Dance + Ava = WIN

For the last two years Ava has been enrolled at The Little Gym, and she has loved every minute of it. It has helped her to gain self-confidence, socialize with other friends and taught her a foundation to build on for gymnastics. She prides herself in going what she calls, “her gym.”

Since she’s old enough now to somewhat verbalize what she would like to do, we gave her the option of doing The Little Gym again or trying a dance class at a local studio. We went and checked out the location for the dance classes, and while we were there she was able to watch other girls in a class. Once she saw whath they were doing, she was sold. She wanted to try it, so we signed her up for a trial class.

On Saturday morning we got her ready (there is a very specific dress code and instructions for how her hair should be) and we headed to her class. Shy at first (like she always is) it took her about 10 minutes or so to warm up, but once that happened, she had a blast. Her class is a combination of Tap, Ballet and Tumbling. She loves the music, she loves that she gets to wear a skirt, and she loves the shoes. I guess you could say this new adventure is definitely a WIN.

Just Like Daddy

It's been quite often lately that I find myself wondering why in the world my 3 year old daughter sounds more Texan than my husband (who was actually born and raised in TX)!

She seriously has so much of a twang in her accent that her friends are now starting to sound like they're from Texas too!

Here's just a few of the words that now come with a newly found accent:

Will (We-ill)
House (Hay-ouse)
Belle (Bail)
Please (PL-ease)

It's always fun in the Garland home. :)

I'll Be The Teacher

As with most kids this age, Ava's imagination is running wild! So frequently you can hear her pretending to be the "mommy" with the babies or creating silly stories, but the one thing she's doing the most right now is playing "teacher."

She is pretty bossy, even on a normal day (sure don't know where she gets that from), but when she's teacher she commands order in her classroom! Most of the time, she is telling her "friends" (which is what her teacher, Ms. Cynthia at preschool calls the kids) to sit criss-cross-apple-sauce in a circle, asking for her clipboard and assigning things to do!  If one of us do something she didn't tell you us do, we are quickly reprimanded! I have to admit, sometimes it's fun to break her "rules" just to see her reaction! It's priceless. It's so fun to play along and see where her imagination will take her, most of the time it ends with all of us laughing.

It's seriously incredible to watch this little girl grow every day. She is so full of life. And stories. And crazy ideas! I hope they never stop.

Summer Fun!

Here are a few pictures of Ava and her closest friends, Daniel and Maddie, having fun a few weeks ago! They were laughing hysterically trying to do a group hug and playing Ring Around the Rosie! Thank you, Carrie Fay, for capturing these shots!

One More Hug and Kiss

I think there is one thing that all 3 year olds have in common, and that is the desire to push their boundaries and limits. Parenting books (yes, I read them!)...Supernanny (I wish she would come to my house!)...you name it they all tell you to be firm, otherwise your child will quickly learn what is, or is not, ok.

With Ava recently, this struggle has been at bedtime. Here's the problem/opportunity/challenge (insert your favorite word here), when she comes out of her room again and again, it's not for more water, it's not to go potty, it's to give Mommy or Daddy one more hug and kiss.

How do you deny that? Or, how do you discipline when this is your scenario? I'm sure there are ways, and it can be accomplished, but the bottom line is that one day she's not going to want to give us "one more hug and kiss." Someday, she will feel like she's too old, or too cool to do that. So, until then, I have no intentions of stopping her. Even if it is a couple times a night. I will cherish those moments. And yes, I will give her "one more hug and kiss."