Sunday, July 27, 2008

Birthday Girl Picture



Here is a head shot of Ava from yesterday and then a picture of the 3 girls we had taken as well yesterday. We had a great day and lots of fun! I won't forget the sound of her squeals when her birthday cake was brought out to the table at dinner. She was beyond excited!

Friday, July 25, 2008

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!! - PHOTO Filled

Well, 3 years ago at this very minute Steve and I were on our way to the hospital to be induced and finally meet our baby girl. We longed for Ava and prayed for Ava for 2 1/2 years and when we were about to be able to meet her we were thrilled! She completed our family and was joyfully welcomed.

These pictures are kinda all over the place. I wish I had taken some more time to sort through them and have them all in order by dates - but I didn't. They are just a small group of some of my favorite pictures of Ava but also gives you an idea of the life I lead parenting this child. She keeps me on my toes to say the least!

Here I am at 32 weeks pregnant.
Oink oink - 36 weeks pregnant here.
Here I am at 37 1/2 weeks -10 days before I delivered. We had planned on taking a picture right before we went into the hospital to be induced, but we forgot because we were so excited and ready to get the show on the road!
One of my favorite pictures ever - sisters meeting for the first time. Isabella was 3 1/2.
Moments after I delivered. Don't I look great? hahaha

Sleeping baby girl a few hours after birth.


Mothers Day 2007
Ava playing outside in Cincinnati house on our neighbors fence. 9 months old.
1st day of church - 7 weeks old


Daddy reading to Ava - approx 18 months




Memorial Day 2007 - Isabella 5 - Ava - 22 months
1st time at the Beach 2006 - 11 months old. She ate a ton of sand this trip.

Sea World - Orlando, FL 11 months
2nd Disney World Visit - 2007 -20 months

Ava - "playing quietly". Got the Desitin out of the diaper bag and used it as face cream. May 2007





This was taken BEFORE the Desitin.


Isabella's 5th Birthday Party - Tea Party and Ava HAD to be a part of the dress up play 18 mths


Easter 2007 - 20 months
2nd Birthday at Maggiano's - 2007

April 2007


1st Birthday in Cincinnati - We had a Fiesta for her and the entire neighborhood came. Here she is deciding if she wants to hit the pinata.

Ava was nicknamed the screamer the first year of her life - the following pictures lets you see how she got the nickname.












Hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane (I know I did). Her birthday is actually tomorrow - 7/26 but I know I won't have time to do this tomorrow. She was born at 9:15 am after 2 easy sets of pushes, with the cord wrapped around her neck tightly 2 times. I thank God for her daily.
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1





Vacation Over

So, my mini-vacation without kids and Steve has come to an end. Steve came home yesterday around noon and he fixed my car - dead battery - yeah! Glad that's all it was - BMW batteries are expensive - almost $200 for the thing. Plus, the battery is in the trunk???? Glad I didn't have to tell someone where the battery was because I had no clue.

The girls come home today - yippeee!!! They've been majorly homesick an I've received a call every evening except yesterday with one of the girls crying that they missed me. We'll see if they remember they missed me when they arrive (highly doubt it).

My niece is coming up to stay a few days with us. We'll hit the childrens museum and the zoo while she's here.

Steve and I enjoyed our alone time together and hung out with each other all day. We had a great time.

Well, off to finish some last minute things around the house and jump into the shower and get this day going.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Sunburn

Yesterday we had a pool party for Ava for her upcoming 3rd birthday. When I was a kid, you had a day to celebrate your birthday, now a days, you celebrate for a week or more. LOL It was hot, hot, hot yesterday. Steve said it was "Texas hot". Truthfully, it was only 90 degrees but for Indiana, that's hot.

I told Steve this morning I don't need botox today. My skin on my forehead is tight from the sunburn so it smooths the wrinkles out. LOL We were in the water for about 5 hours and it felt soooo good. Ava is either naked or wearing one of Dialycia's t-shirts in all of the photos because she opened her presents and ate cake after swimming for a bit. Oh, well....can't look perfect all the time can we?

I took a beating (literally) yesterday. Dialycia was practicing fast pitch pitching and I got beamed in the ankle. It's nice and swollen and black and blue. I'm sure the joy it brought her in hitting me with the ball outweighed the sorrow of throwing a bad pitch. heehee

The girls are at moms/trents/dialevash's for the week and come back on Friday. Dialevash and Dialycia are coming up also and we are going to get their pictures taken and celebrate Ava's official b-day at Maggiano's on Saturday. I can only imagine how dark the kids will be after a week in the pool all day long. Steve is in Dallas until Thursday on business and I'm here cleaning, and getting the girls fall clothes ready for ebay.

I think my alternater (spelling?) is going out on my car so I will be confined to the house. I'm going to ask Amy tomorrow if I can go to the gym with her and use a guest pass this week. I've been so good about working out 5 times a week that I'll feel like a big ole blob if I don't go until Steve gets home and fixes my car on Thursday. When I called him and told him it wasn't starting and how it was acting when I did get it started he said I could take it to a shop to have them "test" the battery and alternator. I said, do you want me to have them fix it??? I think he about jumped out of his seat when I said that - he said they would take advantage of me and give me a bill for $1K if I brought it in. Luckily, he knows his way around a car and will fix it for me when he gets home.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

When healthy turns unhealthy


Ok, not all kids eat healthy or a wide variety of foods. But, thankfully, we have exposed our kids to different foods and suprisingly they really like healthy food. Well, it also helps that we don't have junk food around the house - but, I digress. Last night we were having a spinach & arugula salad with white balsamic vinagrette. Isabella LOVES spinach salad and so she wanted a salad. She went ahead and was fixing it herself when after a few minutes I look up to see she had poured enough dressing for the ENTIRE salad on her plate. Um sweetie - you just turned one of the healthiest things you can eat - leafy greens into something so unhealthy. I guess I need to teach her how to drizzle her dressing on in the future. LOL
Here I took a picture of an extra dressing cup to show how much dressing the kid poured on her plate. heehee While most kids eat frozen corn dogs, hot dogs & fish sticks (do they still make fish sticks?) - my kids ask for broccoli, sushi, salad, and fresh fruit. I think my girls are just about the only kids who don't like french fries, mashed potatoes and hot dogs (now, Isabella likes hot dogs but Ava won't eat a bite of one). Which thankfully, I'm glad they don't like those over processed, poisen filled foods. I personally feel like you could open their mouths and pour bleach down and get the same nutrional value as the crap most people eat - but again, I'm digressing. I really just have a different view regarding food than most. Seriously, have you read the ingredient labels on all these processed foods? It's a freakin' science experiment - all of these chemical compounds and words you've never heard of. I just view that stuff as toxins - and don't buy it. ok, enough enough I know. Onto brighter and prettier things - look at little miss Ava. I found these pictures on the camera just a minute ago. Isabella took them yesterday aparently since this is what Ava wore yesterday.

Wanna fight? Let me see what you've got.

Ahh, I could kiss that face all day long - well, until she speaks. LOL Can you believe my baby is going to be 3 in 2 weeks????? How have 3 years passed so quickly? She's my last baby, boohoo - I can't believe I won't ever hold another little baby in my arms (well, that I've given life to that is). Can you see the rottenness in her eyes? They sure are deceptive. muwahh



Sunday, July 13, 2008

Some pictures from the week

Ava waiting on the 1st game to start - eating M&M's.
Isabella at game
Isabella and Crapaw
Dialycia and Isabella at my brothers pool
Dialycia getting flipped by my brother
Ava jumping on Dialycia's trampoline in her Hanah Montana nightgown

Ava doing what she loves the most at the pool....pushing people (Dialycia) in the water
Isabella
Ava trying to strip down and be naked - another favorite past time of hers.

Isabella at the gym's pool - jumping in