just wanted to show off the gift the Lord gave us for our third anniversary today!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
the last photos from our Christmas trip
here are a few more images from our trip in December. we visited ava's grandparents, great grandparents and great great grandma.
we stayed in a hotel near new orleans on the way back. it was a nice halfway point and we always wanted to see some of that historical city.
the music of new orleans
we walked through the saint louis cathedral - one of the oldest in america
ava and her pops - going for a walk
i like her little red coat.
flowers. i need to get tress more of these.
i got the joy... down in my heart.
this is one of my favorite shots lately! teressa was putting ava down for a nap and i stuck my head around the corner, but she saw me and gave me a big smile.
we found out recently that ava was very ticklish on her neck. she swings her hands around to find out whats tickling her.
when we arrived in florida, we opened up some presents. as you can imagine, ava was pretty sleepy. she had been through a 30 hour or so car ride. she hadn't slept too much. but she was soooo glad when she opened up this present. tad became a close friend of her immediately.
ain't no party like a florida party...
she loves these blocks. a few days ago, she learned how to throw with them. i must admit... she has a very good arm for a girl.
this is my grandpa connie. he's laughing. hysterically. almost crying. we were all laughing very hard when he opened up his gift from my dad. its a jumbo sized universal remote. i later programmed it and we used it the rest of the trip. i couldn't believe it actually worked. ha ha.
just about ready for a nap. especially by the end of this gift being opened. it was about 20 boxes all wrapped within each other. thanks dad. :)
ava meeting the woof woof - baby.
a friend had given me this helmet earlier this year. it was an authentic redskins helmet that was signed by chris cooley and chris samuels during the pro bowl a year ago. chris cooley is my dad's favorite player - it was so fun to see him open it. and to the friend that blessed me with it - thank you so much. what a tremendous blessing it was to give this to my dad.
what is it grandpa?
opening a present bigger than she is.
this is us. broke down. at 4am. in grand ridge, florida. on christmas morning. ava is assessing the damage.
ava wanted to help drive on the long road trip. we thought she might need some monster drink to help out...
grammy and her famous salad
my dad is gonna get me for posting these photos...
trying to get away from his strange son...
he's a great dad. it was awesome to spend Christmas with him.
we really enjoyed the swing on nana's porch
everyone needs reindeer antlers
nana learning about her new garmin
grandpa connie playing chicken with a semi.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
What's New in the Neighborhood
Well it's been awhile since I've posted anything and so here's a quick update from me!
2009 has been pretty busy so far. After returning from our Christmas trip/adventure to Florida Tony and I spent 7 days in bed sick with the most horrendous cold. Ava didn't get sick though, which was great since we could barely keep up with blowing our own noses let alone hers.
Tony recovered in time to join a group of guys from GFA in a "Cool Guys Camping Trip" ("cool" referring to the temperature outside - obviously ;o) ). And then the following weekend he went to Florida for a conference for GFA. While he was gone Ava and I started the tradition of having a girls slumber party the first night that dad is gone. It's quite the production since I'm a little bit of a paranoid parent to begin with. It starts by taking off our duvet and laying it on the floor at the foot of the bed and then putting a couple of thin blankets on the bed (so she can't smother). Next I surround the two sides of the bed with pillows and tuck blankets into the bed frame for padding in case she rolls off the bed. Then I lay additional pillows along the sides of the mattress so that she can't roll off the bed to begin with. Then we read stories and play in bed until she's sleepy. Then she falls asleep and I try to sleep too, but I wake up about every 30 minutes to check on her or because I heard a noise or she moved or . . . But it's lots of fun just the same. Ava thinks it's a blast getting to play with mommy until she falls asleep and I never sleep well the first night Tony's gone anyway-so we might as well have fun with that. One of my favorite childhood memories is getting to sleep with my mom when my dad worked swing shift.
At the end of January Ava and I went on our first solo adventure to Washington to see my grandma who had broken her hip and was not doing well. I was very nervous about flying with her by myself. She wants to explore everything now and trying to keep her on my lap for the flights seemed like a pretty daunting task. But the Lord was very gracious to us and she had her own seat on both flights. It was still a challenge keeping her entertained but she was very good and each flight ended with the people around us saying what a good and quiet baby she was. Whew! (Thanks Dad and Mom for making it possible for us fly up!)
We had a really good time in Washington too, even though we both missed Tony a lot. It was really nice to see everyone and to spend some time with my Grandma Dottie. Ava had a top tooth come through while we were there and did a lot of practice crawling with Papa Jim and Grannie Margie. Thanks to their hard work I had to clear off all the bottom book shelves and childproof the cupboards when we got home. She also learned to wave "Bye-bye" and even said it a couple of times while we were there. She can now say, "mama" "dada" "clap" and "bye-bye". Ava was SO excited to see Tony when we got home. She chattered nonstop for a couple hours after we got home even though it was late and she was exhausted. And for a good couple of weeks after we got home she'd go ballistic every time he'd walk in the room. She sure is a daddy's girl!
February is full of special ocations for us with Tony's Birthday, Valentines Day and our Anniversary. . .and then my birthday on March 11th. Our friend Rachael stayed with Ava on Saturday night so we could go out together and then on Monday night our friends Matt and Amy offered to host a surprise birthday party for Tony. Under the guise that we were going over there to watch a movie and eat some dessert. Tony was very surprised, especially since he got doused with several cans of silly string when he walked into the living room. Amy made two amazing ice cream cakes (Tony's favorite) too. Good times. For Valentines Day a couple of the interns at GFA volunteered to watch Ava so we could go out. We used the Olive Garden gift card Tony got for his birthday and went to dinner and then just hung out at Barnes and Noble for a couple hours talking and looking through magazines. It was a really nice time. We get so used to always having Ava with us that we forget what it was like before she was here. We love her but it sure is nice to have some time alone too! When we got home the girls had also made us yummy chocolate chip cookies while we were gone. Talk about amazing babysitters!
Our three year anniversary is coming up this next week. We're going to celebrate by going to a one day marriage seminar in Ft Worth. Ava is coming with us, so we're not sure how much we'll be able to participate in, but we're still looking forward to learning what we can and just spending the day together as a family.
Many of you have been praying for Ava's eye and we really appreciate it. Her left eye lid has been drooping, especially when she's tired, since the beginning of January. I called her pediatrician when I first noticed it, but I think the message to the nurse got a little mixed up. She called me back and very sweetly said, "So they told me that when Ava gets sleepy her eyelids start to droop?" I tried to explain that it was just one eyelid and it wasn't just because she was starting to fall asleep, but I think the damage was already done and I'd been put on the list of crazy moms. . . I continued to watch her and it seemed her eyelid was drooping more and more often and also that eye sometimes drifted inwards. We took her to the pediatrician and he agreed that her eyelid did droop and her eye crossed a bit and advised us to go see a pediatric opthamologist as soon as possible and that she might need to have an MRI. This caused some worried tears on my part (which I'm sure were just the first of many as she grows up)! We took her in the next week. The opthamologist seemed to think that nothing was wrong at all, no droop or crossed eye and gave us a bit of the crazy parent treatment too. But he told us to have her rechecked again in a few months-and we will, just not by him. So thanks for praying. I'm sure if anything serious was wrong with her eye the opthamologist would have picked up on it even if he doesn't have the greatest manners. We would appreciate your continued prayers that the muscles in her left eye would continue to strengthen and that it would be perfectly normal when we get it checked again.
So that's a quick recap of the last month or so. Ava continues to grow and explore and delight us with her funny faces and endless chatter. Her favorite new tricks are clicking her tongue on the top of her mouth, making snorting sounds through her nose and raising both hands in the air when we say "Praise Jesus!". And of course perfecting her crawling/scooting skills and putting anything she can find in her mouth . . .
2009 has been pretty busy so far. After returning from our Christmas trip/adventure to Florida Tony and I spent 7 days in bed sick with the most horrendous cold. Ava didn't get sick though, which was great since we could barely keep up with blowing our own noses let alone hers.
Tony recovered in time to join a group of guys from GFA in a "Cool Guys Camping Trip" ("cool" referring to the temperature outside - obviously ;o) ). And then the following weekend he went to Florida for a conference for GFA. While he was gone Ava and I started the tradition of having a girls slumber party the first night that dad is gone. It's quite the production since I'm a little bit of a paranoid parent to begin with. It starts by taking off our duvet and laying it on the floor at the foot of the bed and then putting a couple of thin blankets on the bed (so she can't smother). Next I surround the two sides of the bed with pillows and tuck blankets into the bed frame for padding in case she rolls off the bed. Then I lay additional pillows along the sides of the mattress so that she can't roll off the bed to begin with. Then we read stories and play in bed until she's sleepy. Then she falls asleep and I try to sleep too, but I wake up about every 30 minutes to check on her or because I heard a noise or she moved or . . . But it's lots of fun just the same. Ava thinks it's a blast getting to play with mommy until she falls asleep and I never sleep well the first night Tony's gone anyway-so we might as well have fun with that. One of my favorite childhood memories is getting to sleep with my mom when my dad worked swing shift.
At the end of January Ava and I went on our first solo adventure to Washington to see my grandma who had broken her hip and was not doing well. I was very nervous about flying with her by myself. She wants to explore everything now and trying to keep her on my lap for the flights seemed like a pretty daunting task. But the Lord was very gracious to us and she had her own seat on both flights. It was still a challenge keeping her entertained but she was very good and each flight ended with the people around us saying what a good and quiet baby she was. Whew! (Thanks Dad and Mom for making it possible for us fly up!)
We had a really good time in Washington too, even though we both missed Tony a lot. It was really nice to see everyone and to spend some time with my Grandma Dottie. Ava had a top tooth come through while we were there and did a lot of practice crawling with Papa Jim and Grannie Margie. Thanks to their hard work I had to clear off all the bottom book shelves and childproof the cupboards when we got home. She also learned to wave "Bye-bye" and even said it a couple of times while we were there. She can now say, "mama" "dada" "clap" and "bye-bye". Ava was SO excited to see Tony when we got home. She chattered nonstop for a couple hours after we got home even though it was late and she was exhausted. And for a good couple of weeks after we got home she'd go ballistic every time he'd walk in the room. She sure is a daddy's girl!
February is full of special ocations for us with Tony's Birthday, Valentines Day and our Anniversary. . .and then my birthday on March 11th. Our friend Rachael stayed with Ava on Saturday night so we could go out together and then on Monday night our friends Matt and Amy offered to host a surprise birthday party for Tony. Under the guise that we were going over there to watch a movie and eat some dessert. Tony was very surprised, especially since he got doused with several cans of silly string when he walked into the living room. Amy made two amazing ice cream cakes (Tony's favorite) too. Good times. For Valentines Day a couple of the interns at GFA volunteered to watch Ava so we could go out. We used the Olive Garden gift card Tony got for his birthday and went to dinner and then just hung out at Barnes and Noble for a couple hours talking and looking through magazines. It was a really nice time. We get so used to always having Ava with us that we forget what it was like before she was here. We love her but it sure is nice to have some time alone too! When we got home the girls had also made us yummy chocolate chip cookies while we were gone. Talk about amazing babysitters!
Our three year anniversary is coming up this next week. We're going to celebrate by going to a one day marriage seminar in Ft Worth. Ava is coming with us, so we're not sure how much we'll be able to participate in, but we're still looking forward to learning what we can and just spending the day together as a family.
Many of you have been praying for Ava's eye and we really appreciate it. Her left eye lid has been drooping, especially when she's tired, since the beginning of January. I called her pediatrician when I first noticed it, but I think the message to the nurse got a little mixed up. She called me back and very sweetly said, "So they told me that when Ava gets sleepy her eyelids start to droop?" I tried to explain that it was just one eyelid and it wasn't just because she was starting to fall asleep, but I think the damage was already done and I'd been put on the list of crazy moms. . . I continued to watch her and it seemed her eyelid was drooping more and more often and also that eye sometimes drifted inwards. We took her to the pediatrician and he agreed that her eyelid did droop and her eye crossed a bit and advised us to go see a pediatric opthamologist as soon as possible and that she might need to have an MRI. This caused some worried tears on my part (which I'm sure were just the first of many as she grows up)! We took her in the next week. The opthamologist seemed to think that nothing was wrong at all, no droop or crossed eye and gave us a bit of the crazy parent treatment too. But he told us to have her rechecked again in a few months-and we will, just not by him. So thanks for praying. I'm sure if anything serious was wrong with her eye the opthamologist would have picked up on it even if he doesn't have the greatest manners. We would appreciate your continued prayers that the muscles in her left eye would continue to strengthen and that it would be perfectly normal when we get it checked again.
So that's a quick recap of the last month or so. Ava continues to grow and explore and delight us with her funny faces and endless chatter. Her favorite new tricks are clicking her tongue on the top of her mouth, making snorting sounds through her nose and raising both hands in the air when we say "Praise Jesus!". And of course perfecting her crawling/scooting skills and putting anything she can find in her mouth . . .
Friday, February 13, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
gator tail
here are some random shots. some taken lately. some at Christmas time in florida. and some with some added fun effects to them.
ava is getting big. we had to lower her mattress today, because she was pulling herself up by the rails and would soon be jumping out of the crib.
my grandparents. they have so many good stories. i loved spending time with them.
we went and ate dinner in this restaurant that was filled with stuffed animals. the animals all supposedly died of natural causes (as we were led to believe) and are now being displayed in this fine eating establishment. it was a lot of fun though.
simba, i don't feel so good.
swimmin wit da fishes
yeah... scary. i know.
look at the size of that steak. i did not alter this photo in any way to make that steak that big.
teressa - cautiously trying her first piece of gator tail
it was actually really good. i can't wait to get some more.
i like this shot. just kickin it old school with her gramps.
i told ava that traditionally the alligators ate the people.
not the other way around.
will kids never learn?
my baby.
ava is getting big. we had to lower her mattress today, because she was pulling herself up by the rails and would soon be jumping out of the crib.
my grandparents. they have so many good stories. i loved spending time with them.
we went and ate dinner in this restaurant that was filled with stuffed animals. the animals all supposedly died of natural causes (as we were led to believe) and are now being displayed in this fine eating establishment. it was a lot of fun though.
simba, i don't feel so good.
swimmin wit da fishes
yeah... scary. i know.
look at the size of that steak. i did not alter this photo in any way to make that steak that big.
teressa - cautiously trying her first piece of gator tail
it was actually really good. i can't wait to get some more.
i like this shot. just kickin it old school with her gramps.
i told ava that traditionally the alligators ate the people.not the other way around.
will kids never learn?
my baby.Tuesday, February 10, 2009
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