SIX MONTHS OLD!!!!

Ava has reached the six month mark! She is so fun and the boys just love her so much. It is fun to see them love her and want to "squeeze" her all the time. She still loves to suck her toes and can grab her own nuk and put it in her mouth. She is so smiley that even her eyes smile!
I was feeling guilty I have not brought her somewhere for pictures so I did an at home photo shoot today. It is amazing how far pictures and enhancing has come that I can do all of it with my own equipment and a little creativity. (I used the back side of our comforter as the backdrop!)

MCCL / Scott County Fair

We volunteered yesterday at the Scott County Fair at the MCCL booth. It was fun to have all the kids there helping out. Zak said Ava was our mascot. Everyone thought she was a good mascot and of course she smiled at everyone! So that was a positive thing especially since our booth was next to the DFL / Al Franken booth!

Then when our BIG family was trying to figure out what to split for food (since we would go broke if everyone got a big corndog for $5.50 a piece!) we were standing by the corndog booth hashing it out. Finally it was decided Zak and Sam (who was excited) would get their own and maybe share if the two little ones wanted a bite (or mom and dad). I went to the counter with them and ordered two regular corndogs ($3.50). She took my money and handed me one corndog, then the second, then the guy handed me another. I said oh no just two. He said I know, this one is on us! They had been watching our family discussion and thought it was so cute how Sam was so excited to get his own. We told him thank you, that was very kind.

Dolly

My grandma was called Dolly even though her name was Frances. She said that when she was a baby everyone thought she looked like a dolly, hence her name Dolly. So I call Ava, Dolly a lot because people say the same thing. One time a lady actually came up to me and had to touch Ava (she was sleeping in a front carrier on me) because she thought Ava was a doll.

Rein in Sarcoma

I took Grandma and the whole crew to the event at Como Zoo last night, Rein in Sarcoma. What a great event! We loved riding the carousel. The two older boys kept riding and the two little boys (with Ava) finally rode in the chariot. Even Grandma got on a horse. I think she had just as much fun! What an inspiration Karen Wyckoff was to start this for families dealing with sarcoma!
I know the one picture is blurry, but the carousel goes pretty fast so that is all I could get! It is Zak and Sam and then Grandma is off to the right.

Pictures!

Ok, this is addictive!

Okay, now I am really in trouble! Sorry Jeannie, I know I should be working, but it is so quiet and this is hard to stop playing with....I will get back to typing and then off to bed! It is hard not to stay up so late when everyone is sleeping and quiet.

One more picture from our family trip this past weekend. Guess what Steve and Zak did?

This is fun!

I should not be up right now playing around with pictures, but I am trying to work (do my medical transcribing) and it gets hard so I take a break and was trying out this picnik.com site.

5 Months old!

I am going to put some pictures of her because I am not getting the Smilebox now so until I do here are some of my favorite pictures.

She is very smiley. She rolls back to tummy pretty much all of the time now. She will go the other way too, but not as often. She still only nurses. She sleeps really well. She stays in her crib from 9 pm. to maybe 3 am then comes in for a quick snack and falls asleep in my arms. I love that! She really is a very good baby. She has had one ear infection and one cold. Otherwise very healthy. She weighs about 12 lbs.

The boys are always saying to her "you're so cute, you're so cute" and squeeze her. She really is a doll. I sometimes call her Dolly (which my grandma was called Dolly. Nik always asks "Where is Ava?" He takes care of her a lot. Makes sure she has her Nuk or blanket.

Dad painted her toenails once. And she is always wearing something different. I have a lot of nice outfits, thanks to Aunt Melissa, Aunt Ashley, and I suppose Uncle Dave might have a little to do with it, but not as much as the Aunties.

We enjoy her so much and everyone cannot wait for her to get big to see what else she does (except Mom who wants her small again and will just lay on you and not move). She does wave her hands a lot and kicks her feet a lot. She does coo and make little noises.

90 Day Reading Plan

The first day of summer is next week and I am starting this 90 day reading plan for reading the 14 narrative books of the Bible. I have to read 4 chapters a day and I will finish in three months, the duration of the summer. How perfect! Now if I can just do it. I am going to try very hard to keep track of my progress on here. It is hard to do something without the support of others and the accountability. So please join me if you want to. I know it is hard during the summer, but really it is reading the Bible, which is something we should do every day. To read 4 chapters it is supposed to take 20 minutes, so do you have 20 minutes to give back to God every day? I know I do if I prioritize, which is easier said then done. Laundry does have to get done, oh and dinner! Whew, that is the hardest for me some days....

This book, The Bible Timeline Guided Journal (Great Adventure) by Sarah Christmyer. (You can look at it online at Amazon.com) is a great resource and is designed to follow the 90 day reading plan. I highly recommend it!

JUNE 11 - Happy Birthday Sam!

(sorry for the turned picture...how do you turn it the right way?)

Sorry Sam, I missed putting your birthday on here.....Happy Birthday!
We had a busy week last week with VBS at our church. It was a lot of fun and very busy. We slept well every night. Everyone did such a great job with the kids.

Then we (Sam and I) went out for the Mother/Son dinner (early dinner because Dad and I had a church meeting to go to) that I do with my boys for their birthday. We usually go to Emma Krumbee's. It is a special treat. Just the two of us...well actually Ava came with.

Month Of May - Three to Four Months Old

Well I did figure out Smilebox, which is great because I really love making the picture show. So.....now I have to do a 2 to 3 month one and a 3 to 4 month one...oh and Oz's birthday! I am never caught up, but then what would I have to do if I was.

I also want to get back writing about our monthly review. This was a busy month.

May 2 we went to a confirmation at 10 am, wedding at 1 pm, Mass at 5 pm, then out to eat at our favorite restaurant, Christos! That was a busy day and the kids did great. That is also why we went out to eat. Although at the restaurant a lady said "Boy, I would have just stopped through the drive through at McDonald's and headed straight home after a day like that!"

The next day we had another confirmation in Zimmerman, MN at 10:30 am, headed to Becker to visit Grandma so she could meet Ava, and we were also able to visit Aunt Linda and Uncle Jim.

The next day we went to a funeral for a friend whose husband died.
So we went to five different churches in three days.

Mother's Day weekend I went to hear Jeff Cavins speak about the Great Adventure Bible Timeline Study. He is an awesome speaker and it was great to see him in person after watching him on DVD for so long. I am so excited to get this program going further at our parish. I have learned so much and have really gotten to know some amazing ladies.

May 16, Ava went to her first dance recital with mom. We were able to see some of our friends dance. It was very nice and they are very talented. I cannot wait for Ava to dance....especially ballet. That is what I always wanted to do (not as a child, but as an adult! or at least have a girl that did it)

The boys in the family have started Tai Kwon Do, and yes, that would include Steve. They are really enjoying it and then Mom and Ava have some girl time.
Ava has been getting bigger, of course. She is so good natured and so smiley!

Steve and I and friends from church won a silent auction for a Korean dinner made by our beloved priest, Father James (he is from South Korea). That happened last night (see now I am catching up). It was such an enjoyable evening (although Ava cried more than she ever has because she was not feeling so well, vaccinations?, teething?, a cold?, kimchi? (just kidding Father - I really like it!) Father James was an excellent host and prepared great dishes and we had a wonderful time talking and learning more about his culture and family. It was well worth every penny for it!


(This one is for you Bonnie! Thanks for reading and reminding me to do it!)

3 Months Old

I am having trouble with smilebox so I cannot post one for her three month date. Hopefully I will get it figured out and will be able to soon. (Also for Oz's birthday)

She sure is getting big and loves to smile especially at her brothers. Nik wakes up every morning and wants to know where Ava is. He went outside yesterday and picked her flowers. He is such a caring big brother! He also loves to dress her up because he thinks she is so beautiful. I have a great picture of him holding her while he is laying down. She is resting her head on his chest and his arms are around her. He did this all by himself because she was crying and whenever he hears her cry he tries to comfort her. Everyone still loves to hold her and make her smile. We miss the newborn laying still phase, but we cannot wait for more of her personality to come alive.

Yesterday, April 29, was the Feast Day of St. Ava, which was also Great Grandpa Ozzie's birthday. He would have been 101. He passed away at age 99. He always wanted us to have a girl and thought we would.

Ava's Baptism - One Month Old to Two Months Old - Oscar's Birthday!

I still have to add things but here are some pictures!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Make a Smilebox slideshow

WARNING this is LONG*......................but she is our first girl and blessing #5

I did give a warning that this is long and there is a good reason. Instead of having an actual photo album this will be burned to a DVD so she can have that at least. I am still trying to get pictures in a book from child #2! So she can at least see pictures of her somewhere - the good and bad of digital!

*This is also in the process of being edited too, but I thought I better put it on before I have to do the 2nd month.
*Also note you can fast forward through the pictures by clicking on the arrow at the bottom right hand side.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

One Month - Baptism

I will be back to post a smilebox with her first month highlights! Today, March 1st, is her Baptismal Day! So I will get some pictures from that too.

God bless

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and almost time for the new baby!

Wow, time just goes by. I decided I would try to write a little something before this new baby arrives. We are all very excited getting ready. We finally have done some preparing. We moved rooms around, got some "new" furniture (thanks to the Numainville Family), have a few diapers ready (thanks to the Peterson Family), have a few things washed and ready, but then there are still more things to be done. Names, names, and names.......cooking, cooking....getting the car seat ready......finding the baby swing....oh and I suppose pack some things for the hospital....or make sure I know where the kids are going or who is coming to take care of them (thanks to all who have offered their time!) In the end, this will all work out according to God's will and what more can I ask for. I am truly blessed to be in this crazy time, because really it is such a joyous occasion and I am thrilled!

On this day, I will also start the novena to stop FOCA.
Copied from an email I received: To say a novena ( 9 days of prayer ) along with fasting, starting on January 11th. For Catholics, the prayer of choice will be the rosary with intentions to stop the FOCA. For non Catholics, I encourage you to pray your strongest prayers with the same intentions, also for nine consecutive days. The hope is that this will branch and blossom as to become a global effort with maximum impact.