Sad day

We received the sad news early this morning that my grandfather (my dad's dad) passed away last night. He had been battling lung cancer for months and went into hospice care last week. Although it is very sad, I am thankful that I was able to grow up knowing him. And, although my kids may not remember him, I am happy that he was able to meet and enjoy them.

On a lighter note, I did hear something very sweet tonight from my little Claire - she told me tonight as I was reading to her that I was her best friend. I know that I shouldn't get too excited because just in the last week, her best friends have already been Lightning McQueen from the movie "Cars," Ariel from "The Little Mermaid," and Pongo from "101 Dalmatians!"

Go Titans!

Claire loves to cheer for the Titans when we (well, mostly daddy) watch them on Sunday afternoons. She has a cough and a bit of a runny nose, so this is about all the excitement she is going to get for today. Can't you just hear her sreaming, "GO TITANS!"

Never a dull moment

Today after Claire's dance lesson, we came straight home to eat lunch, feed Ava, etc. After lunch, Claire wanted to watch Camp Rock. We watched it on television the other night when Chris was gone (musicals are SO not his thing), and I decided to DVR it in case we wanted to watch it again. (Side note - we finally got DVR a few weeks ago and I am obsessed with it already!). Anyhow, I know it's kind of old for her, but she loves it! What is really funny is the song she keeps singing from the movie is this fast hip-hop song (for those of you who've seen it, it's the "What it takes" song), not one of the sweet little ballads. Oh my, what have I done?!

Claire started doing something a few days ago that I think is worth mentioning...she's now wanting to get herself dressed. I'm not sure I thought this day would ever come! I'm sure there are many people out there with kids doing this far before 3 1/2, but I guess I've never really pushed her to do it alone, especially removing a shirt (which sometimes I find hard to do!). I just asked her one day to pick out some PJs and bring them to me, and she came out with them already on (and perfectly I might add!).

We had a fun family night tonight. We went to eat Mexican and then to get ice cream (well, frozen custard actually). We're so glad daddy is home this weekend!

Pajama day

Ava had been pretty fussy for a few days, so I decided to stay home yesterday and see if she would nap better and consequently be a little happier! So, we called it "pajama day" at our house and we stayed in our PJs and lounged around until dinner time (and quite frankly, the only reason we changed then was to go and eat at Cracker Barrel!). Here are a few pictures of the girls spending the day in their PJs.


Ava is starting to try and suck her thumb, which for some strange reason I don't want her to do. What's funny is that now Claire is on board. Every time she sees Ava trying to stick her thumb in her mouth, so goes and pulls it out and says in a sweet voice, "don't you suck that finger!" just like I say it. Another reminder that Claire is watching my every move (no pressure). Ava has also reached a bittersweet milestone - she's now grown out of her 0-3 month clothes and has moved on to 3-6 months. I know what you are thinking, she IS almost four months old, so what's the big deal? The truth is, I just don't want her to get any bigger. I tried to rush Claire to do everything since she was our first, but with Ava I just want to slow down and savor it all! Daddy also got home late last night, so the girls of course lit up when they saw him this morning. We are looking forward to spending some time with him tonight!

Another year older!

I celebrated another birthday yesterday, and even though Chris wasn't in town, he made sure I knew he was thinking of me. We had already been on a date before he left, and he had already given me my gift, so I sort of thought that was that. I received an e-card from him yesterday with a little riddle, which led me to a note and treat he left for me. Then today I got another e-card with a riddle leading me to another note and another little treat! Since we aren't able to talk (because he is in a pretty remote location without cell service), I think it is really sweet that he made sure I "heard" from him each day. The only problem is that now I expect to get one again tomorrow. :)

I did have something very special happen yesterday. It was the first time Ava REALLY laughed. She has done something that resembles it before, likely by accident, but this was the first time it was unmistakable! What a precious gift for me!

French braid first

Chris left today to go to Canada for a business trip, so things were pretty busy around the Goggin house. After enjoying our muffins from Mimi's, Chris finished up packing and I got the girls ready for a birthday party. I knew this would be an outdoor party with lots of running around, so I decided to try french braiding Claire's hair to hopefully keep from having to fix her ponytail over and over at the party. I was so exhausted when I finished from constantly trying to keep her still! I think it will be a while before I try that again. As you can tell from the pictures below, I still need a little practice, though! Still, she was very proud and so cute!

The birthday girl and some others on the big blow-up slide! They all had a ball!

Claire and her buddy sliding....

All smiles!

So glad to have our family back together tonight! Chris just got back in town, and we're trying to soak him up a little before he leaves again on Saturday morning. It's so sweet to see the girls' reactions when he returns - they are all smiles!

Speaking of smiling, I caught a few sweet pictures of Ava doing just that today. She is such a joy! Of course, as I was snapping the pictures, her big sister was trying to wiggle her way in. :)

Things we enjoyed this summer

Since it is starting to get a bit cooler outside, it reminded me to take a few pictures of some things we enjoyed this summer before it's all over. As you know, with a new baby this summer, we spent a lot more time at home. We got a new play set just before Ava arrived, and Chris spent countless hours putting it together for Claire to enjoy. Below are a few pictures of her playing on it.

We also planted our first tomoato plants EVER. I'd say we did okay as rookies because we couldn't eat the tomatoes fast enough and had to give many away. I didn't really expect Claire to care much about them, but she LOVED going out and helping to water and pick them. Of course, she picked a lot of the green ones at first, but quickly learned we were only to pick the red ones! Too bad she doesn't care much to eat them...oh well, more for me!

Busy Saturday

Between Chris aerating and seeding the yard and me cleaning out closets for consignment, we had a pretty busy Saturday. We needed a break from it all, so we decided to get out of the house this evening and eat at a restaurant out by the lake. As we ate, Claire enjoyed feeding the ducks, fish, turtles and whatever else was in the water with the bread we brought (as well as the majority of her dinner). I wish I would've have my camera because we saw the funniest looking duck with crazy "hair." I am likely showing my ignorance here because I don't even know if ducks have hair, but I'm telling you it had a mohawk! It was hilarious and we'll be on the lookout the next time we go!

Girls Night Out

Claire and I had a fun girls night out last night at Disney on Ice at the Sommet Center. I told her a few weeks ago that we'd be going, and of course she asked me again, and again, and again if it was time to go "ice skating." Even though I told her many times it wasn't us who would be skating, I'm still not sure she "got it" until we arrived. Here is a picture of us just before we left on our mommy/daughter date.

Our friends, Ellen and Lily, went with us to the show. We had high aspirations of going to the Old Spaghetti Factory downtown beforehand, but it was quite obvious when we arrived there that everyone else with children had the exact same idea. Instead of waiting, we decided to go to the Wildhorse Saloon, which actually worked out perfectly because they weren't crowded, and the girls had a ball looking at all the horse statues. They even took a few minutes to dance around on the dance floor. After that, we walked over to the Sommet Center and took a few minutes to check out the Princess pre-show. If you ask me, a little disappointing. Sure, they had the beautiful costumes of many of the princesses, but I think it would have been a major upgrade to have actually had people in those costumes! Oh well, they didn't ask me and it was still kind of neat. Here is a picture of Claire and Lily in front of the exhibit for Ariel!

And here are a few pictures from the show. It was hilarious to see how mesmerized all the kids were with the whole thing. They featured stories/characters from the Little Mermaid, Lion King, Cars, as well as Tinkerbell (I found out today that there's a movie coming out about Tinkerbell - how genius of them to preview the story in this show!). Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy were also there. It was so cute and kind of gave me the bug to to to Disney World! We had a fabulous time and it was nice to be able to do something special with my big girl!

Ariel and her friend Flounder....

...and the big finale of Tinkerbell.

Back in the swing of things

Well, Claire started Mother's Day out last week, so we're back into a little more of a routine now. Claire attends preschool two days a week, so those days I'll just have Ava at home. As much as I like having them both with me, I am looking forward to having a little time to devote exclusively to Ava. Here is a picture at home just before leaving for Claire's first day at preschool as a three-year-old! She is loving it so far, but has decided this year she doesn't want to lay down during rest time (much to the teachers' dismay).

I have a funny story about something she did this week....my little Claire is addicted to chapstick (you know, the kind with the yummy flavor). I have to hide it from her or she will use it all day long. My most recent hiding place was in a basket on top of her tall chest in her bedroom - big mistake. Somehow, she discovered where it was and showed up in my room the other morning so excited to show me that she found it. And yes, that means she climbed all the way to the TOP of the chest - this child has no fear! Thank goodness her furniture is connected to the wall.

Ava turned three months old last week as well. I can't believe how fast it goes by, especially the second time around. I can certainly say it's getting easier now that she is over the colic she had for the first few months. I would actually consider her a pretty happy baby now! Unbelievable how much she looks like Claire at this age, isn't it?


Ava has a little lovie that Claire picked out for her before she was born. She is really starting to cuddle up to it (well, really just chew/drool on it)!

It's pretty difficult to get Claire to sit down long enough to get a picture with Ava, so I really have to take advantage of those times Claire wants to hold her! Isn't it funny how no one but you ever knows what you went through to get just one decent picture!

Getting started

Ok, I am attempting to do my first real post and include some pictures. I am including some pics from our most recent family activity, getting Claire's first haircut. We took her to Sweet and Sassy, and she got her hair cut and fixed (braided to be exact), as well as a mini pedicure. She also got a fun lolipop on a long stick to enjoy for being a good girl! We had a great time, and Ava even enjoyed herself!


...and here is one of my favorite recent pictures of sweet Ava!

New blogger

I am going to attempt to start blogging. I have a few friends already doing this and I love looking at theirs!
Jennifer