I love a good shopping spree just as much as the next girl but for some reason, I end up thinking of a dozen other things I should be spending my money on so end up finding something in my closet that will do. But there is one person I never feel guilty shopping for and that is Miss Ava. If any of you have little girls, you know how much fun it is shopping for them and I figure I might as well soak it up while I can, until she wants to give her opinion.

These two pairs of shoes I could not pass up on. Every girl needs a good pair of Chuck Taylor’s and these little high tops were the next best thing. I tried to explain to Mike that not all shoes are functional and that sometimes fashion over function wins, which is exactly the reason behind these adorable little wedges I had to get Ava. Sometimes I wish Carter’s made mommy equivalent pairs of shoes because I could definitely see myself wearing both of these.

As Ava starts to get a little older, she is already showing signs of wanting to do things on her own, which I wholeheartedly encourage and support but can’t help but feel a little sad that my baby girl is already starting to grow up. For example, when she wants to feed herself with her fork and spoon or eat her sandwich whole and not in the baby bite sizes anymore. Or if she sees that Lola’s food bowl is empty, she is quick to go to the cabinet, get Lola’s food off the shelf and refill it herself. She is also just itching to be able to put her shoes on by herself. Melts my heart. So since I know this growing up thing is inevitable, here are a few things I hope she never outgrows.

Promise Mommy…

…you’ll never outgrow snuggling.

…you’ll always hug with both arms.

…you’ll always like cuddling up with a good book and if that happens to be with me then that will be icing on the cake.

The day got off to a funny/sweet start when Mike and I couldn’t wait to show Ava her Easter basket that the Easter bunny had brought her overnight. As we slowly walked down the stairs, anticipating the big reveal around the corner, she started “oooing and ahhing” and began pointing at something. Since it was still a little dark out at the 7 o’clock hour, I naturally assumed she was pointing at her basket of goodies but came to find out she was pointing at the vacuum that was in the nearby corner ready to be put to use for guests we were expecting later that morning for Easter brunch.

Even though we were missing our parents this past holiday weekend, we tried to make it special as they would have made it had they been here. Mike and I hosted Easter brunch at our house and then another family joined us in the backyard for a very entertaining Easter egg hunt. It literally rained around the entire weekend so it really did feel like God was shining down on us that day to help make it feel even more special. The angelic looks on Ava’s and David’s face as they scattered around picking up their eggs didn’t hurt either.

One new tradition I liked this year was that the “Easter Bunny” put quarters in some of Ava’s eggs so after she was done scooping up all her loot, we put her quarters in her Cinderella piggy bank. Papa would be so proud his granddaughter is learning to save at such an early age.

Here are a few fun photos from the day…

Now that we are finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel with this cold winter and starting to feel what warm weather used to feel like again, it’s hard not to get excited about incorporating color back into my wardrobe.

Orange and mint are two colors that you can never go wrong pairing together and compliment each other beautifully. In this instance, I wore an orange patterned top from Old Navy and paired it with a gorgeous mint statement necklace a friend of mine gave me as a Christmas present. I just so happened to have gotten my nails done the week prior in a mint color and helped the necklace stand out even more. The mint color has also inspired me to try my hand at making a mint ice cream shake (aka Shamrock shake) this weekend that I have actually been meaning to make ever since St. Patty’s Day. Where does the time go.