Happy Birthday, Ava!

WOW! Our little girl is now 1 year old! She turned 1 on November 8. Where has the time gone? We celebrated Ava's first birthday with a small, family birthday party. It was really nice. She got a lot of neat and cute things, however, the boxes and cards were more appealing to her than anything. Ivan and I had fun shopping for her birthday gifts. Ivan had to tell me to "stop" because I kept finding other neat, cute toys, etc. He reminded me we have Christmas right around the corner. I felt like a little kid all over again looking at these dolls and toys. I loved it! I can't wait for Christmas! I'm really looking forward to the day Ava understands birthday parties, knows Santa, etc. Ava goes for her 1 year check-up this Friday. She's going to be getting shots, so I'm preparing for that. I am taking the day off. We're going to go visit Grandma LeMaster's fourth grade class that afternoon. Ava will get her 1 year pictures taken on Saturday. Her new thing is blowing kisses, however I think she has hit her face more than her lips. It's too cute.

I am sad to report that Ivan's grandfather passed away on Friday, October 24. He lost his battle to cancer early that morning. He is in a much better place now, but is sadly missed. My Grandma LeMaster is still in the nursing home. She will be moving to an assisted living place at the beginning of December. My Grandpa and Grandma Mendenhall were able to come to Ava's birthday party. I can't believe they're in their 80's and they still keep going. Our grandparents are my inspiration! My Aunt Carolyn is getting ready to have her surgery on Monday. I ask for prayers for her. She has been battling schleraderma now for more than 10 years so this already puts her at a high risk. She has cancer and they're going to go in to try and remove it.

Ivan has been really busy with his work. This is his really busy time of year. I'm getting ready to get out the Christmas decorations. I'm still trying to go through some tubs and boxes and sort through things that we shoved in a closet or in the attic. HA! Does that really ever end though?

We hope you all are doing well!

Until next time........

Toodles,
Laura

11 months ago....

It's hard to believe that 11 months ago today, our little Ava came into this world and oh how she has blessed our lives! She is such a joy! God has blessed our family so much. The little things she does every day just amaze me.

We had a fun weekend this past weekend. We took a small getaway in our new suburban. We went to Traders World, Florence Mall in Kentucky, then stayed in a train car in the Crown Plaza hotel in Indy. I felt like I had been gone a week when we got home. Ava did so well. We did buy her her Halloween costume. She's going to be a bumble bee. We tried on her costume Sunday. She looked so cute. She loved seeing herself in the mirror. In fact, she got so excited that she lunged towards the bathroom mirror and hit her head on the frame. She got her first big bump on her head. I felt so bad for her. But, an hour later she was clapping and growling. Growling is her new thing. It's hilarious.

I went home today at lunch and discovered we didn't have any water. Thank goodness I married a man who knows a lot about plumbing!HA! Our house is on "his list." HA!

We hope everyone is doing well. Enjoy this beautiful weather! I love this time of year when the leaves start changing.

Until next time....

Toodles,

Laura

October?

Can you believe it? October is two days away!!!! Boy the time has flown by!

Things have been good at the Gregory household. We were thankful that our washer and microwave were still under warranty, so we didn't have to pay to have them fixed. My computer....that's another story. They think my hard drive can be saved, but other than that, the power is done. So, I ordered a new laptop! YAY! I've missed not having my computer at home. Ivan has let me use his when I want, so that has been nice.

We are starting to look for a newer vehicle for our family. It's getting harder to travel anywhere beyond two hours in my Alero. Things are starting to happen to it. So, we've been looking into suburban's. We'll see what we find. Ivan is more comfortable in a suburban. He can ride in a minivan, but it gets to be uncomfortable after a while. It's fun being tall. It definitely has it's advantages and disadvantages.

Ava is getting so tall. She is squealing all the time and now doing a fun scream. It seems like new noises and sounds are coming out of her all the time!HA! She is crawling everywhere and trying to get in to things. I don't think I've ever used the word "no" so much in my life. She loves daycare. We think that's where she is picking up a lot of these new things.

I sliced the tip of my finger yesterday while peeling potatoes. Ivan laughed at me and said it wasn't anything big, but it's hurting me so bad. I think it's a pretty deep cut. It's still bleeding. I'm going to go down to our Health Science area and see if one of the nurse's can take a look at it. Beware of new peeling gadgets. That's what did it for me. HA!

Our grandparents are still the same. We ask for continued prayers for all of them.

We hope all is well with you.

Until next time....

Toodles,
Laura