More 1st Birthday Fun and Celebrations!

On to celebration #2!

We celebrated Ava's 1st birthday all weekend! After the festivities in Nags Head with Ben's family, we headed back to Tennessee to celebrate with my family. We had a great time on Sunday, gathering as family, to celebrate Miss Ava's arrival into the world and into our family!



We also remembered my sweet grandmother, Ruthie, as we celebrated Ava's shared birthday with hers - August 21st. She'd be celebrating with us and saying "Bless her heart." I can just hear her. :)



Most of you remember the bakery, Sweet Celebrations, where I was working as we were waiting for Maia. I had stopped teaching sixth grade to prepare for her arrival which was always looming as "maybe soon." This sweet place is where I found out about sweet Ava. I don't know if I mentioned this last year, but the owners of that bakery sold it soon after I found out about Ava, which means that I never would have met Patty Boss, the owner's sister, who introduced us to the birthparents and family. There is no doubt in our minds that the Lord had prepared that meeting in advance for both of us. He's right on time! One of my favorite verses in the Bible is that even if we keep silent, the rocks will cry out with praise to the Lord.



I have found myself in the grocery store, dentist office, a bookstore or countless other places, telling the story of Ava. It's in my heart continually, and I will never stop praising the Lord for His gift of her in our lives. It is my heart's desire that others will see Him in this story and that the glory will be reflected to Him and not us. The title of my blog, "With Open Arms" is the title because of the sweet place I came to after the suffering. "Lord, whatever you have for me is ok with me. I have open arms." I often read through those years that God will give you the desires of your heart, and I will say wholeheartedly that when you pray for the Lord to transform your desires into His desires, He comes through on that promise. He transformed my heart, and I know only He could have done that. Thank you, Jesus.

Before we left for the beach, I planned to serve Cuban food from a great new cuban restaurant in town called Aroma Cafe and cake and homemade ice cream.
I contacted the former bakers of Sweet Celebrations, Kate and Dena, to make Ava's cake. They did a beautiful job. Our theme was nature with butterflies and flowers.

Here are some celebration pictures to share from our party on Sunday the 23rd. I'm excited to put together a 1st year slideshow of pictures of Ava soon. She's changing so fast! She took her first steps this past Saturday!

Pre-birthday fun! Mimi brought over a musical lion that Ava could push as she walked before we left for the beach. She loves it and is always on the go!



Everything is ready. I think. Let the festivities begin!



Ava's cakes made by the former bakers of Sweet Celebrations. They're almost too pretty to eat!



Mimi and the birthday girl



Ava and her buddy, Sera Arendale, riding the musical animals together



This a picture of my entire family plus the Arendale family, our friends, who are really like family!



This is how we really act most of the time. :)



Tada! Here's my cake!



Yummy...



I'm making a big mess! In Nags Head, she was very clean and dainty. Maybe she was just warming up that day, or maybe it was the chocolate cake under the cupcake that she liked so much today!



This is SO yummy!



At some point, I think someone gave her a bowl of homemade ice cream? Ok. Who's the culprit?



I'm over this cake business! Someone clean me up!



Karen, this is Ava on the beach ball that is half-way blown up! I've got some pictures that I'll load in a few days of it fully inflated. She loves it! Thank you so much!