enjoying the ADVENTURE: Finally...

It's been two long years since we last saw two of our best friends. We were counting the hours, and when they arrived on Friday I literally jumped up and down like a kid. After getting a later than expected start, Brett, Amanda Jo and Trent got here around 9pm, and poor Trent hadn't slept at all. Ava had put herself to bed at 6:30 (!) and so she missed their arrival, but she got a big surprise the next morning.

The first word out of Ava's mouth when she saw Trent were "Whoa!!!" I think it was love at first site. After running off their excitement, we settled them into breakfast.

then we HAD to watch Elmo...

at some point we ended up outside on the deck. Oh the fun that they had...

Eventually we dressed the kids and headed out for a run. The guys went their own way and somehow Amanda and I found the biggest hill in Cranberry and had to run up it while pushing the jogging strollers. Once we got back Ava wanted to go swing, which really means she wants to swing for 30 seconds and then get in the sand box. We started filling up the pool in order to let the water warm up, but before we could stop them, they were in the pool splashing and having fun.

after getting their swimmies on.

Trent loved the sandbox

before getting their swimmies on... (out of order, I know)

Enjoying the sprinkler with Amanda

the collision... it was bound to happen

Then we went in and shared some snacks... and of course watched Elmo again. We're all Elmo'd out!

too cute!

Saturday afternoon was a blur. The guys left for a few hours to hang out and then they came home and we had a little cookout. Two more friends and their son came over, which made it a super full house. By the end of the night we were exhausted.

Sunday morning arrived too early, and Amanda and I headed off to Monroeville so Amanda could do hair and makeup for a friend who was competing in a fitness contest. We made it back in time to meet the guys at church, and relax sans kids for a bit. We were really excited that Brett and AJ enjoyed our church, even though the music this past Sunday was a bit mellow. (We're music people, it means a lot to us!) After church we headed home for lunch. Ava fell asleep in the car, which left Trent alone during lunch...maybe he needed the break! But her nap was short lived, and she was up and running around again in no time. We went back out to the baby pool, figuring it was easier and more fun for the kids than the "big" pool, for a while. Brett was a bit ansy after that so we headed to the park to let the kids run off the extra energy they had. The boys played basketball while AJ and I chased the kids... and by chased I mean, climbing through tiny tunnels, over and around tires, up stairs and down slides...all over the place. After that we were all worn out and headed home for dinner. We tried to stay up and chat/watch tv, but we were so tired. Everyone else headed to bed and I did my church work as quickly as I could.

Thankfully on Monday, Nathan had the day off. He had planned to head to Morgantown to see his sister Kristi, who had just had surgery. He headed out about 10:30am and the Huffmans weren't far behind. They started to the car about 11am or so, and it was such a sad sight. I definitely didn't want them to leave, but it was obvious that Ava and Trent didn't want them to either. Trent cried and reached for Ava from his seat and Ava reached for him. I put her in the car and she gave him a big hug and a kiss. They were fast friends, and perfectly matched physically and mentally. They are only 4 days apart in age after all. We miss them dearly already but hope to see them again very soon.

....................................

It's been a while since we've gotten a post up, but like everyone else, we've been busy. I think the nicer weather has allowed us to do so many other things, so we haven't been at the computer or in front of the TV - no cable helps with that.

A few weeks ago Ava started a swim class. You can't really call it lessons, as she isn't learning to swim yet, but really just getting used to the water and learning how to float and blow bubbles. Ava absolutely loves the water, she always has, so we're good there... but we need to work on the floating and bubbles. This week she is missing out on her class since we are doing KidQuest, but she'll be back next Wednesday with her new friends.

in the locker room, trying to figure out how that lock works.

after class

having fun

Back in May we took a trip down to Virginia to see my Grandmother, it had been a year since we were last there. It's a long trip, 7.5 hours, but thankfully we were able to break it up a bit.

she LOVES shoes... any size

Saturday we had all kinds of family and friends over to my Grandmother's farm for dinner. It was great to see everyone. Ava enjoyed herself, especially at bedtime. We forgot the pack n' play and so she had to sleep on the trundle bed. We tried laying down with her, but a good hour later she was still jumping around. Doesn't look like we'll be getting a big girl bed any time soon.

Sunday we headed to church and I spent the time with Ava in the nursery. Mt. Tabor doesn't have too many little ones and the nursery worker didn't even show up. Ava and I passed the time eating snacks and building with legos.