Ava's Big Girl Room

Yesterday we finally made a dent in our to-do list. We finally got our guest bed taken down, Ava's big girl bed set-up, and Baby Boy's crib ready. We have been working hard! Well, Bradley and Joe worked the hardest while I gave directions, Ava threw some fits, and I worked on some of the tons of pictures that I have taken lately (for other people, not for here!).

By the time we got done, it was getting pretty late. I tried to take some good pictures, but with Ava's pink walls and hot pink bedding, they aren't the greatest! She did sleep the whole night in her bed and said she loves it. I am glad she did well. We are still organizing and adding to her stuff, but I will take pictures when we get more done.

Here she is laying down for the last time in her little bed.

Hanging out and watching TV.

Getting ready to go to sleep.

10 on Tuesday

10 things about me right now:

1. This is the last week of school before 2 weeks of Fall Break. I am looking forward to a glorious period of rest and relaxation and marking things off my to-do list. And hopefully that will mean more posting and more pictures!

2. Speaking of the to-do list (and Bradley will tell you that I love making lists!), I feel like I will never get it all finished before Baby Boy Rogers arrives.

3. Ava has been such a drama queen lately. I’m not sure if we will survive the 2 weeks together!

4. Baby boy’s stuff is coming together. Slowly, but surely. My goal for this next weekend is to get his nursery set up, but in order to do that we have to get Ava’s bed set up, and the list goes on. Here is a little peak at his bedding, thanks to my in-laws and sister-in-law. Thanks so much for the bed and bedding!

(Not his actual bed)

5. If you are an attendee of the Rogers’ Annual Halloweenie Roast, please note that the date this year will be October 17th this year.

6. I am so sore from two photo shoots this weekend that I feel like Baby Rogers is about to fall out. I know he’s not, but today, he is weighing very heavily on what I am convinced is all of my vital organs.

7. We have started decorating for Fall and Halloween! I love it!

8. My computer is in the shop again so I am working on my school laptop again. I wish we could find some competent people to fix it. I am fed up with this!

9. Ava and the potty have been doing well together. This past weekend we had no accidents in the panties with the exception of a few minor dribbles. We have discovered that as poo-poo time approaches, if we make her run around naked, she will go to the potty. The downfall: I am not so sure this would go over in public places….

10. I am now 31 weeks pregnant. I am now in the single digits as far as weeks go…. However a week or two early would be great for me….

One of the Cutest Things I Have Ever Seen...

(fyi - computer in the shop again, so posting is sparse)

One of the cutest things that Bradley and I have ever seen was this little girl as we were leaving Disney World. Those little stubby legs pulling that suitcase. I wish I had it on video so that years from now, I could look back and laugh. I also think that as we are in these "terrible three's" it would be good to watch at the end of a rough day and remember some of those sweeter times. It just reminds me of someone so little trying to do something so big and succeeding. It reminds me of the little things that make me smile and of how much I love her even when I am frustrated and worn out. Note to self- When angry try to picture those baby legs...

Ava and Daddy

Two new favorites of Ava and her Daddy. These were taken at Reelfoot Lake. Unfortunately, the ice storm tore up the walkway so you can't walk out to the water and see all the Cypress Trees anymore. Hopefully they will get in repaired soon, because I miss those beautiful walks and photos.

Ava at the Park

On one of our cooler recent days, Ava and I made a little trip to the park. Ava has always enjoyed going, but lately she has become skittish about the slide and would rather climb back down the ladders than go down it. I did get her to pose for a few pictures, but she was way too busy. While we were there she made a friend, but in true Ava fashion, she wanted to be the leader. This little girl was clearly a couple of years older and tried to get Ava to play along, but Ava did her own thing and led the playing. I did laugh when the other little girl asked Ava two things and here were her responses:



q: Where is your daddy at?




Ava: He's at home in bed with a hurt leg. (what??????)




q: Where is your older brother?



Ava: In my mommy's belly.



Funny girl!

County Fair - 2009

We made it to the county fair last night, so I am officially done with the fair for the next year. I love going, but it is so much walking, and it was so crowded last night that it wore me out! Last year we never made it to the fair because each night we talked about going, it ended up raining. This year, Ava and I went with Stacy and JonThomas and Ava had a blast. I knew she would love going with JonThomas so that they could ride rides and of course, just because she loves him. She was thrilled when they arrived to ride with us. We decided to go on one of the "cheap" nights, and that was a big mistake, because I think about everyone else had the same idea. As the night when on, the crowd got bigger and bigger. I was so thankful to have Stacy and JT with us because they took Ava on rides and helped handle her while I tried to get some good pictures.

Ava started off on the carousel (which seemed to go mighty fast to me), and then she had glimpsed the fun house and had to go in. I was very skeptical about that because to get out of the fun house, you had to go down a tall slide. I knew that was probably not going to happen. Sure enough, I was right. JT had to go back in and lead her back out because she was not doing that slide. Lately she has developed a fear of them that she never had in the past. She also rode a little car ride that she enjoyed.

Of course we ate some fair food, stopped by the petting zoo, and then played some games on the Midway. Ava won a teddy bear while playing the rat game (where you place a bet on what color of hole a rat will run in- a real high class game ;)) and she had a cow to play the fishing game.

When we got home and got to bed, she passed out pretty quickly and tonight she has been retelling tales of the fair. Her least favorite ride: the Ferris wheel which she never even attempted, but thinks it looks scary! Thanks to Stacy and JT for hanging with the little one and helping this giant momma maneuver through the midway!

In the fun house

She asked this scarecrow if he had a brain!

Finally getting something done...

We have had a busy weekend, but I feel like we have accomplished quite a few things. We have bought Ava a new bookshelf for her big girl room, cleaned some on the baby's room, got lots of Ava's stuff ready for a consignment sale in a few weeks, and registered for Baby Boy Rogers's upcoming arrival.

If you are interested in seeing the baby registries, just look over to the right side under links and you can see the link for Wal-Mart and Target. Obviously, we still have the big baby items left over from Ava, but I was stressing because we really have no boy things. I finally convinced Bradley to register, so at least we have taken a small step towards the new little one!

I have finally gotten my old computer back (well at least the hard drive, but in a different body) so I am once again in action as far as my pictures and getting access to old files I had not burned onto CD. I have had a couple of sessions recently so if you go to my photography website (link at right), you can check them out. I have several more over the next few weeks, so I am staying busy!

I haven't had time to download any new pictures onto this computer yet, so I am posting an old one that I hadn't before. This is from us leaving our resort in Disney. I am hoping to get some new ones downloaded this week. Hope everyone had a great Labor Day!

What I See When I Look Down...

This pregnancy is really starting to fly by and I am so far behind as compared to when Ava was born. By this time we were completely ready for her (with a few small exceptions). This one has really snuck up on us and we still have things to do (although Bradley disagrees and says we don't have much to do). I feel like there are a million things on my to do list. Here is how pregnancy is treating me right now:

• I am SOOOOOOOO relieved to have passed my gestational diabetes test! Words can't explain.
• I feel so tired almost all the time. By 7 at night I am absolutely zapped. Not much left in me.
• I am having a hard time sleeping. I toss and turn, and have to go to the bathroom 3 - 4 times a night.
• So far I have not experienced any swelling or rise in blood pressure (KNOCK ON WOOD!) which I was already experiencing at this point with Ava. I am so thankful to this cooler weather we have been having because I am sure that it helps.
• We got the good news that we don't have to go to childbirth classes even though we will be at a different hospital, which makes me thrilled (and of course Bradley was happy too!).
• I go back to the doctor in about 2 and a half weeks and then I will start going every two weeks.
• This little guy moves a lot lower than Ava did. She rested high in my ribs and he hangs around pretty low. He is a big kicker like she was, especially at night and when I am resting.
• My stretch marks are now getting stretch marks!
• I am just hoping the rest of the pregnancy goes smoothly with no complications!

I passed!

Yay! I passed my fasting gestational diabetes test! I am so relieved and happy to hear that I don't have to worry about that anymore. I'm not saying that I am going to eat a 5 pound bag of sugar, but it is such a relief knowing that I won't have to go to the extra worry for the remainder of my pregnancy! Such a relief to hear those words, "You passed." Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers!

10 on Tuesday - 10 Questions with Ava

Thought it would be fun to do a little interview with Ava to see what she said her favorite things are. I think for most of these she just picked the first things that popped into her mind, but I wrote them down because I found it humorous. She also answered each one so quickly that it made me laugh like she had been rehearsing! So here are 10 questions with Ava at the age of three.

How old are you? free

Favorite Color: pink

Favorite Food: cake!

Favorite TV show: Tom and Jerry (which it just so happens she had just watched!)

Favorite Song: Small, Small World

What do you like to do: Dance Along

Boyfriend: JonThomas and Daddy

Favorite Drink: Apple Juice

Favorite Candy: Lollipops

What do you want to be when you grow up? A Boy

A Recent Family Pic and a Belly Shot (or 2)

Bo took a few pictures of us when they were visiting for Ava's birthday. Here is a shot of the 3 of us (you can't see the 4th) and then a shot of my 25 week belly. Of course Ava didn't like being left out and wanted a belly shot too. But as you can see, hers is vastly different from mine! ;)

10 on Tuesday

1. On Monday I went in for my gestational diabetes screening. This is the test where you fast and then drink a yucky drink to test blood sugar. I failed, so I have to go back on Monday for an all day test. I really don’t want this test to come back bad, so please remember me and little Cletus the Fetus in your prayers that the test will come back okay.

2. For those who have asked, we are still not finished with Ava’s room or the baby’s nursery. We really need to work on that!

3. Last week Ava went to the doctor for her 3 year check-up. She did well and weighed 34 pounds and was 36 and ¾ inches tall.

4. At Ava’s doctor visit, her doctor told me that there was no reason that Ava should not be potty trained already. She said that Ava was smart and on track developmentally so we needed to step it up in the potty training. So we have switched away from pull-ups and she only wears panties (except at naptimes and bedtimes) and has been doing well. Peeing in the potty is almost down, but so far we have still not pooped in the potty.

5. We are loving our garden. Since the weather cooled some, it has taken off. We have enjoyed lots of cucumbers, had a few squash, some eggplants, and Ava LOVES the cherry tomatoes.

6. Perhaps when you are 26 weeks pregnant, you should not try to squeeze into a t-shirt that your mother got you when you were a junior in high school. It’s going to end badly!

7. For some reason, Ava absolutely loves to run through the water hose, but refuses to take a shower. It seems to me they are about the same.

8. Mosquito Bites (aka “Peskito Bites) whelp up so bad on Ava. This weekend she looked like a Dalmatian with all of her spots. The worst ones were on her fingers and this is what I got when I said, “Show me your mosquito bites.” This picture makes me laugh…

9. We cashed in on the “Cash for Clunkers” and traded in the Jeep for a Chrysler Town and Country. We are now minivan drivers. Soccer moms watch out! But seriously, I love it. It drives so smoothly, the DVD player keeps Ava occupied, and all my photography stuff slips right in the back. These photos are not the greatest because it was in the garage, but you get the drift.

10. Right now I am very overwhelmed by all the things we need to do by November. I feel like we are so far behind in preparations for this baby. It seems like things are never going to come together!