Splish Splash!

The third time was a charm! Susan and Curtis are so sweet to let us use their pool since they just live around the corner so Sunday we decided to try to take Ava Kate swimming again. I had already tried twice before and would barely get her feet in the water and she would be screaming so we weren’t sure what she was going to do. The water was much warmer this time though and she loved it! She had her little legs kicking and was having fun splashing in the water. And of course she looked just precious in her little bubble swimsuit Nana bought her and her straw hat! Needless to say we took a lot of pictures to document her first swimming experience so I just picked some of my favorites to share.

Shower for Kimberly & Griffin

Saturday I got to have a baby shower for Kimberly and sweet baby Griffin who will be making his arrival in about a month. Kimberly has been a special friend since high school. I still remember the many days we would go to my house after school to enjoy some of my mom’s sweet tea and homemade hot sauce while we poured out our hearts to each other about boys, friends and the other high school drama we were involved in. I also remember well the many nights we would go to each other’s house for dinner after we were married and living in the Metroplex and the two of us would leave Justin and Benjie at the house while we would take off on a Target or TJ Maxx excursion. Kimberly played a big role in Ava Kate’s arrival through her friendship and support and prayers in the whole process and also she was in the delivery room with us capturing those first moments on camera for us. She is someone I feel blessed to call my friend and I cannot wait to meet the newest Polnick in August. Griffin got lots of sweet things at the shower and didn’t his mommy look beautiful! Ava Kate got to be there to help celebrate too although she did a lot more sleeping than celebrating in fact after the shower she took a 3 hour nap in her bassinet. She also got to meet Kathryn for the first time, my dear friend and college roommate Kammi's little girl that is about 3 months older than her. We hope they too will be good friends one day!

A Wall of Blessings!

I have been saving one of the walls in the hallway of our home for pictures of our babies. The past few years it has been an empty wall and now it is full of photos of our wonderful blessing! I love to look at it everytime I walk down the hall and in the mornings as I am in my bathroom getting ready. It is yet another reminder of the wonderful gift God has given us and of the journey to get here. Thank you Lord for filling this wall with blessings!

Happy Father’s Day!

Today was a very special day for Justin, his first Father’s Day! While he has only been a father for a short time I can already see Ava Kate is very blessed to have him for her father and I am blessed that he is my husband. I can already see that she is really in love with her daddy. She loves to listen to his voice. She saved her first big giggle for him. He is such a good daddy- so patient, giving and loving. I always knew he would be because of his tender and giving heart. He truly has a servant’s heart and loves to take care of people especially his girls! It is fun to see him in this new role as a father. For Father’s Day Ava Kate gave him this poem with her footprints. I thought it was worth sharing with all the fathers.


A Father’s Role

In this frame you will find
Two small footprints that are one of a kind.
They are here to remind you of the role you play
In the foundation that you lay.
God has given you this great Treasure
Teach her right and share her pleasure.
She learns from you in every way
So be careful of the words you say.
Hold her tight and calm her tears,
Give her praise and ease her fears.
In all these things she feels your love
And learns to trust the Lord above.

Happy 3 Month Birthday to Our Funny Little Bunny!

Well I just wrapped up my second full week at work and obviously I'm not accomplishing much when I get home since it has been quite a while since I posted anything. Of course leaving Ava Kate every morning is always sad but I know her and her daddy are having a lot of fun together. The days go by fast and before I know it my little lovey is back in my arms. I cannot believe she is 3 months old already. That blows my mind. When I look back at newborn pictures of her it makes me a little sad to think she has already outgrown that stage of life and it felt like it happened in the blink of an eye. I remember some of those colicky days when people would tell me that by 3 months she would outgrow the colick I would think 3 months is a long time. Now though looking back I can’t believe it has already been that long. While sometimes I get a little sad that she is already growing up so much I sure do love this age. She is so responsive and happy and we are really seeing her little personality shine through. She loves to talk to us. The other night I was talking to my mom on the phone and she was just talking away- I guess she thought I was talking to her- so I put the phone up to her ear so she could talk to Nana and it sounded like she was carrying on a normal conversation. It was precious, her eyes would light up when she was listening and then she would respond in her sweet coos. She is also starting to put everything in her mouth- her hands, her clothes, her toys, pretty much anything she can get hold of. She enjoys tummy time for a little while at least and can push up on her hands and hold her head up. Her new favorite toy is her activity mat. She loves to lay on it and look at the flowers and butterflies and dragonflies and she often tries to have a conversation with them. She is really a strong little thing and has been since she was born. She was holding her head up in the hospital and she is already trying to pull herself up when we hold her. The other day I had her leaning on me in the rocking chair and she kept pulling herself forward so she was sitting up. She loves to be sitting up and when we hold her she wants to be facing out so she can see the world. I decided to get the bumbo chair out and see what she thought of it and she loved it. Her head is still a little bobbly for her to sit in it longer than a few minutes. She also rolled over from her tummy to her back for the first time this past week. We are enjoying our summer- spending lots of time with family and friends. Hopefully I'll get better at posting more frequently again but for now this mass update will have to do and sorry but the pictures are in no order- just a few favorites from the past few weeks including Keller's first t-ball game, swimming at the Pittmans, a trip to Brady to celebrate Lila and Laney's birthday, Laura's goodbye party at work and several favorites of my lovey.