The Ghost of Christmas Present

Don't you just love this guy?

In case you're not the Christmas nut that I am, this is the Ghost of Christmas Present from A Christmas Carol. On a recent trip to The Lobby of Hobbies, Josh and Ava decided to try on wreaths and my mind mind instantly went to him.

I love this guy too, and yes you read that right. They decided to try on wreaths.

We never did this when Josh was a 1L.

Garland fu manchu

Berry cute

Downright dapper

On Friday we found a surprise on our front porch.

Ava went out to investigate.

Halloween packages from Mimi!

Of course we plopped right down and tore into them.

Can you tell that Halloween is Mimi's favorite holiday? She sent Ava a present to open for every day in October. Per Mimi's instruction, Ava began by putting the presents in order. Since the package arrived on October 8th, Ava unwrapped eight presents at once. Thank you Mimi!

When not playing Stair Soccer, Daddy and Ava can often be found playing dollhouse. He does all the best voices and scenarios.

Ava eats it up.

On Saturday morning Ava opened package number 9 and found a bunch of colorful bugs and bubbles in a ghost container.

She spent breakfast time creating a community for the bugs.

In this picture I had accidentally moved one of the bug 'houses' and she was fixing it.

On Saturday night HLS and I went out on a date. We saw The Social Network (fantastic, by the way) and ate a late dinner. It was so perfect. After a desperate Facebook plea for a babysitter I received many responses, calls, and texts. The winning sitters were Stacy and Rich.

Stacy brought Ava a Sonic drink, groceries to make pizza and M&M cookies, and specially written recipe cards just so Ava could read them. They discussed fractions and learned to read the words 'teaspoon' and 'tablespoon'.

I'm wondering if maybe Stacy's last name is Poppins.

According to Stacy, this is Ava making my 'cooking gameface'. Stacy and I cook dinner for our church one Wednesday night a month so I guess she would know.

Yummy

Food is so much more fun to eat when you help cook.

Ava and her Rich
(Rich is the youth minister at OWC - see sidebar for Bloggy decoding)

Delicious dessert

They wrapped up the evening with a game of hide-and-seek. Ava was incredibly sad to see us return from our date. She stomped and refused to come downstairs. It's so nice to know that she had as much fun as we did, maybe more. No guilt necessary.

***Random, I know***
Do you ever feel like you have Mom Crazies? They're kind of like Holly Golightly's Mean Reds. I still check on Ava at night to see if she's breathing. I check her fan and humidifier cord for frays nightly, can't be too careful with fire safety. I kiss her at least 78 times a day. Today I asked Josh how much time he thought we'd shave off of our 'get ready' time if I didn't have to kiss Ava the entire time she was sitting in my lap putting on shoes. And we have our own little Marco Polo where I shout, "Ava, I love you" if I can't find her and she absolutely has to reply if she is within earshot, which she almost always is. It's not an OCD kind of life-interrupting necessity. She seems to be accustomed to it. Recently I stumbled across this poem on a website and I was floored. Maybe you've read it before, but if not please read. If you've ever read a post on my blog and thought, "She is crazy. I can't believe she _______________," chances are this poem will explain my very sincere motives for every mothering choice I make.

Sometimes I may hug you a little too tight,
I may even check on you ten times a night,

Sometimes I may kiss you a little too much,
Cling to you, sing to you, tickle and such,

As you grow up you may notice me kissing your nose,
Touching your hair, feeling your toes,

I may cry when you walk, laugh when you talk,
Scream when you're late, coming home from your date,

I may very often pull you near
Because I don't want you to see my tears,
I never will want you to have my fears,
Because I need you to know I hold you so dear,

Cause you see, I'm not just your mother
A long time ago, I lost another.

Later this month will mark five years since we lost our first sweet baby. That loss isn't something I think about a lot, thankfully. There was a time I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to say that. Josh and I were in our first year of marriage and going through hell at church. Those of you who are on staff at a church know that it is actually possible to 'go through hell at church'. It was one of the lowest points of our marriage. I dreaded the baby's due date as it loomed on the calendar. A day sure to be filled with the heaviness of our empty arms. God had other plans for Memorial Day 2006. Early that Monday morning Ms. Ava James entered our life in the form of two blue lines on a stick. The. Very. Day. What could have been a day of grief turned out to be a fluttering of hope. And that is exactly what Ava continues to be in our lives. A light. A bright warmth. An absolute joy. I hope she'll forgive me my Mom Crazies as I continue to love her the only way I know how.

I can't end on such a sappy note. I have to share my booty from the Just Between Friends consignment sale. My dear friend, Abby, let me use her special pass to enter the sale this afternoon. The rest of the world has to wait until tomorrow.

Top Row
Gymboree sweater dress, Hannah Anderson baby cord dress, Gymboree sweater dress
Middle Row
Old Navy turtle neck, Lilly Pulitzer button sweater, Sprockets vest
Bottom Row
Children's Place skirt, Janie & Jack and Baby Gap outfits for Nolan, Baby Bjorn for Uncle B

How much did all of that cost me?
$68!!!

None of the clothes look like they've even been worn. My prize find is the Lilly Pulitzer button sweater - $6. A similar sweater on their website right now is marked $58.
Thank you thank you thank you Abby!