My baby is the big 1!

Happy birthday to Jarred and Ava! What a special day March 31st is! I look back on this day last year and I am so thankful for God protecting my sweet baby. It is scary to think about what could of happen. I am so very thankful for nurse Tina and my awesome doctor. What a difference a year can make. It has zoomed by, I hope the rest of her life does not zoom by this fast!

Jarred, Happy 31st Birthday to you. Thanks for being such a great husband and Daddy. We are two of the luckiest girls. You truly make this life so enjoyable, there is not a dull day in our house. You are the best daddy....you are so great with Ava. Your love for her amazes me. I think you both will always have a special bond, and to me there is nothing more special. I hope your day is awesome. I think this is going to be a special year for you! I love you and I am so proud of you!

Ava, Happy 1st Birthday to you. You are so fun. Everyday gets better and better. I am so thankful that God gave you to us! You will always be our biggest blessing.
What you are up to these days:

• You are walking everywhere. There is no stopping you now, your on the move.
• You say Mama, DaDa, and Oh Oh
• You are in mostly 12 month clothes, but you can still wear 6-9 months also. You are petite. You weigh 19 pounds and still wear a size 3 diaper.
• My most favorite thing you do is your big smile with your nose crinkled. This makes my heart so happy.
• You sleep from 9 to around 7:30-8
• You still have only the two teeth on the bottom. When are more coming?

Happy birthday Ava. Your mommy loves you! The last 12 months have been amazing!

Here comes Peter Cottontail.....

I am so enjoying my week of vacation. We had such a fun day today. As you can see, Ava loved "Peter". She was not scared a bit. I guess we won't be getting those pictures of a screaming baby on the bunny's lap. She just gazed up at him and had a big smile on her face. When I say big, I mean the one with her nose crinkled up. This is the smile that makes my heart happy. I can't believe in less than 48 hours I will have a 1 year old. I was thinking back to this time last year...I wonder what we were doing? I know that it could not have been anything better than today!

We are in P-A-R-T-Y mode....

I can't believe my little Ladybug will be 1 in a week! Wow, how time flies. I have had the best time planning this little Lady's birthday party. If you have not guessed, the parties theme is Ladybugs. I have had such great luck in finding things at cheap prices thanks to one of my favorite stores, Hobby Lobby. I guess Ladybugs are a big spring/summer theme this year! (Score for us!)

I know many of you think I am crazy going all out for a one year old's birthday, but I feel that this is such a special birthday. One that will be remembered for the rest of our lives. We have worked so hard this whole year and feel that our little lady is our biggest blessing!

I want her to know how special she is, not just on her birthday but everyday. What a true Joy our little lady has been.

I have been hard at work....making birthday banners and high chair banners. I have even matched the green on the lady bug containers to the green in the tablecloth. (I need help, I know!!!). I just want it to be perfect, I sure hope I can pull it all together!

The invitation:

Aren't these the cutest treat boxes for all the party guests? Ava had a great time in helping her Mommy fill them. Below are the tags that we will write a special message on.The plates and napkins.

Our trip to the Zoo!

What a great day we had today. We all loved looking at the animals. It was such a beautiful day, high of 70 and not a cloud in sight. We enjoyed our day. We will be making many more trips to the Zoo for sure. I love spending time with these two, I am blessed!

Ava would point to all the animals, it was so cute. Everytime we saw something new she pointed and would squeal. Have I mentioned how much I love this girl? (Don't you love her outfit? She wore her Zebra for the occasion.)Look Daddy, another one!Daddy was proud, Ava loved the fish. Maybe there will be a fishing partner in the near future!
Another proud daddy moment, Ava would laugh out loud when the squirrels would run by.
Daddy told her she was going to love hunting these....
I don't see that happening. (Well, mommy hopes not!)

These were one of Ava's favorite exhibits.
She has color flash cards and the pink one is her favorite,
it has pink flamingos on it....I really think she recognized them!

Avocados + Dad = Awesome Guacamole

For those of you that know me, you know I have a love affair with guacamole. This is what I craved during pregnancy. I would call my dad and beg for some of his guacamole. Well, yesterday he and my sister were coming for dinner and I called and asked him what ingredients I needed for him to make me another batch. Only, this time I watched and wrote down the recipe and I took pictures. I am starting a family cookbook and I thought this would be perfect for our book.

I was not going to include the one of me. Please excuse how I look. I worked all week this week so my partner could have off Spring Break with her kiddos. I have not done this since Ava was born and to be honest I was beat. I included the picture because as my dad was mixing he looked over at me and said "Angela, you need some sun!" Thanks Dad! Gotta love those moments.

I love you Dad! We had a great time and I am now going to try to to make your famous guacamole!

Our James is finally home!

Last night James finally made it home! We are so thankful for this safe deployment. There were many prayers sent up to keep our favorite solider safe, we are thankful they were answered. This last year without James has been quite. I am so excited that our fun times can now begin again. (The guys are itching to go look for that new boat that James will be getting soon! Elissa, your hubby and my hubby may never be home!)

The Welcome Wagon was at the airport last night. We were all so excited to get the first glimpse of his smiling face. I think he was embarrassed (I guess the huge sign might have played a part). Did he really think we would not be there? We have been looking forward to this day before he ever left! Welcome home James, you will always be our favorite solider!

Ava's haircut and I NEED YOUR HELP......

Ava had her first haircut today, or I should say the first trim. It was bad around her ears. We also had a small mullet going in the back. Poor baby. I wanted a cute "do" for the picture that will be used for an invitation. Of course, I took a few pictures of the big event! It looks so much better!This is where I need your help! Please leave a comment and vote for your favorite photo. The winner will be used for Ava's invitation. Thanks, this mommy is having trouble picking my favorite!

11 Months

Ava,
You are already 11 months old. I can't believe I am planning your birthday party. You are doing so much these days. You have started to clap your hands and you give high fives. You say Mama and Dada. You love to call for your dad, girlfriend you love him (I don't blame you)! You love your walker your Aunt Boon gave you and you walk all over the house with it...sometimes you even try to run. This makes your Mama and Dada nervous! You take a few steps on your own and now stand up with out having to pull up on anything. You love to pull out all the clothes that your Mama works so hard to fold, this is your favorite game. If we try to stop you you pull and throw them faster. Such a funny girl! We love you beyond words. Life is so much fun with you! I love you girl! You are Mama's best girl!