Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Turkey Day!

Our sweet little pilgrim girl...although she looks like a little Russian peasant to me.




And, our sweet little Native American girl




Happy Thanksgiving from the Locketts!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Thankful

Here is my totally random thankful list, just in time for Thanksgiving.

*Ava’s sophisticated sense of humor
*Pike’s Place roast from Starbucks, I can pamper myself for only $2 and 35 calories)
*Beyonce
*Family that drives you crazy… I could really just leave it at family, the crazy part is understood
*Pilot pens with purple ink
*my Macbook
*a husband who is insanely talented, intelligent, AND charmingly handsome
*Paula Poundstone, her Facebook statuses cause snortful laughter
*students who still bring flowers and apples to their teacher
*Lollia perfumes
*Agatha Christie
*Outlook
*Vicks Vapor Rub
*my incredibly considerate 4th grade coworkers
*Cooking Light magazine
*Chapstick
*January 20, 2009
*Diet Coke
*Chi straighteners
*Scantron machines
*friends with different political views
*the yellow Dyson vacuum cleaner
*Germ X
*Hooter Hiders, no I’m not still nursing…but seriously, H.H.’s changed my life
*Gap long jeans
*Premium Mocha M&Ms
*Sirius satellite radio
*Dum Dums (<20 calorie sweet goodness)
*Maclaren strollers
*Palatable tap water
*Turner Classic Movie channel
*the precious weeks of school after the TAKS tests
*Biolage shampoo and conditioner
*sarcasm
*Christmas music
*Aluminum-free, organic deodorant
*Ava’s pigtails
*non-bill snail mail
*old-fashioned oatmeal with golden raisins
*Play-Doh
*Josh’s aftershave
*alphabetical order
*Target
*Lubbock
*kolaches
*Real Simple magazine
*spell-check
*front porch swings
*1st Mattress Church

What are you thankful for? Comment below!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Mid November

Giani Bini before age 2? Daddy's in trouble!


The finished product


Ava made a leaf collage with Mamaw

Ava reads Goodnight Moon to Coach. I promise to catch her "reading" it on video and post it soon, it's too adorable for words.


Making candy, sausage balls, pies, and a mess with Nana.

Ava visits Papa's grave with Mommy


Tuesday, November 18, 2008

My sunshine

Ava enjoys her "coffee" and cupcake for breakfast on Mommy's birthday.

We both enjoyed Ava's first viewing of my favorite movie, The Wizard of Oz. She was enthralled, and not at all scared...I'm so proud of my brave little munchkin!

Stretching for gymnastics with Daddy.

Balancing the brown beanbag on her head

Ava practices catching the brown beanbag.

Jumping!

Now Mommy helps Ava stretch.

I know this picture is blurry, but it was too fun not to post.

Ava concentrates on the task at hand.

Catching the beanbag!

Ava puts on her gameface and prepares to enter the obstacle course.

"You want me to crawl in there?"

We exchange a "look"

In order to convince Ava to crawl, not walk, across the balance beam we all three had to "meow" like kitties. Finally she did it. Evidently crawling on the beam is much more difficult.

The objective is to step OVER the obstacles on the beam, but I made the mistake of giving the donkey a voice. Then it became a game. Oops, I guess that's why Mommy was in band:)

Ava and Mommy jump on the trampoline. (Please observe the chalk "A" on Ava's leotard. Josh decided to make her a superhero.)

Mantle 2.0

Since I didn't get to smooch the Rocket in high school, I make up for lost time when I can. Thanks to Sarah Miller for my favorite picture of us in a very long time!


Nana treated all three of us to a birthday dinner and an evening of shopping. Thanks Nana! We loved spending time with you.


I'll close this post with lyrics to one of Ava's favorite rocking chair songs. It used to be my rocking chair song with my Papa:

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray,
You'll never know, dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away

Someday they'll sing it as a duet.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

A day at home

I took a personal day off from work and spent some time with my sweet girl. She and Emilee sat in front of the Christmas tree while I made breakfast.


After we ate, we caught up on Jon & Kate Plus 8. Ava loves this show, and calls it "Boys and Girls".

After we made Martha Stewart's Cowboy Cookies, we took lunch to Baba at work.


Ava and I took a picture in one of my favorite spots. This building is my old elementary school. Three of my four grandparents, both of my parents, and my siblings went to school here. It is also the muse that inspired my book (still in progress). I have pictures of me in this exact spot when I was a little girl, and memories of jazz band concerts on the "grassy knoll" behind us. Mmmm...nostalgia.

No, those aren't radioactive carrots. Ava is playing with Play-Doh while Josh and I make dinner. This has become her "spot" while we cook. She loves to be a part of the action!


While we wait for the calzones to bake, Ava and Daddy take in a little Thomas and Friends.


Ava kisses her babies night night, and puts them to sleep in the bed she never sleeps in. There's something about hearing her soft baby breathing while I sleep...maybe when she goes to college she'll use her adorable nursery bedding.

With The Muppet Christmas Carol on TV, The Philadelphia Brass Ensemble playing holiday favorites on the IPod, and a Christmas-crazed mom and dad, Ava helped decorate the house...on November 5. (Josh is standing right beside her, I promise. I just cropped him out.)

Ava tries to help us decide where to put the star topper.

Daddy helps with final positioning.

Smooches in front of the Christmas tree, this picture will be at her wedding reception someday.


Last year Josh and I went to a Christmas Pops concert at Bass Hall with Courtney and Patrick. Since Ava was too little to go, we bought her this ballerina ornament for the tree. When I brought it out of the box she exclaimed, "Dancin' doll!", except it sounded more like "Day-en-cin' daaahl!"

Josh took over mantle-duty this year. His eye for balance and color never ceases to amaze me. This photo is a little blurry, and we have a few more details we want to add. But wow, it really is spectacular, even with the print-rich mantle label for Ava!

Baba bought Ava an icecream cone ornament for the tree this year. Ava would lick it and run over to me with glitter speckling her tongue. I'd give her a drink and help her degrit her mouth. Five seconds later she'd start licking the ornament again. I guess she'll learn eventually, maybe when all the glitter washes off.

Josh already has two presents already under the tree.

Oooh, so does Autumn...except isn't one of them a regift?

Ava received a VERY fun package in the mail from Mimi and Coach. Mamaw helped her open it. Mail was very exciting that day!

On Friday I went to Dallas to hear Lucy Calkins talk about her writing curriculum. For those of you who don't know who she is, she's the Elvis of teaching writing to children. It was an honor to meet her, even though her Yankee ways seemed a little abrupt when we met and she cussed like a sailor during her lecture.



To see all of the pictures from this album follow this link.