The Fiery Darts

Betty Stats

2011-12-14T21:44:00.000-05:00

Betty had her 15-month appointment last week.
At 18 lbs 2 oz she is in the -3% for weight. Don't ask me how negative percentiles are possible, I can not wrap my head around it.

Her length is 29 inches, 14% and her Head is 18.25 inches and a whopping 65%.

What's Betty's secret to staying slim? She drops it like it's hot.

Last dance video, I promise. Unless she does something cuter than this, which is unlikely.

Also, in other news, a boy in Ava's class called her "hot" yesterday, which is disturbing and funny at once. It upset Ava, I suspect because she wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing. The teacher asked him what he meant and he said "I don't know, Quentin was saying it first." Ahh, kindergarten love.

Captain Slow

2011-12-01T12:16:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago Ryan was helping Asher use the potty. If you have been around Asher, you have probably noticed that he moves at a snails pace. Ryan was getting frustrated with his antics, which were turning the task at hand into a lengthy ordeal. Asher, always a charmer, started giggling and hopped off the potty with a wad of toilet paper stuck in between his cheeks, he said "I'm yike a wabbit!" and started hopping around.

tiny dancers

2011-11-15T15:22:00.001-05:00

Betty's first dance. We did not teach her the wave...it's all natural. This is when she was 11 months old but I think she started this one around 9 months.

Betty's next dance. She just started this one last week. We are impressed with her symmetry.

And an awkward rendition of the chicken dance.

Betty took her first steps today.

2011-11-09T22:40:00.001-05:00

my baby book is packed up in a box. the blog will have to do.

Betty's first adorable, cautious steps were towards her dad...her fav person right now.

ya...she's 14 months and just took her first step. her besties are younger than her and have been walking for months.

randoms.

2011-11-08T21:07:00.001-05:00

Halloween. Ryan, Dinosaur, Ladybug, Dancing Fairy. We went to only 5 houses. It was perfect!

kitchen slowly going gray. Hood is stainless steel under the protective coating.

first pigtails!

What Asher's face looks like when he's dancing.

overdue

2011-11-08T20:56:00.003-05:00

Back in September, Ava had a birthday!! I really should post more often. We invited a gaggle of kids and whoever else they wanted to bring along to the local park where I reserved a shelter. It takes a village to throw a party, as it turns. I put my parents, my sister and her husband, and my husband to work entertaining kids and setting up and serving pie.

Ava is a sweet, sentimental girl who cares at least as much about getting a card in the mail as a gift. She loves her family, including cousins and grandparents, fiercely. Last week she ran to her bedroom and wept because she couldn't stand to say goodbye to Grandma D on skype. Ava has a soft spot in her heart for all things tiny. She tries her hardest to be obedient, especially at kindergarten where she carries a big water bottle to and from school in her backpack so it doesn't make her desk look messy.

Add it to The List

2011-11-03T13:22:00.001-05:00

Somehow, in between summer vacation, working, and furniture market, Ryan has managed to check many items off the list. I did some really great work, too, my main contribution being painting our front door a shocking periwinkle. My next project is to repaint the front door darker blue.

Continuing from our original The List

Since June 3rd, we have (Ryan has) :
12. Installed harwoods in the kitchen
13. sanded and stained the the main living area, but not the bedrooms or back hallway
14. made and installed new trim and dustboards in the living room and family room (thanks Dad!)
15. Painted the living room, family room, and part of the kitchen (credit goes to my Dad, Mom, and Sara Jayne for helping us with this!) including the new trim
16. Installed new fan in the family room
17. Removed the soffit above our kitchen cabinets
18. Added trim to the tops of cabinets
19. Added an extra cabinet in a newly created empty spot in the kitchen
20. removed the bridge cabinets and hood that were above the cooktop and replaced it with a new hood
21. Sanded cabinets and started priming and painting them...our kitchen no longer has that 70's orange glow!

Next up: kitchen countertops and backsplash.

Cousin time

2011-10-18T12:30:00.000-05:00

We are so lucky. My sister and her kids came to visit. We loved having them and it was a perfect 83 degree day. My very talented and creative neice, Riley, took these pictures, loaded them onto our computer, and edited them before she left. What a wonderful gift!

timidity.

2011-10-05T20:06:00.000-05:00

I wish I could be a fly on the wall in Ava's classroom. She doesn't tell me much about what goes on there. I was asking her about friends at school one day and she told me that a boy named Finn sits next to her at lunch and she had just spoken to him that day. It went a little something like this, as the kids around her attempted to identify the kind of juice that was in a certain capri sun.

Ava: "It's kiwi-strawberry."
Finn, to one of the other kids : "She talked!!"

It was a fluke.

2011-09-15T22:11:00.001-05:00

remember 17 minutes ago when I told you how betty slept through the night last night? well, not tonight.

For the record

2011-09-15T21:42:00.000-05:00

Betty slept from 7 pm to 5 am last night.

Betty is 1!!

2011-09-10T13:43:00.001-05:00

Betty at 1: Our smiliest baby, and to answer the question we get asked all the time: yes, she is always that happy.

Gives the best tight hugs and open-mouth cheek kisses ever.

Doesn't care much for solid foods.

Seeing a dog or a balloon=shrieks of joy.

Likes to try on shoes.

Gets a kick out of sitting by herself in different chairs.

Loves other babies, especially patting them hard on the head.

Takes good care of her dolls and stuffed animals.

Does not enjoy being thrown or turned upside down at all.

Tiny.

Her new trick is zerberts on my neck.

Still waking up at night, but much better as of the last couple of weeks (only 1-2x/night now),

Hates the car, loves to go for walks in the wagon or stroller.

Party people!

She knew just what to do with this cardboard thing that came around the gapkids box

And the chocolate frosting, as well

9th Day of School

2011-09-10T13:28:00.002-05:00

I didn't take any 1st day of school pictures. Have I failed as a mother? I'm trying to be better so I took some pics today. Her outfit was cuter today anyway. Unfortunately, it's dark enough outside when we leave that I had to use the flash. Don't know why it's showing up sideways. (also- the swimsuit competition pose is all her.) By the time she hopped out of the car at school I didn't need flash anymore so I caught her waving at me.

Asher, not to be outdone, wanted some pictures of his letter B's today. Actually I think he just wanted to make faces at the camera but I almost wept over the cuteness of the B's.

Looks can be deceiving

2011-09-05T15:26:00.004-05:00

This is a caterpillar on the edge of the table in our backyard. So cute and fuzzy. You might imagine that giving it a little cuddle would be kind of like snuggling with a tiny kitten or a tuft of Patrick Swayze's hair. Not so. Ryan was cutting up a branch in our yard a couple days ago when he felt a pain in his arm. He looked down to find this little guy crawling on his shirt. He didn't immediately connect the pain with the caterpillar. Lil' Patrick Swayze was just too cute.

Swayze is a puss caterpillar, we now know, and the most poisonous caterpillar on the continent. His soft exterior hides poisonous spindles underneath which can cause pain ranging from a bee-like sting or, commonly, pain so terrible you think you are having a heart attack or dying. Ryan's pain was somewhere in-between, starting with stinging pain at the site and intense pain radiating up his arm and concentrating in the lymph nodes in his armpit.

So today when we saw one of these guys in our yard we did not go near it. Turns out he's harmless, of course. But ew!

Then I found a partially devoured grub, still alive and wiggling while ants were eating it. I'll spare you the picture of that one.

Ahh, nature.

In all my years of NC living I have never seen anything like either of these until this week!!

Dart kids, 11ish months.

2011-08-11T20:52:00.006-06:00

Ava and I were looking through some old blog posts yesterday when we saw these pics of Asher. Ava asked if it was Betty. They always look alike but these 2 pics are uncanny. Asher has only his 2 bottom teeth, like Betty. She pulls these same faces, too.

So I went way back in posts to find some pics of Ava also around 11 months, which is the age of Asher in these pics and the age of Betty right now. She has her own look.

Are they cute or what?

2011-07-24T18:34:00.002-06:00

Betty and Penn, yesterday

2011-07-24T18:23:00.001-06:00

Dart Family Reunion 2011.

Betty and Cousin Penn lounging on a furry rug.

win a trip to paris.

2011-06-15T19:33:00.001-06:00

you guys, you can win a trip for 2 to paris. For real. http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

2011-06-03T20:51:00.002-06:00

I keep meaning to make a list of all the changes we have made on the house...just for the record. I also keep meaning to post pictures from when Ryan's parents and Riley came to visit in April. Life is just so busy right now. This is what we've been up to ince we moved into our home (and by we, I mean industrious Ryan and his very industrious parents.)

Since Jan 22:

-Knocked down 3 walls plus some partial wall

-moved the wiring contained in those walls into walls that still exist

-Removed one row of overhead cabinets from the kitchen

-removed 2 beams from family room ceiling

-patched up and sanded all the ceilings and walls where walls and beams used to be.

-built a shed, thanks to Ryan M. (still needs doors and windo

ws...but at least some tools now reside in the shed instead of on the patio and in the living room)

-Dug up 2 extremely overgrown flowerbeds, dug a new shape for one of them, and mulched them

-Removed the linoleum from our previous "entryway" and installed hardwood flooring

-Ryan's mom put in hours and hours of picking at our nightmarish kitchen wallpaper. 3 layers of wallpaper, one of them was painted on.

-She also prepped, primed, and painted Betty's room. Purple!

In the process of:
-removing 3 layers of lineoleum and one layer of wood sheeting (sub-floor? ) from the kitchen, to be replaced with more hardwood flooring. (This is a challenging project because the further ryan gets on it the worse it looks. You thought the current linoleum in our kitchen was bad? You should have seen what was under that! ug. Can't wait until the wood is installed!)
-making new trim and replacing old trim with it.

Next up:
-sand and stain the flooring in the whole house.

Also on the list:
-too much to remember.

Ava

2011-05-27T13:42:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I was changing Asher's diaper and Ava said "Asher's legs are chubby." Then she studied me for a minute and said "Your legs are looking kind of chubby too, Mom."

Touche, Asher.

2011-04-30T15:53:00.004-05:00

Last night in the bath Asher started throwing water at Ava with a big cup. I scarcely had taken the cup out of his hands and he had the shampoo bottle submerged with the cap open so as to dilute it. I removed all other "ammunition" including cups, shampoo, and soaps. He immediately announced that he peed in the tub.

Asher Quotes

2011-03-25T20:29:00.002-05:00

I will never tire of Asher's sweet little voice and speech impediment. Or his sweet little observations ("I see a baby cow and it has black and it has white and he is eating his favorite soup!") . Or made-up words ("Mom! This is where I sitted lasternight!").

So I regularly take videos of him talking. I will miss it when he grows out of all that cuteness. He turned 3 last saturday. And sitting on a bar stool at Grandma's house, eating cupcakes with the family, he said "Look!!! I'm having my party!".

our house...the before video

2011-03-15T10:26:00.004-05:00

hey guys, here is our house. They are small rooms, so it was hard to get back far enough so you could actually get a good view of the room. It looks quite different now.

Also- I'm available to narrate your home videos. Or your professional videos. Whatev.

Betty Now

2011-02-28T15:31:00.001-05:00

Today's the greatest

2011-02-26T22:04:00.004-05:00

shed building day. The cousins came up to visit while the Ryans and Grampy worked on the shed. Said shed did not get much attention with the camera.

Oh and maybe I should mention...we moved. Some day I will get around to posting a picture of our house. It's a fixer-upper so I hesitate to post before pics when we don't have any afters, but it's going to be a long time before we have any after pictures. So far we (and by "we" I mean Ryan) have knocked down a few walls, knocked one row of cabinets down, and built most of a shed.

Dart girls.

2010-11-09T22:11:00.003-05:00

Does this bow make my head look small?

New shoes courtesy of Grandma Dart!

The other kids

2010-11-09T21:59:00.003-05:00

Since I am a lot less coherent than I was when I started this blog 5 years and 3 children ago, another post of just pictures of kids will have to do.

Halloween Trunk or Treat

2010-11-03T22:01:00.002-05:00

We had a dinosaur, a witch, and a flower this year for Halloween

A Spooky Blessing Day

2010-11-03T21:41:00.003-05:00

Betty was blessed on Halloween!

Notice the lace Grammy sewed onto Betty's gown around the bodice and at the bottom of the dress. She also made her a headband but it was gone by the time we took these pictures.

Isn't she sweet?

Betty: Happy and sad

2010-10-03T09:40:00.004-06:00

The Last 9 Months: Part 3

2010-08-29T20:54:00.003-06:00

My token Pregnancy pic. Here I am at 34 weeks. Now I'm almost 39 and quite a bit bigger.

And a video of Asher, just chatting about his cousin Chase (Chaser-man) and such.

The Last 9 Months: Part 2, Cancun

2010-08-29T20:28:00.006-06:00

May, 2010 we somehow justified taking a trip to Mexico. Grammy watched the kids, and we were pampered at a beautiful resort. We still think about it often and miss the good old days of stepping outside of our hotel room and into the lazy river.

Yeah, that's a frozen drink in a monkey pineapple.

We invited 2 of our favorite people, Candice and Dave, to come along and were pleasantly surprised that they were up for it!

I didn't participate in the long jump in my delicate condition, but it was one of the highlights of the trip. Other good times include wind surfing, mini-sailboats, the time we raced Candice and Dave in the sea kayak tour (we totally won but I'm pretty sure their kayak was full of water), water aerobics in a pool full of drunk people, delicious french food, and most of all just being with friends and relaxing.

The Last 9 Months: Part 1

2010-08-29T19:36:00.007-06:00

Quick, before I have tons of new baby pics to post, here are the last 9 months in review.

Asher Turned 2 in March! Now I'll brag a bit about him a bit, for posterity. He is so fun and full of personality. He has a shy side, but most of the time he's trying to make us laugh. He is also really smart and a great conversationalist for age 2. He was counting to 11 before he even turned two, and he now knows most of the (capital) letters by sight. He loves to torture his sister but he really loves her. When she is away, Asher asks me "where's my friend?" and when she gets home he attacks her with a hug while she stands there awkwardly stiff. I always meant to tell you guys about the time that we heard "Just Dance" on the radio and Asher, not even 2 yet, asked in his little toddler voice "Is this Yady GaGa?". We love this boy!

In March we learned that we will be having another baby girl! I am not so sure Ava would have accepted a boy. As it is, she is ecstatic and so are we!

We became the proud owners of a minivan! Don't be jealous.

Beach trip in April! our only trip to the coast this summer was fantastic. We went for a weekend with my two brothers and their families. Next year we hope to go more often!

deprivatized again.

2010-01-17T21:39:00.001-05:00

sorry guys. I don't know what's wrong with me. Now you can watch the apple clip, too. because I know you've been dying to watch asher eat an apple.

more where that came from

2010-01-16T23:18:00.002-05:00

I took a video of Asher today, and I thought it might be nice to post something same-day instead of weeks or months down the road.

One peaceful morning I took a video of asher eating cereal in silence. I just knew it was going to be the cutest thing in the world- I just love the way little kids eat and the expressions they make. Unfortunately, that video was lost but since then I've been preoccupied with replicating it. This isn't quite as adorable and groggy as early morning cereal, but post-bath apple can be pretty cute. so can post-bath hair.

She'd rather have a hug-o-war

2010-01-16T11:42:00.000-05:00

We had a really fun christmas. all of my siblings came home and we all had a blast, but the cousins (all 15) were really in heaven. They had a tug-o-war, which Ava cried through the whole time. She's not used to working that hard.

deprivatized.

2010-01-15T22:34:00.001-05:00

you can now watch the video below.

Shoot mom

2010-01-13T23:09:00.002-05:00

Asher is obsessed with this nerf gun. He is not quite strong enough to do it by himself but he was so cute trying that we took a video.

Utah trip pics

2009-10-04T13:43:00.000-06:00

Ava and Asher spoiled their lunch at Grandma Velma's house

Flaming Gorge
and the kids all tuckered out after flaming gorge

more wedding photos

2009-10-04T13:34:00.000-06:00

The very happy couple!
The reception was held at the home of some friends of SJ's family. The location was amazing. I wish I had taken more pictures of it!

Ty and Sara Jayne's reception

2009-10-04T13:31:00.000-06:00

Tyler and Sara Jayne were married in August and the reception was so beautiful! Here are some shots of our family at the reception

cousins
Sara Jayne and her flower girls (minus a couple latecomers!)

cousins

2009-06-22T05:41:00.000-06:00

ava, kaela, amelia, avery.

Ava had a blast with all the girls, but her true hero is Avery. Avery was sweet to take care of her and play with her all week. It was a dream come true for both of us.

Beach

2009-06-22T05:34:00.000-06:00

We went to the beach for a week for a family reunion, Ryan's side. It was beautiful and the kids loved playing in the sand and water (or "bubble" if you're asher...) every day.

Evening at the beach

Avery and Ava at the aquarium
Asher told Grandpa all about the birds at the aquarium.

Ava: serious and sassy

2009-06-22T05:29:00.000-06:00

Photo posing and styling by Ava. Including bag slung across her body "just like daddy."

Easter pics, better late than never

2009-06-22T05:23:00.001-06:00

I finally got the computer to acknowledge my camera! So, long overdue, here are some pics from our Easter egg hunt at Grandma's house. It started out as a small party but one thing led to another and soon there were 60 people and probably hundreds of eggs.

The anxious children wait to fill their baskets.

Cookie contest- who can bite theirs into the shape of a bunny?

Look at those two cute little easter eggs...

We found the last of the easter eggs hiding in Asher's mouth.

Asher vs. Ava

2009-05-19T10:58:00.004-06:00

Ava is the one with the pink blanket. I meant to post their newborn pictures side by side a long time ago...like before Asher hit toddler status. I'm finally getting around to it. since I can no longer upload pictures from my camera to my computer, I thought it was a good time to post some classics.

And this last picture is just because Ryan loves it so much and I just located it on my mom's computer. That is a cute little pout and kick, isn't it? She still does this.

Have you seen the back of Asher's head?

2009-03-30T13:45:00.000-06:00

It's fantastic.

Also, design mom is having an ask design mom week. Including a contest, of course, so check it out.

After

2009-03-18T12:17:00.000-06:00

Our new kitchen color. It turns out I don't hate the color of our cabinets after all, they just needed a complimentary wall.

Before And

2009-03-18T12:12:00.000-06:00

This is the previous owner's choice of kitchen color. And somehow it looks much better and muted in this picture than it did in real life. Real life was more glowing.

Ash-Dog

2009-03-17T11:18:00.003-06:00

e
Asher seems so old now, doesn't he? Check out these cranky faces he's been making...like he's about to throw a fit or something.

He turns one on thursday and I feel that toddlerhood is upon us. But he's still my sweet baby who likes to pat his naked tummy.

Retraction

2009-03-10T22:14:00.002-05:00

It has been brought to my attention that I have linked to a blog which may not be appropriate for this family blog. I should look closer before linking to other websites. In addition to embarrassingly bad blog design, weird writing, and sketchy links, Next Top Design's main advertiser is called "manjoolz". Don't google that.

Here's another, classier post about Quarry. Design Milk.

one more thing....

2009-02-26T15:34:00.002-05:00

who hijacked my blog and posted this playlist? And how long has it been there?

Thanks for introducing Asher to Young MC, he's loving it.

good news

2009-02-26T15:19:00.006-05:00

I just wanted to drop in and let all of Ryan's fans know that he has updated his website (www.RyanDartDesign.com ) with a store section where you can buy some of his products, like this handy stackable crate. They're quite versatile and paintable, too, if you're crafty.

His quarry table been featured on a couple of blogs like Next Top Design and mocoloco .

Today is the greatest

2009-02-15T15:08:00.003-05:00

When Ava was having "quiet time" I went up to the playroom, and out of hearing-range of Ava. Noises tend to distract her from sleep, and she really needed a nap on this particular day.

About 15 minutes into quiet time, I heard some noises but ignored them. 20 minutes later I went back downstairs to discover that Ava had indeed gone to sleep. But not before this:

That's right. She changed her own poopy diaper then went back to bed and went to sleep.

It took at least 10 wipees (see picture), but she actually did a perfect job of cleaning herself up. I'm not sure if she's trying to grow up or trying to stay a baby.

I only used my camera once this weekend

2009-02-15T15:06:00.000-05:00

We decided to take a roadtrip while Ryan was away this weekend. We were lucky enough to have my friend Sarah along with us. She is so fun to have around, and as you can see from the picture she doubled as my nanny this weekend. She should get paid for this.
We visited Brennan and rachel in richmond, then we visited my friend paige and the sweetest 1-year-old I know, Gabe. I didn't even notice that I didn't take any pictures of them while we were there.
Asher's second time in the swing. He was loving it!
Hugfest when we said goodbye to the cousins and Rachel.

Leaf Sequence

2009-02-11T15:14:00.000-05:00

Wings

This was a beautiful warm sunday in January. Days like these make me so happy to be in NC!

This is what I meant to post yesterday

2009-02-11T14:17:00.003-05:00

Here is Asher around Thanksgiving, 2008. We were trying to get him to say his first word, which I swear he said as clear as day at least once. It's been almost 3 months, and he has added only 2 words to his repertoire: uh-oh and thank-you. Except for that first word, he is actually quite genteel. Maybe if you're really lucky I'll post a video of his latest. Give me 3 months or so.

circa nov 29, 2009

2009-02-10T15:30:00.000-05:00

Christmas and Snow in NC

2009-02-09T21:03:00.002-05:00

A va looking at her presents under the tree. This is the first year that she realized that some of them were for her.
Ava hasn't seen the snow since we left Pennsylvannia. Here she is so excited that her jaw is drooping to the right side. She still is cute though.
Asher loved his toy on Christmas morning.

and a happy new year!

2008-12-29T14:32:00.000-05:00

Hallow's Eve

2008-11-05T15:35:00.000-05:00

Here are the Joyschool kids in their Halloween Parade. Who knew a parade of 3 could inspire so much joy? They were all dressed like cats, of sorts. We did not even plan that!! (Lydia, Ian, and Ava)

On the real Halloween Ava was a piggy. She has been insisting on it for weeks, but I couldn't find a costume for her. It came down to me spending all day making felt ears, nose, and tail. I was really annoyed when she wouldn't wear the nose after all the effort...so ryan and I wore it and took pictures. Ryan looked really creepy in his pictures, like that twilight zone where the people have pig faces, so I am not posting his. Asher was a dinosaur.
Also, check out my new newphew, Darwin. Isn't he the cutest little vampire you've ever seen? I wish I could see him in person, but he lives in Utah.

My cherubim

2008-11-05T15:21:00.001-05:00

This weekend we updated our family picture. As always, it was hard to get a picture of all of us looking good. But Asher was a winner in every shot, even when he was not smiling. Here are a couple of him. And yes, he is as sweet as he looks.

I'm not posting the entire family pics, because maybe I will actually send out my Christmas card this year and you can see it then. Or maybe I'll just do a "Christmas post"

Never before caught on film

2008-11-04T23:18:00.000-05:00

This smile.

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-10-20T14:25:00.000-05:00

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

wow, kathleen has outdone herself. look at this costume!

Dollhouse Frock GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-10-14T12:20:00.002-05:00

Dollhouse Frock GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Dudes! I won this! hooray!

and I didn't even know it until my friend liz saw me on the winners list. THANKS, LIZ! I can't wait to see it on Ava. I will post pictures.

also, while I'm at it- Liz, can I be invited to your blog? I haven't talked to you in so long I think last time we spoke your name was Elizabeth.

Shenandoah Costume GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-10-14T12:11:00.000-05:00

Shenandoah Costume GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Last year's birthday

2008-10-13T11:39:00.000-05:00

Here is Ava on her 2nd birthday! How she's matured!

Ava's 3!

2008-10-13T11:36:00.001-05:00

Now Ava is 3! Here she is on the day of her Painting Party. We had a lot of fun. She is such a sweet little girl and she's matured so much in the last year!

In contrast with last year, Ava now goes to sleep at night and for naps without anybody (me) sitting next to her. She is a big helper around the house unloading dishes, wiping up spills, and cooking. She is a very loving big sister and she is first to cheerfully greet Asher when he wakes up from a nap. She is into painting, drawing, learning letters, and computer games.

Red Riding Hood Jacket GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-10-02T12:35:00.000-06:00

Red Riding Hood Jacket GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Angel Loaf

2008-09-26T13:27:00.000-06:00

We just can't get enough of this guy. He is so happy all the time. Plus, his thighs are deliciously enormous.

Asher's latest feats are sitting up, eating a lot, and almost crawling but face-plowing into the carpet instead. His babyhood is flying by!

modmom

2008-09-22T15:19:00.001-06:00

http://modmom.blogspot.com/2008/09/modmom-breast-cancer-awareness-giveaway.html

If you don't read modmom, you probably should. Especially if you want to win a the breast cancer awareness Dyson. I do.

2008-09-10T09:26:00.000-06:00

A bee

2008-09-10T09:19:00.000-06:00

Ava: "Look Mom! I'm a bee! I want to climb that. " (as she points to the wall, in her costume from Halloween 2005)

First Day of Joy School

2008-09-09T13:54:00.000-06:00

Ava loved Joy School and she was so cute, answering questions in her little language of meows and clicks.

more beach pics

2008-09-01T12:27:00.000-06:00

Beach!

2008-09-01T12:22:00.001-06:00

We finally made it to the beach this summer! I get this craving for the beach every year around February, and it usually doesn't go away until I get to the beach. This year I wasn't sure if I would make it, because it is kind of a pain to bring a newborn to the beach. We decided it was worth it to make a vacation out of it and get a hotel room on the beach so Asher could still get enough naptime in and we could get enough beach time in.

This is Ryan and Ava on our boat tour around the sound. It was really a fun tour, and we enjoyed dreaming about owning a beach house someday. Someday when we have a few million $ to spare.
Here is Ryan boogie boarding. The water was perfect (81 degrees) and the weather was perfect, too (overcast and 80's, not too hot!). Look at that beautiful water. Have I converted you out-of-state people to the NC coast yet?
Ava met a friend, Olivia, at the beach. They are only a few weeks apart in age and they happen to live in the same town as us. Here is Ava, Olivia, and Olivia's Pop. Ava was ready to join their family.
I have always been in love with the beach, but seeing Ava splash in the water or holding asher as he gets lulled to sleep by watching the water and sea foam swirl around my feet is incomparable sheer joy.

Ava and Asher

2008-09-01T09:18:00.000-06:00

Ava's been really good to take care of Asher while I blow dry my hair or gather laundry. Her new favorite thing is to cradle him, which looks hilarious as he is nearly as big as she is.

Asher is such a good sport.

new haircut

2008-08-24T14:10:00.000-06:00

Ava's Vacay Round-Up

2008-08-19T20:25:00.000-06:00

I have a million pictures of Ava from our trip to Ryan's family reunion. Here is a sample of Ava's reunion activities.

Here, she was so exhausted that she fell asleep in the car on the way to the community water park and actually transferred inside and continued to sleep beside a very loud indoor pool. If you know anything about Ava's sleeping habits, you know that is a miracle.

Vogue-ing in the living room.
bubble bath with the cousins
And just being her adorable self.

WHO TOOTED?

2008-08-19T13:15:00.001-06:00

I was strolling the kids around the drug store a few days ago, and suddenly Ava says, loudly "GASP! Who tooted?"

As far as I know, there was no tooting. Maybe our cart made a noise.

so I tried to shush her with "Nobody. That was nothing"

Ava: "Was it you, mommy?" (still very loud)

Me, sounding mighty guilty: "No. I don't know what you're talking about. Shh."

Ava: "Was it Asher? Who tooted?"

Me: "Fine, yes, it was Asher."

Uncanny

2008-08-15T13:36:00.002-06:00

I was checking out this blog, Creative Soup, as I often do, when I spotted this pic
which Creative Soup spotted at THIS site which is dedicated to fanny pack antics. Does that guy look familiar? You may not know him from this angle as well as I do, but this looks exactly like my husband. In fact, I was sure it was my husband when I first saw it, as Creative Soup was created by Ryan's Brick House roomate's wife (Brooke, who I love, and wish I knew in real life.) There were a lot of speedo-wearing occasions in the Brick House, and Ryan was always first to don the speedo. But how did Fanny Pack Antics get this picture? And also, though there were many speedo-wearing episodes during his college yearss, I don't think ryan ever sported a fanny pack.

correct me if I'm wrong, ry.

On a kind-of related note, Has anybody else seen the Malcolm in the Middle episode where Reese tells Dewey that everybody has an evil twin, and Dewey meets his? It's one of my favorites. I love that show.

2008-08-06T08:18:00.000-06:00

Ava, loudly as she tucked asher into my bed: "TUCK! TUCK! TUCK! TUCK!" (and then very quietly as she stroked him) "Relax. Relax. Relax your arms. Relax your head. Relax your binky."

Baby

2008-07-21T13:22:00.001-06:00

Trying to crawl is such hard work, sometimes he just falls asleep. I love it.

Asher, I love your legs. They are amazing.

2008-07-21T13:01:00.000-06:00

Ava helps herself to Asher's ears. She thought my ears were a comfort, but that was before she discovered the superior softness of newborn earlobes.
Asher and his fishies.

Ava and I at our church's 4th of july breakfast in the park. A friend in the ward took this picture- she is a photographer.

2008-07-11T10:37:00.000-06:00

Love these two.

From the mouths of babes

2008-07-10T20:53:00.000-06:00

As I nursed Asher with my feet up on the coffee table, Ava said "I like your legs, mom. They're amazing."

why thank you, Ava!

She also said to me one day: " Want to go to the playroom, sweetheart?"

naked baby sequence

2008-07-10T11:55:00.001-06:00

I suddenly felt the need to capture Asher's fantastic fattiness before it goes away. I'm sure it will be a while.

He's a Baldwin!

Brother, wanna thank your mother for a butt like that?

$10 to anybody who can name that song lyric.

not really.

howdy.

2008-07-10T08:45:00.000-06:00

Guess who's coming to town?

2008-06-16T20:14:00.000-06:00

Ashlee and her adorable daughter, Noelle.

You're still not as hairy as your cousins, noelle, but nice try.

BFFs

2008-06-16T10:41:00.000-06:00

ava and win.

You're naked.

2008-06-13T09:24:00.000-06:00

I decided that I need to be better about documenting the amusing things Ava says. That is, when she speaks. She is a mute sometimes, only communicating in snuffs and meows (two snuffs means yes, three is an enthusiastic yes. Meow also means yes.)

Ava, while trying out some dance moves she learned on So You Think You Can Dance: "Look grammy, I'm standing onHolly!"

Ava, speaking to her granola bar after she took the wrapper off: "You're naked."

Big boy

2008-05-29T14:37:00.000-06:00

It kind of looks like I pasted a giant head on Asher's body here.
But he wanted to show off how strong his neck muscles are, so I am posting this pic anyway.

We went to Asher's 2-month check up last week. His weight is in the 95 percentile at 14 lbs. He is 24 inches long (90th percentile) and, despite this picture, his head is in the measly 75th percentile.

tuckered out

2008-05-29T13:57:00.000-06:00

I came upstairs to check on ava (she watching her youtube videos) and this is what I found. Having a new brother is exhausting.

table talk

2008-05-19T12:48:00.003-06:00

Ryan's table was featured here in Moco Loco's weekly roundup. I think it's a compliment to Ryan that the table was considered by them to be one of the highlights of the past week. I wouldn't know anything about this, but Ryan was honored that his name was in the same paragraph as Ross Lovegrove.

And, less exciting news, Lowes can really match anything for custom paint colors.

behold, our kitchen wall.

We need you, Nate Berkus.

Plug

2008-05-17T13:50:00.002-06:00

Ryan's website launched earlier this week at

www.RyanDartDesign.com

He submitted his table to MocoLoco.com, a modern and contemporary design blog, and they posted it here.

And yes, it's a table and not a bench. However, it can hold the weight of our entire family.

In cahoots

2008-05-08T12:44:00.000-06:00

kind of smiles

2008-05-02T07:39:00.000-06:00

You're the one for me, fatty

2008-05-01T08:26:00.003-06:00

Thought you all might like to know ASher's latest weigh-in results. At 5.5 weeks:

13 lbs.

I don't have very good records, but I am guessing ava was around 6 months when she hit 13 lbs, judging from the sporadic records I do have.

And, just for fun, here is a picture of AVA's hair as a newborn...everybody keeps asking if she had as much as asher. I'd say YES!

fauxhawks run in the family

2008-04-24T13:18:00.000-06:00

But where did these cheeks come from?

pasties

2008-04-23T10:28:00.000-06:00