Ezra's New Phrases/Words:

I Love you!!!
I'm hungry
I'm a mess
Thank you!
Squirrel
pumpkin (applied to any seasonal decoration including snowman)
colors (for coloring-he's drawn a nice arch in crayon on the carpet about six inches long)


Ava Funny Stories:

STORY #1
We're in the basement throwing a 2 foot ball back and forth to each other. Ava ACTUALLY catches the ball-it's gargantuan for someone her size.

C: (smiling and clapping) Ava! I'm so proud of you!
A: Are you impressed?
C: I am!
A: Are you a button?

If I can be im-pressed, I must be a button! Isn't that what you do with buttons? Press them?

STORY #2
About a month ago I read a Christmas book to Ava that has an illustration of Santa flying by in his sleigh peeking in at some sleeping children. Occassionally she'll ask if Santa is going to peek in on her tonight.

A few nights ago I'm helping Ava go to sleep by walking her through different ways to help herself relax. We talk about counting, focusing on deep breathing and the way it feels when your chest goes up and down, thinking about how warm and cozy bed is, and praying.

When I mention praying Ava starts to giggle and asks, "Do you think Santa is chasing Heavenly Father around up there?"

Smith Memorial Playhouse & Playground

A few weeks ago Mike and I took the kids into the city to discover one of Philly's gems for kids. The Smith family lost their son and decided to provide a place where kids from the city could come play for free. In July of 1899, the Smith Memorial Playhouse and Playground opened it's doors. Check out some of the fun our kids had enjoying the Smith's gift to Philadelphia's children.

Ezra's Favorite Room

The Coolest Swing Ever.

Ezra Running Down The World's Biggest Slide.

Baltimore Marathon

We love spending time with the Koch's! Any excuse is a good one, and the excuse this last weekend was the Baltimore Half Marathon. We signed Evan, Skylar and Ava up for the Kid's Fun Run, a 100 meter race. They were all really excited about it to begin with, but Skylar ended up crying and Ava had Dad carry her over the finish line (and through half the race). Too cute.
Here Shelley and I are pre-half-marathon, ready to go. Notice she's in her last trimester of pregnancy. So fi!



Mike being a great supporter and welcoming his hero home. Check out his expression!

I do have to thank Shelley for encouraging me to participate, my pair of Nike's that made the experience oh-so-comfortable, and Corrie ten Boom's (The Hiding Place) attitude of positive perseverance which motivated me to make training a positive instead of painful experience.

Lost Links

I reformatted my blog and lost all my friend and family links. If you are one or the other, please post a comment a ("Hey!" is all I need) so I can add you back. I miss checking on you!!!

Ava's Adventures

Besides the usual trip to the park, story time and church playgroup, here are some pictures of Ava's recent activities

Ava has been asking about her Utah friends and cousins, so we decided it was time to get her acquainted with some of the little girls out here. It was time to throw a Princess Tea Party. So much fun! We did a Princess Storytime with felt stories, made crowns and had delicious snacks on princess tea ware. Everyone seemed to have a great time.



Lately, Ava has been obsessed with the story of the gingerbread man. I randomly told it to her one night, and she's wanted to hear it ever since. I decided it was time to get a "real" version from the library and in the back there was a recipe for making our own gingerbread man. We just had to make one to see if it would jump off the pan as we pulled it out of the oven. Luckily he stayed and we had a lovely snack.

So, Why Do You Love Being a Parent?

Ava has always been a toughie to get to sleep. Every night we explain to her why it's bedtime, why the sun is not in the sky, why bodies need sleep, why you have to close your eyes and lay still in order to let the mysterious falling asleep phenomenon occur...it takes quite a while.

Mike and my system currently includes us laying with her to talk her through the falling asleep process-IF and only IF she is obedient and cooperates with our "lay down, close your eyes, no talking, no toys..." stipulations.

Two nights ago she would not stop talking, so I had to leave. Mike wasn't home when I put her down, and when he got home, she was still in her room crying. He marched up the stairs, prepared to put his foot down.

"Ava," he said sternly when he entered the room.

"Daddy!" she replied, "Sometimes little girls need their mommies!"

Melt my heart! Melt it right through my bedtime frustration resentments. It got me thinking about how wonderful being a parent is, and I wanted to ask-

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT BEING A PARENT???

I'd love to hear. Please comment.

Personally, there are so many things I love about being a mom. Witnessing my child's pure and innocent joy for something simple like the new-found ability to jump. Ezra squeezing all the giggles out of Ava in a tight bear hug. Watching Ava's empathy develop as she tries to be an emotional problem solver for those she can see have a need. She's three. What a gift. Being the one they want when their hurt. Cuddles before bedtime. Wiping the sleep out of their eyes in the morning. Their excitement bursting through their running legs and outstretched arms and bursting smiles when seeing you after a seperation. Watching their world and vocabulary expand as they come to understand more about the world. Ava's love for Jesus...

Ava's First Dance Class

My heart just melted watching Ava concentrate to follow directions, and mimic her teacher. I wasn't sure how she'd do, this being her first official class besides nursery, and it being an hour long, but she had no problems. What a sweetie. Here's a glimpse of some of her fun.

Home Sweet Home

Sorry, those who have been requesting, for the long wait, but here they are: the pictures of our new home. I am so happy here. I am so comfortable and feel really blessed to be here. We have tons of space and the floor plan is more than perfect for our little family. Each child has his own room; we have a basement full of toys, Mike's big tv, and a study room; a sun room for bikes and trikes, a beautiful kitchen with lots of cabinets. The bonus is that it's painted with warm and comforting colors. We love it!

Longwood Gardens

Because Longwood Gardens is so beautiful, it gets it's own post on the blog, even though it was part of Beth's visit. Look at it! It is a world class horticultural showpiece. These are just some of my favorite images-only a taste of what we saw.

The Italian Gardens, and Ava in her "garden dress."


Right now, Longwood is featuring three huge treehouses. The kids loved climbing up and down all the stairs. There's Bethany and Ava waving!


I had never been in an official conservatory until Longwood, and I felt like I'd stepped into Clue! Mustard, wrench, conservatory... :o) Anyway this is just one section of the conservatory. All over the gardens I kept thinking, I wish I could go to some formal event with Michael all dressed up with magical sparkling lights everywhere. The conservatory, flower garden, topiary garden, everything was very romantic.

I saved the best for last. The lily garden was the most inspiring thing to me. I don't ever remember seeing something so curious and beautiful up close before. Look at these creatures. They're amazing, and so delicate. Lily is Ava's middle name, so I'm wondering if that has something to do with my intrigue. Lily is also Mike's grandmother's name. A thank you to Beth for letting me use all her images. They turned out so much better than mine!

Our First Visitor

WE LOVE BETHANY!!! Our first visitor, one of my college roommates, came to visit us from Florida. We felt so lucky! She spoiled us with fun surprises from Disney World, where she works, and her peaceful, loving, spunky personality. We are so grateful she came. Here are some images from our adventures together.



We went on a horse drawn carriage ride through the city and learned all sorts of interesting facts about Philadelphia's history. I thought Ava and Ez would enjoy it, but they seemed more interested in jumping from one comfy cushioned seat to the next, or seeing how far binki could be thrown off the side. Ezra also really wanted to touch the wheels while we were moving.



The Liberty Bell. Isn't she beautiful? She was originally a symbol of Pennsylvania's religious freedom, and not our independence from Great Britain. Interesting, eh?



We took Beth to a Wharton Welcome Family BBQ, and Ava got her face painted for the first time. Isn't she adorable. She loved it and kept wanting to look at her picture in the camera, and would gently put Ez's face in between her hands to force him to look at her mouse face. She is so cute.



Bethany and I both had our first Philly Cheese Steaks at Jim's Steaks. Definitely recommend the Cheese Wiz. Yum yum!!! Mike took the kids that night so we could also head over to King of Prussia Mall, America's Second Largest Mall. It was nice to have some adult one on one.

The bud really took a liking to our girl Beth.

Happy 3rd Birthday Ava!

As is tradition, Ava's birthday was during beach week, and as is tradition, once again she was SPOILED!!! This year we also celebrated Mandy's birthday too. Happy Birthday Mandy! Hope you are liking your new place and you better send me pics of your awesome pad!



Oh, and I have to tag this picture on at the bottom. Bekah's got all the kids in a chair with her, and Ezra had just been petting Russ's face saying, "Ahhhhhh!" Too bad I didn't get it on video. Russ was a pretty good sport!

2008 Beach Week #2

Vanna (okay, okay, Jess) taking Ez to the water. Thanks Jess!

A close-up of my handsome boy

So...let's just say taking two in the water by myself didn't end up being such a great idea.

Mommy and Ezra have matching smiles

Ezra digging around in the sand with Karalee Jo (Andrea & Kyle's little one)

2008 Beach Week #1

We loved seeing Mari, James, and George- great friends from Sherman Oaks

Ava and Brooklynn (Andrea & Kyle's little girl) are great little buddies. We are going to miss them!!!

Kyle helped SO MUCH with Ava. She loves hanging out with him.

The Little Mermaids

I love Ava's face in this one. CRACK UP!!!

So many fun memories every year. This year Ava and Grandma Duck made a special connection. We'd go in to tell her good night and good morning almost every day. They are now penpals, and Ava just LOVES making cards for her.

One Last Hurrah With the Sorensen Crew

While Mike moved across the country, Ava, Ez and I got to stay with my in-laws for a while and soak up all the family time we possibly could. Here are some of the family moments caught in Kodak.

Girls Weekend in Cali

Speaking of my incredible husband, as a thank you for supporting him during the crazy business school app time, he gave me a girls weekend in Cali- NO KIDS!!!- before the big move. I got to spend some time with old Sherman Oaks buddies and my awesome sister Bekah, and check out Russ hangin' with us on the beach. So cute!