Happy Birthday Grandma Sher Sher!!

Last week while we were in Dallas, we got the family together to celebrate my mom's 54th birthday. I have to say she is the most beautiful woman I know, and does not look her age one bit!! I hope to look half as good as she does at that age! Love you Mom!!

We went to eat at Texas Roadhouse, and they don't really have seating for larger parties, so we had to sit at booths across from eachother. My brother Chase and his wife Nikki, Mom, Sis Diana (aka Dee Dee) and Maddy.

Me, Jamie, Ava, Tio Roland, Eric and Rick (Poppy to the grandkids)

Ava was in rare form...and hamming it up for the camera with several of her funny faces!!

Yes, she was closing her eyes and making this face on purpose. :)
She loves doing the squinty eyes. They crack me up!
Making funny faces with her Poppy

It is one of her favorite faces to make. Lol.

My mom and sis.

Ava, Poppy, Great Tio Roland and Maddy.

My mom and three of her five kids after dinner. Don't know where Chase and Mom are looking.

While we were in town we got to enjoy some special times with Miss Maddy. Here she is sitting up in a cart on her own for the first time. She is just getting too big!

Ava also got to feed Maddy by herself for the first time. She likes to help with babies, so of course when she saw her Aunt Dee Dee feeding Maddy she wanted to give it a try.

She did a great job, and actually got the food in her mouth!

The only problem is, Ava too a litte too long getting it to her mouth...and it was driving Maddy a little crazy. You don't mess with a hungry girl!!

She eventually just grabbed the spoon from Ava...and stuck it in her mouth herself!

and stuck it in her mouth herself!

As always Maddy, we loved seeing you and can't wait to come and crash your place again!

Fun with Friends

We recently went to the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort for lunch with our good friends Damon, Tara, and Ava's partner in crime Gavin. They had a great time eating together and chasing eachother around afterwards. We love going to the Hyatt...there is always so much to do!!

Ava and Gavin at their own little waiting table.

Ava loves to be chased!!

My little cheese ball heading out to the park after lunch!

She is such a ham!!

Better hurry up Gavin...she's a man eater!!

Cindy Lou Hoo?

Ava took her bow out to get ready for her bath and who should I see...

but Cindy Lou Hoo Standing in front of me!

(She even tried to give me the BIG Cindy Lou Hoo teeth. Hehehe)

First Time with PigTails!

OK, so Ava's hair isn't really long enough for pigtails, but I decided to try anyway. She looked SO cute and like such a little girl...not a baby. Oh I can't wait for all of the hair styling days to come! :)

The look I get lately when I try and take posed pictures with Ava. Lol.

You might recall the last time was for Christmas card pics. I don't know why she does it, but it is so funny to me.

Look at that cute girl with pigtails!

I just can't get enough of them! Don't be surprised if she has them next time you see her. (even though half of her hair is hanging in the back and some in the front. hehe)

Love that toothy grin!

Christmas Festivities

Wow! What a Christmas it has been! We were on the go the whole time. We started out by staying the week of Christmas with my sister and her husband in their brand new house in Keller. My Mom, Stepdad, and two baby sisters even came out to spend a couple of nights with us all. We celebrated Christmas Eve with my Dad and my Stepmom's family. We had a wonderful Christmas Day experience with my Mom's side of the family, and were so blessed to share in Maddy's (and Lawson's) first Christmas together. We didn't get Hunter until the day after Christmas, so Ava had half of her Christmas in Keller, and the other half in Bastrop.

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The weekend after Christmas we went to College Station to spend the night with Jamie's parents and visit with his family. Jamie's oldest brother, his wife and three kids came back to Bastrop with us and stayed a couple of nights.

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We rang in the New Year at home after church. You just can't stay out/up late anymore with a toddler. ;)

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The weekend after Christmas Jamie and Hunter attended a youth retreat at a wonderful camp just outside of Leakey, Texas near San Antonio. They had an amazing time at a beautiful nature campsite (according to the boys), and Hunter really got to bond with some of the other youth at our church, and got a lot out of the lessons.

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Phew! Now that the holidays are over, we look forward to relaxing and getting back in to our old routine. We loved being able to visit with so many family and friends over the holidays and do look forward to next year!!

Christmas morning at Aunt Dee Dee and Uncle Eric's house. Santa made sure to find Ava here! He left her her own pink pram stroller!

Ava's stocking complete with some of her favorite characters Pooh and Piglet.
"WHaaaaat? I can't believe my eyes! Santa came!!"
She loved her stroller!!

She hadn't opened any other gifts yet, so Grandma Sherri put Tucker (her yorkie) in the stroller for Ava to push around. She thought it was too much fun!

Tucker stayed in there the whole and never tried to jump out, even with her wreckless driving! ;)

Ava after her Christmas breakfast. Apparently is was finger licking good and relaxing.

Ava opened a few gifts before all of the family arrived. She got a doll for her stroller. I don't think it is the exact doll she asked Santa for! HAHAHA! I love that face...for some reason it is a recurring face when opening gifts....

"Don't worry Mom, I love her!"

All pretty in her Christmas dress, ready for more gifts...

...or maybe not. There is that face again. Guess this time the gift wasn't big enough.

Ava and I opening gifts. I was the Santa who handed out all of the gifts, so I had to wear a hat.

Momma took time to open a gift for herself, guess Ava wasn't too happy about that.

Another disgruntled face. Hahaha. I had no idea there were so many until I started looking at all the pics. Just cracks me up! Guess she is just a little princess.

Getting ready for Christmas #2 with Bubby.

The damage after all of the gift opening!!

Ava's big gift...a motorized 4-Wheeler! She loves it...Daddy thought she just had to have it!

Hunter modelling one of two skii jackets he got, new skii pants, and a new skii hat. (If you can't tell, our fam is big on skiing.) ;)

Our Christmas tradition...going to eat breakfast on Christmas morning in our pajamas. (No makeup for the ladies). Since we didn't have Hunter on Christmas Day this year, we had to go the following morning after we got him. It was still just as much fun! You should see all of the looks and smiles we get when we walk in. Just spreading the Christmas cheer!! So much fun! I have been doing this with my family since I was in high school or earlier.

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Hunter and Jamie had matching pj's and Ava and I had matching. Hehe...

"Cheese!"

Visiting with Jamie's family. Our fam with Jamie's grandmother. The last time we saw her was last Christmas when Ava was just a few months old. I was so glad she got to see Ava so grown up! ;)

We hope everyone else had as wonderful a Christmas as we did!