GOODBYE :(

So this is the blog post that I wrote in june and forgot about....

Wow this is hard! Those that know me well know that I am not the least bit sentimental, but this is by far the hardest time I have ever had saying goodbye ( and we have done this 5 times now). In the 8 years that steven and I have been married; we have celebrated our first, second, third, sixth, seventh and eighth anniversaries in Charleston, had our first child, watched her turn one then two, became a part of an amazing church family, been blessed with some truly awesome friends, graduated PA school and marveled at this beautiful place God created that we can call "home". So why the heck are we moving? Simple, FAMILY :) Above all that Charleston has to offer and the friends and memories that we have here, we want Ava to know her FAMILY.
We want all of our Charleston friends to know that you truly are amazing people and although we may loose touch with some of you, you will always be a part of what makes this place so special and dear to our hearts.
Love you all!

Mother's Day Fun

Ava handed me a hand made mother's day card with a picture of us on it and her drawing and she said "happy mother's day", LOVED IT! I love being her mommy :)

Happy 2nd Birthday Ava

Ava turned 2 on the 29th..... words actually escape me when I try and explain how I feel. We are so blessed to have such a healthy, beautiful, outgoing, loving child. Now that she is 2 she can pretty much do or say anything she wants. Her favorite foods are "berries" (strawberries, blueberries), grapes, peas, toast (a new breakfast request), bananas, cheese, ice cream and milk. She is still a wonderful eater and she will literally eat anything you put in front of her, although she now has some requests. She has recently learned how to drink from a regular cup and uses her utensils 75% of the time. She loves books, her wagon, Curious George and Barney movies, but her favorites are her babies. Her 2 yr check up was great (no shots!). She weighs in at 36lb (still off the chart) she is 35 1/4 in tall (90%) and still has a big noggin. She wears size 7-8 shoe, 2T-3T clothes, and a few 4T! She takes a 90 minute nap in the afternoon and then sleeps 11-12 hours at night, usually going to bed around 8. Her bestest friends are Hadley and Lula Grace and she prays for them every night :) Here are some pictures from her party at the park and a few randoms.

who couldn't love this adorable face?


Fun at the zoo

Birthday hug from Hadley

Here comes Peter Cotton Tail

We had a beautiful Easter this year. Church, then a great picnic at the county park with our friends, nice nap, egg hunting and another party.

Trip to arkansas

I'm a little behind here so these are the pictures from our march trip to Arkansas, including an early 2nd birthday party for Ava :) We had a wonderful visit, like always and it was sad to leave. Ava and I couldn't wait to get home and see Steven and we got an added bonus of 83 degrees and sunny when we stepped off the plane.... gotta love charleston!

"Grandpa James" and his boat. I can't wait to take her fishing!




One of her great grandpas aka "grandpa great"


LOVED the cake

she's actually old enough to play the games :(

She loved Chuck e Cheese

Helping Lele bake brownies

This is where she wanted to play everyday

Me and my great grandmother

Sweet cousins

The other great grandpa working on her "car"

Hello 2011!

We have had a very eventful start to 2011. Steven spent 5 weeks in a town about 1 1/2 hours from home for his clinical rotation, so we saw him on some tuesdays and weekends, which left me pretty tired from running after Ava. Ava got an ear infection and then two weeks later she got RSV (very contagious, nasty cold) and we had to do breathing treatments 5-6 times a day and night for a whole week, she had symptoms for 2 weeks. The virus spread slowly through every child in our playgroup. Then poor Steven got it and felt crummy for a week and I'm pretty sure I got it and am still battling a sinus infection. Thankfully the weather is warming up and we were able to take a walk on the beach yesterday. Bring on Spring!

Yummy Valentines cupcakes

Valentines Crafts at the Childrens Museum


Thanks for the outfit Aunt "Bit"

Did someone call the doctor?

She was a trooper for her breathing treatments.

Check out my hair!

Awww :)


Poor sick baby :( Taking her own temperature.

Thanks LeLe for the ginormous christmas present, she had lots of fun with her friends.

Uganda Medical Mission Trip

Dear Family & Friends,
I’m writing to tell you about a wonderful opportunity I have to go on a medical mission trip in the spring of 2011. Palmetto Medical Initiative (PMI) (www.palmettomedical.org) in Mt Pleasant, SC is sending a medical mission team to Uganda from March 11-21 to serve people in the heart of Africa. This is a really neat trip because it is a sustainable project to deliver healthcare in the community of Masindi, Uganda. PMI has built a clinic in the community and our short-term trips host clinic days there and in 4 other surrounding communities, including a local sugarcane plantation.

The majority of our time in Uganda will be spent in the diocese of Masindi-Kitara. During our time there we will be staffing the clinic to treat a wide variety of medical conditions common to the people of that region. In addition, we will be hosting community health events focused on preventative health education and the distribution of mosquito nets in response to the overwhelming malaria problem.

With less than one doctor per 12,500 people on average (1 per >25,000 in some areas) you can imagine the impact that willing volunteers can have. As Ugandan children die at a rate 10x that of ours in the US and families struggle to break the cycle of physical suffering and economic crisis that malaria creates, the need could not be greater.

I am extremely excited about the opportunity to have an impact in the lives of people in Uganda. I am anxious to put my medical training and education to work in a place that greatly needs it. For me, this trip is the perfect opportunity to combine my passion for healthcare with my desire to help those in need.

In order for me to attend the trip I am responsible for raising support. The total cost is $2700 per person, which covers travel, lodging, meals etc. If you would like to be a part of my financial support for the mission trip, any help would be greatly appreciated and is tax deductible. You can donate online on a secure website by clicking the link below. Please send the donation by March 1st. We also appreciate your prayers for the people of Masindi, and pray that God would touch their hearts and allow them to understand the truth of Jesus' love for them and their need for Jesus as their Savior.

Many heartfelt thanks,

Steven