Crazy Love Gamble-Style

Yet another wonderful beach trip. Last weekend was really fun. Ava didn't sleep through any of it, well maybe a few little parts. She missed some of the late night antics where a box of oranges met it's demise among fruity vodka martinis. It was a very good family bonding evening : ) That was the first night. The next evening we were joined by Billy, Missy, Rachel, Ryan, Jon & Victoria. I had convinced Jon to come enjoy a beach trip with us and make us sushi! Yay!! Who makes the best sushi?? This guy! Jon truly is a master sushi chef, he almost makes it look easy, almost. It was so delicious!! I wish I could eat this picture. Norah liked his hat, she's not too in to sushi, yet. I got a kick out of taking her picture in it. She was cracking my up. You can bet if I am having fun taking pictures of Norah, Ava is sure to jump in, which is an added bonus in my opinion. : ) It was so nice spending some time with old friends. I love th

Ava, silly little Ava. Norah thinks shes nuts & also the coolest person, EVER! Quite the pair. Poor little Noria has been sick for over a week now. Consequently she decided to quit nursing, completely, with no warning. I tried everything, she was very sure of her decision. Just in case I wasn't getting the memo she would clamp down on my nipple as hard as she could just to be clear. I am in some very serious pain. Ibuprofen, ice packs & cabbage leaves in my bra, doesn't this sound fun? I can't even hold my baby or let anything even brush against my body. But the worst part? I'm really sad. I wanted to nurse her for at least a full year, just like I did for Ava. Norah acts like she never nursed at all, like I had imagined the whole thing. It's the strangest thing. Not fair, my last baby should let me have this one little thing. RUDE. At least she is cute. The other consolation? If I get really hungry I can just reach down

I'm having all kinds of fun taking pictures of everything around me, like this: Ava's Happy Meal : ) I love taking pictures of flowers too. And bees Or bugs Humming birds Ducks Oh and food too, but I will save that for another day. I have been cooking all kinds of things lately. It's really nice to get back into it. I remember when I was pregnant and it was hard to imagine ever enjoying cooking again. I am happy to say I LOVE IT again! Yay!

This first one is in the bath & I'm pretty sure it makes NO SENSE. But I still think it's cute, so there. This next one can't help but make you laugh. What's better then a giggling baby?? I know I haven't been blogging much lately. Blame it on Pinterest. I am a total addict, and I'm okay with that. I can't even tell you the amount of new recipes it has inspired me to try!! Here is a link to my boards if you want to see just how out of control my problem has become. You too could become an addict too, let me know if you want an invite : )

Yesterday was a big day for Miss Ava. Daddy & Daughter Day. Ava just about drove us over the edge just to see if she could get her special day cancelled. I'm sure that wasn't really her goal but for some reason unbeknownst to me she decided to get up at 8am. Now for most children 8am sounds like a pretty pleasant time to rise, right? I have heard that some parents are tortured by their sweet little angels as early as 5am!!! Well for Ava, 8am is not good. In fact her head spins around and evil radiates from her at that particular hour. Little chick needs to sleep in until at least 9am or 10am to make her the slightest bit tolerable, and really? I'm okay with that. Anyhow, we pushed through it, with lots of threats, tears, and time outs. And eventually they got to start the nice part of their day. First they headed to the park, they played for awhile and when the action was slowing down they went to ANOTHER park! After that he took her

These people here? These are my people. My Sister, Mom & Aunt Linda. If I need anything, someone to talk to, support, love, a good laugh, a friend, an opinion, an sympathetic ear, a co-participant in the oohing and aahing over the amazingness of my children, these are the women I call. And they left me, Every. Single. One. Of. Them. It's not like they wanted to leave me, they wanted to take me with them. Right? RIGHT??? Here is where they are: The island of Mauritius, set 500 miles east of Madagascar. Here is what their tourism website boasts: "Welcome home Mauritius will enchant you, will uplift your soul, making you feel that you belong to the chosen few. Every visitor enjoys personal attention. Every encounter is an opportunity to discover a friendly face. Behind each smile lies the promise of a unique holiday. The contrast of a multitude of colours and tastes, the island, set in its turquoise sea, is an oasis of peace and t