And We're Off....

We are having SO much fun around here!

Matt was travelling this week, so of course, a big milestone happened.  On Sunday (Mar 8), Ava said her first word..."da da."  I must admit my jealousy, but when he got home Sunday night and she reached up, touched his faced and coo'd, "da da," I was so touched and excited!  She is so sweet with her daddy...and he is smitten with her. :)

She's also been working on crawling for quite some time now, up on all four's, rocking back and forth, slithering on her tummy, and going backwards.  Yesterday, one of 4 days I've been without kids since Ava was born, she did it!  My dad and Tiki were watching her....

She's not cruising yet, but she is no more than a couple of days away from being all over the place.  Even right now I'm in the floor with her and she's giving me the eye like, "I'm coming to get you, mommy."

On another note, what's going on with the adults in the house....

Matt is still really enjoying work, the challenge and gratification of it all.  We are also in the middle of our attic renovation, adding a playroom, "theater", and my writing room.  Because of the craziness, hammering, and explosion of our belongings all over the house, some things like Tot School and general organization have fallen by the wayside.  At first I was feeling guilty about not doing much school with Gray, (then feeling guilty about not blogging about it :), but I've remembered that with life there are simply seasons, and our season for hyper-organized activities is not now and will return someday.  :)

My other blog is growing everyday and I have to say, because of my passion for writing, it is giving me such joy!  I pray that my motives remain pure and unselfish, wanting it to bless other moms, help them save a little when decorating, and generally encouraging them.  Check it out if you haven't yet...I hope you'll like it! Since the blog's following is growing, I've got a blog design coming too...excited about that. Because of my interest in restoring furniture and decorating on a dime, I've decided to start a little business on the side....Perfectly Imperfect (also my blog):Restoration.  I would love your feedback!  Visit my other blog to check out all the details.  For now, I'll mostly take pieces that clients bring to me and help transform them....one day I would love to treasure hunt all by myself and have a shop of my own.   I would love to have local clients, but I would also love to market online--there is such an interest that I didn't even know was out there!  (oh, for friends and fam, If you've got something you'd like done, let me do it for free for you--this will just build my portfolio of before and after's...plus I would enjoy helping you achieve that!)  It's really gratifying to take something old/used/dingy/tired on the owner's eyes and make it new and fresh again.  Again, something I never thought I would enjoy....God opens doors as we grow and our interests change.  In the midst of all the excitement, my prayer to be a wife and mother first, nurturing the spirits of my children.  I'm not so good at balance....so please pray for clarity and prioritizing for me! :) 

We are so excited about these opportunities and can't wait to see where they lead! 

Talking with you soon--

shaunna :)