This sweet little baby girl just stole my heart last night when we met her for the first time! Some of our dearest friends had their first baby this Wednesday. Congratulations to Trey and Julee, we are SO THRILLED for you !!! I just HAD to share these sweet pictures of this little angel!
Isn’t she just a doll? We love you Joy!
It is still a dream come true to have my parents so close and be able to celebrate special days together!! You think we’ve done a good job making my mom a proud Texan?!
I felt so blessed on Mother’s Day…..I sure do LOVE my mom, baby girl, and Momma Rowe!!
I just had to post this great picture of Karo with her girls, Hayden Kate, Ava, and Emmy. Yes it is a Christmas picture but the Mother’s Day post wouldn’t be complete without a Karo picture too!
We’ve had such a fun spring with our family in town!! A few weeks ago Aunt Mary and Uncle Tom drove from Indy to spend some time with us! We had lots of catching up and chatting over yummy BBQ and Aunt Mary just loved Central Market. This was my first trip to Central Market and I can’t believe what I’ve missed all these years! We fished at the Rowe boat on a beautiful Texas evening. (Thanks Rowe parents for letting us enjoy the boat!!) We had a fish fry one night from the catch that Dad and Uncle Tom brought back from lake Buchanan.. it was delicious! The Talbots came for an evening of visiting too. I love having family in Austin! It was a wonderful week and we so enjoyed having Aunt Mary and Uncle Tom here!! (As you can see we are to the age where Ava looking at the camera is rare. ha!) 
Cousins! Maggie, Brian, Joe, and Ava. Ava was quite intrigued by their silliness!
Ava in some of her new play clothes from Aunt Mary and Uncle Tom. She is fascinated with fish and loves the little fish on this shirt. (We were playing bunnies when I took this picture… she hops around the house whispering “hop, hop, hop.”
Guess who came to visit us this spring??? Uncle Jim and Aunt Carol!!!! We had a wonderful week with them! Ava just loved Aunt Carol or as Ava calls her "Aunt Cracker!" Aunt Carol had these delicious little ginger crackers that she brought along for the trip and I think Ava ate the entire box! Aunt Carol was nice to share and Aunt Carol soon became "Aunt Cracker" once Ava realized that this fun lady carried treats! Ava also LOVED learning new songs with her Auntie and getting rides on Uncle Jim's shoulders. It was a very special time! Here is a bit about out trip.... (I totally copied and pasted an email my mom wrote to our cousin, no one remembers details as well as my mom!) We first drove down to Rockport, TX, a small tourist town on the bay. The drive down was so nice because the wildflowers were in full bloom and it was quite beautiful. We stopped at an old mission in Goliad on the way down. We stayed at a small hotel on the water and PaPa caught lots of fish. The next day we drove to Corpus Christi and the boys toured the USS Lexington while the girls walked along the water and ate lunch on the water. We then drove over to the gulf coast and stayed in at Port Royal on the beach. Ava really enjoyed playing in the sand and the ocean. On the way back to Austin we stopped in San Antonio and went to the Mercado (largest Mexican shopping area outside of Mexico) and ate the best Mexican food for lunch. We did some damage at the Mexican bakery, too! But, if you remember my motto (Gina speaking) for vacations it is that Everything is Calorie Free on Vacation!
It was a great trip and we are so thankful that our Cook family made the drive from Indy to Texas!
Ava and Aunt Carol
Uncle Jim, Ava, and PaPa in Rockport
Bluebonnets at Goliad
Ditty and PaPa, Ava is looking down at chocolate cake! Which I hope she enjoyed because she is back on the absolutely no sugar way of life these days.
Little Mommy!
Ava loved the beach! She wasn't too excited about the cold ocean water at first but soon loved jumping the waves while holding Aunt Carol's hand. She especially loved chasing the birds up and down the beach. This was her FIRST trip to the beach and I'm glad that she enjoyed herself! After she realized that she liked the water that was the word of the week. "WAWDER!"
Ava looking down at the pool "Wawder Please!" She so wanted to get in... brrrrr!
THANK YOU Aunt Carol and Uncle Jim for coming to visit! We made so many great memories!
Play me!
What is more satisfying to a kid than carefully building a beautiful sandcastle? ...... demolishing another kid's hard work in one fail swoop! ( Please ignore the encouragement to do so from my cheering in the backgroud... oops!)
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