Working on flashcards

Daddy what is this word

Ava and Daddy working on flashcards

Ava likes being the teacher

To help Ava with her speech we have flashcards that we go through a few times a day. Well, now Ava will go over to her little table and pick her flash cards and make whomever is in the room, go through the cards. The only problem right now, is that every card is either, "dog", "go", "no" or "uh oh"!

Six Flags!

Mommy and Daddy had fun on the swings

Great friends Kent and Melanie!

Mommy and Daddy had a great day today! Out friends Kent and Melanie had some FREE tickets to Six Flags and blessed us with them. Ava got to spend the morning and afternoon with Granmommy and Poppy Joe, so we could enjoy the park. Plus it was about 90 degrees today and Ava does not reach the height requirement for most of the rides. We figured all of us would have a great time at our different places! Mommy and Daddy started the day by riding one of the scariest rides...SUPERMAN. It was so fun that we rode it twice in a row. That is when the problem came. I guess after having a baby Mommy's stomach is just not like it used to be! Nothing like being sick at Six Flags. After not feeling great after the Superman ride, Mommy and Daddy met up with Kent and Melanie. They have a little older kids (almost 3 and 5 1/2), so we walked around with them and enjoyed an expensive, but fun dinner together. After lunch we road a few more rides and then called it a day. I was a fun day, but I am too old, to be riding rollercoasters!!

From Fragile to Fearless!

Yes...Ava and I matched today!

Ava climbing up the rock wall

Ava had fun playing in the mulch with AJ

Ava loves going down the slide

Ava and I had a great time at the park today...again! On fridays we meet friends for playgroup. Today it was just Me, Ava, Miss Sarah, AJ and Brycen. The weather was pretty at first and then it started getting HOT! Ava had so much fun going up and down the slides. She also loved climbing up the faux rock wall...absolutely FEARLESS. Ava and AJ cooled off under the slides and played in the mulch. Who knew mulch was so exciting! What a fun, fun morning!

Celebrating Amy's wedding

Ava loved her special M&M bouquet

It was a beautiful wedding on the beach

Ava with Doc and Grammy

Stylin together at the beach wedding

Me-Me and Bob-Bob

Ava had a great time playing with her cousins

Our family celebrated Amy and Jeff's wedding this weekend. It was a beautiful beach wedding. The wedding was on the beach, right on the edge of the ocean, just before sunset...amazing! Ava had a great time at all the wedding festivities. She really enjoyed playing with her 2nd cousins, Nathan, Isaac and Kate. Kate and Ava are about the same age, so the girls had fun playing together. The morning after the wedding we had an extra surprise. My youngest cousin, Daniel proposed to his fabulous girlfriend....now fiancee' Christina! The weekend was great and full of family fun...also it did not hurt that it was at the beach!!

Fun feeding the ducks and playing with friends

Getting a big hug from Maddy

Ava and Maddy climbing and sliding together

Lyla and Ava playing together

Mommy and Ava feeding the ducks

Ava running away from the ducks

Ava and Mommy met Miss Kristin and Miss Ashleigh at a new park today. The park has a great playground and even a pond where you can feed the ducks. Ava had a great time playing with her friends Maddy and Lyla. Maddy's baby brother Dylan and Lyla's baby sister Lucy came too, but they played with each other in the swings and strollers. Ava and the big girls played on the playground, swings and slides. Before we all went and played on the playground we went to feed the ducks. Well, they were very aggressive... (see pic of Ava running away from a duck). So the mommys decided it was more fun for the kids to be in their strollers to feed the ducks....safety first! It was a super fun morning and Ava really enjoyed being one of the "big kids"!

Lake Fun on Labor Day

My little cheeser!

Daddy was awesome on the wake skate

Having fun with Daddy at the lake

The Family enjoying the lake

Swimming in the lake...safety first

Having fun with older cousin Hudson

Riding on the boat with Aunt Carri and McClellen

Ava share a hug with Daddy and Mcclellen

Doc and Uncle Rick helping in the kitchen

We had a great time with the family at the lake house. The weather was perfect and Ava had a great time riding on the boat, playing with her cousins, hanging with grandparents, great grand parents and aunts and uncles and floating in the water with Mommy and Daddy. We are so blessed to be able to celebrate holidays with an amazing family!

Start of my writing career

Through the last few years I have journaled alot about my expereinces with infertility and then the premmature birth of Ava. I have put some of those journal entiries into article form, and have sent them out to several publications. Well, today I am officially publically, published!! If you go to http://www.christiandevotions.us/ one of the articles I have written is the daily devotion for September 4th. Now it will only be up there for today (Sept 4th), but it is very exciting to see my article published for the world to see. I am praying that my writing will be able to reach out and minister to other families who may have or are facing difficulties in their lives right now!! Thank you for everyone's support through these trying days!!

Here is the article as seen on www.christiandevotions.us

Archives by Tag 'abbeycooler'
Put on Your Big Girl Britches – Abbey Medcalf Cooler
By Christian Devotions Editor - Last updated: Saturday, September 4, 2010
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. Psalms 18:1-3

“I put on my big girl britches this morning!” I said as I bolted toward the nurse who attended my daughter. Due to some pregnancy complications, my precious, beautiful daughter was born ten weeks premature. At just two pounds and fourteen ounces, she spent the first eight weeks of her life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

My tiny daughter lay in her incubator with all types and colors of tubes coming out of her little body. I sat by my daughter in her incubator, talking with her and praying over her, when a nurse came by and said it was time to change out her IVs.

“You don’t have to stay in the room while I do this,” said the nurse.

“I’m fine; I wore my big girl britches today!”

I had awoken early that morning to spend some time with the Lord before heading to the NICU. During my quiet time with the Lord, I opened my Bible and read Psalms 18. These verses tell of the comfort and strength we can receive by holding on and relying on the Lord. There are many difficult situations we may be forced to deal with in life and God may ask us to step-up our faith or to “put on our big girl britches.”

What can we do to grow our faith? We can start with prayer, reading scripture daily, attending church and developing Christian friendships. During times of challenge, the most important thing we can do is to hold to the Rock of our salvation…Jesus Christ our Lord.

With a slight giggle from the nurse…a deep breath from me… and a high pitched cry from my daughter, the nurse removed one IV and reinserted another into my brave, precious daughter’s arms.

Be brave. Let God lead you through the difficult times.

Abbey Medcalf Cooler is a dynamic and energetic speaker with a heart for women. She has a Masters of Arts in Christian Education from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Education from Gardner-Webb University. Abbey has served as the Associate Director of Elementary Ministries and as the Preschool and Children’s Director before moving on to teach sixth grade. She is currently residing in Acworth, Georgia and is a stay-at-home mom. Abbey is married to Adam and they have a daughter, Ava. Read Abbey’s devotions

Meeting Mommy's friend!

Mommy, Ava, and Melissa

Mommy and Melissa (how many of these pics do we have!)

Melissa and Ava

Today was a speacial treat for Mommy! One of my longtime, bestest friend Melissa came to have lunch. Ava was in MMO so Melissa and I had a great time of catching up and telling stories. After lunch we went and picked up Ava, so that Melissa could meet her.

Melissa and I have been friends since the summer before we started GWU together. We met at orientation and have been great friends since then. We have been through living together, laughing together, fighting with each other, going on road trips together and supporting each other through lives ups and down! In college we used to pray for our future spouses, families and careers. It is so amazing to see how God worked each of our dreams out...just perfectly. My life has been blessed to have Melissa in my life!!