25 Weeks Pregnant...

25 weeks

Here are the latest pregnancy pics. I feel large for 25 weeks, but I guess I'm probably not much different than I was with Ava at this time. I have no complaints other than the usual problems I have when I'm pregnant. I head back to the doctor this week for another check up. We are so thankful to be doing well!

Happy 4th of July 2010...

Layne (almost 15), Ava 2 1/2, James 8 Just some of Ava's mosquito bites from the day...

Layne playing with Ava at the Sieve's

We spent the 4th of July out at the Sieve farm. The kids played outside and inside as the weather was miserably hot and humid. Ava loved Layne and he played so nicely with her. We went out for supper in Worthington with Lisa, Roy, and Layne and then hit the fireworks there. The show was great, but the mosquitos were thick. Brad and I had a few bites, but Ava was eaten alive! She ended up with numerous bites all over back, arms and legs. I'm not sure if she had got bitten at the farm during the day, or if it was actually at the fireworks when she was sprayed with bug spray. She's only itching the ones on her legs, and doesn't seem bothered by the ones she can't reach. She really hasn't gotten many bites before, but I guess the bugs like her now.

Grandma Joyce Turns 60!

The Birthday Girl

We celebrated Grandma Joyce's 60th Birthay. Both Lisa and Lori (& families) came home for the weekend. It was good to see everyone. We had dinner and then cake/ice cream at our house. Ava was napping (much needed) for the singing and cake eating. She would have loved it. When she woke up, she remembered it was Grandma Joyce's Happy Birthday!

Slip-N-Slide Fun...

We have had many hot, humid days lately. We decided to haul out the slip-n-slide to see if Ava would be able to figure it out this year. It didn't take her long to go sliding down. She loved it!

Julia & Jocelyn....

Julia & Ava Ava hugging (choking) Jocelyn

The emotional goodbyes

Nearly impossible to get all 3 girls looking/smiling! Jocelyn just didn't want any part of that pool! The joy of 2 year olds!

We had a great visit with Brad's cousins twin girls Julia and Jocelyn from Texas. They were 2 years old in February, so they are about 3 months younger than Ava. It was a fun to watch the girls interact and compare quirky habits :) Ava has officially surpassed both girls in size while I thought in January when we saw them last that they were a little closer. Ava loved to play in the pool, especially when she had someone to play with! Ava really had fun with the girls. We also all thought they Julia and Ava really look like cousins. This is new for me as Ava looks nothing like my side of the family. I admire Tim and Melanie for driving from Texas with two 2 year olds! That is an accomplishment in itself! It was great to see them and I hope we can get together again soon!

Riding the 2-Wheeler (with training wheels)...

Ava & Mommy Sitting by Daddy

Cruising on the 2-Wheeler

Ava absolutely loves to ride bike. We have had this 2-wheel bike with training wheels for a few weeks (thanks to Aunt Shelly), but Ava always would prefer her tricycle to ride. She had trouble getting this bike started when riding and would run into problems where she would get stuck. Well, times have changed. She now rides this bike just as much as her tricycle. She can pretty much handle it all by herself, although the lack of reverse like her trike took some getting used to. If only I could get her to wear her helmet! She loved it at first, but had a change of heart. She is growing up!

Push Ups...

No, Ava has learned to do push ups quite yet. Just had to post these pics of Ava "enjoying" her push up. Brad had to get her a treat when we stopped to get gas, and this is what he comes out with! Luckily, I had a bib in the car. She spent about an hour eating 1/3 of it, but every minute was thoroughly enjoyable! She often asks for a "push up pop treat" now!

Grandpa & Grandma V.M.'s...

Sam giving the girls a push Addie & Ava in the jeep

Ava's first "driving" experience

Ava & Sam with the calves

I decided to head to my parents house for a change as my mom has made many trip to our house since I've been on bed rest. My parents have an old Barbie jeep that they got from their neighbor which hadn't been out of the shed this year. The battery needed replacing so it barely moved. Well, Ava got in the drivesr seat and loved every minute of moving at a snails pace! It was her first experience at driving which was interesting! Sam was quite disappointed with the speed as he is used to using it at a normal pace, so he spent all of his time pushing Ava around. She quickly turned over complete control of steering, shifting from reverse to forward, pushing the gas pedal, and general driving while Sam manually took care of it all. He pushed while stopping to shift and turn the steering wheel after his numerous efforts to instruct Ava failed miserably! She effortlessly rode around while Sam worked his tail off to make her ride enjoyable!

We also had to go visit the calf in the barn. Ava remembered the last time we were at the farm that she has watched Grandpa Glenn bottle feed a calf and she wanted to do it again. The calf no longer needed a bottle, but she did get to go out and see it eat from a pail. The infatuation with animals continues. It was great to spend time out at the farm even though it was miserable humid!