Little Ava, The World Traveler

Ava's first roadtrip:



















What is that look about, anyway? :-)















Ava and Grandpa Carey



















Grandma Carey and Miss Ava



















Aunt Tracy Graduated!














Ava and Great Aunt Jackie















Ava and Uncle Joe















Our trip to the Rochester Park with Mom Carey, Doug's brother Joe, Joe's wife Kristy and their sweet little girl Trinity. Joe and Kristy are expecting another little one!















Grandma Carey, Tracy and Shelly going for a walk with Trinity and Ava















Ava and her Great cousin Ginger



















Cousin Jordan holding Ava














Ava and her Great Aunt Linda



















Ava and her Great Uncle Danny



















Great Grammy and Ava



















Four Generations: Great Grammy, Mom, Shelly and Baby Ava















Four Generations: Great Grammy, Mom, Shelly and Baby Ava















Ava and Gram Pam















Ava, her Grandpa Bill and Gram Pam















Ava and Aunt Sherry















The Happy Newlyweds: Adam and Kristen















Ava and her Great Aunt Freda



















Ava's monogram: "ACE" A friend made these "bloomers" as a gift for Ava...



















Ava, Great Aunt Freda and second cousin Adam (Shelly's cousin)















Ava and second cousin Rachel (Shelly's cousin)



















Grandpa Dean and Ava















Grandma Dolly and Ava




















Uncle Chris and Aunt Kristin















Shelly and Grandma Burnis



















Doug and Shelly at cousin Adam's (Shelly's cousin) Wedding Reception















An interesting store across the street from the wedding reception:















Ava and Grandpa Dean















Ava and Uncle Chris sleeping. Must've been some day, huh?















Grandma Dolly and her "girls" (Olivia, Sophia and Ava)















"I Got U Babe"














Ava Loves Her Daddy



















Ava doing her "American Idol" Taylor Hicks impression



















Hello, everyone!

Sorry it has been some time since I've posted.

We drove to Michigan on Friday, May 5th and stayed through Sunday, May 14th. The ride to Michigan typically takes 11 hours, with just myself and Doug... Ava must be our "good luck charm", because it only took us 10 1/2 hours on the way back from Michigan to Atlanta! She was great while traveling. She only got antsy the last hour on the way back to Atlanta. I can't blame her... Who would enjoy being strapped in a car seat for that long???

Ava has now officially met all of her relatives with the exception of her Aunt Marlene Winter, Uncle Tom Griffith, Aunt Vickie Griffith, second-cousin Benjamin Griffith and second-cousin Jamin Lawson. We THOROUGHLY enjoyed our visit with everyone in Michigan.

Tracy (Doug's youngest sister) graduated with honors from Oakland University's nursing school. The ceremony was very nice. It was a bit chilly outside, but we bundled Ava up in her "Snuggle Me". This was a gift from Aunt Freda at Ava's baby shower. It DEFINITELY did the trick! We then were able to sit back and enjoy the graduation celebration.

Trinity (Doug's brother Joe's little girl) is ADORABLY SOCIAL, saying "Hi!" to everyone she sees. It is too cute. She LOVED going down the slide at the park in downtown Rochester. She's such a daredevil. FEARLESS!

Adam (my Aunt Freda's son) got married on May 12 to Kristen Booth. The wedding and reception were beautiful. I can't believe my LITTLE cousin Adam isn't so little anymore!

We stayed with Grandpa Bill and Grandma Pam for the first part of the week, seeing Doug's family during the day. During the later part of the week, we stayed with my Dad and Dolly and hung out with my Mom during the day. Although on "vacation" we stayed very busy! We'll be heading to the beach this weekend with Andy, Kathy and Will Flanigan to get some much needed R&R :-)

While in Michigan, we did quite a bit... We attended Tracy's graduation, Adam's wedding, visited the park in downtown Rochester, ate at Lipuma's Coney Island, had lunch with my sister Sherry, visited with the Lawson clan, and, as usual, ate LOTS of food.

We're getting back to life as we know it here in Atlanta. Things are going well getting Ava used to a schedule. Last night she slept from midnight through 7 a.m. this morning! We're trying to get her belly full during day feedings so she can sleep longer at night. It seems to be working. Right now she should be eating about 26 ounces per day, at her weight. She is still smiling big smiles and is a snuggle-bunny. Sometimes I miss holding her when she is just down taking a nap... She's such a sweet little thing.

Well, enough ramblings for now... I hope you're all doing well!

With love,
Shelly, Doug and Ava