The Cooper Family

Megan is 1 Month Old!

2011-08-28T15:29:00.000-07:00

Megan, 1 Month Old (8/27/11)

Ava, 1 Month Old (6/3/07)

Wow! I cannot believe how fast the time has gone! I swear, it seems like just yesterday that we were in the hospital welcoming Baby Girl #2 to the family! It has been a fun, chaotic, memorable time getting to know Megan and introducing her to our family and friends. Ava has proven to be such a wonderful big sister and definitely loves her little 'Meggy'. :)

When I brought Ava home from the hospital, I remember thinking that I did not know if it was possible to love more than one child at a time. How do you spread your time evenly with two kids? Well, I know now, it definitely is possible to love two kids at the same time. It's amazing how much your heart expands to allow you to do that. I also am finding out, it's nearly impossible, at least in the beginning, to spread your time evenly between two children. That seems to be my biggest challenge. I am constantly trying to find ways to spend time with Ava, alone, and to make sure she doesn't feel left out. All the while, trying to feed a new baby and soothe the baby when she cries. There just aren't enough hours in the day. When I was pregnant, a friend told me to make sure when the baby was born that I didn't "shoosh" Ava all the time when the baby was sleeping. That was probably the best advice I've been given so far. Understanding that Ava is still a healthy 4-year old and knowing that she is still going to be loud and energetic is key. Megan has learned to sleep through a lot of the noise. There have been times, however, when the noise is a bit much, and Miss Megan gets woken up by the sounds of Big Sister, or the dog barking at the neighbors...again. I'm learning to take a deep breath and just laugh about it--this is our life now...as hectic as it may be. :)

In the past month we have learned so much about Megan (aka: Meg, Megs, Meggy, Meggy-Moo, Miss Magoo #2). She likes to eat. A lot. LOL She usually sleeps between feedings, but in the last couple of days, she has been more alert for longer periods of time. She likes the pacifier, but only on her terms. Don't try to force it! :) When she's upset, she likes Ava to sing to her. Megan sleeps in the basinet next to our bed and is always making squeaking and grunting noises. I don't mind at all, because as moms of newborns know, you're always checking to make sure they are breathing, that they didn't spit up, etc. With all the noise-making going on, I usually know things are fine. It doesn't stop me from checking on her everytime I rollover though. :) When I first put Megan down for the night, she'll usually sleep about 4-5 hours (ahhhh...heaven), then she'll wake up every 2 or 3 hours after that. Not too bad. She loves the Boppy pillow and occassionally likes the swing. She's happiest when someone is holding her-of course! Megan loves to take naps on Mommy or Daddy's chest--he favorite place to be. She would sleep forever there if we let her.

Megan's had a few baths and really likes the water. It's when she gets out that she starts fussing. And if Mommy takes too long to get her dried off and dressed...you'll hear about it!

For the most part, Megan is a very mellow baby and we are so in love with her. It makes me have more respect for Ava as well. Ava is handling this whole 'baby thing' so well and I don't think she gets enough credit. It's got to be hard for any 4 year old who was the center of attention to get their whole world turned upside-down. In an instant, Ava grew up. But she'll always be my baby. :)

Day at the Lake

2011-08-10T21:04:00.001-07:00

This was #1 on Ava's list of things to do this summer--go jet skiing. Mark and his dad took Ava out on the lake last Friday to ride around on the jet ski. She had so much fun! She is a little daredevil--good thing I wasn't there to witness it! Mark said Ava wanted to operate the gas on the jet ski and basically held it wide open--full throttle the whole time! This girl has no fear--yikes! She can't wait to go out on the lake again!

Action cam.

Self-portrait.

Found some warm, shallow water.

Snack break.

Ava and Opa.

Pretty toes.

Acting crazy.

Ava's 'Before Summer Kicks the Bucket List'

2011-08-10T20:50:00.000-07:00

Mark is off work until the middle of September for 'paternity leave'. We are so lucky that he gets so much time off to spend with us while we are adjusting to our expanding family. One of his main priorities is spending a lot of time with Ava. We wanted to make sure she didn't feel left out and that she was getting 'one-on-one' time with us. Mark sat down with her to write a list of things she wanted to do this summer. Here is her 'Before Summer Kicks the Bucket List':

Go jet skiing

Go to a waterslide park

Visit Discovery Kingdom

Tour the Jelly Belly Factory

Swim in the One Mile at Bidwell Park

Bike Ride on Trail-a-bike

Welcome, Megan Faye!

2011-08-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

On July 27, 2011, we welcomed Megan Faye Cooper to our family! She weighed 7 pounds, 1 ounce, and was 20 inches. She was scheduled to arrive on August 1st, but decided to come early--thank goodness, I was ready! I woke up around 12:30am on the 27th to some pretty strong contractions. I had never been in labor before, as Ava was a scheduled c-section as well (breech baby!). I went out to the living room and sat there for about 2 hours, timing the contractions and trying to figure out if I was really in labor. Everytime I had a contraction, I felt like, for sure, this was it. But in the 5-6 minute breaks that I would get, I felt fine and figured I was being too cautious. Is this labor? Or am I just imagining it? For 2 hours I felt like that. Finally, around 2:30am, I called my sister, who works nights at the hospital and happened to be working that night. She answered the phone and when I said "I think I'm in labor", she started cracking up! She walked to the maternity wing and talked to the nurses on duty. They told me to drink lots of water and lay down for a bit. Once I got comfortable on the couch, Lisa called me back and said that one of my doctors was actually on her way to the hospital for another patient. Lisa suggested that I just come in and get checked out--if I needed to have a c-section, at least my doctor would be there. So, I went in and woke Mark up and told him that I thought we should go to the hospital. I already had my bag packed, so I was ready! Mark, on the other hand, didn't have anything ready--I think he was still in denial at this point! LOL At 3am, I went into Ava's room and woke her up. I felt so bad--she was sound asleep and looked so comfy in her bed. This better be the real thing, I thought. Otherwise, I was going to feel so bad waking everyone up at o'dark hundred! It took a minute to get Ava up and going but by the time we were in the car, she was chattin' up a storm! She was in such a good mood at 3:30 in the morning! On the way to the hospital I had several very strong contractions--the kind you can't even talk yourself through. I was pretty sure this was the real thing.

We got to the hospital around 4am and met my sister outside. She took Ava to her office so they could color and hang out for a bit. They hooked me up to the monitors to see how strong my contractions were and said it was going to be about an hour for them to decide if they were going to keep me and do a c-section that day, or not. My only thought was, "I'm going to have to have these contractions for another hour???" I know now, that I am definitely not a fan of labor--bring on the c-section!!! They decided around 5:15am they were going to perform a c-section at 6:30am. Again, my first thought was, "I'm going to have to have these contractions for another hour and 15 minutes???" Good thing, the time flew by and before we knew it, I was walking myself into the operating room. Megan was born 25 mintues later and, as you can see, is perfect! :) My parents arrived just 10 minutes after I was wheeled into the recovery room (my sister didn't call them until 5:15am when the decision was made to keep me and take the baby that day. They loaded the car up and made the 1.5 hour drive to Chico in record time!).

My mom stayed the 3 nights in the hospital with me so Mark could provide Ava with some "normalcy" at home. The nurses at the hospital were fabulous and my stay, other than the very uncomfortable beds, was great! We were able to go home that Saturday to start our lives as a family of four!

In the recovery room.

Hello Grandma!

Hello Grandpa!

Meeting Big Sister!

Ava couldn't wait to hold Megan.

Hi Opa!

Meeting cousins Macy and Ben.

I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

Kisses.

Hi Omi!

Ava singing Rock-a-Bye Baby to calm Megan down.

My sister and Chris bought this cake for us--we went over to their house on Sunday after Megan was born for a BBQ.

Chillin' during the festivities at the Denlay's.

Morning bliss.

My Princess on Parade

2011-07-26T17:08:00.000-07:00

Ava went to ballet camp for two weeks at Chico Creek Dance Centre, where she has taken ballet classes before. She was very excited to go, because she knew 'Miss Melinda' was going to be the teacher, whom she adores! They worked very hard for 3 hours a day for 2 weeks. They also did arts and crafts to decorate the room for the performance and the programs for the parents. Ava's friend, Olivia, also did the camp, but Ava made a few new friends too. It was very cute to see them encourage each other and give each other hugs at the end of the day. The performances were on Thursday and Friday of the last week of camp, to allow for the many friends and family who all wanted to see their "Princesses". They danced to songs from the movies 'Tangled' and 'Princess and the Frog'. Ava discovered tap shoes and did a fantastic job! :) She did great with all of her dances.

Enjoy the pictures of Ava dancin', twistin', jumpin', hula-hoopin', and shakin' her groove thing. :)

3rd Annual Father's Day Weekend Camping Trip to Butt Lake!

2011-07-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

It was our 3rd annual camping trip for the Coopers to Butt Lake. At first, I tried to get out of it. I was not looking forward to sleeping in a tent, in a sleeping bag, on the ground, 34 weeks pregnant! My mother-in-law and father-in-law were very generous, however, and let me sleep in their camping trailer. It actually ended up being pretty fun--my mother-in-law, Macy, Ava and I all had a 'sleepover' in the trailer. I don't think I could have done it any other way this year...

We only stayed one night this year. I knew I was going to be wiped out, but we wanted to go for a little bit anyway. We looked like we had enough stuff to stay for a whole week though! We had a lot on our agenda for the short time we were there! We wanted to go in the lake, take a ride in the canoe, make s'mores by the campfire (of course!), go fishing, and fit in a bit of relaxation too (I think that was mainly on my agenda!).

Ava and Macy taking a dip in the freezing water! You could walk out forever and it was really shallow-the kids loved it!

Mark taking the girls for a canoe ride

Ava caught a fish with her Barbie fishing pole!!!

Opa caught a fish with his pole too, and he let Ava reel it in-she did it all by herself!

Concentrating...

Omi and Opa and the grandkids

Mark swinging in the hammock

They don't call it Butt Lake for nothin'!!! :)

Ron pretending to throw Ava in the water

After a very long walk, Ava and I enjoying some cuddle time. Is that a beachball under my sweatshirt?? :)

There's a piece of wood all the way at the end of the lake that looks like a sasquatch. Ava wanted to go see it up close.

The kids swinging--they got pretty high!

Saturday morning breakfast- buttermilk pancakes and sausages for the kids. The good stuff came later--Ron always takes eggs, potatoes, bacon, and onion and cooks them in a cast iron pot to perfection. Yum!

Ava and Macy-watching the cooks and zoning out...looks like Ava is enjoying her cup of morning coffee. I think it was just water.... :)

In Omi and Opa's trailer-the girls had enjoyed telling ghost stories at the campfire so much, they continued to do so inside where it was nice and warm. Ava kept telling the 'Legend of Pinkfoot'-you'll have to ask her sometime. :) We also played a hilarious game of 'Telephone'-the message mysteriously changed to the same thing over and over again once it reached Ben. Hmmmm...

Macy eating s'mores. Photo courtesy of Ava.

Ava and Macy in the water...again.

I was watching the girls and taking pictures and I turned to see my shadow--had to take the picture!

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-09T18:57:00.000-07:00

It was my fifth Mother's Day!! I can't believe the time is going by so quickly. I got to sleep in until 9am (mainly because Ava slept until 9am...)!! Then I was told to stay in bed until they came to get me. Ava came in about 15 minutes later and wanted me to close my eyes as she led me into the kitchen. I was pleasantly surprised to find a vase full of beautiful roses, some cards, heart-shaped pancake molds, and a sandwich that Ava made me out of her 'play' kitchen supplies. It was so sweet! I got gift cards to Starbucks, McDonald's and Motherhood Maternity--the perfect 'Preggo Trio' :)!

Like I said, I can't believe it was my fifth Mother's Day! I am so lucky to be Ava's Mommy. :) These past 4 years have gone by way too fast-now I know what everyone means when they say to 'enjoy it while it lasts'. Although she can be trying at times, she is 4 after all...right? Soon to be a big sister, Ava's world is going to change completely in a few short months. I'm excited, nervous, and terrified all at the same time. She is used to being the center of attention, as the case with any only child. I know having a sibling will be a good change for her. She is really looking forward to being a Big Sister, and I'm hoping the two girls have a special bond. I know it will take some getting used to, going from a family of 3 to a family of 4, but I can't wait for the newest addition to our family to arrive.

At the restaurant on Mother's Day, waiting for our dinner.

Trying to capture Ava's 'sweetness' on camera...

My Mother's Day gifts.

We're Back!!

2010-09-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

Wow! Has it been over a year since I've posted anything!! Here are some pictures from the last couple of months.

Easter 2010

Walking home

Chubby cheeks!

Our 3 year old!

Happy Birthday!

Time certainly does fly. I have been "addicted" to Facebook and have neglected this family blog. I realized, many of our family and friends don't have Facebook, so I've decided to start back up with the blog. While Facebook is nice, this blog allows us to tell "our story" and show many pictures of our daily adventures. Plus, Ava likes looking at it, so I figured I should keep it up to date.

Since it's been so long, I will have to catch up. Ava turned 3 in May and we celebrated by taking a trip to Disneyland, just the 3 of us. She absolutely loved it and enjoyed meeting the princesses. She started taking ballet last fall and loved it, she continues to take dance class at a local studio and is not afraid to break into some moves in the middle of the grocery store! Ava has also made a lot of friends through playgroups, child care, and through other friends. We are always on the move, going to birthday parties, BBQs, and get-togethers. This fall, we are planning trips to the pumpkin patch, Apple Hill, Portland, OR, and lots of playtime!

Mark is still working at CSU, Chico in Facilities Management. He was certainly lucky to be part of the only union that did not elect to take furloughs (knock on wood!!!). His co-workers are great, and he loves his job. This week (Sept. 8th-11th) is quite possibly Mark's favorite week of the year. Gold Cup (sprint cars) starts on Wed. and there are races every night through Sat. I usually go one night, but I might pass this year to take Ava on a weekend "girls" trip.

I'm in my third year of selling real estate. I am really enjoying working for my broker and I have met some great clients!!! I help both buyers and sellers, and it seems my business is evenly split between the two. I had a great year last year and am working towards my goal of beating last year's sales. The market is tough and challenging, but I am just trying to stay busy as best I can. I am also involved as the Treasurer for the NorCal chapter of Women's Council of Realtors. I have met many people I wouldn't have otherwise, and am learning a lot.

All in all, we are healthy and happy and looking forward to our next adventure.

1st camping trip!

2009-06-28T22:33:00.000-07:00

We decided to go on our first annual Cooper Campout! We've been wanting to take Ava camping for awhile and ended up going to Butt Lake (yes, it's Butt...I don't know why they named it that because it's a beautiful lake and a great place to camp). We were joined by Mark's parents, and his brother and family. The kids had a blast during the day, but it was a little rough for Ava and Ben during the night. Ava woke up a few times, totally freaked out! She had never been in a tent before and did not know what was going on. She finally fell back asleep and slept in pretty late--thank goodness! We didn't know if we were going to spend one or two nights up there, but after the first night we decided we would call it good. We stayed until after dinner on the second night, but left to sleep in our own bed (and crib!). We'll try it again soon, we just need to ease into it... :)

The whole family- Ron brought his canoe and it was the hit of the trip!

Ava with Macy, practicing in the canoe.

I love this picture. Ava absolutely loves Macy, and Macy takes such good care of Ava.

Mark, getting ready to go out on the water to set his crawdad traps...he had borrowed some of these traps from a co-worker who told him Butt Lake was great for catching crawdads...he put a raw piece of bacon in one, and cat food in another for bait (I guess cat food is a well-known trick for catching crawdads...)

Ava, already enjoying the 'junk food' side of camping...

Yes, that's a snake! Raymond was sitting on this log only moments before...I was grossed out by it, but Ava kept wanting to touch it. Nice...

It was getting chilly...Macy and Ava hanging out by the campfire.

Helga, Raymond, and Ron-relaxing and getting some dinner started...

Almost sunset...

Little Ben, trying to throw that piece of wood in the water...

The water was freezing!! Mark jumped in to wash off anyway...

After all the bacon and catfood, and leaving the traps out overnight...this was the lone crawdad they caught. Mark had big plans for a 'Crawdad Fry', but when they only caught one, he threw it back. Oh well, better luck next time. :)

We went for a drive the second day, and it started pouring rain and hailing! It looked like snow on the road!

Swim Lessons!

2009-06-28T22:17:00.000-07:00

Ava is done with swim lessons, for the second year! She had just turned one when we took them last year, and could do so much more this year. We signed up through the Chico Area Recreation District with a girlfriend of mine that has a 9 month old, Samantha (or Baby Mantha as Ava says). Ava really liked going to the pool this year and was picking up on the techniques. Most of the time she just wanted to play on the steps on the pool though. They taught us a lot of really cute songs to sing in the pool, and Ava likes to sing them in the bathtub too. Doesn't she look like her daddy in the picture above?

They were 12 kids signed up for lessons...they were all so cute!

Ava kicking, and splashing everywhere.

They told us to throw a toy out of arm's reach to get them to use their arms more...this was Ava trying to grab the fish that looked like Nemo.

I had to include this picture with Aly...texting like always. :) Good thing my sister and brother-in-law pay for unlimited texts!

Up, Up, and Away...

2009-06-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

My mom, niece, and I took Ava to her first movie the other day. We went to see the Disney Pixar movie, Up. I didn't know how Ava would do but she made it through the whole thing! I've never given her popcorn before, mainly because I don't really like it...but she sure did! She ate almost the whole bag by herself! When she finished eating, she got up and said "All done!" I guess she thought once she was done eating, it was time to leave. She sat on Aly's lap for a bit and then moved over to mine. She didn't talk too much and seemed to really enjoy the movie. A few days later we were down at the Roseville Galleria and I took her into the Disney store. She made a beeline for the 'Up' merchandise. She remembered the dogs from the movie and wanted a stuffed animal Doug! I can't wait to take her to another movie!

Hmmmmm....what should I get??

I have my own booster chair and sippy cup--hand over the popcorn, mom!

This popcorn is delicious!

My mom had to, of course, take a picture of the sign out front.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Ava!

2009-06-28T20:48:00.000-07:00

Ava turned 2 on May 3rd. We had planned to have an 'Elmo' party at my sister's house with a bounce house and some food. The Elmo invitations went out, and the Elmo cake had been ordered. The bounce house was ordered in advance, and the morning before the party, Mark and I went to Costco for all of the food and beverages...Unfortunately, the weather decided to take a turn for the worse and it ended up being cold and rainy for about 3 days. I made the executive decision on Saturday afternoon to move the party for Sunday indoors. I thought about using my sister's garage, but she and my brother-in-law were in the middle of remodeling their house and the garage was full of power tools and new tile. So, where else do you go when it's raining and you're expecting about 20 kids? Chuck E. Cheese's! They had an opening and I took it-the employees there were wonderful. I called everyone and told them of the change of location, and time, and most everyone was able to still make it. I didn't have to set up or clean up, which was great. The kids all had a fantastic time and Ava ended up still having a great 2nd birthday party! I tried, but some of the pictures are not in order...

Ava blowing out the candles with a little help from Mommy.

Ava, not so sure about dancing with that Chuck E. Cheese guy...

We still used her Elmo cake that I had ordered...it tasted so yummy!

Ava on one of the rides.

Yeah! Dancing to the music of Chuck E. Cheese and the band!

Happy Birthday, little munchkin! She LOVES her new playhouse! Thank you Grandma & Grandpa and Omi & Opa!

Isn't this the cutest playhouse?

All done with cake and ice cream...look at that face!

Forget the fork!

Yum!

Stay Tuned...

2009-06-28T14:24:00.001-07:00

Wow- Has it really been since Easter since I last updated our blog?? I will update soon- including, Ava's 2nd bday, Ava's 1st camping trip, swim lessons, Ava's 1st trip to the movie theater, and more... get ready to read!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

This year, the Easter festivities started on Friday afternoon with an egg hunt at Nana's. On Saturday, we went to Durham park for another Easter egg hunt. On Sunday, we spent Easter brunch at Raymond and Jenny's and then drove down to my parents' for Easter dinner. Three days and 4 Easter egg hunts later, Ava was wiped out! She had a blast and loved spending time with the whole family-her favorite thing to do! I learned that plastic eggs are much better for an almost-two year old to hunt for, as opposed to hard boiled eggs. Ava tried to "open" some of the hard boiled eggs that she found and stuck her fingers right through them! She thought there was candy inside those too...

She loved the bunnies!

See the scratched up chin? She fell off our neighbor's porch the night before and cut her lip and her chin-great timing!

My mom's table, set for Easter dinner.

Ava and Gramma laughing at the egg and the chick.

Ava was heading out--check out her overflowing Easter basket!

Takin' a break from finding eggs.

Drew and Emma were helping Ava find Easter eggs-they were so helpful and Ava absolutely loves them!

At Raymond and Jenny's finding eggs. Last year at Easter, she wasn't quite walking and didn't get the whole idea of finding eggs...this year, she was on a mission! She was running everywhere trying to find every single egg-I'm going to need a bigger basket next year!

The fam, at Durham park. Ava already had her mouth full of chocolate...

At Nana's, satisfied with her one egg that had jelly beans in it.

The bunny hutch that Aly and Ava made-Ava tried to eat everything the whole time...

Aly and Ava-having fun!

Cutie Pie

2009-03-31T20:43:00.000-07:00

I think this is currently my favorite picture of Ava. We went down to my parents' this weekend and my mom took this while Ava was reading her Elmo book. Mark and I went to dinner with our friends, Trevor and Rhiana, while my parents watched Ava. They decided to take her to John's Incredible Pizza Co. I've never been there, but have heard it described as Chuck E. Cheese's multiplied by 1000!! They have toys, rides, and a pizza buffet. My mom said that when they walked in the door and Ava saw all of the games/rides she looked over at my parents and said "Wow". She had a blast! My mom and John met some other friends there, and Ava went on some of the rides with their daughter, Emma. I don't know who was more exhausted when the evening was over, Ava or my parents! When Mark and I got back, Ava was sound asleep. She had such a good time with Gramma and Grampa!! Thanks Mom and John! :)

Here Comes Trouble!!

2009-03-31T20:39:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, Ava was playing at my in-laws' and found a sprinkler that was on out back...she was just standing there, clothes and all, getting soaked!! I have no idea what she was thinking, but she thought it was pretty funny. Notice her shirt says "Here Comes Trouble"...how true!!

Kite Day

2009-03-31T20:23:00.001-07:00

Every year, Chico has its annual 'Kite Day'. We never used to go before we had Ava, but we've gone two years in a row now. It was super windy that day and nearly impossible to fly a kite. I let Ava pick her kite out and she wanted a Barbie kite. I didn't think she even knew who Barbie was, but what do I know?? We got Barbie up in the air for awhile, but the wind was so strong, the kite kept doing nose-dives into the ground. People were dodging kites left and right. Ava thought it was neat for a few mintues, then wanted to move on. They have a playground and she was much more interested in going down the slides and playing on the swings. We had a good time, but I hope next year isn't so windy.

Going to explore with Opa.

I found her hat in her diaper bag-she actually wore it, which is surprising!

Mark, flying the Barbie kite :) What a good Dad!

Barbie, two minutes before she came crashing down.

Omi and Ava, trying not to blow away.

We're back!

2009-03-06T20:49:00.001-08:00

I know it's been so long since I've posted an update! I've become addicted to facebook and have neglected our family blog...Well, I'm back now, and I vow to take more pictures- I haven't been very good about that lately either. Anyway, we've been having fun living life and watching Ava grow.

Ava update: She will be 2 in 2 months and I cannot believe it! She is really into Elmo, so we're thinking of having an Elmo birthday party. She is talking up a storm and has become the resident mocking bird. She amazes us everyday with new things (words, gestures, expressions, etc.). She loves to sing songs, or rather, have me sing them to her. Every night when I put her to bed, I have to go through the usual line-up of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Rock-A-Bye Baby, the ABCs, and we even sing Happy Birthday to almost every single family member. She has just started this "phase" where she takes her socks and shoes off EVERY single time we get in the car, no matter how far we have to go. She's becoming very independent and has started to try and dress herself in the mornings. She is getting pretty good, but still needs help with getting her shirts over her head. She still never ceases to amaze us or make us laugh everyday!

I have completed two 5K runs in the last couple of months and just signed up for the random lottery to see if I get picked to run in the Nike Women's Half Marathon in SF in October...yikes! What was I thinking? Mark and Ava came to both of my runs to cheer me on-Mark is very supportive and taught Ava to yell "Go Mama Go!".

We have lots of fun things planned for the upcoming months and I will be better about taking pictures so I can share them with everyone. We hope everyone is doing well!

Ava playing on the swings while I was running at the Almond Blossom 5K

Starting line at the Almond Blossom in Durham.

Finish line- I don't know what I placed, but I did finish 2 minutes faster than my previous run

Our friend, Matty, after he crossed the finish line... Medic? Medic?

With our friends Jason and Matty

Here are some random pics I've taken over the last couple of months...

One of our family friends, Jodi, was doing a scrapbook layout for a project and needed a picture of Ava with her shoes...She has a little shoe obsession--dontchathink?

Hello? Mama?

Playing at Omi's in the Grocery Store

Aly turned 14!! OMG - I feel old! Ava absolutely loves Aly and talks about her all the time...

Ava's first pedicure, compliments of mommy. Not the best paint job, but you try painting a 22 month old's toes!!

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

2008-12-29T20:17:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! We had a great Christmas-hectic, but so much fun! First off, let me say that these pictures are not in order-I've tried for awhile now to get them in chronological order, and I can't seem to figure it out. Second, I've realized that we only take pictures of Ava!! I swear other family members were around, but I guess taking pictures of Ava is more fun, because no one else is really in them. Mark really was with us!! On Christmas Eve we always go over to Mark's parents' house for a traditional German-style meal (Mark's mom is, of course, from Germany). Ava tried a huge spoonful of sauerkraut and loved it-yikes!! It was a great meal this year-thanks Helga! My parents, along with Chris and Aly, came over afterwards for some drinks and to watch Miss Ava put on a one-man show. She is quite the entertainer! She was dancing, laughing, and living it up-she loves being the center of attention. She got some Christmas jammies that night and knew there was excitement in the air-but she didn't like it when I told her Santa was coming to our house that night. She looked at me like I was crazy. I'm sure next year, she'll be excited about Santa. On Christmas morning we opened up our gifts from each other at home. Ava got some new shoes (she already has a very unhealthy obsession with shoes! We are in sooo much trouble!), a potty, and a few other things. We went to my sister's afterwards where we spent most of the day. There, Ava got a table and chairs, a cabbage patch kid (I'm so old-it's the 25th anniversay of the doll!), a tea set (plastic of course), some books, clothes, and lots of other goodies. We had a great dinner there then headed over to Mark's parent's again to continue opening presents. I swear we opened presents until 9pm that night! It was a little overwhelming, but fun too. Ava did really good throughout the whole day, but was wiped out when it was time for bed. It was so fun watching her open her presents and enjoy all the family members. We hope everyone had a wonderful time!

Omi got Ava a baby that came with a stroller, a car seat, diaper bag, etc. Ben wanted it so bad-there was a slight meltdown by both kids.

Jenny and I both got the Dyson vacuum! I never thought I would be excited to open a vacuum on Christmas, but I was-and it works great!

Touble, trouble, and more trouble. Towards the end of the night on Christmas-all kids in their jammies, looking to cause trouble.

Hmmmm....what could they be thinking?

Christmas Eve, after she had a bath and put her new jammies on-enjoying a book with Opa.

A new potty! She likes to sit on it all the time, clothes or no clothes. She hasn't quite used it yet, but she talks about using it a lot.

Shoes! Shoes! Shoes! She was so excited!

At Aunt Lisa's and Uncle Chris's...as you can see, Aunt Lisa got a drum for Ava filled with symbols, bells and lots of other LOUD toys-thanks Lisa! Next to that, you can see "milk jugs" for the Barnyard Bowling game that Uncle Chris gave to Ava--Ha ha to you...I found the off switch!!

The famous baby stroller.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-15T20:34:00.001-08:00

Well, Ava didn't like Santa Claus too much this year (as you will see in the picture). She loved him last year...this year-not so much. She has been saying "ho!ho!ho!" for the last couple of weeks and is very fascinated with this whole "fat guy in a red suit"-but as soon as I sat her on Santa's lap she had a meltdown. She was looking at me like "how could you?"...The second I picked her up and Santa handed her a toy, she was smiling again. What a stinker! I had to get the picture anyway, I'm sure my mom has one of me just like that. We hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season, and we wish you a very Merry Christmas!

I had to bribe Ava with vanilla wafers for her to sit still. In this picture, she's actually doing the sign language for "more". She wanted more cookies of course!

She had her mouth full of the vanilla wafers in this picture.

I know!! I'm a mean mom--look at that poor face!

Ava in the snow...

2008-12-14T22:53:00.000-08:00

Snow Day!!

2008-12-14T21:02:00.000-08:00

It started snowing late morning today-we left to do some Christmas shopping and this is what it looked like when we came home! Ava has never really seen the snow yet, and she loved it!! She wanted to be out there all night, and was mad when I took her inside. She kept calling it "ice"... It's supposed to snow for the next couple of days...maybe we'll even have a white Christmas...???

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-12-02T14:12:00.001-08:00

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mark, Ava and I flew out to Washington D.C. to visit some family for the holiday. I was nervous about the flights since Ava had never been on a plane for that long, but she was absolutely perfect (of course she was, right?)! We had to connect in Chicago, but Ava slept most of the way to Chicago from Sacramento. Then she played, colored and read the rest of the way to D.C. On the flights back, she was so tired from all of the activities, she slept most of the way across the country! We had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner and even got a private tour of the White House that night-it was so cool! I felt very important! :) We had a great time during our visit. Ava and Mark both caught a stomach virus, so that was the downside-but everyone seems to be doing better and I'm knocking on wood that I don't catch it as well.

Mark and I sitting in the Brady Press Room-Mark was sitting in the NPR chair and I was sitting in the ABC Radio chair. Ummm...Mr.President, we have some questions!

Standing in the front of the press room-it's so surreal!

Standing in the doorway of the West Wing.

Our table...before all the food was ready.

Ava, watching the dog across the street-a little pug, named Tank. She loved him!

Tulip Time!

2008-11-16T20:52:00.000-08:00

Mark's parents came up to our house today to help plant some tulip bulbs. We already have some that we planted last year and they looked gorgeous, so we decided to plant some more. Mark's mom also taught me how to make one of Mark's favorite dinners (that I've been meaning to learn for a long time now)-it's a ham casserole type dish. It's much better than it sounds! We invited Mark's brother and his family over too. It's so fun to watch of all of kids play together-Ava was excited to take everyone into her room to show off her toys. My dinner didn't turn out to0 bad either!

Ava found a worm and tried to put it in her mouth!! Mark and Ron buried it in the dirt and Ava thought that was the funniest thing!

Ava has her shovel and she's ready to dig some dirt.

Ava surpervising Opa.

Ava showing Opa how she wants it done.

Halloween

2008-11-03T19:54:00.000-08:00

Halloween was so fun this year. Downtown Chico holds an event called Treat Street-all of the store owners open their doors to the little kids and hand out candy. Ava was getting the hand of it and would hand the employee her pumpkin, they would drop a piece of candy in and she would say "more..?". She doesn't even know what candy is! How can she know she wants more? Anyway, we did that for a little over an hour, then headed to my sister's to trick-or-treat. Ava pretty much refused to wear her bumblebee hat (it was a little big), but she still looked super cute! Ok, I'm a little biased...In the evening, we went to Cindy's (her daycare provider) for a party, then headed to Raymond and Jenny's for another party!! Good times :)

Kind of a small picture, but that's me and Ava at Treat Street

A little chaotic, but that's Cindy (all of the kids call her Nana) with some of the kiddos.

Ava with her BFF, Nora at Treat Street. They go to daycare together 2 days a week.

Ava at Raymond and Jenny's. She was partied out and would rather push the baby in her stroller. She plays with this every single time we're there. Sounds like a good Christmas present...

Kickin' back, relaxin'-just reading a book....upside-down. :)

Trip to Portland

2008-11-03T19:36:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago Mark, Ava, and I took a trip to Portland, Oregon. Ava was good on the plane, considering the last time she flew was when she was only 3 months old. On the way to Portland the flight was completely full, so it was a challenge keeping her in the seat for an hour and a half. On the way back, the flight wasn't nearly as full, so she was able to have the middle seat to herself. She kept busy by watching Finding Nemo, playing with some toys, and reading the Sky Mall catalog! We had a great time in Portland-we saw some family, went to McMinnville to see the Spruce Goose (the enormous plane built by Howard Hughes), and went to the zoo. Ava loved the zoo-she loved the bears, thought the monkeys were funny, and saw a brand new baby elephant!

My Grandma Hutch--Ava called her "G.G." for Great Grandma.

Brand new baby elephant, Sam.

Ava, trying to get off the ground!

The Spruce Goose-it's huge! The wing span is 320 ft!

Ava, trying to figure out this whole "flying thing"

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we went down to Bishop's Pumpkin Patch. It was so much fun! Mark, Ava, and I went down there with my Mom and John, Alyson, The (other) Coopers- Raymond, Jenny, Macy, and Ben, The Navarres- Rob, Georgia, Drew, and Emma, and The McDowells-Felicia, Jeff, and Nora (Ava's BFF from daycare!). There were train rides, pig races, a petting zoo, a trampoline, and of course-pumpkins!! Ava had a great time, we ended up staying there for over 3 hours!! Here are some pics... Have a Happy Halloween!

Aly, Grandma, Grandpa and Ava

Ava jumping-there's actually a trampoline under all that hay!

Ava was playing the pumpkin like a drum-and giving it kisses!

Feeding the goats in the petting zoo.

Ava and Grandpa

Oui, Oui...It's Halloween!

2008-10-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

Ava and I went down to my parents' house this weekend. We went shopping, ate cookies, scrapbooked (after Ava went to sleep of course) and took some pictures. We originally planned on just taking some pictures of her in her bumblebee costume, but then my mom found this cute leopard outfit. Later, she found the beret and we thought we'd try it out. Ava usually pulls her hats off within a few seconds, so we were surprised when she kept this one on for awhile. She looks like a little French girl, don't cha think? It's much harder taking her to get her picture taken now that she can walk and run...fast! The last time we got her pictures taken, she couldn't walk yet, so much easier!! Oh well, it was fun! By the time we were done, my mom and I were both sweating! Enjoy!

The Chico Airshow

2008-09-28T19:40:00.001-07:00

We went to the Airshow on Saturday at the Chico Airport--yes, Chico has its own airport! It's kind of like that television show 'Wings'. I used to fly out of it all the time when I worked for United. The same person would check you in at the ticket counter, walk over to security and check your i.d. again, then go outside to direct the plane in from landing, and load your bags onto the plane for take-off. It's pretty funny, but there was a huge turnout for the airshow. I think the temperature was still in the mid 90s, so it was super hot out on the asphalt. We hung in there for a few hours-Ava did really well and liked watching the planes fly by.

By the time we got there, planes were already flying back and forth and doing their stunts. Some of them made me super nervous-- I felt like I was going to be on one of those "Good Times Gone Bad" tv shows.

They actually got this plane of the ground-it's amazing that a plane this big can fly through the air and even do some tricks too!

Ava waving at one of the planes flying in the air. This was one of the only spots of shade-we were under the wing of a plane they had on display. We camped out there for awhile, but had to keep moving to see more stuff...

Ava with Opa....Going, Going...

Gone!...Wiped out from the excitement and the heat. I think it took her all of two minutes to fall sound asleep when we got in the car.

Fall Fun

2008-09-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

I'm making a promise to update our blog more often...I swear! Here are a few pictures we have taken over the last several weeks. We've been really busy going to different fall festivals , taking bike rides in the park, and hanging out with the fam. Ava is learning so much everyday and she's starting to repeat a bunch of words-we have to be careful of what we say now! She still loves being outside, playing with her Opa (Mark's dad), and getting into trouble!!

We went to the Durham Harvest Festival and Ava rode a pony-the pony's name was Annie Oakley. She didn't know what to think at first, but she got used to it and ended up letting go of my hand to hold on by herself.

Ava enjoying Annie Oakley.

Aunt Jenny was feeding Ava a push-up...I think she liked it! What a goofball!

Macy and Ava--Macy gave this purse and hat to Ava, Ava loves to wear them all the time!

Ava loves putting my shoes on, it doesn't matter which pair. She is so proud of herself when she gets them on, but gets so frustrated when they slip off. Here she is pushing her lawn mower around the kitchen in Mommy's shoes.

Turtle Bay

2008-08-27T19:50:00.001-07:00

We went to Turtle Bay, in Redding the other weekend. It's only about 1 hour away and it's a neat "adventure center". We went to the aviary to check out the birds, which Ava loved! She wanted to hold them and kept trying to grab them by the neck! We also went into the area where they keep all of the butterflies, but there wasn't enough action for Ava--she wanted to keep moving. They are currently having an exibit called 'Bodies Revealed'-so cool! There were actual preserved bodies that showcased the different systems in the human body (circulatory, digestive, muscular, etc.). Cameras weren't allowed, so I don't have any pictures. It was really amazing though.

Ava pointing at one of the birds before she tried to reach for it!

Can you see the mischievous look in her eyes?

Ava talking to the fish. She can say "fish", but usually it's referring to the goldfish snacks that she likes.

Ava doing a little dance in one of the tee-pees. She would push one of those buttons behind her and music would start playing. She cracks us up!

Fun pics!

2008-08-03T19:34:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I last posted anything. I have been taking lots of pictures of Ava over the last couple of weeks, surprise, surprise! She is growing so fast! She runs (not walks) everywhere-no more crawling. She can point to her nose, her toes, her ears, her hair, her belly button and her tongue. She nods for "yes" and I'm hoping she doesn't learn "no" for quite awhile. She is becoming quite the entertainer. Here are a few random pictures I thought I would share.

Ava, wearing her shades. Mark says she looks like Elton John in this pair!

Ava, being a goofball. She pulled this hat out of a basket and kept wanting me to put it on her head. She would run around the house, pull it off, and come back over to me to put it back on!

Ava playing in the water at Grandma and Grandpa's in their backyard in Lincoln.

Ava's first time on a boat! She loved it-she seemed to be relaxed by the noise and it almost put her to sleep.

Ava and Emma hanging out at the lake. This was Emma's chair and Ava loved it. Emma has a little brother and sister (twins) that are Ava's age, so she's really good with Ava.

Mark and Ava getting ready for a bike ride through the park. If anyone is looking for a bike seat-get this one! It sits in the front so they can see everything. Ava absolutely loves it! We've been on so many bike rides since we got this seat.

Ava, with her helmet, ready to go!

A Busy 4th of July!

2008-07-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July this year! The weather was perfect and the smoke seemed to go away for the day (for those of you who don't watch the news, just about all of Northern California is on fire...the smoke has been absolutely horrible! Several of our friends have been evacuated from their homes and it only seems to be getting worse-pray for rain!!).

We started 4th of July morning off by going to Raymond and Jenny's orchard. They invited a bunch of people for pumpkin planting. What a great idea! The pumpkins should be ready by Halloween. Ava and I planted some seeds-we'll have to watch them grow...

Miss Ava tried to keep cool by eating some watermelon.

Mark took Ava for a ride on Raymond's tractor. If you look close, you'll see she's near tears. She didn't like the noise of the tractor.

We then headed to Cindy and John's house for a BBQ (Cindy watches Ava two days a week). There was lots of food, fun and swimming. Cindy had a baby pool set up for Ava, but she wanted to be where the action was-in the big kid's pool!

Ava, in the pool for the third time. She would not get out!! I think I stood in there for about an hour!! She was getting pretty brave-she wanted to let go of my hands and go under the water!

Ava, giving Lucy a little lovin'. She learned how to give Lucy hugs a few weeks ago and does it all the time now. Lucy's so good with her, I think she might be smiling in this picture.

We left Cindy and John's and actually had plans to go watch some fireworks. Ava fell sound asleep as soon as we got in the car. I felt so bad, I didn't want to wake her up. We just went home and she ended up sleeping for 12 hours that night-what a party girl! I guess she'll have to wait until next year to see some fireworks...

We have a walker!!

2008-07-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

Ava is walking!! She started really walking over the weekend and has almost given up on crawling. Mark bought her pink vans (s0 cute!) this weekend and he swears the shoes helped! She is so proud of herself when she walks--she smiles so big. She holds her arms out in front of her, Mark says she looks like baby Frankenstein. I keep thinking she can't possibly get into anymore than she already does now that she's walking...right? I think I have a lot to learn--after I videotaped her walking around the house I turned around for 2 seconds (literally) to plug my camera in...I turned back around and Ava had climbed up on our dog, Lucy, and was straddling her like a horse! She was laughing and kicking her legs! I would've grabbed my camera to take a picture (it was pretty hilarious), but I was afraid Lucy was going to stand up with Ava on her back and take her for a wild ride. I think we're all going to learn a lot over the next couple of months.

You aint nothin' but a hound dog!

2008-06-23T20:12:00.000-07:00

Ava had her doctor's appointment on Thursday and had her chicken pox vaccination. I was nervous, but it wasn't bad at all. She barely flinched. I did pretty good too! She weighs 20 lbs exactly and is 30 1/2 inches long. The doctor said she looks great, he also noticed that she was an "active" baby...no kidding!! He said he could see a little mischief in her eyes--Mark says she gets it from me!

Some things about Ava at 1 year old:

Words she can say: mama, dada, uh-oh, hot, hi
Favorite foods: strawberries, turkey, cantaloupe, mommy's spaghetti (read previous post)
Favorite toys: yellow giraffe, Elmo, push lawn-mower, Pretty Princess trike
Best friends: Kaycee, Hannah, McKenna, Spencer, Nora
Just started: blowing kisses, whispering
Does all the time: says hi to strangers (we'll have to work on that) and dances!!...to any and every kind of music
Loves to: swing with Opa, pet Lucy, walk with anyone that will hold her hands

Yummy!!

2008-06-23T20:08:00.001-07:00

Ok- I do take more pictures than just of Ava in her highchair or at mealtimes...but this was hilarious! She had my spaghetti for the first time (instead of the baby food spaghetti she used to eat) and she absolutely loved it! I couldn't put it on her tray fast enough. She was shoveling it in! I grabbed my camera and she got super excited--she was cracking us up!

It's been a rough couple of days...

2008-06-04T21:15:00.001-07:00

The last two days have been hard on little Ava. She had her first “big” owie-she was stung by a bee yesterday. She was at Omi and Opa’s (Mark’s parents) and was crawling around on their lawn. Opa saw her heading towards the brick patio and went over to turn her around when he noticed a bee on her thumb. He brushed it away as he picked her up, but the stinger was already in her hand. It wasn’t too bad, but it did swell up a bit. It’s on her “sucking” thumb, and she was still sucking it all night, so it wasn’t bothering her too bad…

She also got her 8th tooth! Yes, I’m still counting…she’s been exceptionally fussy the last couple of days, not her normal smiley self. I looked this morning, and, sure enough, a sharp little tooth had poked through overnight. It’s no wonder she cries-it feels like the tip of a steak knife sticking out of her gums!

But....Drum Roll Please....

2008-06-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

AVA TOOK HER FIRST STEP TODAY!!

She was walking around the house holding my hands (her favorite hobby lately) and I let go to see what she would do. She just stood there for a second, not sure of what to do. She started to sit down but then stood back up and took one step! Then she plopped down on her bottom. I was so excited! I clapped and picked her up and gave her a big kiss. She knew something exciting had just happened and she smiled and seemed pretty proud of herself. All I can think now, is that we're going to be in a lot of trouble!!....

Wild Woman!

2008-05-31T22:48:00.000-07:00

Watch out world! Here comes Ava!!!

At the Fair

2008-05-31T22:06:00.000-07:00

We took Ava to the fair with Mark's parents, Ron and Helga. She liked the animals, liked watching the people, and LOVED the ice cream. Ron kept putting her down to get a closer look at the animals, but all Ava wanted to do was crawl on the dirty ground-I don't think so! She saw the goats, sheep, pigs, cows, and rabbits. She was too little to ride any of the rides, even if I had accompanied her, so we can look forward to those next year.

Ava's 1st birthday

2008-05-31T21:59:00.001-07:00

I know this is a little late, but I didn't have a blog on her birthday! Anyway, despite the little munchkin having a temperature of 101, she had a great first birthday party. She loved her cake and got it all over-like she was supposed to! We had the party in Mark's parent's backyard and the weather was perfect. Ava rode her trike and gave everyone a good laugh. The following week, we went down to my Mom and John's and had her picture taken at the Picture People.