Mom's Christmas

Mom went OVERBOARD!!!! She bought sooo much I just dont know where to put it all. But she loved seeing Ava's face opening the gifts. We ate way tooo much and had a lot of good laughs.


(Mom and Robbie)

(My Wonderful Little Family)

(My sisters, Ashley and Jessica)

(RJ, Emily and Jess)

Emily adn Ava sitting at the Dora table mom got them. They had a good time.

Christmas isnt complete without a BOW on the head

AND with my child, the day isnt complete until there is a bump or a bruise!

Christmas Morning

Our Christmas was quiet this year. Ava is still not old enough to realize what is going on but I was super excited for it all. I was up early, due to my normal schedule, sleeping in as become non existant. Ava and Kenny though slept in until after 7 which I know made Kenny happy.


She went into the living room and saw her kitchen but wasnt too sure about it. I had to walk her over to it and show it all to her. Once she warmed up to it, she played with it most of the day. She seemed really happy. She grinned from ear to ear all morning.




After playing with her toys a little bit, we all got ready for the day and went to Aunt Vicki's for breakfast with Kenny's side of the family. It was a lot of fun. Ava got to play with Blake and see her grandma, Becky, and Aunt Lucy. However Ava didnt get a nap at all in the morning so when we got home a little before lunch time, she crashed within 10 minutes of being home.



Santa left Ava her two favorite snacks in her stocking: Cheese Its and Gold Fish Crackers. She snacked all day while playing with her toys.

Back to her kitchen....

Mamaw's Christmas

After Dad's wonderful Christmas, we headed down Mamaw's to celebrate with Dad's sisters and their families. Mamaw had a really good time seeing her kids and all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.


Emily helped everyone open their gifts. She helped Dad and Mamaw to make sure they knew what they were doing. She kept them on pace to get all the gifts open quickly so she could see what they got.

Ava opened her gift from our cousin Wolfgang and went right into the living room, found a chair and began to read. She loves that book! I hope she continues to love to read.

Dad's Christmas

So Christmas Eve, we headed down to Harpers Ferry to celebrate Christmas with the Kidwiler side of our huge and divorced family. Dad didnt go overboard with the grandkids but he did just enough to make the day a huge success in the eyes of Emily and Ava.

Ava had lots of fun playing with her Aunts while Emily played tea party forever with Dad. She got really excited when Grandpa suggested they use real 'tea' instead of just water. Who knew you can use real tea to have a tea party?! She was excited.

Ava has the whole unwrapping of the gifts down. She knew exactly what to do and helped with everything. She got a little side tracked with the amount of candy and donuts but got refocused with the gift was for her.

My Birthday!

So on this day last year I decided to start blogging. I have been pretty regular at it and happy to be doing it. One day I like to think Ava will look this page up and read all my random thoughts and see how much I loved her through words also. This past year has been amazing. So much as changed yet so much as stayed the same. We are preparing for Christmas. A fun one it will be this year with our bouncing toddler.

My birthday this year has been very special, as it has every year. Kenny took me to dinner this past Saturday, he again is working this year on my birthday. We spent an evening together talking about our little girl while she spent the evening with her Nanny (my mom). My present was also my anniversary gift so I have had it for a couple months months now. A new digital camera so I can take a million pictures of my baby girl.

A hug from her this morning made my day. I cant wait to pick her up and get another hug.

My friends and family have already made this day special just by remembering and wishing me a happy birthday. I was greeted at work by a decorated cube and signing from friends.

I have always tried to make my birthday a big deal, look at what I am up against, Christmas is 4 days away! LOL. But everyone has always make it special and let it be MY DAY!

So Happy Birthday to Me!

A new baby....

Yes that is right, I am going to be an Aunt again! I do not have any words to describe the feeling. My sister in law, Erika, is expecting this spring. I am overjoyed at the fact that I will have another baby to spoil.

Erika and I have a relationship that some families want or some families could careless about. We are sister in laws that treat each other as we were blood sisters. If she needed anything she knows all she has to do is call and YES I WILL ANSWER! She is younger than my middle sister but older than my baby sister so she is right there in the age group of our family.

When I met Erika she was shy and didnt say much. I met her at Thanksgiving at Kenny's moms house. I have never been quiet so I spoke with the family like I had known them for years and gave a big good bye and told them I would see them at Christmas.

It wasnt until the following Summer, that she and I got to spend some time together. We went to the beach with the boys father and step mother. We spent the whole week surrounded by each other. One evening we went out on the deck and talked until 3 am about the boys and issues and what we want out of life. There we became best friends. I think in that little bit of time we made up our minds that we would be friends and date brothers. I am thankful for it.

Now she is having a baby. I look at her as a little sister and it is unbelievable to me that she is even old enough to have a baby! That she is a grown woman, married, and now will become a mother. I looked at my sister Jess the same way when she told me she would be having my niece, Emily.

I know she will be a great mother. I have tried not to do the annoying 'I did this or I did it this way' but that is really hard when you have gone through the experience. I just want her to be prepared, as prepared as any new mother can be. She is getting the most precious gift any person can get, she and her husband will become parents and open their hearts to a little person. Loving a child is something special, it doesnt need to be learned, it comes naturally and it takes over your whole heart.

Her life is about to change in so many different ways. It will be exciting to watch her get her rythm and routine. She knows we all will be there to help her when she is challenged and tired. I cannot wait to hold her child in my arms and know that I will get to love this child for the rest of my life, as an Aunt!

Transitioning to the Toddler Bed

So in November we decided to start the big transition to a toddler bed for Ava. She slept in a bassinet until she was 4 months old, in January she moved to our bed, and since then she has been ruler of the bed.

We didnt expect much at first, maybe a little bit in the bed or even a crying fit because she was in there but it has gone well.

We put her bed beside ours. We aren't comfortable with her size and age being upstairs out of eye sight yet so she is still sharing our room. She likes her bed, she will play in it and sit and watch tv for a little bit. She still thinks our bed is her bed though. LOL

So we go to bed like usual, cuddling together in the big bed watching tv then when she falls asleep we move her into her bed. She has done so well. Some nights its only a few hours and then some nights it is all night. I wake up to check on her a few times during the night and she is always doing good. The blanket by then is usually off of her and she is sleeping on her belly.

I had started a bad habit of just leaving her in our bed when Kenny was working but about a week ago I stopped that too and began putting her in her bed once she is asleep.

I am soooooo happy that the transition is going as well as it is. I really thought she would have a screaming fit when she woke up and no one was beside her, but she just comes over to the edge and wakes me up to lift her into our bed.

And Kenny and I have our bed back! It has been wonderful sleeping in the middle instead of suck on the edge while Little Ava took over the entire bed.

Our Thanksgiving....

Our 2nd Thanksgiving with Ava was quiet! It was one of the most relaxing days I can remember since my parents divorced in 1991. Since getting married and joining the Bowers clan, we have decided to help Sue with dinner and Erika and I cook also. This year the event was hosted by Erika and Kelly. Well I should say Erika, Kelly was out hunting until after 5 and she kept Ava and I company while Kenny was out hunting.

I had told my mom that we would be cooking and cleaning and it would be best if I could visit the day after and she agreed. My grandmother has decided that our family of 30+ is too large to cook for and she didnt want to do it this year. Who can blame her? Our family has split itself, the cousins arent as close as we used to be and we are all doing our own thing. So I didnt have to travel to Jefferson County that day either.

Ava and I stayed in our pjs until almost noon and headed to Erika's around 1:30pm. It was fun, Ava got to spend time with her Uncle Keith, who she doesnt get to see much and he kept her a little busy while Erika and I were peeling potatoes and watching stuff boil.

We sat down to eat a little before 7 and the dinner was wonderful. My sister in law is a great cook. And she ACTUALLY likes cooking and baking. I on the other hand, would rather order it and pick it up! LOL She baked a few pies for dessert and everyone was full.

It was a nice change, only going to one house this year. I didnt know what to do with myself not scheduling it out and picking and choosing where and when to go here and there.

This year was a lot more fun with Ava also, this time last year she was 2 months olds, learning to hold her head up and eating rice cereal with lots and lots of formula. This year she was running around, talking up a storm, and making noise with everything she could. Uncle Keith taught her to make lots of noise yelling into a paper towel cardboard roll.

At the end of the evening we all hugged and kissed goodbye and went our ways. Erika is only a 5 minute drive from our house and Ava was OUT!!! It was about 2 hours passed her bed time when we left and she crashed. She didnt even open her eyes when taking her out of her carseat to put her to bed.

Oh yea and she slept in until 8 the next morning, gotta love whatever the heck is in turkey to make you sleep!!!