Aunt Stacie Comes to Visit!

We've been having lots of fun over here with my sister Stacie, who flew in to meet Carter and spend some time with the rest of us!  It didn't take her long to get her hands on her new nephew :) 

Because the weather turned so cold this weekend, we were all feeling the need to get out of the house!  Probably no one more than me  :) So, we went to Mall of America for the afternoon and took Ava on some rides!

We've never taken her on anything because she's always been too little, but there are a few things she can do now and we thought she might like.  

Trav took her on this Blue's Clues ride and she liked it!  She didn't want to get off in fact.

My Dad took her on a Big Rigs ride...

...and Stacie took her on the carousel. 

She totally loved that and we got a kick out of how little she looked on her camel :) 

I also took her on a ride, Diego's Magic Bus, but of course she didn't like that one!  

In her defense, it was quite a bit faster than I remembered and I think it scared her a little!  She was more than ready to get off when it was over!

It's been great to have some extra hands around to hold Carter...

...or monitor Ava while she climbs on Carter's things :) 

I've been waiting to see if Ava would play with her baby while I held mine, but so far it hasn't crossed her mind.  This night however, she wanted to climb up with Stacie in this chair and get in her lap, which she's also tried to do with me, usually while I'm trying to feed Carter.  But I went to her room and retrieved her baby and that seemed to distract her and thrill her for the moment!  

A little mother in the making :) 

And Carter stayed safe :) 

My biggest job these days!

We were eating him up in those little jeans!!  

And this little nut was also keeping everyone entertained!

Aunt Stacie brought Ava some stickers to play with...

...and a box of crayons for her new coloring book!  

I can't believe she's old enough for this stuff, but she LOVES it and I am excited to be able to do those things with her now.  In fact, Stacie and I were both coloring in that book at various times this weekend! I hope Ava likes to do crafts as much as her Mother does :) 

It's been such a fun week and it's not over yet!  One of the best things about having a new baby is the way it brings your family together.  We are thankful to have Stacie here and excited to be with all of my family this weekend!  It's been a wild couple of weekends, but super fun too.  

These are great memories and I'm making sure to cherish them all...