Just because I LOVE this picture

At the Hamburg Inn...where all the politicians go during an election year, but where Ava enjoyed her best pancake experience yet! Harris, Nick, Dejan, Ava, and myself had THE best breakfast here and it almost made me wish I had three kids....hahahahahahahah, only if the other two are Harris and Nick and only if they come out 11 and 8....they are WAY less work at that age. :-)

Super Awesome!

How cool is it when your nephew tells you... "well cecca, I think you are super awesome!" That probably made my year! Thanks Nick! I have to say I am so glad I decided to keep Harris and Nick up WAY past there bed time talking...I know one of these days they aren't going to want to do that with me. We talked about crazy things and I learned Harris likes to take benadryl, "because it kind of makes me feel like a zombie but yet still makes we want to do things and not go to bed", and Nick would like to live in an underwater world because "being able to breath under water would be so cool!"

Also, I would like to note I had THE FUNNIEST conversation with four year old Anna (ny niece)a few days ago. It was the first time she had actually talked on the phone and I was so glad it was with me. We talked playtime, cartoons, who was coming over to who's house, and that Ava "can go ahead and play with her doll's stoller even though it was her's". Okay, thanks Anna!

AAAHHH Iowa

It was a cool dewy morning today and the smell of sweet corn fields wafted into the kitchen window and made me VERY happy. Something about that smell just brings back so many memories and reminds me how much I love summer time! I am equally glad that smell will be part of Ava's childhood.

We spent the entire morning outdoors enjoying some beautiful sunshine, big white fluffy clouds, butterflies, birds galore, native flowers, and one lone beaver. We walked trails at the Nature Center and both came home feeling much better than we did yesterday. I do hope Ava doesn't end up minding the bugs as much as I do. :-)

a day in the life

let's see...a couple days ago ava fell off head first from the side of the chair, 1st drama of the week...she has hit her head three times in the same spot since then including today which ended up in another bump...then she closed the cabinet door on her fingers...then she got in trouble for throwing her lunch across the kitchen...after getting her out of the chair to help me clean it up, she decided to wash her shoes in the cat's water bowl instead....in BIG trouble again...then she cried about it for 40 minutes...yes that's right, 40 minutes...she even cried the entire time she was eating her cereal bar (the only thing she would eat today)...you should have seen her...sob, sob, sob, took a bite, cried really hard, swallowed her bite, then repeated this the ENTIRE time!

i really don't have a comment about this post, i'm just wondering if i will i loose it, or if i will i enjoy every stinking minute of it!?!?

Ava's in the paper already

http://www.ottumwacourier.com/local/local_story_202005231.html?start:int=0

Trip to the Zoo

We took Ava on her first official trip to see the wild animals at the Omaha Zoo. She seemed to have a lot of fun and if I may brag, she was PERFECT. She sat like an adult for every meal, hardly fussed except for when she was tired, seemed to enjoy watching people...I may have to work on her staring problem...and smiled big every time we asked her if she had fun at the zoo! I think another trip...not to Omaha, once was enough for me...will be in the making if she's going to be this great of a traveler!

Here's some pictures from the trip...

A conversation with my husband and why I need to get a life!

10:30pm---lots of dogs start barking right after we go to bed (and yes, it's mid July in Iowa and we have the windows open)

Dejan, "Geez"

Me, "Well, I recognize all those barks but one."
Dejan gives me a sideways glance and I know he's wondering why the hell I know that!?!?

People start talking...

Me, "Oh that's Karen talking to Bill, but that's not her dog barking...I'm still wonder whose got that big dog barking?"

Dejan smirks that I know that, but proceeds to be nosey too, "Bill lets his dogs out this late? And why is Karen out at this time?"

Me, "Oh yeah, every night around 10 Karen walks her dogs...well, just one now because the other one died over the winter while they were in Texas...and Bill sits on his porch with his dogs every night...there's that big dog again, I'm going to have to find out whose dog that is."

We look up at each other, burst out laughing and he tells me,
"It's probably time to get a job since you unfortunately know all that information!"

So, there you have it....4 years of college, three or four good jobs, a baby, a mommy, and now a connoisseur of our neighborhood people and dogs!