Yee-Haw

Every year our church has a fall festival for Halloween. They have lots of booths set up to play games and to win candy. Ava enjoyed it a little more this year than she did last year. We decided to dress Ava up as a cowgirl, so Jonathan and I dressed up with her. We had a great time. We didn't end up with as much candy as I would've liked though! :)

The only picture I got of Ava and Sophie. They were both cowgirls.
Ava diving in for some candy. That's my girl!!

And this is how Ava's hat was worn most of the night...on daddy's head!

And I had to end with this picture. She loves her new pj's that Jonathan's parents got her. Can't you tell??

My best friend

So I forgot to post a very important picture from my sisters visit this past weekend.

My sister and I are so blessed to be pregnant at the same time. A dream come true for both of us! We always thought it would be so fun...and it is! Even though she is 31 weeks pregnant and I'm only 16 weeks pregnant, it's still fun going through this together. So, I thought I would share this picture with everyone. It's fun being pregnant together for many reasons, but it will definitely be fun when are kids will be so close in age.

I love you, Annie.
(I hope you don't mind me posting this picture of you! You look adorable!!)

Pumpkin Farm

Last weekend, my sister and her family decided to visit us for the weekend. They have recently moved to Pigeon Forge, TN. It's only a 3 1/2 hour drive! We were so excited when we found out that we were going to be living so close to each other. I mean, we are practically neighbors now! (For those of you who don't know, since my sister and I have been married, we have never been able to live near each other.)
So, we woke up Saturday, had a big breakfast and headed off to the Pumpkin farm. It was a very cold day, so we had to bundle the kids up. We had a great time together. We also met some friends there too. My camera died after about the 5th picture I took. So my sister sent me a few pictures from her camera. My friend, Catherine, also took some great pictures. Once I get those, then I might post of few more. But for now, here are a few pictures of our day.

Ava & Emma

Ava would have played in this the whole time.

My sister and her beautiful family.

Elsie, Ava & Emma

On the hay ride.

What has Ava been up to??

The lack of posting is due to laziness these days. Mostly because I don't take many pictures anymore. Although, I'm in my second trimester now, and I'm starting to feel much better. I have a lot more energy. I actually stayed up until 10:00 the other night and Jonathan was very proud of me. (He's been such a huge help during my hibernation stage!)

Anyways...on to Ava.
Lately, I've been trying to train Ava to actually sit still for a little bit to read books. She's a very busy little girl and hardly stops moving - always on the go. (Except, of course, when the princess movie is on!) She's done really well with staying on the couch. Today she wanted to read to her baby, which is adorable, so I actually got my camera out! (Yay for me!) She kept pointing to all the animals and letting her baby know what they were and what sounds they make. (I should've recorded it, but then I would've had to get my video camera out and I was doing good just to get my digital camera out.)

And this is what happens when daddy gives Ava a bath.

Last week, we had an overnight guest - Madison. Ava is Maddie's number one fan. She loves her so much. If you ask Ava who is coming to see her, she will always respond by yelling, "MADDIE". She will always welcome Maddie with a yell of some sort and lots of giggles.

Ava thought she was a "big girl" while Madison was here, so she had to sit in a "big girl" chair while eating snacks.

Ava all excited the next morning to see that Madison was still at our house! Her dream come true.

This weekend we are going to a pumpkin farm, so hopefully I will have another update soon...unless I forget my camera. (My memory is pretty bad right now!)

Our big news

That's right, we have big news! Ava is going to be big sister! I'm 10 weeks pregnant. My due date is April 14. (Don't get your hopes up, Catherine! I'm hoping for an early delivery with this one.) We feel so blessed by God to have another addition to our family. Ava is still a little too young to understand what's going on, but she does know where mommy's baby is when you ask her and she'll usually hug my belly or kiss it. It's sweet! I will try to keep you all updated during my pregnancy as much as I am able to.

I thought I would also share a few pictures of what Ava's been up to. She's been helping me do the dishes...everyday. She loves it!
Ava's favorite new phrase, "One more, and then all done." She wanted one more picture of herself, which is a first for Ava. She normally hates the camera!


Look Mom, no hands!

Beach pictures

Sorry for the lack of posting. We have had such a busy summer, as most of you can relate. We have been traveling a lot this summer with summer camp, visiting family and work trips for Jonathan. He's working in Ft. Wayne, IN this week. It's just a few hours from my parents house, so Ava and I decided to spend the past few weeks with my parents while Jonathan is working. It's been a nice and relaxing time. (Although, Ava misses her daddy.) I have been horrible at taking pictures since we've been here. I did take a few pictures when we went to the beach, so I thought I would share them. This was Ava's first time at the beach. It's not the ocean but it sure feels like you're at the ocean! We had a blast and the weather here has been so nice. I'm looking forward to the fall.

Mama and Ava getting their feet wet in the ice cold water!

Ava's favorite part was feeding the seagulls. She definitely didn't get that from me.

The "other" Amber Newell

My friend, Amber, watched Ava for me a few times this summer. Amber just sent me these pictures , so I thought I would post them. She is such an amazing girl. Her love for the Lord is incredible. I have enjoyed getting to know her and her family the few years that we've been here...and not just because we share the same last name! (I'm sure we are related somehow!)

Ava trying on Amber's sunglasses and "hiding" from Amber.

And now trying on Amber's shoes.

We love you, Amber. We feel so blessed that you are a part of our lives!

Tomatoes & Lemons

Jonathan and I planted a few tomato plants in our back yard this past spring. We were both pretty excited about it and now we finally have tomatoes!!

Look how many tomatoes we have!

And Ava loves them too!

We've also had this lemon tree for about 3 years now. It has only produced one lemon so far, but now look....we have 2 huge lemons! Jonathan loves this lemon tree...it's like his baby!