The Newest Zirk!!

We found out in mid-October that we were expecting our second child! Though very excited, I still have the moments of "what are we doing?!!" I was just getting the hang of having one, and now we'll have all new kinds of things to encounter with two. Ava has been such a good girl and fairly easy to raise up to this point. It just brings to mind something my mother told me on many occasions--"I hope you have a daughter JUST LIKE YOU so you can see what I'm going through right now!" Granted, this was said in my tumultuous adolescent years, but the frightening thing is that this new kid could be just what she was talking about! Yikes!

God has been good to us so far and provided the wisdom and patience we've needed when we've needed it. We know he will continue to do so. He is good. Thank God! (literally!)

The baby's due date is June 30.





Here's the first picture of the newest Zirk--

Ava and Gracie go to the apple orchard

Since the fall days (and nice weather) seem to be fleeting, my brother and I decided a trip to the apple orchard was in order. We didn't actually pick any apples, but we did pet some animals, play in the pumpkin patch, and of course ate fresh donuts and cider. I took Ava and we spent the day with my brother Greg and his daughter Gracie. This orchard is somewhere near where he lives in Jackson, Michigan.

Family Picture, Autumn 2007

Well, we do it every year, so we did it again. What was tricky is that we usually like to involve the beautiful colors of fall. This year, the color change has come quite late, and is only somewhat impressive compared to most Michigan autumns. We did have a nice red 'burning bush' shrub in our front yard, so we decided to use it this year. Anyway, we were happy with the turnout.

Our fall has gone by quickly so far; Christopher keeps quite busy with work, and myself with Ava and my job. Christopher is teaching 10th and 12th grade math at Salem High School in the Plymouth-Canton School District. I am considering some changes regarding my job at St. Mary Mercy Hospital in Livonia--I really sense a change coming, but I am not sure in what form it will be. That being said, please keep our family in your prayers. Changes related to work have been a great source of stress for me in the past. Please pray for wisdom and clarity in any decision making regarding this.

And as always, Go Blue!

Summer's Over.....

Well Summer is officially over for us, as the beginning of a new school year has started. We had a great time this summer--working on house projects, hanging out together, grilling, and some travelling as well. We packed our August so full there wasn't a day to spare, but had a lot of fun doing so.

We went to a Tiger' s game with friends,

travelled to the west side of the state for a cousin's wedding,

visited friends in St. Joseph (on Lake Michigan),

All good times. We had a great summer-- We hope you did too!

Ava's First Time Camping!

We took Ava camping for the first time, and it was also the first time we have gone since she was born. What a great time! We had to buy a car-top carrier to bring all the extra stuff just for Ava to sleep and play, etc. We stayed in a log cabin, and my parents had the cabin right next to us. It was so great to have them there--especially because the cabins each have one room only. While one cabin was cleaning up after a meal, the other would watch Ava. We grilled out hotdogs, went to our favorite places such as Wilson's Cheese Shop and A & W Rootbeer (an old fashioned type), and the highlight had to be the trip to Oscoda and our swim at the beach in Lake Huron. I actually swam out quite a ways, and I cannot remember the last time I actually swam in any of our Great Lakes, due to always being cold! Ava had a blast with the water, and the sand, and with Heidi's dog Schemy making it all the more entertaining! It was a beautiful sunny day, not a cloud in the sky--perfect for the beach. Our weather all week was really great. It was so good to get away! We were gone for 4 days, 3 nights, and survived it with no problem. Ava even got her own 'official' camping chair for her to sit in. It's hilarious!

May 18, 2007---Ava's 1st birthday!

Who's going to come for my birthday party?

Both sets of grandparents came to celebrate!

I made Ava's first birthday cake--strawberry swirl cake.
A cake after my own heart!
Mom, Dad and Ava with birthday cake
Not sure about this cake stuff....the ice cream seems okay....
...yeah, this cake stuff is okay, too!



We can't believe how fast this first year of her life has gone by! Ava had a great first birthday--lots of family came to celebrate. She has 5 teeth at this time, can walk without holding onto anything (wobbly at times), and says "hi" with a wave. She is such a delight! We couldn't love her more.

Ava goes to the Library

Ava, much like her parents, is a big fan of the library. We went and got our new library cards the other day, and it has opened up a whole new world of fun and entertainment for us. Now that she has her library card, I can enroll her for activities that the library may have for kids her age. I am really excited to see that our library has such a big children's section, including CDs and DVDs, and also has lots of summer activities. She has already made some casual friends, as she says 'hi' to all the children that may pass by. The librarians are quite amused as well!

Family Picture, April 2007

Here are the family pictures we got taken in April 2007. Ava is 11 months old in these pictures.

Mommy's Little Helper

Ava is quite a social butterfly, and her favorite way to meet people is by going shopping with mom. She loves to sit in the grocery cart and say 'hi' to everyone around her. She waves too, which really catches people off guard. Here are some pictures of Ava helping me out with the grocery shopping.

Our First Easter

Here are some pictures of Ava in her Easter dress. She wasn't very fond of this hat during picture time, but seems to like hats in general now (especially when we aren't trying to take her picture!) Our Easter was nice--we had about 16 friends and family at our home this year. It wasn't as bad as it sounds. Everyone brought a dish, which made things pretty easy on me. It was nice to have as much family together as we have in Michigan. That was for lunch, and for dinner, we went to Christopher's family in Saline to have Easter dinner. We didn't have to do anything but show up to that, which was also nice. It was a wonderful Easter Sunday for us.

First Swim

We took Ava for her first swim this past week--and the verdict? She loved it!

(thank goodness for heated indoor pools!)

She also made a best friend while we visited Gram and Grandpa Goedge at their hotel room.

Mommy and Daddy's little helper

Ava is quite the helper lately. She has recently discovered the dishwasher, and thinks it is pretty neat. Since she can scoot around pretty quickly, she spends a lot of time checking out the kitchen, because that is where we spend a fair chunk of time. Good incentive for me to keep the floors clean!

Here are her 8 month pictures (although she has just turned 9 months!)

She has two teeth now, on the bottom, but you can't seem them in these pictures.