HHI 2009

Last week we made the long treck down to Hilton Head Island for our first family vacation. And let me tell you, it was an experiece! The trip down (and back) was all about keeping Ava entertained. We left on Saturday morning at 4am, which was the best idea, and arrived on the island about 12 hours later.

After getting our stuff unloaded we headed to the grocery store to stock up on food for the week, then headed back to the condo to unwind. We spent much of Sunday trying to figure out Ava's schedule while letting her play as much as she wanted in the water. Ava loved and I mean LOVED being dipped in and out of the "big" pool. We took her baby pool so that we didn't have to be in the water all the time, but only helped a little. Our child loves the pool and so when she saw the big one, thats the one she wanted to be in. Since we were trying to unwind from the trip down we unfortunately missed an opportunity to see our friends the Mertens. They live in Savanah, GA, which is only about an hour from HHI. Due to misunderstandings, our "car"lag(think jet lag...), and our excitement to be on vacation, we forgot to call them. We're horrible friends, I know!

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were spent by the pool, it was right outside our patio, and we had it all to ourselves. The weather was nice, but not too sunny, and we eventually did get a little color so we aren't so pasty white anymore :o)

Thursday we decided to take Ava down to the beach. It wasn't very pretty that day so we figured the beach wouldn't be too packed. For some reason I wasn't thinking and didn't put a swimsuit on Ava. I guess I thought she'd do the normal little kid thing and run away from the waves... WRONG! She charged them. She absolutely loved the ocean. And even though she wasn't in a suit, she was up to her waist in the water at one point. We knew we had to take her back over to the beach before we left. Friday turned out to be quite a rainy day so we got up and headed over to the outlets for something different. But that evening we headed back over to the beach. Ava ended up falling asleep on the walk over so we sat for a while until she woke up. This time, wearing a suit, Ava jumped and splashed in the waves. The water was warm but with a small breeze, Ava got chilly quickly, so we headed back to the condo to pack up our things so we could head out Saturday morning.

We had a great time on vacation and can't wait to go again. We are both eager to see how Ava will react next time she sees the ocean.

Thanks Uncle Mark and Aunt Kathy for letting us use your condo!

We hope you enjoy our photos.

heading South

unwinding with Daddy after a long trip

our "Water Baby"

Ava loved be dipped in and out over and over and over... again

taking a ride in her floaty car

hanging out in her tube

we couldn't pass up this picture opp.

This was taken at the Oyster Factory on the bay

Ava's first experience in the ocean

soaked!

trip #2 to the beach... sleepy girl

gotta love when strangers offer to take your picture!

lovin' it

just a bit chilly

Daddy's girl

heading home, monkey in tow

And finally heading North again after a great vacation...

New look...

We're trying out a new look... we weren't ever too fond of the last background!

1 year check up...

Ava had her 1 yr check up yesterday. And as always, our beautiful girl is very healthy.

Ava weighed in at 23.1 lbs (85%), apparently the bug she had last week didn't effect her. She was measured at 30-1/2," (90%), but I'm convinced she is longer than that. She wasn't too happy about being put on the table for weighing and measurement, so getting her to stretch out wasn't easy. The doctor's visit wasn't a happy one, as Ava got 4 shots yesterday. We decided to go ahead and get her flu shot, as she is constantly getting colds from the church nursery, and we don't want to face something bigger like the flu. We go for the second round of the flu shot next month. Looks like Daddy & Mommy will be getting flu shots again this year too.



With turn 1, comes the change of carseats. Ava has definitely outgrown her baby carrier, but we were encouraged to keep her in it as long as possible. So when we pulled out her new seat, courtsey off Grammy Amy, Grampa Fred, Aunt Danielle, & Uncles Jack and Andrew, she went crazy. She wanted to sit in it, climb all over it, and learn all about it while it was sitting in our living room. As you can see from the picture above, Ava is one happy camper now that she can see everything. And Daddy and Mommy are much happier now that we have more room on the passenger side, and Mommy can once again offer to drive on trips (Sarah was the only one who could squeeze in the passenger seat, and even then, her knees were in her chest.) Our only problem... figuring out how to keep her head up when she falls asleep. She needs a baby neck pillow! I'll have to get on that before our big drive in a couple of weeks down to HHI.

We hope you enjoy the little update on our BIG girl!

Happy Birthday Ava!

This past Sunday was Ava's first birthday, and what at day it was. I sent Ava to church with Nathan and I stayed behind to get things ready. (Next time we'll know better than to have her party directly after church!) The day was quite cool, it never got about 67 degrees, but that was excellent weather for running around like a chicken with my head cut off.

We rented the clubhouse in our development which turned out to be a great place, and it had enough room for the friends we invited. (For family that may read this... we only invited friends because we have such a large family, so we'll be sure to see the rest of you soon, if we haven't seen you already!) The party didn't go as smoothly as planned, but it turned out wonderfully, and everyone had a great time.

Ava in her birthday tutu

(I made her tutu, onesie, and headband)

the back view

Hali enjoying the decorations

There were several things that actually didn't go as planned, one of which was the cake. I had grand ideas of making the cake and making it a giant cupcake. I'd read up on how to do so, without buying the $30 pan, and convinced myself since I love to bake that I could do it. The night before the party, after we arrived home from another birthday party, I set out to put the cake together and ice it. But it didn't work and everything began to fall apart. I was so mad and frustrated, but in the end it worked out just fine, and everyone enjoyed having different options of cake (yellow cake w/ cool whip icing, and a double layer chocolate cake w/ cream cheese icing.)

(not quite sure why this picture turned on me...)

the cupcakes were for the kids

As for Ava's cake, I made her a cupcake w/ cool whip icing, knowing that she isn't a huge fan of sweets... crazy I know! She apparently didn't get my sweet tooth. We were all hoping she'd jump right in and smash her cupcake, but she didn't, so I had to break it up so she would eat it. Shortly there after, she was done and was ready to get back to playing.

helping her out

yummy cool whip

she preferred the cupcake liner

opening presents

she was a bit bored at this point... that is until we opened:

Ava had to have it out, so Val opened it for her as we finished opening the rest of her presents

The ladies, our new tradition... this time with Hali, next time with Baby Girl Walker!

Happy 1st Birthday Ava

I'm Walking...

its official, Ava is walking!

She's been taking steps here and there for a couple of weeks now, and last week finally got up and walked across the room, but she still preferred to crawl since it was faster. But today she has made every attempt to walk everywhere she goes. If she falls, she'll usually just crawl to her destination, but at least she is making progress. Enjoy!

and the tissues.... I think she figures if she tears them up, then I can't wipe her nose! We have another cold... poor baby.

Congratulations...

Congratulations!!!

to our friends David and Sally Ann Mertens

on the birth of their daughter,

Abigail Grace Mertens.

She was born Tuesday, August 4th at 4:48pm and

weighed in at 7lbs 12oz and was 19 inches long.