Tis the Season

The birthday celebration for Jesus has officially begun. Harmony was in a cleaning mood and gave Ava a lot of her Christmas decorations. Thanks to Harmony, Ava got her very own tree this year. She decided she wanted it in the playroom. The lights are very nostalgic.....looney tunes lights from when Anthony was a kid. Additionally, most of the decorations are from when Anthony was young including some that he made. Ava thought that was really neat!

Remember this ornament? I made one just like this too! Ava thought it was funny that daddy made Rudolph this way! See the looney tunes lights in the background!

Ava excited about her very own tree!
/> Aubrey woke up from nap to inspect the tree!

I think it's a winner! She was pretty excited about it, too! Mom and Dad bought us our very first Nativity set! I've always wanted one. It is gorgeous!

Suprise Lunch

Ava has been behaving wonderfully and we have really enjoyed her these past few weeks. Anthony and I have noticed that she is maturing and hopefully waving goodbye to some of the toddler angst. We have also been potty training (again) and she has done really well so we wanted to reward her. We were running errands and Ava asked if she could eat at a restaurant. We said sure and we pulled into Chuck E Cheese. We have only been there once to have our initial potty party and she talks about it every time we pass by in on the "high road" (aka highway).

She had a great time and so did Aubrey. Aubrey road some rides independently showing us that she, too, is growing up!

Ava kept hugging her daddy and saying "thank you"!




Big girl Aubrey has been using a straw since mid November. She figured it out on the first try!
Aubrey thought Chuck E Cheese was pretty great, too!

I love these precious days with my family. Thank you, Lord. Our cups are truly full!

Give Thanks!

This Thanksgiving, Ava made this place mat for school. This is what she said she was thankful for..... I love that Jesus made the cut!

Here is Ava and Gigi at Thanksgiving dinner.

Aubrey was enjoying all of the festivities as well as the food. Trying to eat Thanksgiving dinner with her by my side was challenging! She is into everything and loving every minute of it!


Ava and Papa!

Happy Thanksgiving 2010!

First Haircut

As much as we love Aubrey's cotton ball head, we decided it was time to even it up some. She did so great! She just sat in the spaceship and watched the movie.

Cotton ball head before the haircut.....we love all of the different lengths and how they stand straight up!

What is on TV?

Just another day at the beauty salon.....

Watching the movie......

The finished product....we are training it for a bob!
I think we will start using hair bows in the hair instead of the headbands. She has enough hair to hold the bows!

These Boots Were Made For Walking

Somebody was very happy to get into her daddy's boots! I think she can pull this look off! I love the middle picture with her hands on her hips.....such a serious boot model!!!!

The Garden of Eden

Ava (out of the blue):
"Momma, can I go to the Garden of Eden?"

Me:
"One day you can."

Ava:
"What can I eat?"

Me:
"Anything in the garden except the one apple tree that God says you can't eat."

Ava:
"Well I'm not going to eat from that tree. I'm going to make a good choice. Not like Adam and Eve. They made a bad choice and had to work really hard to get money. They couldn't live with God. I'm going to make the right choice so God will be proud of me. Are you proud of me momma?"

Me:
"Yes I am Ava, I am very proud of you!"

And with this conversation, I truly was!

I'm always amazed at just how much they absorb! I love my conversations with Ava!

American and Korean Birthday Celebrations!

Let the big celebration ensue......Aubrey is ONE!!!

We had our family party to celebrate the first year of Aubrey's life. We celebrate with both Korean and American customs. For the Korean custom, she dresses in her Hanbok and celebrates the Korean Tol. Aubrey is seated in front of a table with various object-pencils, money and thread. She is urged to pick an object from the table as it is believed the child's fortune can be foretold. If the child picks up money, she will be rich. If she picks up pencils, she will be smart. If she picks up the string, she will have a long life.

Aubrey picked up the........ Excited bout her choice.....

STRING!!!!

Looks like a long life for her! When Ava had her one year Tol she choose the pencil! Everyone got pictures with the birthday girl in front of her beautifully decorated table done by Harmony!

Aubrey didn't want to wear her hat, so Ava wore it. Ava also has her daddy's hanbok on from when he was little. Isn't that sweet! The theme of Aubrey's birthday was "Sweet as can Bee." Look at these precious cupcakes! She had a smash cake to match, but I forgot to take a picture in the midst of all of the chaos!
Our little present!

Politely reading her cards before opening the gifts!

After Ava fed her a couple of times, she got the hang of the cake enjoyed it! It was fun celebrating our big one year old!

A year ago today.......

I can't believe that one year ago today, we were about to meet Aubrey Madeline Diesch and fall in love again. My heart swells when I think about the day that we became a family of four. How wonderful God is. For a very long time I did not think about having kids, because I thought I would be unable to carry them. And yet God in all of His glory saw a different path for our family. I never knew that I would enjoy being a mother so much and how much pure joy it would bring. And over this past year, this sweet spirited little baby has been been exactly that!

Yesterday she said "Dada" for the first time. Oh, daddy was thrilled to hear those sweet words. When I ask her where Dada is, she points to him. She is our little explorer as she is interested in everything. She is super quick and will often do the army crawl to get to her location. If you turn your head for a split second she will be causing some sort of chaos! And don't bring food around her......although she is somewhat of a picky eater, she wants whatever you are having. She loves to laugh as she puts the blanket over her head to play "pee-pie" or as others call it "peek-a-boo." She also enjoys putting the phone to her ear to pretend she is talking on it and almost always, it is the back side of the phone to her ear. She is somewhat impatient. If she has to wait to long for her meal, she will yell out, rather loudly, and let you know that she is waiting. She loves bath time and will make a run for the bathroom if she hears the water running!

I love the baby phase. I mean I love it! I am somewhat sad that it is officially coming to an end and toddler stage is beginning. However, I am excited to watch Aubrey grow and her personality bloom. Can't wait to see what sunshine she will bring in the future.

Until then, happy birthday to our big one year old, sunshine, and sweetest little sister in the world. We love you so much sister!

Aubrey's "birth"day-November 5, 2009. Love at first sight!One year old today!