happy halloween!

Halloween isn't celebrated here in Australia, but we couldn't let the day go without some trick-or-treating! We dressed up Gracie, Haylee, & Ava and took them over to our good friends, the Stewart's, house. (We go to church with the Stewart's and they are also from Houston.) The girls had a lot of fun and thought it was great to get candy in their "punkins"!

naps

After laying Gracie & Haylee down for their naps today, (they are fantastic nap-takers!) I walked into our bedroom and saw this....

I love it!

big girl!!

Miss Ava is 1 month old! I can't believe it! She is such a sweet baby. She's very calm and content to just take everything in. We are just so in love with her!!

I took her for her 1 month check-up today and these are her big girl stats:
she weighs 8 lbs 10 oz and is 20 inches big

a special day

Today I realized that I have everything I've ever wanted. It just hit me while I was sitting in church. Today was Ava's baby blessing. It was just beautiful. Ava looked like an angel. I love that all three of my sweet girls have been blessed by their daddy in the same dress. I am so grateful for my wonderful husband and I feel so blessed to have him and our sweet, sweet little girls.

We are lucky enough to have my sister, Janelle, here; it made the day even more special!

breastfeeding advice

To all of the other breastfeeding moms out there: don't eat spicy Portugese food. Your baby won't like it. Holy smokes....!

ava ruby

I finally got around to putting a slide show together. Hopefully it captures the beauty of the four women I'm in love with. So here are the highlights of the past ten days of our new family of five.
Enjoy,

motherhood

I have been missing my mom terribly since having little Ava. I was so spoiled having her and my mother-in-law living only minutes away when I had Grace & Haylee. It's been really hard not having that this third time.

I have so much appreciation for my mom, my grandma Ruby, and my mother-in-law, Marilyn. They have all been (and still are) such wonderful mothers. They have spent years of their lives giving selflessly; always giving and never taking. They are such good examples to me of what a mom should be.

I am so blessed having these women in my life.

Grandma Ruby, Haylee, me, my mom, & Grace, July 2008

Marilyn & Grace, Easter 2007

my favorite

I love this picture. It's my favorite. It was taken just minutes after Ava was born and every time I look at it I smile. It's one of those pictures that captured the emotions of the moment. I love being a mommy.