Ava @ 26 Months
Twenty-six months. That seems like an awfully big number, doesn’t it? But, it’s been two months since Ava’s second birthday and she’s grown and changed so much since then. We’re truly on our way to little girl-hood and it seems that we’re racing to leave toddlerhood behind. Before we blink and miss another few months, here’s a glimpse at Ava just as she is now.
*She’s potty-trained! Such a big life lesson and she accomplished it with so much confidence and independence. She’s so good at it that it’s not uncommon for her to tell us now, “Go away! Ava do it!” Granted, that only lasts until she needs help pulling her pants up, so she’s maybe not ready for college quite yet.
*Ava has a new best friend and she conveniently lives in any reflective surface on the planet! Our girl loves her reflection and evidently spends hours (really, hours) twirling and laughing with herself in the mirror at school. Windows at night are equally interesting. Don’t get me started on pictures and videos of the beauty. She’s obsessed.
*Favorite songs: Honey, Honey, from the MammaMia! Soundtrack; Taylor Swift’s Fearlessalbum; and The Monkey Dance, by the Wiggles. Any of the above will result in dress-up skirt wearing and twirling on the tile. Also, they will be played on repeat indefinitely.
*We still haven’t managed to help Ava master her colors, although we’re certain she can tell them apart since she can sort according to color. Everything is blue on the first inquiry. She may, in fact, be her mother’s daughter.
*Ava can count to ten and sing her ABCs. Her favorite letter, inexplicably, is J. It’s the only letter she can pick out of a line-up. Weird, right?
*We’ve got a very creative girl on our hands. She loves to paint and do other types of art. We’ve got a lot of it hanging up around the house and she’s pretty proud of her creations. The easel Daddy made for her birthday has been getting quite a workout.
*Ava loves to Skype with our families. Every time I bring out the laptop or we close media center on the TV, she says, “Hello? Papa?”
*In response to “Who are you?” the response is, “Ava Pappers.” She also knows our names and we play this game often because we think it’s hilarious how she says them. Here’s a little video so that you can have a chuckle too…
*Our girl is fiercely independent which sometimes challenges our sense of order, but she’s got a great sense of humor and a kind, compassionate heart that makes us proud. We’re so pleased that she’s a part of our family and so excited to see how much she’ll grow in the next few months. Here’s hoping, though, that she slows down…just a tiny bit. We don’t want to miss a thing.
New Haircut
Ava’s always had a ton of hair, so getting it to grow out has never been a challenge. The harder part has been keeping it pulled up and out of her face. In the old days, she sported a whale spout that was the envy of every other six month old on the planet. Then, just after her first birthday, I cut it into a very cute bob…the bangs made her look so old!
Lately, we’ve been letting her hair just grow and have been trying to grow those bangs out. Turns out keeping them trimmed and out of her eyes was more than I could keep up with. But, the tangles and the constant ponytails were getting on all of our nerves. (Just imagine the screaming when you take out four plastic ponytail holders every.single.night.)
So, it was off to a professional to get a new ‘do. I think it’s just darling and, boy, one tiny little ponytail is way easier on our morning routine and our bathtime prep!
Here’s the shaggy, unkempt before:
And the adorable after!
Happy Hour
Fridays around here usually find us doing happy hour nearly as soon as everyone returns to the casa. Ava loves happy hour (although she looks sort of bored in this photo) and enjoys laughing at all the jokes and joining in the conversation.
This Friday, in preparation for a party we were throwing on Saturday, we tested a recipe to recreate one of our favorite appetizers ever. The Dublin Pub in Dayton, OH, offers cheesy pub fries on their appetizer menu and they’re awesome. It’s been a long time since we’ve been to the D-Pub, so we tried them out ourselves. Our replication isn’t exact, obviously, but man….they were awesome! I see many more very happy hours in our future with this treat!
A Walk in the Desert
We’ve been making an effort to get out and walk more, especially on weekends, since the new year began. About a mile from here, near the park where we hosted Ava’s birthday party, is a horse park. It’s wide-open desert space on which horses are allowed to be exercised. The park also has a few miles of sidewalk-type trail – perfect for stroller or unrestrained toddler walking.
It was a beautiful day and Ava wouldn’t stay restrained in her stroller very long. She easily ran a mile and a half. The best part of the walk? The three hour nap girlie took that afternoon. 
Potty Trained Princess
Just a quick update on potty training. I think it’s fair to say we have a graduate! Ava has been doing great going on the potty, both at school and at home. And, I have to say, it was a relatively painless experience. She was ready, we had plenty of time, and we were lucky things worked out so well. We haven’t tackled nighttimes yet, but school nearly has naptime under control.
All that glowing news aside, I wouldn’t really be a mommy-blogger if I didn’t ever post some “will be embarrassing in high school” pictures of my kid. Ava did have a few accidents during the first couple of weeks and, sometimes, if it was close to bedtime, we didn’t bother with more clean clothes before her bath.
On this particular evening, our very beautiful princess had wet herself, but then decided running bare wasn’t going to cut it. So, naturally, she chose the only scratchy skirt in her dress-up arsenal to put against her bare skin – the skirt she won’t wear over clothes because it bothers her. Oh, the logic and hilarity of toddlerhood!
Our pretty, potty-trained princess checking herself out in the mirror!