Our December so far

 So not last weekend, but the weekend before TJ and I took our youth group on a weekend camping trip, it turned out to be really fun, and I'm so glad we found the time to do it.  It was pretty uneventful as far as injuries and things go, there were a couple foot cuts and things from our canoe/kayak ride down the river, but not too bad.  I had fun making food for everyone, and the girls helped out a lot.  We tried to get another lady chaperone to come, but no luck there so it was just me.  Dave Cicerelli was our other man chaperone, and we were so grateful to have him there to help and hang out with.  :)  Peter Shropshire is just beyond high school age, so he volunteered to help as well... thanks Peter!  Ava's naps were kind of messed up, and she cried quite a bit the second night... and for about the next week and a half she has been Mrs.  Rebellious... TJ and I are sure that something else was going on, some sort of transition for her, because she would not stop testing the limits, she has calmed down a lot in the past few days, but WOWZERZ we have had our work cut our for us.

Ava doing ok

Ava (with lack of sleep) angry at mommy for trying to touch her

All the kids who went

Everyone

Our house this Christmas

Making eclairs for our family get-together

The spread (and Mommom)

 It is a long time tradition for the Shropshire family to attend the Titusville Christmas parade which is kind of a pathetic event, but it's so much more than that...  it's the fact that every year we all sit in front of the Subway on US 1, the kids with their bags in hand to collect the cheap candy they throw out, and of course there is always someone yelling at Graham to get BEHIND the line!!!  This is the second year that we have had a get together at our house after wards, and as I pointed out to TJ it will be our last year of doing this for a while, because we will be away at school in Missouri.  It is always fun for me to have company in my home and the honor to cook and bake for them... I would say it's fulfilling  :).  Other than the fact that Lori got her thumb smashed in the van door, it was a great time!

Had lots of Shropshire family at our house after the Titusville parade

  

28 weeks pregnant

 I am 28, almost 29 weeks pregnant, and still feeling really good!  This is probably my favorite time... the baby is getting bigger, and I can just watch it move.  As time goes on I am starting to wonder more what this baby is like, and this time we don't even know if it's a boy or girl, so there are a few mysteries here.  I am so looking forward to meeting this little one!

 Last night for the first time I made stuffed shells... mmmm, they were so good!  But you know, it's really just another form of Lasagna, at least it seems that way, I used ricotta cheese as well as cottage cheese  (that's in case you use this recipe).  My husband and baby seemed to enjoy them, we now have tons of leftovers so I hope we enjoy them for many days... ;)

Ava seems like she is growing so much lately, and I'm referring more to her mind here, she is throwing out all sorts of words, not afraid to try and say different things, and along with that she is just blabbering so much right now, it's mostly nonsense, but the cutest nonsense I've ever heard!  It has been a bit of a struggle with the Christmas tree, as there are pretty shiny balls on it.  Every morning when she gets up and sees the tree she says "ball!"  She has been touching it less and less seeing as she gets in trouble every time, but I would rather her learn and us have a tree, because I love Christmas trees!

Life in November

25 weeks

26 weeks

In California... Ava LOVES kitties!

Arielle, Del and new baby Silas Ezekial

The 1st Thanksgiving meal I have ever made in it's entirety 

Ava busted her lip on Thanksgiving

We had to ice that sucker some how

 So here I am in Cocoa Florida... and it's almost December and so much warmer than California.   The rest of my time in California was wonderful, I got to be there for the birth of my brother Del and sister in law Arielle's second baby Silas, which was was such a blessing and a wonderful experience!  I spent a few days with Barry, Helen, and Bella before flying home, which was really nice.
When I got home, TJ had cleaned the whole house, and applied beautiful flowers to many surfaces, he got me a newer more organized fridge, a bike that I can ride around with Ava, and he cleaned and reorganized my pantry... what a guy huh!?  He's so good to me.  :)
Thanksgiving was not too long after I got home, we spent it with TJ's family at THE Shropshire house, everyone brought something, and we all spent some good time together, how thankful for family I am!  It was a good day except for Ava pushing the bike over on the back porch and busting her lip open... :(
  This year I decided to do my own Turkey, because I missed having the leftovers in my own fridge to eat when I want (kind of selfish of me I know)  So the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I ended up making a whole meal, a Turkey which turned out really good, my mom's stuffing, green bean casserole, corn pudding, sweet potatoes, potatoes and carrots that were roasted with the turkey, homemade crescent butter rolls, and pumpkin pie for dessert.  We had the privilege of having Kyle, Cherie and Levi Shropshire over for the meal, and it just turned out wonderful, I couldn't have been more pleased.  I told TJ it was like a day at an amusement park for me, cooking is probably one of my favorite things to do, if not on the top of my list, so making a first time thanksgiving meal where everything turns out fantastic is so fun and rewarding!  Anyway, I just had to share that with you.


Ava has been changing so much, she has become so much more perceptive, and responsive.  She walks around like she owns the place, and has definitely been testing the boundaries we set for her, so that has been a little challenging.  We continue to seek God, and try to be as consistent with her as we can when it comes to discipline.  She has been growing more hair, which has in turn made it more curly.  She has learned a few signs in Sign language very well, things like, more, please, all done, and Thank you, these are just ones that she uses constantly on a regular basis.  Her vocabulary has grown, and she is not so afraid to test out new words, even if she is nowhere near pronouncing them correctly.
Things she has been saying:
Daddy, mommy, ball, cat, doggy, ducky, Nonnie, Papa, Mormor, Woof woof, baby, night night, bath, bite, milk, juice, shoes, book, socks, Hi, byebye, more, poopoo, belly, nose, eye, ear, no, outside.

She has been asking to go to bed every night, and at nap times by sucking on her blanket, saying "nigh-night"... TJ and I keep saying it's not supposed to be this easy to put your baby to bed.  Ava is a constant joy, it is so fun to watch her grow and learn.

I had an appointment with my midwife when I got back, and I am measuring about a week behind what I think I am, so I'm not sure what that means, but maybe I'll give birth closer to my due date this time.  We also had an ultra sound, it was SO fun to see our baby, it was moving all around, it even opened it's mouth, and stuck it's tongue out while on the ultra sound... funny kid.  The gender is still remaining a surprise, we are not finding out until it's born, which should be interesting, that was pretty much TJ's decision I would have gone with finding out, but I can't always have my way can I?!  March 1st is my due date, and I think it's going to come pretty quickly.

This weekend we are taking our youth group on a camping trip, so that should be fun and interesting... pregnant with a toddler  :)  I'll let you know how that goes.

Things to share...

Hi... it has been a while since I last blogged, I feel like that is the way I have been starting every one of these, but it's like a friend that I want to talk to desperately... I want to share my heart, but there is so much to share that I'm not sure where to begin.
I am here in California, and have been here for 3 and 1/2 weeks now... wow!  My oldest brother Bobby got married on the 15th of October to the beautiful Sarah Norris (now Griffith), she is so perfect for him!  They have been such good friends for several years,  eventually they fell in love,  and have now committed to spend their lives together, how wonderful is that?!  I know it's great, I could not be more overjoyed for them  :)

For this next part I'm going to share I cannot yet share with you all the details for it has not yet been completely resolved.  When I first arrived here, there were a number of things, mainly one that threw me into a state of emotional distress... feeling angry at other people for making my life hard, for causing me pain and hurt, making me bitter, and in return fighting with my own flesh, causing me to turn to myself instead of God.  If you'll notice I wanted to blame my feelings on someone else's actions... that's not right!  I need to take responsibility for my own self.  God has been humbling me, showing me areas in myself that need to be changed, that no matter what my surroundings are I can be strong in Him, because I don't need to find my identity in anyone else but Him... wow that is so comforting to say out loud!  You know...   It's so natural for us to want to blame someone else for our hurt feelings, I'm not saying we shouldn't share our feeling with others, because owning your own feelings and sharing that brings healing, and that is something I still need to do, I have just been praying and waiting for God to change my heart in a way that I could not do.  He has given me a new and different perspective.  I am so thankful for God's love for me, he desires restoration in relationships, which makes sense that he made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could be restored to him.  Thanks for listening, and if you have a minute I would love for you to say a quick prayer for me.  :)

As for my time here, it has been nice to spend time with family, and friends, TJ went back to Florida last week and I am staying here until my sister in law Arielle's baby is born.  I am honored to be able to be there for the birth, she was due the 2nd of November, so we are still waiting... patiently, I will keep you posted.  I do miss my Florida family, and of course our youth group, they bring more to my life than they realize.  Anyway, I'm sure I have shared enough now, I am so thankful for God grace in my life.  Enjoy the pictures!

Ava and cousin Bella

visiting Barry and Helen

Breakfast on the wedding day

Ava fell asleep while dancing with my mom at the end of the night

cousins:  Bella, Ezra, and Ava

Ezra and Ava

sisters, cousins and our Mormor

our little family  :)

Pregnant sister in laws

playing with relatives day after wedding

exploring Santa Barbara (anniversary trip)

Weeeeeeee... I love my husband!

abandoned property where a house had burned down

21 weeks pregnant in this picture

eating breakfast at our "bed and breakfast"

we kept the tradition and ate sushi on the beach

consumed too much wasabi on that piece of sushi

 

all fluids instantly came flowing out of my face

TJ did the same thing... =)