Basically Brooks

For the past three days, Ava has been very sick. We stayed home all day Sunday and Monday and we are going to be here all day today with the exception of running to the doctor. She had had a pretty high fever and a bad cough and she's been cranky. Her cough started on Friday, we took he to the doctor and he thought it was just allergies. He gave us some medicine to clear it up. It wasn't any better on Saturday and was worse on Sunday. We called him an he gave her a prescription for amoxicillin. That afternoon she had a fever of 102.5. We started giving her Tylenol and motrin to keep it down. She hardly slept at all Sunday night and I checked her temperature again at about 1:00 am and it had reached 102.9. Terri texted the doctor and we were told to keep giving her Tylenol every four hours and motrin every six hours. Her temperature went down and stayed down all day. She was still a little fussy but seemed a bit more like herself. She was even acting a little mischievous and had...

I like this because it shows the dress I made for her. I did it all except the monogramming! (Thanks to Granny for teaching me!) Mommy, Daddy, Ava, and the CAKE! Yummy! I love this picture because her reaction is priceless! Ava after opening just one gift! She was tired! The delicious cupcakes (someone had already helped themselves)! Smash Cake The Main Cake! (Isn't it adorable?) Our baby girl is now a one year old! The big day was last Friday, and I just can't believe how fast she has grown! One special thing about her birthday is that we will most likely always be off for Fall Break so that we can all celebrate all day (or week) long! We had a fantastic time on her actual birthday! We had a pancakes for breakfast, a picnic in the back yard, and went to the Paintin' Place to create a masterpiece using her handprints (the first handprints we have of her!). That night we opened presents. Mommy and Daddy got her a Radio Flyer wagon that she absolutely loves and sta...

Saturday night, our family had a wonderful night out! Kyle's mom and her boyfriend invited us to go out to eat with them and we took them up on the offer! We went to You and Me restaurant downtown and had a delicious dinner outside. Ava loved spending time outside eating bread and watching the cars go by. She was in the best mood and waved at all the other diners. While we were eating, we saw a horse and carriage pass by. We decided that when were finished we'd see about taking Ava on a ride. We went to the square and there we found the horses. It was way after Ava's bedtime, but she was in the best mood so we ventured on over to the horses. She was so excited, she was laughing and squealing! I held her between the two horses for Kyle to snap a picture, but the horses kept trying to nudge me and it scared me quite a bit so I kept screaming and running away. Ava thought that was really funny, but we finally got a decent picture. Ava looks concerned about my behavi...

Well, once again, I haven't been doing a good job at posting new blogs lately. We sold our house and now we're living with Kyle's mom while our new house is being built. We don't have internet for the next few months, but we're not missing it too bad! Ava is ten months old now! She still doesn't have any teeth, but she is crawling now! She started late last month and now she is so fast! She started going to daycare again and absolutely loves it! It's so hard to be away from her all day, but we know she is in good hands. Last month, Kyle, Ava, and I all went to Texas to spend some time with his sister, Karen, and her husband Scott. They are expecting twins and we had a lot of fun shopping for the babies and registering with Karen! It brought back lots of memories when we did all that last year! We had a blast in Texas and can't wait to go back again at the end of the year to see those babies! School started up again last week. It is really toug...

Great news! We sold our house in less than a month! We are super excited about it and can't wait to dive right into packing up this place, living with Mom for a while, and starting the process of building our new home! Our official last day in this neighborhood is August 3, but since we think that is the first day of school, we'll most likely try to be done a few days before. Just had to share the good news!

Family Trip to Cincinnati Ava Watching the Fish Swimming in the Pool Meet Harold Well, it has been way too long since I updated our Blog. We've had a lot going on, so now it is time to catch you up. First of all, the reason why I finally have time to update you is because last night I finished my 2 classes for my masters. I never knew that a psychology and geography class could require so much of my time and energy, but it did. Every day I had several papers and quizzes and projects due. I finished my finals 2 days early and I am pretty sure I ended up with A's in both classes. A couple of weeks ago, we took a mini vacation to Cincinnati to take Ava to the aquarium and to go to IKEA . We had never been before and my sister presented us with an opportunity that was so inexpensive, we just couldn't pass it up. Ava loved the aquarium and absolutely adores penguins now. She got a stuffed penguin, which sh...

Okay, lately I have just heard enough when it comes to parents talking about their children. On TV, in the community, everywhere! I just have to get on my soapbox for a moment and get some things out there in the open! The number one BEST thing that has happened to Kyle and I since we got married has been the birth of our daughter, Ava. This experience has been incredible. My love grows daily for the Lord and for my husband and daughter because of this terrific blessing! I am so tired of hearing parents all over the world complain about their children! Lack of sleep, lack of energy, go go go all the time, potty training, teething, etc., etc., etc.! I am surrounded by kids who have parents that seriously don't care enough to feed them, keep them clean, discipline them, meet their basic needs, and love them. It breaks my heart! And what breaks my heart even more is listening to parents who have perfectly healthy children, who are able to provide for their children, and have t...