This week in pictures...

Ava told me she was going to go "pwactice my gardening"

"Princess gown...check. Tiara...check. Shovel...check" ok she's all set

Her main goal in dressing herself is to see how many skirts I will let her leave the house in.

I went in to check on her last night and found her asleep surrounded by her bibles.

She's partly obsessed with bible stories right now and partly hoping the bibles will protect her from monsters. It's pretty cute.

Roses from my fabulous in-laws and a moment of creativity. Such a fun treat for a Wednesday afternoon.

Ben's fun idea for our moms. If you squint your eyes and stand really far away you can almost tell what it says. :)

mom's 60th

Last week was mom's 60th birthday and I worked really hard to make it a special occasion, from the 2 day affair that is lemon cheesecake, to a photo album, dinner, banana muffins, presents, and this video which we projected onto the wall at the end of the night. This is why I should not confer with my overachieving friends (yes I'm talking to you Jenni!) before birthdays. Because I think, Oh I could do that, and then I have to end up staying in bed until 3 in the afternoon the next day to recover. Anyway, I think she felt very loved so it was all worth it.

Operation chubby

So Ian and I have had a rough go of it these last couple of weeks. We found out at his doctor's appointment that he was underweight and only in the fourth percentile. I actually was starting to see his ribs. So I started feeding him more and it was just frustrating for both of us. I never had milk problems with Ava and the girl was a buddah. This is her at four months.

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Most feedings with Ian have ended in one or both of us crying. So we've started adding formula to his diet. Part of me feels sad that I can't provide enough milk for him and at how much it's going to cost but I think we're close to a good balance and it's nice to know he's getting what he needs. So during this process I started taking mother's milk tea and this herbal supplement called Fenugreek. I read that it makes your milk taste like maple syrup but it actually makes me smell like maple syrup. Well you can only imagine Ben's comments to this new change , not to mention Ava constantly telling me, "Mama you smell like cooookies!" And the people who try on the clothes after me at Nordstrom Rack are probably going to be a little confused as to why they're suddenly craving pancakes. But it seems to be working, although I have to take 14 huge pills a day. I think he's getting bigger and that's really all that matters. I suppose I should be thankful that I have options and that my new medicine doesn't make me smell like mashed potatoes, because that would just be weird.

Beauty and the Beast

Last week Mom and I took Ava to see the junior high production of B&B at the high school. They were actually pretty amazing considering how young they were. Anyway, it was Ava's first play and I wasn't sure how she would do. We successfully managed to avoid the $5 light up roses, as I could picture it in the junk (I mean toy) box a mere five minutes after we got home. Then we got our seats in the nosebleed section and waited.

Ava's first comment after it started was that Belle was not wearing the right dress but I assured her that she would change. And the comments kept coming for the entire play. "What did she say momma? Why is she leaving momma? That's the Beast momma! He's mean now but he'll be nice later." And so on and so forth. Then it was time for intermission and the lights came on. I turned to see my horrified child start sobbing uncontrollably and asked what was wrong. "Theeeey diiiiidn't faaaalllll in juuuv momma!" She seriously said it so loud that our entire section turned around and laughed. My poor girl doesn't know about intermissions and I had to gently explain that it wasn't over. They will fall in love and live happily ever after. All will be right in her world again.

So all in all the play was a success, although I think for the sake of other theater goers we will be waiting a little while before we attend another one.

When we were leaving she saw all the characters in the hallway and asked what they were doing. I told her they were talking to people and waiting for their mommies and daddies to pick them up. Then we left and saw Gaston standing behind the school talking to someone. She looked really scared and shifted her body away from him. Then she said in a whisper, "Don't yook momma, it's the bad guy! He's waiting for his bad mommy and daddy to pick him up." Oh I wish I had a picture of the look on her face.

Just say no...

I think I might have a smoker on my hands. He's got a crazy oral fixation, sucks his thumb so hard that he now has a callous, and every time he gets his thumb in his mouth he looks like he's lighting up.

Hsieh family fun day

Last Wednesday we thought Ben had pink eye so he got a sub for Thursday, and then when he woke up it was pretty much gone. So we took advantage of our free day and the sun and headed downtown. First we went to the park by the rose garden and let Ava run free and coat herself in the mud (thankful for reversible jackets.)

Then we headed to this really fun part of the city that we don't know anything about and found a great second hand children's store. We also wanted to try out the food carts, which are a quirky Portland thing, so we walked down and found them in a small parking lot. I have been craving New Mexican food and there's supposed to be this really good cart that's run by the drummer of the Shins who's from there, and his Grandma taught him how to cook. Mostly I wanted sopapillas but the other items on the menu also looked amazing. Unfortunately he was taking too long to open his cart and the other one's smelled so good that I caved for a pizza, rice bowl, and chocolate shake. It was so fun and all the food was really good so I think it will be a fun area to get to know better.

After that we went to Pioneer Square (a Portland staple) and let Ava run around. Then we took the free train up to Finegans toy store and ended with a Pomegranate lemonade from Nordstroms. Ava skipped her nap and Ian was a trooper the whole day. It was so good to have unexpected family time. I can't wait to have Ben home for the summer and have more days like these.

Before I forget...

Ava: Momma, I want God to live here with us because I love him the bestest!!!

Me: I know honey but He is always here with us even though we can't see Him.

Ava: (Serious look on her face) I am going to cut my heart out so I can see him and keep him here with us always!

I'm not sure if that's really sweet or if I should be seriously concerned.