Louiville Kentucky in August

Emma and Ava's matching jam jams and her new glow worm.
Lacey, me, and our kids. I'm only 4 weeks over due on getting my hair colored.........I should refrain from being in pictures when it is in this state. Yikes (photo courtesy of Lacey) Yummy ice cream cones. Ava has borrowed one of Emma's many princess dress ups. She didn't want to take off the dress and Lacey assured me that it would clean up like a charm, and it did!
A fun car at the bouncy house. They had straps to wear on your shoulders so you could pretend you were a car on a race track. I just missed her wearing the car and she refused to put it back on.
Here is Ava on the airplane going back home. I brought her carseat on board and traveling was like a dream. With out it she wants up and down and opens and closes her seat belt and basically can't sit still. In her seat she just knows she has to stay in it just like the car. Well worth schlepping it through the airport.

So we then drove from Cincinnati to Louisville to see my cousin Lacey and her adorable family. I hadn't seen her in almost 10 years. She is an avid blogger, so I felt like I already knew her kids. Anyone who has stayed at Lacey's will say it is like staying at a hotel........ummmm I have to say even better. She had a gift basket for Ava and one for me too. WOW. Ava's included a cute glow worm, princess jammies, a princess sippy, lots of treats, and a cute purse. I don't even think I got this nice of a basket when I was in the buying world being wined and dined. Mine had some amazing chocolate treats and tantalizing lotions and some other stuff I can't think of at the moment. We of course stayed up way to late every night and did a lot of fun stuff. The best is when I lost my keys and I almost parked Lacey in. The neighbor guy was laughing watching us trying to get Lacey's van around my rental car. He lent us a hand and got us out of our predicament. WHEW. Where were the keys you ask........under the bed. Apparently Ava was playing them the night before and even set off the alarm. She did this when she was supposed to be sleeping. I really wished that Lacey was my neighbor or just lived in the same town. I would want to hang out with her and her kids everyday. So maybe next time we won't wait 10 years until we see each other. Oh yeah and she has a really cute new baby too. Only 9 weeks old. It really got me excited for my new one in December.

Cincinnati Ohio in August

Ava and Baby Johnathan at the pool. It was hot that day.

We went for ice cream at "The Cone". A famous place for ice cream.
Ava enjoying sitting next to baby Johnathan. Ava riding on a stuffed animal dog who looks just like one of their real dogs.

Ava in one of the dogs kennels. She had so much fun playing in there and shutting the door herself. She put some books and her blanket in there and then yelled "Good Night"

Ava and baby Johnathan look out the window.

They are both sucking there finger/thumb.....so cute!

From Columbus we drove to Cincinnati to visit some other friends. They have a baby who is 4 months old that Ava just adored, and two dogs she couldn't get enough of. She has named all of her babies "Baby John" (his real name Johnathan, but she would just cut his name short) when we got home. We had a great time and hope to visit them again when they move to Charlotte NC or maybe a girls trip to Florida next month........

Colombus Ohio in August

Bo-Doodle the dog.
Making Cookies.
Blowing bubbles while the cookies cooked and cooled.
Eating the cookies they frosted after their baths.......umm we should have frosted and ate before the baths, they were sticky.We went for a walk and the girls all wanted their babies to go to. And yes all 3 rode in the sit and stand stroller.

Dance party in the girls room
On the Nice Neighbors swingset.

Ava and I were on the road a lot in August. I guess I am trying to squeeze as many trips in before number two arrives. It all started with some friends who needed some help while there teenage son, who got hit by a car, was in the hospital with a traumatic brain injury. Of course his mom was at the hospital with him and Dad went back to work after 3 weeks. I went to help watch the girls for a few days. Ava was in seventh heaven. Of course they had amazing toys because they are older than she is and she loved being one of the girls. Every morning she would wake up and the first thing out of her mouth was "Girls awake?" She did okay at sharing me for the four days we were there. Oh and she loved their 3 cats and their Dog Bo-Doodle, I on the other hand was allergic to one or all of them. It was great feeling to help a family in need and I hope I get to visit them under better circumstances next time.

Boise Family Reunion

My Grandma and her sister Gwen


4 generations of hands (My sister Jess took these-great idea!) My Grandma, my Mom, my hand and Ava's hand.
My sister Kate and her adorable little boy DallinAva found a pet rock that she almost dropped on her foot twice. I finally said he needs to take a nap. That was all we needed was a broken toe while we were camping.
My Mom at my Grandma's house pulling all of the kids in the Garden wagon.

My Second Cousin Missy's daughter and my Ava. These two would be pea's in a pod if they lived closer. They are both two and very tall for their age.

My Uncle Marvin and My sister Lori's Daughter Maya. Our daughters loved him and we joked that we wanted to hire him as the nanny because he was so helpful all the time.
My sister Jess who is a Mastermind at doing girly hair do's.
Grandpa, Maya, Marvin, Grandma, My Mom, Chase, My Aunt Diane, and my sister Michele.

Ava is smelling a flower she picked.

My Grandma fell asleep while holding Chase who was asleep.
Ava, Maya, and Tally. Jess had just done there hair. Ava would not let me take it out for bed that night. i was sure it was going to give her a head ache. In the morning it still looked good, so I didn't take it out the next day either. Even a month later if you ask Ava "who does your hair sooo cute" she responds with a big smile and says "Aunt Jessie". She will sit still for Jess but not for me.

Last month (yes I seem to be a month behind these days) we went to Boise for a family reunion. My Aunt Diane planned an awesome get away at Cascade (about 1 1/2 hrs north of Boise). Ava and I flew in early and Matt met us out later in the week. It was so great to catch up with family that I don't get to see that often. I would name them all, but that would be a long, long list. The best was meeting family I had never met. Anyway we stayed with my Grandma for the first few days, and then we drove up north and slept in cabins at the camp. Matt enjoyed playing ping pong, bad mitten, pool, and cards with the old guys and my cousin Isaac who is 14. Maybe next time my favorite girl cousins and my other cool Aunt (you know who you are.....) plus there husbands will come too and then Matt will have some competition with guys his age.

Clean Kitchen Goodies (my pay it forward)

Everything always looks better with ribbon, right?

So I am sure everyone is wondering what they missed out on by not signing up for my PAY IT FORWARD. I did a theme of the items I use in the kitchen to keep things clean. My 3 packages will leave this week for the winners.

From L to R

1. Viva paper towels-the softest, most absorbent paper towel. My roommate Suzie got me hooked on these.

2. My favorite dish scrubber from XOXO. It doesn't leak soap, the button that dispenses soap is easily depressed, and it looks kinda sleek with the stainless steel handle. I thank my mom for cluing me in on this little prized possession.

3. Face cloths for my messy Ava. I use one washcloth a day to wipe her up after meals. This keeps her little greasy, sticky, messy hands and face from messing up my furniture and walls after meals. She knows the drill and often wants to get her fingers cleaned while she eats. Am I raising a child to possibly become a little obsessive compulsive.....yeah probably. You laugh but I even travel with a stack of my handy dandy wash cloths.

4. A microfiber dish cloth. It is so good to to capture food and spills and leaves the counters almost dry after you wipe them down.

5. A silicone pot holder from Kitchen Aide. It is small and can be washed or thrown into the dishwasher when you are done using it.

6. A microfiber hand towel. It gets your hands sooo dry, but if you have rough hands it can feel like it is sticking to your skin.

7. Flour sack dish towels. I use these towels strictly for dishes. They absorb quite well and because they are only used on clean dishes, they stay nice and white.

Well there you have it a little package of "Clean Kitchen Goodies". Enjoy winners!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

And the winners are..............Erin, Annie, and Jessie. I couldn't believe I only had 3 people sign up, so everybody plays everybody wins. I will send my boxes out sometime next week and I will post a picture before I pack everything up. I am excited to see what everyone does for their "pay it forward".

Mark's Farewell in St. George

Chase and Ava holding hands at the park. Chase and Ava being silly in the water

Matt, Ava, Mark and Me (with my little prego pooch).

Sunday July 13th was Mark's Farewell. Mark did a nice job on his talk and he had a lot of friends there. We had a yummy luncheon at a park after church. It rained a little which was nice because it wasn't as hot, a nice change from the previous days. This park had a little slash pad that the kids couldn't resist. After the kids all got naps Jess invited us to her in-laws to swim. We picked up pizza and swam some more. Again no pictures of the good times at Jessie's in-law's pool.

Pre-Farewell in St. George

I heard some noise in Rachel's pantry........Ava had shut herself in pantry and was digging through a big bowl of candy.
Michele and Ava on the water slide.
Mark, Maya, Chase, Ava, Michele, and Tally at the pool.
Ava, Chase, Maya, and Tally posing for a picture at the mini-river park.

We had so much fun before Marks Farewell on Sunday. On Thursday we went to the new aquatic center in Washington, Durango's for lunch, the city park, and this is the night I discovered Girl Scout Blizzards from DQ. Then Matt came on Thursday night and we played games at Rachel's house (too bad she had to work that night). Friday most of us went to a park that that is in the middle of town that has a little river and fountains for kids to play in. After the kids had turned to raisins, Jess took her kids home for a nap, and Lori, Maya, Ava, Matt, and I went to Pasta/Pizza factory for a very yummy lunch. After lunch we went to Costco to help my mom get some of the food for the farewell. Matt was a gem and dropped me at the Mall after Costco while he went and put Ava down for a nap. I shopped with Rachel, Michelle, and Lori. They helped me pick out a couple of maternity clothes since everything I brought for my trip was suddenly way too tight. Go figure! Friday night we hung out at Rachel's house again and the kids ran thru the sprinkler. First they started out in their clothes, and then diapers and then they got naked. Good thing Rachel's yard is fenced in. Have you noticed everyday has a water theme? 110 degrees requires water!! Saturday we went to Zions and hiked the gateway to the Narrows and had a picnic. The squirrels were aggressive and tried to eat our lunch. The kids would chase them off with little sticks.......sorry no pictures of Zions or the squirrels. Saturday night Matt, Ava, and I went to Ruby River where Rachel was our waitress. Ava was the naughtiest she has aver been at a restaurant......Joy!

Logan UT in July

Sara and Ava at a park in Logan. Ava could thro rocks into the water for hours.

Brutis, Ava, and Maya. Ava was in Dog Heaven this trip. She got to hang out with Brutis (lori's dog) Dingo (suzie's dog), and Harley (jessie's dog).
The girls loved holding hands.
Blurry, I know, Suzie's four and my Ava.

Maya and Ava sat at their own table at McDonalds in Beaver. Maya received an A+ for her traveling skills on this trip. Ava not so much.

So we went to Utah for my brother's farewell in July. Ava and I decided to go out a little early. We flew into Salt Lake and Lori, Matt, Maya, and Brutis picked us up at the airport. We all drove to Logan where Lori is living for the summer. We had a great time. We went to the zoo, had the most amazing sandwiches at Great Harvest, went to the park, etc...Then on Monday night Matt packed up the car for Lori and I for our trip to St. George. It was stuffed full, I'm still not sure how he got everything to fit. We even had a giant duffel bag between the two car seats. That Tuesday afternoon we stopped in Salt Lake and had lunch with my dear friend Julie and then spent the night in American Fork with another dear friend Suzie. Ava loved Suzie's house. She has 4 beautiful kids and lots of toys. Suzie and I stayed up waaaay too late reminiscing about old college days and the Wednesday we headed to St. George.

Blast from the past.....Okay Maybe just July

Eating a bag of yummy, buttery popcorn
Ava with Grandpa
Gathering sticks. A strange obsession she has.
Ava with her cousins.

I did not post some of the fun things we did in July. And I think they are worth posting, and I want them off my to-do list too! This is a 4th of July parade in Token Creek. They call it "The biggest little parade in the world" It was a lot of old cars and fire engines. It wasn't too long but it was hot. We decided to walk from our neighborhood and it wasn't as close as we thought, plus we went a way that we had to back track. Ava didn't mind because she got to ride in her stroller. Dad bought her beads that she still likes to wear them.