4th of July, Ava's antics, Pierson, & the Playroom

We hosted a neighborhood block party on the 3rd of July in an effort to get to know the people who live around us. We've lived here over a year, and there were still neighbors who we had never met. Chad and I have been trying to think of ways to be more intentional about building relationships outside of our church family. This seemed like a good idea. It was well received, and we had a good turnout. Everyone brought a food item to share, and we enjoyed hearing stories from those who have lived in this neighborhood for over 30 years! We were supposed to have a bounce house, but the threat of rain caused us to nix that plan. We'll have to make it up to Ava on her birthday; she was pretty bummed! This is a picture of Ava and McKinley. They are only about 4 months apart and play great together!


Click on Kate's blog for fun photos of our 4th of July with the Thompson family on Lake Brownwood. Ava was out of town, playing with her cousins in Fort Worth, so she missed the festivities and we missed having her there! She loves to ride on the boat. We'll have to go back to Brownwood before the summer ends now that the rain has slowed down. Kate got some cute cousin photos. I forgot my camera.

Ava is very into dressing up lately. She loves to be the "pretend mama" and fix my hair, or have me dress her up. The picture below is Ava as a princess!

Quick funny story: Lately, Ava wants to do everything by herself. A few nights ago, she announced that she needed to go potty and she could do it by herself. I wasn't sure, but I thought I would let her try. I stayed out of the bathroom, but I could hear her pull up the stool to turn the light on, work on getting her panties and shorts off, climb on the potty and flush, and then pull the stool back to the sink to wash her hands for about 5 minutes. Afterwards, she came walking down the hallway smiling ear to ear with pride. Chad and I oohed and ahhed over what a big girl she was! She was the funniest sight: her shirt was soaking wet from all the hand washing and she was wearing no shorts, with her panties turned around backwards which poofed them out in the front and gave her a wedgie in the back with her cheeks hanging out! She was proud though-- parenting is fun!


In case you haven't heard, we have decided to name the baby. . . Pierson Reed Walters. My dad has a sister and two daughters so there was no one in our family to carry on the name, and we loved the idea of Pierson as a first name. In all fairness, Kate thought of it, but graciously shared it with us. Thanks Kate! I'm still working on Pierson's Nursery, but here is a preview. The picture didn't turn out very well. Funny how many of you Fort Worth friends and family have been asking me to post pictures of the Nursery. I'll put a few up when we finish the bedding.


Ava went to spend a few days with Grandma Ruby last weekend so we could work on the playroom. It used to have very pink floral wallpaper from the previous owners. It worked for a girly playroom, but with a boy on the way, we decided it was time to gender neutralize the room. My mom took two days off of work to help me strip wallpaper, prime and paint the whole room. It was quite a project, and we didn't even strip all the wallpaper in the end. Too much work! Here is the finished project. Again, I feel goofy posting all of these house pictures, but several of you have asked to see them so here they are! Nothing spectacular... just less pink!