Mexican Mama

Ava is apparently a die hard Tex-Mex food fan! Last night for dinner I made burritos and we also had chips and salsa. She has begun some weird obsession with dipping things in sauce. Like chicken tenders in ranch, fries in ketchup, chips in salsa. You get the drift don't you?

Not only was this child dipping her chips in salsa, she pulled a Ryan.

Let me explain.

Ryan is my younger brother. When we lived in Buffalo, NY we had this chip dip called "Bison Chip Dip." It is your basic french onion dip. Wait. I take that back. It tastes nothing like the oh so common sour cream french onion flavored generic chip dip...it tastes 100x's better! Everybody in my family loves this chip dip, you just don't understand. Ryan especially LOVES this dip. When we moved away from Buffalo and family would come visit, we would all try to get our hands on a container of the dip and ration it. You never knew when you'd get a chance to eat more so you also made sure to save some for later. Ryan on the other hand...he would get the largest spoon in the house he could find, grab a container of the dip and eat it by the spoonful! His container never lasted long. As a matter of fact, he was done with all of it in about 4 spoonfuls. If you timed it on a stop watch he could probably finish it off in...3.2 seconds.

Good Memories...which brings me to last night.

Now that you understand a little better about Ryan, maybe you are starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together. For those of you who are up extremely late reading this and are just as delirious as I am, let me explain in more detail.

Close your eyes okay. Picture this...Ava took her spoon and pulled her bowl of salsa closer to her. She ditched the chips and decided to do this love affair solo. Just her and her bowl of "dip." She took her spoon and was feeding herself SCOOPS of salsa. No joke! It was absolutely disgusting and might I add...painful to watch. I cannot imagine the heartburn this child had last night. Now that I think about it, that might be the reason she woke up crying a few times. I'm not that bad of a mom. I didn't let her eat the whole entire bowl of it. Okay, she might as well have because there was only about one more spoonful left. She was so happy and content though. I just couldn't take it from her.

All I can say is thank the Lord Ava has a love for Mexican food! I just didn't know she loved it that much.

My Mommy lesson of the week: "give your children salsa in moderation," otherwise it could make for a loooong night.

Wacky Wednesday

I'm feeling completely out of wack! We still haven't gotten back into our routine after the whirlwind that hit us over the past few weeks. My surgery, our vacation, Christmas, Ava being out of school for almost two weeks. Speaking of Ava and school. I sure hope the transition back to her structured environment goes as uneventful as possible.

Let's see what's happened over the last few weeks.

Surgery. Went for my post-op visit today and the Doc was in surgery so I had to reschedule. Why is it that if you don't show up for an appointment you get charged, but if the doctor doesn't show up for your appointment then you just get told to come back. Is my time not as important as theirs? Why can't I send them a bill? What if the world was perfect, then everything would go my way, right? Wishful thinkin'!

Vacation. Ava had a few milestones. Her soft delightful "yea" turned into an obnoxiously boisterous "YEEESSSHHH!" It's cute, as long as you don't have a headache. She also learned how to use her Dad's new Blackberry Storm. She can use the screen, navigate to the contact list, and call people. Sounds possible doesn't it? Okay, she can't do all of that but she doesn't put the phone down. It has become her new obsession. I might add it has become mine as well. There is a preloaded game called Word Mole. It keeps my brain feeling young. You get points based on the words you put together. Almost the same concept as Scrabble. Got a little off topic there, sorry. Ava got to play in snow for the first time. It was so adorable to see her dressed in a big fluffy snowsuit! She loved the snow and did not want to go back inside. Let's see what else.

Christmas. It only took her about .5 seconds to "get" the concept of opening Christmas presents. Hell we could have wrapped empty boxes in pretty paper and bows and she would have had just as much fun as opening the real gifts. Christmas around the O'Brien house is going to keep getting more and more fun. :) Makes me excited for the years to come. All in all we had a great time and can't wait to take another vacation from our vacation!

Schools out. Since school has been closed for Ava we had to get a babysitter for Monday, Tuesday, and today. Apparently it has been confirmed that Ava manipulates Rory and me. I was begining to think that her favorite place to sit was on the loveseat (that's where she goes to time out) because she always manages to do something that lands her there. If you want to know the truth all I have to say is "Ava, do you want a time out" and she'll now automatically just climb up in her reserved seat. So, the babysitter informed me that The Princess...simply is a Princess while Mommy and Daddy are gone. She does what she's asked to do. She doesn't roll her eyes (yes she's 17months old and has mastered this...lol.) She doesn't wimper and whine when something doesn't go exactly how SHE wants it. She doesn't have us fooled at all. We know her game; however, I don't mind letting her win. Now don't get me wrong, we do have boundries...but...she's only gonna be my baby once. I'll enjoy her innocence while I can! Needless to say I am ready for her to go back to school. If you can't tell already, this kid needs structure and routine in her life. Please don't let this be a precursor to what could be an unwanted West Point tradition. Notre Dame, ah, that might be another story? ;)

I'm going to stop here. I've got a nice liquor drink in front of me (provided by the hubs, thanks babe.) The Diva is sound asleep. This year is going to end faster than I can count to ten, so I've got to enjoy what's left of it.

There are lots and lots of pics on photobucket if you've got more time on your hands than I do right now. Browse away.

One last thing...Be safe tonight and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Please Pray

I promise tomorrow is going to be a true update, where I'll share with you the stories involving The Diva. For example, here love of dancing with my underwear around her neck. That should keep you on the edge of your seat til tomorrow, right?

On a serious note.

Today brings a day of unknowns and there is a more important issue to address.

I'm not too sure if any of you have ever clicked on the blogs I follow (picture links to the right.) There is a little guy who caught the attention of my heart months ago.

If you click on the MckMiracle tab you can read all about little Stellan. As I've kept up with MckMama's blog I can't help but let my heart get involved in Stellan's story. If you don't have any intention of believing in miracles then don't read his story, because that's exactly what Stellan is.

He's come a long way and he's got a long healthy life to live.

Please keep him and the "MckCharming" family in your prayers!

Let tomorrow bring a day of peace...

Trophy Case

Ava is napping after an eventful day out and about. Rory is playing with his new Blackberry Storm. While I'm taking a little rest from my newest Beth Moore book Breaking Free, I've decided to write on my inspiration for the day.

We all have a past, a present, and a future. Usually our past (whether it be or generation or generations prior) have effects on our current life. The way we live. The way we raise our children. The way we treat others. Breaking Free is about letting go of strongholds in your life. You past usually contains strongholds. Most of them negative, some of them positive.


I've tried to focus on the positive things in my life and how I can make Ava's childhood happier than my own. This doesn't always come easy for us. The mundain everyday routine can kind of get in the way of our journey to a land of benevolent times. I think at some point we are all guilty of letting the little things get in the way. I know that I am one of them. Breaking Free tries to get your brain thinking in another direction.

These two simple words jumped off the page to me "Trophy Case."

We all have a Trophy Case. Not the one you had growing up with the generic T-Ball baseball batter trophy. Ya know, the one that after a few months the end of the baseball bat breaks off because it's so thin.

I'm talking about the Trophy Case of influencial memories. Memories that made a positive difference in your life. Memories that come from the previous generations of your family. These memories shape us into everything that we are today because we stand in front of them as they gleam from our Trophy Case.

I want to share some of my most fondest memories and thoughts of my past. These trophies I will pass onto Ava, so I can help influence her to lead an enriched life.

The fondest memory I have is of my parternal grandparents. My Papa and Grandma Fonzi. Some children would probably never had paid much attention to this, but it stood out to me. My Papa ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS held my Grandma's hand in the car. He would intertwine his fingers in hers and rest their palms on the middle console of his Lincoln Towncar. As I sat on the "hump" (ya know the part in the backseat that folded down usually to be used as an arm rest...that was the hump, and me and my brother would fight over who got to sit on it) I would just stare at their hands. It was so comforting! I remember as early as 7 years old watching them hold hands like this in the car. I knew that no matter what happened in life, if I got in the car with Papa and Grandma they would embrace each others hands. Now if Rory and I are driving (maybe happy with each other or maybe upset with each other) if I reach over and grab his hand and he holds mine...EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE OKAY!

That's a trophy that will always be in my Trophy Case.

Another memory I will share with you is from my maternal Grandma. Grandma DeLapa. Grandma DeLapa got jaded years and years ago when my Grandfather decided that after a few decades he wasn't the one for her. She embraced her friends! I think even before this happened she was always involved with her groups of friends. Like old friends she went to High School with or even new friends she made in her bowling leagues. I always remember that Grandma had lots of friends! No matter what happened in her life she could be confident in saying that her friends would always be there for her. I can remember she would have a group of friends over to entertain. Whether it be to play cards or just some quality girl time. My Gram taught me how to treat people who are good to you. She taught me that when they are in your home YOU take care of them. Offer a drink, let them feel like they are in the comfort of their own home, genuinely be there for them. Gram taught me that when somebody gives you a gift or something you are grateful for then you WRITE them a "Thank You." She probably doesn't know that my observations of her have placed such trophies in my case...they have!

You might have a family member that drives you absolutely in-sane. You might have a family member that you don't even speak too. You might have a family member that you share moments with everday by phone calls or emails. You might have family members that are all in heaven singing praises.

Whatever family situation this Holiday Season brings you, try to shine those trophies and bring them out for all to see!