Knapp Reunion

We had the Knapp Family Reunion today, which is Ellen's side of the family. The weather was nice. Hot, but not too hot, I think around 85. It was a lot of fun to catch up with so many folks that we don't see regularly. It had really been too long! It's amazing how much kids can change in 2 years, I had to do a few double-takes for sure!

The food was yummy and we kept cool under the pavilion and in the shade. It really helped once we got soaked with the water balloons. I love silly games like that. There was a water balloon toss, a sponge soaker game ?? and also an egg toss. I stayed as far away of the egg toss as I could. Yuck! As is often the case, the water fight didn't end when the water balloon toss ended and the egg war wasn't over when the egg toss was over. HA. Lots of wet, sticky people with messy clothes. Good fun though, all the same.

I took my camera but I didn't get snapping like I usually do. There were a lot of other snappers though so I hope to get some of their pics too. Thank you to everyone who put today together, it was great! Hope we see you all soon. xoxo

30 DAYS!!!

30 DAYS till my due date....and to our 5th Anniversary, for that matter! 8-24

I really hope I go a few weeks early like I did with Ava! YIKES!

BTW- I was washing the bedding from the moses basket and Ava wouldn't stay out of it. YES- more washing...I'm nesting pretty bad these days! Anyway,it's a fun new toy for her and her dollies...silly girl. (thanks again Aunt Kimmie).

In Position..

Chet brought the cradle up!

I washed all the bedding and put it on.

So, now it is "in position" in our bedroom.

I can't believe our baby boy will be sleeping in there in a few weeks!

I forgot how much I loved it...thank you again Mamaw & Papaw!

Just seeing it brings back a flood of memories of when Ava was a newborn. It won't be long now...

Preggo Pals

This is just one of those things I have to share.

I met Bridget & Stacey 9 years ago, just 2 months after moving to Albany. I had just graduated from San Diego State in May 1999 and had gone back to TX to spend time with my family for a month before making my move to the Northeast to be with my fiance, Chet. (hee)

I started working at New York State Hospitality & Tourism in August. It just so happened to be the day after Bridget started working there. We were both newbies together and became fast friends. Stacey had already worked there for a year (I think) and we soon became friends with her too. I am so glad that I met these girls at that point in my life. I'm certain that my life in Albany would be entirely different today if I had not.

These girls were both in my wedding and I was in theirs. We all went through our engagements, wedding showers, weddings, first home purchases, pregnancies & baby showers together....along with many other things in between. I've shared a lot with them and they with me, including meeting some great people that each have introduced me to. That's actually what brings me to this post. Preggo Pals.

Here is a picture of Bridget, myself and Stacey that was taken at my baby shower in Jan 2005. Bridget was 5 months pregnant, I was 7.5 months pregnant and Stacey was 9 months pregnant. Maddie, Ava & Camdyn were hangin' out in our bellies. Now fast forward 3.5 years. Here we are again. This time we're vacationing in Avalon in July 2008. Stacey is 6 weeks, I am 8 months pregnant and Bridget is 4 months. I can't wait to see what little people we make this go round! Preggo Pals, no doubt!

Bridget-5 mo, Janis- 7.5 mo, Stacey-9 mo

Stacey-6 wks, Bridget- 4 mo, Janis- 8 mo

Now - It's only fair that I throw in a picture where NONE of us are pregnant! This is the first one I could find. We were on a Girls Trip- Mystic, CT 2003.

Room Pics

Shades of Pink & Blue

Go ahead.
Add us to the list of households with a pink "girl" room and a blue "boy" room. How original, right! The nursery & Ava's room are both 99% complete and it feels nice to cross that off "the list". Daddy worked very hard in both rooms and they came out really cute.

Dean's room is full of beach themed decor like sailboats and surfboards. I didn't purchase a thing at the same time or in any type of set but I think it all ended up coming together. He will use the same furniture that we used for Ava's nursery (thank you again Gram & Papa). It's funny how soft and girly is seemed with Ava's nursery palette and how rustic and boy it seems now in Dean's room.

Ava has new white furniture and her new big girl bed. Her bedding has white/pink polka dots, fairytale toile & ballet slippers, but it is very subtle. She also has 2 of Grandpa Burrows' shelves & 1 of his corner stands in her room that Chet re-painted white. I love that. Actually, Ava and I painted the green accents on the corner stand together and that feels special b/c my Grandpa & I made that stand together way back when. It came out really cute and having his handiwork in her room really makes me feel good.

Anyway, while everything was all nice and neat, I snapped a few pics.

Landscape at Last

Chet laid down 4 yards of black mulch in the front flower beds today.

Remember that list I was talking about...I'm tellin' you, it works wonders! :) What an improvement!!

List Makers

OK- I know it has been a while since I last posted.
I (we) have been working so much lately, trying to tie up loose ends. They are everywhere! I'm (we're) dragging stuff out of here & there & everywhere...trying to find baby items and leaving a nice mess in my (our) path. Chet is bringing up stuff from the basement that I forgot we even had.

I made a long list of things that need to be done before Baby D arrives. I am a list maker, it's in my genes...my mom & sister are list makers too. It helps me get things out of my head. Besides, I like to see it in writing so I can't forget about it. I've sorta turned Chet into a list maker. Well, he doesn't make them himself but he likes when I do. After I made the latest list I showed it to him and he read it over. Then he started nodding his head. All he said was, "Good List".

I only make "couple" lists when we have something big coming up. It could be a trip, event, company coming to stay with us...a baby on the way in a month. When this type of list surfaces, it doesn't disappear until everything has been marked off. It usually has a prime location in the house where it stays until the said time comes. Most of the time it is housed nice and central on the kitchen island. Of course, as you might imagine, our favorite part of the list process- hands down- is crossing things off. Through the years, I've learned to let Chet cross his own progress off the list. It's gratifying.

I also make personal lists. There is pretty much one in my purse at all times. That one is just for me though. It's riddled with store-list stuff, errands, returns and what not. Nothing major, just stuff.

Anyway, we've been busy marking things off of the list. It's amazing how much you can accomplish when you get right down to it. Granted, we still have half the list left undone but the progress feels really good. Thank goodness Chet is a helper husband. I would surely go insane if he wasn't.

I hear stories about people who can't sleep at night because there are a million things running through their heads about what they need to do the next day. Maybe they should try the list thing? Chet and I sleep very soundly. Hmmm.

Time Check?

I'm officially 8.5 months.
Yep- 34 weeks completed.
Hello week 35.
I don't want to see week 39.
My, oh my!

Ballet & Tap Time

Ava started her summer ballet/tap class today. She loved it. It was the cutest thing! Mommy's could only watch from a picture window in another room. The girls were very attentive and followed their teachers directions so well. Here are a few pics of our little ballerina with her friend Maddie.

The Hokey Pokey...

Ava & Camdyn doin' the hokey pokey. Sorry, I have no idea how to turn this video upright. I'm a rookie. You may want to pause the song at the bottom of the page so you can hear the girls. (It's stubborn and you have to hit pause twice.)

Promises, Promises

Ava has always been a nail biter.
Do I even need to mention that this is not a habit that I am fond of? Probably not. There's nothing worse than watching your child's little hands go straight into their mouths for a quick chew. At the playground. In a public restroom. After school. It can and does happen pretty much anywhere. Also, I'm pretty sure it's been medically confirmed that putting your unwashed hands in your mouth is THE fastest was to contract germs of any sort. Nice.

Well, in an attempt to curb this little vice, I made a little promise.
Go ahead, judge me. Really, I can take it.

Our Ava LOVES to have her toenails painted. Chalk it up to fun Mommy & Me time. We get around to it about once a month. Keep in mind, this is a seasonal activity in the Northeast. So, I say, all the more reason to play it up while you can. She is so proud showing off her toesies to anyone who will have a look.

As you might imagine, she's always wanted me to paint her fingernails too. I have never obliged for a number of reasons:
1- She bites her nails.
2- I don't want her chewing on icky nail polish. (I'm pretty sure it isn't even close to being organic).
3- There really aren't any nails left to paint!
4- Why rush it? She has plenty of years of fingernail painting ahead.
Okay hush- for some reason toesies seem different to me...I dunno why...I can't always explain my mommy logic!

Well, back to my little promise.
I told her I would paint her fingernails when she stopped biting her nails. I honestly never thought it would be anytime soon. Well, folks, SHE STOPPED! I'm not really sure when it happened, but it did. We are so proud of her! Those little suckers grow fast too! Who knew? This morning I was clipping her fingernails before camp and I could see her little wheels-a-turning.

"Mommy, I stopped biting my nails like a big girl."
"Yes you did, Mommy is so proud of you."
"Um- you said you would paint my long fingernails...so don't cut them all off."
"Okay baby, we'll paint them this afternoon."

So there you go! Ava collected!
I sat down with her this afternoon and painted her toenails AND fingernails. We've got one happy little lady running around this house. It's as if sun beams are gleaming off of her nails or something. She can't stop smiling and staring at them. If you happen to run into us in the next week or so, I'm sure she will be thrilled to give you a nice peek. Note to self- don't make any promises I can't keep.

Avalon 08

Home Again

I feel so out of touch. I haven't written in forever. I entered the psyche of vacation-land about 10 days ago and am just now stretching out of it. This is always a bit of an adjustment for me personally. I need a few more days.

Another glorious week at the seashore is behind us. We've fallen in love with this little slice of the Jersey Shore...Avalon & Stone Harbor. There is just something about it there. Tranquil, slow-paced, laid-back, gorgeous, pristine. We were lucky to have lovely, perfect weather the entire week.

The kids had the times of their lives. Playing in the sand, splashing in the pool, playing dolls, dressing up, riding on daddy's shoulders, running in the water, dancing around, flying kites, movies on the beach, fireworks, eating freeze-pops and ice cream...just being kids. It's priceless. Being 8 months pregnant made for an interesting twist this year...but I wasn't alone. There were three preggos in all: Bridget (4 mo) and Stacey (6 wks) joined the ranks. Felice & Monique maintained their normal hormone levels :)

So, now we're home again. The many pictures and videotape will forever freeze these memories in our minds and help us remember our lives in July 2008. I treasure these photos. I love to look back at last years and the year before and see how much things have changed. I never want to forget.

You know what was always in the back of my mind? That this would be Ava's last vacation as the only child in our family. I can't explain exactly how that makes me feel. I feel happy and so excited to meet our son...SO excited! At the same time I clearly sense the end of a chapter coming. The thing is, I happen to love that chapter. Oh, how we've grown over the last 3 years. I know I will love the next just the same, likely even more...but still, there it is, on my mind anyway. Our sweet baby girl is growing up and about to become a big sister. Vacation will never be quite the same again. Party of 4 coming soon.