Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve David, Ava, and I had a leisurely morning and afternoon at home. It was nice to hang out just the three of us before David had to leave for the Christmas Eve Service at church. At about three o'clock Mom arrived and we visited and then dressed Ava for church.

Beautiful girl dressed for her first Christmas Eve church service. She was not too thrilled about being set down for pictures of her in her pretty dress.

Nana and Ava at the Christmas Eve service 

David helped with all three services at church. He got home around nine o'clock and we watched a movie while drinking egg nog. 

Waco Friends

The weekend before Christmas our good friends from Waco came to visit for the day. It was so good to see them and hear about what is going on in their lives. Miss them bunches!

Our Waco life group

Date Night

Date night has significantly changed recently. On Friday night Ava and I met David at the church and we went out to our first restaurant since Ava was born. She slept in her car seat until the very end of the meal. Huge success in my book! It was nice to get out for an evening. 

I love this jacket!

Ava and I played at the church for a while before dinner.

After dinner we, of course, went back to the house and played with our girlie.

I love this expression and that her fists are by her mouth. 

I have really been enjoying the cloth diapers. I don't feel like they are that much work and they look super cute on! I like all the colors they come in. 

I think its so cute how her belly pokes up above David's arm.

I love the faces that she makes when she stands.

College Friend

Yesterday Valerie, a friend from college, came by the house. Valerie lives in Sherman and was in town doing some Christmas shopping and so she stopped by. We were able to catch up on our lives for the past 4 years and also reminisced about college. It was so good to see her and hear how she was doing. She is going to be working in McKinney now and so I'm excited that we will be seeing each other more often.

Maya is 2

On Wednesday Maya turned 2 years old. To celebrate the day Linda Perry invited my mom and I to join them for cake at their house and Chucky Cheese for lunch. Meredith made Maya's cake and I was so impressed. Not only was it delicious it looked amazing. I wish I had taken a picture. Chucky Cheese was fun. Maya David and MJ had a blast with all the games. Ava had never been exposed to so much commotion before so the poor girlie was overstimulated after being there for a while. We are looking forward to Maya's party on Sunday. 

David joined us on his lunch break

The birthday girl

Maya liked Chucky from a distance!

After Chucky Cheese my mom and I went shopping for Christmas presents. Ava was a trooper while we bargain shopped. That night I placed her on her changing table to change her diaper before bed and she did not move. Which is very unusual for her. She was wiped out after Chucky Cheese and shopping.

Ava shopped til she dropped!

Standing Girl

Ava has been standing for maybe a week now. Here are some pictures to capture the action.

This is such a sweet expression

Here are some other really cute pictures of her and her Daddy.

Ava must have been very tired to have fallen asleep like this!

The Perry's Have Returned!

Anxiously awaiting their return! 

Family Pic

They arrive!

Siblings with their kiddos. Minus Ava and Lily. Ava was asleep in her stroller.

Uncle MJ and Aunt Hayley

Buddy and Maya playing together. Maya is definitely Buddy's biggest fan!

Sisters and their girls. Maya is such a ham!

So glad that Hay, MJ and Maya are home. It has been so fun seeing them again. Especially seeing Maya and Drew play together. Precious! Christmas is going to be so fun having all my siblings and their kiddos together.

Christmas Tree Lighting

Last Sunday our church had their annual christmas tree lighting. They have an evergreen tree planted at the front of the church that they decorate each year and light at Christmastime. I was so excited that LifePoint has this tree lighting because for the past 8 years we have lived in college towns and at Tech they had the Carol of Lights and at Baylor they have Christmas on 5th Street. I have really enjoyed going to both of these events and would really miss this if there was not a fun christmas event in Plano.

I was unsure what to expect. They had an hour long production with skits and christmas carols. The opening skit David and Matt (the youth's worship pastor) performed. It was very funny. They did a great job! After the christmas show was over they lit the tree but due to all the rain a power cord had gotten wet and it blew a fuse. So the lights did not come on. We still had a blast visiting and eating cookies that people had brought.

My mom came in for the lighting

Rochelle has become good friend and she is one of the youth's parents

Tis' the Season

Last Saturday David and I decorated our home for Christmas. It was so fun to be in our new home with our little girl decorating this year. It makes me think of where we were a year ago. Last year we didn't even decorate because we were moving from our home in Waco to get ready to go overseas. Quite a difference a year makes!

Ava and I fluffing the tree

Ava's first Christmas ornament

Putting her first Christmas ornament on the tree

I really like this Santa outfit.

It was very fun decorating our house having a newborn, but it was quite different than I expected. We would hang an ornament and console the crying baby, hang another ornament and console the crying baby, and it went on like this for the majority of the decorating. We had to go to bed before we finished so when I got home from church on Sunday Ava had fallen asleep in the car seat and I finished the decorating while David was having meetings at church. Turns out decorating with a newborn equals lots of cheer and little productivity. :)

Family Fun

Last weekend we went to Fort Worth to visit my family and help mom decorate for Christmas. Here are some pictures of the fun we had.

Cousins!

So sweet

Drew holding Ava. He is a great big cousin. I think this is because he has had so much practice being a good big brother with Lily.

We spent the next day decorating Mom's house for Christmas.

Granny and Ava meeting

Granny had the touch she was out!

Walks

I have really enjoyed taking Ava on walks at the park in our neighborhood. This park is so great because it is just a few houses down from us. We will really enjoy taking her here to play as she gets older. I just bundle her up and we head out in the stroller.

I like this picture because you can really see how cute the bear coat is.

Those ears are adorable!

The walks are great because she will fall asleep and just rest in her carseat for a while when we get back to the house too. So then I'm able to leave her in there and get some things accomplished around the house!

One Month Old

On Ava's one month old day we were traveling from Amarillo to Plano so we postponed our one month old official picture to the following day.

Ava's one picture taken on November 26.

These other pictures are taken the following day when we were able to get dressed pretty. She was fussy this day so it was hard to get a good picture where she doesn't look upset.

Ava is beginning to lose her patience with my picture taking. She is ready for cuddles. 

Thanksgiving

We left Wednesday morning for our first road trip with our 4 week old girl. Thankfully she sleeps well in the car. Having a newborn turned this 6-7 hour trip into a 8-9 hour trip. But it was so worthwhile because it was so fun to see David's family. I even got in a nice long nap, which made me REALLY like roadtrips! 

Granny and Papa are happy to see Ava

4 Generation on the Johnson family side

Thanksgiving morning snuggles

Callie and I helping Tom with Thanksgiving dinner.

Getting in some mat time 

Our first Thanksgiving as a family of 3!

Ava wearing the dress her Mommy wore as a baby

Rusty getting some sweet Ava snuggles

4 Generation Pic on the Hanson side

Poor Grandmother Joann was sick with the tummy bug and didn't get to hold her this trip.