no ava.

great weekend at windy gap. thankful for justin and his heart. it was a relaxing weekend where we felt so loved and cared for. an amazing couple basically watched ava all weekend so i could enjoy time with friends and hear all of justin's club talks. such a gift. thankful for julia and hannah and for how our stories have come together. the ryder family loves you guys.

 

wowza...i am getting big

after a gorgeous weekend in north carolina we headed to northern ky (justin's hometown). spent some good quality time with family. his sweet grandmother is just a few radiation treatments away from being done. praying the cancer is gone, gone, gone. we were able to sleep in, attend our first UK basketball game, and lots of time with family.

 surprise. jen and ben were there too. the best.

our trip away ended in louisville with justin's sister and her family. always one of our favorite families to spend time with...so much so little ava stayed there and we headed home. yup, ava chose her cousins and uncle and aunt over her mom and dad. i think i am more okay about it than justin. we explained it to her a few times..."ok, ava if you want to stay here in kentucky with your cousins then mommy and daddy are going to go back to virginia and aunt allison will take you back to virginia in a few days. so do you want to leave or stay here?" "stay here," she yelled. no matter how we phrased it to her she was adamant about staying. I CAN NOT BELIEVE IT!!! she is there and we are here. i know she is having the best time and is being well taken care of and loved...duh. she is with family so that is obvious but it feels real quiet in the ryder household. as we drove home yesterday we decided we were going to embrace it. go on some dates. really connect. i have a to-do list that is growing by the hour. i hope this does not make me a bad mom. wait, i know this does not make me a bad mom but i am thankful and we are really going to enjoy this break. today i slept in, worked, registered for baby girl at target, tj maxx run where i found the best new blanket for baby girl, lunch with ashley (so thankful for her life and honesty), lowes (humidifier filters because our bedroom is drying us out), a few more errands, dinner with justin, laundry, and now i am sitting on my bed ready to write thank you notes and make a few scarves and look through magazines. here is a pic. not posed. i hate posed. this is how it is laying next to me right now. the plan is to rest a little, hang with friends, decorate for christmas, and get this house ready. like every inch organized, cleaned, and ready to go. i hope that whole momma nesting thing happens. we will see how far i get once little ava is back home on friday night.

 

here's to good week. a different week for us, but a good week.

baby tummy pic coming soon...along with christmas decor. can't wait.