Tea party

It's been too cold to go outside lately. So, what does one do with all this time indoors? We build castles and have tea parties; lots and lots of tea parties. I had Tuesday off work so Ava and I started our day off with building a castle out of blocks, and having a tea party with "Dolly, Baby, & Abigail". Lauryn came over to play for a little while and stayed for lunch. Ava was so excited to see Lauryn again, and I was happy to catch up with her and hear about what's been going on in her life. After nap time Ava and I headed to the gym and then to our second home...Target. :)

I videotaped Ava singing her ABC's along with a few other songs. I've really been wanting to post it on here. Unfortunately, two years after purchasing our video camera I still don't understand how to properly get the videos on to the correct program and download them onto this site. Frustrating to say the least! They make it sound so simple when you ask them at Best Buy. I am so not tech savvy!


She loves sitting in her block container and then asks to be covered up by all the blocks.

Concentrating while building our castle

Enjoying a little tea with some friends

"Abigail loves it" :)

Dora to the rescue

Ava was allowed to start watching TV about a month and a half ago. I try to limit her to one episode of Dora a day, and sometimes she gets to watch her "teapot" musical DVD if I need to sneak a shower in while she's awake. Well the "one Dora a day" rule went out the window on Thursday and Friday. Unfortunately Ava and I both had a bad cold. It was very difficult to get any rest, as Ava was up coughing all night Thursday and crying for me three times throughout the night. I was exhausted and sick on Friday. That's where Dora came in. Ava sat in the chair and Mommy laid on the couch. I know, it's the easy way out. But when you're that tired and feel like crap you'll do just about anything to make your kid be happy while sitting still. So Dora, thank you for giving me a break. Oh, and thank you to DVR which allowed me to choose from 31 different Dora episodes that were saved.

Luckily we are on the mend. Ava slept all night Friday night, and slept in until 7:40 on Saturday morning. The massive amount of kleenex usage has diminished to a slight to moderate amount of usage, and there is no longer a constant cough coming from Ava. Unfortunately Ava is back to daycare tomorrow where I'm sure there will be a plethora of germs waiting for her. On the upside, I'm so grateful that she still has her tubes and we're not dealing with an ear infection on top of a cold.

Hoping that you all had a wonderful weekend!


Ava & Bunny snuggled up watching Dora

Ava insisted that Abigail had to sit on her lap and that Abigail wanted to color

Visit from Grandma & Grandpa

We had a fun filled weekend here at the Veldman household. Friday evening our friends Brian and Marissa were able to come over for dinner (we owed them dinner after they kicked our butts in bowling). It was great to see them again and catch up on their lives and upcoming wedding plans.

Saturday morning Ava headed off to the gym with Daddy while I went to a triple baby shower for some work friends. Ava was asleep when I got home, and when she awoke Grandma & Grandpa Becker had arrived. We spent the afternoon in Maple Grove doing a little shopping and looking for a new camera for us. We spent the evening in, eating pizza (Ava didn't eat), singing songs, reading books, and playing puzzles. Ava thought she would finish the night off with a bang. After telling everybody good night I took her up to her room to read a couple of bedtime stories. I'm standing there holding her in front of her bookcase waiting for her to pick out the books when she starts making these weird noises. All of a sudden she starts vomiting all over me and the floor (I guess that's why she wasn't hungry at dinner time). She stops and then starts making the noises again. We made it into the bathroom just in time for the second round to make it into the toilet (or at least most of it). I called in some back up while I went to dump the vomit out of my sweatshirt. My mom got vomit clean up duty in Ava's bedroom while Nate dumped Ava into the tub. She slept soundly all night and gobbled her pancakes and orange down Sunday morning.

Sunday morning we were off to church. My mom and I then headed off to the mall and to look at cameras again while Grandpa & Daddy hung with Ava at home. Oddly enough my mom ended up getting a new camera and we did not. :) We got home in time to head to the park before the sun went down. Ava gets excited any time that she gets to go and see "Dino".

I unfortunately had to work Monday morning. Grandma & Grandpa headed back home that morning, and Ava got to spend the day with Daddy since he had the day off. I got home in time to see Daddy & Mema off to a movie. Ava and I spent the evening together. She has been into "climbing" lately. This can mean either climbing on the furniture, or stepping on her toys. I had told her to stop stepping on her toys and she continued to do it...of course with a sly little smile while staring at me. I put her into time out. I had decided that we should start using the kitchen table chair in a corner for time out (as I didn't think that the nice comfy chair that faces the TV and toys was a very good option). I put her on the chair and as I turn to walk away I see her in slow motion...falling off the chair, hitting her head first on the patio door and then on the hard wood floor. If that doesn't make you feel like "Mom of the Year" then I don't know what does. I was up half the night worried that she had a brain bleed. I now have a daily reminder of the event, as she has a bright purple bruise on her right forehead. Now that I think of it, she hasn't stepped on any of her toys since then. :)

Having a little tea party with her "friends"

Ava with Dino & Grandpa

Even Grandpa had fun playing at the park

Grandma, Ava, & Grandpa

Enjoyed it while it lasted

Daddy is now home, he flew in Friday evening just in time to see Miss Ava before her bedtime. The two of them got to spend some quality time together this weekend. I survived another 12 hour night shift, and am so happy that it's over. I spent part of Monday sleeping while Ava was at daycare. I was off Tuesday and was so grateful. It was absolutely beautiful outside! Ava and I went for a walk that afternoon and played at the park. There was no need for winter coats as it was 54 degrees outside and the sun was shining. Many people are upset that there is no snow this year. You won't hear me complain. I feel like this is our reward for the horrible winter that we had last year. Unfortunately we can't hold on to the 50 degree weather for long, reality hit last evening and wind chills were down into the single digits today. It was nice while it lasted and it makes me anxious for spring.

Today we got to have a play date with Kristi and Cora. We met up at story time and then they joined us at our house for lunch and play time. It was so great to see them and catch up. We love getting to spend time with them, and are so grateful that the girls are so close in age...it's so much fun.

Other than that, Ava's been busy playing, reading, and working on her alphabet and numbers. Oh, and she's now obsessed with watching Dora. We usually allow her to watch one episode a day (it's amazing how fast 30 minutes goes when you're trying to get stuff done). She now counts to 14 (getting really excited about 13 & 14). She got a very cheap alphabet puzzle from Boppa for Christmas and wouldn't you know that it's her favorite Christmas present. Next year we should head to the dollar store for Christmas presents. :) She loves that puzzle and is now able to identify about 12 of the letters consistently.

We have a fun weekend planned. Uncle Brian and Marissa are joining us for dinner tomorrow evening. Then on Saturday Grandma & Grandpa Becker should be arriving and will be staying until Monday. Should be a fun weekend...hope that you enjoy yours!Spring coats at the park in January with a temp of 54 degrees...you won't hear us complain!

Happy New Year

It's hard to believe that 2011 is gone. I can't believe how quickly the year went. I feel like each year passes by faster than the previous one. We definitely had our ups and downs, but ended the year on a good note. 2011 brought along its challenges, most notably Nate losing his job. It was a difficult 4 months. However, if you ask Nate he wouldn't take that time back. He loved spending those days with Miss Ava, and I'm pretty sure that she didn't mind either. With that being said, he's also very happy and grateful that he now has a job that he enjoys and that works well with our family life.

2011 also had it's highlights: Ava's 1st birthday (even though she had a raging ear infection), Ava getting her tubes (yes, this was a highlight because since that day in April she has had no ear infections!!!), our trips to IA to see family and friends, and our long weekends at the cabin. Like I said, 2011 ended well and we're looking forward to all that 2012 has to offer.

Now, for how we brought in the new year...like an old couple...and we loved it! We were able to enjoy New Year's Eve at home together. The weather was beautiful and we even took a walk to the park so that Ava could play for awhile. That evening Ava was in bed by 7:30 as usual. Nate made us a delicious meal, we curled up on the couch for a movie, and were in bed and asleep by 1 am. It was perfect!

Then the phone rang at 5 am, it was work. I ended up picking up a day shift on New Year's Day (I couldn't pass up the extra pay). Ava & Daddy hung out together and we spent the evening hanging out. Tuesday morning Daddy was off to the airport to spend the rest of the week in Scottsdale, AZ for work. Sounds like an awful place to be in January doesn't it? So it's just been Ava and me all week. I can't say that I'm crazy about being home alone at night, I did not sleep well. I'm the crazy lady who puts the shoes and other things in front of the door so that the robber trips when they enter in the wee hours of the morning to rob us...like that's going to save us. :)

We've stayed busy going to the gym, running errands, going to story time at the library, and even met up with Mema & Boppa for dinner on Wednesday. Yesterday morning we were on our way to the library and she kept saying, "one more time, ok". She says this because when she listens to her music CDs in the car she always used to say, "again, again" and I would tell her, "one more time ok". Yesterday she kept repeating it over and over again. Finally I said, "Ok Ava, whatever". She looks at me and says, "whatever mommy, whatever". This is a reminder that I must be careful what I say to her. She is FAR to young to start using the phrase "whatever". She is constantly repeating everything that we say which can be cute at times, but not so cute at other times.

I'm working an evening shift today so Mema will be picking Ava up from day care. She will be so excited to see Mema, and excited to see Daddy when he arrives home this evening. I unfortunately will be spending the rest of the weekend working my 12 hour night shifts and attempting to sleep during the day. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, and hoping that your new year is off to a great start!


It's not often that you can take a walk to the park on New Year's Eve and play on the playground. We took full advantage of it. Ava was very excited to get to see "Dino" again.