The Smith Ohana

Random Dec pics

2011-08-05T15:29:00.002-04:00

Christmas on the Smith side

2011-08-05T15:24:00.003-04:00

Aunt Linda bought her these super cute smell good slippers

The Craft box with everything in it!

I spy the taggie?

Christmas Cont

2011-08-05T15:16:00.002-04:00

Wow, little bean cleaned house!

She want's a candy so badly!

Christmas

2011-06-03T10:51:00.002-04:00

All of the kids lit a candle and told everyone what they were most thankful for.

Singing the traditional Christmas carols. Olivia loved this!

All of the kids~it took us HOURS to open all the gifts

Little bean sitting by herself

Christmas Day

2011-06-02T11:21:00.002-04:00

I love this picture.

Olivia, Joy and Promise

Christmas Eve and Christmas

2011-06-02T10:58:00.003-04:00

Here we are up early. I loved Christmas morning. It was sooooo fun. I think it must be 6:30 am!

Christmas Eve night. She wanted to leave Santa some healthy treats too. Add one more pic to blog book

Christmas Eve Baby

2011-05-25T06:55:00.002-04:00

Experimenting with my new camera. It has a great zoom!

Add 2 more to blog book

December Cont

2011-05-25T06:46:00.002-04:00

Love it...those cheeks are mine!

My dear friend Amanda with Andrew and Lillian. Little did we know we had to rush through opening these gifts; Liv puked 3 minutes prior..Who would of thunk?

Here Liv and Brad are making there annual Christmas pretzels. When finished Olivia goes door to door and hands them out to the neighbors. She loves it! They are so yummy too.

Christmas

2011-05-23T06:48:00.003-04:00

Ms. Pat asked us to come watch her sing at her church Christmas program. The concert was great. Ms. Pat has become a wonderful family friend. She is a beautiful lady inside and out. She loves my girls, and really Loves Olivia.

Boy does Jack wanna eat that gingerbread house!

Bus Stop buddies!

December

2011-05-23T06:39:00.003-04:00

I love these pictures. Olivia still was fearful to sit on Santa's lap, so she decided to go right next to him. She was really into the Grinch. (He had Jesus in his heart, though) This was a really bad Santa. I had to ask him to ask her what she wanted for Christmas. Of course she said a bike. She has said a bike 2 years in a row. That is the "go to" answer.

How cute!

Back in the day with that good ol' Adari bottle. The only one Ava took.

Random December

2011-05-23T06:31:00.002-04:00

Do you think Olivia has enough ducks? Funny..she didn't want Ava to have any...The bath didn't last long.

Ava started pulling herself about right about at 13 months.

Olivia has took many dance classes at Wishes Dance Studio; they are great there!

Colts game!

2011-05-23T06:26:00.004-04:00

Our neighbors gave us tickets to the game. We had great seats!

The month of December

2011-04-27T11:01:00.003-04:00

As you can see Ava loves wearing her snowsuit. Needless to say by the time I got this on her she was so ticked that when I went to put her in the car seat she refused to get in. So our trip to Wal-mart was null and void.

Christmas

2011-04-27T10:50:00.002-04:00

Here we are decorating the tree. We decided to put it in the sun room this year. Since I am posting this in April I can't remember why Olivia has her face like this? Funny pic though.

I love this pic of Ava gathered around all her musical friends

Here we are again at Piney Acres Tree Farm. This year it was so cold and so busy that we ended up having the people cut are tree down close to the store. It was to cold for the hayride. Unfortunately, our tree was dead I think before we bought it home. Ha

Liv was nervous again talking with Santa. She told him she wanted a bike. Kinda funny because her Papa just had bought her a new bike. She told me later she was just so nervous and didn't know what to say.

Christmas

2011-04-27T10:44:00.002-04:00

Ringing those Salvation Army Bells!!!

Snow ball fight!

Little Bean and Mema peering out of the window

Christmas

2011-04-26T14:47:00.002-04:00

Here we are at a Christmas breakfast Program.

The Wooten's joined us

My little bean 13 months old

13 months

Thanksgiving and Flu

2011-03-15T11:25:00.003-04:00

I tried to come downstairs and eat, but I just couldn't. I lasted here at the table for 4 minutes.

Finally feeling better here

Well this Thanksgiving was kind of a bust. I came down with the flu and then Ava got it. We were suppose to travel to Michigan City for Thanksgiving. I was also going to visit with CieAna who I hadn't seen in to long; she was going to meet Ava for the first time. God had other plans, though. Sharyl and Dave came down with their turkey in tow from Martin's and we made the best of it.

Thanksgivng Feast

2011-03-08T21:32:00.003-05:00

I got to help volunteer in Olivia's kindergarten class during the Thanksgiving feast. Here she is at a station churning butter. It sprayed all over her.

This was my station to man. It was kind of scary having the kids use knifes. No accidents!

I was happy to say that Olivia tried cranberry relish and actually loved it.

Mrs. Lubs read to the children about the Pilgrims, etc.

Weekend at the Cabin

2011-03-08T10:09:00.003-05:00

Back in November I traveled to Ohio to celebrate Mandy's bridal shower at Jenni's cabin. It was such a wonderful way to celebrate and honor Mandy. It had been years since we all got together, all of us ol' college roomies from BSU. Mans got a lot of awesome gifts. Jenni made soup, salad, drinks and appetizers. Jenni did a great job with all the decorations. The table looked so pretty! We ate ourselves silly. We had a great time re-living old memories and catching up on the new! Mandy is getting married in Mexico at the end of March. It was great relaxing in such a beautiful setting. Nothing sweeter than special girlfriends. Laughter is the best medicine. This was also my first get away without Ava since she was born. I was really worried about her taking a bottle. She took it a little, but she did fine.

Ava's Baptism

2010-12-22T07:11:00.004-05:00

Cody came down from Purdue to watch Ava be baptized. He said "he is a man to his word"--and that is true!

These pics are small because they were shot at the church

What a feeling to be standing there in front of the church holding Ava. The lights were already hot while beaming down on us, it was almost as if God was speaking directly to us. "Take care of this child, love this child, teach this child my ways (not the World's ways) of love, compassion, forgiveness, grace..and so on. My whole body was covered in goose bumps. It was such an honor to have Pastor Scott baptize our children. We have a deep respect for him as our pastor and as a man. We are blessed to have been adopted into such a wonderful church family. No church is perfect, and when you seek imperfection, you always will find it. But we stay because we feel that is where we are called to be.

These passages are always in my mind- Matthew 19:14 Jesus said "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these".. I see this child like faith with Olivia and her belief in Jesus is so sincere and her witness to others comes from the heart. I desire to be more like her.

3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

There were several people who went in front of us. I didn't think Ava was going to make it, but she did!

Ava's Baptism Cont

2010-12-22T07:01:00.002-05:00

I am very thankful and humbled that Michelle's brother, wife and family came down for the baptsim. They came in at just the right time. We hadn't seen them in a few years.

Heather our neighbor from across the street made Ava's baptism cake. She worked very hard to make the cake look so pretty.

Happy Birthday to Ava!!

2010-12-21T07:18:00.003-05:00

Yay, now we can start this tradition with Ava!

The two grandpa's chatting, drinking coffee and taking in the moment.

The more I get older the more I realize the importance of family bonds. I appreciated Carly, Paula and Aunt Connie for making the trip down here. I love you guys!

Ava loves to listen to books.

side note(remember to add more pics to blog book)

Ava cont

2010-12-21T06:48:00.002-05:00

My favorite part of Ava's first birthday was of her scoping out her birthday cake. She really looked at it for the longest time, and then Brad put her finger in the frosting and then it was all over. She loved it. I also loved singing Happy Birthday to her. Our little Ava, she is such a lovable child. Her smile can li ght up a room, those cheeks keep getting bigger and bigger. Oh, how I miss those mohawk days. Seems like yesterday when she used to sleep in my arms at night. I remember thinking "how is this going to work", "she is never going to sleep in her crib"..And guess what she sleeps great in there now. Ava is and will continue to do everything in her own time. I really have had to Give her up to God. I have learned and still learning that God's plan for her life is the right plan. With the support of encouraging family and friends, always willing to send/read me a scripture to remind me that God loves her more than we do. He is perfect, all powerful and sovereign. He is teaching me and refining me everyday. My home is my mission field.

Ava is one

2010-12-20T07:58:00.002-05:00

Don't mean to brag, but look at me kneeling so well. I have been working on getting this perfected.

Yay, I can stand without any help

Halloween 2010

2010-12-19T11:27:00.002-05:00

Our 2010 Halloween picture. It was a cold night, but we had another great Halloween. I kept thinking about last year being pregnant. I was so big, I walked like 2 houses with Liv and had to go back and sit down. And now a year later, I have a "nice witch" and a "grumpy strawberry" on my hands. That hat was so cute, but Ava preferred not.

This is Maci. She was born I think 5 weeks after Ava came. The kids starting coming around five, so we fed Bean outside.

The best part of the night was when Olivia said "my customers are coming"! She individually put most of the candy into separate bags for the kids. I can't describe to you how much my daughter loves to give. She is so passionate and sincere.

This is our neighbor, Braedon. He is adorable. Liv loves to mother hen him. His parents: Darren and Jessica sat with us. Darren was handing out Margarita's to everyone, although it was to cold so most people said no. Next year I am going to make hot apple cider for everyone.

This is our neighbor Monique. Her favorite time of year is Halloween. Every year she dresses up as something different. It's top secret. This year she was the Mad Hatter from Alice and Wonderland. Her costume and stage presence was right on. Liv just stared at her, I did too! Then she transforms back to herself and we talk at the bus stop! Wonder what she will be next year?

Halloween cont

2010-12-19T11:12:00.004-05:00

We started off having Ava sit in our bike trailer, but she wasn't having it at all this time. It was freezing out. But it worked out good since Liv didn't really want to go to that many houses. I love this picture.

We got Liv's costume at Costco this year. I thought it was super cute. We only went to a few houses again this year. Liv loves to get back and hand out all the candy. I think she still get scared going door to door when the houses look scarier. It's so cute because she'll say " mama want to come with me to this house".

Halloween Cont

2010-12-19T11:05:00.003-05:00

Here you are on the actual Halloween night- unfortunately you became a grumpy strawberry. You didn't like your hat at all.

I bought his hat from this darling website called Twisted Yarn. Ava -it's hard not to want to put icing on you and eat you up! We had a photo shoot after I put Liv on the bus. The weather was great.

We are sitting next to "Frank" For part of the time, he wore a pink scarf in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Sharyl and Dave left right before we had Trick or Treat. It was on a Sunday night, they were bummed they couldn't stay. Every time they part ways, they hug like this and pretend "cry". Liv of course thinks it's hilarious. I am always like "don't leave me here alone, with these kids"--just kidding!

Andrew is one

2010-12-19T10:59:00.002-05:00

The Wooton's: Lew, Amanda, Lillian and Andrew. Well, Andrew was born like 4 days before Ava. Amanda and I walked through our entire pregnancy together. Andrew enjoyed his birthday cake!

Random

2010-12-19T10:46:00.002-05:00

Caroline--16 months(neighbor friend)

Sarah Jane, Nick (11 months) and our little bean

Laugh's with Papa

My favorite part of my day probably is walking with Liv to the bus stop. She loves when Ava comes too. We talk and I really just enjoy our stroll. It's so pretty out in the morning, quiet and serene. Just about everyday I think when we are walking " My baby, how is she old enough to go to school". I can hardly wait to pick her up!!

Weekend in Rochester Hills

2010-12-19T10:34:00.003-05:00

The weekend before Halloween we went to Rochester Hills, Michigan to visit Brad's grandma Freida and family. Grandma Freida got to meet Ava for the very first time along with the other family members. She did real well on the trip there. Sharyl got some crafts for the older kids to do. They had fun painting the pumpkins. Grandma Frieda keeps herself busy by working on very hard puzzles, that must be why at the age of 90 she is so sharp. We also took the kids to the Detroit Zoo Boo. This is the second time we have gone with the Lewis Family. We had a great time. It was very cold. Sharyl stayed back at the hotel with Ava. The hotel worked out perfect, with 2 kids it's almost necessary to have a suite! We had a nice time visiting with all the family. In January we are meeting them all at Pokhagen Park in Angola. We got hotel rooms already and we will be celebrating Christmas then. We plan to toboggan. I love making memories with family. I hope that will be a fun weekend.

Weekend in Michigan cont

2010-12-19T10:24:00.002-05:00

Awe, she just loves to stand

We spent the night at Mema's the night before went to Michgian to break up the long drive. Liv loves to ride the tractor with Papa. They must of been on that tractor for an hour.

Few shots

2010-12-19T10:19:00.001-05:00

Olivia's Dance Program

2010-12-19T07:29:00.001-05:00

Choo's visit

2010-12-19T07:18:00.002-05:00

Olivia has been doing dance for several months now. At the end of every 6 week session the parents or grandparents can come in and watch. So my dad came down to see her. It was over Fall Break, unfortunately it was kind of a bummer because barely any kids were there. My dad came down to watch. We went to Olivia's favorite place to eat for breakfast: Chick Fil-A. I just love that top picture. Ava looks so cute in that hat. It is always nice to see my dad. I wished we lived closer. The very next day he and Michelle left for Australia.

Dancing Queen

2010-12-19T07:13:00.003-05:00

Liv you are my dancing queen. We spend hours down in the basement being Olivia's audience. We found some cute mirrors back at IKEA and we put them on the wall. She loves to watch herself twirl. This is a great activity for the entire family. Ava loves to watch Liv dance and move all around. A lot of the times we are actually involved in her dance routine which she calls "The Red Cross".

Surprise

2010-12-19T06:58:00.002-05:00

Ava is a complete "chow hound". The baby never gets full. She loves cheese. I usually feed her pancakes, blueberries and watermelon for breakfast. Oh, and I recently introduced her to the "goldfish" cracker which she loves. It is a great incentive for her to get into the crawling position.

Liv and I were thrilled back in October to see her sitting up when we went in and got her from her nap. We have found her like this around 4 times. The first time was so cute, she was just looking around at everything.

Well it has been forever since I last posted. I have been working on turning my blog into a "blog book". I compiled basically the last year of posts into a book and I just recently got it back and I love it! I worked very hard on it and I think it turned out great. So now I am going to try harder to put even more pictures on here and keep them in order because I love how the book turned out so much. I don't have time to scrapbook anymore, so the concept of being able to turn this blog into a photo book is a great invention for this gal. So, I am going to pretend like it's the month of October and get back into blogging. Hopefully one day I will be current again!

Jacob is 5

2010-10-20T15:12:00.002-04:00

Jacob turned five last Sunday and a bunch of us went to the Headless Horseman festival to celebrate his birthday at Connor Prairie. Besides standing in line A LOT we had a great time. The weather was awesome. I was really apprehensive about the hayride and how Olivia would react to all the "scary stuff". She really liked it and had a blast. They had tons of activities for the kids. We definitely will go again next year. I am wearing a spider on my head here. Thanks Amy!

Jadyn, Max and Livie

We had pizza and cupcakes before we went into the festival.

Sisterly fun with some added drama

2010-10-20T15:08:00.002-04:00

Olivia picked Ava's outfit out so they could match.

"Liv lets not be so rough. I don't think putting her on a lid and trying to slide her is the best option for Ava, do you"?

Fall Fun at Richey Woods

2010-10-20T14:57:00.001-04:00

A few weeks back Christin and I took the kids to Richey Woods. It was a great day. The kids got to play many games, carve pumpkins and do some crafts. Olivia played more of a role in carving her pumpkin this year, which really excited her. Our pumpkin doesn't have a mouth, I didn't bring the best carving tools. The best thing about this program was that it didn't cost a cent! The very last picture is of Olivia and I at the Little Mermaid. What a cute program that Beef and Boards put on.

Fall Fun

2010-10-20T14:46:00.003-04:00

My little pumpkin

2010-10-18T10:14:00.000-04:00

Tuttle's orchard

2010-10-18T10:04:00.002-04:00

At the end of September, Olivia's class went on their first Field Trip to Tuttle's Orchard. The weather was great. I had such a fun afternoon with Olivia. We learned a lot about apples and bee's.

She was flushed. It was hot.

Threw in some random pictures. Anyone need a burger? I always love it when Olivia says "were out of hamburgers"

Mema and her Little Ava

Sept Random

2010-10-18T09:52:00.002-04:00

Back in September we took the training wheels off Liv's bike. She was very hesitant, and didn't want Brad to take his hands off her. We gave it a few attempts. A few weeks later Papa bought her a bigger bike (not shown). The training wheels are back on. But like anything with Liv..when she is ready...she'll do it.

September was the month of baby dolls. She played with these dolls for hrs. All by herself I might add. She is running an orphanage. Can you find the real baby hiding? I will give you a hint..next to Joe Buck.

Whenever the weather is nice Brad and I pick Liv up from kindergarten on our bikes. Ava loves it. I love being so close to her school.

Happy Birthday, Dad

2010-10-18T09:42:00.002-04:00

Dad turned 63 years young back in September. Grandma and Olivia made him cupcakes. You can see Olivia is wearing her Pittsburgh Steelers shirt. Her favorite team.?! We went to the Dollar Tree and Olivia picked out a few things for Choo. She even slipped a dollar in the card. I love birthdays! I love you-Dad

11 months old now

2010-10-15T10:30:00.003-04:00

It's great now that she can sit up in this tub. She loves her baths, hates getting out.

About the end of September we started giving her table food. She ate pasta first..and now she is full throttle. Eating, tofu, avocado, english muffins, pork tenderloin. I chop everything up into tiny bits so she can swallow. I also tried giving her cow's milk in a bottle and she actually sucked and drank a little.

Sister fun. Olivia loves making her laugh. The feeling is mutual. Ava likes to spit out her food now in the high chair, which makes Olivia laugh.

I never realized how much strength is required to hit "milestones". I guess I took that for granted with Olivia. She just did everything so early, I didn't even notice the steps involved. Ava is making progress with standing alone now. Her little vein pops out on the side of her face when she tries to sit up by herself from a laying down position. You can see the exertion she puts into it.

Miranda loves working with Ava. We continue our weekly sessions. Olivia loves to mimic Physical Therapy sessions. She acts just like Miranda, gets out her notepad, etc. She loves to encourage her sister. I use the word "gentle" a lot during those therapy sessions.

Children's Museum

2010-10-12T10:20:00.005-04:00

Dave and I took Olivia to the Children's museum about 2 weeks ago. We hadn't been there in ages. Olivia really liked the Barbie Expo, running thru the mirrors, the carousel and of course the cotton candy. Sharyl stayed home with Ava. It was great spending some time with Livie.

Work it girl

This is how I found Ava sleeping that weekend. Apparently, she was very comfortable.

A restful Labor Day

2010-09-07T14:22:00.003-04:00

Labor Day weekend cook-out!

We borrowed a bike trailer from some friends, and by Golly Gee Ava loved it.

They just got back from going to the Hamilton Town Center. The breeze put Ava to sleep. Olivia was so excited to learn that Ava was going in with her.

Labor Day cont.

2010-09-07T14:10:00.002-04:00

We have started on the journey of riding a bike w/out training wheels. All of Liv's friends are able to ride now without their wheels, so she is eager to learn. She did good the first time. It was quite a moment to see, so special. It was one of those moments that if you blink your eye it will be over. Another milestone about to be recorded!!

This ride was so shaky, so funny though. We are at the Antique Toy Museum here. Liv loved riding on all the old time rides. She was to afraid to go on the bumper cars.

We had a great Labor Day weekend. The weather was great! Here we are in Zionsville. We had a great lunch. I can't remember his name but a Colts linebacker was sitting next to us. He was huge.

10 months old

2010-09-07T13:56:00.003-04:00

I like the grass

Look at me

She loves those keys

Silly bands you are everywhere in my house

Our little Ava turned 10 months old this past week. Ava has made a lot of progress this past month. She got 2 teeth at the end of September and started sitting up on her own. Her smile can melt your heart, she is so pretty and it seems as though her blue eyes and reddish hair will be sticking around. I am starting to call her my carrot cake. She is still very fiesty and has quite a temper. Seems like those character genes run in the family. She loves mommy to hold her A lot. Mommy has now been going to the chiropractor, after some adjusting my back feels good again!

Man does she ever love her big Sister. I can get teary eyed with emotion about this. Such a neat experience seeing them laugh together. Ava is still getting up about one time per night to eat. She is resisting the bottle and that has become a source of stress. But with each new day I see God's mercies ever present in our lives. Thanks to Him who gives me strength!

Physical Therapy

2010-09-02T10:23:00.003-04:00

Ava is really progressing nicely with her Physical Therapy. She has weak muscle tone, but over the last month she has gotten so much stronger. She has a love/ hate relationship with the Yoga Ball.

A date with Miranda

2010-09-02T09:46:00.002-04:00

2nd Day

2010-08-13T07:01:00.002-04:00

Liv has only had 2 days of kindergarten and she already seems older. She likes to do dishes now?! She cleaned up all the ice cream bowls last night.

Olivia loves to push Ava in the mornings to the bus stop

I followed the bus yesterday; I just wanted to see the route. Then I drove to the school again and took one more picture of her walking to the KDG section and then I left. She got into the car again yesterday with a big smile saying " I had another great day, mama!

2nd Day Bus Video

2010-08-13T06:55:00.002-04:00

She's home already!

2010-08-11T13:53:00.002-04:00

Can you tell she had a great day at school. We just picked her up. She said " mom your right, kindergarten is fun"! She wanted to go to Bob Evans for lunch. I got lots of hugs; only because she was cold, but I was taking every single hug.

They look like 2 squirrel's with nuts in there mouths!

The wheels on the bus....

2010-08-11T10:46:00.003-04:00

Here it comes... I can't really describe how I was feeling as the bus was approaching; I guess in a way I was kind of numb. Like Wow is this day really here now? The anticipation of this day happening hasn't left my mind since her last day of pre-school. I was so nervous, but yet so thrilled because Brad and I knew she was "ready". The last 5 years quickly flashed through my head...I gave her a kiss as I was shaking and told her that "I loved her and that to give God her Best" (as I always do when I leave her anywhere) and she walked on. I took her picture and she sat 2 rows back on the right side. I said "Hi" to the Bus Driver, Mr Steve. He had a gentle demeanor about him. His voice was soothing and I think he could feel what I was going thru. I told her I loved her again and I got off. Oh and I said "ya know she is a kindergartner" He said "yes I know". I also wanted to say, but didn't " and that's my baby so be careful on this big ol' bus". A bus has never looked so big then when Liv was on it by HERSELF. I got off the bus and then the tears really started to flow...Brad was kind of quiet. I asked him what he was thinking and he said "she is ready". We hurried to our car and went straight to the school to capture more videos. The hardest part was over.

Mr Steve the bus driver

First Day of Kindergarten

2010-08-11T10:35:00.002-04:00

Once she got off of bus they walked on the red line to the kindergarten section. It felt very organized and a very safe environment. The teachers were all so nice to me and warm.

We drove to the school after she got on the bus. We were able to get videos and pictures of her getting off of bus. It was so great being able to witness her doing all these "firsts". She had her "school" face on; very serious and attentitve. I was so proud of her.

Boy am I feeling it now..were within minutes before bus is coming

Gearing up for going to bus stop

Having a nice breakfast before school

Meet the teacher night

2010-08-11T10:33:00.000-04:00

9 months old already

2010-08-07T21:32:00.002-04:00

Brad made this "magic carpet ride" for Liv quite some time ago. We recently have been enjoying it again. Even better with Ava along for the ride.

I am 9 months old now. As you can see I am making progress with my sitting up. I can roll over now. My mama is very proud. I rolled over on my sister's birthday. Could I be any cuter?

I am getting stronger

Gotta love this picture

Orlando, Florida 2010

2010-08-04T14:57:00.004-04:00

The new Indianapolis airport is really nice. We hadn't flown since Hawaii and Olivia was only 2 then. She was very excited and did great.

The plane ride there was not fun; the kids did good. Ava's first flight. She only cried a little. Brad had to sit 10 rows ahead of us and we were by the toilets. Flight back was 100% better though.

We spent the majority of the time at our pool. Olivia is a fish and Ava really liked being in her crab. Brad and Olivia went to the Aquatica Water Park across the street from Sea World a lot.

Olivia slept in our king size bed and Ava slept in the living room

Shamu show was cool!

Orlando

2010-08-04T14:39:00.002-04:00

We had fun at SeaWorld. I was so thankful that there was a huge nursing shelter for Ava and I. It was HOT~

We got a lot of use out of this waterslide

Orlando, Florida

2010-08-04T14:33:00.002-04:00

Ava alseep at Downtown Disney

Fulton's Crabhouse--the home of my watermelon Mojito!

I forget what ride were on, I know I was dizzy, though!

Fun Carnival games

Ava and her crab!

Orlando, Florida

2010-08-04T14:23:00.004-04:00

Babe, you have quite a tan going on

Love my bananas

Yes, Brad is still making special pancakes. This is Ava and Olivia

Our baby is 5 years old today!

2010-07-16T21:37:00.002-04:00

Here I am 5 years ago on my birthday; waiting for Olivia's arrival. She came 2 days later: July 16th, 2001

Never imagined I would have a c-section, but guess what I did! The anticipation of having her was the most exhilarating experience of my life. I loved the excitement of not knowing when she was going to come.

My little Olivia; Happy Birthday. How did you go from this to five in literally a blink of an eye?! I love you so much and I am so glad to be your mommy.

1-5 years old

2010-07-16T21:02:00.003-04:00

one

two

three

four

five

Fun times

2010-07-14T07:40:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to me!

Liv's friends at her party

Joy and Olivia had A LOT of fun this past weekend

Family Party

2010-07-14T07:26:00.003-04:00

It's been a tradition to have Olivia take a picture by this board.

Birthday girl loves her sister

Can't beat the Costco cake; yummy

Does anyone need some fries with that?

Well we now have 2 girls, life is full and were glad to be raising our family together. Parenting isn't for cowards?! I am glad I have Brad to walk and carry me thru this journey. We have more grey hairs than we did 5 years ago, but it's worth it; it truly is! I can't believe our Little Liv is going to be 5 in a few days. She is such a gift!

Glorious 4th

2010-07-14T07:16:00.002-04:00

Liv wore her head phones while watching some backyard fireworks that Brad bought. She decided it was to loud so she watched them inside with her head phones on. This is Bradeon our neighbor.

She made it up about half way

Noblesville Parade and lots of candy given out

My little firecrackers

Hot Air Ballon Ride

2010-07-14T07:11:00.002-04:00

Brad and Liv finally took the "plunge" and went on the Connor Prairie Hot Air Balloon. I happily stayed back with Ava and watched. They both said it was great.

Summer Dance Class Videos

2010-07-13T22:12:00.003-04:00

I LOVE watching Olivia dance. The class is precious and the music is so relaxing. If she could always stay "this little"...

Ava is now 8 months

2010-07-13T21:47:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago I turned 8 months old. I love the swing. This is my new favorite thing to do. I can say Daa, Daa. I am working on mama next.

My college gals

2010-07-01T07:21:00.002-04:00

Here is the newest Frantz: Lydia

Here are some of the kids-Ava and Lydia are inside

We had so much fun catching up. It may take a year to plan a get together, but it's always worth the wait.

Being Silly

2010-07-01T07:09:00.002-04:00

Last week after I put Ava down Liv and I would come outside and sit on "story rock" and just hang out. This particular night we just took silly pictures of ourselves. Some nights we were outside until ten. Summer is good!

Ava on video

2010-06-24T20:38:00.002-04:00

Fun times at the pool

2010-06-24T16:53:00.001-04:00

Father's Day Weekend

2010-06-24T14:55:00.003-04:00

Daddy and his daughter's

Olivia made Grandpa and Papa some cool tee-shirts

She looks like Mary here-where is Joseph?

While we were in town we got to stop and see the Bride to be. I got my awesome bridesmaid dress!

Vacation Bible School

2010-06-23T22:15:00.006-04:00

I helped in crafts again this year. A great group of gals!

Ava and Olga- Olga just loved on her. I didn't have to worry; she was awesome with the babies.

Olivia loved VBS. The songs I think were her favorite; well the snacks ranked high too.

Water Balloon fun- I forgot to bring her bathing suit..oh well.

All the kids giving Pastor Scott a hug! I am already excited about next year's VBS. I was blessed by the week. So much energy in the room; the kids were great. So many people put their servants hat on to make the event awesome.

Brian and Tara

2010-06-08T16:04:00.002-04:00

We went to a beautiful wedding this past weekend in Cincinnati. Brad was in the wedding and I do have to say he looked so handsome. I was truly blessed by this wedding. We hadn't been to a wedding in a long time. This couple had been dating over 8 years. One of their first big dates was at our wedding. They have quite a love story and it was great to be a part of their most special day. It was fun getting all dressed up. Although I got spit up all over my dress, it was quickly cleaned up by some baby wipes. We brought Ava to the wedding; my parents came down with us and watched Olivia. They took her to the Newport Aquarium and did some swimming at the hotel.

Here's to the happy couple, Brian and Tara Kelley

We clean up pretty good, eh?!

I was getting ready at this point to put Ava to sleep in the stroller. She slept for like 2 hrs in there which was great!

The ceremony was outside, it was very HOT! Gorgeous setting!

Ava's first splash

2010-06-08T15:55:00.003-04:00

Not only was this Ava's first time in the pool, but she is now 7 months old! This last month Ava has really become a lot more content and happier. She really loves eating Pears. It's so cute to see her open her mouth up real wide to take in the next bite. She is enjoying her activity center more.
She liked the water. She got a little scared when some kids were being loud, but overall I think she enjoyed it. She looked adorable. I can't wait to get her back in the water.

Liv "lets see if you can get any closer to Ava"!

Heritage Christian Dance Camp Recital

2010-06-08T15:28:00.004-04:00

I don't think Ava looks comfortable here

Olivia did real well on stage while she sang and danced to "Jesus Loves Me" The second song she was real shy and didn't dance much, be we were still proud of her being on stage! I could of watched her all day. At times she looks so big to me and grown up, now today she looked like a little baby up there! So innocent and excited about what's next to come her way. There memory verse for the week was from Psalm 149:3 Let them praise his name with dancing!

Memorial Day

2010-06-08T15:01:00.003-04:00

Here we are at the Indy 500 parade

Liv's favorite part is eating the cotton candy, after the parade was over a vendor came over and gave her 4 extra cotton candy bags for free!

Ava had fun looking up at all the trees blowing in the wind

We went with Dale, Amy and Jonathan ( Jadyn was in Montana)

Olivia commanding the stage for our neighbors who came over for a cookout. We got rained out, but we still had fun!

I was blessed by this

2010-05-31T06:25:00.002-04:00

Title: Is It Good for Me?

Yesterday we looked at a piece of property on the sea. There were lovely woods to one side, two tall, scraggly, very picturesque pine trees on the other, huge rocks which turn pink in the sunset below, and in front miles and miles of blue ocean.It is not always easy to know whether a thing we long for is a temptation from Satan to distract us from obedience and make us discontent, or something God actually wants to give us and therefore wants us to pray for. There is no such thing as something "too good to be true." God isloving and lavishly generous and has promised to give what is good--that is, what He who is omniscient knows to be good for us.So today I asked Him to give me the prayers He wants me to pray and to give or withhold anything according to his plan for me. Nothing is too big to ask of Him, not even an ocean lot. It is God's business to decide if it is good for me. It is my business to obey Him.
"No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Ps 84:11).
Written by Elizabeth Elliot

Cherry Drop

2010-05-28T07:04:00.002-04:00

Summer Heat Wave

2010-05-28T06:57:00.002-04:00

Olivia, Jacob and Morgan played in this all day yesterday!

Learning Scripture with Susan Hunt..etc.

2010-05-28T06:29:00.002-04:00

Sorry video is upside down..ugh

Daddy and Daughter

2010-05-14T20:11:00.002-04:00

Thumbs up for Mother's Day

2010-05-14T16:15:00.003-04:00

I had a really nice Mother's Day. Olivia made me a really special present at school. Brad bought me some cherry trees for our yard that are going to be so pretty one day. We headed up to Michigan City and I went to the Spa with Michelle and Talitha and then that evening we went to Olive Garden for dinner. On Sunday we woke up early and headed to Elkhart for brunch with Sharyl and Dave. Olivia and I made paper mache flower vases for the grandmas. I have to run now. I have been on here forever while both girls have been sleeping. Over 2 hrs...Consequently, Liv won't go to sleep now until 11pm..oh well..hope you have enjoyed the updates.!

Ava Mairenn is 6 months old

2010-05-14T15:51:00.004-04:00

Liv feeding Ava oatmeal. She took to eating pretty well. I broke down and fed her like 10 days before she actually turned 6 months old.

She doesn't wear bows to much; just because I love her mohawk so much!

She doesn't really enjoy this yet... And yes...Olivia still has her tag.. She had to take just a few "sucks"..

My little cherry drop just had her 6 month check up along with lots of shots on Tuesday. She is weighing in at 14.7 pounds. She is about 25% in height and weight. Her head is like in the 75%....smart brain I guess! She is doing well...were not breaking any milestones over here, but for the most part she is happy. This month has been a little bit more challenging. She has been a lot more fussy, come to find out she may be allergic or have some problems digesting meat./ or possibly have an allergy to dairy??? In the interim I am eating a non-dairy diet for the next few weeks to see if it makes any difference with her temperament. (The Doctor found blood in her stool.) I have talked about poop a lot this week. And have collected a lot of poop this week. She goes to her little heart doctor appt next Monday for another echo. I am praying the hole has closed. Let's see..I am making more of an attempt to roll over, but still like laying on my back and watching others. I enjoy sitting in my high chair and eating. So far I have had in order: Oatmeal, turkey, green beans, peas, carrots, squash..and now I am starting a special diet and I am just eating rice cereal and peas for a few days. I like giving my mom grey hairs. I am starting to pull and play with objects. I laugh a lot and have a great smile. I like my bumbo seat more now. I am also a lot more verbal and love to hear my voice. When my mom puts me in my crib I can move all around and I end up in weird spots. I also made my first trip to Michigan City and Elkhart last weekend. I still get up way to much for my mom. What can I say I still like those boobies...

Back in the pool

2010-05-14T15:42:00.002-04:00

Liv has started back at swim lessons again for the Spring/Summer. She is doing great! She is a better swimmer than me by far already!

This is Ava at swim practice. I am feeding her green beans here...I can multi task with the best of them. Snap Snap. "Go livie".. "Ava need more green beans"?

Liv and Ava

2010-05-14T15:21:00.003-04:00

Ava's favorite person = Olivia

She's a graduate

2010-05-14T14:32:00.003-04:00

She was very excited that she got to wear all kinds of cool jewelry today, and she even wanted me to put her hair in a half pony tail.

Liv and Ms Carin

3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. These last 3 years at this school have been wonderful. Olivia has loved all her teachers and she has truly "Walked with Jesus" there.

Ms. Carin was so heartfelt; I hope you can hear her words. In the next video Ms Carin asks the kids what they want to be when they grow up. Olivia said "hair cutter, teacher and dentist. Ms Carin laughed and said she is a "career person".

Happy Birthday, Mema

2010-05-02T07:30:00.002-04:00

Mema and her bakers

Happy Birthday

Went to an Irish pub for Sharyl's birthday dinner. She wanted fish and chips.

Brad's 33rd Birthday

2010-05-02T07:21:00.002-04:00

We went to the Melting Pot for dinner. By the time we left we couldn't walk we were so full.

I put this inflatable cake outside our house..

Olivia and her friend were very excited to give daddy his presents.

Cookies n-Cream cake..his favorite.

Bowling with the Self's

2010-05-02T07:15:00.002-04:00

The girls made it through an entire game

This was Jonathan's first time bowling.

Kindergarten Round up

2010-05-02T07:07:00.003-04:00

A few weeks back we went to Kindergarten Round-up at Olivia's new Elementary School. She wasn't quite sure what to expect. The school was really cute and cozy, I thought. We got to meet all three teachers, explore the kindergarten rooms, and got a brief tour of the school. They had bus rides that took us around the block, which Liv enjoyed. Her only concern was how loud the bus was going to be. She really liked the cool kitchens in each classroom. August will be here before we know it.

Spring Break at French Lick

2010-04-18T08:48:00.004-04:00

There is something to do for everybody at French Lick. Brad and Sharyl played the casino, I went to the Spa, Dave and Olivia swam until they were water logged. Dave and Brad golfed. And Ava well she just tagged along and looked cute. Olivia is very excited to turn 8 and come back to actually go on a trail ride; but until then a pony ride will suffice. She loves horses. This makes me happy because my mom loved horses.

For some reason when I tell Liv to smile these days..this is what we get..

Mother/daughter lunch at West Baden. Well actually that sounds way to fancy, it actually was mother watching daughter run around until the food came. The place was empty so it was OK.

Dave and Olivia spent probably 4 hrs in the pool at a time...one night they stayed until it closed..10pm.

More French Lick

2010-04-18T08:36:00.003-04:00

We are at the 1875 Steakhouse for dinner. It was really good.

I took this picture before we left. Ava loves the outdoors.

I bought this scarf for Liv for an Easter present. She looks way to old wearing this... Really starting to look like a kindergartner. Oh my!

Windy Carriage Ride

Thirsty?

2010-04-18T08:31:00.002-04:00

Olivia had her first Lemonade stand a few weeks back. It was actually Kool-Aide( note to self that was messy). She brought in $5.00. We gave a few drinks away for free, and most people paid a dollar for a glass. We were charging 25 cents. Olivia was going door to door telling our neighbors that it was $5.00..we'll concentrate on the value of a dollar at some other time. She gave $2.oo to church and kept the rest for the Dollar Tree. Looking forward to our next stand. Pure Lemonade next time.

More Easter Pics

2010-04-14T21:29:00.002-04:00

This picture cracks me up

Ava's first Easter

At Crossroads for the annual Easter Egg hunt and songs

We went to an Easter Egg Hunt in Carmel this year. There were over 1,500 eggs scattered, we however only got 9. It was so cold, but we all had a great time.

Pinewood Derby

2010-04-12T20:52:00.003-04:00

Olivia participated in Pioneer Club all year at our church. At the end they had the Pinewood Derby. Olivia 's car was named the Polly Pocket Rocket. She ended up coming in 10th. It was really fun to watch. They all got trophies at the end. The winner got a bigger trophy and got to drink milk. A lot of time was put forth, Brad helped to set-up the track. During the year they learned bible versus, made crafts and did rec in the gym.

By the end as you can see in this picture the interest was coming to a stop.

Here is a video clip of one heat. Her car is the blue one if you can make it out:>)

I am 5 months now

2010-04-10T12:23:00.005-04:00

I can hardly believe I am 5 months old now. I went to the Dr yesterday and I weigh 13.5 pounds and my length is 24 1/2 inches. I am in the 25% range for my height and weight. At my 4 month old appt Dr Meg was a little concerned about me not growing much, that's why I had to come back this month. But in the last month I have grown over an inch. She is happy with my progress. I am just going to be shorter than my sister. I am sleeping a lot better in my crib now. As a matter of fact I went to sleep yesterday at 8 pm and didn't wake up until 2 am. I have noticed that my mom and dad are starting to let me cry a little more at night, and instead of my mom feeding me they just stick that binky in my mouth. After about 10 minutes I give up; and I just fall back to sleep. I let my mommy know when I am tired by putting my hands over my face; I think they enjoy my latest signal. I went for my first stroller ride this past month, which I really enjoyed. I also sit in my bumbo seat, but I am not quite sure about that so I cry to get out. I am trying a little to roll over more now, but still just to prefer to smile and giggle on my back. I like it when Daddy blows on my hair..It makes me really laugh. I don't like to be left alone to much now, I prefer to have others close to me. I really like it when mommy carries me outward so I can see everything. Everywhere I go people comment on my mohawk and tell me how cute I am.