Girlie Girl

Every girl needs a tutu, a set of pearls and tons of bows! Oh, and pink is preferred.

Ava will be 9 months on the fourth of July. Victor and I are amazed at her more every day. She sleeps all night, rarely cries and loves her brothers.

Grandma and Papa T

Yes, Papa T has grown facial hair! As usual, Grandma T was the most prepared for the trip bringing everything imaginable to make the trip fun for all! Thanks for all of the love and a great time.

Grandma and Papa Mainiero

This is the first year that the Mainiero's got to go to beach with us. I hope they enjoyed it!

Family

Ignore the ensemble that Victor has on! Obviously I did not approve of the outfit before the pictures. I had enough to worry about with the other four in the family.

Ashley and Gabrielle

Gabrielle is 9 going on 20 and Ashley is 11 going on 20! What great nieces they are! Ava loves them. Gabrielle and Ava have the same eyes.

Greg and Family

Any guess which picture Tara will want blown up?

My Brother and Zachary

My brother always brings out the little boy in Zachary. It is a rare occasion that I can capture a smile like this one. Thank you Uncle Greg! We had a great time.

Any Guesses?

What is Zachary thinking? Because Autism has an effect on Zachary's communication skills (as we define them) we often find ourselves looking at him and wondering what in the world is going on inside that head of his. He has the most amazing expressions and is always thinking. Here are some of what I can imagine. If any of you have a suggestion, please post it to the comments. We would love to hear your thoughts.

1. When are we going to be done?

2. What would she do if I jumped in the lagoon?

3. Does she really expect me to take pictures and cooperate when I could be in the pool or the ocean?

4. Does this mean we are going home tomorrow?

5. Someone needs to hide that camera.

6. I need to have a talk with Dad about this camera thing.

7. I wonder how much trouble I would get in if I pushed her into the water.

8. I thought Ava was the focus of all pictures now but I am convinced that Mom has regressed.

On the Dock

2 + 1 = 3

Some of you may have seen the pictures of the boys that I take every year we are at the beach. I always take one of them looking out at the beach with their backs to the camera. It has been amazing to see how they have grown over the past six years. So the question this trip was how to incorporate Ava, their little sister, into the picture. This one is my favorite. She is looking up at them as if to ask, "Hey, what are you boys doing? Am I supposed to be looking out there too?" As my friend Kristin has often said, "welcome to the mother of 3 club." The first time I heard her say that, I thought how different could it be than two. I can definitely testify that having 3 is VERY different and thank God everyday for the pleasure of being the mother to three great kids: Jacob 12, Zachary 11, and Ava 8 and 1/2 months.

At the Beach!

First Photo

I could not have guessed that the photo I posted first from the beach would be the one below. But what can I say? It is. Any guesses on what happened? Frisbee? Door? Boogie board? Last chance to guess.

I am sure I have shared with many of you how much Ava loves her bed. Well, she is not so fond of her pack and play. Last night, the second night, I was trying to get her to sleep by laying her in our bed next to us. This backfired when she raised her head up in frustration. I now have proof that she has a hard head. While I have this evidence of her "head butting" me, she was not phased one bit. Of course the boys were crab hunting when this happened. When Victor got back, I told him what happened and that I might have a little bruise. He replied, "No not quite, you have a black eye. " I promise to replace this with a better picture soon. We are having a great time and all are adjusting. Tonight I put Ava in her pack and play and she fell asleep in a matter of seconds. Zachary loves the condo now because of the pool. He was having a hard time at first and was asking for the "beach house." Jacob is growing up so much and is a huge help!

We are off to the...

BEACH

Watch for pictures soon. The whole crew is going - the five of us, both sets of parents, my brother's family (5 people) and my sister's twins. Yes, we are getting 2 condos. So pray that every aspect of the trip is safe and that we are blessed while enjoying one of God's many amzing creations. This is Victor's parents first trip to the beach so they are excited. Also pray that Zachary adjusts well to the change from the beach house to a condo. It is hard to believe that I was pregnant with Ava last year when we were there. We all can't wait to see how she reacts to the ocean, sand (will probably try to eat it), swimming pool, and of course the 8+ hour car ride.

Brother and Sister

I cannot believe Ava is 8 months old. Two teeth have just broken through on the bottom. Watch the blog beginning June 16th or so. We will be at the beach for a week.

Zachary

What does a special boy like Zachary get when he turns 11?