tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32461615864388978792024-02-21T12:36:34.385-06:00Nine months - our journey into parenthoodThe Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-9705152726762841752012-03-05T12:04:00.006-06:002012-03-05T12:20:40.214-06:00Happy 2nd Birthday Ava!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFviOWRTIKTsbkFoZROObqZ_wKuw_1Gsi810MlA-mMh081ipISKPZG4fEoOCQLDRccDSG_rHG-2zKukVUQL0-ugI8v3AyWAIAdr4w8iKpbwD77Nzgv8Xbaz5vijK2MOn42J855ijFNQU/s1600/426535_2972033542094_1299420110_32732097_8565301_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716479638247474690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFviOWRTIKTsbkFoZROObqZ_wKuw_1Gsi810MlA-mMh081ipISKPZG4fEoOCQLDRccDSG_rHG-2zKukVUQL0-ugI8v3AyWAIAdr4w8iKpbwD77Nzgv8Xbaz5vijK2MOn42J855ijFNQU/s320/426535_2972033542094_1299420110_32732097_8565301_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUgbACLNuMYFx6nbghk5GrpHz-5oltUOugHb738bkKskD-Ad7v1uFsJkZkATy0o_Y6KCegnQIhGWODY2iMUqU3l0QDRqQMQLIUUDKub1ZuFuhNY9ogGtJGFTUyOb6yVZZmIK-XAc6IY8/s1600/421904_10100232660633364_1533602267_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716479560097508642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 239px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUgbACLNuMYFx6nbghk5GrpHz-5oltUOugHb738bkKskD-Ad7v1uFsJkZkATy0o_Y6KCegnQIhGWODY2iMUqU3l0QDRqQMQLIUUDKub1ZuFuhNY9ogGtJGFTUyOb6yVZZmIK-XAc6IY8/s320/421904_10100232660633364_1533602267_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjoOqYNqh9L4_nv4cPtCsBqcDGwo6oaSRVU-EtiuJQlpASeM5qx7QGc-V7Agn_jmYP1MfVHOu3eI_Rte5Kg0q3gmMHFAgco1qw4FNrYlIVVYbaDngJ1MtZf3PbhwUyFYWWzy02RyUk6U/s1600/419626_10100232606985874_1238395999_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716479496327008402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjoOqYNqh9L4_nv4cPtCsBqcDGwo6oaSRVU-EtiuJQlpASeM5qx7QGc-V7Agn_jmYP1MfVHOu3eI_Rte5Kg0q3gmMHFAgco1qw4FNrYlIVVYbaDngJ1MtZf3PbhwUyFYWWzy02RyUk6U/s320/419626_10100232606985874_1238395999_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjojKxF9SyIYNN7rn9C62S8MqiUkF3P2Upb9ll8DWuJK508y_lnkwqSW0HjFMRYX9FrLQW6jZhJT6NHm37_FhCM_bkE0ogm5cDnVCDDvPqEdK0e2hZd58cNEXK_l4M6Ov-u11Q3xAZUAFY/s1600/427699_10100232607280284_34305692_43831313_523042434_n.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohILTdHJYBuhn4rnxchowzZUoybqmz6U6PW1n1Bh4rh0KXfOYTgec9s09ng6HMKVbolZJ9TuB_24BN-TVW03jalGsRTyhNrAdBQnRsbnG9YTdDIz2ip0Mm8xbgF7S7vCuu_dC-k78Vto/s1600/157815_34305692_1379457050_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716479331801935378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 180px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 270px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohILTdHJYBuhn4rnxchowzZUoybqmz6U6PW1n1Bh4rh0KXfOYTgec9s09ng6HMKVbolZJ9TuB_24BN-TVW03jalGsRTyhNrAdBQnRsbnG9YTdDIz2ip0Mm8xbgF7S7vCuu_dC-k78Vto/s320/157815_34305692_1379457050_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Happy Birthday to Aya! Mommy and Daddy can't believe that 2 years have flown by already. Ava's real birthday is tomorrow. I took off work two weeks ago to celebrate and what a day it will be tomorrow. It is suppose to reach 75 degrees! I am still not sure what we are going to do, it depends on how windy it is going to be, but we are going to have some fun for sure! Yesterday we celebrated her birthday with the family. The theme was "Signing Time". We had sign language cards as decoration, the Happy Birthday to you Video was playing in the background, and I even had the art teacher create a Hopkins the Frog on her cake. Ava looked so grown up in her flowery party dress and pink jeweled flats. Nana even did her hair for Ava... She looked beautiful! She did so good considering that she doesn't see everyone all that often. She could not wait to open her gifts and she said thank you to each person after we told her who the gift was from. She was really looking for them to tell them, not blindly saying thanks. She got tired around 4:00 and got a bad case of the giggles. Everyone who was still there had some much fun interacting with her and her giggles. After everyone left, it was time for nap time. After a quick nap, she was ready to head out to eat with Uncle Bubby, Aunt Felicia and Lisa, Aunt Fannie, Brian, GG, and Nana and Papa. We went to Senor Tequila's and Ava even got to wear the birthday sombrero. What a great party day. How is it possible my little baby will be 2 tomorrow?</div></div></div></div></div>The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-44034694071080085992012-01-30T13:47:00.004-06:002012-01-30T14:04:17.587-06:0022 1/2 months<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-N4cqlO2ke07RgPe3R72H7Xx5oDAbs5i4dWD2M8-FxsuprdDUwoJXvB78ZeX3cyJdUGw89AWvElM0vUqYPHJiN13o1nWrvNVs6TiXdVqQEKiiweHqM6rdpUXKeLMWtAQAgyS4kuaOQco/s1600/377455_10100167866740844_34305692_43609558_376702409_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703518364594382706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 274px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-N4cqlO2ke07RgPe3R72H7Xx5oDAbs5i4dWD2M8-FxsuprdDUwoJXvB78ZeX3cyJdUGw89AWvElM0vUqYPHJiN13o1nWrvNVs6TiXdVqQEKiiweHqM6rdpUXKeLMWtAQAgyS4kuaOQco/s320/377455_10100167866740844_34305692_43609558_376702409_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS93ivdimJ9VRRd-x4tOcu7nRdkhTaDIfxCSmW9hmt8NJSb5MKbLC4lYXpGEvgjKVhPRvz4hCZmDVI9hyphenhyphenKvDtQ0TPmJ7adE73lTVD5sNKTC6YUxf3_dXbHIM726M56WTdEthB8jFMJmFI/s1600/405193_10100187322042264_2110343224_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703518292944857906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 253px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS93ivdimJ9VRRd-x4tOcu7nRdkhTaDIfxCSmW9hmt8NJSb5MKbLC4lYXpGEvgjKVhPRvz4hCZmDVI9hyphenhyphenKvDtQ0TPmJ7adE73lTVD5sNKTC6YUxf3_dXbHIM726M56WTdEthB8jFMJmFI/s320/405193_10100187322042264_2110343224_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55us2qcnW4QMhFgO5QAiZYsSxAMxgh31s9zi4ls6-lLKR66wlU5JvDRdufq_HurH6tRZzrp8liCSwEcaOCR_agtgQYAzN9jVdvlkoVx9BpXrS-facbKs09rDcCukpkv5yBczhyphenhyphenF0U5Sk/s1600/424560_10100186340299684_34305739_43671895_133620666_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703518223379430898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55us2qcnW4QMhFgO5QAiZYsSxAMxgh31s9zi4ls6-lLKR66wlU5JvDRdufq_HurH6tRZzrp8liCSwEcaOCR_agtgQYAzN9jVdvlkoVx9BpXrS-facbKs09rDcCukpkv5yBczhyphenhyphenF0U5Sk/s320/424560_10100186340299684_34305739_43671895_133620666_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>I can't believe I have not written on here in over 2 months. Ava is getting so big. We are seeing glimpses of the "terrible twos" roll out every once in a while. She tells you what she wants and when she wants it. Girl is getting a little bossy. haha. "No Mommy, sit here." "No Mommy, I don't like that." It's amazing that just a year ago I had a baby just learning to walk that could only say about 5 words. Time is just flying by.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>I am busy getting ideas together for Ava's 2nd birthday which is about 5 weeks away. I think we are going to have a Signing Time Theme... who would've thought. She still loves her signing videos and DVDs. But she is also getting interested in other videos. (thank goodness) She really likes the movies Rio and Lion King. In the morning, she really likes to watch Chuggington and Mickey Mouse Club. </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Ava is still going to dance class on Tuesday nights and now it's even more fun to go because we get to see Aunt Fannie while we are there since she teaches upstairs at the same time. She is getting so good at all the dances and last week she even did the balance beam all by herself. I was amazed. My little baby is now a toddler. She runs, jumps, climbs, and dances all over the place. Oh, and I can't forget to mention that we are potty-trained now. Well... for the most part. Accidents still happen but they are usually around naptime. She is doing amazing. Pretty crazy how I cannot even remember what Matt and I did before her. Now we play babies, get our hair done, paint, play with magnets, dance, and play outside. We are definitely the cool parents right now lol. I am the luckiest girl alive. One precious angel and one amazing husband.</div></div></div>The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-2827035528076909562011-11-15T19:07:00.004-06:002011-11-15T19:27:51.920-06:0020 Months Old<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKkEkdGHsmHRHo_bQm_3aSKmXBUIircoaiKB25k0qtJ35FSrpA1n5_ui8UXc82hGnb4ES-CQNfCqgsywDGjjfdfGFdNZsETBIwAAX2MKSXHwZU0He6D2qlUFj4wyLWgio0u2gHq5sesYs/s1600/393438_2541416944667_1531005539_2990409_584448749_n.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 179px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675399205524791362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKkEkdGHsmHRHo_bQm_3aSKmXBUIircoaiKB25k0qtJ35FSrpA1n5_ui8UXc82hGnb4ES-CQNfCqgsywDGjjfdfGFdNZsETBIwAAX2MKSXHwZU0He6D2qlUFj4wyLWgio0u2gHq5sesYs/s320/393438_2541416944667_1531005539_2990409_584448749_n.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>Ava has gone potty on her potty chair 5 times now. We did really well and went once every night for 5 nights in a row. However the last 5 nights she has not wanted to even sit and try. I once again want to thank baby signing time for thier great products. Just in time for potty training, they have released a new Potty Time Video with apps to download on your phone. The app charts progress with stickers on a virtual chart and Rachel calls you to congratulate the potty successes and motivate you with a call if you have an accident. Love it and more importantly... so does Ava. The video came in the mail on Saturday so we have already watched it about 10 times. </div><br /><br /><br /><div>I fell off the steps at school yesterday and I hurt my little toe on one foot and sprained my ankle on the other foot. Ahhh yes so graceful. So I went and got a air cast to wear and when I came home in it Ava totally freaked out. She started crying and saying off even though I was trying to explain to her that it was ok and it was just a boo boo. Once I took it off she calmed down. This morning Ava saw the brace on the floor and once again started to get upset and walked in a huge circle around it to avoid it. Nana also told me today that Ava got her foot caught in her pant leg after she got her diaper changed and Nana said something about "oh no is your foot ok"? Well that set her off again and she welled up and started to cry saying "Momma has hurt foot". Sooo sweet and sympathetic. Breaks my heart. God I just love her so much... how did I get so lucky?</div>The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-24816525764833293322011-11-02T09:36:00.004-05:002011-11-02T10:02:14.641-05:0020 months old<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VfqZWkxAw5SjJ4YUWQ9SQelUIWrXRwSiv7MQtAS-0s-2DtzKXYpJA_g5gmv84mwy3IKjSc6GGYlYvXqc48B61qE79UD9EzC1edeMiWyGC_7MD8gCJWlbxdWNcq8JsIkIsmgEZClGcaY/s1600/295738_978974814804_34305692_43157209_1293612245_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670413657109537074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VfqZWkxAw5SjJ4YUWQ9SQelUIWrXRwSiv7MQtAS-0s-2DtzKXYpJA_g5gmv84mwy3IKjSc6GGYlYvXqc48B61qE79UD9EzC1edeMiWyGC_7MD8gCJWlbxdWNcq8JsIkIsmgEZClGcaY/s320/295738_978974814804_34305692_43157209_1293612245_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKv0UPDP5WP9-gRJdUA7JiQwQbfpvW6DJUVG_D4CC64GKLhOCZSa3kG8IPBDszWhtqCBg0IC9h8dN4IiT7lNQYUlxSScwbz7QodGOU_jWVU6t73Lu_dGDjALTadjSimONd6OLx-Fw8c74/s1600/390760_978974235964_34305692_43157190_361411224_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670412794477660770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKv0UPDP5WP9-gRJdUA7JiQwQbfpvW6DJUVG_D4CC64GKLhOCZSa3kG8IPBDszWhtqCBg0IC9h8dN4IiT7lNQYUlxSScwbz7QodGOU_jWVU6t73Lu_dGDjALTadjSimONd6OLx-Fw8c74/s320/390760_978974235964_34305692_43157190_361411224_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Ava will be 20 months this weekend. I cannot believe how much she is learning, repeating, and trying. She is going to be quite the little dare devil. We got her front tooth fixed last month and it looks wonderful. It looks so natural too. Ava loves to stand on top of stools, furniture, etc. She makes me so nervous. I just want to protect those teeth! </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Ava is still obcessed with her Signing Time videos and CDs. Everyone in the family now has a CD in their car for her and we only watch the videos 3-4 times a day. haha. Good thing they are educational. She is also doing a great job of singing along with the songs. It is so cute when she holds notes and nods her head along with the music. </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Our biggest complaint about Ava is that she is not a big eater. She is so picky about what she eats and she'll eat a few bites and then say she is done. Don't even try to argue with her because her plate or bowl will end up on the floor. But when she finds something she really likes... look out. She will clean her plate. She loves pancakes from "Donalds" and ice cream from "Happy's" (Wendy's). She has been a big fan of Cinnamon Toast Crunch the last week. But nothing compares to her mutt. She must have her milk several times a day.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>On Halloween Ava was a MU cheerleader. We went to Nana's and had pizza and played with Chase and Chloe before we went out trick-or-treating. We went around Nana's cul-de-sac and then went back to our house to hit up a few neighbors. Ava was getting really good at grabbing her own candy! She had a blast but got really grumpy about 8:00. So it was off to bed. I think seh had a great time though. Now it's time to get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas.</div></div>The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-70595763158327158802011-10-05T13:19:00.005-05:002011-10-05T13:42:06.363-05:0018 Months Old<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JM6Algnqrj616gzdrMjtlsUurc2FIOPgTufE7RTKfDCGNE0fRjRa-hVvKRfTJ9BdLb73h_iiwujejCGn_3Qv_dQ287fESDf8rUgtV-Jj90IbF91hH9bISN63i8wBw3Ewp1yzNzkG834/s1600/308972_939025523504_34305692_42822690_390910924_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660080184930561490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 241px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JM6Algnqrj616gzdrMjtlsUurc2FIOPgTufE7RTKfDCGNE0fRjRa-hVvKRfTJ9BdLb73h_iiwujejCGn_3Qv_dQ287fESDf8rUgtV-Jj90IbF91hH9bISN63i8wBw3Ewp1yzNzkG834/s320/308972_939025523504_34305692_42822690_390910924_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GLRQ43Btpb9XyUE-6a36axNm68vuW6brK2iYeDm3XzJhOulhZVVv0yToe2eq4bqzUh2KEZdHk9QlevEJ1gMUVY-RAUZu2aPkMWoKLIJhORtPWJh4glB0C9KCFitzPBxuWPBcHkKpmlk/s1600/306976_2423988649033_1531005539_2899583_1508831369_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660080054991395218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 179px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GLRQ43Btpb9XyUE-6a36axNm68vuW6brK2iYeDm3XzJhOulhZVVv0yToe2eq4bqzUh2KEZdHk9QlevEJ1gMUVY-RAUZu2aPkMWoKLIJhORtPWJh4glB0C9KCFitzPBxuWPBcHkKpmlk/s320/306976_2423988649033_1531005539_2899583_1508831369_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRfaEmatKOxBLAjfTz9gUYV-sFeVMhpZ85ORn_2VFsuwNmklJGHy5wLKb52kwXycc2YhEd8Dwetv0lV5iMxLHoqDyedkxiHkyxVQVVhbt7eqm0kloYOO-UloBc1-3F6n_ZyMxlfB6t18/s1600/296799_955017240974_34305692_42934493_1513621112_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660079941912855954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 258px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRfaEmatKOxBLAjfTz9gUYV-sFeVMhpZ85ORn_2VFsuwNmklJGHy5wLKb52kwXycc2YhEd8Dwetv0lV5iMxLHoqDyedkxiHkyxVQVVhbt7eqm0kloYOO-UloBc1-3F6n_ZyMxlfB6t18/s320/296799_955017240974_34305692_42934493_1513621112_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Wow it is getting harder and harder to remember to write on here. Life is busier than ever. Ava is off and running, jumping, playing, hiding, etc. I am finishing up softball season and the school year is off to a great start. At her 18th month well visit we weighed 23 lbs and were 25% for weight and 75% for height. The doctor said she was cognitively at the age of a 2.5 year old becasue her language is so extensive. We can count to 10, can say our ABC's, recognize all the letters in written form and in sign language, sing several songs, and string together sentences at least 4-5 words long. Pretty amazing when last year at this time we were working on our second tooth and sitting up.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Last week about 2 days after we went to the doctor you developed a fever and then the next day you broke our in blisters. I assume you got the Hand Foot and Mouth Disease Virus at the doctor's office. Then you passed it on to poor Chloe. It was a rough week.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>In August Ava knocked off part of her front tooth. We are getting that fixed at the dentist tomorrow. Mommy is pretty nervous since they havge to put her under anestesia. But the whole procedure is suppose to take about 20 minutes so we should be out the door in about an hour. I will be dreading it the whole time.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Halloween is just around the corner and we are busy trying to be creative in finding a costume for Ava. Maybe a cowgirl, maybe a witch, etc. We went to Carolyn's Pumpkin Patch again this year. You loved the goats and the pumpkins. I can't wait to carve your pumpkin this year.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Ava's favorite things are Baby Signing Time (in DVD and CD form), babies, beads, cookies from the softball girls, playing outside with chalk, mowing the lawn with your lawn mower, putting on fake make-up, going to the neighborhood playground, trying to dress yourself, getting wipes to clean, seeing Toe-E aka Chloe, marching around the house, and singing songs. She loves bath time and going to softball games to see Mommy coach. If you hang around us you will hear her say Hold You Momma, and Baby Signing Times Please, Hi Tace (Grace), and Out Please. </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-54063882376896542442011-07-19T14:58:00.007-05:002011-07-19T15:24:11.703-05:00July 2011- 16 Months Old<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HE0iAU65qri7F82lgRQiytOcpNjNRc0woMai3MekGXQ_zcsUB8y2I6lpJf9H3CS8_G_Ws-bbk_SSGK4q8OmNBvC-Lkqjh365SQmChrIHG_KVhR8sSUz2d_B9aF8-vPDaTqy2FHaO2Jk/s1600/268627_2165535067855_1531005539_2599400_1719662_n.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631161579391994658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HE0iAU65qri7F82lgRQiytOcpNjNRc0woMai3MekGXQ_zcsUB8y2I6lpJf9H3CS8_G_Ws-bbk_SSGK4q8OmNBvC-Lkqjh365SQmChrIHG_KVhR8sSUz2d_B9aF8-vPDaTqy2FHaO2Jk/s320/268627_2165535067855_1531005539_2599400_1719662_n.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZz3u4J_N9xHrq9tEPdqXt_3XeU7dBiZM0vyD21B_VkmX4lQOgGuPP6XyRUDt0uKriPXIJsYonqsUttqKZf6hgK_hQN0Tv-Dimhn5b5KAmhLqWiGeYBAlPlVkA5L1Ipt6KWze8g9M8H0/s1600/268553_2149111257270_1531005539_2573434_942311_n.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631161416490515714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZz3u4J_N9xHrq9tEPdqXt_3XeU7dBiZM0vyD21B_VkmX4lQOgGuPP6XyRUDt0uKriPXIJsYonqsUttqKZf6hgK_hQN0Tv-Dimhn5b5KAmhLqWiGeYBAlPlVkA5L1Ipt6KWze8g9M8H0/s320/268553_2149111257270_1531005539_2573434_942311_n.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYTOz5Xa3-DV4DSSDwlErfIZKroy6s2sPEWKBJAIu_DEkZNY7Dq8eS3Fau8_hLUfmZ7ww1TEuRsoG9hdkadQDSIjxPaTEx7H62nhLHxGRmHyPlUEhptAxv7R0vy-vq1GLXkx8piD-dhpE/s1600/268049_234582486565799_100000421478442_836421_5287645_n.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631161265980711714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYTOz5Xa3-DV4DSSDwlErfIZKroy6s2sPEWKBJAIu_DEkZNY7Dq8eS3Fau8_hLUfmZ7ww1TEuRsoG9hdkadQDSIjxPaTEx7H62nhLHxGRmHyPlUEhptAxv7R0vy-vq1GLXkx8piD-dhpE/s320/268049_234582486565799_100000421478442_836421_5287645_n.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigvOutqXw3HvgBXF2bvylXhnZWsEt6isnz3rY3AExRtmGSBLanmJ1ujEVJvj_M5ta-4JBUYJGP_L73snBuLeTf3BUcbNcYJhiHGnEI-w1Zm3qSXVFVaB6NOxzFFw56qygddHNCx6OyDUU/s1600/262383_236742006349847_100000421478442_846502_1809072_n.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631161169139068914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigvOutqXw3HvgBXF2bvylXhnZWsEt6isnz3rY3AExRtmGSBLanmJ1ujEVJvj_M5ta-4JBUYJGP_L73snBuLeTf3BUcbNcYJhiHGnEI-w1Zm3qSXVFVaB6NOxzFFw56qygddHNCx6OyDUU/s320/262383_236742006349847_100000421478442_846502_1809072_n.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2m2IkMSoOyDeRlbJibFmfBUJ1uQvO_EKmvX4nB4_tFZTWnaFqaqOwoyBlohWfYuRQzNfMDZyT-HYpN4nAC4NFPiKIiDXysGzSc8xQelXS_xcriqSHDlqIjvVEI6cPDZM4K-DQ-lb8eY/s1600/251659_862942773944_34300949_42122027_7169207_n.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631161051160037938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2m2IkMSoOyDeRlbJibFmfBUJ1uQvO_EKmvX4nB4_tFZTWnaFqaqOwoyBlohWfYuRQzNfMDZyT-HYpN4nAC4NFPiKIiDXysGzSc8xQelXS_xcriqSHDlqIjvVEI6cPDZM4K-DQ-lb8eY/s320/251659_862942773944_34300949_42122027_7169207_n.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Ava continues to grow and develop in front of our eyes. She is singing, dancing, talking, repeating, and climbing. She has her own opinions for movies, clothes, shoes, and food. She loves to read herself books, steal plastic knives and throw them away, climb on the fireplace, look at herself in a mirror, go shopping, look for diggers and towers, and hunt for rocks. </div><br /><div>We have been on a huge Barney kick all summer. She loves to dance to the songs and has even started to sing some of the words. Mommy sings the the Barney song several times a day along with Patty Cake. Ava likes for us to stop singing so she can fill in the words. She is a giggle machine who loves for Dada to tickle her.</div><br /><div>Ava has been going to dance class at Miss Dianna's the past several weeks. She does a lot of watching and standing, but she is getting better and doing a little more every week. She does really well with kicks, marching, and the shaker egg dance. She also likes the tumbling part of class when they get to walk on the balance beam, jump on a trampoline, and do a backward somersault. Mommy has been working at school this past week so Nana and Aunt Fannie are going to take her to class this week. Ava is one of the best dressed in the class in her ballet skirt and ballet shoes. So precious!</div><br /><div>Her vocabulary is just exploding right now and she is beginning to put 2-3 words together. She will say "Shhh baby alseep." "Sit right here" "Sit in chair" My favorite things she is saying right now is "Hold you Momma" when she wants me to pick her up. I also love the way she says strawberries " Straw-barbies" and Apples "Ah-pulls"</div><br /><div>Ava loves to spend time with everyone in the family, but she seems to be especially close with Papa. She loves when he comes over to play and babysit. If he puts her to bed, she will wake up the next morning and ask about him. So cute! I will ask her, "What do you want to do today Ava?" and she will say "Papa?" </div><br /><div>The summer is coming to a close in about 3 weeks and I will have to go back to work and begin softball. It will be hard for me to give up all this play time with Ava, but it will also be very hard for her. She has gone through a serious Mama-Phase this summer. She will hardly go to anyone else. I am enjoying every minute of this phase! School will be starting before we know it : (</div></div></div></div></div>The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-1325586283571333432011-05-23T09:37:00.002-05:002011-05-23T09:51:35.110-05:00Spring 2011- 14 months old<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6MHUKOimwFGnvMfcHqrzVqlPGOSTbGXriFJ73xlqawZAxAyWblzknJqKyKPe3y7jszqwSXpEYpPCOkkAnPDCaz63tU4jADBi5jVDovCgxDj1kDbMMJfcS9Aw8qb_8gTt7V3aw36Ka3Y/s1600/DSC03249.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609924286661827026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6MHUKOimwFGnvMfcHqrzVqlPGOSTbGXriFJ73xlqawZAxAyWblzknJqKyKPe3y7jszqwSXpEYpPCOkkAnPDCaz63tU4jADBi5jVDovCgxDj1kDbMMJfcS9Aw8qb_8gTt7V3aw36Ka3Y/s320/DSC03249.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div>Ava is a ham. Plain and simple. She might have a promising career as an actress with her personality. She acts all shy at first but hang around 15 minutes and she will begin to put on a show for you. She will probably steal your keys and cell phone while performing so watch out! She can figure out how to unlock most cells phones which amazes me. She loves to unlock mine to see the pictures of her. She sometimes even makes phone calls, sends texts, and changes the language. Haha.</div><br /><br /><br /><div>We went outside this morning to watch Gracie go potty and looked up in the sky and said "mooooon" and sure enough there it was. I love this age! She is soaking up everything and it seems that once we tell her or show her something she picks it up. She is really starting to say and repeat words. She still loves her baby signing time videos but Barney is becoming pretty popular too. Mommy and Ava sang our first song together last week. It's the "Hat" song from the Barney video. I will sing it until we get to the word "hat" and she will say it. She is so proud of herself when we get done. Always smiling and clapping for herself.</div><br /><br /><br /><div>Ava went to her first track meet of the year since we have had such poopy weather this year. It was 80 degrees and sunny. She hung out at the pit with me and watched my athletes jump. I even put her in the sand for a bit. She was less than impressed. She was doing her track starts when we said Ready, Set, Go. It was a great day and Brynn and Videl qualified for State which is this weekend in Jeff City.</div><br /><br /><br /><div>This weekend we are also going to go hang out at Vince and Vida's (neighbors) and have a memorial weekend BBQ. That is Saturday night and on Sunday we might go out to Fitz's house on Lake Winnebago to go out on the lake. I am still debating on whether I should take Ava or not. I bought her a life jacket, but I will still be pretty nervous. Either way, this should be a great weekend and I only have 1 1/2 days left of school after this weekend! </div>The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-55931754674054914052011-04-23T22:52:00.005-05:002011-04-23T23:08:14.514-05:00Happy Easter Ava!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhziZ8ZJYv7VSZpqAobk5S9pzaS0reyqnV31T8bF_3OCM59g6R7kmAVw_jIEPKC2sZspZ9fQzU6eVFkROU2mk8XDgAa_bSemHpJkFu9GPzgaeofDRlwtLeQXFb1DW-VGzIQDKijzZ8bpsE/s1600/IMG_9057.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598996911501109490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhziZ8ZJYv7VSZpqAobk5S9pzaS0reyqnV31T8bF_3OCM59g6R7kmAVw_jIEPKC2sZspZ9fQzU6eVFkROU2mk8XDgAa_bSemHpJkFu9GPzgaeofDRlwtLeQXFb1DW-VGzIQDKijzZ8bpsE/s320/IMG_9057.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_60u88iwr7gabSWIoH5FVqAHBhaPTsViqTJu60yQGq83vrPXcrSLxubL9F8LIwx-gsdmvTCI8wVH8L4k0zKrnlz07eHP9NNYf6VHlj2Yue82im52xOgkh-imQu4SDWx7LySfvv795C4/s1600/IMG_9234.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598996671176960274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_60u88iwr7gabSWIoH5FVqAHBhaPTsViqTJu60yQGq83vrPXcrSLxubL9F8LIwx-gsdmvTCI8wVH8L4k0zKrnlz07eHP9NNYf6VHlj2Yue82im52xOgkh-imQu4SDWx7LySfvv795C4/s320/IMG_9234.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFbV6V7cpDEtMTOHoGG1LaXZRfYxmV9arOhso1TN4kWN3SBXgsn1HJU6H4pEQVTdCnY6g6X3yqqaXL2BuAB9KBUNvLNdESuwdmELy2n7Dm7zzUw_WCg-aKw7zfYLqCj616siOTz7-oDw/s1600/IMG_9254.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598996303445124274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFbV6V7cpDEtMTOHoGG1LaXZRfYxmV9arOhso1TN4kWN3SBXgsn1HJU6H4pEQVTdCnY6g6X3yqqaXL2BuAB9KBUNvLNdESuwdmELy2n7Dm7zzUw_WCg-aKw7zfYLqCj616siOTz7-oDw/s320/IMG_9254.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Tonight is Easter Eve. We had a special visitor tonight... the Easter Bunny! Ava was fine as long as she was in my arms, but she was not too sure about the tall overall-wearing rabbit who rang our door bell. I am kinda glad we didn't pay the 12.00 to go see the one at the mall because we probably would have gotten the same reaction. Papa, Nana, Uncle Brad, and Aunt Fannie came over to have dinner and decorate Easter Eggs. Ava was very interested in the glasses of dye and it soon became too much to try and do. I was putting eggs in dye, holding Ava's two hands back, and holding back her kicking feet. Whew... but we have our pictures to prove that we dyed our eggs.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Ava has gotten very vocal this last week. She loves to "read" out loud to us. She will turn pages and bring the book up to her face and read away. Her gibberish is so darn cute. She loves to say, "ba-dup-a-dup" which always makes me and Matt giggle. She also is mimicking people's gestures like folding hands, clapping, hitting your leg while laughing, or putting hands behind your back. She also has a fake laugh which she uses when you are not paying attention to her. </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Ava is getting a play kitchen with some fake food, a new outfit, a baby signing time video, a kit kat bar, a bowl and spoon, and a little car. We also filled some eggs with quarters since she is not a big candy eater yet. </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Matt and I went shopping and bought a new kitchen table and carpet to go under it. This is the biggest purchase we have made since we bought the crib and dresser for Ava's room. We went and bought our new furniture and then headed to Tomfooleries on the Plaza to meet some of Matt's friends. Papa and Uncle Brad babysat for us while we went out on our date night. Great weekend and we still have Easter Sunday tomorrow to celebrate. It has been cool and rainy almost everyday this month and Ava is eager to go outside and play. Every time we go look out at the deck, Ava says, "Brrr!" Come on warm weather!</div></div></div>The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-91115414750413059982011-03-15T20:55:00.006-05:002011-03-15T21:22:47.645-05:00Happy 1st Birthday Ava Elizabeth!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMYYpcgWuQQjv5rnLmzrl9hKUrV-tAVJuVby1slVDrqvANjBSm-_a8v5BE8p0y29LF_9Tvuz3xeZiSlYbJCWiW2k92-0nNOj_p6qXUWDgRVu4QKLHiGYkINrpzO6p0s0RgYJWATLcHYs/s1600/198368_762985993134_34305739_41488273_1568587_n.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 179px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584497534922555154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMYYpcgWuQQjv5rnLmzrl9hKUrV-tAVJuVby1slVDrqvANjBSm-_a8v5BE8p0y29LF_9Tvuz3xeZiSlYbJCWiW2k92-0nNOj_p6qXUWDgRVu4QKLHiGYkINrpzO6p0s0RgYJWATLcHYs/s320/198368_762985993134_34305739_41488273_1568587_n.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljRXUa4vNcq02L6WfGZI0xVSVTWVud5VrNhaxb20TFPmZ-_IjGa-PSeKC05hYk8T-rYbU-PK8aWLr2ZrKU6MyVSAZ6Li3GXjjTtzRe6gLLb0W7G68cmqVFtWYaaqW89VudYU4q1KXFAE/s1600/197062_763419414554_34300949_41495900_8002354_n.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584497450946946226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljRXUa4vNcq02L6WfGZI0xVSVTWVud5VrNhaxb20TFPmZ-_IjGa-PSeKC05hYk8T-rYbU-PK8aWLr2ZrKU6MyVSAZ6Li3GXjjTtzRe6gLLb0W7G68cmqVFtWYaaqW89VudYU4q1KXFAE/s320/197062_763419414554_34300949_41495900_8002354_n.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7G2oa7lw1VBnHzfxNYwj0SgdtULhxAP2A-ib6f5af2phTu3pCmxgx8BhZqRfUszrVlll4iSqHk-x_Z9ikgwTVPbumQkkaky3i0ihhjs0yYDFUIm1ZLnIyE1jZjeqxY8o6OWTOm1SPjHI/s1600/184691_763422842684_34300949_41495979_4351100_n.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584497379650598050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7G2oa7lw1VBnHzfxNYwj0SgdtULhxAP2A-ib6f5af2phTu3pCmxgx8BhZqRfUszrVlll4iSqHk-x_Z9ikgwTVPbumQkkaky3i0ihhjs0yYDFUIm1ZLnIyE1jZjeqxY8o6OWTOm1SPjHI/s320/184691_763422842684_34300949_41495979_4351100_n.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkRxkNsfYqw0G0ExCOxXKb_37aKtuoEssTpBQLD4WmOtBhnrcKldi9uhfk9SR38fEexss4SEFI8i4euJ-_KKe09dLI5BeyEWCspF-cN0dqaCanXQN31rJqpzq4rVVvur-DC_tuw7zCbA/s1600/183299_764892337804_34300949_41515882_6958120_n.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584497308788771778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkRxkNsfYqw0G0ExCOxXKb_37aKtuoEssTpBQLD4WmOtBhnrcKldi9uhfk9SR38fEexss4SEFI8i4euJ-_KKe09dLI5BeyEWCspF-cN0dqaCanXQN31rJqpzq4rVVvur-DC_tuw7zCbA/s320/183299_764892337804_34300949_41515882_6958120_n.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>I can't believe we celebrated Ava's 1st Birthday this past weekend. We had her family party on Saturday. We took a great nap right before her party but still woke up a little rough. As everyone arrived Ava wanted to be held by Momma and I totally didn't mind. We decided to try opening presents up first, but needed to take a break because she was started to cry. I think Ava was overwhelmed by all the company at one time and being the center of attention. After a break for some milk and snacks she warmed up and we resumed opening presents. She did very well and then we decided to sing and have cake. We undressed her and put her in her highchair with her beautiful cake. She dipped one finger in and wanted me to lick it off. She would not get messy and didn't want anything to do with the cake. We even tried to put some fruit on it to persuade her to try it. She just wanted some strawberries and blueberries. </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>After we sang and handed out cake, she was a hoot. She was running in circles and singing to everyone. She is such a ham! As the last guest walked out the front door I took up upstairs for her nap. She was so tired but did so good for having 30 people over at one time.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Sunday was her birthday and Daddy made us blueberry pancakes for breakfast. We went to Fritz's Train restaurant for lunch. Ava loves watching the trains bring food to the customers. She pointed out almost every train. We even learned how to sign train in sign language. She had a blast. We went home and took a short nap before we went to dinner with Nana, Papa, Aunt Fannie, Aunt Lisa, and G.G. at Texas Road House. After Ava finished eating her dinner, the workers came by to sing happy birthday to her. They put her up on a horse saddle and announced to the restaurant that it was her first birthday and then sang. Ava did great and just watched in awe of the singers.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>What an awesome weekend! I finished up the last week in St. Louis, leaving Ava alone for the very first time. I did get a little weepy leaving her, but seemed to do okay as long as I was occupied. I was away from her for 48 hours. Daddy and Nana did a great job taking care of her. And praise Jesus for our new phones which have video cameras on them. I got to see her every night before she went to bed. I can't believe that my baby is one year old! Time continues to go by way too fast. It just seems like yesterday that I was cuddling with a little ball of baby. I now have a toddler.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>She walks, is beginning to run, and ohhhh the attitude. She does not seem to like to be told no. When she knows that she is not suppose to do something she will shake her head no as she does it. Then when we remove her from the outlet, tv, laundry room... she says no, no and waves her pointer finger around. Is that what I look like when I say that to her? Haha. Our little princess is getting quite a personality. She waves at whoever will look at her, she will smile at anyone, and she is really starting to babble. She is really starting to repeat words. Instead of Boo, she says Do. And instead of Grace, she says Dray. So precious. My baby is too big!</div></div></div></div>The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-47613534178558068492011-02-16T13:19:00.004-06:002011-02-16T13:54:27.868-06:0011 1/2 Months Old<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkgpnx9gwetvQr9f7E6Tj-2x3Y5EU9hcyxrADZ6rpT8esvmbxC9AmmEX92vQgS_9UDqK1yrfh6Wt8KpyBO7pyxqOZ45wzlBnQG4f-eLEzCnReQOJYDdnU-9Dn7z6jmpKdLgTCJjoFfUmU/s1600/Ava+standing.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574378179992995618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkgpnx9gwetvQr9f7E6Tj-2x3Y5EU9hcyxrADZ6rpT8esvmbxC9AmmEX92vQgS_9UDqK1yrfh6Wt8KpyBO7pyxqOZ45wzlBnQG4f-eLEzCnReQOJYDdnU-9Dn7z6jmpKdLgTCJjoFfUmU/s320/Ava+standing.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOuz9QGUUUNtgRJSEwoY-x4EEzm4t2n_FZNJ_fd4KS5JLo2t1QL2H1m3QsQMFs8AHJtG1GCW-qocOVjxsZLfKrn5nSKN3acw6DUQdhYuos6PyTruFbRcVU4s3RFSsKRi-ttA4Y3pyKT0/s1600/bath+in+sink.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574377623662560018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOuz9QGUUUNtgRJSEwoY-x4EEzm4t2n_FZNJ_fd4KS5JLo2t1QL2H1m3QsQMFs8AHJtG1GCW-qocOVjxsZLfKrn5nSKN3acw6DUQdhYuos6PyTruFbRcVU4s3RFSsKRi-ttA4Y3pyKT0/s320/bath+in+sink.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaDOkOyXjPV_iaBxCmTc7VQVFlwSta93x4XKT3BfdL5WzoPYMUTkMMICvXo4Gmjjo5mRHhYlNCW_cVTo98ambikgu6Ap_wW_FLQ0XOKgFdQYiYdzZKVcPT_eQR9tpT4PMS9FipRn-Eb-4/s1600/eating+at+Olive+Garden.bmp"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574377512258954162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaDOkOyXjPV_iaBxCmTc7VQVFlwSta93x4XKT3BfdL5WzoPYMUTkMMICvXo4Gmjjo5mRHhYlNCW_cVTo98ambikgu6Ap_wW_FLQ0XOKgFdQYiYdzZKVcPT_eQR9tpT4PMS9FipRn-Eb-4/s320/eating+at+Olive+Garden.bmp" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>I bought plates, cups, napkins, and decorations for Ava's birthday party which will be in about 2 weeks. We are having a family party on March 5th, but next Saturday we are having Ava's baby friends over for a playdate. The weather is unseasonably nice this week and I am going to take Ava up to Zona Rosa after school for a little retail therapy. She loves shopping! When we get home we might try and sneak in a wagon ride before her late afternoon nap. But more than likely we will need to sleep before we can play. Tomorrow it is suppose to be 70 degrees! Yesterday the Parents as Teachers Educator came over to check on Ava's developement. She is doing very well and is actually ahead of most children her age. The one thing they told us to work on is drinking out of a cup that does not have a lid. We are going to start practicing in the bathtub for right now. I am also going to start looking for more flashcards to work on new words and some toddler crayons for her to work on drawing.</div><br /><br /><br /><div>For Valentines Day, Daddy got Ava a beautiful lavender rose and a sweet card. Mommy took her to Target and let her pick out a present too. She picked a Barney DVD and a book with lots of animals. </div><br /><br /><br /><div>Ava is really starting to try and emulate words that Mommy and Daddy are saying. Some words like hot, dog, now, and yes sound like the words we are saying. Other words like Jayhawk sounds like jayha, bottle sounds like baaa. So some of her words are nothing like what we are saying, but she is making the effort to try and repeat things when we are her to. Her new obsession is to turn the tv off and on, off and on, off and on.... over and over. She also wants anything that is plugged in outlets. She is taking off walking from one thing to another. She is doing much better walking and she only falls now when she gets going too fast. She still loves looking at birds and squirrels out the window at Nana's. She continues to be a "ham" when we are out in public by waving and smiling at other shoppers. Mommy's social butterfly!</div></div></div>The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-78352115631234323622011-02-01T11:41:00.003-06:002011-02-01T11:57:21.614-06:00Snow DaysWell it's my 5<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> day off school this winter. We are getting a blizzard this week. Yesterday we had a shortened day and it looks like we will be off today and tomorrow. Thursday is up in the air but the high is suppose to be zero. But Thursday is my birthday so I wouldn't mind being at home and playing with Ava. We are currently watching Baby Signing Time. She just loves love the video and she will sit and watch for the 30 minute show. I am not sure how long an 11 month old attention span is suppose to be, but we love it! She is signing the following words: bird, dog, fish, more, milk, bed, mom, baby, diaper, all done, hurt, beautiful, snow, poop, please, water, food/hungry, and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">shhhh</span>. She is doing really well with her communication skills but oh the attitude. When we don't understand or she doesn't want to do something she now throws her head back, arches her back, and starts a fit. She does not want her diaper changed so you have to entertain her with toys with you do it. So we are dodging poop on shoes, clothes, and toys. She also can find and point to body parts. She knows where her eyes, eye lashes, nose, teeth, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">tongue</span>, hands, piggies, tummy, hair, head, ears, and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">gulu</span> are. We have fun quizzing her all the time. She loves eye lashes, but she is <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">definitely</span> not gentle on you or herself. Ava is a great eater and we really have not found anything that she won't eat. Her favorite food right now is probably fresh blueberries. She just gobbles them up. She still loves her eggs, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">basta</span>, bread, and cheerios. She is most <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">interested</span> in whatever Momma and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Dada</span> are eating for dinner. She will be 11 months old next weekend and we are busy planning a first birthday party for our precious princess!The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-38441277021458817882011-01-06T14:33:00.004-06:002011-01-06T14:50:50.384-06:0010 Months Old<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSKNAs5VlUb0gPiY38X7CtiI25SYnj-1ERkAqbkiRNMF4uKOAEVLupYXhjdItQUglGen2RPZK4Xrz3gyll6fhoarOwvNqvz6_HQeUuNh6Bngz-N6UXzAdR7l8WGk7r4kSS3kbOOvXwFA/s1600/Ava+smile.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559178076177129026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSKNAs5VlUb0gPiY38X7CtiI25SYnj-1ERkAqbkiRNMF4uKOAEVLupYXhjdItQUglGen2RPZK4Xrz3gyll6fhoarOwvNqvz6_HQeUuNh6Bngz-N6UXzAdR7l8WGk7r4kSS3kbOOvXwFA/s320/Ava+smile.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Yw6W6QWQLYNkI_7lPmhM48kmE8nYuGYLEZMu3RCHJzLGmP7k-xu9bnF9aeVk_86yvrkYZX9W-zhO0jU3sSP43Lj61dZdziEn41BczlnFCnm4kllQek8vVtOCDIzr_RlQ7xbEI3kml5Q/s1600/Ava+eating.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559177965239206322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Yw6W6QWQLYNkI_7lPmhM48kmE8nYuGYLEZMu3RCHJzLGmP7k-xu9bnF9aeVk_86yvrkYZX9W-zhO0jU3sSP43Lj61dZdziEn41BczlnFCnm4kllQek8vVtOCDIzr_RlQ7xbEI3kml5Q/s320/Ava+eating.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>I cannot believe that Ava is 10 months old. Here is what we can say: Momma, Dada, Nana, Papa, dog, bye bye, brrrrrr, and ball. Ava loves her sign language DVD's we got from Grandma and so far we can sign: dog, bird, more, and milk. Ava still refuses to crawl and we are figuring we are skipping right to walking. She is cruising around the couch and ottoman constantly. She did figure out that if she is laying down she can move by rolling. But she really want to be standing up all the time. As soon as you stand her up her feet are moving. I have spent a lot of time on my knees and holding her hands. She is getting very brave and turns from the ottoman to the couch and back. We have also started to take some falls. Matt and I know that she must learn that if she lets go, she will fall but we do our best to catch her before she face plants into the carpet. As soon as you save her beautiful face and sit her back up she gives you a huge smile. I am sure it is all a game to her. Her other favorite game is to throw food off the high chair. Grace the dog has become a vulture and hovers near the high chair at all times. </div><br /><br /><div>Ava always makes us smile when we tell her to look up and down- then she nods up and down. Or we can say right and left- and she will shake her head right to left. She will also shake her head no, usually after we say "no no, we don't throw our food." Matt and I can't help but smile. She has also started to "blink" which is more like a squint/wrinkle nose/smile on request as well. Ava is also getting good a pointing. She seems to be saying, "Mommy what is that?" She will also point out family members in photos too. I am sure every mom thinks their child is a genius, but she seems to be very observant, curious, and interested in everything around her. She still has to have her wubbie to sleep, she loves Sophie her giraffe, and she loves to look at books (over and over and over). Matt and I are truly blessed with a beautiful and smart baby girl. She still melts my heart with those big blue eyes and her toothy (6 of them) smile.</div></div>The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-20252646593985755752011-01-06T14:18:00.007-06:002011-01-06T14:33:16.234-06:00Baby's 1st Christmas<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8UdNH2nsVxaOAESj4Mkwb3GDO_LifHnRm6TAKDzxNabm9Z0wTdUCB3wAVDy_QtWxYsyuaRmetATTGybC0Yjup9qmQm8MrAzEeV4mnUiNb-JlWcrdNl5FD9mka8IMhGVC5qoYxyPzC3I/s1600/1stxmas.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559173167810151954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8UdNH2nsVxaOAESj4Mkwb3GDO_LifHnRm6TAKDzxNabm9Z0wTdUCB3wAVDy_QtWxYsyuaRmetATTGybC0Yjup9qmQm8MrAzEeV4mnUiNb-JlWcrdNl5FD9mka8IMhGVC5qoYxyPzC3I/s320/1stxmas.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCZGgdgRMl5IsX1mnwkTgYOGPptM6hOHvc0okQsBXda3fyJOwxa4uVEmjPas2pYygVs0oDVKEi5UvUFJlCPJBKHu-TLPk5A2A1HeYkUz23dwbxOCDC4Daqt83P-017THhItfQvNtuqdg/s1600/wagon.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559172933531207138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCZGgdgRMl5IsX1mnwkTgYOGPptM6hOHvc0okQsBXda3fyJOwxa4uVEmjPas2pYygVs0oDVKEi5UvUFJlCPJBKHu-TLPk5A2A1HeYkUz23dwbxOCDC4Daqt83P-017THhItfQvNtuqdg/s320/wagon.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvwkkpkmQTTZrEzWH0bOuN0eNDj2z1M2MTz8cb-BWR0N4n-YLdnV6otKVCBFfVBzEOT19nTxDmdMJ7WIsLCVKFccouuMGoWPlmCWrysExz0yxM4QdPmU35wAXh7weOn90f4NnSKusA0g/s1600/xmasmorning.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559172735152819522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvwkkpkmQTTZrEzWH0bOuN0eNDj2z1M2MTz8cb-BWR0N4n-YLdnV6otKVCBFfVBzEOT19nTxDmdMJ7WIsLCVKFccouuMGoWPlmCWrysExz0yxM4QdPmU35wAXh7weOn90f4NnSKusA0g/s320/xmasmorning.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>Ava's first Christmas was so much fun. She got a wagon from Santa and lots of toys and books. She participated in the opening of presents, but we had to watch her because she kept wanting to eat the wrapping paper. She loved her Bitty Baby Doll she <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">received</span> from G.G. and let out the cutest coo when she unwrapped the package enough to see what is in it. It was precious. </div><div>We woke her up Christmas morning (of course taking pictures of that) and took about 20 pictures before we even made it downstairs. We went downstairs to see what Santa left Ava and then took a break to eat some breakfast before we opened the presents from Mommy and Daddy. At 10:00 Nana, Papa, Uncle Brad, and Aunt Fannie came over for more presents. By noon Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Megan, Aunt Amy, and Uncle Tom all showed up for more food and presents. Ava decided she did not want to take a nap that day until about 4:00, but the day was filled with so much fun. Ava will now wear a new outfit and play with a new toy everyday until her birthday! She brought us so much joy this Christmas and Mommy and Daddy were very excited to help Santa!</div></div></div>The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-86739670913234353612010-12-12T20:12:00.003-06:002010-12-12T20:26:34.841-06:00Ava visits Santa Clause<div>Ava recently paid a visit to Santa Clause at the Hallmark offices. Each year Hallmark envites employees, reitred employees & family to come visit Santa at their Liberty office. Since Grandma retired from Hallmark she just had to take Ava this year. We weren't sure what to expect with Ava & Santa. Would she cry? Would she laugh? Would she just sit there trying to figure out who the fat guy is with a big white beard? She didn't cry or laugh. She was not real sure what to make of Santa. Ava's wish list for Santa has only two things. A wagon and an Ipad.</div>Mommy wrote the wish list. Just saying...<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqiP19duNFFCq-zSTtw36tqw9Ib28Qs7jy5QFX3tHZjgdRqQ77atB1-Q4ncvCNbVxXFd7EEm-sJem5kVaFuoe2P2N7hxVUKw_WA8kC-ckWRYwtnkj_QjD2WcIvTGwa6ackECV1Cqq5aE/s1600/IMG_6853.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549986345641462418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqiP19duNFFCq-zSTtw36tqw9Ib28Qs7jy5QFX3tHZjgdRqQ77atB1-Q4ncvCNbVxXFd7EEm-sJem5kVaFuoe2P2N7hxVUKw_WA8kC-ckWRYwtnkj_QjD2WcIvTGwa6ackECV1Cqq5aE/s320/IMG_6853.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZ6OmsuOdkg7Dp6C1WcXR47J3NsqWDK1zdQv_JWF8hULZYy7B1RCJ5v91fnWxeqsOTt7h8SUY_rbHrbxyISejT01e6wvDF-mGNXXq5awJJo-hREjJCUDV9s1aJFajnc0Yw9POed_ocdo/s1600/IMG_6764.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549986342155409058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZ6OmsuOdkg7Dp6C1WcXR47J3NsqWDK1zdQv_JWF8hULZYy7B1RCJ5v91fnWxeqsOTt7h8SUY_rbHrbxyISejT01e6wvDF-mGNXXq5awJJo-hREjJCUDV9s1aJFajnc0Yw9POed_ocdo/s320/IMG_6764.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9Ojn5e-2eozqDhP2HutKzYpVCW1bvWFYcxGWEZlD2u8kp0u_5dNJPDAzLtwrV3UfWMaqOce3ulYubyWV3polECjyXLKa13ap7xWxS07pCsGItrsXfZO5Qk-9zE06HBoFWUDMJCH0zCk/s1600/IMG_6747.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549986339387015122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9Ojn5e-2eozqDhP2HutKzYpVCW1bvWFYcxGWEZlD2u8kp0u_5dNJPDAzLtwrV3UfWMaqOce3ulYubyWV3polECjyXLKa13ap7xWxS07pCsGItrsXfZO5Qk-9zE06HBoFWUDMJCH0zCk/s320/IMG_6747.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-46536336305033205662010-12-01T08:41:00.003-06:002010-12-01T09:16:56.991-06:008 1/2 Months OldAva is growing like a weed and is already starting to wear some of her 12 month clothes. She has got really long legs so the shirts are still a little big. She is finally rolling over like a champ. She rolls all over the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">living room</span> now collecting dog hair on her outfits. She loves to roll over to the DVD player to get Daddy's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">xbox</span> controller. She is standing at <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">furniture</span> all by herself for about 10-15 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">minutes</span> at a time. She still hasn't really learned to bend her legs when she falls, so we have had some tears when we bang our head on the carpet. <br />Ava really likes Gracie now too. She wants to pet (or hit) her <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">every time</span> she comes close. But she blinks when Gracie gets all in her face. We are still having to protect Ava from dog kisses. So gross! Ava celebrated her first Thanksgiving with the family and got to eat turkey (after I chewed it a bit for her) mashed <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">potatoes</span>, noodles, corn, and green beans. Her favorite had to be the rolls. The girl loves bread! <br />Ava's favorite word right now is Dada. In fact, if you tell her to say Momma, she will look right at you and say Dada. She says Dada, Momma, Nana, and dog. Ava also got her first Christmas tree this weekend. She loves the angel at the top. After telling her that was an "angel" twice, she now will look at the angel <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">everytime</span> you ask her to. She is so smart! Christmas is right around the corner and we can't wait to see Ava's reaction to Santa and presents~The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-581073414693632352010-11-21T14:50:00.002-06:002010-11-21T15:08:39.813-06:00<p>Ava was in a silly mood the other day. Just about anything we did made her laugh.</p><p> </p><p><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzhmjDneXYAb28WLSv3Rgqf05Fr-0Y28cy-ZWiJvn_tZ2z6J_ElbV40iue3qUIqv9H6Tn8fzX6VK0IB54FJYA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p>The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-59920656233182332582010-11-01T07:54:00.002-05:002010-11-01T08:14:07.776-05:00Happy Halloween!Haloween was a lot of fun this year. Ava dressed up as Tinkerbell and Gracie was Superman! We carved a pumpkin and gave it three teeth, just like Ava. Ava was more interested in the newspaper that we had under the pumpkin than the actual pumpkin itself.<br />After the Chiefs game we got Ava dressed up and went out to see some friends before heading over to Nana's house. Friends and family gathered at Nana's for pizza and snacks before heading out for trick or treating. Chloe was dressed up as a ladybug and Chase was dressed up as a spider. We only went to a few of the neighbors houses to trick or treat since the girls don't eat candy and mommy and daddy have plenty at home. Aside from the Tigers losing it was a really fun weekend and we're already looking forward to Thanksgiving and then Christmas!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkqZA5EzY1QMlC7ZYdJJ06Cmpz8bqFNTBf-TxNRhKHqVntBYcmcbU0wm3jTX-oTBY8pqnxpER82pVWlU6a0d7WGntyxs1fDns7VQ10WtQ0d5PwKaogK6iYkp6sr-OT4QuJ4TjWR_zQ94/s1600/IMG_5856.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534566071522512242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkqZA5EzY1QMlC7ZYdJJ06Cmpz8bqFNTBf-TxNRhKHqVntBYcmcbU0wm3jTX-oTBY8pqnxpER82pVWlU6a0d7WGntyxs1fDns7VQ10WtQ0d5PwKaogK6iYkp6sr-OT4QuJ4TjWR_zQ94/s320/IMG_5856.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEWRO-XngijXCijsLKN6F957Pwz7l3_d9BY227iGBePB7XRzVbW84Ex7tgmKqf6NsrXQa8xVtcuOfzx2Gx2G_i6ArAW7Fp-HKzJ4HMDIYxEz7YUM0i5V3nWI0WNYfLTYo9-vxapbdmQc/s1600/IMG_5827.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534566066744573218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEWRO-XngijXCijsLKN6F957Pwz7l3_d9BY227iGBePB7XRzVbW84Ex7tgmKqf6NsrXQa8xVtcuOfzx2Gx2G_i6ArAW7Fp-HKzJ4HMDIYxEz7YUM0i5V3nWI0WNYfLTYo9-vxapbdmQc/s320/IMG_5827.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFAjDO0MxFe83OeOjAThWoAg9_QEWyb7AERRDOj6FiD6UY73wP2ShBrQja3T8GRUIIwIRiJ4PfANTr1gn2NznLmTBsv8u8vqxrDfgXyoZ_e4_fiygul8iPyh4NqmpR460Np9_bfOhqZSw/s1600/IMG_5966.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534566060174719490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFAjDO0MxFe83OeOjAThWoAg9_QEWyb7AERRDOj6FiD6UY73wP2ShBrQja3T8GRUIIwIRiJ4PfANTr1gn2NznLmTBsv8u8vqxrDfgXyoZ_e4_fiygul8iPyh4NqmpR460Np9_bfOhqZSw/s320/IMG_5966.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfs8QkBwTC05A12NHga_jMF_2oF2e2Bp3eUYE4nt5m4VkqxD9tuIrNykWWGH3vhUQ1Bfi1sNjVJlHiachpfIC2NmzpttuAtyZrkSbwhGugZ39Bpf4V38xjo4UGGTVn9Xgxvwj5qwd59Lc/s1600/IMG_5919.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534566051461833282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfs8QkBwTC05A12NHga_jMF_2oF2e2Bp3eUYE4nt5m4VkqxD9tuIrNykWWGH3vhUQ1Bfi1sNjVJlHiachpfIC2NmzpttuAtyZrkSbwhGugZ39Bpf4V38xjo4UGGTVn9Xgxvwj5qwd59Lc/s320/IMG_5919.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div>The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-20065928551101049732010-10-25T10:15:00.003-05:002010-10-25T10:21:58.201-05:007 1/2 Months OldAva is getting so big! She is beginning to stand at the coffee table and around chairs. But watch out, because she will fall at any moment. Both Matt and I are standing right there to try to catch her. She is so much fun right now and she has started to do things on command. She will dance, wave, and give fives when you ask her to. So precious. We went up to St. Joe this weekend to visit Matt's Grandma, Aunt Janet, and Grandpa. Ava had such a good time and I think the family really enjoyed seeing how much she has changed. After our visit we met Big Brad and his wife Heidi at Chili's for lunch. Aunt Megan was our waitress and we recieved on the best service ever. She even took care of Ava! Brad and Heidi were a bit taken back when Megan walked by and kissed Ava on the head as she passed by. I guess we forgot to tell them she was family. We had a great time visiting and catching up with them. On Saturday night we watched the MU Homecoming game where they beat #1 OU! Matt, Ava, and I all had on our MU gear. Sunday was a bit of a lazy day, but we all needed to relax and grab a nap. We did get out and take some pictures of Ava in her new outfit. I don't have school this Friday so if the weather is nice we might take Ava to the zoo! I love the fall.The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-48470416573667937942010-10-15T16:47:00.004-05:002010-10-25T10:14:53.549-05:00Autumn is in the airHaloween isn't too far away and we're getting ready by picking out costumes and pumpkins. Ava will be dressed as Tinkerbell this year. Wings included! Earlier this week we went to the pumpkin patch to find the perfect pumpkin for Ava. Not too big, not too small, but just right.<br /><br />We had a great time at the pumpkin patch. Ava didn't really get her usual afternoon nap in, so she was cranky when we arrived but cheered up quick when she saw the little kids running around and the animals in the petting zoo. With the leaves changing color its the time of year for us to get out and take a family picture together. We'll post pictures soon.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_yH_nT0M-Z5gF1F4oLBQfQgRh3z6kYUp8nes1PnC4W-ocDjwJL5I7raMfhYV18MuA0s6mxgNMH5f0HvruPttHws42b3TjMBRANjZvIh7S-ghUzqpLPdnqJyLmdxFKai1EmANgOMB6PQE/s1600/69324_719056403384_34305692_40531119_2822903_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528394103205085234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_yH_nT0M-Z5gF1F4oLBQfQgRh3z6kYUp8nes1PnC4W-ocDjwJL5I7raMfhYV18MuA0s6mxgNMH5f0HvruPttHws42b3TjMBRANjZvIh7S-ghUzqpLPdnqJyLmdxFKai1EmANgOMB6PQE/s320/69324_719056403384_34305692_40531119_2822903_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZW6l0Gi5d3RT1lthU7atK9v4Xe3D2zOqYVgovNQOgoixL1oNWXpKRZfWM9A_6bXQ-MQ1B_Suz_ZcYKQoy1-oaokVcjZyXzrviKYzDahUsMdEpRnYGKtbljXHhI6onmitCwegAkFBMt4o/s1600/67792_719056692804_34305692_40531128_3143402_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528394104945391042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZW6l0Gi5d3RT1lthU7atK9v4Xe3D2zOqYVgovNQOgoixL1oNWXpKRZfWM9A_6bXQ-MQ1B_Suz_ZcYKQoy1-oaokVcjZyXzrviKYzDahUsMdEpRnYGKtbljXHhI6onmitCwegAkFBMt4o/s320/67792_719056692804_34305692_40531128_3143402_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkTBfu7cdtidM0NIBQl8X6z6u2ovzR1pdKVjWel34NLAHARzZa8Ko6IP9gcy7hDliCT45rbd_jZ_4O5-g32B7Ryq-0QOJGFXklw53BcD-v8m6wuVb5NU85WyYLQkkI_n1OsucKtEcN23Y/s1600/67531_719057146894_34305692_40531137_6295627_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528394097399818002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkTBfu7cdtidM0NIBQl8X6z6u2ovzR1pdKVjWel34NLAHARzZa8Ko6IP9gcy7hDliCT45rbd_jZ_4O5-g32B7Ryq-0QOJGFXklw53BcD-v8m6wuVb5NU85WyYLQkkI_n1OsucKtEcN23Y/s320/67531_719057146894_34305692_40531137_6295627_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMi5AMKNNkfutyMApi0iyWHVFicmku9xouglsthpc75mbAU1LKBrEhW8Uhq_Moq5ejarLS2naX_cnww4rs_3ksd9Y8Zp8V2a2QVT4BxpIY1dF5NwqQ25r_mU6plQ-xpq2itGp9YlVHafY/s1600/39597_1625139958315_1531005539_1796633_5405923_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528394090935332898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 272px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMi5AMKNNkfutyMApi0iyWHVFicmku9xouglsthpc75mbAU1LKBrEhW8Uhq_Moq5ejarLS2naX_cnww4rs_3ksd9Y8Zp8V2a2QVT4BxpIY1dF5NwqQ25r_mU6plQ-xpq2itGp9YlVHafY/s320/39597_1625139958315_1531005539_1796633_5405923_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div></div>The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-25467529660834412562010-10-07T13:13:00.003-05:002010-10-07T13:27:50.241-05:007 Months Old<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIoLG18XUQQANE6nlcvZ18MYmmGHWu53L4558a0x-w5Bdqa8quOADHo0e8URv8qLVxTRHNr_yX9gdxUqzrSWlHqy8MehzFiHx5VsFPXCGcnSGGT548SJfdWY_pa0GYKXr0IHZq2awnxg/s1600/IMG_4438.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525372595100309090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIoLG18XUQQANE6nlcvZ18MYmmGHWu53L4558a0x-w5Bdqa8quOADHo0e8URv8qLVxTRHNr_yX9gdxUqzrSWlHqy8MehzFiHx5VsFPXCGcnSGGT548SJfdWY_pa0GYKXr0IHZq2awnxg/s320/IMG_4438.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgUIe6X_9iZGzDstxQdtpQ-HHgQslfwX2q90mrOuZZVhtTaFRoKXjXjJA_RQ-cjIWhQPGxkgZhDqG1T6TuFGDbKUiSDYNLKk8qYQNx-VJZbEOX3En1dTPrZMKow1ROvaz-HNXELlwWZE/s1600/IMG_4392.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525372451830095186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgUIe6X_9iZGzDstxQdtpQ-HHgQslfwX2q90mrOuZZVhtTaFRoKXjXjJA_RQ-cjIWhQPGxkgZhDqG1T6TuFGDbKUiSDYNLKk8qYQNx-VJZbEOX3En1dTPrZMKow1ROvaz-HNXELlwWZE/s320/IMG_4392.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Ava turned 7 months old yesterday. Time continues to fly by way too fast. She is now a pro at sitting up and rarely falls over. She loves to sit on the floor and play with her toys. Her favorite toys right now are her <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">wubbie</span> (I made 2 for her), blocks, signing bug, and new toy cell phone. She goes to sleep every night with her little pink elephant <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">blankie</span>. We always lay her down with a bottle and she rubs that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">blankie</span> over her head, from one hand to the other. She loves that silky feeling over her head and face. She usually wakes up around 6:15, but she always has a smile on her face. We change her diaper and then go wake up Daddy so Mommy can finish getting ready. Then we all head downstairs for breakfast. Ava loves her cereal except when we try to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">sneak</span> some applesauce in with it. She is not a fan of applesauce and gags on it or refuses to open her mouth. We have been pretending to give her the bottle and then shoveling in the applesauce, but she has wised up to that. She is so smart. We are getting Ava's picture taken on Saturday in her Halloween costume, which we have yet to get. I better get on that. Ava continues to amaze me and she is so aware of her surroundings. She babbles and can copy you making grunting noises or slapping your legs. I am now done with softball and today will be my first day to go home after school!! I am so excited. I can't believe how much she has changed my life... I am <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">obsessed</span> with her and cannot even begin to show her how much I love her. I cannot imagine my life without her- life seems way too perfect. I am so blessed.</div></div>The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-39959030059884571132010-09-23T09:35:00.002-05:002010-09-23T09:50:01.111-05:006 1/2 Months OldIt was so hard to leave Ava this morning. She was a little fussy after eating her cereal so I picked her up and cuddled her for a few minutes. She was as happy as could be in my arms, but I had to leave for school. When I sat her down in her saucer she was fine unitl I rounded the corner for the garage. Then she started fussing; it was like she knew I was leaving. She has started to want me more, which is great! But it also makes you feel terrible when you do have to leave. I went to hand her back to GG this week after a softball game becasue I had to clean up the field and she immediately started fussy and reaching for me. <br />Ava is growing so fast, and we will soon run out of summer clothes that fit. Come on cooler weather! She has a doctor's appointment next Tuesday and I am curious to see her height and weight percentiles. When we got her shots about 2 weeks ago she weighed 16.6 lbs. Big girl! She is also becoming much more coordinated and vocal. We can get her to laugh all the time now. This is such a fun age!<br />I had a game in Lee's Summit this week so Lynn and Brad got to come to the game and Matt drove out after work with Ava. We went to Fazoli's for dinner and Ava was so happy in her high chair. We tried peas for the very first time and she had some great faces. She even got to show Grandma and Grandpa how she can drink out of a straw like a big girl. But as 7:00 pm rolled around, she was fading fast. It was really great to get to go out to eat with them and they got some Ava time in too.<br />With parent teacher conferences, homecoming, and District softball around the corner, fall is definetly here. I am looking forward to being done with softball so I can pick Ava up at 3:00pm. I am also looking forward to fall activities with Ava even though she won't remember a thing... picking out a pumpkin, carving the pumpkin, dressing up for Halloween, and taking colorful pictures outside. I can't wait- just a few more weeks to go.The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-26895291754847774342010-09-14T07:58:00.002-05:002010-09-14T08:07:01.278-05:006 Months OldAva is officially 6 months old and we are doing new and fun things each week. Last weekend Ava went to her first Royals game. She was a champion tailgater and loved sitting in the bumbo, which we placed in a lawn chair. She got pretty tired around 8:00 and we decided to head home in the 7th inning. We started fruits and vegetables a couple of weeks ago too. She really likes squash and yams. She does not seem to care for apples at all and makes some pretty terrible faces. Baby cereal still seems to be her favorite though.<br />Jayne came and visited this weekend. We celebrated a late 21st birthday for Stephanie and went garage saling all day on Saturday. We found some cute pajamas and shoes for Ava, an umbrella/stand for our deck, and I ended up buying a bedroom set on a whim. Matt was less than thrilled but Ava will love it when she is older. I reminded Matt that just as Ava is ready for her crib to covert to a bed, we will probably be ready for baby number two. Justification justification. Haha.<br />Ava also mastered sitting up this weekend. Jayne was downstairs playing with her while I finished getting ready and she told me she was doing so good sitting up. Wh didn't even know she could do that! She is getting so big. She can wave now too. Apparently Nana has her wave bye bye to Daddy when he drops her off in the morning. She was waving bye bye to the family all weekend. I think we have a future doctor on our hands! Mommy is so proud!The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-35894494172313809972010-08-25T11:36:00.004-05:002010-08-30T08:44:51.061-05:005 1/2 Months Old<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMJB8H5H43NaqdVwu-fT7NpXpZaJ4xwWKl3sf9vx-bRpt2Q7__nKx3_GQ6vhbLhqKrg8u13DKhp1Ozu99x449wxTuggo5hL8EjwI_wtW_xE2aJDSmOpO0JJG1wHV5XSLChsFmR7OeoS8/s1600/standing+tutu.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509393225780405250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMJB8H5H43NaqdVwu-fT7NpXpZaJ4xwWKl3sf9vx-bRpt2Q7__nKx3_GQ6vhbLhqKrg8u13DKhp1Ozu99x449wxTuggo5hL8EjwI_wtW_xE2aJDSmOpO0JJG1wHV5XSLChsFmR7OeoS8/s320/standing+tutu.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uFOukoWxflMA6wEndhD0ZoORi43IthNHa1CGCJOvV9piXaQuE_wKJh2eWjIQO4dWSasdbryAH3Ei5tTj7V-ujR0bmNEf5nawlXMKAADpFpvAcQFvPn-ptT1Jh8Pn8mXdYmXRzpp2TME/s1600/cereal.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509393112858478018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uFOukoWxflMA6wEndhD0ZoORi43IthNHa1CGCJOvV9piXaQuE_wKJh2eWjIQO4dWSasdbryAH3Ei5tTj7V-ujR0bmNEf5nawlXMKAADpFpvAcQFvPn-ptT1Jh8Pn8mXdYmXRzpp2TME/s320/cereal.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Ava had a very busy and fun weekend. We had Uncle Brad's going away party at our house on Saturday. Ava was having so much fun she decided that she did not need an afternoon nap. By 7pm she was a zombie! Everyone wanted to hold her... but Uncle Brad did most of the holding that afternoon. He leaves Friday for St. Maartin for Medical School. He will get to come home at Christmas and hopefully we will be headed there to see him this summer.<br />On Sunday Matt and I decided to take Ava to the pool. She had a blast floating in her little chair. The ice cream man came to the pool and we thought it would be a fun idea to get Ava her first ice cream treat. Matt chose a "Pink Panther" head with Bubble Gum eyes. We did most of the eating although we let Ava try a lick or two. She was more interested in touching the melting ice cream. This week the softball team has it's first tournament and I am planning on bringing Ava out for her first softball game. It is suppose to be 80 degrees on Wednesday so it will be a perfect day for a game.<br />Ava started eating rice cereal last week and is doing really great with it. We are planning on starting baby food in about two weeks. She is yelling out and kicking wildly now when she gets excited about something. She even wiggles her whole body if she is really happy. She is even wanting to stand up now with help. She will stand up for 30 sec to a minute before her little legs collapse under her. She is getting ready for walking for sure!<br />Nana took her shopping on Monday and people kept stopping her to talk to Ava. Everyone thinks she is so cute. I would have to agree! Going back to school has been a hard transition for me. I don't want to leave her in the mornings. It is especially hard if she is happy and wide awake. Thank goodness for the weekends!</div></div>The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-69448758517533090962010-08-14T01:29:00.002-05:002010-08-14T01:38:36.639-05:005 Months OldAva celebrated her 5 month birthday inbetween both of her Grandma/Nana's Birthdays. We have had a busy and excited month so far. Mommy is going back to work on Monday so we have been transitioning back to Nana's during the day this week. I also started the softball season this week which has had Mommy missing her favorite time of the day- bathtime.<br />While out to eat at Margarita's Express on Wednesday... Mommy found something unexpected! A little tooth popping in on the bottom row. We knew the teeth would be coming soon with all of the drool and chewing. But a picture to post would be almost impossible since the minute you stick your finger in to feel it, she sticks her tongue out. <br />She is still refusing to roll over 99% of the time even though everyone knows she can do. She does it on her own time. She is also beginning the transition from sleeping all night in the bassinet to her own big girl crib. She sleeps from about 8pm until 1am in her bassinet and then 1am to 6am in her crib. We are also practicing finding our balance and sitting up on her own, although we are still needing lots of support. Ava is still the happiest baby I know minus the occational blow-out. But if she is crying she is tired, hungry, or sitting in filth. Otherwise, we are smiley, happy, and playful. Her laugh is infectious and her smile can make 1am seem like 1pm. Going back to work is going to be hard for Mommy this week, but I have to remember working now will allow us dance lessons in the future. I can do it! She is going to have a great time hanging out with Nana!The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246161586438897879.post-50358002826193861562010-08-01T08:26:00.004-05:002010-08-06T07:56:48.269-05:00Ava in the KC Star newspaperAva will be in the FYI section of KC Star newspaper on Tuesday. The Star is running a story on babies that are dressed like Lady Gaga; she has a concert in town that night. Uncle Brad is a big Lady Gaga fan and he wanted to dress Ava up and send in the pictures. A few days later I get an email asking for permission to run the story with Ava. Be sure to pick up a copy on Tuesday.<br /><br /><br />On a sad note, Andrea has one week of summer vacation left. :( The summer has flown by as always, but it seemed to go even faster with Ava. Teachers go back next week and then the students come back on the 16th.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500437871904845074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiISnINLgFQTpYZYej-aP592P8MxH0El3vOCsaAPkOMI87aECItwqzyVxDAr6GEjfoX2y6Ip2zK8G6RCrV7FG0A-dUR22vdMYh2Gs5Xk73KZhjxlzrJut7ufcmNiarQS13EBCbTWOnVtDQ/s320/IMG_0908.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500437878144401938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkFwuFavIp-56LSsbTGgAS47XsiM5vbKP12c612fl8qvhmTwIH3F8el6lBL0ct-a0qaxp-mP1G0zn63M06HBcDmNCZQMqhqUVuv1435DWSPxgGB3JNdK6lAeIqcxluL0gcKoQM2DZtPw/s320/IMG_0889.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500437859282144418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTkjGoqG8l-ECiitjyGQyGrezwicTwTDbntIWowdk8BqrU_Sj923jvoAxkYpqJJVJqywjFPYIif8heCDbazUEmncCvQ55Mr3vqvuLWvB5eaSvyiFeA0PVBOBndvUy2aES-XYZ39lbyHM8/s320/IMG_0925.JPG" />The Holmes Triohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128010614317660437noreply@blogger.com0