept looking up at me, calling "ma!", waving and laughing, making sure i was seeing how much fun y'all were having!


he's having way too much fun.


i thought it was worth posting what our "grass" looked like before y'all cut it. i'm pretty sure our neighbors hate us. or maybe they can wrap their minds around the fact that we rent, and therefore there's absolutely no way we're paying the true green guy to fix this "garden" of ours.

sweet ava kate snuggled up with sara

proud papa with his girl!

daddy thought he'd put up his tent in our living room for you two to play. despite the look on your face in this picture, you love it. dakota, on the other hand, is frantically scraping at the zipper to get out. we think she's scared of you.

you think little ava is just the greatest thing=) and i think it's great that she can wear your old clothes;)

you're wearing daddy's hat backwards. i still don't know if he did that or if you figured it out by yourself.

oh man. look at my little cutie pie.