Happy Birthday Daddy/ Pop/ Peter

I so wish we were there to play and celebrate on the actual day. Ava loved getting a balloon out of this deal. Happy Birthday. We miss you. Come see us soon.
xoxoxoxo
Nicki, Ava and Keegan

we are back

So I have a computer as of last night and will get way better about updating the blog. Ava and I are also back from our week adventure to North Carolina. Ava was amazing the entire trip. Beginning with playing happily in my lap for the two and half hour flight to NC in a middle seat to the drive back to our house from the airport after we landed in Dallas. She likes adventures and you really could see her taking everything in. It was like a light bulb went off... Keegan was so sad when I would tell him all the new things that she did while we were away. From laying down when I need to change her, to saying a bunch of new words.... bird, balloon, ball, baby, go go go, pops, mama, and bed. She started to understand many more things... for example I would say go give this to granny and off she went to the other end of the house and would give my mom her glasses. Or when she woke up at 6am and I said it was not time to get up still time for bed (thank god it was a rainy day and was really dark outside) she lied down and stroked her little head until she fell asleep. She is becoming such a little person. It was an emotional trip. My step mom who was way more then just a step mom to me and my brother and sister moved to Pennsylvania to start a new life and well it just is not home without them there. I have many conflicting emotions about the whole situation that do not belong on a blog but life is complicated and nothing is forever and you have to do what it takes to make you happy I guess and communicate how you feel and what you need. I also think family is family. But Ava really got me through. She became such a lover, passing out kisses when she felt they were needed and resting her cheek against other peoples for a long period of time, sighing loudly, giggling, trying to show off a new skill or something she loved, sharing, or anytime I would get sad and cry which i tried to hide from ava she rubbed my shoulder or something sweet to comfort me it happened once and I don't think she really saw tears... well maybe but hopefully she is not scared for life. It was the sweetest thing ever. soon I will get the camera up and running on my new computer too. never had a desk top before. i like it.

explanation

so yes the blog has not been written on in soo long... but it did not go by the way side. you see we got a virus on our home computer. we got it three times actually. the first time my amazing husband came home and worked on it for 6 hours while i was at a swim meet and bought the software to make it go away and blah blah blah... then we got it again and he did it again all over but then the third time it killed the computer. like gone. sad. it had tons of stuff that we are trying to get off of it like baby pictures and things like that. It looks like we will be able to get that stuff off but we are still deciding on a new home computer. so i only have access to a computer when keegan is home which lately seems to be just to sleep and then i have to take care of the required computer stuff... email, pay bills, facebook stalk and look up things i wan to know. But soon we will have a new computer and i will be able to add photos and everything but for the next two weeks i don't think you will hear too much from us.

past couple of weeks

so i know i have been mia... we have been crazy but this is the last week of swim team... next week is the divisionals and then maybe i will have a few swimmers go to all stars... i hope but we will see. We made a float for the 4th of july parade it had 2 baby pools, lots of the swimmers, so many blow up animals it looked like sea world threw up, bubbles, water guns, lane ropes, backstroke flags, kick boards and more. I was on it for a bit and then walked with keegan and ava. Uncle zachary was in town and he got up early and came to which made it so much more fun. This is the only picture i have of our fabulous creation. Oh and we won first place in the float judging.
Other than that... shenaniganz is doing well, ava has her first ear infection... boo, we jumped in puddles and played in the rain today and i have never seen her laugh so hard - ever, we got rufus shaved and well... he had some bald spots, like on his butt and well it looks like he is mooning you every where he goes but he seems happy and cooler. In fact my mom is coming next week so I opened up the guest room to put sheets on the bed and Rufus has made it his room and is lying on the bed which he is NOT really supposed to do. Busy next couple of weeks but i will get better at the blog thing. ps... love the not nursing thing big time.

so i met some friends a coffee shop in dallas and a photographer came up to me cause she wanted to take pictures of ava.... she said i could have some. I was a bit pissed cause I thought she wanted me to buy some and i was in the middle of being with some friends. She was nice and gave me her card and so i let her..... a few days later i got an email with some pics ( above are a few) and well i really liked her work and her website was amazing and now includes ava turns out she is world known and won lots of awards. So maybe when we are rich and get professional pics taken we will use her.

no time to blog is for sure

So We have just been so busy I don't even know where to start on this. I have not even been procrastinating because there is so much to catch up on here i really have not had a second. Where to start. Swim team is very busy ... I am loving it and excited about the dolphins this year. ava is walking. like yes really walking walking. first steps like a week and a half ago and now she is like off and running. my dad and step mom have separated which has been very emotionally draining and sad - my little brother and sister have moved with my step mom to PA for a while so it will be another trip to make just to see family and my dad is in NC but he is coming this weekend for a last min trip for fathers day. Rufus has ruined our expensive hard wood floors that we put in and will not stop shedding like i have to vacuum and mop multiple times a day just to get some of it up but i still love him sooooo much. he is a fabulous dog and settling in here nicely. and well i did it. i really really did it after so much trouble for the first 4 months plus.... i nursed ava for an entire year. no formula no bottle nothing (now that was not my goal and it will be different next time for my own sanity and having a longer leash) but she has been the healthiest happiest baby... so at 13 months i have st oped breastfeeding for an entire week and well she still does not drink milk but she has figured out the sippy cup and eats 4 - 6 yobaby plain yogurts a day so the pediatrician said that was fine for now and such a big change. I love cuddling her without nursing and she is much more into food and easier to get to sleep. so that is us... k is swamped with work and i am leaving for my first swim meet in 30 mins so i have to run. but hopefully i will be able to be better about updating.

feels like summer

So I got a job coaching a summer swim team .... Chandlers Landing Yacht and Tennis Club. It is 6 days a week for like 3 hours. I am so excited. I have coached a lot of swim team but I have never been this excited or enthusiastic I think it is because I have it is fun to have a job again and I enjoy it so it makes sense to leave Ava. They have a lot of work to do and I said it was 3 hours a day but that is pool time with the kids - there is tons more work to do from home but my lovely husband has been so supportive, encouraging and has made all my spreadsheets and rosters so I look way more on top of things than i otherwise would be.