Feeling crafty

After spending some time on pinterest I felt crafty and wanted to make something for Ava Kate. I had been thinking about a wreath to match her room to use at the hospital and in her nursery and I found a very easy one so I decided to give it a shot.

This was my inspiration:

 

This is a close-up of the fabric used on the dust ruffle and outside bumper of the bedding:

Here are the ribbons I picked out: 

I actually had just enough for the wreath itself...but I do need to get more to make a bow

And in less than an hour, here is what I have so far:

It still needs a bow and something with her name or initals in the middle.

This was the easiest project!  I have also seen some really cute yarn wreaths I might try to make soon.

The pictures are from my phone so they arent the best, but you get the idea.

Miscellany Monday

Weekend:
We had a busy but fun weekend.  Mom kept AR on Friday because Riley and I had to go pick something up in Birmingham he had gotten fixed.  We made a stop by St. Vincents to sweet Colin and then went to eat.  Colin is precious and looks just like his Daddy.  You can see more picture of him on Kim's blog.

Candace, Tate, Addison, Kim, Colin and me

Saturday was very productive!  I finished cleaning the house, cleaned out the rest of the guest room and loaded my car down for things we were getting rid of.  We had a small party on Saturday night (more on that on down)

Sunday after some much needed rest, we met the Tidmore's at the pool. 

Saying Goodbye:

Our friends, the Strickland's, are moving tomorrow to West Palm Beach, Florida.  Riley and Jason have been friends since Junior High and they have always been so close so its a sad day for us!  When Riley and I first started dating, he had Jason and Elaine's kids' picture framed in his bedroom and I had to ask if he had kids I didn't know about! haha  They are the sweetest friends and its going to be different without them around...especially during football season!!  We had a party Saturday night and it was a lot of fun but bittersweet!  We wish them the best and can't wait to plan a trip down there to see them!!

Nursery:

I mentioned that we cleaned out the guest bedroom/future nursery this weekend.  So glad to have that done!!  The baby bedding came in last week and its perfect!  Now I have to find a paint color and we are installing wire shelving in the closet (like we did with AR's back in the fall)  and pick up the furniture.  The furniture has to be picked up by the beginning of August so I am sure we will do that this week hopefully!

Boo-Boo:

Thursday afternoon, Anna Riley feel off the front porch step and hit her face on the concrete.  She was just standing on the middle step but since she hit the concrete, it scratched her up quite a bit.  This picture was from today, so it looks a lot better than it on Friday morning. 

Book worm:

Anna Riley has turned into a little book worm here lately!  She could read books all day long!!  Her favorite book has been the 100 first words.  I received this as a shower gift but AR is just now really getting into it.  Its just a picture book that labels things.  We read this book over and over again all day!  Her vocabulary is increasing more and more and she really wants to know what everything is right now.  She will say "whats that?"  I am so glad she shows such an interest for books and I hope she continues to.   

 Since she liked this book SO much, I decided to order another one similar to it.

 So, I got this one.  I like this one because it has more with colors, abcs, numbers, animals, words, etc.

28 weeks

YAY for 3rd Trimester!!!  I feel like it all goes fairly fast once you get to this point!

Symptoms:  My back has started hurting a lot especially if I have been on my feet or doing a lot that day.  I am also tired a lot but I don't think the heat  and not sleeping well at night helps with that at all!!  And like I said in my last post, I have been eating like crazy!  I have did better with sweets this week though.  The only sweet thing I have had is the new Dessert Trio Bluebell icecream....if you haven't tried it, you have to!!!  It has chocolate cake, pecan brownies and chocolate chip cookies in it! YUM... oh and I also had a snack Rolo mcflurry!  Those things are sinful!!

Maternity clothes:  I wear both right now.  I wear my maternity shorts but most of my dresses and shirts are regular.

Weight gain:  20 lbs

Movement:  She has really been moving a lot lately.  I like to sit and just watch my stomach move.  Sometimes I can feel her bottom or her feet. 

Sleep: Sleep is ok but not so much because of her but mainly because of AR right now.  The one night that Anna Riley slept great and was in her bed all night, I got up at 8-10 times to use the bathroom!!  I wouldn't even get back to sleep again and I would have to pee again!  Very frustrating! 

Doctor Appointment:  I went to the Doctor this morning for my checkup, sugar test and 4D ultrasound.  When we did the ultrasound, Ava Kate kept her hands on her face for a while so we couldnt see anything but then I think the sugar from the drink I had to drink for the test kicked in and she was moving all over but it was hard to get a good picture.  She was in a little ball almost.  The only thing I can tell is that her nose looks a lot like AR's did when we had her 4D.  She weighed a little over 3 lbs (cant remember the exact weight).  The lady was sweet and said she would do it again on my next appointment so that maybe we get some better pictures. 

Dr. Poist said everything looked great.  I am measuring a week ahead like I did with Anna Riley.  I passed my sugar test and all my numbers and counts looked great!  He even said I must be eating lots of green vegetables because my blood count looked so good!  Haha..well I am but not to mention all the other that goes with it!

You can see part of her face, arm and legs/feet in this picture.

Miscellany Monday

WEEKEND:
We had a pretty relaxing weekend!  For once, it wasn't steaming hot outside!!  Friday night, I cooked lots of fresh vegetables that people have given us and my parents came to eat and of course play with Anna Riley.  Saturday, we spent the day at the lake with some friends.  It was very nice and the breeze felt so good!  Anna Riley loved riding on the pontoon boat but loved Allie, our friend's lab, the best.  Allie loved her too because she fed her Cheez-its the whole time!  Sunday, after church, Anna Riley and I took a great nap and then headed to the pool and finished the day with grilled hamburgers and sweet potato fries! 

SLEEP:
I must have jinx us when I said Anna Riley was back sleeping good because she is NOT sleeping well at all!! It is frustrating me because she has always been such a wonderful sleeper but now its horrible!  She even fell out of her crib the other night!!  I had debated putting a crib tent but since we are thinking we might convert the bed soon, we didn't get one and also she had not tried climbing out anymore so we held off and well she fell out!  I don't know what to do because I don't think she will do well with a toddler bed either if she isn't sleeping well as it is. After reading and trying to rock her, she will cry and finally go to sleep in her bed but wakes up crying around 11 and she gets so upset to the point she will make herself sick so I get her and guess where she ends up everynight??  I am so thankful for our big bed right now!  But, I want her to be sleeping in her bed again...especially before October gets here!!  Have any suggestions at all??? 

AVA KATE:
 Everyone keeps asking if we will call her Ava, Ava Kathryn or Ava Kate and we decided that her name is Ava Kathryn but we will call her Ava Kate for short. 

PREGNANCY:
I am 27 1/2 weeks right now.  I have been slacking with my pregnancy posts but I blame it on Comcast, our Internet provider...everytime I sit down to blog, its not working!!  I have felt pretty good but my eating is out of control!!!  I feel so big right now and I am hungry ALL THE TIME!!!  I made cupcakes on Wednesday because I wanted some so bad and what a mistake....I ate 4 in one day!!!  I am not going to have any sweets around this week and hopefully I won't go crazy!  I don't remember being this bad last time!  I have an appointment on Thursday and we get the 3D/4D scan done and also I have my gestational diabetes sugar test. 

FALL:
Is anyone else ready for fall??  I am SO ready...ready for the cooler temperatures, holidays and football!  Fall has always been my favorite time of the year but this year we will have another reason to look forward to it!   I have been buying a few matching fall and Christmas outfits for both girls and it makes me even more ready for all the holidays!

Orange Beach

We headed down to Orange Beach on July 4th to stay with two other couples and their kids.  I'm not going to lie, I was a little worried how it would be staying in a condo where the kids outnumbered the adults but it was actually a great trip!  The condo was very big and spacious with 3 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms so that helped a lot!   The 4 toddlers were on the same nap schedule so that helped out even more because one of us would stay in the room while they napped and the rest could enjoy some "kid free" time. And Anna Riley actually took wonderful naps everyday!  It was, however, very hot and although I love the beach, it was just almost too hot for this pregnant Mama!  I love going in May/early June when the breeze is SO nice and you could literally stay out in it all day and not break a sweat...but I was at the beach so I don't need to complain too much!! :) 

    We made the mistake of going out to eat one time and wow was it horrible!   The kids were really not that bad considering and had we not been there for 4 hours, they would have done great!  We tried going to Lulus and at 5:30 they weren't taking anymore people for the night!!  SO we decided on another kid friendly restaurant, the Hangout.  The wait was 1 1/2 and since we were all ready and there we decided that would be fine.  The kids played in the sand and danced to the band so besides it being so hot, the wait really wasn't that bad.  Once we were seated, it took another 1 1/2 to get our food.  By then we were all just ready to go home and it was past the babies bedtimes.  Thank goodness we had planned on grilling and making dinner all the other nights. 

  

17 months

Anna Riley turned 17 months on Monday.  Here is some things she is doing now:

- She weighs about 25 lbs.  She does not eat as good as she once did.  She shakes her head NO to a lot of food now but it doesn't necessarily mean she doesn't like it, because she might eat it later.  She wants to be down to run around!!  That's why eating out is getting to be pretty difficult!

- Even though her eating habits have changed a little, she still loves dessert!!  We don't give it to her unless she eats good and its usually just a couple of Reece minis but you should see how excited she gets!!  She also loves cookies and says "cookie" all the time.  Her Papa Doug always grabs her a cookie as we walk out of church (if we walk by the contemporary sanctuary) and so now when we get her from the nursery she says "cookie."

-When she drinks something, she will often say "Ahhh" and start laughing.

-She is obsessed with shoes (she gets it honestly)!  She can now put her crocs and other slip on shoes by herself.  She is always getting our shoes and trying to put them on.  When she sees them she says "shoes."

-She loves to buckle things or put tops on things.  She likes to try to buckle her carseat and she also has a baby carrier for her dolls that has a buckle that she can now do by herself.  She will worry you to death if you have a water bottle because she wants to sit and put the top on and off.

-Recently, she started winking/blinking both eyes.  We have never really winked at her so I don't know where she got that from but its really cute when she does it.

-She loves to put things in a container... I wish I could say clean up but she takes them right back out!  This is one of her favorite parts of Kindermusik and Storytime...putting the instruments back in the box!

-She loves to be outside and it doesn't matter how hot it is.  When she gets up she goes straight to the door to try to go out.

-All of our doors have a dead bolt that only locks with a key and we usually keep a key close by.  She knows that there is one on the entry table so she tries to get it to open the door.  While we were at the beach, she got Riley's wallet and got the key card out and did the same thing with the condo key.  Kids pick up on things so fast!

- She loves her baby dolls and could play with just them for the longest.  She is so motherly and loving with them, its so sweet!  She also loves all real babies.  She will go sit in strangers laps just to be close to a baby!  And since we took her pacy away, she wants to give them their pacy!  Just this week while at the beach, there as a 6 month old with us and the minute she would cry, AR would run get her pacy and give it to her!  Hopefully she will be this helpful when her little sister is here!!

-  We are constantly laughing at all of her silly faces she makes.  She is quite the character!

- She has been a little whiny the past month but most of it is a fake cry which is very annoying because it is just to get attention!! 

- She takes 1-2 naps a day.  For the most part, she just takes one nap around 1:30 but sometimes, especially if she woke up early, she still needs that morning nap.  She is back to sleeping a little better at night.  She slept with us while at the beach because she hates a pack-n-play and I didn't want everyone to have to listen to her cry/scream so she just slept with us and surprisingly we all slept great! But, she went back to did fine sleeping in her crib when we got back.  We also moved her bedtime to around 8:30 which has helped some.

-She is constantly repeating things and saying new words/phrases.  I can not even begin to think of all of them. 

-While at the beach, she loved watching the birds and airplanes!

-She is very much a girly girl!  She loves her bracelets and other jewelry, crowns, shoes.  I see lots of dress-up in our future with 2 little girls!! 

-She runs everywhere she goes or her newest thing is to walk on her tip toes.

-She is very attached to her grandparents.  She thinks she is always supposed to go with them and often cries when they leave. 

- When we say our prayers, she puts her hands together and blinks her eyes (I guess she doesn't want to shut them) and when we say Amen, she claps and says "yay!" 

-She gives the best hugs and kisses and she will finally "blow a kiss".

-She loves to eat ice...Taco Casa's is her favorite (isn't it everyones that lives in Tuscaloosa!!)

-She still loves Mickey/Minnie!! She has several pjs that have Minnie on them and she gets so excited to wear them...she is constantly showing you Minnie on on her shirt!  I decided she would definitely have a Minnie/Mickey birthday party next year since she is still so interested in them!!
I can't believe how fast our little girl is growing!!!

4th of July weekend

We had a busy but great 4th of July weekend!  Mom met me on Friday afternoon and Anna Riley spent the night in Berry with them. They took her to the park in Fayette to play that evening and from the looks of the pictures Mom took, she had a ball!  Riley and I needed to take something to Birmingham so we went to eat at PF Changs and then went to Buy Buy Baby to look around.  By the way...that is an amazing baby store!!

The next morning, Riley and I went to eat breakfast at the Waysider and went furniture shopping for a sofa bed for the the playroom...found one at a great price! I ran a few more errands before Mom and Dad brought AR back and then we went to Riley's Aunt Marcia and Uncle Chips to swim in their new pool and eat ribs and AR found a new love for baked beans!

Sunday, the Tidmore's invited us to Courtney's Dad's house on the river in Moundville.  It was Anna Riley's first time in the river/lake and she wasn't so sure about it until she got to playing with the rocks and then she liked it.  We grilled out and made homeade ice cream. 

Monday morning we headed to Orange Beach to stay with two other couples and their kids.  We had lunch at the Oyster House while we waited for check-in time and then we grilled out that night.  While the men grilled, I took some pictures of the girls playing on the beach.  (More on the beach in another post).

Later that night we watched the fireworks on the beach.