Thanksgiving 2012 - Taft, TX

We traveled to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with the Hoge side of the family. There is almost nothing better than to see Ava with her cousins. After a few days and we got Papaw and Mer to ourselves and it was amazing to see Ava with her grandparents. She followed Papaw to his barn and around the yard and of course, Mer says yes to almost anything! Mornings begin with ice-cream, swimming, followed by more ice-cream and just plain old fashioned fun. We had a great time and loved every minute being together!

Bumble Bee

I have always loved Halloween. Ava loves it, too - but for the candy. I grew up with a mother who celebrated holidays BIG. As an adult, I now associate most holidays with a tradition of some sort. It didn't have to be a big deal, but there was always a tradition associated with most, if not all holidays - including Halloween. I want Ava to have the same thing growing up because it's FUN! We've started a Halloween tradition of ordering pizza with our neighbor friends and passing out candy in our yard. Ava is thrilled to have friends over to her house and loves, loves, loves the candy. We light and hang lanterns from the trees, sit out chairs and just enjoy visiting and watching the trick-or-treaters pass by in their awesome costumes. Ava decided to be a bumble bee this year. It was fun to see her get excited as we created the pieces of her costume over a week or so. She also got to wear make-up which was a huge thrill. She already knows what she is going to be next year...or has a couple of options lined up anyway. It will be even more fun as she gets older to create her costumes with her!

Yep...we're 4

It was a long and fun summer. We made it through the steamy hot days of August, week to week summer camps, spontaneous mommy created activities, play dates with neighbor and school friends, days without any planned activities, weekend road trips, weekend guests and one of our first real and memorable family vacations until we finally made it to Labor Day weekend...Ava's 4th Birthday. Several mornings leading up to the "Big Day" Ava would ask..."is today my birthday" until finally I was able to reply with an exciting YES! This year, September 4th was also the start of the 2012-2013 day of pre-school at Grace Garden. What an exciting day for Ava Hajdu! Of course, we celebrated turning 4 with school friends, blueberry muffins and yogurt covered pretzels. The following weekend, we celebrated at home with neighborhood friends, cousins and school friends. Ava decided on a s'more themed birthday party and it turned out to be a big hit. As her guests arrived to the house she offered them water and immediately wanted to show them her back yard. I caught her coming into the house in a hurry and I asked her what she was doing and as she ran to the front door to look out the mail slot she told me she wanted to see if more friends were coming. Ahhhh, to be so innocent and excited about life is beautiful.

40th Annual July 4th Neighborhood Parade

What a great July 4th to celebrate with our neighbors and friends. This was our second year to walk in the neighborhood parade, but the 40th annual for lots of folks. WOW...we couldn't believe the masses of people and the coordination it must have taken the neighborhood association and many volunteers to organize this year's parade. It was estimated that over 2,000k spectators and parade walkers attended this years event. We started the morning with friends, mimosas, pigs-n-blankets, sweet rolls, muffins, bloody mary's, American flags, red, white and blue clothing, sun screen, hats and lots of excitement. We ended the morning at the Niles' home with pop cycles and snacks. After that, we headed to a swim party and then ended the night sharing dinner with family and friends, sparklers, watermelon and peach cobbler. YUM, YUM day all around!

Front Yard Friday

We've seriously enjoyed being in our new home and especially coming to know our neighbors. Thankfully, there are several children around and because we typically find ourselves gathered outdoors on Friday nights we decided to organize semi-official gatherings called Front Yard Friday (FYF). It is just what it sounds like...a gathering in someone's yard where the children play and the adults enjoy watching them. There is usually wine or a beer involved for the adults and someone gathers what food they can to feed the children or pizzas are ordered. One thing for sure is it's always an adventure and everyone goes home happy and tired!

Overnight Camp Adventure

Ava and her daddy have been talking about an overnight camp adventure for some time. They set up their tent in the back yard several weeks ago - played in it, but there was little interest in actually sleeping in it. However, this time around, Ava had it in her mind that they were sleeping in the tent. She even asked me if she was wearing her pajamas and everyone was frantic searching for her pink flashlight. I knew she was serious, so I immediately got her dressed for bed and found what light sources I could. Out the door she went with all of the comforts she needed for the night. It was 7:00 PM at the time. By 8:00 PM I thought to myself...this just may work. By 9:00 PM they were in the house for a snack and to my surprise quickly back out the door and in their tent. I checked on them at 10:00 PM and Chris whispered, "she's not asleep." I left and returned at 10:45 PM and they were both sound asleep. I can't believe it! What precious people I have in my life. And, what a great daddy to make such precious memories with his little girl!

The Great Easter Egg Hunt

Ava woke up this morning and asked me if she could look for the eggs. I couldn't believe she remembered it was Easter! She ran down the hallway and looked out the window and saw all of the treats the Easter Bunny left her. I've never seen her so excited. At Christmas, she was in shock and could barely speak. This time around, she was talking a million miles a minute telling us about the things she could see from the window. I quickly got her out of her pajamas and managed to have her believe the Easter Bunny wants her to wear her bunny ears. Seriously, all I wanted was one photo of her in her ears. She obliged and became more and more excited as we opened the shutter doors exposing more window for her to see eggs all over the yard. There is nothing more pleasing to a parent than to see your child happy, appreciative, imaginative and innocent. This is our first Easter Sunday at Rockledge and we're looking forward to creating many memories here. It's such a good home to us!