I almost forgot!

I have a big announcement. If you read the post when I got tagged again and it talked about my favorite book. Well I have something you all should know...WE WENT TO THE LIBRARY! On Saturday we went to the library and Riley, Ava and I all got some books. I got a parenting book, so I don't screw up my kid too badly, and I got a book on exercise physiology. I think that I am just a nerd and instead of liking books that have great stories, I like informative books, like text books are my favorite! So I am reading! I am going to be a good example to Ava and try to always have some kind of book around. Maybe she will love to read. (I didn't even get that out of my parenting book...man I'm good! jk)

Rexburg Temple Open House

The Rexburg Temple is done! The open house started on Dec. 29th, but we didn't get a chance to go until Friday. It was beautiful. There was a lot of wood work and amazing detail. It was the first temple open house I have been to and it was great to see so many people there, both LDS and not, getting to see how beautiful temples are. It is a great experience.
The dedication was suposed to be this weekend, but with the passing of President Hinkley, they postponed it a week. We are so Grateful for President Hinkley and his service. We will miss him very much, but are so happy for him as well. He is now back with his wife, whom he missed so dearly. He lived a great life and really made a difference. He is a great example for everyone on how to make the world a better place and really excelling to the end. We are grateful for temples and the opportunity they give us to be together as families forever! We love our family and wouldn't want it any other way!

Fun Weekend

Our Internet has been down for a while now, so I thought I would post a few cute pictures from this weekend. Ava had a lazy Saturday morning with Riley. I was out and they stayed home and watched the wiggles, and cleaned and I came home to a cute baby and a clean house! What a man! Then we went bowling that night with Shaun and Emily and there was a balloon guy there making balloons for the kids. He made Ava a hat and she loved it. She wore it all night. Emily (who is pregnant) won the second game so she got the wear the hat for a while. It was a lot of fun.

Superbowl Sunday!

SO... Sunday we thought it would be so fun to have friends over and have a little Superbowl party. We invited some friends, and they don't follow sports much either, but thought it was a good excuse to have a party, so they were in and said they would invite some friends. The plan was so have some food and play some games and just happen to have the Superbowl on in the background, since that was the excuse for the party. Well Sunday morning Emily called and said..."We are so excited to come over, but did you know the Superbowl isn't today?" I guess the other couple they invited actually watch sports and so they knew it wasn't Superbowl Sunday. They even knew which teams will be playing in the Superbowl! Amazing huh.
Well we got a good laugh and had a fun party anyway! I guess we will just have to have another one this weekend! :)
I thought that my family, being the fanatics about sports that they are, would find that especially funny. I guess I didn't get that gene. Oh well, I still like parties!

Here we go again!

I have been tagged by my sister Tamar

MY FAVORITES

Book: Hmm...read? I have never really liked to read for “fun”. I wish that I liked it more. I try to read with Ava so that she will like to read. I think it is important to read, I just don’t like to do it.

Movie: Black Beards Ghost. I love when they have the shooting scene with their fingers..

Color: I love Brown. Everything my whole life has been brown.

TV shows: All time favorite is What not to Wear. I love Stacey and Clinton. I also like Paula Dean, she’s only the best cook ever! So Food Network or TLC (CNN when Riley is home) is what is usually on.

Guilty Pleasures: I love frozen York peppermint patties. I have to agree with Tamar on the nap thing. I love to cuddle Ava and take a nap with her. I also love to turn on our heated mattress pad an hour before bed on full blast so it is nice and toasty when I get in it!

Outfit:Who knows. I have become the frumpiest stay at home mom. I love fashion, but we are too poor for new clothes, so I just put on whatever is actually clean! Sometimes it matches, sometimes it doesn’t. I try to at least take a shower and do my hair and make-up.

Body part: Hmm....this one is hard. I don’t like much, but I guess my eyes are okay. People seem to compliment those a lot.

Kitchen tip: Now were talkin! I love the kitchen. Get a good pair of tongs....use chicken stock instead of butter and salt in a lot of things, and when you have to cook meat, cook it in Vinegarettes instead of oil. It browns it and flavors it at the same time...what else....I could go on forever!

Life lesson: Love Love Love! It is so important to just love. Look at the good things in everyone and it is easier to love them. Laugh a lot and never take things too seriously. It is just life.

Activity: I love to go to the gym at night after Ava is asleep. Then I get to come home, tidy up the house and take a shower without a little girl crying at me. It is my favorite part of the day.

Food: I like cheese. Cheese is good on everything!

Child raising tip: Show them you love them and tell them that too. Spend time just playing and loving. It makes Ava so much happier when we just play together.

Pet peeve: Amen Tamar on the lateness. I HATE that! Someone once said, “when you show up late it is as if you are saying to everyone else, my time is more important than yours.” I thought that was deep....

Game: Catch Phrase as long as I am on Riley’s team. He is so funny!

Tattoo: Have you noticed how often I change my blog....my furnature set up....I have a issue with things that are too permanent....Tattoo, never! I would get sick of it in like a week!

Element: well I like Oxygen, that one always comes in handy.

I tag....Erin, Camille, Ashli and Cassie

Finally a little help...

Well all I can say is it's about time! Finally a little help around here!

Ava loves to help me sweep. She used to just love to play in the pile of food and dirt. Then she liked to help hold the dustpan, and now she thinks that sweeping is great fun! She loves pushing things and moving the dirt around. It is so cute.

Hopefully this enthusiasm will continue for at least a couple more years!

Sneak Peak at what an explosion looks like

So in church on Sunday a girl stood up and said that she was in her last semester of school and she needed a little help with watching her daughter. I thought that it would be fun for Ava to have a friend, so I volunteered. So on Tuesdays we have Katie Marie over for the morning and afternoon. She is a cute girl and only a few months older than Ava. I couldn't believe what two little one year olds could do to a house! Just look at my living room!

I find it humorous that in these pictures, there are a ton of toys out...and no one playing with them. It is just like they take them out just to have them out. Then move on to something else. I was amazed. They were carrying things out from Ava's room to the living room... I found the remote for my iHome in with the diapers and the toothpaste in the living room. It amazes me where things get placed.

It was lot of fun for Ava to have a friend over though, and so we look forward to Tuesdays, at least it distracts Ava for a few hours and I can get some other stuff done!

Here is just a cute one I threw in for the heck of it. She is feeling much better and back to her old wild child self!

Ava's little trick....

Well a glorious thing has happened because of all the throwing up that has been going on at our house this last week (and no it is not that I lost 10 pounds, that would be way too nice!) Ava has hit a point in her young life that I never thought would happen. She has now learned how to throw up on command. She can just start gagging and then stare at me and throw up. It's just that easy now. She doesn't even need to use her fingers like most bulimics! Lets take dinner last night, for example, we were finally having a real dinner. No one had the flu anymore and I was feeling 100%, so I cooked a nice dinner and we sat down at the table. Just after our first bite there she goes....she didn't like dinner, so she stares at me and starts throwing up down her shirt. I thought, can't we just have a normal meal that doesn't involve anyone throwing up!! I guess for now it is too much to ask.
These are the wonderful memories we are now living for! Who needs an exotic trip to Africa when family dinner can be so interesting!

Poor Baby....

Pictures say a thousand words, and I thought that this was certainly the case. Poor Ava has been so sick lately. She was never sick as a baby, but with all the traveling and snow, I think her little body just couldn't take it. She got a cold while we were on vacation, then was better for about a day...she got her one year vaccinations on Friday, and has been so sick! She hasn't eaten anything since Saturday morning.
She is watching the Wiggles right now and that is about all she can do without crying. She is also getting her last few teeth, and I hear those are the worst ones, so we have had a great new year!! :)
Riley started his new semester today, and was sick. Poor guy!
Hope everyone's new year is better than ours! :)

Christmas in Utah

When we got to Utah we opened more presents and Ava got some great toys and clothes. Here she is with Grandma Heidi opening her first present. She got these stuffed animals that play patty cake and this little piggy. She loves them!

Here is Riley with our new surround sound system from mom and dad Crebs and "Space Invaders" on DVD from his brother, Wyatt. Thanks Guys!

Here is Ava staring at her tickle me Cookie Monster. She was so afraid of it at first, as you can tell. But now she has Elmo and Cookie Monster and she loves to play with them and dance when they laugh.

We went out to dinner and then were going to see the Christmas lights. However, during dinner I got a HUGE glass of ice water spilt in my lap! I won't go into that story.....So we just did a drive by, cause Riley has never seen the lights at Temple Square. Most of the pictures were blurry and didn't turn out, but this one (taken by Riley while driving!) turned out pretty good!

Here is a cute one of Ava on the bed they got for Pepper the dog. It seems that Ava likes it more than Pepper though....he still prefers the couch!

Here is a good one of Ava and the giant remote! This is Zane's remote. Heidi said he told her he got it cause it would be hard to loose, but Heidi thinks it is so he can actually see the numbers!! :) Either way, it is huge and Ava looked hilarious when she would run around with a remote that was as big as her!

Grandma Heidi likes to spoil Ava, as any good Grandmother would...here's the proof! Razzleberry Pie with a cookie crust...what a mess, but she loved it! When she was done there was only a little bit of her forehead that was clean!

We had a great time and we miss everyone in Utah too! Thanks for letting us Crash your Christmas!

Christmas Morning

We spent Christmas morning in Northern Idaho. Then we hopped on a plane and spent Christmas night in Salt Lake. Now we are back in Rexburg and settling down before school starts again for Riley. Here are some pictures from the morning.

Ava kinda got into opening presents, but then once one was open she just wanted to play with it and not open anymore. It was still fun though!

This is Riley waiting to open presents. We got a call from my little sister who is in Peru on a mission, then had some brunch and didn't get to presents until around 10 so we were all ready!

Here is Riley with Payson, and the best Christmas present of all time.... A WHOPPY CUSHION! Once Payson realized what it did, he thought it was pretty cool.

Here is mom and a family friend 'Auntie' Ramona....who makes the best Christmas brunch ever!

And my dad and 'Uncle' Walter. We had a great Christmas morning and miss everyone so much!

Cousins!

The first part of the Holiday season we went up to Northern Idaho to visit the Griffitts side of the family. My sister and her family came from St. Louis to visit too! Ava got to spend some time with two of her cousins. Payson, who is 3 1/2 and Ashlyn who just turned one 3 weeks before Ava! They were hilarious to watch together. They were both just walking around and following each other. Ava was a little bit of a bully, but Ashlyn is used to it with Payson as her older brother. It was a great time and here are some pictures of the kids.
Here are the girls with Uncle Bud.

Here is Payson. He is the only boy cousin for now, but he represents well!

Here are the girls playing swords with plastic tubes.

Here is pretty little Ashlyn with her red hair and curls. It is so cute!

This is what the girls did all day long. Just ran around after each other!

Ava was in love with my mom's shoes. She laid there and would kiss them and touch them. What a strange child we have.

This is a cute one of Ava and Grandma Griffitts on her birthday.