Carter-Meo Family

I'm Four!

2010-10-24T21:39:00.003-04:00

Ava is so happy, and proud to be four. A big girl. She can do it all- get dressed, brush her teeth, let the cat out, ride a bike, read a book. So very grown up all of a sudden, and yet she still ends up in our bed almost every night. :)

Summer 2010

2010-09-15T22:05:00.003-04:00

Easter Day 2010

2010-04-07T21:40:00.004-04:00

Ava Francine- January 2010

2010-01-25T09:23:00.003-05:00

Loves Nemo, school, getting outside as much as possible (when it's not freezing out), playing with her friends, Candyland, seeing her cousins, cooking with Mommy, adventures with Mum Mum, making art and dressing up, plus countless other three-year old activities. She is full of life, joy, and always on the go. We try and keep up!

One.... two..... Three! Happy Birthday, Ava!

2009-10-15T13:11:00.001-04:00

September

2009-09-20T14:03:00.003-04:00

Ava started preschool. She loves it, of course. The preschool is dedicated to art, music and dance. More drama for Ava- whooo hooo!

A terrific bonus - Ava's best buddy Lucy attends and well. They have a great time together all day long.

Hard to believe that our baby is in school already!

Summer 2009, Flying by, Almost Over

2009-08-16T08:44:00.009-04:00

Lots and lots of fun swimming and boating at the Canoe Club

Week at the Cape- Fabulous!

Ava - July

2009-07-10T14:47:00.002-04:00

Ava loves pink, and usually in the form of dresses and frills. This is a rare "tomboy" shot where we managed to get her in pants. Whoo hooo! We are doing typical summertime things (when the weather permits)- lots of pool time, bbqs and enjoying the outdoors. Tomorrow we leave for our beloved week at the Cape.

Ava Francine- 2 1/2

2009-05-17T22:09:00.006-04:00

Enjoying Spring

Mud bath with friends.

Afternoon nap with Nemo

Spring has found Us

2009-03-30T11:14:00.003-04:00

The warm weather has finally arrived! Most days, anyway. Ava got to spend a little time with her friend (another Ava) in the backyard and play with her sand table and swing set. We also went to a sugar shack for pancakes with Amy and Jeanne and Joanie this weekend and spent some time in the park. We all love being outside again!!

Dancing Queen

2009-02-10T21:53:00.002-05:00

Ava tells us, "Put the music on. My have to dance!" So we do. And she does, all day long.

This kid deserves a bright future. Thank you, President Obama!

2009-01-20T10:46:00.002-05:00

Ava - 2 years, 3 months

2009-01-16T20:45:00.005-05:00

Dolls,
stuffed animals,
crayons,
markers,
books,
stories,
movies,
singing,
dancing,
and, above all,
lots of DRAMA!

Best Christmas Gift Ever

2008-12-31T13:55:00.002-05:00

Aunt Jenny gave Ava this fancy ballet costume for Christmas, and Ava spent the next few days twirling and dancing and generally feeling fabulous!

The wonder of the season

2008-12-16T23:24:00.004-05:00

Christmas, this year, is two-year old Ava thinking that by saying "Turn on, pretty lights!" , the Christmas tree lights up! She loves the houses on our street all a-glow and the new songs (I sang "Rudolph" about 50 times yesterday while giving her a bath)and the treats and the plans to make cookies this weekend. The commercial part of Christmas has not hit her yet, and we hope it never does, but we know that it's almost inevitable. We are focusing on the season, explaining that it's a time to see friends and family and count our blessings.

Ava and cousin Sylvia on Thanksgiving Day

2008-12-05T17:03:00.001-05:00

100% Toddler!

2008-11-17T22:14:00.003-05:00

Halloween

2008-11-02T07:03:00.004-05:00

We took Ava to a Halloween party the night before Halloween. Ava was a lion and her friend Lucy showed up in the same costume. So the two little lions had a wonderful time, running around, eating candy, more running around.... On Halloween a bunch of little munchkin friends came over for a night of eating and trick or treating. On that night Ava chose to be "Toddler who refuses to wear costume." And that's the way it goes sometimes with toddlers. They are tricky, moody little beings. She still had a wonderful time and people still gave her candy!

Ava's Birthday Party

2008-10-20T10:54:00.011-04:00

Lucy enjoys some birthday cake

Birthday parties rock!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Ava!

2008-10-15T11:47:00.003-04:00

That's our girl, a few weeks shy of her 2nd birthday.

2008-10-02T22:09:00.008-04:00

Hanging out with "My Lisa"

2008-09-23T22:38:00.003-04:00

Aunt Lisa and Uncle Philip visit from Orlando. Just before they arrive, Ava plants herself on the sidewalk in front of the house. Ava, what are you doing? I'm waiting for My Lisa. And so it goes all weekend- Mama, where My Lisa? There's My Lisa! It is hysterically funny- Aunt Lisa is "My Lisa" and Uncle Philip is "Uncle Philblow".

I love toddler talk.

Little munchkins at a dinner party

2008-09-15T14:13:00.002-04:00

Leon, Lucy, Ella, Ava, and Ava enjoy some baked ziti, cucumbers, and Thai noodles at our house last Saturday night. They ate, they played, they fought over toys, and they stayed up waaay too late for their own good. But they had fun! And the adults had a good time as well.

Here we go- The PRINCESS stage

2008-09-09T21:50:00.003-04:00

I was cleaning out a dresser today in one of the guest rooms and pulled out this little costume/princess dress/ballet-type thingie that someone gave to us a while back. Ava lit up when she saw it and within seconds was out of her pj's and into her "Pincess-dress". She danced and twirled around the house for the rest of the morning. I managed to get it off of her for a trip into town and a nap, but it went right back on afterwards - and that is how Zan found her when she came home from work, waiting for her Mum Mum, on the steps, in her "Pincess-Dress".

How did this happen??

Almost two

2008-09-04T13:34:00.004-04:00

She's almost two and she's got a lot to say, and do. Constantly moving- chasing, climbing, running, scaling fences, couches and walls - and chattering about it the entire time. This a rare moment of Ava being still, with nothing to say. Very rare, indeed.

Eating

2008-08-08T09:56:00.005-04:00

Ava does a salsa tasting at a recent bbq

Ava has always been an adventerous eater, willing to try anything and usually liking it. I think she takes after her Aunt Jenny, a pickle and vinegar lover since her toddler days (and still is today). Ava loves things like pickled ginger, mango salsa, vinegar-based salad dressings, garlic... Don't get me wrong, she loves her mac and cheese, pasta, chicken, and pretty much anything you can dip in to ranch dressing, like every other toddler. But we also give her whatever we're eating at home, and when we go to a restaurant we order an appetizer for her, rather than something from the children's menu. And that is how Ava has come to love chicken satay, yellow curry, grilled scallops, sliced tomatoes dressed with olive oil and vinegar just like my mom used to make, Thai coconut rice, salmon, asian spring rolls, rice and beans, asparagus and onions... the list goes on. Oddly enough, she's not a fan of cheese (unless it's in a quesadilla) or yogurt- but bring on the curry and spring rolls! I hope she's always like this- it's great fun to watch her eat with such enjoyment and gusto.

Vacation

2008-08-05T10:46:00.004-04:00

We spent a week at the Cape. The girls had a wonderful time playing in the sand, chasing crabs, swimming in the bay, watching the boats, eating ice cream almost every night after dinner.... What a life! It was a lovely time, and Wellfleet- as always- was good to all of us.

Ava and Joanie have a snack on the beach

Playing in the sand

In the backyard

Joanie ALWAYS had room for ice cream after dinner!

Ava enjoying the sprinkler park on a hot summer day

2008-07-23T22:35:00.004-04:00

Our CSA and the wonders of u-pick vegetables

2008-07-14T16:33:00.004-04:00

This year we joined a local CSA so that we could enjoy fresh farm fruits and vegetable. The farm is gorgeous, with wonderful mountain views and lovely fields of rye. While I knew we would love the wonderful produce, I didn't realize how much Ava would love the farm. We go every Friday and spend quite a few hours out there romping and picking things. She is has been eating the peas straight off the vine and strawberries too. Her favorite all-time activity, however, is dirt- digging in the dirt, rolling in the dirt, pouring dirt over her head, or better yet, encouraging her friend Leon to pour dirt over her head. Ava loves dirt!

These pictures are from last Saturday- we took Zan to pick strawberries. She doesn't usually get to go because of work so this was a real treat for Ava.

Ava and Amrit

2008-07-07T16:20:00.005-04:00

Cousin Amrit came to visit from Virginia (and Aunt Medge!) and Ava was in HEAVEN! She thinks her "Ama" is the best, and Amrit is very, very sweet with her. It was a short visit, but we managed to visit with Grandad and Grammy in Vermont, and also get some swimming in.

Hanging out in the back yard

2008-06-30T23:15:00.001-04:00

Ava - June

2008-06-24T07:56:00.003-04:00

Buddies

2008-06-10T14:25:00.004-04:00

Ava and Joanie- May 2008

Ava and Joanie- May 2008

Adoption Day

2008-06-04T14:23:00.006-04:00

In which Zan takes time out of her hectic schedule of feeding, bathing and clothing Ava, not to mention the countless other parental tasks that she does daily in addition to her full-time job, so that the state of Massachusetts can recognize her as Ava's true 2nd parent, other mother, whatever you want to call it.

Having said that, we are grateful that in our state 2nd parent adoptions are allowed (there are still places in which they are not) and that it is a relatively easy process.

Ava - 19 months

2008-05-24T22:24:00.002-04:00

Believe it or not, this was a relatively calm hair day for Ava. Her hair is as wild as she is.

Mother's Day

2008-05-11T21:37:00.002-04:00

We had a nice Mother's Day doing not much of anything.... took a walk in the beautiful sunshine to our favorite breakfast place, went to the playground and then back home for a nap (Ava) and housechores (us). Ava did her usual playing in the front yard, pushing her babies up and down the sidewalk in her stroller and saying hello to every car and person that comes by.

This, by far, is her new all-time favorite activity. First there is an announcement of what, or who is coming by, as in CAR! or DOGGIE!- and then the greeting- HELLO CAR! HELLO DOGGIE!- followed up by the goodbye, complete with a wave- BYE BYE CAR! - BYE BYE DOGGIE! , and further followed up by a conversation about it that will last a good 5 minutes after they've left- CAR BYE-BYE, DOGGIE BYE-BYE..................... PLANE!
and here we go again....

Flash-back Photo

2008-05-09T22:07:00.002-04:00

Ava and Joanie hanging out with some stuffed animals last summer. I can't believe how much they've both grown since then!

Some video of Ava with her cousins, Madison and Michael

2008-04-23T21:59:00.000-04:00

http://vimeo.com/932315

Suddenly, a little kid

2008-04-20T20:50:00.002-04:00

Ava is 1 1/2 now. I don't know how this happened, how yesterday we were holding a tiny, swaddled bundle of a baby and today we have a little girl, sitting on the front steps with her first skinned knee.

What's in Mommy's purse today?

2008-04-12T23:01:00.002-04:00

Ava, Easter Sunday

2008-03-25T14:51:00.002-04:00

2008-03-19T23:50:00.002-04:00

Whenever we're going to get Ava a little dressed up, we tell her it's time to put her "Fancys on", and whenever we're going to put on her little sweat pants and overshirts, we tell her it's time to "Put on cozies"... Needless to say, we are mostly all in our "Cozies" around here, but Aunt Jenny and Uncle Nick came to visit this weekend, and Aunt Jenny likes the "Fancys", so she got to dress Ava for a night on the town- and of course Ava loved it, and twirled and twirled in her little poncho like a movie star.

So here is Ava all dressed up in her "Fancys" last Saturday night.

It's really kind of fun having a girl.

Ava, before bed on Monday night

2008-03-04T22:59:00.003-05:00

Big-Girl Crush

2008-02-24T17:12:00.002-05:00

Isabella is 4 years old, has beautiful big blue eyes, and Ava is absolutely amazed by her.

Cooking in the Kitchen with Mommy

2008-02-08T21:26:00.001-05:00

Ava- 15 months

2008-02-05T20:17:00.001-05:00

15 months and full of mischief

2008-01-25T12:03:00.001-05:00

A few recent shots of Ava

2008-01-18T11:47:00.000-05:00

Christmas 2008

2008-01-08T14:36:00.000-05:00

We had a fabulous time with the family this Christmas.

Ava got to get all fancy in her Christmas dress.....

And then there was a little naked time! Nothing like being naked with one patent leather shoe on, pushing a truck around the living room!

Snow!

2008-01-01T22:08:00.000-05:00

New Year's Day brought another round of snow to our New England town. We took a nice walk around the neighborhood and said hello to all of the neighbors out using their snow blowers. This was Ava's first real experience being out in the snow- she didn't seem to mind at all.

Christmas pics to come, but for now here are some shots of our afternoon walk.

Ava's House All A Glow

2007-12-17T21:41:00.001-05:00

Some recent pics of Ava

2007-12-12T12:07:00.000-05:00

Eating some of Mommy's pasta

In the tub with Joanie

Decorating the Christmas tree

Hangin' in Brooklyn last weekend

Winter

2007-12-04T12:58:00.000-05:00

Winter has arrived in New England. Time to bundle up.....

And time for some fun indoor activities.

Ava tries out her ambulance driving skills at the Holyoke Children's Museum.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-26T15:35:00.000-05:00

We put Ava in her little Thanksgiving dress and her baby Uggs (thanks Aunt Jenny!) and drove off to Vermont for a Thanksgiving dinner with Grammy and Grandad Carter, Aunt Medge, Uncle Surja, and cousin Amrit. It was a nice day and nice to spend time with everyone. Medge and Surja and Amrit were with us here in MA for a few days before and after Thanksgiving- great family time and wonderful for Ava.

Out on the Town

2007-11-19T13:34:00.000-05:00

Our friends Judy and Amy came to visit from NYC. We went into town for some shopping and dinner out. Ava had a blast being wheeled around in her stroller, people watching and saying "Hello!" to anyone and everyone.

Ava and her buddy Judy

Hanging in the stroller

Ava on a Saturday afternoon

2007-11-17T21:17:00.000-05:00

Winter's Coming!

2007-11-03T07:57:00.001-04:00

Halloween Hangover

2007-11-01T15:38:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-29T12:26:00.000-04:00

Our little ladybug is having a fabulous Halloween week! Some highlights have been winning third prize in the Holyoke Canoe Club's costume contest on Friday night and eating 3 (yes, 3!) cupcakes at Sara and Dan's party yesterday. Mommy will take her to an afternoon potluck party on Halloween day and then we'll do a little trick or treating later on with Mumsie.

Sunday's party and Halloween Parade

Ava's birthday weekend

2007-10-23T22:34:00.001-04:00

Ava's 1st birthday was really special. Poppy and GiGi came from Baltimore, and Aunt Lisa and Uncle Philip came from Florida. They spent the whole weekend with Ava and she absolutely loved it. Jeanne and Amy and Joanie came from New Paltz and Grammy Jo and Granddad drove from Vermont for the big celebration. Red and Jean came as well, and the party was on! It was a lovely day and Ava is a lucky girl to have so many people in her life who love her.

Ava checking out her birthday cake.

Playing with GiGi

Serving up some play food to Aunt Lisa in the toy kitchen.

Happy Birthday, Ava!

2007-10-15T17:42:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe, but our little girl is one today. The year has flown. Mommy took Ava to the park today, then to the Cup and Top for coffee (for Mommy) and a little birthday cookie for Ava. Now that her Mum is home we're off for a little celebration dinner in town. Ava's birthday celebration will be on Saturday with some of our family coming in from out of town. So, wooo hooo, she gets to celebrate all week!

Ava and Mr. Dog

2007-10-14T16:04:00.000-04:00

Katie and Kath and Emma gave Mr. Dog to Ava when she was only a few months old. Within a short time Mr. Dog became Ava's "must have" for napping. He soon graduated to going pretty much everywhere with her - no matter what Ava is doing, Mr. Dog is always within reach. He is with her for every nap, every car ride and every stroller ride. She carries him everywhere and if her arms are full, well she just carries him in her mouth (clever girl!). She is grief-stricken when he goes into the wash and has an absolute party when he makes it from the dryer back into her arms again. God help us if we ever lose him. Whenever we go anywhere, we have to do a Mr. Dog check before our departure.

Hanging out under the high chair

2007-10-12T12:41:00.001-04:00

Brooklyn Rocks!

2007-10-05T16:02:00.001-04:00

Our weekend in Brooklyn was great! Ava had a fabulous time trying out all the playgrounds, eating in restaurants, playing in the park, and lots and lots of people and dog watching. Our girl loves the action!

Thanks for the t-shirt, Auntie Steph!

Ava- 11 months

2007-10-01T11:18:00.001-04:00

Provincetown in September

2007-09-20T14:34:00.000-04:00

Our friends generously gave us their cottage in Provincetown for the weekend, so we took Ava on her first Cape trip. We had a wonderful time. We walked around town and did lots of people watching. Ava met all kinds of dogs and lots of other little kids and babies. We took her out on the pier to see the boats and the seagulls. She loved the beach, as always, and took a good taste of the Cape Cod sand- of course!

Provincetown Harbour

Ava and Mumsie enjoyed some serious reading over breakfast in town....

and got some snuggling in.

There was tons of sand to play with.

Fun with Mommy on the beach

Ava in the Seagrass

Redhead

2007-09-17T16:51:00.000-04:00

Ava Sleeps

2007-09-14T14:38:00.000-04:00

More Summer pics

2007-09-10T13:14:00.000-04:00

Ava and Joanie playing on the bed

Pictures from our late summer trip to Fire Island, NY

2007-09-04T21:44:00.001-04:00

Ava - 10 months

2007-08-28T22:15:00.000-04:00

This is one of the few photos we have been able to capture of Ava being still. She is constantly on the move- crawling, reaching, grabbing, climbing! Climbing the steps is her all-time favorite, although has also made attempts to climb into the dishwasher and the fridge.

Ava and Mommy go swimming

2007-08-20T22:27:00.000-04:00

It's been a hot summer here in New England and Ava has enjoyed plenty of time in the water.

Mischief

2007-08-07T12:06:00.000-04:00

Eat a Cheerio, dump the Cheerios.... this game never gets old!

Ava and friends

2007-08-03T10:55:00.000-04:00

Ava had a terrific time last weekend. Amy and Jeanne and Joanie spent the weekend with us and the girls had lots of play time together. On Saturday we had a visit from Suzie and Chief and their two little ones, Charlie and Rhys. Joanie, Ava, and Charlie had some pool time in the backyard. Big fun!

Ava and her beloved Joanie

Pool time also includes a chewing on toys contest

Charlie wins!

Ava - 9 months

2007-07-26T22:17:00.001-04:00

Happy, happy, happy, joyful baby.

Going Up

2007-07-19T09:05:00.000-04:00

Ava enjoys an ice-pop on a hot summer day

2007-07-18T11:20:00.000-04:00

Ava - 8 months

2007-06-29T15:09:00.000-04:00

8 months already! Ava is doing all kinds of new stuff and amuses us all the time with her new discoveries. She is still a social butterfly and likes nothing better than to visit with people, especially when they are her size! The biggest milestone this month was learning to crawl. She has not only learned to crawl, she's figured out how to pull herself up on the coffee table and thinks it's hilarous! The moms are scrambling to childproof the house. We'll post pics of crawling soon- meanwhile, here are some recent shots.

Ava Swims

2007-06-26T21:36:00.001-04:00

We had a wonderful time in Florida. Ava loved spending time with her Aunt Lisa and Uncle Philip. And she loved, loved, loved the pool! We absolutely have a little fish on our hands!

Ava - 7 Months

2007-06-02T10:55:00.000-04:00

Ava is a whirlwind of activity at 7 months! She is sitting up all by herself now and loves to sit and play with her toys. She's got quite a collection at this point and her favorites are the ones that play music. She is also a book lover, in that she loves to eat them! Not so much on the reading yet. Along with books, her favorite things to eat are spinach, pears and bananas. We are getting ready to take a trip to Florida to visit with Aunt Lisa and Uncle Philip. Stay tuned for pics of Ava's first beach and pool experience!

Ava- The Foot Series

2007-05-22T13:31:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day! Love, Ava

2007-05-17T14:56:00.000-04:00

Ava flies

2007-05-08T22:07:00.000-04:00

Ava took her first flight to Baltimore/PA for cousin Michael's 1st Communion. It was a short flight and she did great both coming and going. We saw lots of family while there and got to spend some time outside in the warm spring air.

With Mumsie at Michael's soccer try-outs

With Aunt Jo in church

Eating some spinach out on the deck

Ava and Madison

Happy half birthday Ava!

2007-04-15T18:52:00.000-04:00

Ava Francine Carter-Meo is 6 months old today.

Happy Easter! Love, Ava

2007-04-05T20:39:00.000-04:00

Ava, 5 months

2007-03-29T14:49:00.000-04:00

Ava has learned all kinds of things this month. Hanging upside is one of her favorite things to do. She's also figured out how to roll over and is on her way to sitting up all by herself. She's also added a few new "tricks" to her attention grabbing techniques- in addition to the fake cough, she's learned to shriek at the top of her lungs, which she thinks is hilarious- we're not nearly as fond of it. She also has mastered a sort of wheez so that perhaps she might be having an asthma attack- nahhh.. but it sure did bring both mommies over at once! She is a real character, that's for sure.

We are still trying the solids, a little rice cereal, some peas and some avocado. So far avocado wins. Lots of babbling these days and an outright belly laugh that is really sweet.

We also did some traveling to VT to visit grandparents and then had grandparents and aunts visiting us. We'll put those pictures up soon.

Ava and her cereal

2007-03-15T14:27:00.001-04:00

Ava had her first solid food a few nights ago - quite a big step for such a little girl! It was rice cereal and she was slightly alarmed at first but as of this writing she's getting the hang of it!

AVA- 4 months

2007-02-24T11:21:00.000-05:00

Ava continues to be a smiley, happy baby. She's discovered her voice and talks to herself, and her toys, constantly. She's laughing now and has an adorable, infectious giggle. Her latest discovery is her feet, amazing little toys to grab onto and play with! The big toy this month is her excer-saucer. Her feet barely touch bottom, but she absolutely loves it!!

With Daisy Duck from Steph V.

A Visit from Amy and Judy

2007-02-19T08:51:00.000-05:00

Ava had a great time when Judy and Amy, aka Jusy-bits came from New York to visit. Lots of snuggles and lots of laughs! Also, some serious dancing and serenading, but you'll have to wait for the video to witness that part!

Ava's 1st Valentine's Day

2007-02-08T18:42:00.000-05:00

Ava - 3 1/2 Months

2007-02-01T18:11:00.000-05:00

Ava Plays

2007-01-26T18:20:00.000-05:00

With the doll Aunt Medge brought her from Virginia

With Joanie in the play station

Ava is 3 months !

2007-01-13T10:02:00.000-05:00

We had a fabulous Christmas with the family- will post some pics of that soon. Meanwhile, Ava is 3 months old and we couldn't let that event go by without putting up the latest pictures of her. She has graduated from newborn to baby- always has been full of smiles but now adds a few laughs (and a fake cough) in now and again. She is a dream baby as far as sleep is concerned and seems to love music and definately loves people- a real party girl!

Happy 2007! Love, Ava

2006-12-31T09:48:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays!

2006-12-17T22:28:00.000-05:00

We wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a very happy new year!

Ava is 2 months old!

2006-12-11T16:26:00.000-05:00

Ava is growing like crazy and charming everyone she meets! She is full of smiles and we are completely in love with her.

Bath time!

2006-12-03T19:57:00.000-05:00

Ava shows off her ears in the bath.

Ava-6 1/2 weeks old

2006-11-29T11:17:00.000-05:00

Auntie Medge, Uncle Surja, and Cousin Amrit visit!

2006-11-28T19:19:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Aunt Jo, Aunt Jen, and Madison and Michael visit Ava

2006-11-27T14:58:00.000-05:00

Ava had a great time with her aunts and cousins- she got carried around a lot and got lots of attention! It was a great weekend.