I am trying to add this at a later date and editing is not working right, but Ava was 43lbs. and 4ft tall at her 7 yr check up.....perfectly average!As many of you know Ava started Kindergarten at St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 2012. Making the decision to send her to a Catholic school was not an easy one and we knew that while learning about religion she would have questions…one being "why am I not baptized like my friends?". In the spring of 2013 was the first time Ava brought up being baptized and we simply told her the truth. I was baptized as a baby and Dan was not, so we decided to let her make that choice for herself when she thought she was ready. Well, at the ripe old age of 6 Ava felt that she was totally ready to be baptized. She met with the religious director from the school so she would fully understand the meaning and the process, I attended a baptism class so I knew what to expect and then a date was set. Ava wanted her classmates to be there with her and the school was more than willing to let them attend. (it's not very often that kids get to witness a baptism) The kids were so excited, especially Ava. It's one thing to witness a baptism and it's another to get out of school early on a Friday for a baptism and cupcakes!
Ava can be such a mature little girl when she wants to be. She listened to the Father soaking up every word he said.
The other 54 first graders in attendance also behaved very well. You could hear a pin drop in the church, with the exception of the few times Gavin shouted out "hi Mom", and they would all burst out laughing. Gavin only lasted about half the ceremony before he was escorted outside with Uncle Brad.
The baptism was a bit longer than a typical one because the Father took some extra time to explain the different steps and the meaning behind them.
Once she had the water, oil and white sash on her, the last step was to hold the light. She did not move a muscle till it was time to blow it out.
I know traditionally speaking a child should be baptized when they are born and I understand why, however I am glad we chose to do it this way. Ava was so excited to be baptized, understood what she was doing, loved asking Uncle Chris and Aunt Courtney to be her God Parents and will have this memory forever!!
I also think the other students learned a lot by witnessing one rather than just reading about it. They also LOVED having cupcakes to celebrate!!
We chose to do the baptism the same weekend as Ava's birthday to make sure our out of town family members could make it. Grandma and Grandpa C, Aunt Courtney and Uncle Chris, Uncle Brad, Grandma F, Aunt Linzy, Ashton and London were all there. And those that couldn't make the weekday event were there in spirit. :) After the baptism and cupcake party we headed back home for some birthday fun! After all, Ava wasn't just getting baptized she was also TURNING 7!!
We opened gifts, had a quick costume change into the "Anna" dress from Frozen, then sang to our birthday girl and had more desserts!
I can't imagine what she had to wish for, but knowing her it was probably for the ability to fly! I'm not even joking, Ava REALLY wants to be able to fly one day. I told her if she does really well in school maybe someday she can invent something we can use to fly. :)
Our busy day of celebrations was followed by a late night, early morning and another day of partying. Saturday morning started with Ava's basketball practice. She hasn't shown the natural talent of the WNBA players, but she doesn't hate it like she did soccer, so it's a start.
Jump shot! She did make 3 or 4 baskets during this practice, which is good. This however, was not one of them.
One of the many things Ava asked for for her birthday was a trip to Build-a-Bear. So after b-ball practice we went straight there to build the bear of her dreams. I'll have to get a picture of Ava with her bear, as expected Ava picked to most colorful sparkly bear of all. I make it a point not to go to the mall on the weekend and that store reminded me why. There were probably 50 people in the little store and there were 4 or 5 other birthday kids! They rang a bell and sang to her which she was thrilled with.
Because last year Ava had an enormous Sweet and Sassy party, this year I told Ava she could invite 2-3 friends and pick something to do. She opted for three friends and roller skating! I tried to explain that roller skating is NOT easy and there would be a lot of falling, but that she would have to just keep getting up and trying again. I was prepared for a lot of falling and tears, but I was not ready for the workout I received!
Ava invited her dear friends Isabelle, Katie and Karlee (the blonde you can barely see above). Also Ashton decided to test out his rolling abilities with Ella and Karlee's little sister's Brooke and Bristol.
I booked the party sight unseen and if anyone is wondering what Rollercade is like in South County, just know it is exactly like every skating rink was in 1985, it has been virtually untouched for the last 30 years! Ava tried her best, but preferred to hold mine or Dan's hand and just be pulled around the rink. There were a couple of little spills, each one followed by way too many tears.
Dan started out with Ava and I had Ella…this did not work! Ella didn't just hold your hand she HUNG from your hand, arm or whatever she could grab on to. She had a VERY hard time staying up on her skates. I quickly passed her off to Dan and grabbed Ava back. It wasn't long before Dan was a pool of sweat and tried to switch back, but by then Ella preferred Dan "he could hold her up better than I could". I think their skates are from the early 80's too!
Ashton was much like Ella, so Linzy got some exercise as well. The other little ones, Brooke and Bristol never even made it out onto the rink! Karlee and her sister's were not there for very long. We'll wait a few more years before we go back to Rollercade!!
Even with as much falling and crying as they did, Ava and her friends claimed to have a good time and want to go skating again soon!? I think the other Mom's could have done without the skating party, none of us were prepared for that workout!
By Saturday night the sugar high was wearing off and the exhaustion was starting to show. We sang one last time to Ava and crashed till Monday morning!!
Happy Birthday my sweet Ava! You are wise beyond your years and I frequently say you have an old soul. I promise your frustrations with school will get easier and I hope your love of performing only grows stronger. You are still as obsessed with stuffed animals as you were when you were a toddler, and as much as I hate the piles of animals all over the house I continually add to your collection. You are a great sister, friend and daughter and we love you more than anything!
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