Thomas and Friends

After watching an episode of Jon & Kate Plus 8 where they take the kiddos to spend a day out with Thomas, I found a similar event in Rusk, Texas. Ava, Josh and I drove to Coach and Mimi's house on Friday after school. The next morning we all woke up early and headed to see Ava's favorite TV star. I left Ava in her pajamas so she would be comfortable on the car ride.


Ava was very loving during our picnic. I think she was excited to be out of the car.

Enjoying a picnic with Mimi.

Ava and Abby braced themselves for a fun day.

After a yummy picnic lunch, we all headed to the station.

Ava peered down the tracks in search of her friends.

A much anticipated Thomas wound his way through the trees with a high pitched "peep peep".

Coach and Ava ventured forward to meet Thomas at the station.

A shiny Thomas blew smoke from his smokestack. He was beautifully blue!

Three thrilled Thomas fans

Bubbles, trains, and grandparents, if someone had been singing music from The Sound of Music Ava might have exploded with excitement!

We had fun perusing the gift shop/tent. Ava particularly enjoyed the Thomas tent.

Ava poses with Emily, Mommy's favorite train on the Island of Sodor. According to the theme song, "Emily really knows her stuff," as all really useful females must.

"Hello old friend," Ava says to all of the trains. This is as close to starstruck as a toddler can be. (She was almost as excited as Mimi would have been if Sting had been there.)

Ava was headed for the pond. A few seconds after this shot Daddy rushed to grab her.

There was so much applause from our little train lover that day. Most of our pictures of Ava had blurry hands.

Thomas surprised Ava and Coach with a loud "peep peep".

Happily on our way. The 30 minute train ride was just right for little Thomas fans.

We enjoyed perfect weather, pleasant company, and plenty of napping on the way home.

Fall pictures

Before I post the adorable fall pictures from today, I have to show off the latest addition to Ava's nursery. I never had a specific theme in mind with this sweet little room, just a color scheme and a vague idea. I've enjoyed piecing it together as we discover interests that she has. I found these adorable birds in the Pottery Barn Kids magazine, and had planned to make some of my own. However, back during the summer Mimi found them on sale for cheaper than we could make them...so she bought them for us! My little bird loves her little birds. There is a green daddy bird who rests on his nest tending the three baby birds. Pink mama bird hovers around tweeting specifics on how things should be done. Art imitating life? Perhaps.

And now to the pumpkins...

Pops, BaBa, Ava and Coco haul the pumpkins down to the picture spot.

Ava helps unload the harvest.

Sittin' pretty.

Yay, Ava threw an acorn!

Ava is a black kitten for Halloween. Here is a sneak preview.

This was such a funny moment. Ava is not too fond of Coco, and she was telling her to "Stop". She is such a good kitty.

Last but not least, Ava has mastered the kiss. She loves to smooch ya' right on the lips, and you better not try to back out of it too early. In this shot she has a death grip on my head...at least it's a loving death grip.

Fort Worth Zoo

Why did we even bring the stroller?

We all enjoyed feeding the birds!

Ava leans back as Daddy brings the green bird in a little too close.

Everyone helped to "shoulder" the Ava burden.

Look Baba, flamingos!

This is Ava's "I'm excited and I know where to go, follow me" stance.

Uncle Nate and Ava watch the monkeys wrestle.

Aunt Sarah holds Ava close as they watch the gorillas.

A few Sundays ago we decided to visit First Baptist Fort Worth Zoo. What fun!

Margaritaville?

Okay, does anyone else picture Jimmy Buffet every time the presidential candidates mention Warren Buffet?

I do it!

On the first chilly night of the season Ava and I played on the front porch. Her new pink jacket fits perfectly. Ava was excited to see the "big moon" that night. We were thankful to Hurricane Ike for jacket weather!


Oreos with Daddy and a new Thomas shirt...does life get any better than this?


Okay, I know Dr. Brandon Chiropractor is going to shoot me for this one. Ava was teething and GRUMPY on Sunday afternoon and I wanted to clean house. Nothing was satisfying her, so I thought I'd try this old trick from when she was tiny. It lasted about five minutes. Neither one of us could handle it. It's hilarious to me that her feet dangle down past my knees. Also, that's not a roll, my shirt is just bunching from the strap and 25 pounds of toddler:)


Saturday lunch at Rudy's during college football season. Absolutely perfect.


Mirror, mirror on the wall...


My perfectly swaddled sleeping toddler. After taking this picture I kissed her about a thousand times. What is it about a sleeping child that is so precious?


We were so lucky to have a brief lunch with Aunt Sarah and Uncle Brandon (or Uncle Hat) on Sunday after church. Ava was very excited, despite her funky face in this picture.


After a hard day in a new nursery room (thanks to promotion Sunday, grrr), lunch with Sarah and Brandon, and grocery shopping at HEB Ava was tuckered out. She fell asleep on the way home while munching on her perfectly coordinated sucker.

Ava has become SUCH a helper around the house. She loves to do any chores we do. I see it as an opportunity to modify (my teacher friends will appreciate that word) them in order for her to be successful. She will carry laundry past Josh and say "I helping Mommy!" When the dryer is empty she signs and says "more clothes". We want to enjoy this willingness to help while it lasts.

It was time for the toddler mullet to go, so Ashley H. came to give Ava her first haircut. We were so lucky that she was able to have her hair cut at home in her own highchair while watching her favorite show. Ashley expertly hid the scissors so Ava never knew what was happening. That face she's making above is because Ashley spritzed her with the water.

Watching Signing Time and waiting so patiently

The finished product! Our beautiful girl has perfect toddler hair, instead of looking like Billy Ray Cyrus.

The reason I named this post "I do it" is because that has been Ava's phrase of the week. She seems to have completely surpassed Erickson's self-doubt and embraced the autonomy. Whether it's getting dressed or buckling into the car seat, she wants to do everything herself. I love that she's independent and confident. Pray that we'll have the patience to encourage her to keep trying things on her own:)
If you'd like to see the complete album of pictures please follow this link.

After school fun!

Ava says "I love u" in the bathtub. These days it looks like she's bathing in alphabet soup!



Coach, Josh's dad, brought Ava this shirt at her first ultrasound. It finally fits! She had just put on Josh's socks and shoes (all by herself) and she was so proud.




This is the FABULOUS bulletin board outside my classroom. Our theme this year is "One family under the same sky." The background is Olympic newspaper pieces, and between the hands we wrote the lyrics to "With my own two hands". Thanks to my creative husband for a great display that wasn't too babyish for my 4th graders!





One of our neighbors had a birthday party. Even though Ava and one of the birthday girls were too little for the inflatable slide, they played happily in the baby pool. Ava appears to be dancing in this one.


Ava and London share big girl secrets.


So many things are happening around the Lockett house. I've been ordered not to say much about the future plans, (no, BaBa and Mimi, I'm not talking babies), but we'd love for you to pray that God will continue to reassure us of this path. Despite her unsettled Mommy and Daddy, Ava is happy and growing strong. These are her most recent accomplishments:

• Say and sing all of her ABCs
• Identify 7 or 8 of them by sight, and a few by sound (the other day she said "W mama, water, W" except she pronounces it "doublewoo")
• Count to 10
• Sign over 100 signs
• Identify red, orange, yellow, green, purple, blue, pink, gray, brown, black, and white
  
• Sing Do a Dear, Rock a By Baby, ABC, In a House In a Home, Colors of the Rainbow, Zoo Train, Signing Time theme
  
• Twinkle and poop in the potty, yes I said twinkle...it's so much more fun than tinkle. She only wears a Pull Up in public or at night, but 95% of the time it's dry when we put her back in panties (or Elmo's, as she calls them). I consider her POTTYTRAINED!
  
• Do laundry (help sort dirty clothes, transfer clothes from washer to dryer, put away folded clothes)
• Distinguish and describe things by "big" and "small"
• Log roll (thanks to Daddy)
• Jump from heights that scare everyone senseless (On the way to the ER after plummeting off of BaBa and Pop's stairs I asked her what happened. She replied, "Jump.")
• Spin
• Identify most animals and their sounds, even the bunny who apparently says "hop"
  
• Tell you who rides a school bus and what they do ("Girls and boys ride the bus, they go home to eat." exact phrasing)
  
• Keep everyone abreast of recent developments (as she runs past you she'll yell and sign "I'm running")
• Blow bubbles
  
• Identify most of the trains from Thomas and Friends
• "Dress" herself (heaven help you if you try to help her put on panties...yikes)
• Make her Mama brag like crazy...as you can see. Josh and I adore Ms. Ava James, and I'm sure if you suffered through that list you must love her too:) More pictures soon!