To the doctor we go

Today was Ava's 1yr well baby check up and of course I didn't think to take the camera with me. As I'm sure you all are aware of, Little Miss Thing is perfectly perfect. She weighed in at 21.8lbs and is 30in long. The doctor said she is right where she needs to be in every way.

This is Ava right after we got home. She was in a really good mood despite having 4 shots, a finger stick and missing her morning nap.

Ava getting some Daddy lovin. Notice her hot pink bandage? This is what the lab did after her finger stick to keep the gauze on her finger. They don't like to put band aids on babies fingers because 1. it's hard to and 2. they become choking hazards. Soooo the used a lot of coban and wrapped her entire hand. It was so funny to see her trying to figure it out.

Sweet little lady bug turns 1

Where oh where has the past year gone? I cannot believe my little girl is 1! It seems like just yesterday that my sweet Ava was born and now she is almost walking. We are soo lucky to have some good friends here at Ft Riley to help us celebrate her birthday. I found it very funny that of all the kids who were at Ava's party (there were about 10 I think) only 1, other than Ava, was a girl. The rest were all boys about Andrew's age or a little older. Gotta love living in a neighborhood full of boys. Thankfully they were good sports about attending a little girl's party.

Ava's personal birthday cake. A lady my neighbor goes to church with made the cakes and she did a great job. We were soo pleased with her work.

the cake everyone else ate

Andrew was not thrilled I was taking his picture. I'm lucky I snapped it before he ran

little girl got lots of presents

Our carport partially decorated. I forgot we had balloons in the house until the party was almost over. The sad part about that is I had just picked them up that morning from having helium put in them. Guess I'm loosing my mind.

I LOVE the look Ava is giving her brother in this picture. She looks very irritated that he is helping her open gifts.

such a pretty girl

check out all her loot :-)

The bag says it all

The boys were such good sports. I told them they all had to put on the lady bug party hats if they wanted cake. Surprisingly no one complained. However I'm a little disappointed that I managed to get a group picture without the birthday girl. Oh well

Wearing her party hat...but not for long

Daddy and Andrew singing Happy Birthday. The wind blew her candle out before anyone else could

Tasting the frosting on her cake

Now we're getting into it

Haley is such a cutie! She was the only other girl at the party but had no problems playing and keeping up with the boys

Some of the boys eating their cake and ice cream

Adam and our neighbor Jeremy serving the cake and ice cream

Jeremy decided to share his ice cream with Ava. I'm pretty sure she liked it

Sweet birthday girl in the dress my Grandmother made for her

Our neighbor Jackie (Jeremy's wife) helping Ava play with one of her new toys

Adam decided to take a break from all the party fun

All in all it was a great day and I am amazed at how much my little girl has grown. Before we know it she will be starting school and I'll wonder where all the years have gone (just like I do now with Andrew). So here is to another fabulous year with the sweetest little girl I know. Happy Birthday Ava my love!!!

First day of 1st Grade

Yep...that's right...Andrew is now in the 1st grade. So hard to believe my little boy isn't soo little anymore.

7 greats all in a row

While in Searcy we were able to get all of the great grandkids on my father's side together for a picture. Not sure when this will happen again (or if there will be more additions between now and then).

In order from left to right: Ava, Andrew, Lydia, Caroline, Brisco, Mary Evelyn and Eden

Family Ties

After a few days we left Mtn Home and headed down to Searcy to see my family. Along the way we stopped at Blanchard Springs Caverns and took Andrew on the cave tour. He seemed to really like it, but all Ava wanted to do was get down and crawl everywhere. While we were in Searcy we had a little family reunion/birthday party. The only person missing was my cousin Craig who was off in Virginia trying to get a job and everything set up before he moved. We had a great time and I was sorry he couldn't be there with the rest of us.

Family picture infront of the spring that formed Blanchard Springs Caverns. That water was soooo cold!

Andrew posing with the preying mantis he found in my parent's back yard

My Grandmother with Ava and sweet Brisco. He is the newest member of our family, born in April to my cousin Matt and his wife Beth.

Ava playing in the floor with Beth. Wish we were able to see them more often (they live in Michigan)

Ava playing with blocks one morning in the sunroom

My Grandmother and Ava

Nana with her sweet girl

Matt and Brisco

sweet cousins...Mary Evelyn and Eden

more cousins...Caroline and Andrew

We were in AR a few weeks before Ava's 1st birthday so we had a little party for her

Andrew and Caroline helping open presents

The party was mainly for Ava but my name and Matt's name were put on the cake too. We all have August birthdays.

Eating her 1st birthday cake

Getting ready to drop some in the floor

And she dropped it

Mary Evelyn and Andrew

Checking out her new puzzle

My cousin Sarah and her sweet girl Lydia. Lydia wouldn't let me take a picture of her so her momma had to contain her for me :-)

A fishing we will go.....

The first of August we headed down to AR to visit with family one more time before Andrew started school. Our first stop was Mtn Home to see Adam's family. While we were there the boys did some fishing and we went to the lake. I think it is safe to say that everyone had a great time while we were there. A huge thanks to our dear friends the Camps for letting us stay with them!!

showing off the "bait" they caught

Ava did not love the heat. It was 100+ degrees the entire time we were in AR

swimming in Lake Norfork with Grandma Vickie

Calhan (my friend Landrey's son) trying to kiss Ava

Landrey and I have been friends since high school