Ava's first Gotcha Day celebration!

Last Thursday, February 2nd, was our first anniversary of meeting our daughter.  We packed up and took Ava and our dogs Phoebe and Ariel to stay at a cabin in Branson, MO for the weekend.  We had a great time hiking, shopping, swimming and relaxing together.  Ava loved the indoor waterpark that we visited and really enjoyed going down the slides and playing in the waterfalls with Dad.  By the end of the night she was going down the slides all by herself!  Time together as a family is so precious and we so thankful to have Ava in our lives!

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!

Getting ready for Christmas!

Our little Ava is 15 months!  We can't believe how big she is getting.  She is one active little girl!!  She crawls at lightening fast speed and loves playing toys, dancing, and eating fruit.  She is not walking completely on her own, but walks well with one hand from Mom or Dad.  She loves to watch "the fresh beat band" and dance to her favorite songs.  Ava is still enjoying her school and has lots of new friends.  She is quite the "book worm" and loves to read books on Mom and Dad's lap.
We are looking forward to a family trip to Disney World next week.  We are meeting her Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Connie, Uncle Joe, and her cousins Lauren and Alex in Florida. We will be spending a week in Florida and then get back to St. Louis just in time to celebrate Christmas with the Alderman Family and the McDonald family.  It is such a fun time of year and we are really excited to celebrate Ava's first Christmas with us.

Happy Halloween!

Ava was the prettiest little flower for Halloween!  Mom and Dad were so proud!! We were lucky to have great weather for Ava's first Halloween night.  She loved getting out and seeing the other kids in the neighborhood all dressed up in their costumes.  By next year, I am sure she will have her joke ready to go! 

Fall is here!

The season is changing!  St. Louis is having such a beautiful fall season with awesome fall colors!  We decided to enjoy the day at Eckert's Farm in Milstadt, Illinois.  Ava had a great time riding on the swings with Dad, feeding the pretty birds, petting the goats and camels, and even watching a pig race!
We are looking forward to trick or treating tomorrow night.
Ava is growing up so fast.  Everyday she amazes us with something new.  She loves to pretend she is a monster and growl with Mom and Dad.  She is still the happiest little girl and her smiles and laughs fill up our days.