Lake Sinclair
Saturday we loaded up and went to Lake Sinclair to have fun in the sun and to spend some QT with Pop and Granny. Ava loves being outdoors and always has a blast wearing herself out. It was a beautiful day and we had fun grilling out, catching fish, going for a boat ride and just spending time with family. Ava was happy to get to spend some time with Pop and we hope he had a wonderful Father's Day!

Catching the "Big One" with Daddy.

Taking a dip in the lake to cool off.

Enjoying being "Captain" of the boat.

Getting some QT with Uncle Adam & Granny.

Summer Time Fun!

As usual we have been very busy! Here are a few pictures of some fun things we have done so far this summer.

Playing put put in the 90 degree heat!

Hanging out in the pool with Mommy & Aunt Jenn!

Taking goofy pictures before church.

A recent playdate with sweet Lilley Kate.

Bye Bye Baby Bed!!!

Two weeks ago Ava officially said goodbye to her baby bed and hello to a big girl bed! She was pretty much showing no interest at all in moving out of her crib anytime soon, but Nick and I thought it was time and so we took it upon ourselves and made the first move. We made a big event out of...First we had to pick up the bed from Mimi & Papa (the bed she will currently be using was mine and Mimi's bed when we were little girls). Eventually...after we save up some moolah we will move her into a bigger bed, but right now the twin is perfect! Next we put the special bed rails on, made the bed and added in all 50 of her babies & friends. Finally...we took the crib down, which was such a bitter sweet moment. Needless to say Ava LOVES the big girl bed and has no problems sleeping peacefully!

Supervising Daddy...as he read the directions for the bed rails.

Helping Mommy make the bed.

Testing out the finished product!

Sprinkler Fun!

Ava got a little spoiled with all the fun activities at the beach, so yesterday we decided to hook up the sprinkler and let her have a little fun. I'm not sure if she had more fun running around like a crazy person or trying to aim the sprinkler at us and the camera...either way she had fun!

"This is the Life!"

St. George Island 2008

This is our 4th year going to St. George Island, and it is always something we look forward too! This year was extra special and Daddy and Uncle Chris were almost able to stay the whole week. We had fun hanging out on the beach, playing in the ocean, floating in the pool, celebrating Mimi's birthday, fishing, golfing, eating fresh seafood, playing poker & cornhole and just spending time together.

Ava especially loved walking to Aunt Ebby's for ice cream...she ate the whole thing this year! She also enjoyed looking for seashells...every single one million of them! She ran into the ocean with a vengeance and frequently asked us to help her "jump" waves. The boys took us fishing on the pier with them one afternoon and she was fascinated with all the neat ocean creatures they caught...especially the sting rays and baby hammerhead shark! She even surprised us and started singing "bad boys bad boys whatcha going do, whatcha going to do when they come for you" the "Cops" theme song when the Game Warden came up to check the boys for fishing licenses. I don't think he heard her, but I am starting to worry that when she goes to school in the fall she will be singing the cops theme song and asking the kids to play poker! Oh well...at least at the end of a long day we got a good laugh!

Here are some of our favorite pictures...I put the rest of them into a slide show...since once again I got picture happy!

St. George holds a special place in our hearts and was the perfect place to get some much needed rest and gear up for a busy summer and fall!

Oh and if you are looking for a great house to rent we always stay at the "top gun" house. The owners are wonderful and have the best vacation spot! Here's the link: http://www.topgunsgi.com/

Oh...and in case you were wondering where the title of this post came from...Leave it to Ava! She was floating in her raft in the pool as you will see in the first picture of the slide show and said "This is the Life"...and she was right!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A Fun Day at the Zoo!

While Mommy was having fun hosting a "sip & see" for baby Mallory & Blythe, Daddy & Ava set out to meet the Morrow Clan for a fun day at the Atlanta Zoo!

As many of you know, Ava loves animals so she was especially excited to explore the zoo with her cousin Andy, Granny, Pop, Uncle Adam, Daddy, Aunt Katie & her Great Uncle Mark. Daddy even let her "brush" the goats!

Here are a few pictures that Daddy took during their fun filled day! Ava & Andy loved pretending they were Meerkats!

Hanging out with Aunt Katie!

Mother's Day

Every day is special and unique when I'm with Ava. The amount of joy and love that little girl has brought to my heart is enough to last throughout my lifetime. You never know which Ava you are going to get, but every characteristic she posses brings some sort of laughter or joy to my day. If you had asked me 5 or 10 years ago what I would be doing, I probably wouldn't have said staying at home with an almost 3 year old. Her love and compassion for all God's creatures, her sense of humor and yes her tendency to be a little bossy never ceases to amaze me. I am truly in awe of this miracle sent by God into our lives! So Mother's Day to me is more like Ava day...for I wouldn't have a special day to celebrate if it wasn't for her!

We had a great relaxing day cooking out with our family. Even though it was super windy, we enjoyed eating outside and just spending time together.

Ava with her boys!

It just wouldn't be the same without a little snuggle from Gigi and Mimi!

Ava having a "moment" with Gigi & G-Paws dog Lily.

4 generations...how lucky are we!

I have been blessed with many incredible women in my life, but the example of love and devotion that my Mom and Grandmother's have shown me over the past 29 years is truly something special. I wouldn't be who I am today, if it weren't for their love, support and guidance. I truly hope that I am fortunate enough to become that same inspiration to Ava. So to all my special friends and family members, I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Fun in the Puerto Rican Sun!

Once again Ava and I were able to join Mimi and Papa on a fun week long trip to Puerto Rico! We were really sad to leave daddy behind for a full 7 days, but we have to admit it was kind of nice to "getaway" from reality for a while.

Ava did wonderful on the long flight...I mean she was really good! She sat in her seat and played with her baby, colored, read books and took a nap. By the time we arrived she was ready to go and all she could talk about was the beach.

For the first 3 days we stayed at the Caribe Hilton which is where we have stayed in the past. It's a wonderful hotel...actually the first big resort ever built in Puerto Rico. We played in beach lagoon, swam in the freezing pool, walked the beautiful grounds, visited the Rain forest, shopped in old San Juan, and ate some wonderful food. Ava really took to the beach and had no trouble running back and forth filling up her bucket with water. She was such a good girl and we only had one little mishap the whole time...
We went for our usual dinner at Morton's Steakhouse...I know most of you are probably rolling your eyes wondering why in the world we would take a 2 year old to a five star restaurant. However, Ava has been dining at Mortons since she was around 9 months and knows how to behave at any eating establishment. Before we left for dinner she was really thirsty and literally gulped down a whole sippy cup of grape juice in less than 5 minutes. When we sat down she ate some bread, chewy snacks etc etc. Our steak arrived and she began chowing down on filet mignon and mashed potatoes. Next thing...I look over and she is throwing up...I mean like lava flowing out of a volcano throwing up. Poor thing is just looking at us with these big eyes. I quickly grab our nice WHITE crisp cloth napkins and put them under her! By that time purple juice and everything else in her tiny tummy was all down the front of her WHITE Strasburg Children's dress!!! AHHH! Thank goodness no one was sitting around us. Needless to say we quickly finished and left. I still feel bad for the poor waiter who picked up those napkins!

The next day we headed to the Intercontinental hotel for Papa Guy's conference. It was a gorgeous hotel with top notch service! Us girls had so much fun while Papa was working. We played in the waves, swam in the pool & waterfall, and snoozed under our own little pool cabana. We were outside from about 10am to 6pm every day! Papa was able to join us on Thursday and before Ava and I left on Friday for some fun. It was amazing to see how much Ava has changed in the past year. She is no longer afraid of the ocean...I guess no more relaxing on the beach any more for mommy & daddy.

We had a great flight back and were sooooooooooo excited to meet daddy at the airport. He was very excited to have his girls back too! I just posted a few pictures and put the rest into a little slide show...so sorry for the long post...there were just too many to choose from!

Oh and we need to say a BIG THANK YOU to Papa and Mimi for a great sunny getaway! We love you!

Enjoy!!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com