Toddlerhood

Aven has recently entered what is commonly referred to as the "terrible two's". I always thought it happened around age two, but after doing some reading I have learned that the terrible two's start during the second year of life, usually somewhere between 15 and 18 months. Aven's pediatrician likes to joke that the terrible two's start around 18 months and last until about 18 years- ha, ha.

The thing that has surprised me so much about her stages is that the changes they bring seem to happen overnight. One day she was a happy-go-lucky toddler, content to play with her toys independently and rarely interested in stuff out of her reach. The next day she was constantly whining for something on the kitchen counter or dining room table that she couldn't have like a nail file or Ian's i-touch. If she doesn't get what her little heart desires she has a classic toddler melt-down. Several melt-downs a day is really starting to wear me out. I find myself asking Ian "do you REALLY think this is normal?" about five times a day, to which he responds "yes, what gave you the impression that having kids was going to be easy?". At least in between meltdowns she is fun, pleasant, and often downright hilarious.

Here's to the in-between!

State Fair

We took Aven to the State Fair for the first time. She absolutely loved the animals. She also fought to get out of the stroller whenever possible so that she could try to pick up repulsive stuff off the ground like cigarette butts and used straws. Ian, my mom, and I took turns chasing her. We had fun.

Aven met a friendly goat . . .

. . . petted this sheep on the nose and then promptly stuck her finger in her mouth- ewww! . . .

. . . and was entertained by the fun house mirrors for about 5 seconds before spotting something on the ground she wanted to pick up.

Next year she'll be old enough to go on a pony ride and get sugared up on cotton candy :)

Pucker Up

Aven recently went through a phase in which she didn't want anything to do with Ian if I was anywhere near. She wouldn't let him pick her up or hold her unless I wasn't home. She only wanted me. Our pediatrician warned us that this could happen and that it's totally normal. It didn't make it any less heartbreaking. Fortunately she has emerged from this difficult phase and into a completely fabulous phase in which she wants to kiss everyone in sight (as long as it's someone she knows). She also loves to kiss her toys, Grace Dog, and she even kissed her own toes in the bathtub tonight. I have to confess that this has got to be my favorite phase so far. She doesn't give what you might consider a real kiss. She presses her face up to your cheek (or arm, or leg) and sticks her tongue out as she makes a kissing sound. I've even been nipped by her baby teeth on a few occasions when she was a little too aggressive with her technique. I am grateful that her difficult phases seem to be peppered with heart-meltingly sweet phases like this one. Until she learns how to give a "normal" kiss I will proudly walk into work everyday with the remnants of a slobbery kiss on my cheek and a smile on my face because I get the opportunity to be a mom.

Eating is Fun!

Contrast

Ian and I went mountain biking at The Canyons today. One thing that I love about Utah is that you can go from cool, thick forest terrain to . . .

. . . dry, dusty desert terrain in a matter of minutes.

Summer Time Wrap-Up

With my summer vacation very near its end I am feeling very ready to go back to work. One thing I love about being a teacher is that I get to spend a quarter of every year as a domestic engineer a.k.a. stay-at-home-mom. Another thing I love about my job is that just when I start to feel mom-burn-out I get to go back to it, which will give me a much needed break from all of the domestic engineering I've been doing. Don't get me wrong, I love being at home with my daughter, playing with her and getting to see her achieve developmental milestones rather than hearing about them second hand from her daycare teacher, but I seriously need a break. This lifestyle is killing me. I don't know how people do it full time, year in and year out. I think it's far harder than being a working mom in many ways and I have a seriously high level of respect for anyone who does this job full time. It's hard for me to put into words why staying home is so hard for me, but I often feel like I never really get to go home from work. The only comparison I can think of is if I lived in my classroom. While I realize that I am still going to have to do all the same stuff I have been doing all summer with less time to do it I somehow know that it will be easier than this. I talked to the mom of one of my students last year who said "I think some of us are better parents because we work". I have always appreciated that she said that to me- it helped ease some of the guilt I felt last year for leaving my baby in daycare to go back to work.

Now that I have that off my chest, let me share some of my favorite moments from my summer with Aven:

Playing at Red Butte Gardens on a weekly basis.

Spending time at the cabin and getting to see countless hilarious facial expressions every day.

Getting plenty of exercise chasing Aven wherever we went.

Getting dirty on a daily basis.

Playing at the park with friends

Hiking in Milcreek Canyon

And last but not least- relaxing and playing at home.

It's been an unbelievably fun summer. By about Christmas I will be excitedly looking forward to doing it all again next summer!

A Few New Favorites

A few of my favorite things that Aven has been doing lately:

• Dancing- Not in the traditional sense, but if I play OMG by Usher then she concentrates really hard, looks down, and stomps her feet as fast as she can.
• Talking- She chatters non-stop sometimes. A few words that I have been able to recognize are "dace daw" (Grace Dog), "shzzz" (shoes), and "fsh" (fish). She also says "ya ya ya!" if I ask her if she wants a snack or to go play outside.
• Playing with Grace- She is determined to get Grace Dog to play with her, but Grace is still a little nervous about getting too close, so Aven usually ends up chasing her around with a dog toy.

As frustrating as she can be sometimes, she is incredibly fun and always full of surprises.

Who needs the alps . . .

When you've got this?

Milcreek Canyon from the Pipeline Trail, July 2010

Swim Class

This summer I signed up for parent/child swim class with a couple friends at Kearns Oquirrh Fitness Center. So far the teacher is a huge disappointment, but it's fun swimming with Aven and our friends.

l-r: Nique, hiding behind her son Jaxon, Aven and me, Amber and her son Payton. Payton and Jaxon both took this class last year, so they're old pro's showing Aven the ropes.

Kick, kick, kick!

I thought this was a funny picture of Aven. It looks like she's lounging on the surface of the water.

Blowing bubbles. Something Aven hasn't quite got down yet but loves watching me do.

Brandi

Ian and I went to see Brandi Carlile with our old friend Becky, who we had not seen in over a year, at Red Butte Garden on Sunday July, 11th. I have been a Brandi Carlile fan ever since I first heard "The Story" which was made popular by Grey's Anatomy (or so I have heard). We have just missed seeing her here in Salt Lake a couple times and were ecstatic that we were able to go see her this time around.

Becky, also a huge Brandi fan, decided to accompany us since she couldn't find anyone to go to the concert with her since the majority of her friends are apparently un-hip enough that they had no idea who Brandi even was. We had a great time catching up with Becky and enjoying the tunes.

Following are a few pictures I borrowed from Becky's facebook page:

Brandi rocking out.

This was one of the best concerts I have ever been to. She was a great performer and had plenty of amusing stories to tell in-between songs. I loved how her encore wasn't just two songs. She just kept playing right up until the 10 pm deadline when music has to stop (because of the noise ordinance).

The closest I could get to a portrait of Becky and Brandi together.

Due to Ian's lack of wrap around sunglasses, he spend the first part of the concert enjoying the show with a dish towel on his head. Guess what you're getting for your birthday Ian?

All three of us enjoying the show.