Ava turns 4!

Ava turned 4 on October 10th! It was 10/10/10! She wanted a Halloween Party with Halloween decorations and costumes. We just did a small party because the weather was really not going to be good all week. She had a blast starting with strawberry waffles in the morning. The party was later that night with family and friends. I cannot believe my little girl is 4! She is a wonderful blessing in my life and I am so grateful for all the lessons I learn from her. She is a light in my life and I cannot wait to watch her grow up.

Summer fun

This summer we took advantage of Thanksgiving Points Two dollar Tuesdays! We went to farm country, the Dinosaur museum and the Gardens. The kids loved it as well as us! We also went to the Utah Museum of natural history and Utah fair! So much in so little time...

Ava started Preschool!

Ava is officially a preschooler! She loves Ms. Karli and is learning so much. She is constantly singing songs and telling me the random facts that she learns in preschool. Lately it has been Halloween songs and info on owls (how they eat mice). I am so happy she loves it. I also enjoy the 2.5 hour break three days a week!

Bad blogger

I have been a bad blogger! Although I have to admit that I never thought I would be the weekly poster. The funny thing is that I have a lot to post about but have been so busy it has been difficult to post anything. Have you ever felt so overwhelmed that you do nothing? Well I have so much to post that I chose to just do nothing... dumb i know but that is the case nonetheless. The summer seemed to go by in a flash and I want it back! I enjoy winter but it stays way to long.

Stella messing with sleeping Ava

Ava has in her life only fell asleep on the couch maybe a total of 5 times. She usually will just go to her bed and go to sleep. But this one day she fell asleep on the couch and Stella started to mess with her... Here was the results. Ava never woke up from Stella plugging her nose. It must have been one of those days for Ava. Enjoy!

Lilith Fair

For all of those who "know" me... know that I love Sarah Mclachlan! I recently went to Vegas and Lilith Fair was playing! I was so excited to go! The Bangles played along with a super fun country chick Miranda Lambert! And of course Sarah played and she is amazing! It was at the Mandalay Bay where the stage is above a pool of water. You can either sit in the sand or wade in 2 feet of water during the concert! It was a great experience I was so grateful to be able to see it! The pictures are of Me and Sarah (great arms) and the Bangles.

Fourth of July Balloon Festival

So I know I am a bit late on posting about the 4th of July but you will just have to deal with it. As per usual the girls and I went to the Provo Balloon festival. This year I remembered earplugs for Ava (super sensitive hearing) and she and Stella really enjoyed themselves. I was a bit disappointed because of inclement weather(some kind of secret wind that i could not feel) they were not going to lift off. So they just filled the balloons with air and then took them down. But the girls and I had fun so it was a success. After we had a great Denny's breakfast instead of the Kiwanis one..... but i think I will stick to the Kiwanis Breakfast. It is just part of the Balloon fun for me. It is just easier to do all this with another person. If you haven't been I highly recommend it!

Update on Jury Duty

So I just received a check in the mail for doing jury duty for one day.... A whoppin $18.50! Oh yeah that's pretty cool!

Jury Duty!

A couple weeks ago I recieved a letter in the mail telling me to return information about myself for jury duty. The next week i was invited to the courthouse for a jury selection and opportunity to serve as a juror. Everyone I talk to that goes to a jury selection usually does not make the jury. So I was thinking that I would not get the chance to sit as a juror. I guess I am a bit funny because I was super excited to go and I really wanted to be on the jury. So after all the many questions they gave us the opportunity to express any reason we could not serve. Being a single mother makes several days on a jury difficult so I expressed my concern and let the judge know that I would not be able to get sitters for more than that day. This apparently was the correct answer because there was 3 people who brought up the same concern and all of us made the jury.

After the selection they led us back into a room and proceeded to take our phones. They let us go out for lunch and instructed us to be back in an hour and a half. We were all very punctual people which made everything run smoother. So the trial began.... it only lasted a couple hours and was an interesting case. A young man in his early twenties was suspected of robbing a Dollar tree. His accomplices has plead guilty already and this young man was sticking to the story he was innocent. I really seem to root for the underdog and wanted to go into the case with the possibility that this young man truly was innocent! But all signs lead to the fact that he was not. So after the lawyers were finished they excused us into a room to deliberate.

We were in that room for 6 hours! To tell you the truth I loved every minute up to the last hour... there was this cute 80 year old lady who refused to make a decision. It;s not that she thought he was innocent... just refused to make a decision. So after I got a little frustrated I asked her "is the reason you cannot make a decision is because you think he is guilty and you do not want to put that label on him?" and she said yes. I proceeded to tell her that she would have to make a decision or else we were not going to go home... so after another 30 min she made the decision that he was guilty.

That's when it was really hard. To walk into that courtroom and hand over the GUILTY verdict that would send this man to jail. His face was pleading but it was too late. After the verdict was read they excused us and let us talk to the judge candidly. I think he was surprised it took us that long to decide. Even without the old lady we would have been in there at least 4 hours. It was fun to do and I would recommend it to anyone... but an everyday thing would drive me crazy! I would like to thank Grandma Baird for watching the girls for 12 hours that day so I could go! I do not have a bucket list as of yet but that would have been one of them! Check!

Sharp Family Reunion

So every year my family has a camp out for the family reunion. I usually try to camp but this year seemed a bit daunting with just me and two little wild ones. So i chose to go up for just the day. It was great to see everyone and how beautiful Payson canyon is. Ava enjoyed canoeing so much. She was trying to row almost the whole time and kept asking by the boat rocked (to her it was a woo woo noise). She also tried to fish unfortunately coming home empty handed. Stella had fun as well with attention from all the family! She is walking now so she cruised around and showed off her new skills. The bad parent I am forgot shoes for her... so luckily Aunt Jenny had an extra pair for her to wear! Thanks Jenny! On the way home Ava fell asleep and was out cold for a good 40 min! I hope everyone else had as much fun as I did. I love my family and couldn't ask for anything more! You all are so special and unique in your own ways!

Question?

What do you think when people return presents? And I am not saying to exchange it for something else... I mean just mails it back to you? Has this happened to anyone else?

Getting back out there!

So a few of you know that I have been dating again.... wow did I not miss it. I was talking to my good friend Emma and she made a good observation.... Dating is fun when you are dating a person you like and they like you. Otherwise it just sucks. So I have recently had both experiences and boy has it been a roller-coaster.
I have to admit that I was in a point of my life where I was content... I was going to buy a home build a salon there and become self-reliant. Now I am not sure if I will be in Utah county for long... my overly planned life is in shambles. Oh well.... just as life gets comfortable it changes! At least in my experience it does.
So I need to meet people.... this is where you all come to play. Being a single mother of two makes meeting men pretty much impossible. I have signed up for the online dating thing and that has been promising as well as not. Why is it so awkward? I do not think I will ever get the "hang"of it! So if you have anyone for me pass them my way.
So what am I looking for? Good question... I am looking for someone with a strong testimony of the church... someone who enjoys serving others. I like men who can make decisions and have direction. Funny is always a plus. But for the most part just a nice guy who can keep up with me and the kids!
I just want to take this time to thank my parents for watching the girls so I could go out! Thank you Dad and Mom for being supportive and understanding. I have the best family ever! Love you guys.

What I hate most!

Some of you out there may think I enjoy cleaning... this is not so! I do enjoy a clean house and this is were the cleaning comes to play. But I have the philosophy that if you do not make a mess in the first place that cleaning becomes less time consuming. The only problem with this theory is children! I try not to make too big of a deal about messes and try to keep food in the kitchen and soap in the bathroom... that sort of stuff. But what really gets me is when Ava decides to take toothpaste into her room when she is suppose to be in bed and proceed to cover her babies (animals and dolls) in it! This is the cleaning I truly hate and have a hard time keeping my composure. She also decided to paint her nails in the dark! Luckly that was in the bathroom and she did not spill the nail polish. But is seems that it is 50/50 whether she goes to bed with no problems or problems. And it is hard to know when she is being bad because she is quiet... kinda like when she is sleeping! So what ends up happening is I go up and down the stairs all night checking to see if she is up to no good or in bed sleeping. A couple nights ago she decided to paint my deoderant on the bathroom sink with Stella's toothbrush! I hope it will stop because I think I have hit my breaking point with this girls and her late night science experiments!

My girls at a year

It is funny to see how different yet how similar the girls are at a year old. The obvious difference is HAIR! Ava had a ton and Stella has practically none. But they do look very similar. They both have the same wing out ears and actually have the same teeth popping through! Stella is a petite baby while Ava was average. At Ava's party she made a mess of her first birthday cake while Stella used two fingers and was clean after she ate her cake! But they both enjoyed their cake.
I love this age! It is fun to see them discover and progress in life so very fast. I love my girls and I am so proud of them. I hope they can grow up together to be the best-est of friends!

Just me Erin

It is really hard to find a picture of me without someone else in it. A friend of mine in my ward took some photos of us in Stella's birthday and they turned out great! It is always good to have updated family photos! I happen to not be very good at doing it though. I really try to keep my life simple because I tend to make more out of simple things than I should. Take the picture for example.... what to wear, how to do hair/makeup. Getting everyone ready and out the door! Anyway, I over analyze alot and try not to add too much to my plate. But at the same time I miss out on many opportunities because of it.... like having recent family photos. Wow that became a rant...oh well. So about me..... me... well... I am a single mother of two incredible girls. I am a licensed Cosmetologist and worked in a salon up to having Ava and now randomly do hair out of my kitchen. I hope to get back into a salon or have on in my home. I am lucky to have the opportunity to stay home with the kids so I can enjoy these years with them (thank you Ian). I love Utah (one of the few) and would like to stay here forever. I love my family and consider them my friends as well. I am so blessed to have their love and support. it seems like I lost myself for a little while but now I am rediscovering myself and the things that are important. But I think having kids and getting a divorce does that to a person.

My little Stella Lillie

This is my little Stella Lillie... also known as Stella Bella. She is One and still seems like my baby. That is probably due to the fact that Ava was so much bigger at one than Stella and not to mention more hair. Stella is a sensitive momma's girl. She likes toys and books. She is also a good eater but prefers solid food and will only be spoon fed when really hungry. She can say Mom and Dad as well as hi and yea! She will wave to you (well herself really because she waves backwards) and clap. She is on the verge of walking and probably could but likes to be held. She will scream or cry to get her way.. which is good when you are the little sister. Stella loves Ava more than anything and will follow her around and want to do what her big sister is doing. She has a swirly belly button and long skinny feet. She loves her bathes but hates getting dressed after. Stella is currently in my room so the girls can have naps undisturbed. She is the lightest sleeper though and will wake up to the smallest noise. It is fun to wake up to her babbling and playing with the few stuffed animals in her crib in the morning. You know when she's done being in her crib when she throws everything out! She loves to throw things. She will throw a ball and go fetch it and repeat as long as she is happy or Ava steals it. It truly amazes me how different my two chillins are! I hope they are great friends in the future. oh... and she sucks her two middle fingers.

My little Ava Rose

This is my Ava! She is 3 1/2. Ava has to be one of the funniest most original little girls I know! That is what I love most and what drives me bonkers as well. I wanted to raise a decisive child so from the very beginning I let her make choices... food.. book...games...toys...ect. I usually would give her a choice between a couple things so I could still steer her in the "right direction" (my choice). But lately she has taken it to another level. She will insist on going outside to play but on learning that it is too cold she will insist I make it warmer so I can fulfill her wishes. And she makes her own rules such as "when I wake up from my nap I get a treat!". And when a healthy treat is offered she becomes upset and insists on something more sugar related. As it frustrates me I am laughing inside because this little thing know what she wants and will try her hardest to get it! She has even started the whole "you are a mean mom" but unfortunately for her I decided before having children that I would prefer to be a good mom rather than the nice mom! It worked for me! Thanks MOMS! If you have seen the movie "Coraline" you will understand when I say that Ava now asks for the "other mother" when she is in trouble or I am not compliant with her wishes. This too makes me laugh inside with a small tear but I soon recover to stand my ground. I feel that I can be a mean mom but I have high expectations for this little girl and I want her to know that I am a constant in her life and she can always count on me. A few things about Ava is that she loves the "boy" Disney movies... Toy Story and Cars. She is a bit dark and enjoys Coraline and Nightmare before Christmas! She likes to swing at the park and is an excellent eater! She will eat pretty much anything! Just tell her that it will make her healthy and strong and she is sold! She has the thickest hair and my dimple on her right cheek! I love this little girl so much and would do anything for her! She has a new word she made up recently "killa" that she tells me is like the lion kings Hakuna Matata.

The Blogging begins!

So I have thought about starting a blog several times(and probably have one floating around somewhere that I have forgot about) but seem to feel inadequate. Everyone is so witty and enertaining that I feel that my blog needs to have those elements as well. Even though I feel I have the potential of containing the necessary elements for a "fun" blog it stresses me out... and that is the last thing I need. But I find myself forgetting the silly little things that my kids say or do and it makes me feel sad inside that a year from now I will not remember. I wish I had the memory of my Father but sadly not even close! So here I am trying to put together a blog so I can keep everyone informed on the nothingness that is my life and so I can remember the highs and lows of that nothingness. Oh and be warned.... I have never been much of a grammar whiz and will not try and hide the fact that I have a hard time ending sentences so i use this.... to make up for it! Thank goodness for spell check! I hope you enjoy.