The Newell Family

Merry Christmas

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:09:00 +0000

Ava and her two best friends, Sophie & Cate.

We had a great time at the Parks' house the other night at a Fondue party. Catherine did a great job preparing everything and making it very special for us. We put the girls Christmas dresses on so we could get a picture of just the three of them. They actually cooperated very well, which was surprising.

We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas Party

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:34:00 +0000

Last night we had our youth group's Christmas party. We had a delicious dinner prepared by the staff. The theme was, who can wear the tackiest sweater. So, I headed out to a thrift store the day of the party and found some sweaters. I even found one for Ava.

Ava wearing mommy's bow that Katie bought for our small group girls.

We played a few games. One of which was to decorate someone in your group as a Christmas tree. The staff chose Jonathan.

I didn't end up getting great photos of Jonathan because Ava was a little scared of her daddy at this point. She was holding onto mommy for dear life when we made it closer to daddy. Once everything was off of daddy, Ava said, "ALL DONE!". She didn't like daddy all dressed up, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it...even Jonathan enjoyed it a little too much.

We had a great time of fellowship with the youth and the staff!

Thanksgiving

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:30:00 +0000

For Thanksgiving, Jonathan, Ava and I, went to my sister's house. We mostly relaxed, but one day we decided to venture out to Dollywood. We were given free tickets, so it was free for all of us to go. Our plan was to stay a few hours, but we ended up staying most of the day. It was fun, but very cold.

Here is my sister's neighbors inflatable turkey. The girls loved it.

At Dollywood

Ava's favorite ride...the carousel.

Ava loved Dollywood, but she could only take so much!

We (my sister and I) gave Ava her first hair cut. I knew this day was coming, but I have been in denial. Now I love the new do. It's super cute.

And finally, the last picture of the preggo twins before Annie has her baby. She is due in two weeks, but I'm guessing she only has a week left. Keep her in your prayers if you think of her!

Now on to Christmas!!

It's a....

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:27:00 +0000

well, I wish I could tell you the gender of our baby, but we didn't end up finding out. We are going to let this one be a surprise. We had our 20 week appointment this morning and it was so fun to see our baby again. Our baby is perfectly healthy. What a miracle the Lord has given us!

Well, I just wanted to update you on our latest news. I will post Thanksgiving pictures soon!!

Yee-Haw

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:40:00 +0000

Every year our church has a fall festival for Halloween. They have lots of booths set up to play games and to win candy. Ava enjoyed it a little more this year than she did last year. We decided to dress Ava up as a cowgirl, so Jonathan and I dressed up with her. We had a great time. We didn't end up with as much candy as I would've liked though! :)

The only picture I got of Ava and Sophie. They were both cowgirls.
Ava diving in for some candy. That's my girl!!

And this is how Ava's hat was worn most of the night...on daddy's head!

And I had to end with this picture. She loves her new pj's that Jonathan's parents got her. Can't you tell??

My best friend

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:40:00 +0000

So I forgot to post a very important picture from my sisters visit this past weekend.

My sister and I are so blessed to be pregnant at the same time. A dream come true for both of us! We always thought it would be so fun...and it is! Even though she is 31 weeks pregnant and I'm only 16 weeks pregnant, it's still fun going through this together. So, I thought I would share this picture with everyone. It's fun being pregnant together for many reasons, but it will definitely be fun when are kids will be so close in age.

I love you, Annie.
(I hope you don't mind me posting this picture of you! You look adorable!!)

Pumpkin Farm

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:32:00 +0000

Last weekend, my sister and her family decided to visit us for the weekend. They have recently moved to Pigeon Forge, TN. It's only a 3 1/2 hour drive! We were so excited when we found out that we were going to be living so close to each other. I mean, we are practically neighbors now! (For those of you who don't know, since my sister and I have been married, we have never been able to live near each other.)
So, we woke up Saturday, had a big breakfast and headed off to the Pumpkin farm. It was a very cold day, so we had to bundle the kids up. We had a great time together. We also met some friends there too. My camera died after about the 5th picture I took. So my sister sent me a few pictures from her camera. My friend, Catherine, also took some great pictures. Once I get those, then I might post of few more. But for now, here are a few pictures of our day.

Ava & Emma

Ava would have played in this the whole time.

My sister and her beautiful family.

Elsie, Ava & Emma

On the hay ride.

What has Ava been up to??

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:57:00 +0000

The lack of posting is due to laziness these days. Mostly because I don't take many pictures anymore. Although, I'm in my second trimester now, and I'm starting to feel much better. I have a lot more energy. I actually stayed up until 10:00 the other night and Jonathan was very proud of me. (He's been such a huge help during my hibernation stage!)

Anyways...on to Ava.
Lately, I've been trying to train Ava to actually sit still for a little bit to read books. She's a very busy little girl and hardly stops moving - always on the go. (Except, of course, when the princess movie is on!) She's done really well with staying on the couch. Today she wanted to read to her baby, which is adorable, so I actually got my camera out! (Yay for me!) She kept pointing to all the animals and letting her baby know what they were and what sounds they make. (I should've recorded it, but then I would've had to get my video camera out and I was doing good just to get my digital camera out.)

And this is what happens when daddy gives Ava a bath.

Last week, we had an overnight guest - Madison. Ava is Maddie's number one fan. She loves her so much. If you ask Ava who is coming to see her, she will always respond by yelling, "MADDIE". She will always welcome Maddie with a yell of some sort and lots of giggles.

Ava thought she was a "big girl" while Madison was here, so she had to sit in a "big girl" chair while eating snacks.

Ava all excited the next morning to see that Madison was still at our house! Her dream come true.

This weekend we are going to a pumpkin farm, so hopefully I will have another update soon...unless I forget my camera. (My memory is pretty bad right now!)

Our big news

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:00:00 +0000

That's right, we have big news! Ava is going to be big sister! I'm 10 weeks pregnant. My due date is April 14. (Don't get your hopes up, Catherine! I'm hoping for an early delivery with this one.) We feel so blessed by God to have another addition to our family. Ava is still a little too young to understand what's going on, but she does know where mommy's baby is when you ask her and she'll usually hug my belly or kiss it. It's sweet! I will try to keep you all updated during my pregnancy as much as I am able to.

I thought I would also share a few pictures of what Ava's been up to. She's been helping me do the dishes...everyday. She loves it!
Ava's favorite new phrase, "One more, and then all done." She wanted one more picture of herself, which is a first for Ava. She normally hates the camera!

Look Mom, no hands!

Beach pictures

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:35:00 +0000

Sorry for the lack of posting. We have had such a busy summer, as most of you can relate. We have been traveling a lot this summer with summer camp, visiting family and work trips for Jonathan. He's working in Ft. Wayne, IN this week. It's just a few hours from my parents house, so Ava and I decided to spend the past few weeks with my parents while Jonathan is working. It's been a nice and relaxing time. (Although, Ava misses her daddy.) I have been horrible at taking pictures since we've been here. I did take a few pictures when we went to the beach, so I thought I would share them. This was Ava's first time at the beach. It's not the ocean but it sure feels like you're at the ocean! We had a blast and the weather here has been so nice. I'm looking forward to the fall.

Mama and Ava getting their feet wet in the ice cold water!

Ava's favorite part was feeding the seagulls. She definitely didn't get that from me.

The "other" Amber Newell

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:42:00 +0000

My friend, Amber, watched Ava for me a few times this summer. Amber just sent me these pictures , so I thought I would post them. She is such an amazing girl. Her love for the Lord is incredible. I have enjoyed getting to know her and her family the few years that we've been here...and not just because we share the same last name! (I'm sure we are related somehow!)

Ava trying on Amber's sunglasses and "hiding" from Amber.

And now trying on Amber's shoes.

We love you, Amber. We feel so blessed that you are a part of our lives!

Tomatoes & Lemons

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:34:00 +0000

Jonathan and I planted a few tomato plants in our back yard this past spring. We were both pretty excited about it and now we finally have tomatoes!!

Look how many tomatoes we have!

And Ava loves them too!

We've also had this lemon tree for about 3 years now. It has only produced one lemon so far, but now look....we have 2 huge lemons! Jonathan loves this lemon tree...it's like his baby!

Visiting Family

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:11:00 +0000

Sorry it's been so long since my last update. It has been a busy few weeks for us. As I said in my previous post, Jonathan and I helped out at our church camp for a week. We had a great time getting to know the kids. It was also a great spiritual bond between all the staff leaders that were able to be apart of the week. I did surprisingly well without Ava. I knew she was in good hands but also we were so busy all day at camp that I didn't have a minute to think about her, which was a blessing! Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of the week. (There are plently of pictures on Facebook posted by the kids!)

As far as what we've been up to, well, we've been busy seeing family. This week Ava and I went to my grandma's house. My sister, brother, mom and dad were there as well. My brother, Jeromy, has never met Ava, so it was great seeing him and his two precious boys. If my brother would've let me, I would've taken those boys home with me. They were so sweet!

Ava, Emma & Elsie (They were all smiling!!)
Jackson cuddling up with his brother Samuel.

Here are all the kids minus Ava. We were having snack time in the car waiting very patiently to leave.

My brother, Jeromy, and his son Samuel.

Elsie and her daddy.

Jackson, me, Samuel & Ava.

It was so fun getting to see my family again. It's a little crazy when we're all together, but it's always worth the craziness!

Family Photos

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:38:00 +0000

Next week, Jonathan and I will be leaving with our church to take the youth group down to summer camp in Florida. (I won't be posting anything for a while.) Please pray for the leaders of this trip, the kids attending and for our pastor, Byron, as he will be the speaker next week. Jonathan and I are really looking forward to getting to know all of the kids better. You can also pray for me as I'm leaving my daughter for a whole week with my parents! She (and they) will have tons of fun, but I pray that I won't let my emotions distract me while I'm there.

A few weeks ago my friend, Catherine, took some great pictures of our family. I wanted to post a few before we left town. She did such a great job!

Hope you all have a happy fourth!!

Sounds Baseball game

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:02:00 +0000

Last weekend we met some friends at Greer Stadium to watch the Nashville Sounds play baseball. We know the pitcher, Tim Dillard, so we like to go cheer him on. It's a lot of fun, especially when all your friends are there to enjoy it with you.

Me & Ava, Angela & Madison, Lauren & Ruby

Chattanooga

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:10:00 +0000

Over Memorial day weekend, we took a trip to Chattanooga. We had never been to Chattanooga before, so we thought it would be fun to get away for a little while. I thought I would share a few pictures from our trip.

The first few pictures are at Coolidge park where Ava loved to run.

The fountain in the background was very crowded with lots of kids in their swimsuits running around. They had statues of animals circled around the fountain. Ava just wanted to sit on the statues and watch all the kids.

After the park we ate dinner at a restraunt downtown. We didn't know our child loved corn-on-the cob so much. Ava's balancing act.
After dinner, we went back to our hotel to go swimming. And as you can see in the picture below, Ava loved it!
She also loved riding in the elevators. She would get so excited every time.
On Monday, we went to the zoo. This is a picture of Jonathan and Ava in the petting zoo. Of course I preferred to stay back and watch, especially at this zoo. They had goats everywhere!
If you look closely in the picture below, Ava is holding her chest. That means that she's scared. (And I can understand why!)

And of course you must wash your hands after the petting zoo!

Adios Amigos!

4 years ago...

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:57:00 +0000

...Jonathan and I were married. I just wanted to say "Happy Anniversary" to my hubby and to the ones who didn't know us back then, here are a few pictures of our wedding day. It's great to go back through pictures and remember your special day. We have both changed since then - physically and spiritually. It's been a fun journey so far and I'm looking forward to many years to come. I love you, Jonathan!

Coupon post

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Wed, 27 May 2009 04:17:00 +0000

I've been sucked into the coupon world. Last night we hit the highlight, thanks to my friend Kelly. She knows anything and everything about how to use coupons. There was a great deal on meat this week, so Jonathan and I decided to stock up. I called Kelly to ask her a few question about it, and she told me to stop by her house so she could give me a few more coupons to make this deal even better. Our total purchase came to $212.32, but we only spent....$26.34. That's right! We felt pretty good walking out of Publix and saving close to $2o0! In the picture is everything we ended up buying except for the charcoal. We had to buy 4 bags of charcoal to get the free meat. And anyone that knows me knows that I'm ecstatic that I was able to get FREE Dr. Pepper!! So, in case you were wondering what we've been up to, well, this is it!!

Gatlinburg

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Sun, 10 May 2009 00:56:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, Jonathan, Ava and I met my parents and my sister, and her family, in Gatlinburg. We spent a week there. It was definitely one of the most relaxing vacations we've ever taken together. It was extra fun for Ava to be around her cousins all week.

Here is our cabin.

Jonathan and Ava looking out from the front deck.

One day, we went on a hike to see...

(It didn't take Ava long to fall fast asleep on daddy.)

this waterfall. Mama and Papa with their three grandkids.
Another day, we drove through Cades Cove. It takes you through the Smokies. The whole time we were watching for bears. We saw plenty of deer and turkey, but we never saw a bear.

Here are some pictures of the Smokies.

We were still there to see the sunset. It was beautiful!
We also went to Dollywood one day. I was a little hesitant at first to go because it's not cheap, but I'm so glad we did because we all had so much fun. Ava rode so many rides and loved all of them. I think she would've rode the big kid rides too if she was allowed. She threw a fit after almost every ride because she didn't want to get off.
Ava was funny on the carousel because everytime she would come around to see her daddy, she would wave really big like she was big stuff riding on her horse.
On the train at Dollywood.
Riding on the ducks.
A long day for Ava. (I think this was actually her second nap at Dollywood.)

The last day we walked around Gatlinburg. Ava and Emma are taking a little break from walking.

After walking in Gatlinburg we drove to Pigeon Forge to play putt-putt golf. Here is my sister and her family. Speaking of my sister...she found out, while in Gatlinburg, that she's going to have another baby! (They are praying for twin boys!) Her due date is December 26. Maybe she'll have the third New Year's baby in our family. Wouldn't that be weird??!!
Ava trying to play putt-putt.

The whole gang.

We were so blessed to share a relaxing vacation with family!

Easter

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 02:20:00 +0000

The day before Easter we took Ava to the zoo for an Easter egg hunt. It ended up being pretty chilly out, so we didn't stay long. I think Ava enjoyed it though.

Here we are about to go get our Easter eggs!!

And here are some pictures of Ava in her Easter dress. I took a ton of pictures. It was hard for me to narrow it down to just a few.

Last week, one of my friends let me borrow a book called Treasuring God in our Traditions. There was a chapter on Easter and it gave me some great ideas for next year. I want Ava to learn that Easter isn't about bunny's, eggs, chocolate, etc. It's Resurrection day! As Ava is getting older, it will be fun to start some traditions of our own.

Workin' Away

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 03:07:00 +0000

One of my friends sent this picture to me recently and I really wanted to share. She's such a cheeser.We have been loving this great weather, so we've been taking advantage by working in our yard. This is a first for us. We have no clue what we are doing when it comes to yard work, but we like to act like we do. (Any suggestions would be helpful.)

Ava enjoyed helping daddy and also playing with my shadow.

And lastly, we have a porch swing!! I've always said that the first thing I want to buy when we bought our first home was a porch swing. I just love them. So, this past Christmas my in-laws gave me this swing. And better yet, my father-in-law made it. He did a fabulous job. Thanks, Benny! We love our swing-it's perfect!!

Pump it up

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 01:27:00 +0000

Last Friday, Jonathan took the day off, so we decided to take Ava to Pump it up. It has a bunch of inflatables like slides, obstacle courses, etc. Ava isn't quite big enough to enjoy it by herself, but Jonathan and I had fun jumping with her. It was free for all of us to go because Ava is under 2. It's a great place to go on a rainy day when you really need to get out of the house. We'll definitely go back soon.

Enjoying the weather

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:52:00 +0000

We went to Radnor Lake this past Saturday and walked a few miles. It was great exercise, especially when you have a 20 pound baby weighing you down. That part wasn't easy, but it was a lot of fun. We just enjoyed being outside enjoying the weather. Here are a few pictures.

Ava preferred daddy's shoulders.

Beautiful Tennessee!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JONATHAN!!

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:42:00 +0000

I got this idea from a friends blog. I wrote out 20 random facts about my husband. I hope you enjoy learning more about Jonathan on his special day!

1- Today is Jonathan’s birthday – March 12. He is now 26. He is two years younger than me, but he likes to think that he’s way more mature than me! (Which, in most cases, he actually is!)

2- Jonathan LOVES Star Wars. That would be, by far, his favorite movie. I’m actually surprised he started pursuing me after knowing that I had never watched Star Wars and didn’t know a thing about it. I eventually agreed to watch one with him, but I couldn’t tell you which one we watched together. (That must tell you how much I enjoy Star Wars!)

3- Jonathan went to school at MTSU for recording. He wanted to be the next BIG thing in Nashville. Fortunately, God had other plans for Jonathan. He now works for a health care company and started in the mail room. He has since moved up in the company to a position he really enjoys. He has a lot of motivation and drive and I knew he wouldn’t be in the mail room for long.

4- Jonathan had never changed a diaper until Ava came along. I’m pretty sure he had never even held a newborn before Ava came along either - which is sweet that Ava is the first newborn he held, but a little scary for me. But once Ava entered the world it was like a light switch came on and Jonathan knew exactly what to do with our little baby girl.

5- Jonathan does not require a lot of sleep. This was especially great when we first had Ava when she wasn’t sleeping through the night.

6- Jonathan is a very positive person, so he’ll always assume the best of someone before the worst. He’s taught me a lot in this area.

7- Jonathan loves his church and is very committed to the church body.

8- Jonathan was saved at the age of 12. It wasn’t until we found the church we attend now, that he could really tell he was getting fed spiritually. He learns new things all the time from our pastor and other Godly men and loves going to men’s bible study every Tuesday morning.

9- In high school, Jonathan and his friends would do some really crazy and random things. If you would ever like to see what they did, well, you are in luck because they video taped most of their craziness. They even have a few videos on youtube. They kept out of trouble, for the most part.

10- Jonathan has been to almost every state in the U.S. besides Hawaii and Alaska.

11- Jonathan knows a lot of useless information. If I ever wanted to know something really random, then I know he would know the answer.

12- Jonathan loves guns. His grandpa gave him a gun not too long ago. If you ever come to our house, then you will most likely see the gun. He is very proud of it, and loves showing it off. (And if I knew anything about guns, then I would tell you what kind it is, but that’s way out of my league.)

13- Jonathan had the same cell phone for about 4 years. It was a big Nokia phone. It didn’t do anything but take phone calls. He refused to upgrade because he hates cell phones…that is until the iphone came out. He used to never be on his phone and never want to bring it with him. Now it’s hard to get him off his cell phone. He still doesn’t really enjoy talking on it, but he loves everything else about it. Who wouldn’t? It does EVERYTHING!

14- Jonathan got bit by two cats on our honeymoon in Jamaica. He had to see the doctor and be put on antibiotics because his bite marks got infected. He can give you the full story sometime, and why my hatred for cats grew more after our honeymoon.

15- Jonathan LOVES the Predators. If he could, he would go to every hockey game they play. He contemplated on saving all his birthday and Christmas money, just to buy season tickets for the Predators hockey. (He ended up buying the iphone instead!)

16- When Jonathan is sick, he would rather me leave him alone than to wait on him. So, he’s pretty easy to take care of when he’s not feeling well. He also could be in the worst pain ever, and I would never know. He doesn’t like to complain. (I on the other hand am completely opposite!)

17- Jonathan LOVES to eat at Waffle House. One year for his birthday, he asked if I would take him there. Gross, I know!

18- My husband is very computer savvy. My family, and his family, will call all the time to ask him technical questions. You could consider him their customer service support line.

19- One year for Christmas, or his birthday, I can’t remember which; he asked his parents for a fog machine and strobe lights for the basement of their house for parties. He finally got rid of them a year after we got married, but it was hard for him to say goodbye.

20- Jonathan and two of his close friends bought a speed boat together while they were in college. They called it the Jay-bee and it was like their baby.

We hope you have a great birthday today! We love you so much!!

Love,

Amber & Ava

Peeping Tom

ambernewell@gmail.com (Amber) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 18:50:00 +0000

Ava has a new routine. She has decided to pull up a step stool by the window and watch our neighbors. She loves watching their dog run around and the kids jump on the trampoline. I hope they don't mind because this is an everyday occurrence. It's also nice for me so that I can get dinner ready. I just wonder what our neighbors really think of us!

We've been enjoying this nice weather lately, so I decided to start going through Ava's clothes and get out all of her spring/summer clothes. Ava just enjoyed me getting the tub out so she could play in it.
Oh...and she loved trying on some new outfits.

Spring is coming and we are SO excited! Have a great week!!