Make a Smilebox slideshow

Catching up for June!

Hello! Here are our June highlights in a nutshell (Make sure to check out the SmileBox that follows this posting too):

We got to hang out with Katie and Josiah (my sister and nephew)when they came early on in June for a little family time. Josiah was showing Avalon the proper way to execute the baby swing sitting position. He's a pro!

Father's Day was busy! Ava made breakfast in bed for Mark. She is really quite proficient in the kitchen! Then we went to mom and dad's church and their Park'n'Praise car show after the service. We also hung out with the rowdy in-laws, who showed up just in time for some food, croquet, and ladder ball. Competition has never been so hot! Chuck (Mark's dad)re-enacted a scene from weekend at Bernie's (snapshot in Smilebox). My dad, on the other hand, is trying out for Abercrombie modeling (snapshot also in SB).

Mid June was when we got to have Avalon's cousin Zoee over. We took advantage of our nearby park. Zoee showed Ava what playing hard is all about. =)

Later in June, we celebrated Mom's birthday by going to Red Lobster. Only the best treatment for the Queen! She even held a lobster. Yuck. Mom and dad also celebrated 35 years of marraige on June 30th. Congrats you guys!

Lastly, yours truly and her other half have been slaving away on the landscaping. Literally, slaving away... it started out fun, but you know how that turns out. I was working on our back hill, completely rearranging the 2,000 sq foot butterfly garden. Mark was in the front yard, working on our retaining wall. No picturs of these yet, but will get some posted soon.

A day in the life of a duck...

Make a Smilebox postcard

Pinewood Visit & Memorial Day...

Well, I was able to make it into Pinewood again to see my former students! It was a blast because the weather was perfect and I was able to see almost all of my old kiddos. I love you guys! Remember, in a couple of years you can be Ava-sitters! ;)
Last weekend, we spent Memorial Day in Fairmont at Mark's grandma's house on the lake. Go figure that I remembered the camera, but left the battery for it at home in the charger. So no pics, but in a nutshell, Mary and I slaved away all weekend landscaping, and Mark and the guys played frisbee-golf, went on the kayak, played the Wii, and so on and so on. Luckily, they have hard working women who know how to turn dirt, watch kids and babies, and make a mean egg-bake. Thanks again Tonya and Meggie for playing Ava-mom #2! Now Mark and I are in the process of remulching our butterfly garden in the back, 40 bags and counting!

Mark and I are looking forward to going to Mark's cousin's wedding in WI this weekend, so Papa and Nana get to watch Ava for the WHOLE weekend! I am excited to have my first overnight break from motherhood because I know she is in good hands. Papa... easy on the accelerator! Oh, and here are a couple of pics of mom and I hiking with Ava in the woods behind her house; the blue bells were awesome!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Ava's dedication and more...

Well, Avalon was dedicated last Sunday and we had a fun brunch/swimming celebration that followed the dedication service. I am so grateful to my mom, Mary (Mark's mom), and Katie (my "local" sister~ missed you though Mandi!) for helping me out with food preparation. You guys are the bomb! It was great to see everyone and thanks again for taking time out of Mother's Day to celebrate with us. I have created a Smilebox where you can see pictures from the dedication and celebration... if you were there, you may be in it! For other news, we had our wonderful neighbors move out this week. We'll miss our walks Kelly and Devin! Mark and I are also currently in the process of re-staining our deck. A few words to the wise... Seal Maxx or maintenance-free decking is the only way to go!!!

A few things...

Well, there are a few things worth mentioning this week. First, Avalon is going to be 7 months old tomorrow. These past 7 months have gone by in a blink of an eye. Ava's newest quirk is making a smacking noise with her tongue on her lips. She thinks it is hilarious when we make that noise back at her. She continues to love looking at herself (where does she get that from????), and it's a guarantee that when she's looking at herself in the mirror, she's as happy as a bug in a rug. The picture confirms how narcissistic she really is.

Second, Mark has made the 10 year mark at Crenlo. I'm sure that he would say it's not even worth mentioning, but I think it is. His time at Crenlo has built our home, sustained our family, and is taking care of 100% of his college tuition. Not too shabby! And the icing on the top of the cake is that we get to pick a (small) gift as a token of Crenlo's appreciation. I guess 10 years of hard work gets an individual a pair of binoculars. Now we can go peeping on our neighbors. Watch out Freemeyers and Heinos!

The last thing is that Ava is being dedicated at our church this Sunday. It is a ceremony where we, as parents, publicly commit ourselves to raising up Avalon in the ways of the Lord. We are having a brunch for friends and family following the dedication. The brunch is at the Comfort Inn & Suites and we have access to the swimming pool. Yee-haw! I'll for sure post pictures of that. Well, that is it for now.