Thursday, April 29, 2010

so sweet...


The morning of Ava's birthday I woke her up at approximately 6:55am to be sure I sang to her at approximately the time she was born one year ago! Honestly, I was just too excited to let her sleep! We had a blast celebrating her 1st Birthday with our wonderful families.  We had BBQ & cake, we visited, and we laughed - a lot. Ava's toy box, which was running over before the party, is worse off now!  Following the party, our house looked like it had been struck by a massive toy truck, and (of course) Ava loved it.

I can't believe my little munchkin is already one! What an amazing year this has been.  Looking back at how much she has changed over the past year is crazy. I look forward to seeing what God has in store for us in the upcoming year, even though a part of me wants to hit pause so Ava can't grow up any faster!! How blessed we are to have wonderful, supportive families that have helped us so much along the way - Thank you.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

brown paper packages tied up with string...

1. ice cream. I dont care the flavor, ice cream has and always will be one of the greatest things on this planet. It is some pretty tasty and powerful stuff.  If I'm in a bad mood, this is the cure.  If I'm in a good mood, ice cream makes it better. When I eat it I get "happy feet" (just ask William).

2. books. I love books and I own way too many.  There is just something about information-filled pages and the design on the cover that draws me in each time (and yes, I am a terrible judge of the cover - so much for "don't judge a book by it's cover", I have never been big on that rule).

3. Real Simple. This magazine is the Queen of all magazines. I look forward to receiving this little jewel in the mail each month. If you haven't experienced the greatness that it has to offer, you should. Soon. (Thank you to my wonderful mother-in-law for my subscription - talk about the gift that keeps on giving!)

4. geraniums. I love these flowers.  Not only are the blooms big and pretty, I can also grow them without killing them!! If you weren't in line when God was handing out green thumbs, I recommend these beautys to you!

5. paper. office supplies. craft supplies. I still remember as a kid walking into Office Max with my grandmother and telling her, "Oh Nini, I just love paper!!".  I know, I was a dweeb ... and I still am.

6. coffee. Definitely a gift from God.  “Behind every successful woman...is a substantial amount of coffee.” ―Stephanie Piro (that woman knows what she is talking about)

...these are a few of my favorite things!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

catching up over a cup of coffee

[Disclaimer: While I am not fond of writing blogs to make up for the lack of blogging ... many of you (ah hem) have mentioned that I need to "catch you up".  With that being said, I hope to re-commit myself to the blogging world so that I no longer have to write blogs with the purpose of "catching up". So grab a cup of coffee and without further ado...]

Life around the Stewart household as been hectic and crazy as usual.  And to add to the daily crazies (as many of you know and I mentioned in my last post) we got a puppy, Ellie.  I was all for getting a puppy for months years now!! And I will admit, when we met Ellie in person, I got a little nervous about what I was getting myself into.  But let me be the first to tell you, Ellie has been a wonderful addition.  Yes, it is crazy around our house every now and then ... but that is really nothing new :).  And for the most part, Ellie is pretty darn lazy.  She is also house trained (until it is rainy and she can't go outside because she is terrified of the rain, wet grass, and anything else that involves getting her hiney wet).

Anyway... enough about Ellie.  My little Ava is doing very well.  She is not at all interested in walking yet, but that is okay ... I am not in any hurry (although I know Ashley would like for her flower girl to walk down the aisle ... good thing she is one of four!).  The one time Ava showed interest in walking with her walker, I got so excited and screamed, screeched, whatever you want to call it ... YAYYYYY, scared her half to death and she has yet to try it again (way to go Mom, I know!). She has been to several birthday parties and if a sandbox is involved, you know where to find her! No matter if she is the littlest, the only girl, or wearing her Sunday best, give the girl some sand and she can play for hours. Speaking of birthdays ... the little munchkin is turning one this Saturday.  Can you believe it? Good grief!! We are having a birthday party for her this weekend but due to our very large families, we have decided to limit it to family this year. The theme is "Ava's Sweet Shoppe"! (I will post pictures of the party). I am very excited!!

William is doing well ... tired of school (well we both are). He is continuing his degree in History and is scheduled to graduate at the end of next Summer. Me?? I got into nursing school!! Whooo hoooo!!!! Which means I will begin nursing school in the fall and graduate December of 2012 (is it really that long).

Anyway, I am not sure what else you all have missed out on in our exciting lives ... but I hope this satisfies the craving of information for the time being.

In the mean time I am going to continue with the throat drops and cloraseptic spray ... apparently I have a viral infection (joy). When at the Dr while repeating his instructions I said, "okay, so cyanide spra..." ... until I caught my quite obvious mistake and realized the Dr was looking at me like I needed to be committed to a larger institution.




Monday, April 19, 2010

dearest Ellie


This is Ellie
Who likes long naps,
Chasing Ava throughout the house,
Long naps,
Eating dropped bits of PB&J, Cheerios, or whatever Ava is eating,
Kisses,
Snuggling,
And did I mention long naps?

She is spoiled rotten,
 lazy,
quirky,
playful,
and dorky.
She has long ears,
big paws,
and an even bigger heart.

What more could one family ask for?

Monday, March 08, 2010

my little monkey face pickle head

The light and the joy of my life...
who just so happens to like Oreos just as much as her mama.

Friday, January 29, 2010

my little love


Open your heart, fling your hopes high, set your dreams aloft. I am here to hold your hand. ~Maya Angelou

Thursday, January 14, 2010

simply fascinated



I am nearly finished with the projects around the house I wanted to complete before school started.  I will share pictures as soon as I am finished but I thought I would share what Ava did before I hung our new mirror.