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!)
Baby girl said her first three meaningful words this week and they were the most precious three words I have ever heard! Before I share this sweet little sentence I have to take a moment to remember how we got here. I’d love to step inside Ava’s thoughts for just a minute. I find such joy in watching her process everything she is taking in around her. Ava’s first words were DaDa and Ball or “Baw.” She doesn’t miss a chance to point out anything that looks like a “Baw.” She often lifts her shirt up, pats her chubby belly and exclaims “BAW!” What a discovery! Word one, check.
On to the first mini-sentence. I feel like I learn what things are important in Ava’s world by what she chooses to acknowledge, and this next experience was pretty important to her. A few weeks ago Ava went to Fulshear to visit the Rowe family. K-Bob was out in the yard with Ava and Manna (Manna is the Rowe parents miniature poodle). K-Bob heard Ava say “Manna poopie!” Sure enough Ava was telling it how it was. Two words, check!
And now the sweetest three words to my ears….“I LOVE MAMA.” That totally melted my heart! The first time she said it she was with Greg but she said it again for me a few minutes later. She soon realized that she could say “I LOVE --- fill in the blank.” We’ve had a fun three days of “I love DaDa, I love Ditty, I love Boo, I love YOU, I love fish.. you name it she loves it. The best part is she will be busy playing in her own little world and say I love mama or daddy unprompted. Every morning as soon as I pick her up from her crib she usually questions “Boo Go?” or says when she first sees Baylor “Hi Boo.” But yesterday the first three words out of her mouth were “I love mama!” Finally I’m up there with the dog in her thoughts!
I also LOVE teaching Ava her Bible verses. Each month we have a new verse at church for the little ones. Last month’s verse was “Love each other as I have loved you” or as Ava repeats one word at a time “Love eaioeioea as I ha Loved YOU!” She knows that the YOU is coming and shouts it at the end and usually a few times in the middle of the verse as well. April’s verse is “A friend loves at all times.” Proverbs 17:17. When I asked Ava to repeat Proverbs she looked at me like “are you serious mom?”
Along with her sweet little words and repeating her bible verses is another favorite word, “NO!” Oh the days of no’s, sigh. I say a lot of “uh oh’s” or calm but stern “no ma’ams” to Ava and I couldn’t figure out why Ava was yelling NO with such vigor. Greg kindly pointed out to me that I yell NO at Baylor numerous times a day. I love Baylor more than humans should love an animal, but boy is she a mischievous lab. I know a lot of this no stuff is Ava realizing her autonomy and testing her limits with me – she is 18 months. Is there is pre-toddler like there is a pre-teen? I’m standing firm despite the “no’s” by the way. What fun learning to obey mommy. I will make it a point to watch my words and yelling at Baylor, hopefully that will help a bit.
Wow, talk about words, this is a novel. I don’t want to forget this week though. I hope the newness of her “I love you’s” never wears off and I feel that same warmth when we exchange I love you’s in twenty years! Oh and I couldn’t end this post in anyway other but to tell my mom something… I LOVE YOU MOM!!!!
Ava had a great time hunting eggs this year! We actually had to re-hide eggs as she was finding them. She was faster at honing in on those little things than we expected, I shouldn't have underestimated my girl and goldfish filled eggs! (A few weeks ago Karo brought Ava some eggs filled with goldfish, so every easter egg she has seen since she announces "Fish, Open!") Here is Ava with her Pa Pa before the hunt, Ditty and Daddy were busy hiding the eggs.... let the hunt begin!!
Ava Loves hats! She usually wears Pa Pa’s hats which swamp her little head, so Ditty and Pa Pa got Ava a little hat just her size.
Not one, but THREE videos from our egg hunt! I tried to get Ava to say "Happy Easter" on one of the the videos but she was a bit distracted, rightfully so. It started out as "Happy A-Toush" earlier this week and finally came around to "Happy E-ther."
February was a very exciting month in the Rowe house because 10 days after Valentine’s day was Greg’s birthday!
Happy Birthday Daddy!!! We love you!
Wishing you a Happy Birthday..... to just plain NOT so Happy.....
OUR VALENTINE GIRLS
Oh the joys of having a little girl! Now we have some options with the mullet do! We are sporting piggies most days, or as Ava usually says “PiBBies.”
This is my first “personal post.” I'm pretty sure that only a few close friends and family check my blog so I feel comfortable being candid. I just can’t do my race experience justice without being completely honest! So get comfy because this may be a novel!
Race day, February 14th, what a wonderful Valentine’s day! This was the first race I have ever run entirely not knowing if I was going to finish. This was also my longest race (finished at 5 hours, 11 minutes), my race farthest behind my finishing goal, my most physically uncomfortable race and honestly the BEST RACE I have ever done!!! All for the sole reason that I know the Lord gave me the strength to run it. I had such peace not having to depend on myself! So here is the back-story. I started training for this marathon August 2009 with Round Rock Fit. My entire running season was injury free! Last month we did our final long run- 23 miles of the marathon course and I felt fabulous when we finished. Jump three weeks later, which brings us to last Tuesday, five days before the race. That night my feet started hurting like gangbusters! The next morning I couldn’t put them on the floor without some pain. I was having a flare up of plantar fasciitis, which I had not had since I was carrying my pregnancy weight. I think this happened for two reasons: I had been running around my house on hard floors without shoes for about a week (what was I thinking?!?) and I had gained some weight at the end of training! I know, how is it possible to gain while running an insane amount of miles? Calories in Calories out….. and I used running as an excuse to have an unlimited calorie pass for the past 6 weeks or so. That is another story which I think I will always have an uphill battle. I am not discouraged though, I’ve recently been praying for God to give me self-control when it comes to eating and I am excited to see what is going to happen over the next few months!
Back to the saga ;-), My feet progressively felt worse as race day was approaching. By two days before the race I was hobbling around on bright red, puffy feet! Less than 24 hours before the race I had pain with each step and could barely make it across the Palmer Event Center to pick up my race bib. At first I felt very discouraged that I had put six months of training into this marathon. I kept thinking about how my sweet husband spent every Saturday morning for the past half-year at home with Ava while I did my long runs with my group. I thoroughly love my runs, but 5:00 a.m. came too often and too early…. oh how I love a warm bed on weekends!
It just so happens (funny the way things are worked out!) that I am doing a Beth Moore study at church now called “Believing God.” I highly recommend it by the way! The previous week’s study was on miracles so I decided to ask God for a miracle of my own. I trusted God for his plan for this sweet time to grow my faith. In the scheme of life running a marathon is nothing compared to the needs of so many, I know this for sure. But nonetheless, this is where I was and I knew God cared first and foremost about growing my faith through this experience, not necessarily the number of miles I could run.
Here is my jewel that I can’t believe I am about to share, it is so precious to me. As I began to pray I felt such peace and almost as if God was telling me “if you don’t get to run this race on Sunday I will run a marathon beside you someday.” I started thinking about running with my Lord in his Heaven, pain free, unable to even imagine the beauty of that race course! To think, I can sometimes scarcely take in this beautiful earth! I had a “tears of joy cry” and here I was “WIN, WIN!” I had faith that God was going to reward my trust in Him, whether it was going to be a heavenly reward or one here on earth, I didn’t know yet. This was also a light bulb moment for me in my life going back to the question “why does a good God let bad things happen?” I’ve never known how to fully answer that question. I’ve summed it up in my head to the most simple answer…. we live in a fallen world but God is fair and God IS LOVE, so he will make everything right in the end…. no more sickness, no more hurt, so many of our rewards for our trials are never seen here on earth. How wonderful then are our heavenly rewards! I can’t fathom what God has in store for us! Whoo-hoo and What Peace!
So here is my miracle day: Instead of re-writing my race day experience I’ve copied the email that I sent to my sweet friend Katie:
I just had to share this with you! So yesterday I could barely walk, no joke. The connective tissue on the bottom on my feet was crazy swollen and every step hurt. SO, I have been praying this week for God to give me a miracle for the race and HE DID!!! I was able to finish, much slower than my goal, but I could care the least about my time, I feel just as blessed as if I would have won! I had honestly planned just to go start the race and by the way I was walking yesterday I hoped to make it to mile one! God is good! And what I specifically love about this miracle is that I was definitely not "pain free" during the race but I was able to run... I would take a step and think "is this my last step?" and God would give me 20 more... I'd take another step and think the same thing and he would give me 30 more steps!! I love the way God did this because he didn't make my pain go away, instead I had to ask and trust him for every second and that was so neat not knowing how many miles I'd go and He carried me all the way. I had muscle cramps starting at mile 13 (I've never had static cramping since my last marathon starting at mile 24) I could feel God by my side even then. I should have been freaking out at that point but instead I felt peace. I kept thinking how miracles aren't always a quick fix, but sometimes God works out his miracles through some sweat and tears all the while whispering "I'm here and I'm not leaving!" The fact that I didn't have an ounce of pain doesn't make it less of a miracle at all. This race was 0% Gina and 100% God!
(Back to the technical part of running, I think I had the crazy cramping because I broke the #1 rule of marathons: Never do anything NEW on race day. I added an extra insole to my shoes for the first time. I decided I'd rather trade some cramping and blisters in order to be able to put one foot in front of the other- it was worth it!)
All this to say, yes, this WAS the BEST race of my life. I whole heartedly believe that if I would have only been able to run for 10 minutes I would have made this same post and that 10 minutes would have been the BEST race of my life! P.S. I’m still hoping on getting my true race someday!
THANK YOU Sarah for coming to support me! Thank you for running up that hill with me and never losing a smile! (Thanks Jenni and Lisa too, loved having you there!) The beautiful roses are from Cass, THANK you Cass for waiting hours and hours at the finish for me!
THANK YOU Mom and Dad! It was a dream come true to have you there! It's nice to know that the two people who believe in you the most are there cheering you on. (Yes, I believe parents will always hold that title)
THANK YOU Greg! Thank you not only for race day but for all my clif bar runs, my Saturday ice baths, giving up your Friday nights and Saturday mornings for six months and being proud of me no matter what! I think the world of you! Thank you baby girl for just being you! Just the sight of your sweet face gave my spirit a lift!
AND Thank you to all my family and friends (thank you Laura, Julee, Katie, Jessica, and Sarah B.!) who were praying for me the week of and race day! Rowe parents, I knew you were praying, especially at mile 24 and 25! Despite every muscle in my lower body not wanting to move I was not only able to run, but feeling such joy doing it!
THANK YOU Lord for giving me this experience. Thank you for each step that you gave to me! What a race!
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