Really Christina...

While at Uncle Bobby's, Christina noticed I had written my name on my cup and thought she should do the same. So she grabbed a permanent marker, walked to the table, and started writing Aunt Christina on a cup. The whole situation seemed normal until she stated..."I wasn't drinking milk... I didn't even have a cup!" She had written her name on someone elses cup! This was followed by Dustin saying "Who drinks milk with their Thanksgiving dinner!". In the end no one claimed the cup and Christina's only option was to write Not in front of her name. It was quite hilarious and this might be a situation you had to be there for, but it was so stinkin funny! Thanks for making us laugh Not Aunt Christina! You're the best!

Ava enjoyed her yummy squash for Thanks- giving. Luckily for Dustin and I, squash was not on our Thanksgiving menu!

Ava Marie-Thanksgiving

Ava's new moves...

Ava continues to amaze me. It seems like just yesterday we were waiting for her to smile or coo. Now she squeals like a true girl, gives big gummy smiles, and so much more. For example...about three weeks ago Dustin was holding her and I was next to him and she reached for me. Talk about the best feeling ever! (I cried a bit). Since then she's learned to hold her arms up anytime she wants up. She is rolling from her tummy to her back and back again. She is never quite content though. Forever she wanted to sit up by herself. She can do that easily now, but the only thing she wants to do now is crawl or stand up (she can't do either on her own yet, but we're very close!). She is getting good at going from a sitting position to a crawling position but quickly falls to her stomach. If she does manage to keep her stomach up, it's because she's in a bear crawl position with her face planted in the carpet. It's quite humorous to watch. I am really enjoying being around to see all of her changes. God has truly blessed us with a beautiful little girl and so much more!

Ups, Downs, and Everything in Between...

The past month and a half have been crazy for our family. To begin, Dustin was offered a job at Chesapeak. We were thrilled because he knew this was a place he could grow and hopefully eventually begin his graphic design again. And what an AMAZING company to work for!! With the decision to move came a lot of stressful decisions. We had to decide when I'd move down there. I had already begun teaching this year, so I would have to break my contract. (Luckily, the school was wonderful, supportive and very encouraging). Next we had to figure out what I was going to do when we got here. Now that we have our precious little Ava, was I going to stay home? Could we afford to do that? Should I find a job, which of course meant finding care for Ava. Could we afford that??? haha. We finally made some decisions; I would move 5 weeks after Dustin started and I would stay home for now...I guess until we want to eat again. :)

Now, the fun part begins...or something like that. Less than a week before Dustin is leaving, we wake up to a really loud bang outside. Dustin jumps up as I am trying to wake up. I look out the window and see my husband running down the sidewalk. A neighbor was also out looking to see what happened. I hear Dustin say to the man (the man that lives at the crack house across the street) "they definitely hit something!" The man responded "Yeah, your car!" At that, I jumped out of bed and went outside too. My little red Nissan was totaled. They had pushed in the back tire so far it had broke the back axel. So we spent the next hour talking with the police and trying to figure out how I was going to get to work. The really great part came when the police told us we had to have the car off the road in 48 hours. We now have no car, and have to pay to move it! The police found the car that hit ours (it didn't make it very far), but the man had fled and didn't have any insurance. We decided at that point, laughing was the best option. We still crack up when we think about where we lived in Leavenworth and that we didn't get out before being in a hit and run. AWESOME! Luckily for us, Dustin's great grandpa is no longer allowed to drive and loaned me his mini van...sweet ride, I know. I am actually a huge fan of all the space. Babies take up so much room!!

So the month without Dustin begins. It actually goes pretty well. Ava had a variety of wonderful people watching her. Dustin got to come back on the first couple of weekends. I went to visit on the 3rd weekend and we found an apartment to live in. The next two weeks went by pretty quickly, and then it was time to move. So everything was as good as it could be except that Ava decided to get up 3 times a night instead of sleeping through the night and got her first cold. Oh and I was left to pack up the house by myself with a 4 month old. I guess that's where the emotional roller coaster began. I did get to work with my replacement, Heather, and we had so much fun together. I wished we would have been working together the whole time! The last month of work was pretty stressfull; trying to figure out what info I needed to leave Heather, teach class, and pick up Ava right after school. There were 3 fights in the gym during that month and I had a student pretend like he shot me with a riffle...nothing happened to him of course, because he has some special needs. I did not feel safe there after that point. It was time to leave. So the last Friday finally came, my mom (my lifesaver) flew in that evening and Dustin got back for the big move. Saturday and Sunday was full of wonderful people, we owe huge thank you's too for helping us move. So, THANK YOU!!!! We seriously couldn't have done it without you! I didn't arrive in Edmond until Tuesday because I had a doctors apt and got to spend some wonderful time with my mom.

So we finally made it and one box at a time, we will eventually be unpacked. I am looking forward to the night of sitting on the couch without boxes around and watching a movie with my wonderful husband. For now, I am more than content to be back in Edmond! God continues to bless us...

8 weeks old...getting bigger!

Ava talking?

Hair Cut

Amy and Ava enjoying a nice evening at Zona Rosa.  Amy just had her hair cut and highlight done.  Ava just ate.  They were buying me (Dustin) my father's day present... a new phone!  Haven't had a new one in 4 years, which I thought was pretty good but Amy thought it was me being cheap.  Good call, Amy.  I love the gift! 

Ava's Warning Cry

Think we're proud of our little girl?  We even post her when she's whining!  

This is the calm before the storm.

Only 19 days old and already online