Please vote for us!

We were selected as one of the favorite photos of 2010 by Beaty Photography!!! They will be giving away a canvas of the photo to the winner! This photo taken by Beaty Photography at Ava’s 2 year session is one of my very favorite of her and I would love to have it as a canvas!!!

Please go to this link and read the ways to vote!

http://www.beatyphotography.com/canvas-giveaway/

You can simply choose our number (#2!) and vote right there! You can also like Beaty Photography on facebook and then like our picture on there as well. Both will count as votes for us!!!

Thanks to Beaty Photography for selecting our photo as a finalist and thanks to everyone who votes for us!

Out of the mouth of babes

I looked back and realized it’s been a little while since I did post about what Ava is up to so I figured I should catch up.

She is talking so much lately. She says words we didn’t even know she knew.

Her latest phrase (that I assume she picked up at school): Stop it!

Examples of use we’ve heard in the past few days:

Zach cleaning her tray after dinner and trying to take her cup. Ava’s response: “Stop it. Stop it. I need my water!”

Upon seeing me pick up her toys before we left Grandma’s: “STOP it, Mama!”

Another cute thing I don’t want to forget- My mom has been cleaning out her attic and sorting through all of our old toys and keepsakes. She’s giving us the toys that were ours, and holding on to the ones that we all played with for grandkids. When she picked up Ava yesterday, Ava was beyond excited to see “new” toys. She told me about them immediately and when we left we had this conversation:

A: What Homma (grandma) doin?

S: She’s going to stay at her house.

A: She play my new toys?

S: Well, probably not, but maybe.

A: (in a really sad voice) Oh…..

I love that she thinks her grandma plays with her toys when she isn’t there. Beyond precious! She also woke up this morning talking about “Ava’s new toys”. Couldn’t get them out of her head!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand, we have a big development here! Ava started wearing big girl panties Saturday and has been doing GREAT! We’ve tried before with no success and when we put them on this past weekend, it just clicked! She’s doing SO good and we’ e so proud of her! We went and picked out more panties and she is very proud of her “Tink-bell” panties! She’ll even show you! :) Tuesday she wore them to school for the first time and was successful! She’s really only had a handful of accidents and lots of times she realizes she’s about to go and stops and runs to the potty! We’re not having much success with #2 yet but I figure it won’t be too long! YAY AVA!!!!!!

And a few pictures I haven’t been great at posting!

Fell asleep in her chair!!

Playing at “Chick-flay”

Playing with my cousin’s new puppy, Bruce! She absolutely loved playing with him!!!!

And there ya go! That’s Ava lately! :)

The Zach and Sarah story

During my giveaway the following question was asked!

Stephanie asked: What is the story behind you and your sweet hubby? How did y'all meet, start dating, get engaged, etc?! Emily asked: how did you and Zach meet?
AubreyLaine: How did you & your husband meet?

So here we go! I’ve been friends with Sandy since seventh grade. In 2005, my last semester of college, she started hanging out with (her now husband) Adam and his roommate, Zach. One night they were going to dinner and Sandy invited me and Natalie along. We met for the first time in March of 2005. It was NOT love at first sight, or even second, third, etc. Not that we had anything against each other, but as we all began to hang out over the next couple of months, Zach and I did not seem to get along very well at all. We always seemed to be arguing about something. When we would all hang out, we would pick at each other and I will honestly say that never once did it cross my mind at that point that we would ever be anything more. I can also honestly say that neither one of us really seemed to like the other all that much. I was getting ready to graduate and move away and I really thought that would be the end of it.

After graduating, I got a job and moved about an hour away. Over the summer one night, I was bored and decided to log on to AIM (remember that?!). Zach was at home for the summer and happened to be online and he IM’ed me. I thought it was a little weird just considering our past, but we chatted that night. And then I think we chatted again another time a few weeks later. During this time, I had been talking with another guy and thought things were moving toward something but they just never really materialized. The guy ended up being a jerk and I was way better off, even though I was hurt by it all. By the end of summer, we were talking a little more but it was all fairly innocent. There was a little flirting going on but nothing much. I mentioned to Sandy at one point that I wondered if he liked me. She did a little digging and found out that he was interested in me. I was slightly hesitant just because of what I’d just gone through but thankfully kept an open mind.

During that fall, I started a managerial MBA program at the U of A where we had class one Saturday a month and assignments in between. On the first Saturday class, Natalie and I headed up the night before to stay at Sandy’s so we didn’t have to get up so early. At this point I knew Zach liked me but I wasn’t sure how I felt since we hadn’t gotten along so well earlier in the year. We all planned on having dinner and as it turned out, that afternoon, Zach just randomly lost his voice. He seriously couldn’t talk! Kinda funny! :)

He and I started talking a little more and a couple of weekends later, Zach, Adam and Sandy all came down to my house for the weekend. Zach and I stayed up ALL night talking. Seriously. All night. We sat out on the deck and watched the sun rise. And we were together from that point on.

Six months to that day later, he proposed. Before arriving at my house to pick me up, he stopped at my parent’s house and asked my parents’ blessing. We went to a nice dinner and while we were gone, he enlisted the help of my best friend to decorate my house. There were roses scattered all over, candlelight, other various wedding themed decorations and letters that spelled my new initials. We got back to the house and he proposed. It was perfect and beautiful and one of the happiest nights of my life!

We were married 8 months later and I could not be luckier! I’m married to my best friend and I love doing life with him. We are the perfect match for each other and it’s so funny how life turned out for us based on the start we had.

If you are single and still waiting, let this be an encouragement to you – you never know if someone you have already met might be the one. We are proof positive that you cannot judge a book by its cover and that appearances can be deceiving! When we first met, I never would have imagined us married. But we are, and I’m so thankful he is the one God made for me!

“I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.”

Song of Solomon 6:3

Giveaway winner and answers to questions

The winner is Jenn!! Please email me at efamilyblog@gmail.com to let me know which gift card you would like and where to send it!

• Amanda asked: What is your favorite thing to do when you get "mommy alone time?"
  Good question! Too bad there’s so little of it! :) One of my main “me times” is my lunch hour. I usually try to run errands or use this time to meet up with friends and catch up sans worrying about another person. I’m trying hard to limit how many times per week I do lunch out, so I come home a lot. It’s nice to have about an hour of time to myself at home to do whatever I want! When I do sneak in a little alone time otherwise, I enjoy just getting out and heading to browse at stores!  I also enjoy settling in with a good book or movie!    

• icitea asked: whats your favorite recipe?
  Hmmm.. I really enjoy cooking and have lots of favorite recipes. I’ll share one meal that we enjoy fairly regularly at our house – it’s super easy and yummy!

Swiss Chicken Casserole – from AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 6 slices Swiss cheese
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix
• 1/4 cup butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Arrange chicken in a greased 12 x 8 x 2 baking dish. Top with Swiss cheese slices.
3. Combine soup and milk and stir well. Spoon mixture over chicken and sprinkle with stuffing mix. Drizzle butter or margarine over crumbs.
4. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 50 minutes. Enjoy! 

• Emily asked: what's Ava's favorite food?
  Ava really isn’t a picky eater, fortunately. Things she never turns down are fruit snacks and yogurt. Other things she always enjoys eating are fruit (especially blueberries and strawberries) and pretty much all protein (chicken, turkey, ham, beef, eggs, etc). Another thing she loves to eat is chips and salsa! Smart girl!
  
  
• Alycia asked: Why did you start blogging?
  I started blogging a few months before Ava was born because I wanted to have a detailed record of her life. I love looking back at this journal of our family and seeing the things we’ve gone through and how we’ve grown and change.
  
  
• Emily asked: And (a little more personal) how many kids do you want to have?
  Lyndsey asked: Do you want to have any more children?
  We definitely want more children (though on tough days with Ava, I wonder!) I’m really not sure how many we are going to have. I grew up in a family of five children and before getting married, I always thought I’d love four kids! However, it’s so sad to say this, but I’m not sure we can afford that many. If we didn’t have the expense of daycare it might be a different story. That being said, we’re taking steps to set ourselves up for a better financial future in hopes that we’ll be able to do more in the future. That may or may not translate to more children! I would say that when we have a 2nd, if it’s a girl, we may consider one more because Zach would really like a son. If our 2nd is a boy, I really have no idea if we’ll consider more. I think we’ll just see how we feel after 2 and of course, we know it’s ultimately up to the Lord!
  
  
• Jenn asked: Knowing that in life there are things that you HAVE to do and things you GET to do, what are some things you have to do in life and some things you get to do in life?
  Wow, that is a great question.
  Things I HAVE to do:
  1. Go to work (thought in light of all that’s happened recently, I am trying to view this as a GET to do!)
  2. Clean my house
  3. Pay bills
  4. Set an example for the type of woman I want Ava to grow up to be
  Things I GET to do:
  1. Spend time with my family and friends
  2. Go to church and worship Jesus
  3. View the world through the eyes of a 2 year old little girl
  4. One of my favorite things ever – travel!! 

• Lyndsey asked: Also, what's the best thing and the hardest thing about being a mom?
  One of the best things about being a mom is when I hear that sweet little voice say “love you mama!” I love knowing that I’m who she wants to make everything better. Two of the very hardest things about being a mom: seeing your child sick and not being able to take away their pain and the other is disciplining, especially a strong willed child like ours!

• Liz asked: Who is your all-time style icon?
  I wouldn’t really say I have an all-time style icon. I don’t know that I have a particular style. If something catches my eye, then I try it on. My style is mostly finding clothes that I feel comfortable in (meaning, feel as though I look decent).

• TIffany: I want to know how you get followers and where you got your blog design.
  My followers have slowly grown over the years I’ve been blogging. Most of them fall into the categories of either people I know or people I’ve met through blogging, by reading and commenting on their blogs.
  My current layout was done by Jen Gets Fancy. She is currently not accepting new orders as she’s getting ready for the birth of her 2nd daughter, but if you have questions you can contact her and see when she’ll be accepting new business.
  Recently, I’ve had a few friends get makeovers from Diamond Doll Design and the layouts they have are PRECIOUS! You might check her out if you are wanting something more quickly! She has a special going on during the month of March!!

Several people asked the story of how Zach and I met. I’m actually going to save this for a separate post. There’s a nice little story behind it and it could get a little long so it will be a post all it’s own. Watch for it soon! :)Thanks for all the questions!!

Thank you giveaway!

One of my very favorite things about blogging is the people I have met! It is such a fun community and I really appreciate all the people blogging has brought into my life!

That being said, I want to thank YOU, my followers, for making blogging so fun! And now that I’ve passed 100 followers, what better way to say thank than with a giveaway?!

Here are the rules:

1. You must be a follower because hello! That’s what I’m thanking you for!

2. Leave me a comment telling me you follow!

3. For an additional entry, leave me a comment with a question about something you’d like to know about me or us! I’ve had some new followers lately and thought this would be a good way for you to get to know more about us!

So that’s it. One entry for following and two for a question!

What do you win?? This shower gel/shampoo/bubble bath from Philosophy is WONDERFUL! I got some for Christmas from Leslie and I LOVE it! So I thought I’d share some with you!

You will also get your choice of a $10 gift card to one of my favorite following places:

 

So there ya go! You have until Sunday at noon to enter. I’ll pick a winner that evening! US residents only please!

Thank you for making blogging so fun for me!!

Just another weekend..

Oh, it hardly seems we just started the weekend and here we are on Sunday evening and another week will start shortly! Our weekend has been pretty low key and I’m ok with that. Ava really needed some extra rest after being so sick. I’m glad to report that except for a nasty cough that has come on, she seems to be mostly recovered and back to her old antics.

We got a call this morning that Zach’s grandma passed away in the middle of the night. She had a very brief battle with cancer and the end was very rough for all involved. Please join me in praying for Zach’s dad and aunt, and entire family as we prepare to say goodbye this week. I know we are all thankful that her suffering has come to an end.

After church, we spent a quiet afternoon at home. Ava played outside a little bit and I got busy making dinner. We had homemade lasagna! YUM!

This is my FAVORITE lasagna. I don’t even like the stuff at most Italian restaurants b/c it just doesn’t compare to this!

We also bought a loaf of fresh french bread to make garlic bread. I spread butter on each slice and then sprinkled this on it: It got rave reviews! This is how we will be making garlic bread from now on! Soooo good!

Last week we were supposed to have dinner with my family, but my sister came down with the flu so we had to cancel. I had already bought the ingredients to make a dessert and went ahead and made it this weekend so my strawberries wouldn’t go bad.

This is a Strawberry Tres Leche Trifle. I made it for a Pampered Chef party a couple weeks ago and it was HUGE hit! It’s got pound cake, strawberries and some other goodies that just make it what it is! It is delicious and light. With it coming up, this would be a great spring time dessert!

If you’re interested in either recipe, let me know.

They are predicting some possible severe weather tonight. I hope we don’t get anything major, but as far as I’m concerned, bring on the rain!

Alright, time to settle down for some Amazing Race and the Oscars! Have a happy week!

P.S. – Be on the lookout. Super giveaway coming up very soon!

Sickies, a play house, and a play date

Whew! What a week! All day Monday, Ava acted completely normal. We went to the doctor that afternoon to see about rocks, and we found out she had an eye infection, a sinus infection and a double ear infection! Poor thing! you never would have known from the way she was acting!

We got home after filling her prescription, and all of a sudden, she was very warm and very cranky. She had a fever of 102 and it came out of nowhere. She was miserable. Her fever stayed between 102 and 103 for 36 hours – not fun! She hardly moved off the couch on Tuesday! Her fever finally broke Wednesday afternoon, but it was back slightly this morning. She hasn’t been to school all week!

I’m staying with her for a while this morning and then my mom is going to come get her and love on her this afternoon. Zach and I have both missed a lot of work this week and she doesn’t have anything to do this afternoon so she wants to help. Ava keeps asking when “Hama” is coming to get her.

Before the sickness struck, we managed to have a bit of fun. Sunday afternoon was gorgeous and we finally put together Ava’s Christmas present!

She keeps looking out the window and saying “my tree house” and wants to go play with it so badly!

We also were able to squeeze in a play date with our friend, Miss K! We’ve been trying to get these girls together for a while and just haven’t had a chance. They had so much fun playing together!! They played very hard and were both very ready for naps at the end! They took turns pushing each other in the doll stroller….    We were so glad K got to come play and I was so glad to catch up with K’s mama!!

Ok, now that the important stuff (blogging) is done, I’m going to go do a few things before heading to work! It’s almost the weekend y’all!!