Cousins

This weekend Ava Kate got to meet her cousins Lila and Laney and her Uncle Nathan and Aunt Sarah. Our weekend was all about hanging out with the family. Lila and Laney were both very much smitten with her- she had several mommys this weekend! I thought I would share some of the cute things her cousins said about her.

Lila- I just want to squeeze her out of her outfit!
Lila- I wish she was my sister so I could live with her.
Keller- She is so adorable!
Keller- Is she doing good with eating, is she spilling her milk?
Laney- She's so cute, I just want to sit on her! (She didn't though)
Laney- Can I nurse her?
Laney- She is the greatest baby in the world!

This afternoon Nana, Keller, Lila and Laney were all sitting on the glider outside singing a medley of songs to Ava Kate (photo above). It was just one of the many priceless moments from this weekend! Needless to say when Laney and Lila had to leave to go home today they were very sad to leave her and we were sad they had to go!

Meeting Lila, Laney, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Nathan for the first time.
Ava Kate is sure going to love her big cousin Lila and will probably think she is oh so cool!
I have a feeling Laney and Ava Kate are going to have lots of fun getting into things together!
Two Little Mommies!
Our tough little Keller sure gets soft and tender when holding Ava Kate. He sure does love her!
My cousins make me laugh already!
Enjoying being the center of attention.
Uncle Nathan said they look like a bunch of vultures around her!
Pretty soon Ava Kate will be joining them at the cousin table.
One day Ava Kate will be joining in on this fun and mess!
Enjoying time with Grandmother and Aunt Sarah!

One Month

Where did a month go? It seems like just days ago we were still awaiting your arrival and now you are here with us and you are already one month old. In the last month you have brought me more love and joy than my heart knew possible. You have been called my little lovey, my funny bunny, my sweet bird, my silly goose and my pretty girl. I'm sure over the days, months and years I will come up with many more terms of endearment for you. You are everything I imagined and more. Nothing melts me like your smile and sweet breath on me. Nothing breaks my heart like your cry when you are in pain. No moment is sweeter to me than when you are sleeping beside me or when we are sitting alone in your nursery feeding. Nothing makes me laugh like your funny faces and noises in the morning when you are trying so hard to wake up. You are a treasure from the Lord. I love you so much my sweet Ava Kate!

Mommy

Happy naked baby!
Fancy Pants!
Love these feet!
Bright eyes
So pretty
Pouty face
My little angel
How do you sleep like that?
Precious girl

Our Little Easter Bunny!

We had a very happy Easter with our little bunny! Grandma came to town for the weekend and Ava Kate really enjoyed getting to spend time with her. We all went to church with Nana and Pop and then over to Grandmother and Papa's for Easter lunch and egg hunting with Ethan and Keller. Ava Kate didn't get to hunt eggs this year but she did get some Easter goodies. As you can tell from the photos she slept through most of the events of the day. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful time of remembering the beautiful sacrifice God made for us when He sent the only son He had to die for our sins. I am sure I will never fully comprehend the depth of that sacrifice but being a mother has helped me understand it a little more. We are so thankful for the life and hope He has given us, for the precious baby He has blessed us with and for the wonderful family we have to celebrate this special time with. We hope you all had a beautiful Easter and time of celebration with your families!

3 Weeks Old

Tuesday we celebrated Justin's 31st birthday and Ava Kate's 3 week birthday. Justin picked papa's steaks for his birthday dinner and brownie sundaes. It was a delicious meal and a fun time of celebration with all the family. Last week we went to daddy's work for the first time to meet all the sweet people he works with and they gave us a baby shower. We received lots of nice things and enough diapers for several months which was a huge blessing! Friday we went to lunch with Nana and then Ava Kate went to Target for her first shopping trip. I can only imagine there will be many more of those trips to come. If she is anything like her mommy Target will be one of her favorite places to go. Saturday mommy got to go get her hair done and daddy went to play golf while Nana babysat. Ava Kate also got to go to her cousin Keller's soccer game for the first time that day and she slept through the whole thing. Keller wanted all his teammates and friends to meet his little baby cousin as he calls her. He sure does love Ava Kate! Yesterday we went to see Dr. Wiley because we thought she might have acid reflux and sure enough she does so we got some medicine that already seems to be helping her feel much better which makes mommy and daddy feel a lot better too! She weighed 9 lbs and Dr. Wiley said that is impressive and she was 21 inches long. I can't believe how fast she is growing! We have been enjoying our time together at home and as you can tell I don't get a lot accomplished other than hanging out with my little lovey. Nana came over today so I could run some errands and get some things done around the house like getting this update posted. Pop likes to stop in at lunch most days and get a little Ava Kate time in before he goes back to work. I'm so glad we made the decision to move back to Abilene a few years ago because having family nearby has been a real blessing! Grandma is on her way to town for a visit as I write this. I know she has been counting down the days until she gets to see her sweet Ava Kate again.
Mommy couldn't wait to get this on me!
I love to look out the window at the trees from my changing pad. It's my happy place!
Helping daddy blow out his candles.
Have you really got that camera in my face again?
What has she put on my head now?
Look at all those diapers!