Ava's walking!

Ava surprised us all last Saturday night and stood up in the middle of the room and did a wobbly walk across the room.  For a few weeks she has been taking a few steps between Mom and Dad and she has been cruising around the furniture for months, but this is the first time she walked on her own.  She was so proud of herself!  Our baby is growing up!

Christmas 2011!

This was such a special Christmas for us!  Last year we knew we had a little baby waiting for us in Colombia, but this year, we actually got to celebrate our first Christmas together as a family!  Ava was a very good girl this year and Santa brought her lots of fun toys!  She really loves her new kitchen and blow up ball pit/future swimming pool (this summer)!  We were able to spend time with Grandpa McDonald, Uncle Pat, Aunt Kristin, Uncle Shawn, Aunt Amy, Shane, and Makenzie.  The kids had a great time playing together. 
Ava is growing up so fast.  She is practicing walking (although she still prefers to crawl-really fast!) and is working on her words.  She says Momma, Dadda, kitty, uh oh, Phoebe and many other words that we can't quite understand.  She is quite a vocal little lady! 
We are so thankful to have such a beautiful little girl and be able to spend time with our families.  We are truly blessed!

Walt Disney World!

On Dec. 14th, 2011 we left cold and grey St. Louis, Missouri and headed for sunny and warm Orlando, Florida.  We met Grandma and Grandpa Hornung and Uncle Joe, Aunt Connie, Lauren, and Alex at Walt Disney World.  Everyone had a fantastic week! Ava was a little nervous about the characters on the first day, but soon warmed up.  On the third day, she even gave Mickey a little kiss!  The kids (and adults) loved Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot.  Our hotel was right next to Magic Kingdom, so we spent most of our time there and really enjoyed all of the Christmas decorations, characters, and fireworks.  We really had a great time being with our family and look forward to going back some time soon!