Go, Hokies, Go!

We made a road trip to the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area for the Orange Bowl. We went with David's (Kyle's brother) family and his parents.

We arrived on Thursday and ate at a great Italian restaurant called Bruschetta. Check out all the Hokie gear!Ava had a blast with her big cousins! They all showed their Virginia Tech pride by donning tattoos.

Ava and Mommy! To all my family, don't worry, I'm not losing loyalty to the Crimson Tide...

On the way home we stopped in Everglades City to go out on air boats. You can barely see Dave, Libby, Nay, and Max!

They had baby alligators that we could hold. I VERY reluctantly held one, and as you can tell, I was thrilled about it. I freaked out the minute he turned his head.

The grin on Ava's face is not at all indicative of her enjoyment on the ride. Those boats get up to 40 mph. As soon as our "captain" hit 30, she got stiff, cried, and almost jumped out of my arms. We calmed her and she tolerated the rest of the ride. Kyle and I had a blast, though. The mangroves are so gorgeous.

Happy New Year!

We had a great Christmas in Alabama. The road trip w/Ava and Maddie was...much better than last year. :)

Pops and Nanna had their hands full with Ava and Brenna. Can you tell who is teething in this picture?

Ava loves Grandaddy! They bonded when he came down to Tampa for his back surgery. So at Christmas, they just took up where they left off!

One afternoon, Nanna kept the girls for Craig, Loren, Kyle, and Me to go see National Treasure 2. Mamaw and Grandaddy stayed to play while we were gone. It was the first movie Kyle and I have been to since Ava was born!

Thanksgiving

We took a nice trip to Virginia Beach for Thanksgiving. We actually went up there the weekend before the big holiday, which was great because plane tickets were half the price and the airport was almost desolate. We had a great time with Kyle's family. One day while we were there we had the traditional Thanksgiving goods--turkey, dressing, green beans, sweet potatoes, and rolls. Nothing compares to being with family, COLD weather, and delicious food!

Ava had a blast with her MeMaw and PaPa.

We exchanged Christmas gifts while we were there since we won't see them in December. Ava got an adorable new baby doll. This girl is completely in love with babies!
She also had fun with PaPa Brown and Sparky. This is the first picture she in which she smiled on cue.
Then, on Thanksgiving Day, we spent some time with the Anderson family. Ava had a blast w/Nay and Max, as always!

Thanksgiving in mind, we are so incredibly blessed with a myriad of dear family and friends. Most of all, right now, we're grateful for our sweet 13-month-old. She never ceases to amaze us. She's now signing several words, and her personality continues to emerge. Above is a picture of her newest obsession--our dog's bed! She climbs in, tucks her baby into it, and drags it everywhere. Hope your Thanksgiving was happy and relaxing!

Happy Halloween!

Thought you might like to see a couple pics of our little ladybug!

Here we are before Ava's first Trick-or-Treat! She looks a little tentative...

Ava was THRILLED to be riding inthe wagon w/her friend, Cooper. :) She actually got really scared when a couple answered their door in full costume. She's her Mommy's girl!

May I PLEEEEASE have some candy?

These next two pics aren't from Halloween, but I love them so much. This was her first day in pigtails!

Desitin, anyone? Yes, she has discovered that her teeth can not only be used for chewing, but also for opening caps on everything from lotion to diaper cream...

Ahhh!!

Wow, for those of you who have tirelessly checked for updates...and been disappointed every time, I apologize! :) Yes, I know, 3 months is entirely TOO long to go w/out updating this thing. Our baby girl turned one on October 12th. I know it sounds cliche, but the time has absolutely FLOWN by! Here are some pics from the birthday weekend.

Go Hokies, GO!! Poor Ava is probably going through an NCAA identity crisis. We dress her in everything from VA Tech to Alabama--Roll Tide! to USF Bulls! (All of which are ranked, might I add!)
My ever-so-talented sister made this adorable cake plate for the smash cake. AND she helped me to make "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" cake. While they are FAR from professional, we were excited w/how they turned out!

Not only did Loren make the adorable plate, but she also made these matching dresses for the girls!

Be not deceived...no one in this picture is holding her own child! -- HA!

BEFORE...

AFTER...TaDah!!

For all of you who have offered friendship, love, and support through our baby's first year, we thank you!

Crazy Moments

Here are a few snapshots of my daily activities!

First thing every morning, I have oatmeal and fruit. Eating is no fun if a girl can't smear the food through her hair and on her face!

After I'm cleaned up, I play a little tug-of-war with Maddie and her beanie baby!

I also love to chew on Mommy's tomatoes as she picks them from her little garden. :)

Look at me standing! Before you know it, I'll be zooming around everywhere!

Here I am attempting to strike the Heisman pose in my Nike air tennis shoes! This is right before we take our evening walk!

Finally, it's time for my bath and bed. I'm not sure who has more fun in the tub...Daddy or me...like the mohawk? :) Love you guys!!

My First 4th of July

Well, Wednesday was my first 4th of July experience. Daddy, Mommy, and I spent all day together. We went to lunch together. I had a few bites of muffin, some banana, and some smashed hashbrowns! I loved it all. After that, we went swimming at NayNay and Max's house. I was hoping to play with them while we were there, but they are in South Dakota! So Mommy slathered me with sunscreen and I got in the pool for the first time ever. The water was a little cold, but did I care? Nope. I LOVED it! I splashed around with Daddy until I was exhausted. We had such a fun day. Hope you guys had a happy Fourth.

A few milestones that you might like to be aware of: Last Saturday I began crawling! Well, it's actually more of a frog-like scoot right now, but it gets me where I wanna go. And yesterday (drum roll, please)...I waved "Bye-Bye" for the first time. And it was for a sweet retired man in Publix. Then this morning, I waved to Daddy when he left for work. (I'm pretty sure it made him melt!) Well, I've gotta take my morning nap, so I'll see ya later, alligator!

Love, Ava