She's growing up so fast!

Avi Grace was 11 months last Tuesday, August 12th. And, we have the beginnings of a walker! She had been taking a a step here and there, but on Saturday she stood up for the first time from a sitting position without pulling up on something. Then she took some steps. It has only progressed since then. Today at the babysitters she took about 11 or 12 steps without stopping! She has been walking from one place to the next this evening at home as well. It is so cute. She walks some and then crawls some...I think she realizes that crawling is still the easiest way to get where she wants to go! I have captured some video of her walking, but of course I still can't post video from home...I guess my Internet connection is too slow.

Yesterday morning before we left the house I was emptying the dishwasher, and Avi Grace was playing on the floor in the kitchen. I was putting up the last of the dishes and when I turned around, this is what I found (I promise I did NOT stage this picture...Drew accused me of staging it, but that is simply where I found her!)!



She was so proud of herself! I just had to laugh at that adorable smile. The following pictures also depict one of her favorite pastimes (yes, this is how you spell that word...had to look it up, though!)! She loves to open and close cabinet doors. I have locks on the ones that she doesn't need to get into, thankfully.

Avi Grace also LOVES to open and close books and to turn the pages of books. Sometimes it occupies her for 15 to 20 minutes, which at this point is a long time for her to do one thing!



This past Saturday afternoon/evening our Sunday School class had a party at the Overstreet's family farm. It was so much fun. We had baby pools for the kiddos, some of the older children got to ride horses, and we cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. Avi Grace had a blast in the baby pools. I brought a little pink one for her because I knew the older children would be a little more rowdy than she might be ready for...however, she wanted to check out all three of the pools! She went from pool to pool to pool! Avi Grace also found a very gentle dog to play with. Since the first time she saw a dog, Kay's golden retriever puppy, she has loved them. She usually just laughs and chases them. Well, this dog was little luckier than that! She was so excited that she put her hand right in his mouth! Thankfully the dog was very gentle and let her do whatever she wanted to do to it (she also loves my sister's cat, Tang, that she gets super excited about when she is at my parents' house!). Anyway, thanks Kane and Katey for your gracious hosting!






Finally, here's just a favorite pic of mine that I took of her while she was playing with ALL of her toys! I can't resist her smile!

Oh yeah, and I got her some adorable pink Sunday shoes that squeak when she walks (she has them on in the pictures of her opening and closing the cabinets. She wore them Sunday to church for the first time, and she loved them! It was funny. She would stomp her feet just to make them squeak! AND, I can't believe I forgot this one...AG is completely off the bottle!! She hasn't had a bottle since last Friday, so it has been almost a week now! It is crazy. She has been eating table food SO well, and she was already down to just 3 bottles...one midmorning, one midafternoon and one before bed. She had kind of tapered off on the one before bed already, so we finally just tried to go a day (Saturday) without the bottle, and it didn't phase her. So, she hasn't had one since! You have NO idea how thankful we are that she kind of gave them up on her own! She is now fully on whole milk and eating table food like a big girl! Did I mention how quickly she is growing up??

Heart O Dixie

Last weekend Drew competed in the Heart O Dixie Triathlon. It started in Louisville at Lake Tiak-O'Khata with a 1/2 mile swim. Then they biked 27 miles to Philadelphia, MS, and finally they did a 7 mile run to the Neshoba County Fairgrounds. Drew did great...finished in 2 hours 52 minutes. I think he was proud of himself, and I was definitely proud of him. I couldn't have even THOUGHT about doing any of it! Here are a few pictures of Drew starting the bike ride. Our friend Jeanne Holland took these and sent them to me--thanks, Jeanne (I forgot my camera!). Anyway, I've spared you the pics of Drew in his Tri-shorts only...I'm sure he will appreciate that as well! Avi Grace stayed with Drew's mom while I went to support Drew in the Triathlon.

I took this picture of Avi Grace napping yesterday afternoon. It had gotten late, and I had to wake her up from her nap so she would still go to bed on time, and I got the sweetest picture of her in her bed sucking her thumb. Unfortunately she has been sick since Wednesday afternoon late. She started running a fever and I finally took her to the pediatrician on Friday morning. He said her throat looked horrible and she had some secondary ear troubles. She seems to be feeling a little better this afternoon, thankfully. I hope she is on the mend!