I can't believe our little girl is 8 years old!
Oh my,
once again it's going by too fast!
once again it's going by too fast!
Ava is the oldest of the "younger crew".
Next to turn 8 will be Melissa, then Abby, then Anna, then Ben, the Sam, then Madeline and so on...
The seven kiddos are all within 16 months!
Not our plan but HIS!
We love it!
We celebrated her day with Daddy on Father's Day when everyone was at our house and then again on Monday - her real birthday!
Ava has blossomed in every way!
She has such a kind heart and is thoughtful of all her siblings!
She loves animals!
Our dogs are finally getting the attention and grooming they deserve!
She is as smart as can be and loves to read!
Ava loves to help in the house and she is ready and willing to do whatever task we ask of her!
She is in charge of feeding the dogs and at 3:00 every day she feeds them!
Ava knew exactly what she wanted for her birthday!
Rollerblades!
She was beyond thrilled when her dream came true!
Personal space?
Not at our house!
Madeline made Ava a paper hat!
We are so blessed to have her as our daughter!
The birthday candles were burning down fast so we had to sing a quick happy birthday song!
And then take a quick pic!
On her actual day she tried out the rollerblades!
They worked out GREAT!
Of course Sammy had to cause a bit of a ruckus!
He loves to smile, he loves to laugh and he talks nonstop!
Ava and Sam came home together and have always had a special bond!
They have been home for 2 years and 2 months!
We went boating in the evening!
It was our first time out this season!
It was a perfect evening!
We went to a popular place on the lake-thinking it would not be crowded.
After all it was Monday night!
We were wrong, it was packed!
I guess Monday night is burger night???
Somehow, we were able to find two tables next to each other.
We squished in together and had a wonderful time!
People look at our large group and right away think their night will be ruined
BUT all the children behave so well that by the time we leave everyone is telling us what great kids we have!
Way to go guys!
Before arriving we discuss the rules and define what a good time is and what a not so good time would look like!
Surprisingly they listen!
(The not so good time would be them at home and only Mommy and Daddy getting to go places!)
It was Mia, Melissa and Madeline's first time on the boat!
They loved it!
It seems the faster we go the more they all would hoot and holler!
So thankful we could get out to celebrate Ava's birthday and enjoy the lake!
The channels are fun to go through.
There are people fishing on the sides of the channels.
We always ask-
"have you caught anything"?
And usually they have!
Boaters always wave to other boaters- it's the friendly thing to do in MN!
It's not quite the same as a Florida sunset but it's still lovely!
Happy Birthday Sweet Ava!
