The Careys' Visit

Doug's Mom and Dad were nice enough to drive down from MI and spend a week with us in mid-October. We enjoyed every minute of their visit! Ava seemed to gobble up each minute she spent with Grandma and Grandpa. She giggled with delight when Grandpa would rub his scruffy beard against her face, and liked being held by Grandma, too.

Sliding at the park - and yes, her hair naturally does this. No brushes, hairspray, curlers involved.


Anticipating the slide


Grandma and Ava at the park


Ava spends lots of her waking hours in front of this easel. She can draw circles now.


We kept busy, going to our favorite park, Chuck E. Cheese, and even took a two-day trip to Savannah, GA. Grandma and Grandpa fed the ducks with Ava, while Doug had an appointment. Doug was also able to show his parents one of his completed projects. On some nights, after Ava went to sleep, we played a new dice game they taught us. It was fun! We also picked-out a pumpkin while they were in town, which Doug nicely carved. His carved masterpiece went well with the Elmo pumpkin that Grandma and Grandpa brought for Ava.

Shelly and Mary, while dining at Spanky's on River Street.


Doug and Jim, while dining at Spanky's on River Street.


View of River Street


Watch for falling taffy!


Mmm, bear claws! (chocolate, caramel, pecans; need I say more?)


Taking a break on River Street


In Savannah we went on a trolley tour of the city, walked the entire length of Bull Street (to see as many of the city's squares as possible), walked along River Street, treated ourselves to some sweets in the Candy Kitchen, ate at Spanky's, and just had great fun. The weather was very humid the first day, and in the high 80's. The next day it was unseasonably cool, but it was a nice trip.

This is my favorite building in Savannah. Ironically it looks like the oldest, but isn't.


Ava loves to wear my sunglasses. Fortunately these are indestructible...


Ava hangin' with Grandma during the trolley tour. Notice Ava's bare feet. This started the beginning of Operation Sock Removal in Ava's life...


One of the most beautiful houses in Savannah, the Kehoe House. (Joe Namath owned this house in the 1990's).


Savannah's Cotton Exchange. It looks like it is sinking in the middle, although you probably can't tell from this picture. This place was like the NYSE of it's day (setting the price of cotton), up until 1930 or so, when Wall Street came into existence in NY.


Paula Deen's Restaurant: The Lady and Sons


We also tried to get into Paula Deen's restaurant (Lady and Son's). We dropped-off Doug to put our name in, and they were ready to seat us right then, but our entire party needed to be there. While we were parking the car, a bus-load of 47 people ("blue hairs," as Doug likes to say) put their names on the list, so our chances at lunch were nil, by the time we found a parking spot. Better luck next time!

Mary and Jim in Savannah


The church from which the feather drops, in the beginning of "Forrest Gump"
(Savannah, GA)


Grandpa, Grandma and Ava, sitting on the bench where Forrest Gump sat


Grandpa and Grandma


The Haunted Hearse Tour: Very Scary! :-0


They look spooked!


The eerie oaks with Spanish moss in Savannah


Gravemarkers purposely misplaced / defiled by Union soldiers

Doug and his parents were also able to enjoy a haunted "hearse tour". Yep, that's right. You ride in the back of a hearse (decked-out with 8 or so seats), with the roof of the hearse cut-off, so tourists can view the haunted sights at night. Doug and I have gone on this ride before with Doug's brother and his wife (Kristy), so I volunteered to put Ava to bed and hold down the fort while the rest of the Carey clan got spooked!

The Mercer mansion, famous from the novel "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"


We were told that it was good luck to touch these "fish" downspouts in Savannah. Ava took the advice to heart.


Ava ran after this nice dog in a square in Savannah. The guy was nice enough to stop, to let her pet his dog. He turned-out to be from Michigan, having moved to Savannah.


Forsyth Fountain


At Forsyth Fountain in Savannah, GA


A boardwalk on the Atlantic Ocean, 16 miles from Savannah (on Tybee Island)


Grandma and Grandpa at the ocean


Doug, Ava and Shelly at the ocean


Along the boardwalk, Tybee Island, GA




Caught in a rainstorm under a pavilion on the Atlantic, we hunkered down with a few fishermen and fisherwomen (!) until the storm passed


Tybee Island lighthouse


Ava loves Chuck E. Cheese - this picture took no prompting


Picking out pumpkins



Carver Doug did a fantastic job



Ava and Grandma feeding the ducks (Ava wanted to eat the bread pieces herself :-)


Ava, Grandma and Grandpa fed the ducks. I was surpised she got this close!


One of Doug's finished projects (West Village)


Other angles of the finished product (retail stores below, condos above).




It was a very enjoyable week! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for driving down to visit with us!

With love,
Shelly, Doug and Ava

15 Sweet Things About Ava

I tried to come up with a list of 10, but the list kept growing. So, 15 things about Ava...

1. She LOVES her babydoll. She calls it her "bay-be-dah". She likes to give it (and all stuffed animals) a drink, or feed them. She brushes their teeth with her toothbrush, too.

2. She LOVES her oatmeal with dried cranberries, every morning. When we "slack" in the morning, she reminds me that she wants her "oh no" (oatmeal).

3. Lately she has been turning on her sound machine in the morning, which is within arm's length of her crib. (I wondered how it was still playing in the morning, when it automatically shuts off at night, after 30 minutes). Knowing she can reach this sound machine now (on her dresser), I have a feeling we'll have a "climber" soon. We may be destined for a big-girl bed soon...

4. She LOVES to pray, and actually requests that we pray (how sweet is that?). Before we eat, she puts one hand on top of the other while we pray, waits until the end of the prayer and says "may-men".

5. She sings her ABC's (and other songs) in the crib before she goes to sleep, plays with her babydoll and pats it on the back. Right now she actually knows to sing the letters A,B,C,D,E,F & G, but the rest of the letters all sound alike.

6. Every morning we give her an infant syringe full of Norwegian cod liver oil (in her mouth). We've been doing this as long as I can remember. She opens her mouth willingly and downs it without flinching. Some people think this is torture... Most people are amazed that she does this without fighting it. I tried it myself and almost gagged once. She seems to do fine with it! And I saw on Oprah yesterday that adults should be taking a daily dose, too. Yikes. I might have to work up to that one...

7. She loves to brush her teeth by herself, and could do this for 30 minutes every morning, if we let her...

8. At night, before she goes to bed, she'll often stand on a stepstool in the middle of the living room, dance and says "Ta-da!"

9. She is ALWAYS pulling her socks and shoes off. I hope this phase ends before Winter gets too cold!

10. She loves Elmo and The Wiggles. Whenever familiar songs come on, she tries to sing with them, dance, and spin in circles.

11. She recently started saying "hello", and now says it repeatedly. When she says it, it sounds like "hah-ro". (Think "A Christmas Story" the movie, the Chinese restaurant, "Deck the halls with balls of ha-ree, Fa Ra Ra Ra Rah, Rah, Rah, Rah, Rah").

12. She loves apples and pears. We frequently can't make it through the grocery store without Ava pointing out the apples or pears (both termed apples, at this point). I give in, letting her have an apple while I'm getting some much-needed grocery shopping done. When at a local store, Ava started crying when I momentarily took the apple away from her for it to be weighed with the rest of the apples. A woman behind me was amazed that a kid would cry for an apple. The woman asked if Ava knew what candy was, yet. We give her some very occasionally, but for some reason she just LOVES her apples, and requests them by name. :-)

13. Whenever we tell Ava we're going to the park, her eyes light up. She says "par!, par!". When we pull-in the driveway of the local park, she gets CRAZY happy with excitement.

14. When she is ready for a bath or ready to leave the house with Doug in the morning, she says "bye" to me, all the animals and objects in the house, separately. "Bye-bye, Mama," "Bye-bye, babydoll," "Bye-bye, doggie", etc. It's funny when she does this before a bath, because she'll see these things again in a matter of a few minutes... Too funny.

15. When she hugs, she often gives you a good squeeze, shakes from side to side and says "oh oh oh" (think "Ho Ho Ho" backward).

She's been some serious fun lately!

With love,
Shelly, Doug and Ava

Lots of Treats

On Halloween night, we took Ava trick-or-treating for the first time. The weather was ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL! Our friends (the Hoffmans) came over to trick-or-treat with us for a few houses, and then headed home.

Ready to trick-or-treat




The insurmountable steps


We then tagged-along with Matthew Quinn, a very sweet three year-old boy who lives in our court, and his Dad. Matthew dressed as Captain Hook, and was very confident in his trick-or-treating abilities (rightfully so). (We didn't get any pictures of Matthew, unfortunately). We wheeled Ava around in her red wagon, and she walked up to each door. Matthew would ring the doorbell and yell "trick or treat". Ava's "trick or treat" sounded more like "Tee-tee".

Olivia, Ava and Mekhi


After Matthew received his candy, Ava would hold out her pumpkin and pick some candy (per the candy-givers :-). She then turned around and said "tay-tu" (Thank you), and "bye-bye" at each house. Her candy-filled pumpkin was her most prized possession. Nevermind that she doesn't really know what is in the wrappers... :-)

Ava and Mekhi


Ava was also more interested in the cat or dog at each house, than the candy. She would laugh into the window, looking at the cats and dogs, and would say "woof". People got a chuckle out of her excitement toward their pets.

Jackpot!


We then went to a few houses after Matthew went home. Matthew was a good teacher, because Ava knew to ring the doorbell, say "Tee-tee", pick-out some candy and then say "Tay-tu". She caught-on very quickly! Because our sub-division is past a "dead end" sign, we get very few trick-or-treaters. Our neighbors spoiled Ava (and I'm sure all kids) with LOTS of candy.

Candyland


Yesterday she was pointing up to her pumpkin, so she picked-out a tootsie roll sucker and a fun pack of M & M's. Savoring every bite. :-)

Happy Halloween!!!

We wish you the scariest and most spooktacular of Halloweens this evening!



Looking mischevious, here. I guess the cat costume was a perfect fit, this year!


Meow


Mom, the hippie-chick loving on a sweet little stray cat...


Indian Amy and Humpty-Dumpty Mekhi


Another sweet kitty-cat, her Daddy (Magnum P.I.) and her Mom - an absolute angel!


Sarah as Dorothy and Jay as the Scarecrow


Wes and Oksana on official FBI business


We celebrated early at the Hoffmans' on Sunday night, and will be heading-out to trick-or-treat in the neighborhood tonight with some friends and neighbors tonight.

Daddy was a redneck chef (I think he's trying to be resourceful by reusing some of last year's costume. Guess what next year's costume will bring? Redneck ______. (You fill-in the blank).
p.s. - If anyone has a picture of Doug from Sunday night, could you send it my way? Thanks!

A few months ago, Ava saw herself in the bathroom mirror (wrapped-up in a hooded towel, with hoodie-ears) and kept saying "meow". I don't know what type of creature is on her towel, but she assumes it's a kitty-cat. So, we knew she would have fun dressing as a kitty-cat for this year's festivities.

Enjoy the tricks AND treats!

Peace, love and candy corn :-),
Shelly

P.S. - Thanks to our neighbor Carine, who e-mailed this picture she took last night while we were trick-or-treating:

The Hunt For (Non) Red-Tide (in) October: Destin But No Memorial Day

We drove down to Destin, FL on Thursday, to meet up with the Flanigans and Butlers for a weekend at the beach. That makes this our second trip to the beach this year. The weather was absolutely beautiful, in the mid-80's and cool at night.

Our family at the beach


Ava and Shelly


I love this picture of Doug and Ava-


We experienced an interesting phenomenon this year, while at the ocean. "Red Tide" crept up on us. There is a bacteria that occurs naturally in ocean water, but when the bacteria grows too fast, it is referred to as "Red Tide", sucking the oxygen out of the water, and leaving some marine life dead. It is especially dangerous to eat shellfish, etc, caught during Red Tide. On shore, ocean-goers may experience irritation of the throat and eyes, and sneezing. Very odd. I can tell you that I was coughing, and didn't realize why, until Andrew Butler told us about "Red Tide". (insert Death Star music here). I also had a doozy of a headache Saturday night; I'm curious if it had anything to do with Red Tide?) You could see the water color changed a few 100 yards from shore, too. (www.cdc.gov/hab/redtide/pdfs/activities.pdf). We survived. It is ALWAYS great to see the ocean.

TWO dead birds on our back porch. Affected by Red Tide?


This is the latest in the year we've gone to the beach, but I would definitely go again this late. Maybe we got lucky with the weather? This is hurricane season, but we would've never guessed, with such nice weather.

The view on the beach... Don't ask me why DOUG took this picture???? HE DOES NOT KNOW THIS MAN...


Will Flanigan turned three on Saturday, while we were there. Kathy made a cake for Will, frosted with "Home Depot and Lowe's colors (blue and orange). Will was sure to blow-out all of his candles. He got some markers, walkie-talkies, Spiderman underwear and a very cool fan for his birthday. He was fascinated with the fan, and wanted to see the blades (very mechanically-minded three year-old!). I made some happy-faced cookies on sticks, and some orange stars (Home Depot-colored) on sticks for the weekend / Will's b-day. The kids seemed to enjoy all the treats.

Making sandcastles


Ava didn't prefer the ocean waves, but did enjoy playing in the sand. Sophie didn't prefer the sand, but was a trooper for hangin' with us at the beach (can't exactly get away from sand there...). Will enjoyed building things and digging in the sand. Thomas and Clara Helen (Butler) were fish, and enjoyed swimming in the ocean. Tristan liked to play in the water, too. And baby brother Tanner was all-smiles the entire trip. He has the sweetest baby-face ever.

Andrew, Thomas, Clara Helen and Tristan playing on the beach


So, needless to say, we were outnumbered six adults to SEVEN kids! We survived. And everyone seemed to get along really well. The Moms spoke of "all-things-Mom," while the men were able to talk shop (building trades, etc), with Andy working for Centex Homes and Andrew and Doug being architects.

Enjoying the beach


We cranked up the heater for the pool and were able to enjoy 100-degree water for late night swims. It was so hot that we all laughed when we got in the pool. Nice! :-) The accommodations were perfect for three families,too. The property had a "cottage" near the pool, separate from the house, where the Flanigans stayed. We would highly suggest staying at 80 Woodward St in Destin, FL, if you ever have a chance to get to the beach.

Our 100-degree pool


A beach house


80 Woodward St.


80 Woodward St.


The poolhouse


On the front porch


While we were there, an 844-lb. Mako shark was caught in Destin, 70-miles off the coast. The shark was so big, the boat and couldn't reel it in after an hour; they had to drag the shark back to shore, full-throttle, and arrived FOUR HOURS LATER. Crazy!

Catch a wave and you're sittin' on top of the world,
Shelly

Spa Day (or Spa Hour?)

I had a light workload last Monday, so I decided I would keep Ava at home. She LOVES to color, paint, etc, so I pulled-out the washable markers. More than coloring with the markers, she enjoys trying to replace the cap for each marker. (Somehow this creates more of a mess than the actual coloring; go figure?) Cleaning her marked-up hands somehow turned into "spa day". This is a tribute to Aunt Linda, who invokes a weekly "spa day" with the little girls she watches daily.

Ava sat still with her feet in the sink while I cut her bangs. (Not yet in her eyes, the bangs have definitely encroached upon eyebrow-territory). I'm trying to figure out how to grow-out the sides, top and back of her hair, but keep some wispy bangs, too. She sat still, fortunately. I tried to make them as un-blunt as possible, so they will fall to the side naturally.

The Cast of Characters


While I was cutting her hair, she LOVED to turn the sink on and off, so she got a good "foot-soaking", and brushed her teeth. I asked her if she wanted her toenails painted, and she shook her head "yes". I never thought I WOULD ACTUALLY paint her toenails this early in her life, but I did... (Hear me out before you slap my hand...) I found a color (I already had) that is very sheer and looks like the same color as her toenails. (Without this light of a color, I wouldn't have painted her nails at all). So, after drying-off her feet, I painted her little toesies with this sheer pink color. I asked her if she wanted some lotion on her feet, and she shook her head "yes". So, I got out the yummiest smelling lotion I had, and put it on her feet, legs, hands and arms. She squirms when I put it on her arms. She liked to smell it while it was in the tube. We then put on some Chap-stick, dry clothes and a purple hair-bow (her others were wet from the sink) to complete the look.

The Pedicure: L'Oreal's Sheer Suntan nail polish (can't you tell?)


I asked her if she felt special being pampered, and she shook her head "yes".

Feeling marvelous!


After we got done with a mini-haircut, foot massage, pedicure, hair-do and Chap-stick application, she went back to playing in her tent and tunnel in the living room.

Back to the daily grind...


I think I might have to start a regular spa day of some sort, with a good foot soaking, all things girly, fun, pink, and good for the soul.

Full of zen-ergy,
Shelly

Family Reunion 2007

We traveled to Corbin / Rockholds / Faber, Kentucky on October 5th for the Claxton family reunion. It was, as always, a beautiful weekend for my Grandmother's family reunion. This year, the weather was a bit warmer than we expected.



We met my Mom, Grandmother, Uncle Danny and Aunt Linda in Kentucky, while Doug, Ava and I stayed with Great Aunt Jean (Grandfather's sister). Ava LOVED staying with Aunt Jean and her many stuffed animals and dolls. She followed Aunt Jean around the house, acting as her shadow.



We always eat VERY WELL at Aunt Jean's house. She is quite the cook! This time around, I believe she had sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, chicken, rolls, two jello dishes (which don't count as dessert, on her table), two cakes, corn, etc. I'm sure I'm forgetting something. She will be turning 80 next year, and still manages to cook quite a dinner for us.

I love to look at her photo albums and hear stories of her childhood and my Grandfather's. She loves her big brother. She was actually a twin, too, but her twin died at 13 (?) months of age, of pneumonia.



At the reunion, Ava's favorite pastime was pushing the swing at the Claxton's. She would put her bunny / blanket on the swing and push and push and push. Grandmother remarked on how "clean" Ava stayed all day. When we got back to Aunt Jean's and I pulled-off Ava's sandals, I had to show Grandmother Ava's black (with dirt) feet. Grandmother chuckled. Ava was scared of her own dirty feet, and wanted them washed pronto. :-)



We went to church at Brummett Church of Christ, where Ava did really well. (It is a small one-room church, so I was somewhat apprehensive on how she would fare during service). My Great-Great Grandparents worshipped at this church. (I think I was once told that my Great-Great-Great Grandparents also worshipped here). So, Ava's G-G-G-G grandparents might've worshipped at this church. How crazy is that? I know my Grandfather rode with his grandparents (Josh and Alie Murray, who raised him) to church / town in a horse-drawn wagon. Josh was a farmer and would bring produce into town, to sell, in the same wagon.

Ava also enjoyed hangin'-out with Grandma Pam in the back seat, wherever we drove. She also got tickled by Aunt Linda, and was quite the giggler.

I think my Mom might've taken more pictures of the entire crew, so hopefully we can include more extended-family pictures at a later date.

We hope Fall is treating you well!

With love,
Shelly