Hloween and More!

Ava and Susanna!

Sweet Pea!

A lot has happened in the past few weeks. We had Halloween and Ava was a "Sweet Pea". She looked so cute in her "pea pod" costume. The Gonzalez's, Claudia, Ava and I took a trip to the pumpkin patch. Hill Ridge Farms is a great place to take kids and where I used to go as a kid for field trips in grade school. Needless to say, a lot has changed there since then. The girls had a fun time together. Ava played in the "corn house", sat in the pumpkin patch and had fun with Susanna taking pictures in their costumes.

Richard and I got to take a much needed weekend to Myrtle for our anniversary. We played golf, enjoyed the sights and SLEPT!!

One of Ava's teachers gave her a "new do" today. She had two pig tails when I picked her up! She looked adorable and reminded me of when Beca was her age. Linda Rice used to put Beca's hair in pig tails just like this!

School Days

Now that school has resumed for Claudia and I, it was time for Ava to be off to her new school as well. She is going to the Chidren's Academy across the street from our neighborhood and we are very pleased so far. She has been doing well and enjoys the interaction with the other babies. Claudia and I pick her up every day and she is always very hapy to see us.

She is eating solids twice a day now and really likes grapes and plums. Her favorite vegetable is still seweet potatoes. She is also really starting to like the Johnny Jump Up. Anything where she can "stand up" in she loves. She always wants to stand. I hope she crawls before she walks!

Claudia is enjoying eighth grade. I can't believe she will be in high school next year. Amazing how quickly time flies!

Sick Baby :(

Ava has had a cold and has recently developed a fever. You would never be able to tell she was sick if her head wasn't hot.

She is sitting up and her Aunt Beca taught her to shake her head "no". It is so cute!

Here is a photo of the sick baby and big Sister.

Myrtle Beach and Sunset Beach

We had another short vacation that was rather unexpected when we returned from DC. Dad invited us to the condo in Carolina Beach for a night and from there we went to Myrtle with Beca and Steven. We took the ferry boat into Southport and drove from there. In Myrtle we enjoyed shopping and dinner at Broadway on the Beach as well as some time at the pools and lazy river!

After that, we were lucky enough to spend two nights with Jessie and Susanna at Sunset. The Gonzalez's let us stay in their beautiful beach house. It was a really fun trip and Ava and Susanna enjoyed playing, napping and eating together. We took a couple walks on the beach at night and did some shopping in Calabash. It was a great time!

Washington DC

Many things have happened since our last post.

First, Ava has started on cereal and fruit and is doing well learning how to manipulate the food in her mouth and eat off of a spoon. It is so cute to see her face covered in baby food!

Ava and Susanna had another play date. Susanna has surpassed Ava again in weight. They are still close but seem to be going back and forth in the weight category! They ahd a cute visit and enjoyed playing on the floor together. They did look like they were trying to hold hands at one point!

This weekend was my birthday and was Ashley's final concert at the National Symphony Orchestra's Summer Camp. We took the train to DC, stayed in the Embassy Suites and attended her last concert at the Kennedy Center. We enjoyed the monuments, Smithsonian and hanging out with the family. A great time was had by all!

The Beach!

We had a wonderful time at the beach again this year. It was extra special because it was Ava's first time visiting the coast.

Ava loved the pool and the ocean and loved to put her litle toes in the sand and "chill" in her tent on the beach. Richard and I are slowly but surely learning how to put the hearing aids in properly and it was good practice with all the back and forth to the water.

Claudia loved the pool and the beach also and was able to have a friend with her for part of the time. They enjoyed swimming, hanging out, going to the arcade, etc. They made some beach friends while they were there.

Beca and Steven were able to come down for a few nights and we really enjoyed having their company. We relaxed at the beach and on the front porch at night while listening to the surf. We enjoyed the trip to the arcade this year also. While Ava slept in her stroller and Claudia and her friend played in the arcade, the adults were able to sit across from them in a new restaurant with outside seating and have a few beers!

Overall, it was a very relaxing vacation with not much to do but have fun!

Big Day!

Ava was fitted for her hearing aids today by the outstanding team of doctors and audiologists at UNC! Her reaction brought tears to Richard and I's eyes. She can obviously hear everything now by the expression on her face which was one of shock and awe when she heard us talking to her. It was as if she had entered a whole new world and had so much to learn.



They are just tiny little hearing aids which are attached to ear molds which will need to be changed out every three weeks, as she grows like a weed. We are so blessed to have the technoloy in this day and age that catches these things so soon! She will grow up with normal speech and hearing. It was hard for me to even tell if she had knocked them out because of her head full of hair!



We are so fortunate that our little angel will now be able to enjoy the sounds of birds singing, waves crashing and perhaps angels whispering! The little things we so often take for granted.



Thanks to everyone for all of their support and we know that it will be a different road to travel but with friends and family like you, just a little less bumpy!

July 4th

We had a very rainy fourth of July here in Raleigh. We went to Jaime and Steve's for a cook out. Thank goodness we decided not to brave the fireworks because the sky opened up at about 8:30. We just visited for the rest of the night. Ava wore her adorable "Baby's First Fourth" bib and outfit and Claudia was decked out in red, white and blue as well. Needless to say all the fireworks in the area were cancelled and rescheduled for tonight. We are planning to venture out to Regency Park tonight with a picnic but there is definetly rumbles of thunder in the distance. I hope it blows over quickly.

Last night Liz and Jen gave Ava a tummy time/shopping cart cover and mat. She really liked looking at herself in the mirror while she excercised her crawling muscles!

We are off to the beach next Saturday for our yearly vacation. We are excited that Ava will have her first taste of the ocean. She loves the pool so we are excited to see her reaction to the waves!

We had a good family day today. We relaxed around the house for most of the day awaiting Claudia's return from her friend's birthday party. Richard enjoyed his time with Ava and read her five books today! She really enjoys books! We went to the library and picked out a bunch.

When Claudia arrived home and we took a jaunt to Taget or as we call it Tar-Jay. We are looking forward to our trip to the beach. We will be leaving for Carolina Beach July 12-18th!

Father's Day

Richard had a very nice Father's Day this year with his two girls. Ava and Claudia gave him a framed picture of themselves that mom had blown up and framed! It was a very pretty pose with them both holding hands lying on the bed. Claudia found him a plaque that read "Fantasy Football Legend". The Rutkowski Family always seems to do well in our picks when it comes to fantasy football time.

In the evening we had a bunch of people over to the house to watch LSU vs. UNC in the College World Series. Unfortunately, LSU did not move on but a good time was had by all. Richard smoked his famous ribs and we socialized and ate well into the evening!

This weekend the girls and I took our first "summer trip". We went to Grenville to visit Beca and see her new apartment. She has an adorable one bedroom on the outskirts of town. It is decorated perfectly and we enjoyed each other's company while we went antique shopping and ventured to "Little Washington" where we had lunch by the water and browsed the shops.

Ava had a chance to wear her "Somebody Loves Me in Greenville, NC" onesie! She looked adorable!

Today we went to Pullen Park where Ava and Claudia rode the merry go round. They have one of the oldest carousels in the U.S. I used to love it as a kid. They looked so cute on the cat they picked to ride.

Susanna's Baptism Today!

Susanna was christened this morning at Saint Francis in Raleigh. She had a total imersion baptism which was so cute and it was alomost a private baptism with only four other babies being baptized. She cried when she was dunked but looked so...beautiful in Jessie's christening gown which was made from Gradma Sue's wedding dress. I had her bonett made at a local tailor from the same material and it fit perfect! She looked like a baby doll. She is such a gorgeous baby!

The Rutkowski Family.

Joey and I as the Godparents.

Ava got her first "big girl seat" today at Babies R Us. She loves to sit up and look around. I can tell she will enjoy it more and more as she grows. It is hard to believe how quickly they grow up. It seems like yesterday we were heading to the hospital not knowing what to expect. Time flies!

Susanna's Baptism

Susanna Gonzalez will be baptized tomorrow here in Raleigh. Jessie and Miguel have picked me to be the Godmother and I am super excited to have such an important responsibility!

We are getting ready for Father's Day. Richard wanted to have some people over to the house to watch the UNC/LSU game for the College World Series. We are looking forward to that on Sunday.

Ava, Claudia and I have just been hanging out since Claudia has been out of school for the summer. It has been relaxing but we are keeoing ourselves busy.

Pool Time!

Ava had her first swim on Sunday and we went back again on Monday! She really likes the water and being bounced around. She didn't even flinch when I put her in. We spent most of the time in the big pool but went to the baby pool as well. I have a feeling she is going to be a "little fish". She looked so cute in her bathing suit and sun hat!

Claudia and Ava

This past weekend was a whirl wind.! Friday started off with the Baccaulareate Mass for CGHS where Ashley gave a beautiful welcome speech to the congregation as well as played the violin. She was truly a shining star. Grandma Martin was here all the way from Kansas! What a treat! Ava and her great grandmother enjoyed many hours of "talking" during her visit!

Friday night Mimi came in from Louisiana and we had a blast with her and the girls. Ava was so happy to finally spend time with her grandmother! We spent Saturday shopping and at night we had some family over to the house.

Sunday began with Ashley's graduation at Meymandi. She received two awards on top of her diploma. She received both the music award and a distinguished graduate award made especially for someone who carries on faith and love of others in all aspets of their lives. We all knew she had the music one in the bag but this one was a surprise! They could not have picked a better recipient. She is off to Michigan in the fall. I can't belive she has grown so fast. It feels like yesterday she was Ava's age and I was changing her diapers!

Sunday ended with the migrant meal at St. Bernadette's where we fed over 80 farmworkers from the fields of Eastern North Carolina and distributed clothing, shoes, hats and toiletries. As always, people stepped on Memorial Day weekend and it was a true success!

Thursday, Ava and Susanna got some time to "hang out" !! Jess and I are determined that they grow up best friends like their moms!

We attended a wedding for Richard's coworker tonight. Claudia looked beautiful in pink and Ava wore the dress that Mimi bought for her during her visit. I have to admit the Rutkowski girls are truly the most beautiful pair in town!

Smiley

Ava has been smiling "up a storm". She started this a week or so ago but it has been daily lately. I have tried and tried to capture pictures of her first smiles and finally got a couple today! She is so cute when she looks at you and her whole face lights up. It really makes everything you do worth while. She is a doll. We are so blessed!

Baptism and Mom's Surprise

The baptism was a huge success today! We arrived at the church around 7:45, got Ava dressed and the kids came in at 8:15. Father John said mass and the baptismal ceremony was beautiful. Ava was an angel baby throughout the whole mass. She didn't make a peep and was looking around and smiling. She didn't mind it at all when Father poured the water over her head. Plus, she looked fabulous with her "chrism" hairdo. She usually likes her hair washed in the bath tub too! We all retreated back to our house and celebrated with friends and dined on cake, fruit, ham biscuits and quiche.

Mom was "speechless" for the first time when at 8:00 we, along with 15 or so of her orchestra friends suprised the heck out of her for her 60th. Beca, Ashley and I had told her that we were taking her out to a "new Italian restaurant" in Raleigh and she needed to meet at our house. Little did she know we would all be waiting to surprise her! We had a great time with great foods and wine. The party began to wind down but mom stayed for a long while and we opened her presents. She got some really neat things! Yesterday truly was a day to remember!!