Catching up....

Ok, seriously....I have been SUCH.A.BLOG.SLACKER!!!!!! Horrible, I know. My new years resolution is to do better....much better with this. Getting pregnant in July and going through a hard first trimester full of puke and nastiness set me somewhat behind...BUT, that's no excuse. For the next few weeks, I am going to try and catch up on my blog posts, continue my pregnancy work our regimen, and continue to document Aynslee's little life as she grows, sweet, beloved memories of my darling Ava, and then new memories of little miss bb#3. Here are a few pics to catch things up to speed....like I said, I promise I will continue to catch things up. I promise myself. :)

Did I tell you Aynslee started dance class? Yep...around October she started her fundamentals tot class at Rockstar Academy of Dance. She loves it, but is a crazy, little monkey!!!!! Ava listened much better than little Aynslee. LOL

Here is the day we found out baby bright #3 was a precious, healthy girl. :) 18 weeks today.  She was 8 oz. and growing good. Measured only a day ahead of due date (4/25/2012).

A few pictures from Thanksgiving...granddaddy and Aynslee.

 And playing with her cousins in the floor at Meme's house.

Well, I was 24 weeks pregnant in this picture. This baby is FOR SURE living in a mansion. I told Jim that I wanted a "belly picture" of me...so while he was taking a picture of me.....

 This is what our child was doing....LOL

Christmas 2011

Well, this post will be full of pictures, mainly because I am trying to catch up on everything. :) We had a great Christmas (considering everything in our life is so bittersweet without our sweet Ava). We miss Ava, and especially during the holiday's. I wonder what she would be like at 4. Christmas with a 4 year old is so magical I am sure. All we can do is soak it all in with Aynslee and try our best to hide the pain and tears for her....and give her the most magical Christmas a one year old can have. Enjoy the pictures!!!

It was the perfect day for the MJ Christmas parade. Aynslee enjoyed watching all the floats and it was actually in the lower 60's so the weather was GREAT!!! Maybe we will try a float next year!

Notice the Ava bow and ribbon on the back of Glen Hamblen's beloved "baby". :)

 Jim's parent's wanted to advertise for the run in March.

Aynslee just chillin' at Houston's birthday party.

21 weeks and getting bigger. :)

 These pictures were taken at Nana's and Pa's house. Aynslee had so much fun with her cousins. I can see so much of little Ava in these pictures. I think it was the way I fixed her hair?? Maybe? I don't know. But I love this smile, and those sweet cheeks.

Aynslee really, really, got into delivering presents.
 She didn't care what was inside, she just wanted to pass them out. 

She insisted that these chairs were "mine"....even though neither of them actually were "hers". LOL

And here are some pictures of Christmas Eve night...Terry and his family, and The Stemmer family all came over...and guess what? Santa even made a surprise visit on his busiest night of the year!

Santa brought Aynslee a "gucker" and she was so happy. :) 

 If you ask Aynslee what "hoho" brought her, she will say, " A gucker". Not toys, but a sucker. Hey, she is actually right, huh?

Here are some pictures of the kids decorating cookies for Santa and eating cupcakes for Jesus' birthday. We started the tradition of having a birthday party for Jesus the night before His birthday, in hopes that we can teach our young children what Christmas is all about.

And here are some pictures of Christmas morning and Christmas day. Aynslee got so much stuff, she had no idea what to do. :)

All of Aynslee's toys from Santa...spoiled YES! Wouldn't do it ANY.OTHER.WAY!

Our sweet family...we NEVER leave Ava out of anything...I mean
should we? Really? NO! 

LOVED her "real" grocery cart. 

She was actually scared...yes scared, of her choo choo train. 

Really starting to get into this opening presents thing. :)

She loves to draw! Maybe a picasso on our hands? 

Again, this is NOT hers...it's Addison's. We had a battle over this
...she lost. :)

Divas and Dudes

Well, Aynslee had her first haircut. It HAD TO BE DONE! It was growing so fast in the back, and it was starting to look a lot like "business in the front, party in the back" if you know what I mean. LOL. She got a mani while we were there too. And of course, each "spa" treatment comes with a sucker. :)

What are they about to do to me??

Those curls are still there. :)

And to top it all off, they spray glitter in their hair, give them a glitter face tattoo, and a princess tierra. She really was treated like a princess at her first haircut. What an experience for her (and me). And guess what....NO TEARS! YAY for Aynslee.

take the time...

I don't care if your plates match. You don't need to bake. Paper banners aren't necessary. Please though...this November...take a moment, an extra moment, to reach out and grab your babies, or your partner, or your best friend. Find that person...find lots of people...who need to be told how much they mean to you. And if you can't say it in words, say it while sitting beside them and watching the sunlight hit their hair while you plan tomorrows. Say it in laughter. Or in silence. Just spend some time and give thanks. Cherish your loved ones. Every minute you have. That's all. 

understanding?

I know...it's been way too long and I have contemplated on deleting the blog...but first, I want to have it printed. I feel like it has been my open journal for over a year now. I found this poem and just wanted to share...it is so true, yet so sad it has to be this way. Sometimes, others add to your pain without meaning to....

So You Want to Understand?

You say to me, "It's been a year,

When will your grieving end?

Why can't you be like once you were,

my smiling and happy friend?"

If you really want an answer,

though I wonder if you do,

I'll take you deep inside me

where sadness dims the view.

First, my friend, for your sake,

come close and take my hand,

and we will pray that what I share,

you won't ever have to understand.

The "me" you once knew is no more,

it died right with my child,

a voice was stilled forever,

yet the echo drives me wild.

You say you lost Aunt Bertha,

so you have known death too,

Aunt Bertha, however, was not your child,

and she was 80, not 2.

I barely survived those first few months,

coping was a dreadful task,

I'd tell you I was doing fine

while sobbing behind my mask.

If I talked about my precious child

you turned away in fear,

you couldn't stand to see me cry,

nor would you share my tear.

I wanted you to speak of her,

please, won't you say her name?

But you pretended she never was,

so she died over and over again.

Oh, I see that you're uncomfortable,

you no longer want my hand,

so as it was before we talked, my friend,

you don't want to understand.

~Author Unknown