Rest Stop and Floorboard Fun!

On our way to the Smokies, we had to make a few stops with Ava. She is a great traveler, but gets bored easily and needs to be fed and changed. On one of our stops, I allowed her to play in the passenger side front floorboard before Mommy had to go inside to use the restroom. We also enjoyed a butterfly garden at a rest stop on the Alabama/Georgia border. It made our travels much easier and happier with frequent, engaging stops!

You will probably notice that Ava is not wearing a hairbow in any of these pictures (my mom and sister will definitely notice) She has gotten into the habit of taking her bows from her hair and sucking on them. I am afraid that they pose a choking hazard for now and feel that it is best to just not wear them without supervision. When she gets a little older, I will teach her "no, no" for this, but right now anything bright and colorful looks like a toy to her and I don't want to confuse her. I know that probably sounds way to analytical and psychological, but I am analytical and psychological!!! :)

Seen In My Backyard...

This little hare stopped on our retaining wall after a light shower. It got all of the water off its coat and then hopped on its merry way!

Dinner With The Olsen Family

I think this is my last post about Texas.

After Sunday evening worship at Westhill, Jeremy, Ava, and I went to dinner with the Olsen family. James and Martha Olsen are the parents of Jamie, Eric, and Ashley. Jamie and her family live out of town, but we were able to spend time with Eric (his wife was out of town also) Ashley and her husband Michael and their son, Turner.

Ashley was in Jeremy's youth group when I first met him. It is so neat how she and her husband have a child who is a few months older than ours! Turner is precious! We love this family dearly and miss them so much!

 Turner playing with the ice in Martha's cup. He was so precious! He is a very good little boy.

Ava played with Ashley's necklace for a while. It was nice to talk with her about parenting, etc. She has been through all the stages that I am currently going through with Ava, so she understands!

James, Martha, and Turner

Standing Up

Ava started pulling herself to a standing position 3 weeks ago. It started in her crib. Jeremy came home from work just as Ava was waking up. He said he would go change her diaper and feed her. A moment later, I heard him call my name. I walked into her room and saw her sitting on her knees in her crib. She was holding onto the slats with her hands. We praised her and she grinned from ear to ear! Since that day, she has been working on pulling up to a full standing position. She is pretty good at it by now, but she is still pretty wobbly once she stands. 

Here are some photos of her experimenting:

Yes, her room was a wreck when I took these pictures. I was in the middle of re-organizing. I find that every few months, I need to re-organize her things. As she outgrows clothing and toys, I put old things away for our next child and pull out new things for her to enjoy. I have packed away all of her newborn, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, and most of her 6 months clothes. She now is in mostly 6-9 months clothing and a few 12 month dresses from Target (Cherokee brand) She has outgrown her swing, her bouncer, her bathtub, her mobiles, and her car seat gadgets. We upgraded her to the actual bathtub where she can splash and play with her bath toys. Having a child is so much fun! There is always something new to look forward to!

Ava Helps With Laundry

CHOM

After Storytime yesterday, Ava and I headed to the Children's Hands On Museum (CHOM) with our friends Peyton, Lily Grace, and Cooper. We had a great time looking around and exploring. Although Ava is still too little for many of the exhibits, she had fun anyway! She tried on different hats in the dress up room, and crawled around the school house. She also petted a stuffed bear and "swam" in the 0-12 months "pond" in the barnyard. It was a wonderful afternoon!

 Lily Grace standing behind the glass at the ice cream shoppe. MMM! Yummy pretend treats!

 Ava playing in the bed with the dolls.

 Trying on a hat

 Whoops! Too big!

 All better!

 Cooper and Lily Grace play school

 Ava wants to play too!

 In the ice cream shoppe, Ava "tried" every flavor. Okay, I know what some moms are thinking right now: "Oh, my goodness, is she really letting her child put her mouth on that thing that so many people have touched?" My answer: "yup." I couldn't stop her in time and I am not really a complete germaphobe anyway. The way I look at it, those germs are going to help build up her immunity. :)

 Ava goes for the ice cream sundae.

 I guess her favorite is the ice cream cone with a cherry on top.

 Ava pets the stuffed bear.

 Ava "swims" in the "pond."

 I love the way she has rested her head on her arms like this. It was too cute!

 Looking around at the other kids.

 She LOVED the fish in the fish tank! And they loved her too!

 She also LOVED looking at the turtles in the terrarium!

 She just stared for several minutes.

 When she looked away from the turtles, she was ready to move on.

 Sweet Ava

 Playing with the wooden toads in the music room

I love this because it looks like she is reading directions.

Under The Table

Ava and I went to a cook-out this weekend while Jeremy was out of town. We arrived two hours late because I needed a nap and so did Ava! We got there while everyone was playing mafia. We chose to sit at some tables with other moms and kiddos. Lily Grace, Cooper, Luke, and Ava had a great time playing under the tables! They were all too cute!

 Peyton, Lily Grace, and Ava

 Luke, Lily Grace, and Cooper (Peyton is laying in the background with Ava in the air! I just noticed this! LOL!)

 Ava and Lily Grace

Cooper and Ava (Cooper's expression makes me laugh!)

Little Hands...

 The goal

 One handed approach

 Two handed approach

Got it!