Odds and Ends

Here is just a little hodgepodge of pictures from the last week. Nothing too exciting, just a little bit of the everyday that goes on at our house. But then again, those everyday little things are what makes my life so special. I am so thankful for these everyday little moments.


The Little Lady being pulled in her wagon by Pop.





Our new roof. The picture is a little dark, but all you need to know is that it is no longer the color "Puke-us, Green-us."

Ava working on decorating her envelopes for her birthday party.

Watching a summer rainstorm

Just the Necessities

Last week when Ava was getting ready to go to Nana and Pop's (complete with her dog ears) we packed up her little purse with her necessities. For a 23 month old, the necessities are a Uniqua doll, Baby Emma, her magic wand, and a bag of Nemo fruit chews. As you can see, she takes her packing seriously only absolute essentials.

I know this pic is blurry, but I just love how sassy she looks in it!

Swimming and Sprinkling

Ava has gotten the opportunity to play several times with Jenna Claire lately. They love playing outside in the pool and running through the sprinkler. Ava has gotten so much better about playing in the pool and not just standing up splashing. Since her favorite movie is The Little Mermaid, Ava thinks she is a mermaid anytime she is in the pool. She will swim around on her belly and try to "dive" into the water saying, "I'm a mermaid!" She has even tried laying in the pool on her back. I am so proud of my little girl and how she is 'warming' up to the water. It's just so sad that my free time with her is at an end...

My Little Mermaid

Playing tea party

Ava's First Dog-Ears/Painting

Last week I decided to put Ava's hair in dog-ears to see if they would stay. Her hair is still just a little too fine to stay up for very long, but we successfully kept them in for quite a while. Bradley and I were headed to Memphis for some anniversary shopping and when we took Ava to Nana's and dropped her off with these little ponytails, Nana was in Little Girl Heaven. She was so tickled by these little ponies. I thought they were so cute, especially clipped up with her "I Love Jesus" barrettes from church. It was so cute, but my little baby did look so grown up!

I have talked on her about Ava's love of coloring. She colors so much everyday, but she has also began to do what she calls painting. This same day I walked into the living room and Ava had her coloring book propped up on the coffee table coloring the back cover. She was so proud when I walked in and said, "Mommy, I'm painting!" So when you see the coloring book turned up like that, you know the master is at work!

Thanks to Mandy for the recipes you sent!

Also, mark your dates for Ava's 2nd Birthday - August 9th - Invitations are mailing out today.

Misc. Stuff

I have been in a scrapbooking mood lately and I have made some time to get back into one of my favorite hobbies. Ever since Ava was born, she is my favorite subject to scrap. So surprise, surprise, here are some Ava related scrapbook pages.


1. A layout about Ava's first 2 teeth
2. Thanksgiving LO about Ava's 2nd Thanksgiving

3. A LO about Bradley and Ava

Also at our house lately, our garden is producing an abundance of squash (and starting to have cucumbers). So, I have been looking for different recipes that call for squash. One thing that I have been doing lately (several times a week) is baking it in the oven. It is really yummy and here is what I do. I spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray (0 calories). Then I cut up squash into medium sized chunks, and some hunks of onion, spray with the olive oil spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then I roast it in the oven on 350 for about 20 minutes. I turn after about 10 minutes. I like it to still be a little crisp and not too mushy. I usually eat this with a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich.

So, I guess that is about all the random stuff I have for you today. I am super busy proofing a child's session from last week and downloading the pictures from the wedding I did yesterday. I have posted some new photos on my photography blog so go check it out (link at the top right). I do have some Ava photos waiting in the wings that I will be posting soon! I start back to school this week so my days of freedom are coming to a close. Let me know if you have any squash related recipes I might enjoy.