Just a few pics cause that's what you really want!

Halloween 2011

This year Halloween was so much fun. Ava was into it way more this year compared to last year. Terri took her out going door to door. The first couple of doors she wasn't quite sure what to do. After the second or third door she was knocking and saying the magic words that every kid loves. Trick or treat. She is growing up so fast. We were looking at pictures from the first Halloween together to now and she has grown up sooooo much. She is amazing.

Birthday Party and Fathers Day.

We went to Ami's birthday party this weekend. Ami is from the same SWI as Ava and Ami just turned three. We had such a wonderful time. We are so lucky to be able to keep in touch with the girls from Ava's orphanage. There are four of them and we all live within 2.5 hours of each other. I think it is so important to keep these connections with the girls. They spent the first year of their lives together. Keeping a chinese connection is important. We do not live a culturally diverse community so it is important to us to have relationships with people that Ava will be able to relate to, who will know better what Ava experiences than the girls who she was adopted with.

We spent Father's day at my Mom and Dad's. We had a beautiful day in the sunshine. Ava played with her cousins in the sprinkler and kiddie pool. Mike, my Dad and brother were spoiled with a steak dinner prepared by the girls who love them. We are truly blessed.

We've Learned How To Ride A Tricycle

With the help of Ava's best friend Emmy Ava has learned how to pedal her tricycle. Try as we might we could not teach the concept of pedaling to Ava. It took Emmy's wise old(2.5yr old) common sense. "Ava you just pedal one foot at a time!" and VOILA! Ava is a bike rider! LOL

Family photos

Its been such a long time between posts. Life gets so busy. Nothing major happening just everyday life. Ava is growing up so fast and we are so blessed. She is such an easy going, go with the flow kind of girl.

We got my side of the family photos done on Easter weekend. My neighbor is a fantastic photographer and got some really great shots. Unfortunately my dad had the flu and immediately returned to bed after these shots. He was a great sport though.

Gramma, Papa and grand kids. Johnny(4), Alicia(9) and Ava(2).
Aunt Laurie and Aunt Sherri(my twin sister) with their nieces and nephew. Brother Tom and his family. Bonnie, Alicia and Johnny. Ava and Alicia. Great friends!

Ava has been watching a new DVD of some Disney Playhouse channel shows. Lately, she always requests to have her Minnie Mouse high heels on. Then she would do these moves that we thought where the heck did she learn that. Well, today we caught it on video. There is a show called Handy Manny and in it Manny is learn how to Salsa. Well someone else has learned it too! Definitely dance classes in the fall are on the menu! Ava is a natural! LOL



This week was my 40th birthday as well as my twin sisters and Ava's "half" birthday as we called it. She turned two and a half on my birthday. Daddy and Ava made me a cake and tried to get Ava to sing Happy Birthday. Turns out she was too itchy. What a character!




Ava had some fun playing in her toy box. She looked especially cute that day so a video was inevitable!

Our Little Girl Is Growing Up

We changed Ava's crib over yesterday to a day bed. As I was taking off the side she came up to me and asked me if Daddy was fixing Ava's princess bed? I of course said yes. As soon as I got the side off of it her little face lit right up. She sat on the side of her bed swinging her legs. We told her that it was her big girl princess bed. She curled up under the blankets and I took a couple pictures. We eventually turned off the lights and came down stairs. Ava walked up and asked me to turn on the hallway lights upstairs and her bedroom lights. She kept running from her bedroom down stairs to us. She was so excited. When we put her to bed last night she stayed there for about twenty minutes. Then we heard her get up and open her door. She came down stairs and said Ava not sleepy. We let her stay up for a few minutes. Terri took her back upstairs and rocked her and they said there prayers together. She put Ava back in her big girl princess bed and Ava stayed there until close to 8:30 this morning. She is growing up so fast.