Ava's First Birthday Party- Some long-awaited pictures

Ava's birthday party was Winnie the Pooh themed. I won't repost all the pictures of the party details on this blog since you can check them out on my Roses for Mommy blog here .

But here are some of the other sweet pictures of Ava's big day. most of these pictures were taken by a family friend who happens to have a nice camera and offered to take some sweet pictures. Patrick's wife, Laura, got some shots of the day, too, with our camera that Eric missed though to make for tons of pictures to remember a great day.





Party games!


Presents!


And of course the cake. Her facial expressions are priceless.

So Much Personality!!

These pictures don't need explanation. They are amazing. I am sure you will agree.

Welcome Ava Chantal!

We welcomed our third little girl, Ava Chantal, into the world on October 1, 2012 at 4:19pm. The name Ava is one that we both liked and Chantal is in honor of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, a French Saint that we both admire. Ava entered the world after a very long day, though another short labor (more on that another day). She weighed 8 lbs. (though the scale said something different all three times they weighed her, so 8 is actually the median weight of the 3 and not necessarily her actual true birthweight). At any rate, it's 8 lbs. on record. She was 19 3/4 inches long and is our smallest so far. She is beautiful just like her sisters.

nice face, Ava!

The girls came to visit at the hospital. They are in love with their new little sis.

My favorite baby/toddler product

Well, two kids in and I can safely say that I have figured out what the most useful item I have purchased for the money is. Our booster seat.



We bought ours a few years ago, so I think it was only around $20 then, but even now it's only about $26-30 (depending where you buy it). This seat has been a life saver for when we are out and about and on trips (ones that we don't have to travel by plane to). At home we use it for a high chair for the younger baby, and a booster seat for Kayla so she can reach the table and eat with us.

It folds up, making it very easy to take with you. We have brought it down to Chris' office for work parties, to friends' houses for dinner parties, to my grandma's house for lunch or dinner with the family when they all come to town, and on our travels around CA. It's easy to clean and very sturdy. Unlike some other slightly cheaper booster seats, the straps are well-made and don't loosen by themselves (making you frightened that your child will rock the seat right off the chair you have attached it to).

It has three tray positions for your growing child and the bottom of the seat can be adjusted taller or shorter depending on your needs. We currently use it in the highest position as a booster seat so that Kayla can join us at the big table. She loves it. No more tray, but we can still strap her in if need be(though usually she's well-behaved enough that we don't have to). The tray is large enough to fit a small plate on for the time when you are practicing using a plate, but they aren't quite ready for the table yet. It's just a fantastic buy for your money.

To save a little money (and because I assumed most of those types of seats would be about the same), I bought a cheaper booster seat for Elise, and it has not been a pleasant experience. I hate to feel like I wasted money, but since we've got another one on the way and the fisher price seat is ACTUALLY 100% useful, I think I may very well get rid of the crappy one I bought, and invest in another Healthy Care Deluxe Booster Seat.

On a side note that is slightly related....Elise has learned another word: "good". We always ask Kayla how her food is at meal times, and her response is usually "Good!". We usually ask Elise too, and the other day she answered with a resounding "Goo!" She even answers for Kayla sometimes now too.