Triplets

The other day Sophie (8 1/2 mo.) and Cate (5 1/2 mo.) came over to hang out with Ava. We took some fun pictures of the girls dressed alike, so I thought I would share a few.

How sweet...Sophie is trying to hold Ava's hand.

The above picture is my favorite. Not naming any names, (Sophie's mom), was dancing like a crazy women which got all three girls attention. Whatever she did worked, as you see in the picture above. (Next time I'll try to video tape Catherine's dance moves and post the video...I don't think she would mind!)

Zoo day

This past Saturday we took a family trip to the zoo. Our friends, Jason, Shai and their son Hank, invited us to join them at the zoo, so we thought it be a fun day for all of us. It was great to see the Bynum's again, and fun for us to take Ava on her first zoo trip.

The Newell family and the Bynum family.

Ava enjoyed watching the fish swim.

Ava's first carousel ride.

Shai and Hank riding behind us. Ava had a lot of fun riding around and around and around...

We had a lot of fun! Thanks Jason and Shai for a fun day at the zoo!!

Yum Yum...

Ava has a new favorite food...carrots. She is such a mess when she eats...but she's a cute mess. So, I thought I would share with you how messy she can really get. (And this is why Ava gets a bath every night now!)

Play time with Ava

A visit from the Grandparents

Last weekend Jonathan's parents decided to take a trip down to visit us. They haven't seen Ava in a few months so it was time to see their granddaughter again. Unfortunately they didn't get to see the best side of Ava because she wasn't feeling that great. She is still trying to cut her top two teeth and battling a cold. She was a little more fussy than normal, but they were great about it. They were still able to enjoy her smiles and giggles occasionally...and a few more tears! Here are a few pictures of our weekend together.

They bought Ava her first baby doll. She loves playing with it, and by playing I mean chewing on the doll.

Ava got to taste tea for the first time. At least it wasn't SWEET tea...or was it?? She seemed to really like it. It calmed her down for a little while anyways. Way to go Grandma!

Ava showing off her pretty little dress.

Visiting Great Grandma

Last week Ava and I took a trip up to southern Indiana to visit my grandma Joan. She hadn't met Ava yet, so she was thrilled that we were able to make a trip up to see her. We had a great time, even though it was just for a few days. Here are a few pictures of our week.

Ava and Great Grandma Joan

Ava met her 2nd cousin Elijah. Elijah LOVED Ava and couldn't get enough of her. They were both pretty infatuated with each other. It was sweet.
Ava and her 3rd cousin Denver. Denver was born 3 days before Ava even though he looks a few months older than Ava. She's holding his hand. How sweet is that??!!

When we got home Ava seemed so excited to be in her room with all of her toys. We had a great visit, but it's always good to be back home. Home sweet home!!

5 Months old

Ava is 5 months old. I wanted to post a few pictures that I took the other day. You can see how fast Ava is growing up.

She is very happy in the above picture because she is playing with her medicine, which I don't normally let her play with. So, when I took it away from her this is what you get...
So I gave it back...(I'm a softy). Ava's new pouting face.
And now she's happy again.
She's starting early with her mood swings. We are all sinners, even my precious little girl.

Swimming Pics

Ava's first time "swimming" with her friends Sophie and Cate.

If only we could know what Sophie was thinking about here.

Sophie, Cate and Ava (We could NOT get Ava to look up at the camera.)

Ava looks a little scandalous in these pictures because her swimsuit is a few sizes too big for her. Ooops...

Home again

Last week Ava and I got to spend some time back home again. We were able to surprise my mom this time, so this trip was exceptionally special. My dad and I were pretty impressed with ourselves for keeping it a secret from mom for so long. We couldn't believe we pulled it off!! Here are a few pics of our time back home.

Mama and Papa couldn't get enough of her.

Ava all dressed up for church. She's happy before church...

...but not so happy after church. Sunday's are a long day for Ava.

Ava was so tired after church that she fell asleep on the swing outside next to mama.

Look what Ava can do...

Ava has learned a new trick - sitting up! She loves sitting up, but we have to be close by still because she's still working on her balance. The past two days she's been doing really well sitting up by herself. It kind of happened over night, so we were a little shocked at how well she has done. She hates to lay down now, especially when we change her diaper.
(I let Ava play with my phone sometimes, but I might have to stop that soon because of the amount of drool she has. It may have water damage now!)

Ava is still trying to cut her top two teeth. We hope it happens soon, so we can get more sleep at night!

I just wanted to share with everyone what you get when you let daddy dress Ava...

Ava had a mess on her shirt after eating rice cereal, so I had Jonathan take her shirt off and just put this onesie on her. I came in to find the onesie was over her pants. Cute, but not too stylish.

Family Time

Last week we were excited to hear that my sister, Annie, and her family were driving through and were able to stay over night at our place. We had a quick visit with them, but it was so fun having them around and seeing the cousins together. Emma loved kissing Ava so we captured a picture of the moment. Ava seemed to be so entertained by her cousins that it gave me a little break from trying to keep her occupied.

This is my twin sister, Annie, playing with her girls Emma and Elsie. We thought about throwing Ava on top, but she's still a bit too small.

We had a great time together, especially when all the kids were down for the night!

Time To Eat

After Ava's 4 mo. check-up the doctor said we can start her on baby cereal. And, in a few weeks we can start her on baby food. Jonathan and I are really excited about this new stage in Ava's life. Everyday I watch her and think about how fast she's already growing up. Everyone keeps telling me to enjoy her while she's little, and now I feel like I truly understand why. The past four months have flown by and now we are starting her on baby food! Was it not just the other day when we had her? That's what it feels like some days. Here are a few pictures of the first time Ava ate cereal like a big girl. She did great, but most of it ended up on her face and not in her tummy.



Here are some more pictures of Ava. As you can see here, Ava has found something new to chew, suck, lick ...her toes!! Ava saw her friend, Sophie, last week at the park doing this, so she thought it looked pretty yummy and wanted to give it a try. Apparently she thinks it's pretty cool too because she does it a lot now.