Halloween

As you can see from the above picture, Seamus, aptly, was a little cow for Halloween and Ava was a ballerina. Beth and Alex joined us for trick or treating, with Johnny as Mickey Mouse. Beth's mom made the costume, along with a Minnie Mouse costume for Beth and her brother when they were kids. Beth's mom sent them both down for John and Ava to wear, though it turned out that the Minnie Mouse costume was too big for Ava. It was adorable though and we took pictures in it before putting her in her ballerina costume and going out.

We had a lot of fun, Seamus fell asleep shortly after we started trick or treating, and Ava was actually an angel. She had such a great time, and was really good the whole time. We went to one of the larger neighborhoods in Ave Maria and did one block. It turned out to be a pretty good time for Stephen and I as well, since a few of our professors happen to live on this block and one of them invited us in for a beer.

Small town, where EVERYBODY knows your name...but hey, I'm certainly not complaining..who complains about a free beer? :)

So the night wrapped up with us stopping to trick or treat at our dentist's/my boss's/our friend's sister's house. She came out to give Ava candy and was telling us how her candy bowl was actually broken because the skeleton on it usually says something along the lines of, "You don't want that candy, it'll rot your teeth out!" Needless to say we were pretty glad it was broken. I think that would have freaked Ava out.

Here, I need to stop and say that after reflecting on the evening, it all does seem a little creepy. But it really was a good time, weird though it may seem in the re-telling.

Ava loved having a pumpkin full of candy! It worked out as a good bribing tool to get Ava through dinnertime. The candy is almost gone alas, and while that may be a sad moment for our little ballerina, it was most fortunate for Stephen and I who are the ones eating most of it. Yikes.

The day before Halloween we carved our pumpkins at a pumpkin carving party in our neighborhood. I have to give a shout-out to Stephen, the designs on these pumpkins are all him, I just scooped out the yucky junk. Here are some pictures:

Ava and Mommy looking at design ideas for the pumpkins.

Daddy carving the pumpkin, post yuck removal. See Seamus laying on a blanket in the background?? Ava was working on scooping out the pumpkin.

This was Seamus' outlook pretty much the entire time. Sort of a: "Ummm, okaaaaay, so what's going on here, exactly?"

Our fall themed front porch. The small pumpkin says boo, the big one is a skeleton and Ava wanted a "happy face" on her pumpkin, which is the medium sized one.

Pumpkins! Sadly, they lasted about two days before becoming bug-infested and moldy. Yay Florida!

Below are some pictures from Halloween.

Mickey and Minnie Mouse!! Johnny's costume was super cute!

The three trick or treaters!

The shine you see on Ava's arm was the bug spray we had to put on to keep the mosquitoes away. Yes, on October 31, it was still hot enough for Ava to wear a leotard and here in the swamp, we still needed bug spray. *Sigh* But how cute are my babies?!?!

Sweet haul!!!

On a last note, I started work this past Tuesday and Ava and Seamus started school. Everyone has adjusted nicely and we all seem to be having a great time! I get daily reports of Seamus' activities from his teachers and he seems to be a happy baby for them, so that's good. Ava is staying out of trouble and quiet, which I know since I can't hear her screaming from my room next door :) She seems thrilled to be back, which is reassuring. We're all doing well!!

Annnd tomorrow is Ave Maria's Marine Corps Birthday Ball. Should be interesting. We'll be sure to take lots of pictures and I'll be sure to post them :)

Oh and last, last thing: congrats to the Frain Family!! They found out today that they are expecting another little boy!! Please keep them in your prayers!

More later!

Baptism Pictures

Stephen getting Seamus dressed for his big day! The Baptismal outfit Seamus is wearing was his Daddy's.

Happy baby!

All ready!

Godparents Aunt Jen and Uncle Kevin during the Baptism.

Fr. Bob during the Baptism.

Surrounded by family!

Aunt Jen holding Seamus while Fr. Bob blesses him with the holy water.

Welcome to the Church, Seamus Michael!

Family picture after the Baptism.

Seamus was baptized October 17, 2010, here in Ave by Fr. Bob. It was a small ceremony done after Mass on Sunday. Both sets of grandparents were here, as well as Seamus' Godparents, Kevin and Jen. The Baptism was very nice and Fr. Bob (who has become a staple for our family's religious events, haha!) as usual, did a great job! Ava was quite well behaved the entire time. We had been talking to her for a few days beforehand, telling her that Seamus would be baptized, that she had also been baptized, that Jesus had been baptized, etc. We told her that Fr. Bob would pour holy water on Seamus' head, etc. These conversations culminated in Ava's exclamation halfway through the ceremony: "Seamus! Baptized!!" which was quickly followed-up by, "Mommy, I want sompin to eaaat." Oh, my dear Ava.

We had a small get together afterwards at our house, with plenty of family and friends! Thanks to everyone who was able to make it, and for those who weren't, please know you were missed!

Check back soon!

Hello everyone!

Yes, in a few days it will have been a year since I logged on and wrote anything. In my defense, I'd like to remind everyone that this blog is a day in the life of STEPHEN AND KRISTA...not just KRISTA ;) I've been a little busy in the past 12 months!

I'd like to formally introduce the newest edition to our family to the blog: Seamus Michael Henley! Seamus was born July 26, 2010, 6:32pm at 7lbs 4oz. He's been an absolute joy of a baby and now, at three months, (yes it took me three months to introduce him on our blog, late on that too) he's cooing, smiling and giggling, pulling himself to a sitting position and starting to roll over! While I'm excited to see him hit these milestones, Stephen is less than thrilled as he notes that this is the beginning of the end of the happy, still, quiet child.

Ava, Seamus and I are all starting back at Montessori next Tuesday. I'll be working from 8-11:30am, while Ava is in the toddler room and Seamus is in the infant room. While I'm not over the moon about being separated from my babies, it is comforting to know that they are literally in the next room. And that the teachers have NO problem coming and getting me if necessary. :)

Ava is very happy to be back at school. We did some orientation days this past week to get her eased back into going to school. At first, I was reluctant to have her go and not just start back up on Tuesday when I go back, but I'm glad we did. The first day, she cried for about ten minutes, and her teacher reported to me that she threw herself on the floor and lay there for a bit, but once she was finished crying she picked herself up and went to work. The second day, she held onto me for a minute and cried for a minute or so but then was fine and went about her business. The third day, she gave me a kiss, walked in and promptly got to work. I was surprised that she reacted this way, since right before getting out of the car she told me, "Don't leave me, Mama, don't leave me!" Which of course, broke my heart, but to which I calmly replied telling her not to be silly. She ended up having the best day yet, which leaves me calm and optimistic for the rest of the school year.

Ava is now potty-trained. We are working to get her fully potty trained at night, and I think we'll be successful in the next two weeks or so. We used potty candy for daytime and then transitioned so that we only give potty candy for when she gets up and goes potty during the night. She's been accident free for the last week, so we are all pretty excited! In addition to this finely tuned skill, Ava is also speaking more clearly everyday and constantly adding new words to her vocabulary. This will be great fodder for future blog posts. :) We are also working on counting, recognizing numbers and letters/sounds, etc. I am glad that she is back in school learning these things, however, because while she is perfectly capable and happy to pay full attention to learn these things at school, trying to squeeze more than two seconds of attention out of her at home can be quite difficult. We'll get there.

Stephen continues to look for a job and recently Ava and I have taken to saying the rosary in the morning, with the special intention of Daddy's job. For the most part, Ava is receptive to praying, especially for her Daddy, although on one particular day, about halfway through, Ava stopped, turned to me with a serious face and said, "Mommy, STOP praying. Stop, Mommy, stop!" I tried my best to keep a straight face. This resistance is counteracted with another of her little moments when we finish saying her bedtime prayers and without prompting, she finishes with, "And for Daddy's job. Amen." She is our little character!

We are looking forward to Halloween this Sunday! Ava is going to be a ballerina and Seamus is going to be a cow. He is our little chunker, so the costume is especially appropriate and very cute. :) We've also started a Harry Potter marathon, and Stephen and I are excitedly appreciating the fact that our daughter is allergic to peanuts for once because it means more candy for Mommy and Daddy. ;O Though I must admit, I'm thinking of taking up running for all the baby weight I'm going to gain back in the next couple of days!!!

I will be posting pictures in the next few days: while I have the entire trip to New Orleans completely documents in a photo album, I have not yet arranged them for the blog. We also have the pictures from Seamus' baptism that I'll be posting as well. Oh and of course, Halloween.

Check back. I will be updating. I promise!!!!

Just wanted to give you all a short update! Sorry for the two month gap in posts! Ava is 18 months now and so big!!

We went to get our Christmas pictures done today and figured we'd share a few with everyone. Enjoy!

Almost 16 Months!!!

Okay so this post is not co-operating so the pictures are just going to be scattered throughout and not placed well. My impatience won. :/

Ava looking for Daddy to come home.

Ava and her letters! And Ava and Mommy.

The Silly Face makes a come-back. :)

Golfing!! Way to go Stephen :)

Ava blowing kisses from her perch in the rocking chair.

At the driving range.

Silly little girl!!!

Here are a few photos we wanted to share from August. Most of them are of Ava, as I have been trying to be better about taking photos of her. Jen Henley asked me the other day about where to get a book to record baby's firsts and as I answered I realized that we have been incredibly negligent in recording most of Ava's first, so I'm trying with pictures and one of these days I'll sit down and remember/record all of her firsts.

Look at how big!!!!

This past weekend was orientation, for which both Stephen and I had to work. "Long days" is pretty much the summation of the whole thing. Fortunately for Stephen, he had Saturday off, so he went golfing with his brother Bryan who's here for orientation, and my Dad and brother TJ who came in with my Mom to watch Ava while we both worked.

Classes started today and while Stephen is breathing easy as this is his first semester after graduation, I'm waiting impatiently for the bookstore to get my book in so I can start reading for my Directed Study course on Human Development. I'm taking the course in addition to assistant teaching at the Montessori school that opens later this month. Ava will also be attending the school, so it's an exciting opportunity for both of us.

Ava is doing more exciting things everyday: now she can open all the drawers in the kitchen which means that now our utencils are no longer safe, along with the innocent oven mitts, none of whom expected the sad abuse they are now receiving. The chairs are also no longer safe in our house, as Ava has figured out how to climb into/out of them. The first accomplishment was the glider which is now downstairs, and this keeps her occupied for quite a long time. Mommy was reluctant to remove her from her new toy, because though it proved to be a falling hazard, she was so happy to get up into the chair and rock and sometimes even sit for a bit and watch some tv.

Two steps forward, one step back.

She also now has a mouth full of teeth. It seemed as though the top two and bottom four came in and then there was a pause and suddenly every other tooth in her head popped through. Other than that, she's walking and running all over, absolutely fearless. We've found that while she loves putting a purse on her shoulder, she also does not cry if she falls down and scrapes her legs. There is nothing she does not want to go see or know about. And while this can be incredibly tiring....INCREDIBLY tiring and trying, it is also great to see someone so full of life and desire to know. She's working on her words, actually sits and reads books with me now.

We did also find out a few weeks ago that Ava has a peanut allergy. Neither Stephen nor I have a peanut allergy so we don't know much about what causes it or much about the allergy itself. The doctor had us take Ava to get blood drawn for the test which was torture in and of itself. We made it through that and then heard that she has a level 5 (of 6 levels) allergy. This requires us to have and carry an epipen with us at all times. The doctor did say that children can grow out of this allergy and that he wants to test her again in two to three years to see if it has changed at all. We hope that it will go away, though we're not sure that she really has the allergy that bad to begin with. Time will tell.

Recap and Zoo Trip

I lost my camera.

Many of you know this already, and some of you may not believe me, as it does sound a bit like "My dog ate my homework." But it really is true: I have found that there exists in our tiny little house, a black hole of sorts. When things go missing, they go to this black hole. And I never find them again. My consolation is that whenever we move from this house, I will find the camera. Likely I will have already bought a new one, but hey, then we'll have two nice, new cameras.

Anyway, the summer has flown past and now it's August. We're heading into another "school year," Stephen's first not being in school. He is, as I was, very much looking forward to being able to cherish the feeling of watching and knowing others are going to and from class, while he is gloriously not. Though I foreshadow for him that this will last a while and then part of him will actually a tiny bit miss classes. A little.

Ava will be 15 months old this Friday and has another doctor's appointment that day as well. She's walking all over and getting into everything, which has recently led us to begin "timeout:" one minute on the bottom step of the stairs. She's also starting to learn some new words: we're working on "up," "down," "done," "out," "in," lots of prepositions. So far they haven't quite taken...but the grunts are starting to sound a little bit more like words everyday. She has some words mastered: "mama," "dada," "nana," (which corresponds both to bananas and Nana) "pa" (for grandpa), and our personal favorite: Bah! for bye. Our little Southern Belle. We're hoping she'll pick up the words quickly, since at times she seems extremely frustrated at not being able to express herself very well and so proud of herself when praised for the words she can say.

Currently Ava is teething again, but this time seems much worse as it appears that the rest of her teeth, including molars, are all coming in at once. So we're in the thick of it right now and hopefully we'll be all done in another two weeks or so. Stephen and I had dentist appointments ourselves about two weeks ago and the dentist took a quick look at Ava's teeth while we were there. Of course, this scared Ava incredibly, so I'm not looking forward to her first official dentist appointment next month.

Yesterday Stephen, Ava and I went to the zoo with the Frain family: Alex, Beth and John. The Naples zoo is free the first Saturday of the month to Collier County residents, and we've been told that this is the only way to go to this zoo. So we went to check it out. Certainly not the most impressive zoo, but it was a good outing for the little ones. Here are some pictures:

Here are the babies ready to go!

A couple family shots:

Ava and the ducklings: Ava's version of a duck quacking: "Guack, guack!"

Stephen and Ava, Alex and John!

One Year Old!

This Thursday is Ava Katherine's 1st birthday! We're very excited and to add to that excitement, Saturday is Stephen's graduation! This week promises to be fun filled, with family starting to arrive on Thursday.

Last Friday, to commemorate Ava's first birthday, Ava and Mommy with Nana and Grampa in tow, went to have Ava's pictures taken. The pictures don't arrive for another couple of weeks, but in the meantime, here is a preview :)

Little Miss Ava, or rather Mommy and Daddy's Big Girl! is walking now, officially. She walks all over and we have noticed in the past few days, that she now seems to get even more annoyed when she is in the stroller or carseat, since she is even more mobile than ever. She is saying more words everyday, like Nana and Mommy and Daddy (transformed from Mama and Dada), and we're even working on Jesus now. She actually said it yesterday, pretty clearly, but of course, at her own will, and never on command. :)

Well, that's it for now. Gotta start getting the house ready! Hope everyone is doing well!