SQUASH!

Ava tried her first vegetable for the first time on Tuesday night and surprisingly she loved it! We gave her squash, because it has a sweeter taste to it, so we thought she might like it. She definitely did and I am so glad, because she didn't really like the bland oatmeal/rice concoctions we were making her. And, yes, we do realize we need to go ahead and buy Ava a highchair instead of feeding her in her car seat. :) That is the next item on our list. Here is just a short video of her first squash tasting!

Snapshots of Ava

Here are just a few snapshots of Ava in one of my favorite dresses. She is getting so big and is holding her head up so well and for very long periods of time. These pictures are from my phone, so the quality is not great, but couldn't help but post these pics.

Weekend with the Steve and Nikki

Things have been so hectic, I am just now catching up on the last two weekends!

Two weekends ago, our good friends Steve and Nikki came down to visit and meet Ava for the first time. They were so thoughtful and brought Ava a little gift from Chicago. She got some cute little Chicago Cubs onesies for the baseball season. I know Gabe's grandfather is going to love seeing Ava in her new Cubs onesies.

We ended up going to the lake to hang out with Jerry, Dianna, Jake and Alyssa. We had so much fun hanging out even though it was so hot! I'm sure they were so ready to get back to Chicago, where the weather is much cooler. Steve and Nikki are always so sweet, we are so lucky to have them as friends. Here are just a few pictures from the weekend.

Ava and Gabe in their matching Cub gear

Steve, Nikki, and Ava

Gabe, Steve, and Nikki

Friends

Waiting to go on the lake

All the girls

Ava's First Feeding

Ava had her 4 month check up yesterday and we got the green light to start introducing her to foods. So, we immediately went out and bought some rice cereal for her to try. We were so excited to see how she would react. We didn't think she would like it at first and we were right. She took a little taste of it, but would just spit it back out. We are going to keep working with her over the next couple of nights to see if she likes it and then maybe move on to a different kind of cereal. Hopefully, she will start enjoying her cereal soon, so we can move on to the next stage...VEGGIES!! Here is a little video clip and a few pictures from her first feeding.

Rollie Pollie

Over the last couple of weeks, Ava has been trying to so hard to roll over from her back to her belly. Just this past weekend, she would get so close, but her little arm just gets in the way. I have a feeling it won't be long before she figures it out and she will be rolling all over the couch. Here is a 2 minute clip of her trying her hardest to roll over, she is so determined!

August Birthdays

August is another big month for family birthdays. There are three birthdays in the month of August, with both Alyssa and me having our birthdays back to back. Her birthday is on August 8th and mine is on August 9th, so our birthday weekend is packed full of fun every year! This year was no exception, I felt like my birthday lasted for 3 days straight. I felt so loved by everyone, and got so many nice things for my birthday. I also had a new speical someone in my life to celebrate my 27th birthday, which made it that much sweeter!

On Saturday, my parents came down to spend the weekend with me on my birthday. For dinner, we went out to eat at the Butcher Shop and I ate the best steak I think I have ever had in my entire life.

On Sunday, we drove down to Graceland and took a tour of the Mansion. It's been over 20 years since I had visited, so I thought it would be something fun to do for my birthday. We had a great time and Ava did so good considering how hot it was! She is such a trooper. That night, we celebrated Alyssa's birthday at Benihana's and had a blast! The food was excellent and we had so many great laughs! Two random guys that were in Memphis on business joined us at the end of the table and sat through the entire birthday celebration...it was hilarious! You will notice them in one of the pictures below. After dinner, our car battery died and Rodo, the guy that cooked our dinner, also had to jump our car...needless to say, it was an eventful night!

On Monday, Ava had her 4 month check up, which also included shots :(. Not really something I wanted to do on my birthday, but she was tough and is doing great. My parents took me out to eat at Perkins for a birthday breakfast before they hit the road back to KY. That night, we went over to Jerry and Dianna's to eat some pepperoni bread and ice cream cake (YUM!).

So, as you can see, we had a jam packed weekend! I was so glad I got to spend it with loved ones! Here are just a few of the pictures from this past weekend...enjoy!

Ava laughing at her daddy

Ava wishing her Aunt Smo a Happy Birthday!

Graceland
Ava is so excited to see Graceland!
Ready to go to Graceland! Opening some gifts
Family Pic
Celebrating Alyssa's Birthday at Benihana's
Jerry thinks I'm 72!!!

My Pandora Ring

My Birthday Cake!

Ava-4 months

Yesterday Ava turned 4 months, so of course, Mommy had to put her in her finest outfit and whip the camera out for some pictures. She is getting pretty good in front of the camera, her head still bobbles a little, so it's hard to get some shots of her sitting up. I wanted to take some pictures outside in the grass, but it's been way too hot these days in Memphis, so hopefully I can get some shots next month when the weather cools down a bit. I think some of these turned out really cute, I just love her little watermelon dress. I think her eyes are getting bigger and bigger everyday, she is so alert now and wants to see everything.

4 months

August, 4th 2010

Trying to roll over, she's almost got it

Enough with the pictures, Mom!

Girl's Weekend

Gabe was in Ohio this past weekend for a bachelor party, so Ava and I had a girls weekend! So, of course, we did what girls do best...SHOPPING! I think I toted Ava around to every store in Collierville and Germantown combined. I am training her early to be a shopper just like her mommy. On Friday night, we had a slumber party at Nana's and woke up on Saturday and went shopping. We had such a good time and were able to grab up some good finds at all the end of summer sales. On Saturday night, Brittany came up to visit Ava before she went back to school. We ate at Olive Garden, did some back to school shopping, and hung out with some friends at Booya's. Brittany was such a big help, she was like my personal assistant all day on Sunday. She was there for me and Ava every step of the way, whenever I needed her. She is such a good aunt! Here are just a few pictures from the weekend.

Aunt Brittany and Ava

Ava and me

Neil, Amanda, and Ava at Booya's

July Birthdays

We have three family birthdays in July with two of them landing on the same exact day! My mom and Dianna's birthday is July 21st. We celebrated my mom's birthday over the weekend when she came to visit. We grilled out delicious steaks on Saturday evening and while Gabe and my dad played bocce ball in the back yard, my mom and I got to sneak away for a few hours to do a little shopping.
For Dianna's birthday, we ordered in barbeque from the Commissary in Germantown and had a family get together over at her house to celebrate her big day. Below are some pictures from their birthday celebrations.

Happy Birthday to Mom and Dianna!
The Birthday GirlsMom is celebrating her first birthday as a Grandma!
And so is Dianna...
Ava blowing bubbles and observing her feet
Dianna got a Nook for her birthday