Happy Birthday to... Us!

This past weekend, we headed East to my parent's house, for a three-way birthday celebration. We celebrated my birthday along with my brother's and Matt's. See, my brother and I have the same birthday, September 13th. No, we aren't twins, we are just exactly 2 years apart. It may not have been our favorite way to spend our birthday when we were kids, but now, we wouldn't have it any other way. Matt's birthday is right around the corner on October 6th. So since this past weekend was smack dab in between all of the birthday festivities, we decided to celebrate!

For some reason, Ava continues to be fascinated with my brother, Ryan. She wanted to look at everything he was wearing... His watch, his sunglasses, his hat. She was oh so careful with all of his belongings. Fortunately for us, that is how she treats pretty much everything she touches... very carefully.

Of course, we couldn't let an adorable photo opportunity pass us by. Although, I'm not sure if it is adorable, or gangster? Maybe both?

I think I have mentioned before that Ava would much rather eat table food than jarred baby food. I can't say that I blame her. Matter of fact, the times that she eats baby food from a jar are few and far between. Ava is far more interested in what we are eating. May I also add that she is far more interested in feeding herself than having one of us help her. Little Miss Independent. Don't worry... those aren't rabbit turds on the table. They are one of her favorites... Black beans!

For the past several years, my brother and I have opted against a traditional birthday cake. Instead, we choose to enjoy a dessert sent to earth directly from heaven. Three words my friends: Chocolate. Pudding. Cake. Mmmm. What is it? Chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding mix, cocoa powder, milk, mini marshmallows, pecans and other yummy goodness baked together in a dutch oven, over an open fire. Top it off with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream......... Mmmm..................... Sorry, where was I? Oh yeah. Chocolate pudding cake. All I can say is that the following picture does this decadent dessert absolutely no justice!

You can't tell by the following picture, but Ava now has 6 teeth that make up her pearly white grin. Two on the top and FOUR on the bottom. Of all people, my brother was the one who spotted the two new teeth popping out of her gums! I say 'of all people' because my brother had never held a baby until Ava came along. I was shocked that he found the two teeth that I had no clue were even there! Remember the fever and fussiness I mentioned in the previous post? Everyone kept telling me, "She must be teething!" I didn't really believe anyone, for several reasons. 1) Ava didn't run a fever with any of her other teeth. 2) There was a span of 5 months between her 1st and 2nd set of teeth. 3) Her top two teeth are still in the process of coming in. 4) For some reason, I thought that the next set of teeth to come in would be on the top, not the bottom. Live and learn! Next time more experienced moms tell me, "She must be teething," I'll probably believe them! :)

Just a cute picture of her pointing to her monkey. Every time Ava wakes up, she always points to her monkey to make sure he is in his place. Creature of habit, just like her mama.

Punky Brewster

The meaning of the title today is twofold. Here is reason #1:

This past Friday, Matt, Ava and I took part in our church's choir retreat. It was a lot of fun! We enjoyed great food, fun games, the unveiling of our Christmas program and more. Everyone in attendance was asked to wear the colors of their favorite sports team, whether high school, collegiate or pro. Do I really need to explain to you the color our family chose? I couldn't just stop at a Carolina Blue shirt, I had to do something spunky to her hair too. Pig tails it was. Well, more like pig sprouts, but adorable just the same! Don't her pig sprouts make her look a little Punky Brewster-esque? But cuter? :)

Toward the very end of the evening, Ava and I were rolling a beach ball back and forth on the floor. All of a sudden, I noticed a wet spot on her onesie that continued to get bigger, and bigger. Sigh. I left the room with a baby decked out in Carolina blue. I came back into the room with a baby wearing nothing but a diaper. Ava had peed through her diaper, shorts and onesie. Grrr. You see, we were trying to get out of the house in a hurry this particular evening. I had thought about grabbing an extra outfit for Ava, but grabbing an extra outfit would have cost me 5 extra seconds! Plus, she hadn't had any diaper issues for months. Again, sigh. Thank goodness for Aunt Kathy! She had a spare afghan in her car (a Carolina one, no less) and she let me wrap Ava in it for the remainder of the night.

Reason #2 (Referring back to Punky Brewster): After church today, Matt, Ava and I went out to lunch. We noticed that Ava was not her normal, jovial self. I started to move my hand toward her forehead to see if she felt warm and I could literally feel the heat radiating from her head about an inch before I touched it. Poor baby. Had a fever of 102.6. I know that is not record breaking, but it is the highest temperature she has had to date. Fortunately, she is still acting happy... We can just tell that she is feeling a little "punky."

All I Want For Christmas...

...Is My Two Front Teeth! Well ladies and gents, we're several months away from Christmas, and Ava already has her two top teeth. I thought I would share this picture since it isn't nearly as creepy as the one I posted last time. My little girl doesn't look so little anymore. Those teeth make her look so much older! I'm a little nervous to see how big they will be once they are completely in. At this point, they are still just barely through her gums and they're already monstrous, like her mama's teeth!

Last week, Matt and Ava treated me to a night out on the town for my birthday. We went to one of my favorite restaurants... Village Tavern. We took advantage of the beautiful weather and sat outside on the patio. The ambiance outside was perfect, and it didn't hurt that I had this beautiful face staring at me the entire time...

If you look closely in the following picture, you can see that there are Christmas lights lining the inside of the patio umbrellas. Ava thought the lights were pretty cool. She pointed at them all night long. Ava is adding more and more to the list of things she can identify. Currently, Ava can successfully find and point to the following things:

Dad

light

fan

Fergie

circle (the canvases in her nursery)

monkey (a stuffed animal hanging above her changing table)

moon

airplane

stars (ceramic stars hanging on a wall in our house)

Froggy (stuffed animal)

tree

Along with swinging, we've added sliding to Ava's playground repertoire. Personally, I got a bigger kick out of watching Matt go down the slide than Ava. :)

**Rewind back to Ava being able to point at things... Several evenings ago, Matt and I were in the backyard with Ava enjoying the sunset. We pointed at the moon and Ava would do the same. After pointing and saying the word, "moon" several times, Ava looked up in the sky, pointed at the moon and said, "boon." It was a one time thing. It was probably more coincidental than intentional, but our hearts were racing at the thought of our daughter being able to soon communicate with speech! A few days later, Ava woke up from her nap, pointed to a lamp and said, "la." Again, not the entire word, but exciting nonetheless!**

Friday Football Fever

This evening, Matt and I took Ava to her 2nd high school football game. Ava had a blast. The lights, sounds, band, cheers, color guard, football players, cheerleaders were more than enough to keep here little mind entertained. When Matt and I weren't watching the game or taking care of Ava, we took a few moments to gaze at the high school students... in astonishment. Now, I know that I was no angel in high school, and I probably said and did things that onlookers found annoying, amusing and stupid. But I also know that my annoying, amusing and stupid antics were nothing compared to what we saw tonight. I'm so glad I'm not in high school anymore! **I must also mention that I know not all high school students fall into the category mentioned above. I am honored and privileged to know many, many wonderful high school students who knowingly and unashamedly choose to take the road less traveled!**

In other happenings...

We enjoyed a visit from my parents this past Monday. Ava loved getting to spend time with her Oma and Opa. We enjoyed a great picnic at Country park, followed by...

...swinging! What else? 

Ava also enjoys playing with what I call her 'table toys.' She currently has 2 toys that allow her to play while strengthening her leg muscles. She's quite efficient at standing up while playing... it's the whole falling to the right and left thing that needs some work.

A few days ago, Ava and I were playing together in her room. I stepped out into the hallway for a second and returned to the following scene. Fergie had cuddled up with Ava and Ava had found Fergie's collar. Actually, along with the collar, Ava was gently touching Fergie's ears, nose and foot. I was actually quite impressed with both of them. I was impressed that Ava was being very careful with Fergie and not ripping out her fur. I was equally impressed that Fergie just sat there and let Ava play with her.

This next picture isn't particularly good. Actually, it's pretty horrible, but at the moment, it is the only picture I have that documents Ava's top two teeth. They are only peeking through the gums and they are already huge! Looks like she may have her mama's giant horse teeth. That's fine with me though... even though my teeth are big, they are cavity free. I would certainly appreciate having a child with zero cavities at future dentist appointments!

It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

Typically, on the first Sunday of every month, our Life Journey Group goes out to lunch together after church. Sadly, we have had a difficult time finding a restaurant in the area that have both quick service and the capacity to seat 20+ people and children together. Our solution this month was to meet at a park. Everyone brought their own food, so service wasn't needed. We had plenty of seating with all of our blankets and chairs, so space wasn't an issue. Plus, there was a playground for the kids. Hmm... I think we may be on to something.

We could not have asked for a more beautiful day for our class picnic. Thank you, Lord! Here's a quick recap of the day: 

Ava enjoyed some social time with friends Izzy and Asher. These 3 are all very close in age: Izzy/November 22, Ava/December 3, Asher/December 25.

Ava and Izzy enjoyed swinging together. 

While swinging, Ava hammed it up, as usual. Love my girl.

Tucker made monster faces.

Ava and Izzy posed for a girly picture. Izzy looked beautiful and Ava looked, drunk? 

On top of everything featured above, the husbands played frisbee and football while the wives watched the kids and talked. I didn't get any pictures of the husbands and wives because, let's face it, the kids are always the star of the show. There were several more children that came to play today, but for some reason they were hard to capture on film. Probably because they are slightly more mobile than the ones who can only crawl at this point.

Lake Life

Today we traveled on Highway 220 South, to Lake Tillery. Once we arrived, we spent the day on a boat with Aunt Erin, Uncle John, Cousins Jack & Finn, Mimi, Poppy and Billy & Amanda (Erin and John's friends from SC). It was a great way to spend a Saturday.

I'm not sure what the age limit is, but all children under a certain age must wear a life jacket while boating. Certainly Ava fell within this category. The only problem was that the life jacket was more like a straight jacket. The poor girl couldn't move.

Need a closer look? Ok. I'm pretty sure if you look up the word 'pathetic' in the dictionary, you would find the following picture alongside the definition. Then again, you might find this picture next to the word(s) 'cute as a button' too.

Have you ever heard of skurfing (sp)? I hadn't until today. It is basically water skiing, except instead of skis, you use a surf board... Which means there is absolutely nothing to strap you feet into. It sounds fun in theory, and I'm sure it is. I wouldn't know. I couldn't get up. Uncle John on the other hand, could get up. He could get up by himself and with his 5 year old son standing on the board with him. Yeah, Uncle John has the annoying ability to make all water sports seem effortless. Sorry Ava, if you want to go skurfing several years from now, I am not the one to call on. 

After many attempts, Matt managed to get up on the board. I was so proud of him!

This is what ALL of my many attempts looked like: Surfboard flying off to the side, rope dragging through the water, big splash, Melissa no where to be seen. My only accomplishment? Swallowing about half the lake. There was of course, some successful tubing, but I didn't manage to get any pictures of that.

After regaining my composure, we headed back toward the lake house. During the ride, I enjoyed some cuddle time with Ava and Jack...

While Finley made funny faces.

Group shot of the boat. With John in the water. Making skurfing look easy.

My Boo Bear enjoying some time with her Mimi. Believe it or not, Ava didn't make a peep while being suffocated by her life jacket. I however, couldn't take it anymore, and decided to take it off of her for the latter part of the afternoon. I figured her cheeks would serve as pretty decent flotation devices if needed.

Ava loves her cousin Jack. They spent some quality time with each other before we headed back home. Thank you Jack for always making Ava smile, for taking the time to play with her, for being gentle with her and for loving her! She loves you and Finley both so much!

9 Months

Nine months. Wowzers. Only 3 months left until Ava is one year old. Ava goes to the doctor on Tuesday for her 9 month check up. Stay tuned for her measurements. I am curious to see how much she has grown. Ok, now on to the 9 month photo shoot with  the bear...

Do you remember me mentioning in a previous post that Ava likes to squint or close her eyes when I take pictures? Not much has changed in that department. 

Here is a list of things that have changed for Ava recently:

-She is getting much more efficient at scooting across the floor. She still moves with her belly dragging on the ground, but she is much quicker at getting around.

-Yogurt. I wasn't a fan of yogurt until about a year ago so I was convinced that Ava would want nothing to do with the stuff. I was wrong. Blueberry flavored Yo Baby Yogurt is her new breakfast of choice.

-Clapping. I'm not quite sure where this came from... Matt and I did not intentionally teach her how to clap her hands and yet, she can do it. Way to go, baby girl!

-Rump Shaking. Whether sitting or standing (with help), as soon as Ava hears a good groove, she turns into a dancing fool! 

-Pointing at certain familiar objects. When we ask, "Ava, where is the fan?" Sure enough, she will locate it. She used to stick her whole hand in the air as if to say, "Behold.... the fan!" Now, she is able to point with just her pudgy pointer finger. Other objects she is able to locate when asked: lights, Fergie, Daddy, Froggy and airplanes.

See what I mean? Right before I took the following picture, I said, "Ava, where is the bear's nose?" Without even looking, she pointed right to the bear's sniffer. Well, not really. None of that was true. But it makes for a good story, right?

Just one more pic from her 9 month photo shoot. Unfortunately, Ava was in a very chill mood on her 9 month birthday so I didn't capture many goofy shots. Her top two teeth have been giving her a fit lately. I believe now that they are both through her gums, there is a light at the end of the tunnel... At least until the next tooth decides to break through.

It Don't Mean A Thing, If It Ain't Got That Swing

Lately, one of Ava's favorite things to do is go to the park, and swing! For the past several weeks, Matt and I have been able to enjoy the beautiful evening weather and take our little girl to one of the many parks located right near our house. You may not be able to tell by the next picture, but Ava really does enjoy herself while in the swing. 

When she's not sucking her lips into the depths of her mouth, she usually looks more like this while swinging...

After spending some time swinging back and forth, Ava got up close and personal with a duck parade. She was fascinated with these little guys. 

If we don't make it to the park, we most definitely spend our evenings out in our backyard. You wouldn't be able to tell from the front of our house, but believe it or not, we have a huge backyard. It's a blessing and a curse. A blessing to have so much land to run and play in. A curse to have so much land to mow, weed and maintain.

Here is Ava, enjoying the weather, and looking at the bats. Yes, I said bats. We have quite a few of these little winged creatures that fly over our yard at sunset every night. Ava zones in on the bats and laughs at them as they flit across the sky.

While Ava is looking at bats, Matt is picking scuppernong grapes from one of our two grape vines. Have you ever had a scuppernong grape? They are quite different from the green or red grapes you may find in the grocery store. When ripe, scuppernong grapes are gold in color. This particular grape has a very thick outer skin, which you do not eat. You have to squeeze the pulp of the grape into your mouth and discard the shell. Once the pulp is in your mouth, you have to separate it from the seeds that are within. You don't eat the seeds either, you spit them out. Finally, after all of that work, you can swallow what is left of the grape, which is about the equivalent of a lima bean. Oh, and did I mention that the actual pulp of the grape feels like a giant booger rolling around in your mouth? Tasty. What does all of this mean? While I enjoy the flavor of scuppernong grapes, I find that they require far too much work. I'd rather buy grapes at the store... you know, the kind you can just pop in your mouth and go. Matt, on the other hand, loves scuppernong grapes. Unfortunately, the grapes are only ripe for about a month, so Matt takes advantage of this time of year. If you're a scuppernong fan, come on over! Our two vines produce more grapes than Matt could eat in a year!

Matt wanted to let Ava in on the scuppernong action. After Matt would get the boogery pulp out of the shell, he would pour the left over juice into Ava's mouth. (I will admit scuppernongs have great flavor... They're just too darn annoying to eat.)

The verdict? Lip smackin' good. 

After several sips of grape juice, it was time to call it a night.

Hope you are enjoying the last few days of summer! Here in this household, we're ready for FALL! Halloween through New Year's is our favorite time of year. I am beyond ready to put up Halloween decorations. Call me crazy, I know I am! :)