Christmas Card...

This is our Christmas card for 2008. If you didn't get one, I'm sorry, its probably because we don't have your address!

Funny story about getting this picture, we took probably 20 picture trying to get Ava to look at the camera. She did great the first two pictures, she was looking straight ahead and smiling, it was wonderful! But even Nathan agreed we had to redo the picture, I looked about 30lbs heavier and all because I was sitting on the opposite side. It was so weird. But after about a half hour we gave up and chose this picture because we could at least see all of Ava's face. I hope you like it!

Merry Christmas

3 years...

Has it really been three years? I mean that in a good way, really I do. But I will say, it doesn't seem like its been three years. It actually seems that its been both shorter and longer than 3 years. Hard to imagine I know, but thats how my mind is working. In three years we've done a lot which makes it seem like a longer period of time has passed, yet at the same time it doesn't seem that long ago.

Three years ago, at this very moment (2:28 PM) I was standing in the lobby at Chestnut Ridge Church, waiting to walk down the aisle. I can remember being very calm until the moment before it was my turn, when I decided I needed to go to the bathroom....too late! (I do that when I get nervous.) With my Step-Dad at my side, I nodded to my sister (the flower girl) to go ahead, and then we walked down behind her. I don't remember seeing a single person in the crowd, only the smile on Nathan's face. Even the few moments it took to trade off my Step-Dad with my Dad, or when he told me to "scoot over" as I was apparently walking in the middle of the aisle (it was my day wasn't it? hehe) didn't take my gaze from my soon to be husband. Shoot, I didn't even get to hear my friend Juls' beautiful voice as she sang "Only Hope" as I walked to the front.

The ceremony was quick, and although we had a few little things happen, they were all quirks that added to the amazement of the day. (Okay, so I have to list a few of the little things: the aisle runner wasn't taped down and it was upside down - my Mom ended up standing on the end of it; my brother Jack got sick and about passed out - had to be escorted off the stage by Luke; the rolling slideshow wasn't turned off until after the ceremony started; the music at the end wasn't started soon enough; all our pictures are off center with the tree behind us; I about punched someone at our reception :o) ; and the list goes on! If you want all the info we'll talk later!)

The day turned out wonderfully, and although I don't remember a lot of it I'm thankful to have pictures to remember it by. I hope everyone had as much fun as we did. And honestly, I still look back and think our wedding was one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever been to, I just loved it. I guess every bride says that though.

So its been exactly three years, and we have done a lot. We've moved from WV to VA, and from VA to PA, changed jobs several times, changed churches, bought a house and added to our family, and I don't mean Acey. We've done a lot in a short period of time, but like I said before, it doesn't feel like its been so short. Either way, short or long, its been wonderful. I couldn't ask for anything better.

Today we celebrate our 3rd anniversary. We won't do much as Nathan is still kind of sick, but just spending the time together with our daughter will be enough. I am looking forward to another 3 years, and many more than that.

Santa...

On Saturday we took part in that annual tradition and went to see Santa. Luckily my MOPS group was having a "Pajama Party with Santa" so we didn't have to go to the mall, added bonus we could take as many pictures with Santa as we wanted....as as time permitted. Plus, it was really snowy on Saturday and we live a good half hour from the mall, and only 10 minutes or so from the Clubhouse where Santa was.

We weren't quite sure how Ava would react, given many children find the big man in red quite scary, not to mention the fact that she is overwhelmingly a "Mommy's girl".... ask Nathan about my nights out at MOPS. (so far I haven't made it through a single one, and there has only been 3...well 2 that I made it to).

Anyway, we got Ava dressed in one of her many Christmas outfits and headed out in the snow. But of course we took a few pictures first.

wide eyes, she isn't too thrilled to be dressed up....my child hates, I mean HATES bulky clothes! She had a hate that matched, but we prefered the bow.

a picture with Daddy by the tree

(yes thats a random green ribbon on the tree, its there because Ace would have eaten it had I left it on the table and so I threw it on the tree expecting to take it down, but forgot)

Ava and Santa. This was picture #3 that we took, all the other Ava either had her hand in her face or was looking elsewhere. Just happens that Santa isn't looking at the camera in this pic.

The three of us, courtesy of Andrea (Santa's bouncer and our close friend! Thanks Andi)

We didn't stay at the party long as we were surrounded by preschoolers and they were WILD. I ate a cookie and then we ran out the door as fast as we could. We then headed over to Jon and Val's to hang out them and Nate until Andrea was done with her bouncer duties. We had a great time seeing Santa, and spending time with friends. Hope you had a great weekend yourselves.

the tree...

So far so good with our Christmas tree this year....at least the cats haven't torn it down yet. I thought I'd put up a couple of pictures. Enjoy!

I don't know if you can tell, but the majority of the lights are at the top as well as the ornaments because of the cats, they like to chew on things and pull things off the tree... shoot, they will even eat the tree!

Thanksgiving...

This Thanksgiving we decided it would be easier for us to stay at home, especially since we were heading to Morgantown to see Nathan's siblings on Saturday morning. So we got up nice and early on Thanksgiving day, I got the turkey started and then we hung out with Ava for a while. She was having a ball laying on the floor talking to her toys and getting Mommy & Daddy's full attention. It was really nice to have Nathan home for 4 days straight.





Eventually we went up and got Ava a bath and then dressed her in her Thanksgiving Day outfit courtesy of Andrea. Ava was actually the only one who got dressed on Thursday, Nathan and I stayed in our pjs... oh so nice.

she wasn't too happy about the pictures after about 10 of them

Then on Friday we got ready for the WVU vs. Pitt game. After Pitt's first touchdown I turned my attention to putting up the Christmas tree. Yes we actually put it up this year, hopefully it will last longer than 3 days. The cats have already started pulling the ornaments off, so I took off the lower branches and moved all the decorations up so they are about 3' off the ground. It looks funny, but we needed a tree for Ava's first Christmas.

Ava was a bit worried about WVU after the first half. We had hoped for a better game and were very disappointed at the outcome. Ava was not a happy camper and got really upset at the very end. Eventually she gave up and cried herself to sleep.....

we hope you had a great Thanksgiving!!!

Susan & Morgan...

I talked with my aunt Susan (& cousing Morgan) today and she said that I needed to post some new pictures... and that with each post I do, there should be a requirement of new pictures. Apparently its the hightlight of their day when they get to see pictures.

So here are some new and relatively new pictures of Ava for Susan and Morgan... and everyone else too. Enjoy!

she found her thumb...takes after Mommy

Ava with Reese's Bear

hanging out with Lambie

(dumb picture rotated on me!)

she is learning to stick her tongue out

she didn't want another picture taken!

hanging out with Daddy

more sleep...

Last weekend we finally moved Ava from our room into her crib. She had been sleeping in a basinet next to our bed, it was the basinet that I used as well as my Mother and Grandmother when we were babies. But Ava had started to outgrow it. She would wake herself up when she moved her arms about at night because they would hit the sides... not to mention she'd wake me up as well anytime she moved around. So we figured it was time.

The first night was a little scary for me, for some reason I thought something would happen to her. But I was good and I didn't get up and check on her a thousand times, I actually slept. It was nice getting 4 hours of sleep in a row. But since then our sleep has increased and increased.

Yesterday I mentioned to Nathan that on Dec. 1, thats two Mondays from now, we should try "sleeping through the night in 7 days." By then Ava will be 3 months old and able to sleep through the night by herself. Actually they say any baby that is over 12 lbs doesn't need night feedings and should be sleeping anyway. Not so much the case with our Ava, but anyway.

So last night, just for fun, I decided to lay Ava down in her crib to see what would happen. She was tired anyway, and it was bedtime. She fussed for quite a while, although I didn't let her go too long. I ended up picking her back up and she almost immediately fell asleep. I walked downstairs with her, still sleeping, and turned off the TV and lights, walked back upstairs put her in her crib again. She woke up for maybe 5 minutes and then fell asleep. EUREKA!!! Then to top it off she slept until 6am! I couldn't believe it. I got almost 7 hours of sleep in a row last night.

Oh... there she is. I better get going, the princess is up. I'll try to update again soon, but wanted to share our exciting news.

Ava's Room

So we finally finished Ava's room a few weeks ago and I've been meaning to post a video of it for some time. Unfortunately I'm not camera or computer savy so the video is sideways... so please tilt your head to the left and enjoy!

Halloween and updates...

Happy Halloween...a few days late! This past week we not only had Halloween, but also Ava's two month check up. On Thursday she turned two months old and then Friday we went to the doctor to see how much our little pumpkin had grown... and man has she grown. Ava is now up to 11lbs 7oz (with a soaked diaper) and is 22-1/2 " long. That puts her in the 75% for weight and 50% for length. She is finally fitting into her 0-3 month clothes and we're (I should say "I", although Daddy thinks she always looks awfully cute) enjoying dressing her up when we go out.

front

back


our little pumpkin
the bow doesn't match but she needed it!



tuckered out from all the excitment

waiting on the trick or treaters with our Halloween kitty...

eventually we bundled up as much as possible and went outside to sit with our neighbor Casey. Apparently here in Cranberry people don't come to your door even if your light is on, they expect you to sit outside. It was nice sitting with Casey though, getting to know her better and together watching all the kids having fun. Plus it gave me someone to talk to since Nathan went to Jon and Val's house to help Jon paint the nursery. I am sorry I missed that experience as I got an earful of stories on Saturday night about what I missed.

relaxing with Daddy...look at that grin

not so happy about another picture, but she looked too cute to pass it up.

There hasn't been too much going on here in the Berry Ann household, but we're already looking forward to Christmas.... We planning on spending the holidays here at home as a family and then working our way around to see family probably after the new year. We have so much family to see we have to spread it out over several weekends.

We hope everyone had a great Halloween and ate way too much candy, I know we did!

side note: I really really hate how the layout never plays nicely!

Happy Thanksgiving...

Yes, we know its October and that Thanksgiving isn't until next month but this past weekend we took our first family trip down to Philippi, WV for our family's annual Early Thanksgiving. Every year we get together and have a Thanksgiving meal with the entire extended family and that way we get to see each other and its kind of like a small family reunion. And Thanksgiving seems to be a great thing to celebrate since we all love food... and we have so much to be thankful for!

This year was of course Ava's first Thanksgiving and she got to meet so many people. I think by the Sunday afternoon she was so tired of being passed around, she just couldn't stand it anymore and the fussiness set in. Needless to say, she was also very spoiled and wouldn't let me put her down at all on Monday or Tueseday!

This year was also very special because Ava got to meet her Great Grandpa Jack. Grandpa Jack was recently diagnosed with stage 2 Pancreatic cancer, and so we wanted to get down and see him since he has been sick. Plus, we haven't seen that side of the family since Christmas and we were having withdrawl.

Ava and her Great Grandpa Jack

Ava and her Great Grandma Judi

Ava and Ellis, the two newest additions to the family!

(this is what happens in our family when you fall asleep first)

On Friday night after we had gotten a chance to visit with everyone for a while, we headed up to the college (A.B) for the homecoming dinner. Grandpa was being honored at the dinner for his service to the college. Years ago, about 13 I think, the college named the baseball field after my Grandfather. A big sign saying "Jack Funk Field" was put up and we all attended the ceremony. Well, not too long ago someone took down that sign, so at the homecoming dinner my uncle JD, who happens to be the athletic director at AB, unvailed the new 4'x18' metal sign that is going to replace the old sign. My Grandfather is an amazing man, just ask anyone who has ever been to Philippi... everyone knows Jack Funk! I know he was truly honored by what the college did, although I'm sure he felt he didn't deserve it. We had a lovely time at the dinner and even took a picture of the family that was there.

back row from left: Dad, Nathan, Uncle JD, Uncle Ort, Uncle Don, Chelsea

middle row from left: Shelley, Aunt Linda, Amanda, Aunt Susan, Morgan

seated row from left: Amy, Sarah & Ava, Grandma Judi, Grandpa Jack, Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Judy

front row from left: Jack, Danielle, & Andrew

We also got a 4 generational picture of Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Ava, & Myself, but I don't have that one to share... maybe one of my cousins or Aunts could share that with me? (hint hint)

Then on Sunday after our Thanksgiving dinner, we headed home with a quick stop in Morgantown to visit our friends the Smiths. We hadn't seen the Smiths in about two months and we wanted to meet their new little girl Addi. We headed home around 7:30 and like I said Ava's fussiness had set in and we had to stop on our way back and feed her. Other than that she had done wonderfully in the car, she actually slept all the way down to Philippi on Saturday.

Hopefully we'll get back down to WV soon to see our family again. We always love seeing them and as Nathan always says, he is usually a little sad that we have to leave. Of course I am too and I'm sure Ava will be one day. And after our visit this weekend I am already looking forward to next summer when we can head down and go to the lake and share that new experience with Ava as well.

So even though it wasn't the "real" Thanksgiving, it was a great weekend to give Thanks to God for our wonderful family. We truly have been blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

(silly format, don't have time to fix it, as my child is waking up from her nap!)

not entertaining...

I thought this was too cute not to share.

On Tuesday night Nathan and I finally put together Ava's crib. It had been on backorder and so we didn't receive it until two weeks ago and hadn't had time to put it together. We decided we better get it done and out of the way.

Here is what we did:


And here is what Ava did:

apparently we weren't entertaining enough!

I think she ended up having more fun sleeping then we did putting the crib together, even though it wasn't tough and only took 45 minutes. We were both thankful that she let me put her down so I could help.

Updates about our first trip to WV with Ava after the weekend. Have a great one!

scissor-happy

Its definitely not what I asked for but it isn't terrible by any means. I think my stylist got a little sisscor-happy yesterday when she cut my hair.... or I wasn't clear in what I wanted. I thought what I asked for was pretty simple, keep the length in the front and shorten the back giving me a slight, but not too dramatic angle down towards my face. (I hate haivng the back of my hair longer than the front, so I'd rather have it shorter) Yeah, that didn't happen. It started off just fine with her shortening the back then... WHAM! she chopped off the front too. Oh well, it will grow. Oh, and there is no angle, just the normal same length all the way around "bob cut."

1 month...

Has it really been one month already? Its hard to believe that our little Ava turned one month old yesterday. The time sure has passed quickly, but I guess thats what happens when you're constantly changing diapers and having feedings every 2-3 hours (occassionally more often). It has been wonderful so far dispite the lack of sleep and our newest adventure into colic. Ava is a wonderful baby and even when her stomach is upset, she doesn't cry too long.

Yesterday we had our one month Dr.'s appt. We were very surprised to find that Ava now weights 8lbs 5oz (25th percentile), thats 2 whole pounds that she has gained since she left the hospital! She has also grown in length and is now 21 inches (50th percentile) and her head circ. is 35 (10th percentile...she gets that from her Mommy). Unlike what we thought, she is apparently getting plenty to eat and gaining more than an ounce a day which is normal. All in all, she is growing and changing daily and we are enjoying all the new things she is learning to do...smiling is our favorite.

We are taking our first family trip in two weeks so we'll be sure to post some pictures. We're heading to WV to see the Funk side of the family. Grandpa Jack hasn't been doing too well and we want to get down and see him... plus Ava hasn't met anyone from that side of the family yet, except her Grampa Fred ("Gramps" as Nathan calls him).

Well, gotta run its brunch time for Ava.

"Mom its too early for pictures!"

Right out of bed, bedhead and all

SuperMom and updates...

SuperMom, I am NOT!!! And I definitely won't ever be. Its good I've realized this early on, that way I don't set myself up for failure. I've gotten comments from people that I need to update our blog with new pictures and its taken me a while to get to it. I don't have everything figured out but things are starting to get easier. Maybe by the time Ava is 25 I'll at least have more time to blog and answer emails. So with my little one beside me, asleep in her carrier, I thought I'd take a few minutes and update you as to how we're doing.

Its been almost three weeks since our little Ava joined our family and its been full of ups and downs. We don't have a schedule, as much as we'd like to have one, so we just go with the flow. We're supplimenting Ava's feedings with formula so she is getting enough to eat, which took some time for me to get over... but man is it more convenient and she does sleep longer! (YAY!) And of course Mom isn't getting much sleep, maybe 2 or 2-1/2 hours between feedings at night. Although that does change quite a bit, and right now feedings seem to be coming more often since we are in our 3rd week growth spurt.

Ava is changing every day and she is such a good baby. We can't tell you what joy and love, not to mention laughs, she has brought into our life. She is amazing and we are so thankful to God for sending her to us....we're just hoping we raise her the best we can according to God's will.

We'll its about lunch time for Miss Ava, so we'll leave you with a few pictures we've taken over the past week or so. Enjoy!

Ava and her Aunt Tara

Napping with Daddy

bath time fun

sleeping in the bouncer...we do a lot of this!

on our way to church

(couldn't get the pic to turn right side up)

they say babies only smile when they have gas... I beg to differ!