Bikini Bod

Ava wanted to go swimming a few days back.  It was so pretty and hot outside she wasn't buying my normal excuse.  "It is not warm enough outside yet."  We pulled out the baby pool and she played in it all day.  Ava is so excited about her swimming lessons this summer.  She "practiced" in her pool.

Dollywood

We had so much fun a few weekends ago in Dollywood with the Morgan family.  We went to Knoxville for the whole weekend.  Kate and Ava had so much fun playing together.  We stayed all day at Dollywood and enjoyed every minute of it.  Here are a few pictures from our fun trip.

Greg's Birthday

Greg's birthday fell on Easter this year.  We decided to celebrate the day before.  Ava and I made an ice-cream birthday cake for Daddy.  When we served the cake, Ava decided she would rather eat broccoli instead of chocolate ice-cream cake.  That's our girl!

We also went to the Children's Museum in Murfreesboro on Saturday.  Ava had a ball.

Easter

Ava had three Easter egg hunts over Easter weekend.  They had one at school, one in the neighborhood, and one at a friend's house.  By the third egg hunt, Ava was ready to gather the eggs.  She wanted no part of the one in our neighborhood because the grass was wet and the Easter Bunny kept chasing her.  Silly Bunny!

Fancy Nancy Birthday Party -More Pictures

Fancy Nancy Birthday Party

Ava wanted a Fancy Nancy birthday party.  This was great because I could have lots of fun planning and shopping for a party with all the fun girly things Ava likes.  It was hard because we had to figure out how to incorporate boys and we had 24 kids at our house.  

The kids played in the backyard while all the kids arrived.  We then let the girls get girly tattoos of fancy shoes and purses.  The boys had fancy fire truck tattoos.  Then, we went inside for the girls to decorate their tiaras and the boys to decorate their top hats.  The girls had boas and necklaces to wear while the boys had sequined neck ties.

The kids enjoyed lunch and parfaits.  Ava doesn't care for cake so we decided to just do the ice-cream part.  I forgot the chocolate and strawberry syrup in the fridge.  Other than that, I would say it was a successful day.  The kids enjoyed the beautiful spring day and the parents enjoyed getting together too.

Ava had so many friends come to her party from school, playgroup, and our other friends.  She was most excited about her friend Kate.  Kate lives in Knoxville, but we get the girls together quite often.  We are already planning another trip in the near future.

Thanks to all who helped make Ava's party a success!!!

Ava is Three Today!!!

Ava is three today.  I can't believe it has already been three years since Ava was born.  We have been celebrating since Thursday and the fun just keeps on coming.  

Ava got her Princess FJ Cruiser a little bit earlier after she found out she was getting it.  The one we bought had been returned and the bumper and hood were broken.  She and I took it back on Thursday.  The store was very good about sending out a guy to my car to get it out and put it in the back.  We went in a few minutes later and got our money back.  I thought I had been so sneaky.  HA!  We were leaving the parking lot and Ava says,"  Why did you take my pink Princess car back?"  I didn't know if I should laugh or cry.  I decided to come clean and we went all around town to find another one.  We brought it home and Greg put it together.  After about 30 minutes she told Greg to hurry up because she needed to go to Knoxville and pick up Kate. 

Saturday, we had the family dinner for Ava's birthday.  She picked Pei Wei and Maggie Cows as she calla Maggie Moos.  She loves the lemon pepper shrimp, rice, and strawberry ice-cream.  

Today is the big day.  We let her open the presents she had left and some cards that had come in the mail.  She wore her cupcake outfit and her princess tiara to school.  We took a snack of yogurt covered raisins, strawberries, and juice boxes.  She was so excited until I left.  I think she thought I would stay all day at school.  When I pick her up, we will go to the science museum and dinner tonight.  She told me she wants to go to Chick-fil-a.  I am certain I will not be able to sway her towards a more exciting choice, but I must admit I love it too.  

Her Fancy Nancy party is Saturday.  We have a lot of kiddies coming to the house.  It should be interesting...

Minnie Pearl Meadows

Greg and I got Minnie in 2000.  She was only 5 weeks old and weighed under a pound when we brought her home.  She crawled under our bedroom door the first night we had her.  She was the tiniest puppy I have ever seen.  She was full of life and personality.  She quickly made her way into our lives and hearts.  She went to work with Greg everyday until I was home for the summer.  Different people took turns holding our little bundle of energy.  Minnie was more than a pet to us.  She was our first daughter.  We loved her more than some people love their children I believe.  She was so smart and you could look in her eyes and see how bright she really was.  She and Ava quickly bonded after Ava wa born.  I would many nights find Minnie under Ava's crib, in her laundry basket, or outside her bedroom door.  When Ava moved to a big girl bed,  Minnie began sleeping with Ava.  Minnie laid in a special pink chair in Ava's playroom anytime Ava was playing.  We were devastated to learn that Minnie had tonsillar cell carcinoma in January.  Greg had to take her to be put to sleep just a few weeks later.  We are still getting use to a house without Minnie.  Thank you to all that sent cards, calls, and emails.  We appreciate everyone!

Morgans Came to Town

Janet and Kate came to town the day after we had to put our sweet little Minnie to sleep.  We were all so very sad that Minnie was no longer with us.  Ava had a really hard time which made it even harder on Greg and I .  Even little Bella seemed upset.  Luckily, Janet and Kate came to town for the weekend.  What wonderful timing?

We did all kinds of fun things!  Here are a few pictures of our weekend.

Birthday Parties

It is birthday season again. It seems we have a party every other weekend.  Here are some pictures from a few parties we have been to recently.  There is also a sneak peek at Ava's Fancy Nancy photo we used for her invitations.  She is so excited about turning three.  Ava even tells us there is a surprise in the garage for her.  We have a huge box under a brown blanket beside the outside fridge.  I hate how observant she is sometimes.

Christmas Play Date

We invited our regular play group and some other friends over while all the kiddos were out for Christmas break from school.  We had about fifteen kids over.  It was crazy and so much fun all at the same time.  You will notice the playroom after everyone had so much fun playing.  Ava is not use to all these toys down at once.  She wanted them put away as soon as everyone left.  That's my girl!