Adventures of Ava

Welcome 2010!!

2010-01-09T01:30:00.003-06:00

December Re-Cap

2010-01-09T00:40:00.001-06:00

November Re-Cap

2010-01-08T11:24:00.001-06:00

October Re-Cap

2010-01-08T00:41:00.001-06:00

September Re-Cap

2010-01-07T21:41:00.001-06:00

August Re-Cap

2009-11-12T23:29:00.004-06:00

We started August out with a fun Hassler family trip to the ZOO! We had not been to the KC Zoo in years. They have definitely made many improvements and we all had a great time. I think Ava's favorite attraction was the sea lion show. Every time the trainer would feed one a fish, the sea lion would shake it's head back and forth and every time...so would Ava. It was so cute:)

The following weekend we enjoyed the annual Groene family lake weekend. We drove down on Friday morning and did a little outlet shopping and had lunch. That evening we met the rest of the group at the resort for a fun weekend of swimming, visiting, volleyball and FAMILY!

The next weekend we took Ava to Family Fun Day at the Power and Light District. We had a great time. There were several areas set up for arts and crafts and music and a spray on tattoo station...so yes, Ava got her first tattoo:) The day ended with a performance by Mr. Stinky Feet and all of the kids danced and had a fun time.

Miss Ava started swim lessons on the 17th. We signed up with her little friend, Aubrey and it's just the two of them in their class. It's like semi private lessons...we lucked out! Ava loves the water and has progressed quite nicely. She is our little fish!

Later in the month, we made a trip "back home" for my Aunt Linda's wedding reception. We had a great time seeing everyone and spending the evening together. The next day we went to my grandparents house to celebrate my Grandpa's birthday. What a great family weekend!

In addition to all of our weekend events, we continued to enjoy our pool, our friends, Gymboree, Speech and the rest of our "routine" activities.

Enjoy the slideshow!!

July Re-Cap

2009-10-26T10:20:00.009-05:00

By July, our summer was already in full swing. We spent lots of time playing with friends, swimming and going to art and gymboree classes. It had been suggested that we get Ava's speech evaluated. We knew that she was not talking nearly as much as her peers and low and behold, she qualified for therapy. We have always been proactive in any of Ava's care so we welcomed this opportunity with open arms. To see/hear the progress that she has made since her therapy began is amazing. I never thought that I'd be SO excited every time my daughter told me NO...but I am!

We had an exciting 4th of July weekend. Aunt Jess came to visit and we had a big cookout paired with YUMMY sangria. To celebrate the 4th, we hit the pool during the day and that evening went to watch fireworks at the Great Plains Mall. This was really Ava's first year of being awake to watch fireworks and she LOVED them. She kept saying "tars" (stars) and doing the hand signs to twinkle twinkle little star...how sweet!! Needless to say, after this excitement, she was wiped out. She fell asleep before we even left the parking lot.

Apparently, one of the water mains for our street happens to be in our front yard...and on the afternoon of the 7th, it broke. Thank you bull dozer operator for that!! What a nightmare. We ended up with a LARGE hole in our yard. The water company was working on it from about 1pm to midnight. Thankfully, they fixed it before they were going to have to crack into our driveway!!!

We did a little more birthday celebrating with a party at Monkey Bizness for Kate and Jill's 2nd birthday. This is ALWAYS a hit and wears kids out very quickly:) Later that same day we packed up and made our way to the Osage County Fair. We enjoyed some yummy carnival food, played a few games and Ava got to ride on a couple of kiddie rides. Of course, she wasn't scared at all and enjoyed every second of it. That night, Ava got to spend some quality time with Grandma Belinda while Rick and I spent the evening catching up with friends in the beer garden at the fair...yay!

Ava had her first dentist appointment. She, of course, did awesome! Everything looked great:) These guys have it figured out and know how to cater to the kiddos. I couldn't have been more pleased with the staff. They even give out ice cream to the kids...hmmm?

Let's see, I was invited to play BUNCO with some gals in our neighborhood, which ended up being super fun. I had never played before and I really enjoyed it. Mostly I enjoyed meeting some new people and enjoying the snacks and good wine:)

July 18th was a super fun day for a couple of reasons. First, my good friends from back home drove up to spend the day. I quickly gave them a tour of the house then we went for a YUMMY lunch and drinks at Mi Ranchito. We sat on the patio and soaked up the sunshine and caught up on all of the latest gossip...you just can't beat that! It is such a blessing to have remained such good friends with everyone. Most of us have been close since Junior High, a couple of the girls have known each other since way before then. Even though we live more than 3 hours apart, every time we get together it's like we haven't skipped a beat. We just pick right up where we left off. They are my forever friends and I love them all dearly! After lunch, we headed back to the house and continued the gossip session on the porch for a while before they had to home:( Second, it's the anniversary of Ava's heart surgery!!! I remember it like it was 5 minutes ago. Ava's hospital stay started after what was supposed to be a routine cardiology follow up on the 13th. She was admitted later that same day. After numerous other scans and tests it was determined that she needed the surgery...and soon. To make a LONG story somewhat short, she was scheduled for 8am on July 18, 2007(I have come to appreciate Ava being the first case of the day..that always seems to work out in her favor, the surgeons are "fresh" and the no eating or drinking thing is easier too, plus less chance of delayed start) I remember Dr.O'Brien, the surgeon, coming in shortly before 7 to check her and make the lovely marking on her where she now bears a proud scar in it's place. I also remember asking him if he got plenty of sleep the night before and if he was feeling good that day...heck yes I did! Luckily, he was and is a fantastic surgeon who also happens to have a darn good bedside manner, which is hard to come by in a surgeon. We all had a little chuckle and he reassured us that she would be in good hands. I understand that doctors and nurses do this kind of thing every day, but we don't! She's our baby girl, she's it and there's no room for having a bad day. We then made our trip to surgery. Rick and I were able to stay with Ava until she had to leave the pre op area...we gave our hugs and kisses and left her with the nurses, a very difficult thing to have to do. The wait was excruciatingly long and exhausting...but were thrilled to hear that she made it to the PICU and was getting settled so that we could see her. Following a quick and confusing meeting with the surgeon, we were on our way. We were prepped for what we were to expect when we saw her...but it was nothing like I had envisioned!!! We walked in her room and I broke down immediately. I was obviously not prepared for what I was seeing. Our precious little girl, who tipped the scales at almost 7 pounds earlier in the morning, looked like she was now at least 17 pounds!! She was so swollen, I could barely recognize her. She was hooked up to so many machines with tubes and wires coming out from everywhere. Her breathing tube in her nose, central line in her neck, chest tube in left side, arterial line in left arm, IVs in both feet, a urine catheter, blood pressure cuff on right arm, she was in the middle of having a blood transfusion, pulse ox on toe, 5 heart monitor leads and later that night they inserted a feeding tube in her other nostril for medication that could only be given that way! HORRIFIC!! On top of all of the tubes and wires that got where they needed to be, it was just as difficult to see and know that someone struggled to accomplish that, judging by the looks of the various other needle pokes. Looking back now, it's hard to realize that that was really only the beginning of a very long journey. I still, to this day am amazed by the strength of our daughter. I wish that everyone could know her like we do, I wish that everyone could see that she is without a doubt the strongest person I have ever known. She is a miracle in every way, she is my hero!!!

July was definitely a big month! I left Ava for the first time in her life for more than 13 or 14 hours!! On the 22nd, Ava and I packed up and drove to Nana & Papa's house so I could get her settled in. In the wee morning hours the next day, Jessica and I made our way to the St Louis airport for our trip to California! It was such a needed break and we had such a good time. Rick was going to be working there part of the time so Jess came along to keep me company as my sun bathing partner. The first two nights we stayed in Huntington. I LOVE it there. Everyone is so mellow, you definitely get the chill surfer feeling from that beach! The last two nights we stayed in Newport. I had never been there, but didn't have a problem settling right in. I called Ava at least 3 times a day while I was gone. She had such a blast with Nana & Papa. When we returned home, I was so excited to see Ava. I had this huge reunion played out in my head....well, it didn't exactly happen like I had envisioned:( She was not happy to see me and screamed when she had to leave my mom. Little stinker!!

**Ava's week with Nana & Papa, written by Nana**
Ava had a busy week in the country. She enjoyed visiting with Uncle Derek and Aunt Renee, they played together with the dogs, Mattie and Kate. She loved the dogs and they loved her!
Ava got to spend a day with Uncle Jason and cousins, Leah, Sarah and Michael. We all went to the park, the Leapfrog Fun Center and got to eat at McDonald's.
Ava got to visit some of her Great Grandparents. Grandma and Grandpa Otto and Grandma Groene all LOVED seeing her.
She visited with Great Aunt Cat and Spicy the kitty. Ava loves animals, so the kitty cat was a big hit.
Ava enjoyed MANY stroller rides with Nana to see the cows, and Mattie the dog always went along.
We went swimming at Uncle Allen and Aunt Connie's with Nana and Papa and Uncle Jason, Aunt Amy, Leah, Sarah and Michael. It was a fun day!
Nana created a mini water park in the back yard and Ava loved every second of it. There was a pool and a fun sprinkler that she loved to run through. One evening, while Uncle Joe and Aunt Nyla were visiting, Ava got to swim with Dixie the dog! Of course, that was a hit!!
On Sunday, Ava got to go to church with Nana and Papa...but that ended with a little quality time with Papa...outside of church! The three of us enjoyed going out for breakfast afterward.
Every time we got home from being out and about, there was a new message from Mommy. Ava loved listening to them! Nana played them over and over again and Ava loved them EVERY TIME!!

Well, I think that wraps up most of July. Enjoy the slideshow!!

June Re-Cap

2009-10-25T19:39:00.014-05:00

*photo slideshow at end of post*

Well, first I should apologize for my lack of posting over the summer. I don't have any good excuses...just didn't make the time to do it. I'm ready to get back in the swing of things...so here it goes!!!

Our summer started off with lots of excitement. Ava had her 2 year pictures taken at the Governor's Garden in JC. Picture day is always nerve racking for me because I want to make sure all goes smoothly and Ava cooperates well. On this particular day, she did not disappoint...she brought her "A" game and gave out LOTS of smiles for the camera:) Amanda did a fantastic job and I couldn't have been happier with the finished product!

We all got to enjoy a day of sunshine and memories at Grandpa Hoss' 6th Annual Memorial Golf Tournament. Rick golfed with Aunt Sara and Uncle Travis while Grandma Belinda, Ava and myself cheered them on and visited with family and friends!

Rick and I enjoyed a night out to help celebrate our friend Tami's birthday while Ava hung out with our friend, Patti. This was the FIRST time EVER that Ava had spent the evening with someone that wasn't a family member, although Patti is a lot like family:) We had too much fun and I know Ava did too...I'm pretty sure that Patti and Dean enjoyed Ava's company as well:)

We had lots of birthday parties in June! First on the list were cousin Megan and boyfriend Parker:) Unfortunately, they were on the same day so we had to split our time, but had a blast at both and Miss Ava was exhausted by the end of the night:)

The 19th was a BIG day for several reasons. First, one of our Gymboree friends invited all of the mommies and girls over to make Father's Day gifts for the dads...so much fun and Ava LOVES art projects. Second, we had another birthday party to go to. Ava's friend, Maddie turned 2. Ava's favorite activity at the party was the sand box...of course it was!!! Somehow I always end up cleaning sand out of hair and/or ears for days after any sand box event! Third, it was the anniversary of Ava's homecoming!!! I remember the excitement and anticipation just like it was yesterday, in fact, my heart is starting to race just typing this! It was such a huge day...FINALLY, bringing our baby home...and nervous as HELL!!! She was still so tiny (actually an ounce too little for our car seat regulations, oops) weighing in at 4lbs 15oz at discharge:) Nurse Linda had to roll up blankets to stuff on either side of her because she just didn't seem "snug" enough. Having this vision in our minds, we dug out Ava's infant car seat and sat her in it....she's GROWN!! It's crazy to see how far she's come!! I know that for every parent day's like this, anniversary dates, are exciting and fun to replay memories. For us, at least for me anyway, they never come without some crazy emotion...usually ending with a tissue full of tears, grateful tears!!! Here are some of the things that I remember from June 19, 2007. An overwhelming feeling of anxiety, much like the previous 25 days spent at the hospital (I'm still trying to kick that;)), Rick going home to wash and iron an outfit for Ava and to install the car seat base, our moms cooking us yummy dinners for the week and generously cleaning up bird poop from a bird that somehow found it's way in to our house??, final meetings with nurses, doctor, OT and lactation consultant, crash course in infant CPR, Ava's hospital pics, finally choosing a pediatrician, leaving Ava in the NICU one last time so that I could shower, PAPERWORK, saying goodbye to all of the wonderful staff that we came to know and love so well, watching Rick struggle to put the car seat in the base, watching Ava with her eyes clinched shut the entire way home, pulling up to our house decorated with pink and welcome home signs, a yummy roast beef dinner cooked by our moms, our moms leaving, us wondering WHAT NOW?, attempting to nurse Ava in between all of this, being happy and thankful to finally be home together as a family and praying that we'd make it!!! AND WE HAVE!

We enjoyed some fun days at Deanna Rose Farmstead with friends. First, a hot and steamy day with Aubrey, Brody and Baby Gage. I think it might have been about 100 degrees that day. At one point Ava just stopped playing and went to sit in the shade to rest:) Ava got to feed the baby goats a bottle for the first time...hilarious. They're fierce little things. Then, a couple of days later, we celebrated Amelia's birthday there. Ava enjoyed her first ice cream sandwich, yummy!

That pretty much wraps up June's highlights!! Enjoy the slideshow!

It's My Party! 5/30/09

2009-07-09T19:24:00.005-05:00

What a fun filled birthday party! It all started with the invitations..."We are TUTU excited that Ava is turning 2"...this will explain why I made her wear a tutu for most of the party! The house was filled with hot pink and lime green balloons and decor. I even baked and decorated cookies and homemade chocolate suckers...all pink and green. We had lots of good food, good drinks and good company...and GREAT GIFTS!

Favorite Quote Friday...

2009-06-26T16:25:00.001-05:00

You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around - and why his parents will always wave back. ~William D. Tammeus

Happy 2nd Birthday Ava Bryn!!

2009-05-26T22:26:00.007-05:00

I cannot believe that my baby girl is 2 years old, and boy has it been an eventful 2 years!! It has been absolutely amazing to watch Ava change and grow into the cute toddler that she has become, and I have been blessed with the opportunity to be able to witness it ALL! She is a miracle in every way! I am so lucky she chose me to be her mommy:)

So, today was full of fun! Thankfully, Rick was able to be home this week. When Ava woke up, we both jumped up and went to greet her together! You can imagine the excitement she had to have BOTH of us welcome the day with her! We went downstairs where Ava was more than excited to see her brand new play kitchen ready for cookin'! We played for a while, then had strawberry cupcakes for breakfast...you better believe it...no rules today!!! After nap, more surprises...the BOUNCE HOUSE! Fun, Fun, Fun!! For dinner we went to Red Robin. Tuesday nights just happen to be "kid's night" so the BIG RED BIRD was there and an amazing balloon artist for the kiddos. The staff sang to Ava and gave her balloons and dessert...she was thrilled!

Water, Sunshine and More Water...

2009-05-26T21:37:00.008-05:00

Last Wednesday we enjoyed a very fun afternoon at Ava's friend, Aubrey's house. Holly, Aubrey's mom, got out all of the fun backyard toys and the girls just went wild! Summer fun has definitely begun!!!

Thursday...whew, what a long day! It was 'warranty work day' at our house. What this means is that all of the little touch up stuff and kinks that need to be ironed out, were all done on this day. I believe I had about 20 different strange men (sub-contractors) through my house between the hours of 8am and 4pm. I am very grateful that our builder 'backs up his work' and that they coordinate it all for me, don't misunderstand me, it was just a lot in one day. That sort of thing just tends to make me a bit anxious.

Saturday we went to Jiggle Jam...oh so fun! It's a kid festival that's held every Memorial Day weekend at Crown Center. We played in bubbles, ate carnival food, did some artwork, climbed on lots of stuff, listened to music and the best of all....ran through the fountains. Ava was a bit hesitant of the fountains at first, Rick had to 'help' her along. Once she decided she liked it, there was no stopping her...of course, the battery on my camera fizzled out at the same time!

Sunday evening we had a little backyard barbecue with friends...always a good time:)

Our Memorial Day was spent being very lazy. The yucky, rainy weather helped set the mood. We did lots of playing and Rick spent time teaching Ava all about her new computer. We did a little baking...yummy strawberry cupcakes with strawberry frosting! You'll never hear me complain about having a laid back day, just the three of us!!

Favorite Quote Friday...

2009-05-22T22:12:00.000-05:00

Always kiss your children goodnight - even if they're already asleep. ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Happy Birthday Rick!

2009-05-20T15:07:00.003-05:00

Rick was able to make it home early on Thursday, which was his birthday, so we could celebrate! Ava and I greeted him at the door with an ice cold beer and lots of hugs. We enjoyed pizza and red velvet cake from 3 women and an oven...yummy! Of course, presents were opened and I believe he was quite excited to get his Play Station 3...such a big boy:) Happy 32nd Ricky!!

St. Louis Slideshow

2009-05-20T15:05:00.002-05:00

Pictures, As Promised!

2009-05-20T13:40:00.006-05:00

We've Gone Country....

2009-05-12T12:35:00.005-05:00

Wow, I have a lot of catching up to do! Sorry for the lack of posts, but we've been in the country for most of the past 9 days!! Our adventure started last Saturday as we made our way to Koeltztown for Leah and Sarah's birthday party. We all had a great time, especially Ava, she seemed super social that evening. I'm always excited to see the creative cakes that my sister in law makes. Each year the kids get to pick what kind of cake they want and she always does a great job! This year Leah's was a High School Musical cake and Sarah's was a Cinderella cake...they looked amazing:)

Sunday we got to spend the entire day at Grandma Belinda's. She is still recovering from knee surgery and the whole family was there. Ava always has a blast playing with her aunts, uncles and cousins...especially Jackson. He is so cute with her and she loves him to pieces.

Rick flew out of St Louis early Monday morning. He had to leave my parent's house at 2:30 am...that's early! Ava and I drove back to Grandma Belinda's again to spend some more time visiting. Ava enjoys exploring Grandma's new house, she has fun "Ava nooks" to play in:) Then we did some more exploring back at Nana and Papa's house. Ava loves cows and gets a thrill out of seeing them so up close.

Tuesday Ava, Nana and myself drove to JC to get mani/pedis, have lunch, shop and the two of them went to the park while I got my hair cut...a very fun filled day!

Wednesday morning Uncle Jason came to visit for a while and then after nap we went to visit Aunt Renee...more exploring for Ava, she loves to figure out new places. For some reason she especially liked the dryer??? That evening we met Aunt Jess and Aunt Renee for dinner at El Jimmador...yummy!

Thursday Ava and I drove to St Louis to meet Rick and make it to yet another Dr's appointment. Ava had her yearly check up with the neurosurgeon, following her spinal cord surgery. Dr Leonard was pleased with everything, which is exactly what I expected him to be...wahoo:) After the appointment we went to Union Station and had lunch by the water, then drove down to the Landing/Riverfront area and took a horse and carriage ride. Ava especially enjoyed the horse, Scooby. Later that night we did some swimming in the hotel pool. Ava is quite the fish, I can't wait for our pool to open!

Friday did not start off as such a beautiful day...lots of rain! Not good conditions for the Zoo or Grant's Farm, which is what we wanted to do. We had heard from a couple of people that the City Museum was fun and since it was indoors, we thought we'd check it out. It was SUPER crowded and suited better for older kids. They had an aquarium and an area called toddler town which we were excited to check out, but very disappointed in both. The aquarium was disgustingly filthy and stinky and toddler town consisted of a slide and some balls. That got old very quick...oh well, lesson learned. From there we headed back to the hotel so Ava could nap. I grabbed a book and went down to the Starbuck's, which was conveniently located in the lobby of our hotel (lucky me)! It was so relaxing. Luckily, about the time that Ava woke up, so did the sunshine! We quickly made our way to the zoo for a couple of hours. I was so excited to see Ava's reaction to all of the animals, and she did not disappoint! I enjoyed the giraffes, Ava's favorite was cat country and I think Rick's was the hippo tank. From there we grabbed some dinner and then were off to the Magic House...WOW! This place is amazing and we ALL had a blast, we will definitely go back for more! A trip to St Louis would not be complete without a visit to Ted Drewe's...yummy! Needless to say, we were all exhausted after this day!

Saturday we packed up and made the drive back to Koeltztown. We stopped by Grandma Belinda's for a bit to wish her a Happy Mother's Day, then off to Nana and Papa's to get ready for the Mother's Day BBQ that evening. This was lots of fun for all of us. Ava ate a mouthful of sand for the first time...lovely, right? After putting Ava to bed for the night, Rick and I enjoyed some drinks and social time out and about in Westphalia. It's always nice to see old friends:)

Sunday morning when Ava woke up, Rick was so nice to grab her and feed her breakfast so that I could sleep a while longer! I was later awakened by a sweet little girl shoving a card in my face. I opened it and it must be the cutest thing ever. It's a recording of Ava saying "Mama", then the song "You Are My Sunshine" plays. I loved it, and so did Ava. I think we've almost worn it out playing it so many times:) We packed up and made our way HOME! After stopping for a tasty lunch at Carabba's, and a Bloody Mary for myself, we were home at last. What a great Mother's Day! I love being a mom, I love being Ava's mom. I have known my entire life that I wanted to be a mommy. I always expected it would be amazingly life changing. I always expected I would fall head over heels in love with my baby. What I didn't expect and no one could ever fully explain, was how powerful that love would be. A mother's love is like no other. I feel so lucky and blessed to get to be the mom of such an amazing little girl. Thank you Ava and Rick for making my Mother's Day special:) I love you both!

Thanks for checking in on us and Happy Belated Mother's Day to ALL! I will post pics soon:)

Favorite Quote Friday...

2009-05-01T12:38:00.001-05:00

God never said life would be easy. He just promised it would be worth it!

So Far, So Good...

2009-05-01T07:44:00.002-05:00

After a LONG wait, we finally got some news. Apparently three different doctors read these MRIs, and only two of them have read it so far... but I'm relieved to say that nothing aneurysmal has been noted:) I will have an official conversation with Ava's cardiologist when the final doctor reads it, but this is by far the best news I've heard in a LONG time! Thank you all for you thoughts and prayers. I will let you know when the "official" result is in!

MRI Update

2009-04-28T12:55:00.004-05:00

Well, we are home and it seems like Ava tolerated everything pretty well. The procedure took longer than expected as well as her waking up from the anesthesia, in fact she is still a little groggy and unable to walk on her own yet. They had to intubate her in order for her chest to remain completely still when needed. Needless to say, she is a little bit hoarse from that. She is munching on saltine crackers and sipping on some water right now. She is one tough cookie, I continue to be amazed by her strength...she is like Superbaby:) Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers as they have helped us make it through the first step of this process, now we hope and pray for the good results! I will keep you posted.

MRI

2009-04-27T18:56:00.006-05:00

I have been dreading this post and have continued to put it off. Sometimes I probably don't deal with things the way that I should. I tend to internalize my fear and worries and figure if I don't mention it or talk about it, and nobody else knows how scared I am, then maybe it's not real. Well, as many times as we've gone through this kind of stuff with Ava, it is always very REAL! So I figured today my post is going to be a prayer request for Ava.

As many of you know, Ava was born with multiple congenital heart defects. Right Aortic Arch, Vascular Ring and a VSD. She had her Vascular Ring repair done in July 2007, her VSD spontaneously closed on it's own and as far as her Aorta, that's just her anatomy and should "typically" never cause any problems, however, Ava loves to challenge textbook medicine! Because her aorta is somewhat tortuous, she continues to get routine echocardiograms to make sure that it is growing with her and appropriately. On her latest one, there was some question as to whether there is some dilation of her descending aorta and if so, is it aneurysmal. In order to know definitively, we will be heading to Children's Mercy tomorrow morning for a sedated MRI. We will be checking in at 7am, which is wonderful because she doesn't usually eat breakfast until around that time anyway so we won't have to "starve" her for too long. Her MRI is scheduled for 8am and including anesthesia and recovery, everything should last about 2 hours or so. Ava is a very strong little girl and her resilience continues to amaze me, I am confident that she is going to do great tomorrow. I am holding on to the chance and praying that they will find NOTHING unusual and that all of this is being done as a precaution!!! I am asking that everyone does the same...please pray for a safe and uneventful MRI for Ava and a HEART HEALTHY report to follow!!!

Thank you and we will keep you posted:)

Team Ava & March for Babies

2009-04-26T22:59:00.003-05:00

What a GREAT day! Today was Jefferson City's March for Babies and Team Ava won TOP family team fundraisers for the second year in a row:) I can't tell you how exciting this is! This means so much to us and we couldn't pull it off without our GREAT friends and family. We appreciate and thank everyone that was able to share this day with us and also to all of the contributors and donors that were unable to be there, but helped in a big way.
It is such an amazing event filled with lots of emotion, and you can sense it in the air. So many people participating and each one touched by prematurity, birth defects and/or infant mortality in one way or another. It is truly amazing and I can't thank everyone enough...We love you all for supporting Team Ava and the March of Dimes! Can't wait 'til next year:)

Enjoy!

2009-04-26T22:56:00.003-05:00

Catch Up...

2009-04-26T21:20:00.004-05:00

I will make this post short and sweet with lots of pictures, of course:) We've been crazy this past week. Lots of appointments... dentist, doctor, electrician and playing outside with friends kept us busy all week! On Friday morning Rick and Ava got to spend some quality playtime at Monkey Bizness and Zonkers. Judging by the pictures, they had a great time!

Favorite Quote Friday...

2009-04-24T22:26:00.001-05:00

Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.
-- Mark Twain

The Calm Before The Storm...

2009-04-20T21:53:00.005-05:00

This weekend was the last "calm" weekend for us for about the next 6 weekends...EEEK! While it was calm in the sense that we did things in our own time frame, it was still jam packed with excitement!

We spent Friday running errands all over town including Rick's favorite hot spots, Costco and Sam's Club:) Friday night Rick stayed home and got some quality "Ava" time in while I attended a fundraiser to benefit a family where the wife is about to donate a kidney to her very ill husband. I went with my friend, Joanne, and afterwards a group of us wrapped up the night at a local bar for some more cocktails. It was a FUN time!

Needless to say, Saturday got off to a little bit of a slow start given the late Friday night we had. After the rain cleared we went for a walk around our neighborhood, played on the playground and met more new neighbors:) Saturday evening we cooked a yummy dinner, then went out for Sheridan's and rented Marley and Me for Rick and I to watch after Ava went to bed....such a cute movie, I cried like a baby!!!

Sunday we did a little more furniture shopping (I will be glad when this is over)! We bought an entry table/cabinet...it looks great! We had to ride home with our liftgate tied down because that's the only way we could transport it...I was sure that darn thing was going to fly open, but it didn't.

Today Ava and I just played and did some chores around the house, including laundry. I was emptying the dryer and left it open as I stepped around the corner to hang some clothes up only to return to find my mischievous daughter had climbed inside of it....I am telling you, that girl! If you've seen our house you would know that I did not walk more than 10 feet away from her. She is quick and sneaky! Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera handy (only my phone camera) and didn't feel it was safe to leave her in the dryer to go get it...little stinker!

We have a busy week, so stay tuned:)

Friday Quote from Daddy...

2009-04-17T22:18:00.000-05:00

A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty. ~Author Unknown

Easter Fun and MORE!

2009-04-15T21:12:00.003-05:00

What a fun holiday weekend! It started off on Friday evening when we went to Ava's friend, Parker's house to dye eggs...very interesting to watch two 22 month olds dying eggs. Not only did the eggs turn out fabulous, but Katie and Eric now have a lovely blue kitchen chair:)

Saturday evening we enjoyed a super fun easter egg hunt at Nana & Papa's house. Ava did so great, she carried her little bucket around and had no problem finding the eggs. We enjoyed yummy barbeque and lots of other goodies too.

Easter morning we managed to get ready and make it to church for 8am mass....on time....whoa!! Ava looked so cute in her little easter dress and fancy shoes, I love it! After church we visited my Grandma Groene for a bit before heading to my Grandma & Grandpa Otto's house where we had a yummy breakfast and visited with lots of family. I won't lie, the cinnamon rolls were the best part:) From there, we made our way to Rick's Grandma Annie's for more festivities and brunch...yes, more food! The cinnamon rolls were fantastic there too:) We eventually made our way back home where we were delighted to find that the Easter Bunny had visited while we were out of town. He left Ava a basket filled with lots of fun things and candy too!

Monday was a dreary, yucky day spent inside playing, painting and coloring. We did enjoy a visit from Becky, Ava's Parents as Teachers Educator...that was fun and a good way to break up our gloomy day.

Tuesday I had an appointment in the afternoon so Ava got to spend some quality time with Stefanie and Brooke...she always has so much fun hanging out with them:)

Today we had a fun filled day of Gymboree, the park and a little bit of work on the landscaping. I was trimming some shrubs and Ava decided she would help...by moving the mulch to the sidewalk and eating some...I remained very calm and let her enjoy it, I even got a few pictures:) See, I'm desensitizing...just at my own pace!

Thanks for checking in on us:)

My VERY Favorite Quote Friday...

2009-04-10T08:53:00.002-05:00

Attitude is everything. Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, because life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...it's about learning to dance in the rain.

Ava called in SICK!!!

2009-04-09T22:14:00.003-05:00

Well, yesterday I experienced my very first time having a kid with the stomach flu...NOT GOOD, and oh so messy! We pretty much spent the first half of the day snuggling, vomiting and sleeping...Phase 1. The second half of the day was the I don't want to lay down, I don't want to stand up, I don't want to sit, I don't want to be held, I don't want to walk, I don't want to read or play...I don't even want to watch Dora...Phase 2. It just broke my heart and made me want to pull my hair out all at the same time. I knew exactly how she was feeling, unfortunately, I must have passed it on to her...I had the same thing on Sunday. I thank my one lucky star that it was only a 24 hour bug...and it is gone:) She woke up in much better spirits and we had a good morning of playtime!

This afternoon Ava had an appointment for a quick physical in preparation for an upcoming MRI (we'll touch on that later). During her exam we learned that she has an ear infection...Ugh! Poor baby! We have started the antibiotics and hope to be 100% in no time!! We also learned that Sassy has had a growth spurt...WAHOO! She weighs 23 pounds and is 32 inches tall. This puts her in the 20th percentile for both categories:) Her height has never hit the 10th before! She is such a big girl!

Tonight I took myself to the movies! Rick made it home just in time for me to "hand off" Ava and make it to the 7:30 show. I relaxed, laughed and ate an entire box of milk duds...which was wonderful!!!

Take a Deep Breath...

2009-04-07T22:10:00.007-05:00

So many things to do...so little time to do them in! This is not a bad thing and I love the fact that there are so many fun activities for Ava to participate in. We have had quite an eventful time since I last posted.

Wednesday, we were getting ready to go to Gymboree class when Sassy jumped right off of our bed and landed on her head. Due to the nature of the goose egg and her having a bloody nose along with it, I called her pediatrician's office (yes, I'm a first time mom) and they wanted to see her. She checked out just fine and they sent us on our way with a list of things to watch for. She wouldn't eat, and took a very restless nap. Later that afternoon, we joined some friends at Deanna Rose Farmstead. All seemed well until Ava vomitted. Because this was on the list of things to watch for, I phoned her doctor immediately and they sent us to Children's Mercy Urgent Care...where she checked out fine again. I mean, of course she did...seriously!

Thursday, she was still not acting herself, but we enjoyed spending the afternoon with Jo, Kim, Ben & Kate...then Rick came home, which always makes Ava happy:)

Friday, we had a super fun morning with our friends at Monkey Bizness then lunch to top it off. Our rug for the great room finally got delivered that evening, and the verdict is in...I really like it. It's super casual and the room seems so much cozier now...Yeah!

Saturday, Rick took Ava to Story Time at Borders in the morning. I'm so glad they get the chance to do little things together. Later that afternoon, we got to help celebrate cousin Jackson's 9th birthday with a party at his house. We had yummy burritos and cake and Ava enjoyed all of the extra attention from aunts, uncles, cousins and of course, Grandma:)

This morning, we attempted Story Time, but had to excuse ourselves before it was over because Ava was having a "meltdown". This afternoon, we attempted joining friends at the mall to play for a bit then have dinner, but had to excuse ourselves yet again because Ava was having a "meltdown"....my sweet, angelic, well-behaved baby has turned into a 2 YEAR OLD!!!!! I am finding myself taking lots of deep breaths these days...wish me luck!

Favorite Quote Friday...

2009-04-03T21:51:00.001-05:00

While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about.
~Angela Schwindt

Play & Art & Snow...Oh My!

2009-03-30T20:58:00.004-05:00

Fun, fun, fun...the life of a one year old! Ava went to Gymboree 5 times last week...we had some make up classes to do, so why not? I was beginning to think the Gymbo stamps on her hands were going to be permanent. She loves it and it gives her a change of scenery with new obstacles to explore and friends to play with.

Last week Ava and I stopped by our old house to pick up some mail...I was a bit anxious about this. The new homeowners are so sweet, they invited us in and we sat and visited for a bit. We felt right at home and it was comforting to know that they LOVE it there. It was so nice to go back and we intend to keep in touch so hopefully we'll be seeing them again sometime.

Saturday morning we took a "field trip" to Crown Center for Family Art and The Wizard of Oz exhibit. We all had a great time and made it home just in time for the big storm to hit. We ended up hosting an impromptu gathering that same evening for the MU basketball game.

Sunday we took Ava to her friend Parker's house for some very fun playtime in the snow...this was actually Ava's first time and I think she was a little unsure, but it made for some great pictures:)

Today we joined Ava's friends Aubrey and Amelia and their mommies at Parkside Cafe for some more playtime...just can't get enough of it. Busy, busy, busy!

Thanks for checking in on us:)

Favorite Quote Friday...

2009-03-27T10:17:00.002-05:00

What took me by surprise is the way I feel when her face lights up when I walk into a room because I am her world and she is mine. Being a mother is like taking your heart out of your chest and watching it walk around.
-- Author Unknown

One Little Monkey...

2009-03-24T20:29:00.004-05:00

This kid is turning into a monkey...and I've got pictures to prove it. This morning she climbed on a shelf, but couldn't figure out how to get back down. This afternoon she climbed up the kitchen chair and proceeded to climb on top of the table...oh my, this should get interesting!

We had a good day today. We had lunch with Stefanie and her baby, Brooke. They came over for a bit to play and to check out the new chair:) This evening we went to Gymboree...this is always fun and usually wipes Ava out. We are snuggled in for a restful night!

Thanks for checking in on us:)

Whew..What a Weekend!

2009-03-23T21:20:00.004-05:00

Friday started off as any Friday does...Ava and I were excited to have Rick home! I was getting ready to spend the day shopping for fun new house stuff when I got a phone call from my aunt in Lincoln. My goddaughter, Angela, was going to be having an emergency appendectomy at noon. Having seen Ava go through more than her share of surgeries and knowing how upset everyone was, I decided to take a road trip to Nebraska. I made it there just as they were finishing in surgery and was able to spend several hours visiting before heading back home. She is recovering great at home now. Ava got to spend the entire day with Rick watching basketball and playing at Uncle Curt & Aunt Lindley's house...I know she had a blast! With only a 30 minute nap, Rick said she was wiped out at 8:30 for the ride home.

Saturday I had a girlie day planned to do some boutique shopping with friends. I considered backing out since I was gone the entire day before, but I'm glad I didn't...I had so much fun:) Ava got to have another daddy/daughter day full of wagon rides, garage organization and apparently she helped grill some hamburgers and hot dogs. She was in charge of the salt and pepper...I'm sure she will be wanting her very own Green Egg soon:)

Sunday was another gorgeous day here and we took full advantage of it. We spent the afternoon at the park. Ava had so much fun exploring, climbing, running and trying to figure out the wood chips. Needless to say, this led to a long nap...for all of us:)

Here we are...Monday! I watched my friend's 4 month old for a couple of hours this morning. It is always fun to see her and Ava interact with each other. We got to meet our new Parents as Teachers educator, since we have moved to a different school district. This was fun and informative and seems like she will be a "good fit". After nap we finally went to pick up our new chair...yeah! I unloaded the 52 pound awkward piece of furniture all by myself...sometimes I guess I don't know my own strength:)

Favorite Quote Friday...

2009-03-20T22:33:00.002-05:00

Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. ~Robert Brault

For A Lollipop?

2009-03-19T20:43:00.004-05:00

Ava has had an ear infection since Monday night. She has been on antibiotics since Tuesday, and aside from the occasional not so happy mood and sleeplessness... she is doing much better.

Today was just another day. We played and cleaned. The warranty guys came to check out what damage might have been done following the lovely leak in the wall of our brand new house...UGH! Luckily, all seems to be fine and they seem to think there should be no problems in the future. Of course, I will hold them to that!

This afternoon Ava and I did a little rug shopping. My child is NOT much on shopping and I haven't quite figured out how to remedy that problem yet. We were home in time to get a little outside play time in before dinner, including a wagon ride. This was when it happened...Ava's first official throw yourself on the floor kicking and screaming tantrum! WOW...and all over wanting a lollipop before dinner. Terrible Twos...here we are!

Ready..Set..Blog!

2009-03-18T15:52:00.002-05:00

Welcome to The Hassler Family Blog! I have created this as a way for family and friends to keep updated on what is going on in our lives....and maybe make some new friends along the way. I hope you enjoy!