On the move...

Little Miss officially started walking by herself the day after Thanksgiving!!  She had made quite a few attempts prior to this day but always lacked the confidence to make it very far.  But....on 11/25/12 Gigi figured out the trick....apparently Miss Ava Kate needed a ritz cracker in each hand!!  That's all it took...and she was off!  You may want to mute you computer before watching....Aunt Anna got a little excited!!

Thanksgiving 2012

We spent Thanksgiving in West Memphis with my family...

Ava Kate discovered Memaw's Dancing Elves shortly after we arrived and they quickly became her FAVORITE!!  She probably danced with these elves 90% of the time we were there!  Sister Loves to dance...

Traveling with 2 small kids for 5 hours has become quiet the challenge, so this was our first visit to Gigi's in over 6 months.  It was a relaxing week with family and friends that involved a lot of food, games, movies, and a little black Friday shopping.

Emma Gayle, Watson, and Owen wrestling with Josh...or maybe a game of football, I'm not sure

a little rest breaks with games on the ipad...

We spent a lot of time in our pajamas lounging around the house....it was great!

Ava Kate helping Memaw read the newspaper and pick out Black Friday Ads for mommy...

And Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without some of Memaw's low-fat banana pudding!

On Thanksgiving morning, Anna, Josh, and I ran our first Turkey Trot!  It was a 4 mile run at Shelby Farms with over 3200 participants!  We all finished, but Josh kicked our butts....finishing 4 miles in 30 minutes!!

It was a fun experience that may become a Thanksgiving tradition!

After burning all those calories, we were ready some of Memaw's yummy turkey and dressing!

We attempted to get some family pictures on Thanksgiving, but the kids weren't exactly cooperative....so here's what we ended up with

Mom, Anna, and Memaw...

An attempt at a family photo...

The crew minus Papa Bart, the photographer...

Ava Kate and Papa Bart...

One of the best parts of going home for the holidays is visiting with old friends and their growing families.  

Meeting Kinley for the first time!  Ashley and I grew up together and were next door neighbors during and after college, but now live 8 hours apart....which means we don't get to see each other as much as we would like and that we see each others kids grow up through blogs and text.  Luckily our time at home for the holidays overlapped a little and we were able to get together!

 Kinley and Ava Kate...

Ava Kate and Miles playing together just like their mommies did at this age...

Joe and Owen playing a little inside football...

Miles, Matt, and Ava Kate.  You can't tell by their size but Ava Kate is actually 5 months older than Miles!  Matt was comparing their weight and confirmed that Miles has Ava Kate beat by a few pounds! Ha!

Trying out Ava Kate's bow...  this is a picture that will show up again at his rehearsal dinner!

Cute little Elmo bottoms ready for bath...

First Haircut

Ava Kate got her first haircut on November 16th.  She was sporting a pretty good mullet, so we decided it was time to start shaping it up a bit and rid her of the mullet!

I thought the haircut itself would be a challenge and that I would end up having to hold her, but she sat there perfectly still and seemed to really enjoy it.  I guess she's already got the whole "girl thing" figured out and loves to be pampered! 

Cecily did a great job but didn't want me to take a picture because it looked more like a boys haircut.  Ha!  She shaped it up and stacked it in the back....so now all we need is the front of her hair to start growing!   

Owen showing off his handsome new dew...

A New School....

Owen started a new preschool in November!

His new preschool came with all the expectations of "real" school....a list school supply list, a principal, a specific drop off time, a 3:00 pick up time, and going to the cafeteria with all the big kids.  Our little boy is officially a BIG.  We were all excited about the change...but school supply shopping in November proved a little difficult. Ha!

Owen loved "trying" to get everything on the list....

Starting a new school also meant starting over with educating Owen's teachers about his VLCAD.  It's inevitable that this will always be a challenge in our lives, but it definitely makes "change" a little harder.  For now, we are packing Owen's lunch each day (which is what most of the kids in his class do) and he is eating snack with the rest of his classmates.  

His lunch on the first day of school... a turkey wrap, string cheese, grapes, and celery with "his" peanut butter

....and I couldn't resist writing a note on his napkin (even though he can't read:))

His sheets and pillow for "rest" times made with love by Beema

First day of school pictures!  He was so excited!

being silly....

He was most excited about his new playground...

Shiloh

Josh and I both took him on his first day.  He was a little shy at first, but warmed up quickly and didn't care at all when we left.

He was such a big boy and jumped right in!  Mommy, on the other hand, was a little sad.  He's just growing up tooooo quick!

He's been at his new school for about 2 months now and absolutely loves it!  He is learning so much and truly enjoys going to school.  He's made new friends and really seems to like his new teacher.

TEAMworks: Heroes for Kids 5K

Josh and I ran is our 1st 5K on November 3rd!!  It was a fundraiser for TEAMworks, a non-profit that we have been privileged to be a part of for the last couple of years.  

The Heroes for Kids 5K was an event organized to support children with special needs in Northwest Arkansas and in orphanages in Ukraine and Guatemala.  There was a 5K race as well as a 1 mile fun run/bike for all the kiddos!  

Excited about checking a 5K off our bucket list....and praying that I would actually finish!

Me, Brittany, Danielle, Macey, and Paige

Our group from Children's Therapy TEAM....

The weather was perfect and there was a great turnout for the first of many TEAMworks 5Ks! 

Trick or Treat on the Square...

We headed to the Fayetteville Square on Halloween afternoon to kick off our Halloween festivities.  It was a perfect fall afternoon with friends and family!

Our little Wonder Woman ready to trick or treat!

 Ready to trick or treat on the square....

 Owen was a little shy at first and wanted someone to stay with him, but warmed up quickly and was running from place to place!

 Emmie, Owen and Ava Kate....

Ella and Harper...

The man in the Yellow Hat and Curious George (aka Alex Liles) with Ava Kate and Daddy

 Danielle and Ansley with Holly and Braxton

 Owen and Daddy

 Family pic...

 Our little Superman....

 Campbell....the little Razorback fan!

 Maddox....the mummy

 Getting into the candy was the kids favorite part...

MacKenzie, Charley, Owen, and Maddox enjoying the sugar!

 Emma and Ella Caire taking a break from trick or treating to eat a sucker...

 MacKenzie...