The Dollhouse

Something about that blog title sounds like the title of a horror flick...

I'm pleased to announce that my old childhood dollhouse has recently been given a new lease on life!

Many moons ago, my parents bought a beautiful dollhouse for me, complete with exquisite furniture. It has survived many moves, most notably the move from Germany to the States. It has housed numerous celebrities such as Barbie, Ken, Trolls and even Teddy Rupskin (that was a tight fit). It has also survived numerous war battles between G.I. Joe and Cobra Commander. Most recently, it has been hibernating in the attic of Honey & Papa's house collecting cobwebs. We have been waiting for the girls to be old enough to appreciate all that the old house has to offer. I think we've finally reached that point!

Honey carried the house downstairs. We cleaned it. Chris fixed a couple loose boards. We cleaned the furniture and then it was time to move in. Ava was beside herself! She has created a cozy house for the Russian Dolls and the King & Queen figurines from the Princess Castle. The house still needs a little work...a little interior decorating if you will. Perhaps a splash of color would bring it to life as well as some window treatments and rugs. At some point we'll put the roof back on. For now, it serves its purpose just fine.

Ava spends all of her time playing with the Dollhouse when we're at Honey & Papa's house. It's fascinating to sit back and watch her imagination at work. She has big plans for this house. She's talking a grocery store and a backyard.

Check out the scene in the dining room!

And some bonus pictures! Just a few snapshots of the latest happenings around here...

This is how Ava poses these days and it looks like Linc has already mastered the "Say Cheese!" smile...

Look at the bed head!

Some Saturday morning dancing with Daddy...

Flashback Friday (on Saturday, again)

I'm officially setting a reminder for myself because I keep forgetting to do Flashback Friday on Friday. Kinda kills it, huh?

Anyway, this one is great :-) Oh how we love him and love to torture him...

Miss you, Ry!

P.S. Let's play who can spot the alien espresso cups!!

Pain & Suffering

If you’re reading this blog then you probably know me well enough to know that I have zero tolerance for “drama.” Let’s just say that our little diva tests my patience in this area quite often, especially when it comes to injuries…no matter how minute the wound.

Exhibit A, folks:

This morning we played at the big park and had a lovely time. On our way back to the car Ava tripped and scraped her knee, again. It bled but really not a big deal. I gave her sympathy, hugs and assurance. Then I listened to her sob the whole way to the car, the whole time I got everyone situated in the car, the whole drive home, the whole way back into the house and the whole time it took to clean her up (so maybe I'm being a little dramatic). This wound required a shower because she was covered in sun block and sweat and then she fell in sand. Ick. I maintained a divine level of patience, good humor and even creativity. Make no mistake about it, I’m definitely tooting my own horn here.

Ava wasn’t amused by all my creative antics and she just kept sobbing (sans tears, mind you) as I dried her off and brushed her hair. Lincoln and I both had about all we could handle. Lincoln was becoming emotional himself after listening to her performance for so long. Finally, Nurse Hippo informed me, Doctor Mommy, that we were going to have to amputate Patient Ava’s leg if it was causing her enough grief to continue carrying on the way she had been for an hour. I leveled with Nurse Hippo and explained that Patient Ava is much too young for such extreme measures. Miraculously, peace was instantly restored. The crying ceased. Like magic.

I only use Uncle Jeff Scare Tactics as a last resort, but man, they work beautifully every time.

Ava still has both of her legs. However, she’s carrying on with her tragic performance in other ways. She walks around the house like a 98 year-old-woman. I caught this video of her – clutching a stuffed animal (one which she’s never given the time of day to until after her accident) and trying to strategically sit on the floor to play with Lincoln’s baby toys. Seriously, we’re reverting back to baby toys during this sensitive and painful healing process? Oh my…to be three years old again…

I’m pleased to say that she’s presently enjoying a well-deserved siesta. I think I’ll start picking out my well-deserved wine of choice for tonight…




Despite all the unnecessary drama, she's still awfully precious :-)

Big Boy

For months I’ve been working on a few “tricks” with Lincoln such as waving, clapping and saying “Mama.” He has waved and clapped a couple times but only when he felt like it. He started saying what sounds like, “Mama” or “Nana” or “Mom Mom” over the past week. Of course, I totally accepted it as “Mama.” ☺

Anyway, this morning Lincoln woke up and he was jibber jabbering in his crib. Ava went into his room to check on him and a couple minutes later she ran to me and enthusiastically told me that Linc was clapping his hands in his crib. Sure enough, the little man was clapping up a storm and laughing. Well, I got him out of his crib and he waved and clapped and very clearly said, “Mama” over and over again! How exciting!

We’re now 4 hours into his day and though he’s currently taking his morning nap he spent 3 out of those 4 hours clapping, waving and saying, “Mama.”

Melts my heart…

A Bunch of Nothing...

Gosh, not a whole heck of a lot to report around here lately.

-Chris had this past week off from school so we’ve been cramming in as much family time as possible.

-Funny story: College kids are moving into W&M therefore Target was swarming with parents and their college-bound children the other night. While perusing one of the aisles Chris overheard a conversation between a mother and her college-bound daughter. I’m pretty sure that anyone within a six-aisle radius heard their heated conversation. The mother was complaining that her daughter bought a $50 mattress pad because they should only cost $10. The mother demanded to know why her daughter needs such an expensive mattress pad and so the daughter explained that it’s Egyptian cotton and one billion thread count, etc. etc. The mother exclaimed, “Why do YOU need all THAT?!” To which the daughter bluntly replied, “Because. I am a princess.” Priceless.

-I don’t know if blogged about this before – guess it’s an Ava-ism. Ava calls marshmallows “crazy white things.”

-Chris gave Ava some marshmallows as a treat and she said, “Daddy, my belly says thank you for the snack.” It’s not uncommon for her body to talk to her. Her brain tells her when she’s sleepy and when she needs to watch a movie and so on and so on.

-Linc wants so badly to crawl…but his leg always gets stuck and by the time he frees his leg he’s on his belly. Defeated.

-Observant Ava recently noticed the difference between herself and her brother. During a diaper change she asked me, “Why does Lincoln have all that extra stuff?” I explained to her the correct terminology for what makes her different from her brother. A few minutes later she asked, “Mama, why does Linc have peanuts?” Oh boy…(literally)

-I discovered a new collection of cookbooks that are GREAT. Of course, I discovered them from another blog and they’re The Moosewood Restaurant cookbooks. Eric, I highly recommend you look into them (if you don’t already know about them) because they’re mostly vegetarian. I’m in love with their “Simple Suppers” book and I’ve made several meals out of it this week with Chris being home and all. That book is great because the recipes require few ingredients and they offer serving suggestions. The serving suggestions are big for me because I’m not that creative. When I didn’t know what to serve with our Curried Tofu with Tomatoes it told me that Coconut Rice is a nice choice. It was absolutely right! Love that!

That’s all I got. Here are some pictures.

Flashback Friday

Well, I couldn't get a rise out of her with the chocolate cake post so I'm going to have to attempt it again...with Flashback Friday this time! Let's see what happens...

If I'm not mistaken, these photos are from 6 to 9 years ago, respectively.

I love you, Jocelyn :-)

Appreciation

We've been making a lot of cards around here recently. This morning, after watching the news, Ava asked if we could make a card for "Uncle Bama." Here's her creation...

(click on picture to enlarge)

It's going in the mail this afternoon (for the record, the White House asks you to include an email address if you're mailing anything to the President).

When we finished this card Ava said that she wants to make a card for herself next because she loves herself and it's going to say, "I love Ava!" How's that for some three-year-old self-esteem?!

The Castle

She probably plays with the Princess Castle for at least 2 hours every day. It's the first thing she goes to when she comes downstairs in the morning. The other day she was playing quietly with it and I explained that I was going to put Linc down for his nap and then it would be time for her nap. She agreed. After I tucked her in I made my way downstairs to clean up and that's when I noticed that she put the castle figurines down for their nap. She had the King and Queen in bed and they were sandwiching a Chik-fil-A cow (from a kid's meal). On either side of the bed was a horse laying down. It doesn't stop there either. The other night I was making dinner and she was playing with the castle in the other room. When we went to sit at the dinner table I noticed that her figurines were also having dinner - everyone, including the Chik-fil-A cow and the horses, were crowded around their fancy little dining table. She even put their candles in the middle of the table. I wonder what they were feasting on?

Ava is not the only one in the house with a fascination for the Princess Castle...

Strangely enough, she's been doing really well letting him get in on the fun. I just have to reassure her that he's not hurting anything.

Obviously, Ninny hit a home-run with this toy!

Muffin Tin Monday

How cute is this idea?! I can't take credit for this clever idea either. I saw it on one of the craft blogs that I frequent. I saw it some time ago and have been wanting to do this at lunch time for Ava. Today I finally remembered. She was amused and confused.

I should note that her tummy has been giving her trouble lately so I'm trying to keep her meals bland. I'm looking forward to doing this again with a more exciting menu.

In other news...

We've been crafty around here lately. During Zsa Zsa's visit we unloaded the arts and crafts materials. Here's what Ava and Zsa Zsa created...

A cookie jar for Zsa Zsa! What better way for a 3-year-0ld to share cookies with a bunch of college kids?

Hard at work...

Our garage door is now adorned with a GIANT Myrtle Beach Countdown. Thank you, Zsa Zsa, for helping Ava with this project.

This was a crucial undertaking because Ava asks us every single morning if today is the day we're going to Myrtle Beach. She understands much better what "4 months" means when she can visualize it. It's going to be a loooong 4 months of counting down...

The Wheels on the Bus...

We had a big day yesterday! Not only is Zsa Zsa visiting but we also went on a field trip to visit Papa Bear at work and to see Honey’s classroom. I thought it would be fun to show Ava the school bus farm and Papa thought it would be fun to show her the technology office. Much to Papa’s (and Daddy’s) amusement Ava said the technology office was her favorite. She was quick to assure me that the school buses were neat too.

Ava inside the NOC (Network Operations Center...I think)...

Meeting with the Boss...

Lunch!

Honey's classroom...

Flashback Friday (on Friday, Yay!)

Who's ready for some Zsa Zsa action?! She's currently visiting so it's only fair to target her this week...muwaha!

Vocabulary

Blogging from Honey & Papa's house - this just in - have to share before I forget because it's too cute...

The Scenario:

Papa just got home from work. On his way home he stopped for a hair cut.

The Conversation:

Papa: "Ava, do you like my hair?"

Ava: "Yeah. It's really diluted."

Someone's vocabulary is growing. Now we need to discuss proper usage.

And I'll leave you with this quote: "In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous." -Aristotle (by way of my Honest Tea label)

Family Fun Time

We’re still going strong with the family visits! This weekend we had baby Matthew. I guess we can stop calling him baby Matthew now seeing as how he’s one, walking and he’s huge! We spent some QT with Jonathan, Amanda, Maureen and Vinny. Uncle Ryan made a quick celeb-worthy visit as well. The highlight of the family visit (besides Honey’s ridiculously delicious food) was our trip to Busch Gardens. It was Matthew’s first BG experience. I think it’s safe to say that Jonathan and Amanda have an amusement park child on their hands!

Here are some pics!

Uncle Vinny LOVES his iPhone...

The boys (that's Uncle Vinny in the back...with his iPhone)

Thanks, again, for making the trip to see us and meet the boys!

Flashback Friday (on Sunday, oops)

Can you believe that I forgot Flashback Friday again?! We had company, I was distracted. Better late than never.

Apparently tractor rides at the grandparents' house was "the thing" circa 1985.

Chris and Pop Pop

Michelle and Grandad

The Scoop on Linc-a-Dinc

Hey everyone, it’s Linc. I’m 8 months old today. I’m totally getting old but don’t worry, no grey hairs yet like my Daddy. Mom says I have a lot of personality.

I’m real busy pretty much all the time. I’m rockin’ my vocabulary with all sorts of new consonant sounds such as “D,” “B,” T,” “V” and even a little “Th” here and there. Poor Mom is relentlessly in my face with this “Say ‘Mama’” business but I’m not ready for all that just yet. I’m also busy growing new teeth. I think I have 2 more top teeth working their way through my gum. Sometimes this hurts a little and I have a tough time sleeping through the night. I’m also busy trying to figure out this whole crawling thing. I try every time they put me on the floor to play but I usually end up on my belly instead. It’s cool though, after I get onto my belly I get around just fine using the roll technique. I roll to anything on the floor – Mom’s tennis shoe, Mom’s laptop, Ava’s princess castle, etc. Mom says they have to be extra cautious now. My sister gets a little uptight when she finds me playing with her toys, particularly her princess castle, and Mom says, “Oh boy, here we go.” I don’t know what the big deal is so I just smile.

I know my name is Lincoln but sometimes Mom and Dad refer to me as “Jaws” or “Wiggle Worm.” I have a tendency to bite (and pinch) when I’m tired or frustrated. I also can’t sit still when someone is holding me. I’m an adrenaline junkie so when someone is holding me I like to throw myself back and try to go upside down. It freaks Mom out every time. Awesome. Try it sometime. This is why I like swimming so much – I’m free to move and splash in the water.

I’m doing a great job with my schedule too. Mom says she’s real happy and relieved about that. I sleep until 7 a.m. on most days – no matter what time I go to bed. I’m usually ready to hit the sack around 8:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. I need my hour and a half morning nap two hours after I wake up. Then I’m usually good for another two or three hours before I’m ready for another hour and half nap. The evenings are hit or miss; sometimes I prefer a catnap before dinner and other days it’s not necessary. As happy as Mom is with my schedule she says it makes it tough to do stuff with Ava because I tend to nap during story time and other local activities. A boy’s gotta grow! I can’t lie either, I probably won’t be proud of this in 12 years but I still like Mom to cuddle me to sleep at naptime and bedtime.

I like it when we go out. I like riding in the stroller, swinging at the park and even shopping! These outings usually tucker me out. People are so nice to me all the time always smiling and commenting on my undeniable cuteness. Mom is surprised that I like all the attention. I guess she assumed that I’d share my sister’s stranger anxiety that she had when she was my age. Nah, I like the attention and I only get a little shy sometimes.

Anyway, that’s what’s going on with me these days. I imagine I’ll have a lot more to report soon as I become more mobile and probably give Mom a heart attack.

Xoxo,
Linc

This is right before I fell asleep in the stroller. Look at my tired eyes.