October

Oh my goodness gracious! I haven't updated this thing in so long that I don't know where to begin. So, I'll be simple and just give a quick recap.
The picture above is of Ava and I at Hallmark on 10/27, the day we found out we are having another baby GIRL! We let Ava pick out baby sister's first stuffed animal and toy. Then Kevin and I picked out a few precious outfits for her. We did the same when we found out Ava was a girl so we made it tradition. One of the remarks I keep remembering from that day is when Kevin said, "Look at her (Ava). How can I look at her and not want another one?" It means so much that Kevin is the kind of Daddy who doesn't care if he has a boy or girl. After all, we don't get to choose. If God wanted us to have another girl, then we will do our best to raise her in a Godly manner and love unconditionally.

Halloween was precious! Our Snow White was beautiful and excited! She would walk right into people's homes and was picky with what candy she chose. Sometimes, she would turn back and go back for more. She also started dumping it out into the wagon. I think she thought if she had an empty bag, maybe she would get more. That's my girl - always thinking. :) ha!

Today, Ava got in bed with us and gave the best - arms wrapped around my neck - hugs! I melted! Then when we made breakfast for Daddy, she told him when he came in, "Daddy, breakfast is ready. I worked so hard!" Now imagine that with a 2 year old voice and it was just adorable.

October has been so much fun! We are having fun spending time with the 3 of us. Kevin had to travel to TX some but we have filled days and weekends with activities to enjoy the weather. We went to Fairhope, painted pumpkins, decorated cookies, celebrated my 31st birthday, Fall Funtastic at church, etc...

Baby Jackson

Yea! Now that the wonderful news is out, I can post this. This is baby Jackson at the first ultrasound at 7 weeks. I am now 9 1/2 weeks. We are thrilled. We briefly told Ava she would be a big sister and thought it was in one ear and out the other but just today, she told Nana, "baby sister." Hm...that part we didn't say but who knows! Maybe a sister, maybe a brother. She will be a great big sister.

Here are some of Ava's newest cute things.
- Instead of telling us "no," she shakes her finger and says, "I don't think so."
- Sunday, she patted me on the back and said, "You're kidding right?" It was hilarious in her tiny voice.
- She has started packing her play diaper bag when we go bye bye.
- Every time she talks to my sister, she says, "Aunt Me-wee(Melanie), I need a prize."
- She says, "Oh, goody goody."
- And one of my favorites, she will say "hold you just a minute" with just a minute stretched out into a million syllables.
- She has started saying "yes ma'am."

CAMPMEETING - Part 2

WEDNESDAY THE 23RD - Today was the hayride. The kids ride and all of the adults stand outside tents with water hoses and buckets. Afterwards, they all have watermelon. During the children's singing of the church service, Ava saw a little boy using the microphone. She went straight for it and the boy put his arm out to keep her from it. Ava fought her way in and started singing. The little boy elbowed Ava in the neck and then Ava pushed him back. Everyone was laughing and Jane (the leader) refereed and picked up Ava. She teased that we were going to have a fight on our hands. We were all proud of Ava...probably not right to be but she held her own.




More updates and lots of pictures!

THURSDAY THE 24TH - Lots of pictures to share. We went to my grandparent's farm house to pick blueberries. Ava said, "I pick bewberries bucket." Then she kept sneaking to the bucket to eat them. She had fun with sidewalk chalk between tents, swinging and then we had bowling night. The whole campground goes. This is the only place that we know of that has bowling shoes for toddler's. Ava thought she was cool. When we left bowling, we asked Ava if she had fun and she said, "Yes (long pause), I did." Oh, and today was the "Loudsville Olympics" and Ava decided to play some of the games.









FRIDAY THE 25TH - Today was tubing for the campground. We stayed at the end and just let Ava play in the water while we waited for the others to come down. I didn't take pictures.

SATURDAY THE 26TH - This is our last day at the campground and it makes everyone sad b/c no one wants to leave. We had more family come to visit that we had not seen in a long time. Ava had fun singing this morning, having "yemade" and letting go of balloons. We took her back to babyland to see the babies and then got back in time for slip and slide. Everyone helps and has a great time. Kevin convinced Ava to go down....and the day is not over yet. The children's program is tonight and then we will all visit before heading home tomorrow.





Here are some pictures of my Grandaddy's kiln and the chair he would always sit in while the pottery was being fired.

CAMPMEETING - Part 1

We are in Cleveland, GA. To most, Cleveland would just be a country town in the mountains with nothing to do but to us...it is the happiest place on earth. Instead of explaining what campmeeting is, it might be easier to visit www.loudsvillecampmeeting.com. We have been here since the 16th but the time goes by so quickly. We are coming home on the 27th. Here are some things we have done.
THURSDAY THE 17TH - We had to clean the "tent" (we did most on Wed.) but for the most part, we just stayed at the campground and played. Ava immediately loved it. We would ask her if she liked Georgia. Then that night, she asked her Nana if she could "call talk to Georgia." I guess we had said it enough to where she thought Georgia was a person.
FRIDAY THE 18TH - We (Kevin, Ava and I) went to the Atlanta Zoo. Since the aquarium is so amazing, we thought the zoo would be fun but it was pitiful. The animals were all asleep and it was a small place with not too much to see. This was Ava's reaction the entire time. Seriously.
When I looked at pictures I had taken, most were of animals behinds. That should just about sum up the theme of the trip. It was fun to do something together though.

SATURDAY THE 19TH - We started by helping clean benches that go under the arbor.
It was work day. We laughed b/c we never stopped but the men that live around here would do a little, take a break, etc... After lunch, we went to the river to play. The water is freezing! The girls found abandoned tubes so they would go back and forth riding down. We were able to get Meme out too. Ava decided to eat her sandwich. I wish I could remember all of the funny things Ava has said and done but at the moment, I can't remember any of them.




SUNDAY THE 20TH - We had to decorate cupcakes for the family reunion. We played "are you smarter than a meaders?" (my side of the fam) It was a lot of fun and I was proud of myself for knowing more about people than I thought I did. I was one of the "fifth graders." This was Ava's rough day. She fell a lot and was just overall grumpy. Things just weren't going her way. Everyone is at the campground now. It is fun to see everyone.
MONDAY THE 21ST - We are HOT! No air conditioning but we all manage. We took Ava to Babyland for a short while and she loved seeing the babies.
She was more interested in the candy counter in the store area. How does she already know what candy packages are when I don't buy that stuff for her? Clever packaging I guess. Church services began. Believe it or not, Ava made it through the whole thing! I was shocked!
TUESDAY THE 22ND - Today the children's singing started at 9am. Ava was up and down and I think her favorite part was drinking "yem-ade." She took chairs from the preachers tent and walked them down the sidewalk and sat. It was precious.
It is going to be another hot day so we went to the Mall of Georgia in East Atlanta. We ate at PFChang's and walked around a little. Kevin got shoes but that was it. It was disappointing but at least it was cool. We don't like to go anywhere towards the end of the week because of all the activities for the kids. When we got back we got ready to feed the preachers and their families. That is always fun. Then church started at 8pm. The kids sang "This little light of mine." Ava decided she would sit and play in the shavings instead. It was raining and she would come down off of the stage and go stand in the runoff from the roof. The whole church was watching and laughing b/c she did it over and over and we would have to go run after her. Eventually, she went up front and started singing.

Ava's Birthday Party

Oh my goodness what a whirlwind day! I woke up to a to do list for Ava's party at 10:30. Decorate cupcakes. check. Ava dressed. check. Chickfila picked up. check. Her party was at the Watermelon Patch and it was worth every penny. The helpers unloaded my car, set everything up, were so organized, kind and interactive with the kids. They cleaned up and packed the car back up. It is a very clean place and we had the whole facility to ourselves. I couldn't have asked for more. The best part was watching the kids. They were all having so much fun. I don't think there is anything better than seeing a child just being a child. Ava really had a fun time with her family and friends. We had a Snoopy theme since she carries her Snoopy around with her wherever she goes. I had gotten everything off of ebay but didn't go overboard. My sister, Melanie, made the cutest Snoopy doghouse so I could put the party favors (snoopy head cookies) in it. That was a big hit. She only opened a few presents there so we are about to dive into those in a minute. I really had a hard time trying to figure out if we should give her a birthday party with friends or just a small family one but I'm so glad we opted to have friends and family. I'm glad Kevin video taped the whole thing so I can go back and really see Ava's reactions. I was busy snapping pictures most of the time.

Ava's first haircut

This is a big week for Ava! Yesterday was her birthday, then today was her first haircut and Saturday is her birthday party. Gracious. Of course I had cameras in hand for the event today. She never cried or fussed. At first she just looked at Holly (hairdresser) just trying to figure out what the heck she was doing to her and then she would sweetly say "give out." Translation is get out of course. Her curls are all still there but it looks less like a squirrel's nest...at least until she wakes up in the morning!

Ava's 2nd Birthday - Monday

Kevin took the day off so we could spend all day doing Ava's favorite things for her 2nd birthday. I made muffins, we went and played at the park, had "cheebuga & fee fies" for a picnic and then topped it off with ice cream. When we went to the ice cream shop, she immediately started pointing at the brightest ice cream and saying, "that one mommy that one that one!" After her nap, she played outside in her pool. Then we went to Mac. Grill for dinner. Thankfully, she wore her "birthday girl" t-shirt because they brought her free desert that we all got to have. Yum! Kevin and I kept saying that we couldn't believe our baby is 2! Family called and would sing happy birthday to her and she would sing along. She was very excited about her balloons and gifts too. It was wonderful to spend the day with her. Of course she doesn't really understand what is going on but Kevin and I did and really enjoyed spoiling her.

Lesson Learned

My mom had warned me about putting Ava in the back part of a shopping cart but the more Ava fusses about riding in one, the more I gave in. Today, I found out what she was talking about. We were in Target and I couldn't get Ava to sit on her fanny. I was being careful but I guess not careful enough. I was pushing slowly but when I went from the tile to the carpet and hit that bump, Ava flipped backwards out of the buggy. I felt like I was watching in slow motion but I couldn't get to her fast enough. She landed on her head and back. I scooped her up so fast. She didn't cry at first but when she did, wow! She was stiff and scared at first so I got her to follow my finger to make sure she could move her head and neck. Another mom just stood there staring at me. I felt like the worst mom in the world at that moment. After lots of hugs and kisses and a bag of fruit snacks, she stopped crying. On the way out, she said, "mommy Ava fell. Ava ok." I think I was more traumatized than she was. I have been a basket case all day. We met Kevin for lunch because we just needed family time. I know it was a small thing but it could have been worse. Thankfully, her head hit on the carpet part so she has a knot and carpet burn on her forhead. When my neice was 6 mo. old and fractured her skull from a fall, the doctor told my sister that most of the injuries he sees like that are caused from falling out of carts. So, lesson learned. Later in the day, I asked Ava if she was ok and she said, " ok mommy. sit on fanny." I guess she learned her lesson too.

On a lighter note, we took Ava to her first movie at the theatre Wednesday. I couldn't believe how behaved she was. She sat through the whole Bee Movie and I enjoyed getting to hold her and get snuggles.

Yesterday was Kenley's 7th bday party at Build A Bear. Ava thought she was 7 too and was doing everything the other kids did. Whoever came up with build a bear was just brilliant...and is laughing all the way to the bank.

Here are just some fun things over the last few days.
- Ava wanted to wear the apron I use when decorating cakes. I had it up too short but she wore that thing outside, everywhere during the evening. She likes to do everything I do now and I love it. It is amazing how loved she can make me feel.

- Thursday we had fun playing at "Rita & O-nen's house." They had watermelon, played in the water...and this is Owen pushing Ava in his electronic 4-wheeler. She talks about "O-nen" constantly. Sometimes, we will hear her talking to her "friends" in bed about Rita or Owen. Recently, she was going through WinnDixie saying "RITA! Where are you Rita??"

- Saturday we were grocery shopping and Ava was being so sweet. She said, "Mommy, best friend." I had a moment. I could have just balled. I can't imagine her saying that to anyone else. I will always be her best friend and I hope she grows up knowing that.

- Today, we were at Nana/Papa's house for Sunday lunch. Everyone was finished and we were just visiting. Mallorie was in the play room and we didn't realize that Ava was in there too at first. Ava came into the room with us and kept saying "Ma-E" and we didn't know what she was getting at. Then she got louder saying "ma-e (Mallorie) room!" So we went to check and a board had fallen on top of Mallorie. This is one of those times I just well up with tears. We were all so proud of Ava. It was such a huge thing she had done. Knowing to come get us for help is just a big deal and the first time she has done that. She was determined to get our attention for us to come help Mallorie. I'm no parent of the year and I'm not trying to sound cocky but small things like that just make Kevin and I feel like we must be doing something right. If we can raise a loving, God-fearing, caring, and helpful child, it will be the greatest accomplishment.

Visit with Val

Last night, we were able to go see Valerie, Maddie and Mr. and Mrs. Briggs. Val and Maddie were at Pensacola beach so we wanted to take the opportunity to visit with each other. It is still a strange thought that they live in Cleveland, OH. We had a terrific time at dinner and Ava & Maddie had fun playing on the playground and in the sand. Getting a picture of us together was interesting. Ava just wasn't having it. So, this is the best we could do. I love neat coincidences and our surprise to Maddie turned out to be a fun one. I picked up a squirt gun made out of one of those noodles for the pool for her because when we were at the beach, every child had them. It was a spur of the moment idea. When Val saw it, she said that they had asked someone at the beach where they got theirs because Maddie wanted one. Little things like that are just neat to me. Here's a picture of Maddie hugging Ava after she gave it to her. We thought Ava would sleep on the way home considering we didn't get home until 10pm but nope...she was singing along to Mary Poppins the entire way.
Visiting with Val makes me miss college/dorm life a little bit. That was such an incredible part of my life and living with Val and Stacey was the highlight...oh...and meeting Kevin of course!