Kate comes to visit in May

Kate is Ella's "best friend" and cousin. She came to our house for a little while to play with the girls. This was at the end of May.

Spring and Summer Time 2010

I have been out of comission. First it started with the end of school and then I was sick because as some of you know, I am pregnant! The last thing I have wanted to do is walk downstairs and update everything on the computer. I have hardly picked up my camera since May. Anyway, over the next week or so, I will try to update everyone on what we have been up to. To start off with, here are a couple pictures that we used to let our families know that we were expecting baby #3.

It is hard to see the shirts but Ella's says," I'm the big sister" and Ava's says,"I'm in the middle."

Easter Celebration

Easter time comes around and I always think about rebirth and renew. Christ gave us that opportunity to see past our mistakes and ignorance and continue down the path He has prepared for us. God's love for us is so graciously huge and He never ceases to amaze me.

As we celebrate Easter with our family, we try to teach the girls about what Jesus did on the cross and why we give to them on this special day. Here are some pictures of how we celebrated.

Spring Break Begins

Monday was the beginning of Spring Break, however we started ours today. The girls were sick so we were stuck in the house until today. My friend, Sarah and I took our four kids to the Tennessee Aquarium. The day started off late but the kids were still in a good mood which means we were still in good moods! We started off in the sea of sting rays. Ella and Ava enjoyed it so much because they got to stick their little hands in the water. Unfortunately none of the sting rays came close enough for the girls to touch but they were happy just to play in the water. Then we were off to the Butterfly Garden. This was Ella favorite part of the day.She kept her finger out for the butterflies to land on it. I am not quite sure where she learned that from. Anyway, we just got to watch the butterflies as they flew around. The penguins were next (my favorite). By this time, hunger and sleepiness was inching it way closer and the challenge of keeping the kids together was quite dificult. But we made it out with all 4 kids. Then it was time to see the big ocean of fish and sharks. Ella became a little fearful of the shark but when she understood that the shark could not reach her for the fact that there was a big glass window to keep them apart, she was actually intrigued by the sharks. We took a little snack break and sat to watch all the different kinds of fish. Then onward to the cave where we were surrounded by sea creatures on three sides. The kids liked going through the cave and by this time they were past ready to eat and sleep! I think Sarah and I were too!

After a few temper tantrums (due to lack of food and sleep) we made it to Mellow Mushroom where I will say we were Super Women getting them situated after a very busy day. They ate well and afterwards 2 out of the 4 fell right to sleep on the way back to Sarahs. It was a crazy yet wonderful day and now it is time for some very much needed relaxation(Turbo Kick class)!

Ella was telling Brian all about the trip and she said, " Mommy tried to make me touch a Sting Monster." (meaning Sting Ray...thought that was cute:o))





Liam (Ella and Ava's friend) watching the "Sting Monster"

Swimming Lessons

I have been meaning to write this blog upadate for two weeks now but don't have a moment to spare throughout the day. If there is a moment, I am too exhausted to get on the computer:o)

So Ella and Ava have started swim classes at the YMCA. Brian get's in with Ava and sings little nursery rhyme songs while getting her acclimated to the water. She was quite unsure about the whole experience, yelling for me when she caught a glance in between songs. She seemed to enjoy it though. Her favorite part was singing Wheels on the Bus. The second week, she got to slide down a small slide and she loved that as well.

Ella is in a class where she goes all by herself. She was full of excitement and loved the fact that she was big enough to go all on her own. She had so much fun doing all the activities from the side of the pool. When the instructor brought her into the pool, she held on for dear life! She got a little more comfortable as the class progressed. Her favorite part was playing Red Light, Green Light where she kicked her feet from the side of the pool. She did really good! The second class, they added some things and it made Ella very unsure and we thought we might want to put her in Ava's class. After talking to the instructor, she suggested we work with her a little bit before each class. We will try that this Saturday and maybe that will calm her fears. I think the biggest thing for her is she hates to go under the water or choking from the water. If she overcame that, then she would be a little fish in her class.

Here are some pictures of swim class:o)

Babysitter Needed, Babysitter Found:o)

Here is what has been going on since...November of 2009. There was a massive rock slide on the River Road, which happens to be the route Brian uses to commute to work. The news informed us that the road should be open at the end of March. It has been a huge adjustment for the girls because they have had to spend the night in Ducktown 3 nights out of the week. Brian had the girls, I was home by myself and it was not the most envied situation to be in. We have been taking it in strides and dealing with it the best we could.

In the last few weeks, Brian was able to work from home once a week, which was a huge stress reliever. It helped to be able to see each other and spend time as a family.

Then, this week, Brian's grandparents gave us the go ahead to find a babysitter for here in Cleveland so that Brian could be home at nights and the girls would have a little more consistency (along with having quality time with me:o)). Yay! Brian called Lee and talked to a seminary professor who had someone who needed a job.

Although I am always leery of who is watching the girls, we were in need of somebody and knew no one who was available to watch Ella and Ava full time. Today, we interviewed a lady and she seems to be a fit for our situation. It is amazing how quickly the need was filled and we count it as a blessing. Please pray that the Lord covers the girls and that this continues to all work out. The girls were shy with her while she was at the house which isn't surprising. We will see how it pans out:o)

Ava's Elmo Birthday Party at Chick Fil a

Ava turned 2 on February 13. We celebrated by going to Chick Fil A with a few friends and family. It was a lot of fun. Some of the highlights were:

Happy Birthday Ava!





Gracie


Riley


Liam


Hannah


Playtime (this was the only picture I got)


The cutest Elmo cake!


Singing "Happy Birthday"


Blow out your candles Ava!


The gift table


The Party Favors


We had a blast at Ava's Birthday party! It is hard to believe that Ava is 2 years old! She is definitely showing her true age! She is a delight and makes us laugh all the time! But she still loves to give hugs and kisses and snuggle at night! I can't wait to see her growth in the next year! Thank you to everyone who came to her party and to those who celebrated with her! Stay tuned as we capture other special moments in the girl's lives:o)