January found us outfitting Amy’s car with an upgraded forward facing carseat for Ava
and in February we headed off to San Diego for a long weekend for the USA 7’s rugby tournament and Ava’s first trip to Sea World. Ava showed off her rugby skills at the tournament’s kid zone and managed to keep everyone entertained with her sprint drills across the pitch. Then it was love at first sight between Ava and all the marine mammals at Sea World. Words can't even begin to describe the look of wonder she had plastered on her face the entire day. Four days later we were off once again to Brian Head, Utah, for a brilliant weekend of snowboarding. Ava had a blast playing in the snow and loved going down the handmade snow slide we crafted for her off the side of a hill. Although, wearing a full snowsuit, boots, and gloves was a different story—we think she still resents us a little.
May brought us a visit from Matt’s parents and the surprising news that Amy was pregnant…mere days before Matt swapped one desert for another with his deployment to Balad AB, Iraq for the summer. Ava wasn't quite sure what to think of her Daddy leaving her, but she was brave and put on the best smile she could muster up at 6:45 am (mind you, it was 3 hours before she normally wakes up).
To keep Ava busy, Amy continued taking her to swim lessons, gymnastics, playgroup, the airport to accumulate new frequent flier miles, and Gymboree. It was also in this month that we became the proud new owners of a DVD player for Amy’s car. We said we would never do it and criticized those who had, but Amy caved in and car rides have never been the same since.
In August, the girls escaped to San Antonio to visit Matt’s sister, Whitney's family and take in the fun of another Sea World with Matt’s other sister, Casey, who flew in from Dallas for the weekend. Ava had a phenomenal time playing with her cousins, feeding dolphins, and partaking in the Shamu show, and splashing in the water park. Luckily, we managed to make it home with only a $13 water bottle. I will reference this coveted water bottle in later postings, don't worry.
The end of September found Ava and Amy at McCarran Int’l Airport once again to welcome Matt home from his deployment. The girls were able to meet Matt at his gate, so everyone was excited for the homecoming (of course, we were both holding signs!). Ava was so happy to see her Daddy once again and Matt was excited to see the extra pounds Amy had packed on since the last time he saw her. The Elmo backpack full of goodies that Matt gave to Ava helped tremendously with the reintegration and the stuffed Ming Ming (from the show, WonderPets) was an added bonus.
October found us on our last trip as a family of three. Together, we toured the Pacific Northwest, hitting up Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, British Columbia. Amy found the BEST donuts in the world (VooDoo Donuts in Portland) while Matt literally ran around each city trying to maintain his triathlon training. Ava was thrilled to take her first Amtrak train ride along the gorgeous Pacific coast and she was even more excited to get to use her passport for the first time. A week after returning from our trip, we finally closed on the purchase of our house here in Las Vegas. It only took a full deployment to Iraq and over half of a pregnancy for it to come to fruition! Quickly after qualifying ourselves for the nice homebuyer tax credit, Matt competed in The Pumpkinman Triathlon, his first Olympic distance triathlon. Ava loved being at the race and proudly cheered on her Daddy from the sidelines. Ava then spent her last day of being a 1-year old donning a penguin suit going door-to-door soliciting candy. Luckily, she had seen real penguins in action two months prior and was able to have the waddle perfected.
Ava celebrated her 2nd birthday on November 1st and she welcomed this new milestone with a fantastic birthday party at the park. Donning a tutu and pigtails (think Boo from the movie Monsters Inc.), Ava scaled all the playground equipment like a seasoned pro. 2009 somehow managed to take away our baby girl and transform her into a bona fide little girl who not only has real conversations with us using complete sentences but who also is fearless, courageous, and ridiculously strong. We always knew Ava was a sweetheart, but this year proved how loving, compassionate, and truly precious she really is. Ava's precocious nature and tireless enthusiasm ensures that there is never a dull moment in the day.
December 2nd brought us an absolutely gorgeous piece of heaven. Myla Grace was born at 5:04pm, weighing 7lbs, 0.4oz, and measuring 19 inches long. Her birth experience and 3-push delivery were beyond perfect and Amy was nothing but laughs and smiles the entire time. Things could not have been any more ideal and Amy was so blessed to have had both the best doctor and a near flawless recovery. Myla was an early yet incredibly welcome surprise to our family and Ava was both thrilled and ready to become a big sister. From the moment she met Myla Grace, she was enamored. Ava is the most wonderful and protective big sister imaginable, never wanting to be separated from Myla’s side. December also marked our first trip as a family of four. 12 days after Myla was born, we loaded up our car and headed to Arizona to ride on the Polar Express Train for a journey to the North Pole. We took this trip in 2008 when Ava was barely one year old, and knew that Ava would absolutely LOVE it at age 2, so we booked our reservations in March. Of course, this was before we ever knew Amy was pregnant and due 7 days after the trip took place. As we expected, Ava was captivated by the train trip to meet Santa. Like the year prior, she loved eating her chocolate chip cookie(s) on the train while wearing her jammies, although she turned her nose up yet again to the hot chocolate. Myla didn't get the hype and thought it was boring, so she slept the entire time. Or maybe it was the altitude that knocked her out! Regardless, we now have 3 bells that will hang on our Christmas Tree. What wonderful souvenirs!
As we start 2010, our transition to a family of four has been relatively painless and we couldn’t have dreamed of a better chapter in our story. Ava is still our little swimming star who dives for rings, torpedoes across the pool underwater, and swims to the side of the pool unassisted—all the while never allowing her smile to be wiped from her face. She is starting to potty train herself, can just about recite verbatim every book in her library, and actively tries to pedal her tricycle solo. Her zest for life is infectious and being showered with her abundant hugs and kisses while hearing her say she loves us makes every day worth living. At her two-month appointment in February, Myla was a delicate 13 lbs, 8 oz and is officially our biggest bundle of smiling love. Her personality blossoms more and more each day with coos and giggles and she holds all of our hearts in her tiny little hands. She is already sleeping through the night, making us love her even more. Matt continues to train for races—he has a triathlon lined up in March and the Big Sur Marathon in April--and his quest for visiting new places has never been greater. Amy manages to continually Swiffer the wood floors, keep Costco in business, guarantee the house is always stocked with homemade goodies, and stay up to date on photos of the girls, all while ensuring that Ava learns Spanish and bits of German and Myla keeps a full belly. Although she loves staying home with the girls, her mind is always thinking of new business ventures and ways to use her Masters--not to mention how many days until she can get back on the ice and teach the girls how to skate. Amy has quickly learned that there is TRULY NOTHING SWEETER THAN SLEEPING WITH HER GIRLS AND FEELING THEIR BREATH ON HER CHEEKS. She is beyond smitten.
The summer will find us saying farewell to the bright lights of Las Vegas and hello to the plains of Kansas. Matt was accepted into the Army’s Command General Staff College in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, so the four of us will be packing our bags for another big move in a few months.
This verse sums up 2009 for us...
From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another. John 1:16
