Hoops And Yoyo

Here's a picture Ava wanted to take to submit to the Hallmark Hoops and Yoyo site. People apparently take pictures of them in all kinds of places and then post them. This is from today at the chinese restaurant's little fish fountain thing (with Piddles too).

VBS '09

Last week Ava went to a friend's church for vbs since we missed ours this year. Their theme was crocodile dock. She loved it. Kevin and I enjoyed the time together, going somewhere most nights (it was an evening vbs).
Here's a few photos.

Ava reluctantly with the turtle she made.

Picking rocks out of the parking lot on the way out.

Ava and a new friend (that she came home talking about every day).

Give Your Kid A JumpStart!

My friend Krystyn over at her blog "Really, Are You Serious?" is hosting a giveaway of a 3-month subscription to a great educational website called JumpStart. It is for kids 3-10, and is a great way to learn and play at the same time. You get to pick your own "Jumpeez"character or make your own to go exploring different lands that teach math, reading, and more.
Ava and daddy tested it today (for over an hour) on the non-member trial version, and both loved it! Ava loves educational computer games, and this is another great option for her.

So, to win the subscription, just pop over to JumpStart and pick a favorite Jumpeez character. Then, head over to "Really, Are You Serious?" and leave a comment telling Krystyn your favorite. There are also some other ways to get additional entries (one is posting about the giveaway on your blog and then leaving another comment that you did will get you 3 extra). The contest will end on July 22nd. Good luck (uhm, to me too)!

And So It Begins...

We were in the car last night and Ava was drawing on her magnadoodle. She was drawing one of her usuals, her in my belly. Ever since I showed her my ultrasound pictures of her (as above), she has been somewhat fascinated by them. But, last night her fascination hit a new peak.

Ava: Momma, did you swallow me, is that how I got in there?

Me: Uuhhhm, no, God put you in there to grow into a new human being.
Ava: But, why?
Me: Because He wanted to bless momma and daddy with a special gift to love and raise up to be another of His children in the world.
Ava: Why does he need more children?
Me: That's how the world gets people in it. Aaaallll the people you see everywhere.

She just went on to something else after that. They say every generation is more advanced than the previous. I think that's a scary prospect now. I know our turning off the cable may not be enough soon.

New Veggie Disguise Attempt: Failed

This would have been at least a semi-wordless Wednesday post, but Ava wouldn't let me take her picture.
A picture of her trying veggie sausage. Yes, today I tried replacing one of her most favorite meats (I have a very carnivorous daughter, hence the need to sneak vegetables) with a veggie version. Well, it worked for a few bites, then she declared she "didn't want sausage, any sausage". Of course, I did not tell her it was veggie. I think part of the problem was the strange texture. I took a small bite and it was a little mushy. A little over-done on the spices, but not too bad to me. Next I think we'll try another favorite, burgers. That should be a little more successful, hopefully.
Also, some time this week I'm going to make spinach balls again. I made them a long time ago, and they were really good. They're good dipped in marinara sauce, plus that's extra veggies.
If she won't eat a vegetable outright, I'll get 'em in somehow!

Spring Fever?

For some reason I've been antsy lately, wanting to do something new. I guess you could tell by my changing my blog background again (or I just really love color coordinating) . Maybe it's just what they call spring fever. Yesterday I was trying to pinpoint some activities. I know I've always wanted to learn to knit, so I may get a book and/or look for the class I thought I saw in the paper here a while back. I had started working on silhouette cutting a few months ago after seeing a post on a friend's blog where she tried it. I made a list of supplies I thought I'd need. That would be something easy to practice, mainly because it would take a lot of practice to get really good. I know it sounds weird, but I really appreciate it as an art. It's amazing what some silhouette artists can do. I really need to back to making my hair clippies. I just need to get some new ribbon.

But there's the thing, I think of too many things and give up on deciding on one. Or I don't end up seeing a project all the way through. Like the big scrap boxes and no (100%) completed scrap books I have. This really frustrates me...about me. So, I'm determined to change and teach Ava about it in the process. I don't want her to start doing the same.

Plus with the temperatures already in the mid 90's and the fact that I decided to cancel the cable recently, finding a new hobby is gonna be pretty critical. I decided a long time ago one of the "talents" God gave me was creativity. I just don't know why I can't be creative enough to figure out the best way to use it!

To be continued...hopefully....

Rain Rain Go Away!

You would think with all this raining it's been doing lately I'd be blogging more. I somehow just can't stay at the computer long enough. But really, I can't believe how much rain we've been getting. The river we live across from is waaaay up. I don't think there's any chance of flooding, but the little pump station has started going almost nonstop.

The rain is really not helping the little annual parking lot carnival that's back right now. Ava has been begging to go to it since they started setting up on Monday. She has a cold, again, so I'm gonna wait and see how she is this weekend. Hopefully it will stay sunny like it is for the second right now. For months after it was over last year she always wanted to drive by to see if it was back again yet.

Of course, it rained mother's day. Kevin has had a bit of bronchitis, so we didn't do much that day. We were supposed to go to his mother's. I guess we'll get over there when he's off next week. I had my mother's day on Friday before that. We went to Memphis and had some really good barbecue, and went to see Star Trek. I have never been into that series, but this new movie is really good. Kevin has always been a fan (really anything sci-fi), so he loved it. Like most other trekkies (or is it trekkers now?), he had a few complaints, but I didn't know the difference. We took Ava to Kid's Station during the movie. I think that's where she caught the new cold bug. She loves it there, though. It's like a drop-in daycare. They have a big indoor slide, tons of toys, and movies. It's also very secure. They have buzz you in the front door, and you have to have a password to check them in and out.

We're still working on our plan to get to St. Augustine. Poor Kevin is working hard at learning this new computer language stuff. He said it does look like the market is picking back up for the language he's always worked in, but the pay would be better with C# (sharp). We really need to do something soon. The only decent schools around here are the private ones, and are very expensive. Please pray for us that we make the right decisions, soon!