My best friend

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

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??

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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