Lunch with friends

Becky and Ashleigh Noelle

Ashleigh Noelle and Ava

Today Ava and I met Becky and Ashleigh Noelle for lunch at Panara Bread for lunch! What a fun girl's lunch we had together. Becky and I have been friends since we were interns together at First Baptist Woodstock together (2001). We were roommates for two years. We shared in each others weddings and now sharing in the joy of raising our daughters together.

Sunday School for the first time!

Ava had her first day at Sunday School on Sunday! She played with her new friends and teachers and even took a little nap!!

Ava...Unplugged!

I can not believe it! Ava is now monitor free! I have had a plugged in baby since she was born on that scary December morning! God is so good and has been so faithful to my family and my sweet little girl through this very challenging time. I have had alot of people ask me how we got through this time. All I can say is that it was God's strength He gives. Just when you think and other people think you don't have it in you to survive a challenge of this magnitude...out of the blue God gives you a great big dose of guts and you just handle it. And sometimes you surprise yourself and those around you, that God has given you "the stuff" you need to get through it. The best way I can describe how I was able to muster up the strength and courage to endure this is to tell a little story.

When I was in college I worked at this amazing camp called, Marietta Baptist Camp. During most of the summers that I can remember there were two dogs that lived up there, a cute little Border Collie ( I think named Molly) and a Rottwieler/basset hound mix, named Bear. Bear had the body of a Rottweiler and the legs of a Basset Hound. His big skill was to find the quietest, coolest place and sleep all day. I loved Bear the most of the dogs because the cute collie got all the love and everyone said Bear stunk. So through the years as a camper and a counselor I would give Bear some love and extra hugs, not knowing that the love I gave to him would be repayed to me in a most unexpected way. My last year working at Camp Marietta, I was the Camp Program Director. One of our jobs was to walk around camp each night was to walk around and check cabins. Each night Bear would walk with me, but would only get to about two cabins and then he would find a soft spot and go to sleep. One night when I was walking back to the Guest House (where we stayed), I heard some dogs barking but did not see anything, all I saw was Bear coming over to me. Just then I looked up and here came three "feral" dogs. In an instant Bear turned from couch potato to a cage fighter. The hair on his back stood up and he growled like a true Rottweiler. As the group of dogs tried to come up to me, Bear blocked them with his body and snapped and growled feriously at them. Knowing they had met their match, the dogs ran off. Bear turned to me I gave him a big hug and got a slobbery kiss in return. He then trodded up to the Camp office porch and laid down and went to sleep. Bear did what was in him, but he never knew he had.

God is good and He gives grace just in the nick of time! I am so excited that tonight I was able to rock and lay my baby in her bed with getting tangled up and tripping over her monitor wires like I usually did. Thank you, Thank you to all of those who have prayed and please continue to pray for my precious little girl!!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!

NO MORE MONITOR!!! NO MORE MONITOR! We have made it through 6th months of quite a rough patch...but Praise the Lord!! I have a "REAL BABY" now!!

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers!!

Fun Pictures

Ava wrapped up after a bath

Enjoying her new swing, thanks Grammy and Doc

This is the toy chest Bob-Bob made Ava..beautiful!

What a fun time we had in Greenville!!

Ava is now 10 lbs!!

Hudson and Bob-Bob playing ball

Me-Me and Ava hanging out

McClellen and Grammy rocking

Ivey, Maggie and Ava having girl talk

Ivey and Ava: Grandparents friends since childhood, parents friends since childhood and now they will be friends since childhood...how fun!

Having lunch in the backyard

Ava and McClellen laying out!

Ava: So McClellen which guy do you think is the cutest

McClellen: Hmm Ava, I am not sure, they are all so cute!

Ava: I like this guy over here

McClellen: I like this guy over there

McClellen: Oh, Oh he's coming over here!

Ava: Play it cool, Play it cool, let hime come to you.

Ava and Mommy enjoying the pool party

Fun with friends at the pool

Grammy and Hudson enjoying the pool

Ivey and Campbell love the pool

Ava sleeping in my old crib I slept in as a baby

Mary Elizabeth, Abbey Elizabeth, Ava Elizabeth

Ava has given up the pacifier for fingers

Ava and I had a great time in Greenville. We had a pool party with friends, ran errands with Grammy, and then went to the lake with family. Ava grew alot while we were gone, she grew to 10 lbs. She also gave up her incline and pacifier. Ava even started sleeping better (8:00 pm-6:00 am) and taking good naps in the morning and night. Every few weeks Ava and Mommy need to go to "Grammy Camp", in order to take the next step in development. It was a ton of fun and we can't wait to have another fun filled with at "Grammy Camp".

Fun at Caleb's B-day

Ava giving mommy a hug

Ava loves daddy (sorry for the ugly chair in the picture)

Maddie Grace enjoying watermellon

Luke and Kristen enjoying the sun

Mommy, Ava hanging out with Kristin and Maddie Grace

Rhyder and Marlie having fun in the pool

Kids enjoying the pool

Brooks was not happy about "sharing" with Caleb

We had Caleb Chandler's one year birthday party yesterday. It was a perfect sunny Saturday afternoon. Caleb's mom, Kristen had two baby pools, a sprinkler and some blankets out for the kids to play on through out the afternoon. It was so fun hanging out with friends and enjoying the beautiful day.

Life is full of amazing surprises

"Life is mostly surprises-taking strange turns, it seems- Seldom turning out the way of our original dreams. But detours, when they come, inevitably bringfresh visits of Gods's glorythat make a heart sing. Then ask not why God's glory comes in such strange disguises. Life's never as we dreamed, It's crammed full of suprises."

I read this quote on another friend's blog this morning. Ava's conception was a journey and a struggle and her birth was a surprise and "not at the planned time" but through it all I would not trade the experiences for the world. God showed up! He renewed my faith in Him. I can remember that before and during our process to concieve a child I felt as if my faith has wavered and was weakened more by apathy then anything else. Then through the tests of this past year God has, like He always does proved to me again that my life is and always will be for His service and His glory!

Life doesn't always turn out the way we would have planned. It turns out even better because it is what He as planned!

"For I know that plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for calamity to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11