They Grow Too Fast!

Ava learned how to give great kisses about a week ago. They are nice and slobbery and full of love I'm sure. Mainly she just sucks on your face and licks but we think it is super cute!!

So Ava tried rice cereal for the first time last night. She has been so curious about food for awhile now so we figured it was time. I'm not sure how much she liked it as most of it was drooled out but it was sure fun to watch! This is her before picture...

This is her during picture. She wanted to test out the spoon and make sure it tasted ok.

This is her after picture. She made a pretty good mess and the cereal is all over her face. We think she might get the hang of it... She liked holding the spoon anyways.

On another note (yes we are a little slow) last night was the first time Ava slept in her crib in her nursery. Yes she is 5 months and yes she does have an overprotective and lazy mom. Most people move their babies to another room after a few weeks, but it was just so hard for us to do. It was so fun to hear her wake up in the morning cooing and blowing bubbles and so easy to pick her up in the middle of the night and feed her and put her back in the bassinet all without getting out of bed. Also I always knew she was safe when she was right next to us (except the time I flung a roach at her in the middle of the night - but that is a story for another time). However the other day when I went to pick her up after her nap and saw that she had turned over in the bassinet... I figured she had officially outgrown it. It was a sad day and I did get a little teary eyed leaving the nursery and walking the whole 5 feet to our bedroom knowing she would be sleeping in there alone. I don't think I slept very well either... I was paranoid all night (I blame watching 24 to that though - everything makes me paranoid these days :)). But she did well and we will all get more used to it as the days go by. I can't believe she is already 5 months old. It feels like just yesterday we were bringing her home for the first time but then again it feels like we have had her forever - in a good way! We love her and couldn't imagine life without her!

Texas Pride!

So I finally found the device for my camera that puts the pictures on the computer. I have been using Dave's camera since we were married. Here are a few shots that were on my camera! I figured just because I moved to Arizona doesn't mean I can't keep my Texas pride. So here are a few reasons why Texas is so great :)!
It's green!! Well were I was from it is...

What more can I say... Where else can you find a bumper sticker like this!

The rain!! Although I do like Arizona it needs some rain!! Watering our plants everyday (in the heat of the day) with the hose... Yeah not that much fun..

The Home!

I decided it was time to post pictures of our new home now that we have settled in (and because I was told that I needed to)... So here it is! This is the living room - all the pictures are kinda jumbled so there isn't any order to these pictures... oh well.
This is Ava in her Bumbo sitting in the nursery

This is the study

Ava's nursery

Another view of the nursery (We painted it a lavender color)

The Master Bedroom and Ava :)

Another view

And another one

The Front Room

And another view

The Kitchen

The Kitchen Again

Ava enjoying the LoveSac

More of the Living Room

And Some More

The End!!!

We love our new home and we were so fortunate to get it for such a great deal. There are still a few things to be done but for the most part we are settled in and loving the space!

Friends, Family, & Fun

I can never get these pictures to post in the right order but oh well... Ava approves of this message!

So we moved into our new ward a few weeks ago and saw a baby that looked a lot like Ava. They could almost be little twins. Her name is McKenna and she is about a month and a half older than Ava. Her dad started school with Dave so they will be able to grow up together for a few years and be little friends. We'll see if they keep looking alike over the years... Ava didn't want to smile for the picture though she just wanted to touch McKenna's face so you can't really see the resemblance too well in this shot - you'll just have to trust us.

On another note I think I am one of the most ditzy people alive. So I called my mom this morning mainly just to shoot the breeze (because I do that pretty much everyday) and I was just talking to her about various things and then she asked me, "Danielle, do you know what today is?" I paused for a second and saw that it was August 24th and realized it was my mom's birthday.... Whoops! I would have known that if I would have looked on a calendar earlier but all the days just seem to run together and I never know what date it is. I know that is a bad excuse but it really is the truth. So anyways Happy Birthday Mom!! These last 2 pictures are for you. Ava misses you and so do I. I hope you have a great birthday and know that we love you!!

So Much To Post... So Little Time

Ava with her Uncle Paul

Ava very intently listening to her dad read her a bedtime story

Ava and her future husband or brother in law - she hasn't decided yet (We miss you Rachel, Boyd, Nathan and Hyrum)

Ava not too interested in the fireworks on the 4th of July

Ava trying to eat me...

Ava being potty trained. We teach 'em young :)

Ava and her Arizona grandma

Ava sucking her thumb!

Ava learning to walk! :)
Ava shocked at how much she can fill one diaper

Well things are going well here in AZ. Dave started school a week ago and already had his first test today! They don't mess around here I guess. He is getting adjusted to being a student again which he is doing great with. Ava and I are just getting adjusted to being in a new state and having so much space to play in our new house (and so much space to clean - I'm waiting for that to happen before I post pictures of our place :)!) I have to explain the picture of Ava on the toilet though... That happened after bath time. It would have been awesome if she actually went to the bathroom in the toilet but she didn't. She started passing a little gas in the tub though and last time that happened her bath was brown before we knew it. So this time we pulled her out as fast as we could and put her on the only place that she wouldn't make a mess if she actually went. She thought it was pretty funny and so did we.

Rollin' over in Arizona

Sorry it has been a while since we last posted. The last few weeks have been pretty crazy as we have packed up and moved out of Texas to Arizona. It has been a lot of work but well worth it. We love our new home here in Glendale and we have almost got it set up. We'll have to take pictures and post them later. Who knew that getting settled in would take so much work and so much time. We have now lived here 2 whole weeks. Dave and my parents drove our cars and a huge Penske truck out here on the 17th of July and Ava and I flew on the 18th. I was really nervous for that but Ava did pretty well on the flight until the final descent when I swear the pilot dropped us from 30,000 feet to the ground in about 5 minutes. I hate the feeling of dropping and lets just say about every 5 seconds we were dropping more and more. So I guess both Ava and I did well on the flight until the final descent when we both started freaking out. I hate flying!! Oh and to make matters worse when we landed we bounced on the runway... I thought we were going to die! Thankfully we made it and it has been great. We miss Texas and our friends out there but really have enjoyed this new location. Oh and in case you were wondering which state is hotter... I couldn't tell you - both are just hot! We were sweating moving out of Texas and sweating moving in to Arizona. I don't mind it though I actually prefer the heat so it is all good.
On a more exciting note though Ava rolled over for the first time today! I had her on tummy time and saw that she was trying to push herself over so I just cheered her on and the next thing I knew she was on her back. I went and got Dave to see if she would do it again and sure enough she showed Dave that she could do it too. We were so proud of her. Also we had her 4 month well check at the Pediatrician this week and Ava is only 12 lbs 5 oz (the 20th percentile for weight) and 24 inches (40% for height). She is just a little thing and we love it.
Oh and I almost forgot the most exciting news!! Ava got her brace off this week too. They x-rayed her hip and said it looked great so she now only has to wear it at night when she's sleeping. We were so excited to hear that! It is so much fun cuddling with her with the brace off.
So things are going great in Arizona. Busy but great! Dave starts his orientation for school on Tuesday and then school starts on the next Monday, August 10th. We are really excited about it and the campus is beautiful. We live less than half a mile away from it which is really nice too. I even think I might see Dave more in Medical school than I did in Pest Control! :)