Summer Fun

Well summer went by so fast as it always does. We recently got to visit some of our good friends in Lubbock. We stayed with our friends Nikah and BJ in their beautiful new home. Nikah is one of those true friends who are few and far between. Ava absolutely loves Nikah, BJ, and their little dog Jasmine. We also got to see our friends Jackie and Michael Prichard and their newest member, Jaxen. He is a sweet little guy and I now offically have baby fever. I also had the priveledge of keeping my niece and nephew on Thursdays. Today was our last Thursday since they will be starting school next week. We had a great last day together. We played outside with the neighborhood kids. Then we went to jump and jive for some more fun. Came home had lunch then we headed to Cold Stone for a yummy treat. Ava can't get enough of Philip and Ash. I can see why too. They are great kids and great cousins. They do nothing more than brighten our day. We will miss seeing them on Thursdays. We will be heading to Jamaica on Monday so the next post will be of Justin and I laying on the beach drinking rum and soaking up the sun. We have had a rough year and are really looking forward to this trip. We will of course be missing little Ava but know she wi will be in good hands and having a great time.

Not So Terrible Two's

So Ava turned two on Thursday. She is soo much fun right now. She says the funniest things and is just the sweetest little thing ever. Now I know every mother thinks this but I think it would be hard to argue the fact that she is just absolutely gorgeous. Justin and I are in some trouble with her. We had her big birthday party last night. It was so much fun. We enjoyed being with friends and family. The kids had fun whacking the Elmo pinata and getting all the candy. Ava got so many nice gifts including many bracelets which she had to wear all night long. She looked like Madonna when she was the material girl. She wore all the bracelets around her ankles out to lunch today. My parents got to come in town again from San Antonio. We always love having them here. Justin and I have been blessed with wonderful family and friends. My parents stayed with Ava after the party and Justin and I got to enjoy a night out with friends. We rarely get to do that and had such a great time. My dad and I competed in a 5k this weekend. I was rather proud of myself. I had a personal record completing in 17 minutes and 8 seconds. Although I do think the course was not organized well and may have been a little short. Either way I finished second in the girls and first in my age. Just came in a few seconds behind a 16 year old girl. I was proud of my dad, as this was his first race. I hope he participates in more. I am contemplating a marathon in the near future. Not ready to commit just yet. Justin and I are counting down the weeks until Jamaica. Just 5 more to go. I am so excited but am so sad to leave Ava. I know she will have a great time while we are gone, but I will miss her dearly. Well thank God for these last two wonderful years I have had with my precious daughter. Hoping for many more to come. God is just so amazing and I am so thankful for the wonderful family he has blessed me with that I so don't deserve. He sacrificed his precious son so a sinful girl like me could enjoy eternity with my daughter in heaven one day. Oh how he loves me.

Independence Day

We enjoyed a visit from my parents this weekend. They have recently moved to San Antonio from St. Louis. We are glad they are closer. We have been trying to get Ava to call my mom grammie. Well Ava has decided to call her Keke. Where do they come up with this stuff? Ava loved having them here as did Justin and I. It is always nice to have some help from the grandparents. They got Ava a pool as part of her up coming bday present. Yes, the countdown is on my little baby will turn 2 in 10 days. She loved swimming. Makes you remember when it did not matter how cold the water was. I love to watch her laugh and be happy and silly. She gets so excited about things. Everything is an adventure and her imagination is running wild. My heart is overflowing with love for this little girl. I love how she is so sweet. When she walked in the door today she ran up to me and screamed "MOMMY." She gave me a huge hug and would not let go. I am trying to absorb all of this that I can cause I know one day she will want nothing to do with me. If I could I would have several more. I feel like I am still a kid at heart and love kids sooo much. One of the best parts of my week is watching Ava with my niece and nephew on Thurdays. Our family has been bleesed with some special children. We can't wait till my sister in law and her family get their adopted daughter Sydney. God is GREAT!

First Haircut

So we took Ava to get her first haircut today. She was so good. She looked so big sitting in that chair with the cap on. The lady gave us a certificate with some of her hair in a little bag. We did not cut very much off, just evened it up a bit. Justin would not let her get it cut short. Ava is starting to say more sentences. Her new thing is she runs around the house and screams "I'm running." Yes, she is for sure my daughter. She is pretty fast too.We got her a TV and DVD player for her room and her Mimi got her a cute table and chairs. She has really enjoyed playing in there. Justin and I are doing well. We have planned a much needed vacation to Jamacia. We are just thanking God that he has blessed us with eachother and our precious Ava. We are praying God lets us know what path to take as far as extending our family. We want to embrace the plans he has for our family. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer.

Thank God for Ava

Well yesterday was the start to a long 24 hours. I started bleeding yesterday morning and went in for a sonogram. There was still a heartbeat yesterday morning. After that however the bleeding began to get worse along with pain. This morning we repeated the sonogram and there was no longer a sac or heartbeat. There are not words to describe how I feel right now. I am going to deal with this the best I can and just put my faith in God that he knows what he is doing. I would have loved to have another baby but am beginning to think I should just enjoy the one I have. I am emotionally spent with the past 8 years of trying to have babies. Don't think I can handle anymore losses. Thank you all so much for the support you have shown us. We are planing on soaking up all the time with the miracle we already have. God reminds me how lucky I am to have such a special little girl.

Great News

So I have been kinda holding off on telling people but I had a sonogram and saw our baby and the little heartbeat today. I had the transfer done on May 12th and found out I was pregnant a few weeks ago. I have been very nervous since the last time we ended up losing the baby. I was so relieved to see that little tadpole and flicker of a heart today. It is truely overwhelming to see your baby growing inside you. I feel so lucky that things have gone so well. I have been feeling great and not been sick at all. I had a very easy pregnancy with Ava and things are starting the same way. I feel so good I have a hard time believing I am pregnant. I thank God for this absolute miracle. He has really given me some peace this time. Praise God he has chosen me to be the earthly mother to another one of his children. Thanks everyone for their prayers and support. Justin and I love all our family and friends and feel so fortunate to have such a support system. Hope to show you pictures of a growing belly over the next nine months.

catching up

It has been so long since I have posted anything. Little Ava was a precious flower girl in our friends Todd and Heathers wedding. We enjoyed spending time with friends and family. Our dear friend Todd has now deployed to Afganastain. Last weekend I competed in a half marathon in Oklahoma City. I was very pleased with my results. The weather conditions were not ideal. I hate running in 20MPH winds. I am such a complainer though. This girl who was running beside me (until I put the heat on and left her eating my dust) was saying how she was so glad to have the wind since it was so hot. I have started my medications for our frozen embryo transfer. We are scheduled to have the transfer done on May 12th. I had a hard time injecting that first shot into my belly, but it is no biggie now. I am trying to be optomistic and excited that this could be our opportunity to give Ava a brother or sister. I am a little scared since our last experience was so devestating, but as a christian I know that God loves me and wants the best for our family. Something else that is new in my life is I am a working woman again. I have started working for Dr. Murrell's partner Dr. McCarty. I am working 2 or 2 1/2 days a week. I love what I do and everyone is so nice and appreciative of the help. I do miss my little girl but she is having lots of fun with the MTS crew. I am looking forward to this summer. I will be keeping my super cool niece and nephew on Thursdays over the summer break. Ava will love having them as will I. Well I will try and keep everyone updated throughout the transfer. We appreciate all the support and prayers from our family and loved ones.

St. Patty's Day

I just wanted to post a few pictures I had. One is of Ava with her cousins, Philip and Ashlyn. They came over on St. Patrick's Day. We had so much fun as we always do. We made candy and did some crafts. They are such good kids and always a joy to spend time with. Ava just adores Philip. She wants nothing more than to do whatever her big cousin Ashlyn is doing. The one picture of Ava is from the other day. Ashlyn and Ava will be flower girls in a friends wedding on Saturday. We had to practice curling her hair. She looks so pretty. She had big hair just like me that day. Guess she will fit in here in west Texas.

Turn the music on pause at the bottom of the page before you watch the video.

Priceless

I thought it would be nice for my family to see some video of my baby. She is getting so big. These memories captured on film are so priceless. It is hard to believe a year ago we were waiting for the first step or the first tooth. Now she can sing the wheels on the bus. I have been blessed by God with this child. I am so thankful for the five years I spent trying to have this little girl. God knew she would be that much more special to us. We have set a date for our next transfer which is May 12th. We had a few set backs but are anxious to give it another go around. We of course would love to welcome another member to our family, but are at peace with Gods plans for us. I would like to ask for some prayers for my cousin, Beth and her husband, Chris. He has been battling Lymphoma cancer. He has been an amazing witness to my family and thousands of others. I hear the past few days have been extremely hard. Please pray for Beth, Chris and their family. Sometimes it is hard to understand these hard times and all we can do is pray and trust in God.

We had corn on the cob the other night for dinner and Ava thought it was too cool. I think she likes anything messy. Never had so much fun sitting down for a meal until we had her. I am excited to say my dad has gotten a new job in San Antoino. They currently live in St. Louis so this will be a little closer. We will pray they sell their house quickly. Kind of a scary time to try and sell your house right now, but there is peace in knowing Gods in charge. Justin and I will be retuning to Dallas at the end of March to have a frozen embryo transfer. We are so ready to have another baby, but the Dr. we will be using is in the process of building a new facility. We underwent a transfer in October which unfortunatly resulted in a miscarriage. This is our last frozen embryo so we are really praying for a positive outcome. I know it will all work out and trust God knows what is best for us.

New Shoes

Check out Ava's new boots. She had a little trouble walking in them at first. Justin and I got so tickled watching her in them this morning. She has gotten the hang of it now. She likes to get new shoes and show them off. I know I know she did get that from me.

Pee Pee in the Potty

Yeah for Ava! She peed in the potty for the second time today. We all get so excited we stand around and clap. Then she gets a hershey kiss or whatever chocolate her mom hasn't ate yet. I am so sad that my baby is getting soo big. I had to buy 2T instead of the month sizes I always did before. I am so blessed to have such an angel. We bought her the cutest boots so when I get the pics I will share them with everyone. Hope everyone has been keeping up with their new years resolutions. I always get mine accomplished. It usually takes me all year though. Mine this year is to read the entire Bible beginning to end. I have not got to far but I have got started. Those of you that know me well know that I do not need to say excersice more because I am one of those wierdo's who love to run.

Fun Stuff

We have taught Miss Ava to make a funny face. It is really the cutest thing ever. She likes to make it at the dinner table. I think she looks a lot like Justin in this picture. Maybe cause they are both so silly. I am glad she is so easy going like him. I stress about stuff too much.

One night I was rolling my hair and Ava looks at me pretty funny when I have the rollers in. So we decided to try some in her hair. They did not stay in very long. I was suprised that they actually did put a little curl in her extremly fine hair. Aren't little girls soo much fun!