adventure time

Keegan has training for work in Cleavland beginning tomorrow and lasting until October 16th. Instead of hanging around here without him we decided Ava and I would have our own little trip and then meet up with Keegan. So Ava and I head to NC tomorrow about 45 mins before K heads to Ohio. I will be solo parenting for the week and half we are in NC. But we have some exciting things to look forward to like seeing my parents and brother and sister as well as a visit from Carol (which I am so looking forward to - it has been since the wedding), hanging out with Kathleen, seeing some other durham people perhaps (laura i hope), and the woods. Finally, Keegan and I broke down and splurged on a really fancy wonderful jogging stroller and I am in love with it. I can run with it and hike in the woods... it is that kinda good. The bummer is that Ava is not the biggest fan .... I would like to think it was just stroller strides this exercise class that we do together and a bunch of other moms (like run with stroller and then do lunges but instead of counting sing itsybitsie spider) but I am still waiting for her to come around. But she will i guarantee it.... i will make her like it. Anyway back to the trip... so we are in dtown till the 11th and then Ava monster and I will head to Cleavland to check out the city and see Keegan when he is not working (which will be a lot).
Did I mention that Ava is sick... she has a crummy crummy cold so I am a little more nervous than I thought i would be for leaving K for 11 days but I really should not complain I have a friend who is solo parenting for a year while her husband is in Iraq and I just can not imagine how she does it. SO Laura you have me inspired to be tough.
I will post when i can from the trip.

this weekend

ava is not so sure about tiedye
but she likes riding on daddy as he scootches around the floor
she really likes it.

LETS GO COWBOYS

Ava is all set for the Cowboys vs. Packers game.... so she is going for the cowboys (hence the romo jersey with her leg warmers) Sorry Carol - you will have to convince her to change her mind when you meet her. Pop (my dad) is actually at the game in Greenbay - keegan is jealous.
yes ... notice the drool dripping
uh... i am stretching dad.

happy four months little girl

ava turned four months old today. On one hand it has gone by so fast and i do not want her to grow up i mean she will be in college before i know it and on the other hand it is hard to remember life without her. she rolls over both ways, giggles, smiles, babbles a bit, grabs things and puts them in her mouth, wiggles and her new thing is to rest her check against mine while i carry her. Four months old also means more shots (yuck) but ava was a rockstar and did not cry until the third needle went in. Today she was a little sore and feverish but hopefully she will be back with her normal spunk tomorrow.

second half

so then it was switch day... oh how it brings back memories when i was going back and forth. At my moms there was a new slue of visitors to meet Ava..... and her new grandpa (my mom got remarried on May 9th this year..... May was a big month for all of us) , we went on lots of walks, hikes, napped, met lots of new faces (for Ava of course - she loved all the attention), played with Kathleen and Ryan (I was still in PJ's probably embarrassed Ava).... went to a Yoga class that I went to with my mom when I was Ava's age and there were a lot of the same people just a bit older. It was wonderful but we did miss daddy. I was nervous about the flight home without Keegan but Ava was a doll and had fun. When we landed and got off the plane Keegan was right there to meet us and then wanted me to drive so he could ride in the back with lil' a.

oh grannie........(yes that is how they spell it in England)

Ava sleeping.... we shared the bed ... i am used to sharing my bed now.

a few more

Gone to Carolina

Ava' s first flight...... she was awesome. Keegan held her and she slept while we played cards the entire 2.5 hour plane flight. When we got to NC we went straight to school to pick up her aunt Anna. It was all very exciting. Anna's locker was filled with pictures of Ava and a countdown of the days till we came and finally we were there. We went on lots of long walks and Ava loved looking at all the trees.... loved loved loved them. We also just all hung out, Ava got her first golf lesson from Will, Anna took her swimming, received many kisses from Pirate (my parents dog) and some looks from Louie (the other dog), met her great grandmother and great aunt and great cousin.... so is thats second cousin maybe. Anyway... Every morning Ava and I would go get in bed with Anna and wake her up really early and all snuggle and then we would go up with Anna and get in bed with Will. After a bit Ava was sick of beds and wanted to play. Anna was Avas best buddy and the both of them were quite happy together. Will played a lot of airplane with her and Ava thought it was all quite funny. The boys played golf on Sunday and went to a Duke football game on Saturday night but otherwise we all just hung out. oh and Keegan and I beat Will and Anna in an intense game of kemps.
Monday morning Keegan left really early to go back to Texas for work (which the building is making exciting progress - i will say more on that later) and Ava and I packed up and headed to my moms house.

ava meets a new friend

So we are here in NC and having a great time - I will put pictures and write more lately.... but today one of my favorite friends from middle school came to visit. We had not seen each other since ninth grade but found each other on facebook and sort of reconnected in a big way...... we were both pregnant.....moving...... going to all of a sudden be stay at home moms..... she had her baby Ryan a day after Ava was born. I only wish we lived close.

ava did not know what to think.... ryan was very intrigued.
neither Ryan or Ava was quite shore what to think

and with the mommy's ....

weekly dinner

so every week usually on Thursday but this week it was Wednesday we have dinner with Justin and Lindsey (aka the shoe fairy, statue of liberty, and Peru finger puppet pimpet) we alternate weeks for who cooks and which house here in Loftland Farms dinner is held (remember Justin bought a house in our neighborhood too). This week it was our week and Ava was just as much part of dinner as ever. Ava is pretty fond of her uncle Justin and his special lady friend Lindsey who she has known all her life and always plays with her and brings her treats... and who does not love presents.




and yes she loves ny. a lot. she does not know but she misses it too. a lot. and she is lucky to have a fairly godmother who brings her treats from ny and calls her self the statue of liberty. very lucky.

it goes like this and then that