My little poser

Ava loves to have her picture taken, always happy to show her outfit to the camera - usually with the promise to share the picture with her cousins in Brazil.  She is too cute for words.

Though sometimes, she poses for pure silliness - almost falling over from laughing so hard - such as when she decides to go into our closet and dress up in Daddy's shirt and jeans!  Such a funny girl.

complete with Daddy's shirt, jeans, and Havaianas!

Ava and the things she says!

The other day we were pulling in our driveway, and Ava saw our neighbor's mother, Deanna, standing in their driveway. Ava said:
Ava - Mommy, can I say hi to Larry?
Me and Daddy - Larry?
Ava - Yes, Larry.
Me - Who is Larry?
Ava - Stacey's (our neighbor) mom.
Me - Stacey's mom's name is Deanna.
Ava - Well I call her Larry, she said I could call her anything I want.
Daddy and I cracked up laughing! I don't know where she came up with Larry, but it is true that Deanna had told her she was welcome to call her anything she wanted.  I love how literal Ava took her...though she knew very well that she was being funny.
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One night at bedtime, after reading her a bedtime story, Ava wanted to play a little with Sofia.  However, I had just seen her picking her nose, so I said:
Me: Ava, did you just pick your nose?  Now you can't touch Sofia, because you have germs on your hands.
Ava paused for a moment, looking at her hand...
Ava: But I used my right hand, right? So I can use my left hand to touch Sofia, because my left hand doesn't have germs. All said with a little smile on her face.
Me: How do you know which is your left hand? Do you know your right from your left?
Ava: 'Cuz I'm smart! This is my right hand, this is my left. This is my right leg, this is my left!
I had no idea she really knew her right and left so well.  She cracks me up with her logic and reasoning...I am definitely in trouble! :)
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Ava had been looking through my purse and came across a name tag of mine that I use at work functions.  It has my name, title, and a border of various country flags.
Ava - What's this?
Me - It's my name tag for work.
Ava - Looking at it very carefully...But, I don't see your name. It doesn't say "M-O-M".
Me - You're right, but it says Sandra on there.
Ava - Hey! I see the flag for Brazil!
Vovo would be very proud that Ava can spot the flag so quickly!  I giggle thinking of how in school I went from being Christina's little sister, to Bob's big sister, to now having my name be "mom"!

Sofia at work...

Well, mommy's work that is!

While Vovo was in Brazil and Sofia was yet to start school, I decided to do a trial run with Sofia at work.

I needed to go into the office to get things done, and since Sofia usually takes decent naps, I thought it might work out and it did!  Sofia did great, did not cry or disrupt the office - except for her cuteness and cooing that sometimes invited visitors into my office. So she, like her siblings before her, got to have her first experience at work at the tender age of 2.5 months old!

She mostly slept, though when awake she found the electrical outlet to be quite fascinating.  She is such a good little girl, and really did let me get work done while the other two were at their school.

A 4-year-old, a 2-year-old, and a 2-month-old!

Thank God Vovo went with me to take the kids for their wellness check-ups at the doctor!  I could not have done it without her, especially considering our appointment was right at lunch/nap time.  All three were going in different directions, and I think the nurses were anxious for us to have an efficient appointment too so they could go to lunch.  We had one nurse wanting to weigh and measure Sofia, while another was wanting to take Ava and Alex to the stand-up scale to weigh and measure too.

Once our doctor came in, she started by checking out Ava since Sofia was asleep.  She asked Ava all kinds of questions about her favorite foods, what she liked to do, if she was eating enough vegetables, etc.  Ava shared that she liked pizza and candy, though I added that she ate quite a bit of fruit.  The doctor encouraged Ava to eat more green veggies and to continue to take her afternoon nap.

While she asked Ava questions, Alex did not hesitate at all, and wanted to participate too - "Dr. Koush, I eat my lunch!".  Our doctor just laughed, commenting how it seems like Alex has quite a strong vocabulary and well developed verbal skills to be talking so easily in complete thoughts and phrases.  She then asked if he was running, climbing, and jumping, and Alex proudly (though quickly) showed how well he could jump. She asked if he was eating well, and I shared that he LOVED beans, fruit, and would often eat as much as I do.  So although he is not packing on very many pounds, he is still perfectly healthy and just has a really fast metabolism.

It was finally Sofia's turn! Our doctor was surprised to learn that Sofia already was bearing weight on her own legs wanting to stand (assisted, of course), how chunky and wonderfully healthy she is.  Sofia is eating well, sleeping well, cooing, smiling, and giggling.  She has gained over 4 lbs and 2 inches since she was born. She is the icing on our cupcakes :)

All three showed how tough they are when they had to each get a shot for immunizations (I think I suffer more in trying to decide which ones they should get, and worrying about possible side effects). Ava cried a little, more because she tensed up and it made her leg hurt more.  Alex barely flinched, and Sofia let out two little cries and quickly got over it.  I think God took pity on me and gave them all extra strength to hang in there.

So here is where we stand:

Ava at 4 years old:
weight: 30 lbs.
height: 37.75 inches

Alex at 2 years old:
weight: 21 lbs 2 oz
height: 32.5 inches

Sofia at 2 months old:
weight: 11 lbs. 6 oz
height: 22.75 inches

We are SO VERY BLESSED!!!!!