the zacs: ava's third birthday

ava's third birthday

Birthdays are a big deal at our house. We love birthdays. I think we celebrated Ava's birthday for the whole month of October. (And we haven't even had her party with her friends yet. I know. I'm a month behind in my life and have no good excuse.)

Ava loves riding her new bike.

Isaac was so anxious for his turn to ride. He really wants to be big.

We did squeeze in a little celebration for my birthday too. Although knowing her birthday was after mine, I think Ava was done with my big day by about 9am. I just love spending my birthday with these guys.

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luke's stats

4/18/14 waved hi to daddy
4/17/14 sat alone (while watching Ava's soccer practice)
4/16/14 said Mama (finally I won!)
3/6/14 signs for milk
2/6/14 second tooth (bottom right)
2/1/14 first tooth (bottom left)
1/28/14 rolled over
1/20/14 can find his paci and put it back in (what a glorious day!)
1/15/14 found his toes
11/13/13 first giggle (again for Mommy!)
11/5/13 first responsive smile (for Mommy!)
10/14/13 first smiles (for being clean, dry and fed)
now that i have 4, who really knows when he started sleeping through the night...i don't always know who's fault it is, but i think we get up every night with someone!

lewis' stats

5/1/13 favorite movie requests: "thinking bee thinking bee!" (The Bee Movie) and "how bad can I be!" (The Lorax)
9/4/12 eight front teeth
8/21/12 finally started waving more than just flapping his entire arm, but it's backwards!
8/17 said thank you
8/10/12 constantly signing for food
8/5/12 fully walking, standing up to walk without any help
7/15/12 said did it!
7/15/12 walked across the room
6/23/12 first steps (I really thought I had more time!)
7/4/12 said mama (love it)
6/5/12 understands sign for change, bath and books
6/1/12 can sign milk, eat, more, and all done
5/31/12 fourth tooth (top front)
5/21/12 loves to say hi
5/15/12 army man crawled to get to Isaac and his toys
5/1/12 third tooth (bottom right)
4/15/12 said dada to get Mark's attention
4/1/12 can sit up by himself
3/21/12 second tooth (bottom front)
3/15/12 first tooth (bottom front)
2/26/12 started signing for milk
2/19/12 leans in with a big smile when you ask for kisses
1/21/12 found his toes
1/15/12 growled like a bear at Ava for getting too close
1/3/12 rolled tummy to back and back to tummy
12/20/11 started holding the paci (and putting it back in by himself)
12/15/11 grabbed a toy dangling in front of him
11/21/11 started sleeping 12 hours at night (what a gift!)
11/1/11 laughed for Mommy (while I was singing)
10/12/11 really slept through the night (8 hours)
10/1/11 smiled for Daddy (I so wanted to win this one!)
9/28/11 slept through the night (6 hours)
9/5/11 lifted his head

isaac's stats

8/9/10 spotted the waterfront at camp where all the kids were swimming, raised his hand in the air and said "I do!"
8/7/10 took 3 steps all by himself at camp
7/25/10 signed "eat" w/o being asked or prompted
7/15/10 sits at the back door, waves his arm in the air and says "aah!" to sugar in attempt to make her hush
7/5/10 loves to give high five
7/3/10 adding more words to the list (dada, hi, bye, doggy and I did it) but still not mommy (not that I care)
6/24/10 walks along the furniture
6/1/10 pulls up to a standing position on everything he can (he's so anxious to keep up with Ava)
5/31/10 still flashes a bashful smile and partially hides his face in my neck when someone speaks to him
5/16/10 says hi and huh? for a laugh (he's been saying both of them for awhile now, but I haven't counted them yet b/c I was hoping for him to say mama first, but nope. nada)
5/14/10 stands by himself for a few seconds. stands well with just one little finger to hold onto
5/3/10 says dada to get Mark's attention and not just as babble
5/1/10 loves to give kisses when asked (he lunges for the cheek with slobbering mouth wide open)
4/21/10 shakes his head no
3/30/10 will stand up next to the coffee table as long as his little legs will endure (he loves it)
3/28/10 officially moving now (uses the army man crawl to chase Ava or to race her to a toy)
3/21/10 started waving hi and bye (although it looks more like he's driving a motorcycle)
3/8/10 second tooth popped in (front left bottom)
3/7/10 scoots by kicking his feet (trying to chase Ava)
3/1/10 waved bye bye
2/28/10 baby dedication at Tallowood
2/17/10 front right bottom tooth popped through
1/24/10 started sitting up (although he topples over after only 20 seconds)
12/28/09 manages the paci all by himself
12/25/09 found his feet on Christmas morning
12/17/09 lunges for my cheek when I ask for kisses
12/1/09 started rolling over (back to front)
11/21/09 started grabbing toys dangling in front of him
11/12/09 found his voice
11/1/09 started holding his head up on his tummy with no trouble
10/12/09 started hugging me back (thank you God for another snuggler)
10/3/09 started trying to giggle
9/27/09 turned his head from side to side while laying on his tummy
8/14/09 flashed a real smile (this time for mommy first)

ava's stats

April 2013 lost first tooth (bottom left) and second tooth (bottom right) within a week
6/1/10 still loves to say "Look it, Mommy. I'm super fast."
5/31/10 favorite thing to do is to hold the iTouch and sing at the top of her lungs to Taylor Swift
5/16/10 recognizes each letter on a flash card and can tell you whose name starts with that letter for about half of them
5/10/10 knows her birthday and mine
3/7/10 spelled her name with Boggle blocks
2/28/10 new found love for Taylor Swift (thanks, Caroline)
2/1/10 started counting on her fingers
1/15/10 actually catches a little air when she jumps (finally)
12/27/09 randomly asked for Chick-a-way (on a Sunday of course)
11/12/09 sang the entire ABC song by herself
11/1/09 sings multiple songs by herself (itsy bitsy spider, twinkle twinkle and little tea pot are her favs right now)
10/25/09 can sing the first verse of Jesus Loves Me by herself and can sing all 3 verses with just a little help (she really likes to hold onto the last word in each sentence for a few seconds longer than needed)
10/13/09 actually catches a little air when she jumps
10/3/09 started recognizing her name written
9/28/09 first sommersault (I think it kind of shocked her to actually flip over)
9/13/09 counted to 10 in both english and spanish
4/13/09 started putting full sentences together - just not always in the right order ("mama, where go dada?")
4/10/09 started trying to run (really only a slightly faster wobble)
4/10/09 started walking on her toes everywhere
4/5/09 sighs and say "ah, dada" after Mark tickles her
3/29/09 dove off the couch head first onto her chair and did a entire front flip (not a safe trick, but it was pretty impressive)
3/21/09 sings "Wheels on the Bus" with all of the action
3/11/09 loves to smell the flowers (or blow on them)
3/9/09 decided yellow was her favorite color (just ask her)
3/2/09 knows all of her animal sounds, even the condor
3/1/09 tries to jump (of course she only bends her knees and says jump - we're really not measuring her vertical yet)
2/28/09 first full sentence ("I don't wanna go night night!")
2/18/09 started turning in circles until dizzy
2/15/09 started flashing her mean face in search of a laugh (thanks, mark)
2/10/09 said "love you" for the first time and I melted
1/29/09 started flashing her mean face...while we were trying to get her portrait taken of course
11/18/08 more 2 word combos ("hi, sugar")
11/16/08 started stringing 2 words together (unfortunately it was to say "no, no, night, night")
11/16/08 started signing "thank you" without being prompted
11/15/08 started taking 3 steps and then diving to her next location
11/15/08 shakes her head yes (finally - although she stills shakes her head no 99% of the time))
11/12/08 pointed to her nose when asked
10/31/08 started to give us the double wink with her fake smile
10/19/08 started holding up one finger when you ask her "how old is ava?"
10/10/08 called grandpa zac "papa"
10/06/08 turned one year old!
10/01/08 stood by herself for about 10 secs
9/30/08 stood on her head as if she were about to do a sommersault and stuck her tongue out at me and laughed
9/22/08 said "ava" for the first time
9/21/08 pointed at her picture on the wall and then pointed to herself and smiled
9/15/08 said "yogurt" for the first time
9/6/08 said "pop" for the first time
8/31/08 said "caroline" for the first time
8/31/08 said "sugar" for the first time
8/24/08 teeth seven and eight (bottom)
8/15/08 teeth five and six (top)
8/4/08 said "ball" for the first time
7/24/08 pulled herself up to stand next to the bassinet
7/24/08 started saying "no, no, no" before nap time
7/23/08 fourth tooth popped through (second top tooth)
7/21/08 started saying "teta" (bottle en espanol)
7/19/08 first Astros game
7/16/08 third tooth popped through (first top tooth)
7/12/08 crawled for the first time
7/7/08 said "dora" for the first time
7/6/08 started the fake cough and the fake laugh
6/30/08 signed "all done" and pointed to her crib when I was rocking her (I didn't know if I should feel proud or sad)
6/23/08 sat up after laying on her tummy
6/21/08 said "mmm" after every bite for an entire meal
6/20/08 started rocking back and forth on hands and knees wanting to go - but no crawling yet
6/12/08 said "mama" for the first time
6/11/08 signed "all done" when she wanted out of her high chair
6/10/08 clapped her hands with her hands open
6/8/08 stood up by herself at the coffee table (b/c she'll do anything for the remote)
5/31/08 started giving high five
5/26/08 signed "more"
5/19/08 said "dada" for the first time
5/5/08 clapped her hands with her fists closed
4/13/08 sat up by herself
4/8/08 second tooth popped up (bottom right)
4/7/08 first tooth popped up (bottom left)
3/23/08 rolled from tummy to back
3/19/08 blew daddy a kiss
3/9/08 tried to sign "milk"
2/29/08 rolled from back to tummy
2/23/08 started chewing on her feet
2/21/08 started giving kisses
2/16/08 recognized and responded to sign for "milk"
1/12/08 first aggie event (basketball game)
12/22/07 giggled out loud (this time for mommy!)
11/26/07 slept thru the night (8 hours, how did i get so lucky?)
10/28/07 first smile (for daddy of course)
10/14/07 slept thru the night (well, 6 straight hours)
This section is really for me. Since I don't scrapbook I have to keep these stats somewhere. The little pieces of paper that I was throwing in the cabinet (the same cabinet at least) just wasn't working for me.

things i love about isaac

10. i love how happy he is, his adorable belly laugh, and how much he really loves to laugh (i pray that his life is full of laughter)
9. i love his distinguished ears
8. i love how soft and sweet his skin feels and smells
7. i love that he adores Ava and wants to be with her all the time
6. i love that he holds my cheeks to give me kisses
5. i love that he laughs and tries to get away as soon as Mark says he's going to get him
4. i love that he likes to army crawl instead of crawling on his hands and knees (b/c it's faster)
3. i love that he reaches for his bed when he's tired and sleeps for 12 hours straight
2. i love that he snuggles his face into my neck when someone says hi to him
1. i love that he smacks his lips like he is blowing me a kiss to get my attention instead of saying Momma

things i love about ava

10. i love that she raises her eyebrows at you right before she gives you her mischievious smile
9. i love that she now grabs my cheeks with both of her little hands when she wants to give me a kiss
8. i love that i can hear her giggling with Elena in the other room while i'm working (i know i'm getting the best of both worlds)
7. i love that she smiles and kicks her feet with excitement when i walk into the room
6. i love that she laughs with a true hard belly laugh when mark tickles her
5. i absolutely love the way that she smells...i pray that i never forget that smell
4. i love that she likes to sleep with her hands behind her head like she's sleeping in a hammock
3. i love that she likes to sing herself to sleep
2. i love that she likes to snuggle her face in my neck when i rock her
1. i love the way that her lip is slightly crooked when she smiles (just like her daddy)