Ava's Day at the Park

These were taken last week when I took Ava to the park for the first time. It was still a little too warm to stay very long but Ava maneuvered around a little bit and got the feel of things. Plus there were no other kids around so she really got to explore. She loved the swing, but it is a bit high of the ground and I wish I had a picture of her in it. It made her look so tiny! Anyway, here is the big girl hanging at the park (which by the way is fantastic)!

For Nana

Here are some pictures of the little dress that you all got for Ava. I imagine this will be the last wear she gets out of it because the sleeves are getting a little snug on her and also the weather is a changing. Anyway, here she is hamming it up for the camera.

Ava saying bye

This video is of one of the cutest things, Ava saying bye bye to the Backyardigans. She knows when their tummies start growling that the show is going off and she will tell them bye. It is absolutely adorable!

Random pics from the last couple of weeks

Just catching up on some cute pics of Ava.

She loves this circus from Nanny and Poppy.
Hanging with Pop.
Playing with her Backyardigan dolls while watching the show.

Playing with her dog puzzle from Bo and Mike.

I'm loving this outfit that Stacy got her. I know a couple of the pics are blurry, but they looked so sweet!

Ava is 13 months old

I can't believe that it has been a month since Ava turned 1! Man how time has flown by. We have stayed pretty busy this week. Here is what Ava is up to:

• Saying Hello and Goodbye


• Taking her own diaper off and running through the house semi-nude


• Being scared of the vacuum cleaner


• Throwing major hissy fits


• Going to the park for the first time


• Loving to play peek-a-boo


• Loving being chased through the house


• Just being Ava

Anyway, here are some pics of her playing peek-a-boo. How cute is she!

And here are some from a month ago today of the plaster hand print debacle!

Pageant Movies

Video 1 - Ava walking onstage. Listen to her crying right before she comes on.



Video 2 - Ava getting her trophy.

Ava's Pageant Debut

Today we entered the realm of child pageants. Dummy me thought that surely a local pageant won't be too stressful. Boy, was I wrong. Ava was entered in the 0-23 month age division of the Ms. Depot Days pageant. When we got there, there weren't too many kids, but after being there a little while, they all started rolling in. In Ava's category, there were 11 contestants. Some moms like me were just playing it cool and some moms were going extreme over this little local pageant. You would have thought it was Ms. America, especially the older kids.

Ava did great waiting backstage until it was time to line up. The room we were in had gotten unbearably hot and she was tired of waiting. At this point, we experienced some Ava hysterics. She was having a fit. Nothing made her happy, not a paci, not juice, not her Backyardigans doll, and not Stacy's cell phone which Ava had taken over. She was beating her head on the wall, the bleachers, and screaming so loud that on tape that is all you can hear while the other contestants are walking out. But the pageant lady said they don't count off for babies that are crying. I know those other moms wanted to choke me, but what could I do?

Anyway, after our turn on stage, I was ready to go. I was so frustrated and sweating so much. I took my number off and was packing my bags because there was little to no chance of a win. Imagine my surprise when our number was called. Turns out that Ava was names Prettiest Eyes (don't know how they could see them through all that crying!). Let's just say that before we left the trophy was thrown multiple times and has sustained a few chips. And fat pageant mommy of the year was backstage complaining because "her daughter got nothing and that baby who was crying got something and she better get to see the judges scores." So much drama. Anyway we have had our fill of pageants for now. Ava is just at the age where she wants to walk where she wants and play with what she wants and that just doesn't work for the pageant circuit. I am just so happy that Ava got a trophy and it wasn't a total loss!

Front Row : 2nd Place, Winner, 1st Place - Back Row: Prettiest Eyes, 3rd Place, Prettiest Smile

Ava at the Fair

We took Ava to the Dyer County Fair last night. This is not her first time there, she went last year when she was 3 weeks old. Of course she slept the whole time then, but this time she stayed awake to experience it. We really didn't do much while we were there. We browsed the business exhibits and the building full of photography and arts and crafts. After that, we headed to the petting area of the fair and Ava was very amused by the goats that were there. Bradley and I fed them while Ava watched and she had a ball. It was so funny watching her look at the goats and try to pet them. They were so friendly, especially since we had food.

After the fair, we had a family dinner at Applebee's. Let me tell you, the Garlic Shrimp Alfredo dish is so good. Ava even had a kids meal of chicken strips and fries (and a jar of peas on the side to get those veggies in). We had a great time and hopefully next year Ava will be ready to ride those rides!