Funny Moments

We have had several funny moments in the last couple of weeks. Ava Grace has been the funny person in the family!! She cracks us up on a daily basis. I know I cannot think of everything, but here are a few things she has told us or done.

1. She has told me repeatedly that she wants to go shopping at Wal-Mart. When you ask her, why she wants to go to Wal-Mart, she'll tell you various things - to buy a hat, to buy a birthday present, or simply to go shopping.

2. Ava Grace has decided that taking all toys out of the toy box for her to climb inside and play is really fun. It is cute as you can see, but of course when it comes to picking up all of the toys that are outside of the toy box...well....that doesn't go as well.

3. This moment is my "not so smart mommy moment", but of course Ava Grace was involved. We were on the way to Uncle Doug's softball game and went through Zaxby's to get something for supper. I am not sure what I was thinking, but I gave Ava Grace her food WITH the Zaxby's sauce for dipping. Well, she decided to use the sauce as lotion - putting it all over her legs, arms, and face, but managed to not get it on her clothes. It was so funny!!! Fortunately, I had a whole thing of wipes in the car!!

We also had a flying trip to Charlotte for Laney's birthday party. It is hard to believe that she is 2 already!! It was a fun time spent at a park where all of the kiddos could run around. The weather was perfect too!! The theme....Sesame Street - Ava Grace loved that!! Unfortunately, Laney wasn't feeling very well, so we were not able to get any pictures of the girls this time. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon!! Thanks for inviting us!!

We also participated in a March of Dimes walk with Lacey and Carson. It was a rainy day, but we all made it the entire way and the girls enjoyed it!! They really enjyoed getting out of the strollers after walking for a little over 4 miles too!! It was fun to visit with Lacey while the girls were contained. I'm sure we'll have another playdate soon!! Thanks again Lacey and Carson. We love you!!

So, another week of school is starting. I will update you again soon.

Shriner's Hospital

Ava Grace had another appointment at Shriner's Hospital yesterday to check her hip. Everything went really well. The doctor indicated that her ball and socket has actually formed more and looks better than it did 6 months ago. Of course her hip is continuing to form, but the growth and position of everything looks really good at this time. So, she does not have to return to Shriner's again for a year. This was great news that we wanted to share with you!!!

Happy Easter!!

Ava Grace and I have had a great trip to the beach to visit with Cece. On our way down, we stopped by Riverbanks Zoo for some time. Some of you know that I LOVE zoos, so we had a blast. Ava Grace was definitely interested in all of the animals although she did not want them coming very close to her. I fed a couple of them, but Ava Grace wanted no part in that. I can't wait to go back when she is a little older. Note that she is sitting with the tiger. When given a choice of animals, she actually picked the tiger to take her picture with. Seriously, I had no influence, but of course was secretly excited that the tiger was chosen!!

Our trip to the beach was fun although we didn't do that much. We visited with people, shopped a little, and just let Ava Grace play in the warm temperatures. Ava Grace hunted Easter eggs in the backyard. By next year, she will be a pro! She was perfectly content being outside running around. Cece has a hammock, so we got to swing in it too. It is always nice to go to my home church and see people. Easter Sunday was amazing as always! We got a quick visit in with Natalie and Ellis which is always a treat. The girls don't really play with each other, but they do like watching what the other one is doing. The trip was short, but it was nice to visit Cece and go to the beach for a couple of days.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patty's Day!! Our family definitely know how lucky we are to have each other, our friends, our good health, our careers, and a God that watches over and protects us (not necessarily in this order). Being lucky is kind of like being thankful and WOW....are we blessed!! We hope you find some "luck" in your lives today!

Grandma's 95th birthday

We have been on a short, but very fun trip to south Florida to see our families. It was a whirlwind, but every minute was so special!! The Perry family surprised Grandma by making the trip. She had no idea we were coming. Although the weather was cooler for Florida, we loved it because we didn't have to wear jackets or hats!! Ava Grace and the children played outside at Aunt Pam's for a while on Friday. They ran around and played on the swing set. I know Ava Grace was just happy to be outside for once. Aunt Pam cooked a yummy supper and we sat around reminiscing and catching up with each other. Almost everyone was able to make it for Grandma's party on Saturday. We ate at the Red Rooster in Sebastian, went to a park where the children ran around and the adults played kickball, and then went to Uncle Bobby's for pizza and a slide show. Our niece, Brittany, put together a slide show for Grandma with pictures from the "good ole days". I think Grandma really enjoyed the video and enjoyed all of us being around. I know it meant a lot to us to visit our family and to wish Grandma a Happy 95th birthday!! We are so lucky to have a wonderful family and this is a birthday we will never forget!

We are so happy that we got a quick visit in with Aunt Susan and Uncle Ray too. They picked us up for brunch and a trip to the airport. Although it was short, it was great to get hugs and catch up quickly.

We had a great time with all!! We hope to see you again soon! We love you!!

I thought I lived in the South....

Seriously, the snow is beautiful, but it has been on the ground for way too long!! We have had snow on the ground since December 18th - crazy, huh? We have had 24 inches of snow at our house with more predicted according the Farmer's Almanac. The scary thing is....the Almanac has been right so far - YIKES!! I won't complain too much about seeing the white, fluffy stuff since we probably won't have snow like this for 5 or 10 more years, but it creating quite a mess with our school schedule.

Here are the latest pictures of Ava Grace enjoying the snow. They are a little dark due to the weather, but I thought they turned out pretty good.

It knowing...It knowing

Ok...so that probably doesn't make much sense to most of you, but since we have had winter weather for weeks now, this has become 1 of Ava Grace's daily phrases....It knowing! It knowing!! She obviously means....It's snowing, it's snowing!! Yes, we have had plenty of the white stuff to last me another year and the ice is ridiculous. I don't mind the winter, but I don't like being "stuck".

During last weekend's storm (although that seems like a long time ago now), Ava Grace and I were in Spartanburg visiting Meme and Pop Pop. They got an inch or so of ice, so Pop Pop (with all of his creativeness) made Ava Grace a sled. We found a Tupperware contained in the garage and he tied some rope around it. It worked perfectly!!! It was very windy and cold, so we "rode" 1 time around the block. Ava Grace laughed the whole time. We were almost home when her Daddy accidentally dumped her out onto her face. It wasn't his fault as he hit a patch of ice that had been raised from the ground. Ava Grace didn't cry and fortunately, was not hurt either. It was fun!!

On Sunday we headed back up the mountain to the 11 inches of snow we had! Yes, we have had 2 major snow falls this year - 9.5 inches and 11 inches. I couldn't imagine living up North and having this stuff around every day for the whole winter. Wow!!

On a different note, we wanted to say Happy Birthday to several people have missed!! Happy birthday wishes to Carson, Rebecca, JR, Summer, Aunt Pam, and Aunt Kem!! We are looking forward to seeing you all soon and celebrating!! Love you all!!