A Weekend in Photos

We just came off a wonderful weekend spent with family and friends. Allow me to share with you some of our highlights.

Friday afternoon was spent out in our backyard. As always, Ava was thrilled to be outside. For whatever reason, she thinks that trees are hilarious. I haven't figured out exactly why trees make her laugh, but I'll take it! Here she is, enjoying tummy time and enjoying the beautiful weather!

This is one of Ava's latest poses. She either grabs the hair on the back of her head, or she grabs her ear. We're thinking she may be a lefty. Whether she is grabbing her hair, ear or a toy, it is always with her left hand. Good thing her mom is a former kindergarten teacher! I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve to help 'leftys' learn how to write!

Guess who else enjoyed spending some time outside?

Friday afternoon, we headed to Fuquay-Varina to spend part of the Mother's Day Weekend with my parents. My mom and dad have been working very hard the past few weeks to FINALLY finish their backyard. It has taken almost 2 years for this task to get accomplished... No thanks to their neighbors, a law suit and the army core of engineers. If you know the story, you know how happy my parents are to have the backyard done. If you don't know the story... don't ask! Either way, here is Ava with her Oma and Opa in their beautiful new backyard!

While at Oma and Opa's house, Ava enjoyed playing in her travel exersaucer...

She also enjoyed spending some quality time lounging on the couch with Uncle Ryan while Kayla entertained her with toys...

It's pretty much a given that when we go to my parent's house, at some point my brother and I will break out the Nintendo 64 for some good 'ole Mario Kart. This trip, we convinced my mom and Matt to play each other. No words could express how entertaining it was to watch the two of them battle it out. No words. My mom and Matt were very focused on the game, while the rest of us were laughing hysterically!

After exersaucing, couch lounging and Mario Karting, we cooked out for our Saturday Mother's Day celebration. While we all chowed down on steak, Ava enjoyed looking at the fish on her "swing away from home."

Back to the parent's backyard again... Part of the newly designed yard is an awesome patio, complete with fire pit. My mom saw this chair and recently bought it for Ava. "She'll have so much fun sitting in it while we roast marshmallows!" said my mom. Hmm... Open flames, hot/sharp metal rods... I'm going to have my hands full!

So my dad called me a week or two ago and said, "You're going to think I'm crazy, but I bought Ava a bike!" He was right. I thought he was crazy. Does he not know Ava can't even crawl yet? After hearing the amazing deal he got on this bike though, I couldn't blame him for buying it. My dad happened to be going to the Tractor Supply store to buy a machete (again, don't ask) when he came across a few children's bikes on clearance. Originally, this bike was $140. My dad got it for $13! We took the bike out of the box to take a peek, but quickly put it back since Ava won't be able to use it for a few years. It's pretty cute though... take a look:

From left to right, this is a picture of one of the training wheels, a backpack (to go where the traditional handlebar basket goes) and the bike seat. Love. It. Oh, and shhhh! This is sure to be a future gift for Ava, so don't spoil the surprise! :)

We were back home in the G-Boro on Sunday. We enjoyed an awesome service in church, followed by an excellent day spent together as a family. I consider it the biggest privilege to be able to celebrate Mother's Day as a mom. I am truly honored that God has blessed me with Matt as my husband and Ava as my daughter. So undeserving.

Ava is very close to sitting up all by herself! I can hardly believe it! Here she is playing with one of her favorite toys... supported by none other than the Boppy.

I sat Ava in her rocking chair this evening while I cleaned up the kitchen. Next thing I knew, she was leaning all the way forward (while strapped in, of course), nibbling on her toes. I quickly came over and pushed her back to the upright position. My assistance was apparently not warranted because she looked at me like I was crazy, and then assumed the toe-nibbling position. She realized though, that by sitting back in the seat, followed by leaning forward, rocked the chair back and forth. To my amazement, she spent the next 5 or so minutes rocking herself in her chair. I need to get that one on video!

 Hope you all had a great weekend! Happy Monday!

5 Month Update

You know the drill... Here's our girl at 5 months!

I must say, today's photo shoot was the funniest by far. Ava is much more mobile, which makes for some hilarious pictures. I think Ava and the bear became more than just friends today....

There was hand holding...

Hand nibbling...

Ear Tugging...

Ear Nibbling...

Hugging...

And Spooning...

I think Ava just realized what happened with the bear...

Ava's latest accomplishments:

-Eating solid foods (apples, bananas, green beans, peas, carrots and peaches). Her favorite? Peas! Least favorite? Peaches. Sweet potatoes and squash are on the horizon.

-Rolling all over the place.

-Sucking her top and bottom lip.

-Working on sitting up by herself.

-Grabbing everything in sight.

-Using a sippy cup.

-Blowing bubbles.

-Putting her pacifier in her mouth by herself.

I'm sure there are more, but it is late, and that is all I can think of. :)

Ava's latest interests:

-Being outside.

-Watching the trees.

-Watching and laughing at Fergie.

-Talking to her reflection in the car seat mirror.

-Playing "airplane" and "Shoo-Pang" with mom and dad.

-Going on walks/runs.

-Holding her stuffed froggy toy.

We can't believe she is already 5 months old. Oh how time flies!

Thankful

This past weekend, I have had an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the many blessings God has placed in my life. It would be impossible for me to name every single blessing, but allow me to share with you some of the highlights of our weekend. Some of the things for which I am most thankful.

First and foremost, I am thankful for my salvation. Thankful that God loved me so much that he sent His only son to die a horrific death to save me from my sins. Thankful that I have a relationship with God and that I get to spend eternity with Him.

I am thankful for my family. Immediate and extended. I am thankful that my mom was able to spend time with us this past weekend. I am thankful that the Lord blessed her with safe travel to and from our house. I am thankful that we got to spend quality time with her as a family.

I am thankful for the beautiful weather God gave us this past weekend. Matt spent Saturday morning doing yard work while I spent the morning washing our car. Ava spent the morning in her pack-n-play laughing at the trees and gazing at everything to see in our front yard. I am thankful that Ava enjoys spending time outside and that she stays content long enough in her pack-n-play for Matt and I to get some chores done.

I can appreciate the purpose God has given to bees, but I'm not such a fan of the stinger God placed on their back sides. For this reason, I bought this bug net to protect Ava while in her pack-n-play. It may look ridiculous, but I'm not ready to find out if she is allergic to bees yet.

After our morning chores, Matt and I took a nice walk through Guilford and Country Parks near our house. We had a picnic lunch and simply enjoyed the afternoon together. I am thankful for how close the parks are to our house. Thankful for the opportunity to see God's beauty and creation while walking through the parks. Thankful for the time spent together as a family. And thankful that Ava enjoys spending time in a stroller!

I can't even begin to describe how thankful I am for Ava, and what a blessing she is in our lives. I am thankful that she is healthy, happy, growing, developing and that God chose Matt and I to be her parents. Saturday evening, Ava got to munch on a real piece of banana. Well, sort of. I put the banana in the following contraption. When Ava chews on the green mesh, the banana (or whatever food you put in the mesh) breaks down and ends up in her mouth. Ava managed to eat the entire piece of banana in one sitting.

I think it is safe to say Ava likes bananas!

While I am on the "thankful" topic, I have to mention my husband. I am beyond thankful that the Lord has brought him into my life. I am thankful that Matt works his tail off so that I can stay home with Ava. Matt pulls ridiculous hours during the week and never complains about it. I am thankful that Matt loves me, that he is the spiritual leader of our household and that he is the most amazing husband and father. 

Again, I could never fully express how thankful I am for the abundance of blessings I have been given. I felt compelled to blog about just a few of the wonderful things we were able to experience as a family this past weekend. Thank you, Lord!

Lisa's Nifty Fifty!

Last night we had a surprise party for Lisa, Matt's aunt. This year marks the big 5-0 for her! Lisa's husband, Tim, and her son, Adam, did a great job making sure Lisa knew nothing about the party. Lisa thought that she, her husband and son, were going out to dinner to celebrate her birthday, alone. Lisa also thought that Adam had picked out a special restaurant where they would eat for the night, so upon Adam's request, Lisa rode in the car with her eyes closed to keep the destination a surprise. Poor birthday girl... All that riding around with her eyes shut made her car sick! After making her way into the club house, she was touched to find the room filled with family and friends!

Following hamburgers, hot dogs and your typical cook out buffet, we had cake and ice cream!

Here's the birthday girl blowing out candles and making a wish. 

You may not be able to tell from this picture, but the head piece Lisa wore all night lit up. Ava stared at the lights and bobbing "50's" while Lisa was holding her. Not sure if she was scared of the lights, or if she wanted to keep them for herself. Probably the latter. Of course, by the time I finally got my camera out, Ava was no longer interested in the cool birthday crown. 

Hanging out with Poppy.

I love this picture. Apparently only half of the group realized that this was supposed to be the "goofy" shot. The folks in this picture include some of Tim's family and the Kincaid Klan (Matt's mom's side of the family). I hate we weren't able to get one giant photo with all of the family AND friends that came to celebrate Lisa's 50th!

Happy Birthday Lisa! We love you! Thank you for letting us celebrate this special occasion with you!

Daddy's Biggest Little Fan

It's softball season again! Every year, Matt takes part in our church's softball league. He enjoys playing and I enjoy watching... and talking to the other wives in the bleachers. This year, I have Ava to bring along with me. Check out the matching jerseys! They both say, "Lawndale 37." The wonderful Leary family made Ava's for her. Thanks Scott, Karen, Heather and Brittany!

I look forward to bringing Ava to Matt's games in the years to come. I also look forward to Ava playing sports herself. I know that is a long way down the road, but I need to start praying... NOW! Ava is definitely all Matt! She looks like he spit her out his mouth. I am hoping and praying that since she looks like him, she'll play sports like him too. See, I'm afraid that the one thing she'll get from me is my inability to play team sports. I can run, but ask me to do anything else at the same time (kick, dribble, etc...) and I am a lost cause. Matter of fact, my parents love to remind me that the one year I was FORCED to play soccer, I spent more time fixing my ponytail than actually playing the game. "Lord, please give Ava Matt's athletic genes and the desire to play sports!"

Oh, if the Lawndale Jersey wasn't cute enough, the Learys also got Ava striped and solid orange socks and a long-sleeve orange shirt to wear under the jersey for any cooler night games we might encounter. The long-sleeve shirt wasn't needed this particular night, but Ava definitely rocked the striped orange socks. On a side note, take a look at how Ava is strapped into the jogging stroller. It looks like she is preparing to orbit into outerspace! I mean, I am running faster now than I did right after Ava was born, but come on! I would need to be able to run at warp speed for those straps to be truly useful. 

Mimi and Poppy came out to show their support at Matt's game. I'm sure it didn't hurt that they got to spend some time with their grand-daughter too, right? Speaking of support, Matt's team and the other Lawndale team need all the support they can get! Somehow, there was a goof up with the game schedule and both Lawndale teams got placed in the A-league. That means they got placed with a whole bunch of teams who take softball way too seriously! The score of Matt's first game: Lawndale 4, Muirs Chapel 37. Ouch.

Let me share with you someone who is not a fan of Matt, or myself for that matter. This is how I find Fergie most days... sulking in our closet. Actually, she must have heard me coming into the bedroom and perked up because normally her head is completely buried under my rack of clothes. Any of you out there who may think Fergie is neglected (ahem, Jane), she is not! She may not rule the roost like she used to many moons ago, but she is by no means neglected! I take Fergie with me every morning when Ava and I go running, she gets plenty of play time outside, she still gets multiple belly rubs a day, occasional scraps from the table and treats too! Neglected, no. Drama Mama, perhaps. Sorry Fergs, Ava isn't going anywhere so you better suck it up!

Shoo-Pang!

A while back, our nephew Finn, spoke the phrase, "Shoo-Pang" into existence. In an attempt to figure out what "Shoo-Pang" meant, my sis-in-law and her husband questioned Finn frequently by asking, "What are you saying?" His response, "Shoo-Pang!" To my knowledge, no one knows the true meaning of Shoo-Pang to this day.

Well, us Gardners have brought "Shoo-Pang" into our everyday vocabulary. You see, Ava loves playing Peek-a-Boo. She gets so excited when we put a blanket over her face, or when we duck behind the back of a chair. She knows what's coming. Her anticipation builds to the all consuming moment of... "Peek-a-Boo!" While Matt and I are more than happy to play this game with our daughter, the words Peek-a-Boo became very mundane after, oh, the 300th time. So what did we start saying instead? Shoo-Pang! Along with Shoo-Pang, we have added Shama-lama-ding-dong and  Dumb-Dumb-Diddy to the "Alternate Peek-a-Boo Sayings" list.

Before changing Ava into her pajamas for the night, Matt plays a little game of Shoo-Pang with her by lifting her shirt up high enough to expose her face, but not taking it completely off. See below. It's quality Father/Daughter bonding time! Those ruffles around her forehead make her look like Old Mother Hubbard.

Ava still loves bathtime! (Notice the strategically placed cup?) She already knows the sound of bath water filling up the tub. When we bring her into the bathroom and start lowering her into the water, her arms and legs start flailing around with excitement. 

Another one of Ava's favorite things: Very, very, very, very watered down apple juice in a sippy cup, of course! I have actually been pleasantly surprised at how well Ava is able to use her sippy cup. She can hold on to it and drink out of it with the best of them. Getting it into her mouth is a whole other issue. She still needs mom's help for that one. 

Everyday, Matt and I are reminded how blessed we are that God has given us this precious girl to raise as our own. It is my prayer that we never take this blessing for granted and that we allow others to see Christ through not only Ava, but us as well!

Dedicated

This morning Matt, Ava and I took part in our church's parent/child dedication service. It is a special service where parents publicly dedicate to raise their child in a Christian home and to teach them about the love and sacrifice of Jesus. This service holds special meaning for both Matt and I as we venture into parenting together. It is of utmost importance to us that Ava is brought up in a home that is centered around our Lord and Savior! We know that being parents will not be easy... but we also know that parenting is one of the greatest blessings God will ever give us. "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13.

Following the dedication service, the church prepared a lunch for all 18 children and their families. Unfortunately, not every family member was able to make it to lunch, but most of the gang was there! From left to right, top to bottom: Poppy (Matt's dad), Opa (my dad), Oma (my mom), Me and Ava, Matt, Anna (Matt's cousin), Deda (Matt's grandfather), Owen (Matt's cousin), Mimi (Matt's mom) and Mema (Matt's grandmother). Thanks for sharing in this special day with us!

Ava has a new favorite toy. Her Jumperoo! I put her in it today while I tried to put a mountain of laundry away. All I can say is, I had time to put away the laundry AND do some other chores. Ava was happy as could be! Her legs aren't quite strong enough to jump up and down yet. She was however, able to spin herself in circles... which she found quite amusing. 

Along with playing in her new toy, she started doing two other things this evening: Sticking out her tongue and making the following face. We took several pictures of her in the Jumperoo this evening, all while making that silly face. What a little goober! :)

Let Them Eat Cake

Today, I was honored to hold a baby shower for my friend, Lauren. She is pregnant with her second son, and she is due at the end of May. Lauren, we can't wait to meet Finley!

As host of this particular shower, I was responsible for... the cake. I mentioned in one of my previous posts that while I was more than happy to make a cake for Lauren, I was a little bit scared. You see, Lauren is known as the cake master among our group of friends. How am I supposed to make a cake for the cake MASTER? Here are just a few examples of the many cakes Lauren has made in the past:

Here is the cake she made for my baby shower last year:

Her son's birthday cake this past March:

And her son's birthday cake from the previous year (yes, that is a real goldfish in the pond):

See what I mean? I was shaking in my boots. I knew Lauren deserved more than a sheet cake purchased from the local grocery store, so I started racking my brain.... I had seen a post on my sister in-law's blog about cake pops. They're cake, they're on a stick... How hard could they be? Mmmm... Harder than they look. At least for me. I made several practice batches before starting in on the final product for Lauren's shower. After several failed attempts, I finally got the system down and managed to produce a batch of cake pops. Here is the final product:

Lauren, I was happy to make these little cuties for you. Hope you enjoyed them as much as I did!

After Lauren's shower, we went to a "They're Already Married" shower. One of Matt's long-time friends got married out of state last month. The groom's family threw a wonderful reception for the couple so the Greensboro folks could greet the newlyweds. Congratulations Amy and Clark!

Ava enjoyed spending time with the bride and groom's niece, Kinsleigh. So many of our friends and relatives have little boys, so Ava enjoyed being held by a GIRL!

Sweet Peas

The newest item added to Ava's growing list of foods? Sweet peas! I was a little afraid at first that she wouldn't like them. She started out with fruits, and I figured the taste of vegetables wouldn't be pleasing to her palate after discovering fruity-goodness. I figured wrong. I put the first spoonful in her mouth with a bit of hesitation and she chowed down like nobody's business! That's my girl.

You may look at this picture and think, "Wow. Ava's cheeks must be packed full of cereal and peas!" Nope. Those are her cheeks at their everyday, normal size.

Scrumptiously Umptious

Today was a big day in the life of Ava Gardner. She got to eat BABY FOOD! A little bit of rice cereal mixed with a little bit of applesauce... In the words of Rachel Ray, "Yum-O!" Well, initially Ava didn't think the cereal concoction was everything it was cracked up to be. After a few tries though, she became a fan.

Here is attempt numero uno.

This picture was taken in between bites. I thought it was funny though. It looks like she has a buck tooth sticking out of her mouth.

Now here's the girl I know and love! It didn't take her long to realize that this whole baby food thing is pretty tasty! Check out her cute bib. It's wonderful because it is a towel, it is plenty big, and when she gets to the "ripping off my bib" stage, she won't be able to!... No velcro tabs to pull apart in the back. Just a hole in the middle of the bib to stick her head through. And yes, that is her name on it. Thanks Jennifer for introducing us to the greatest bib invention, ever!

It amazes me that Ava already knows how to pose for pictures. As soon as she hears the noise the camera makes while focusing, she turns to face it. Ok, so instead of posing, she is probably just curious about the "beep" coming from the camera. Either way, we're getting a lot of great photos with her beautiful eyes looking at the camera.

After a few minutes of experimenting with her new food, Little Miss Independent wanted to try things out for herself. Before I could get the spoon near her mouth, she would grab hold of it and try to feed herself. Granted, she would have put a rock in her mouth if that is what I was holding. Anything and everything she gets her hands on lately goes... yup, in her mouth!

Ava went to the doctor today for her 4 month check up. She weighs in at 15 pounds, 11 ounces and is 26.5 inches long. I must admit, I was convinced she would break the scale when I put her on it, so hearing she was under 16 pounds was quite a surprise! She is in the 90th percentile for height and weight. She's looking like a prime candidate for basketball later in life. Matt is one happy Dad!

Seriously??

Matt and I did not know Ava's gender until the day she was born. It was such a neat experience to find out that the baby I had been carrying for so long was a girl when she was born. I highly recommend going the "surprise" route to anyone!

Anyway, not knowing if we were going to have a boy or a girl, led us to register for gender neutral baby items. Ava had a lot of green, yellow and brown clothing to wear when she was born. I knew going in that I would hear the question, "boy or girl" a lot when Ava was dressed in green and yellow. That was perfectly fine with me. It was our decision after all, not to find out what we were having.

Well, since Ava is growing like a weed, she has outgrown her gender neutral clothes and is now the proud owner of a mostly pink wardrobe! Ava wore the following outfit to Harris Teeter today. A woman commented on how cute Ava was, and then proceeded to ask, "boy or girl?" Seriously?? I would have figured the pink shirt would have made the answer to that question quite clear. Who knows. Maybe the woman was color blind. In that case though, would the butterfly (complete with flowers on it's wings) and bows on the pockets not hint at the fact that she is a girl?? I'm sure the woman was trying to be polite before accidentally using the wrong pronoun while talking to Ava. I just think it's hilarious! Maybe next time I go to Harris Teeter I will put Ava in a dress, put a bow in her hair, polish on her nails and gloss on her lips.

In other news.... Cheeky McCheekerton (a nickname given to Ava by Matt's sister) has turned into Drooly McDroolerton. My guess is that any day now she'll be know as Teethy McTeetherton. She has been a little out of sorts today. I'm thinking that her fussiness + drool = teeth are on the way. I better cherish every moment of that toothless grin that I have left!