Ava loved Disney World so much! Such a fun, magical place where she could be a princess, go on rides and meet her favorite characters. Since her make a wish trip in March she kept saying how she wanted to go back. Thanks to Wish Upon a Hero and her hospice team, we were able to take her.
Ava wasn't feel well during this trip. It was the beginning of her little body starting to shut down. We didn't know that and looking back it makes sense how tired she was and how she hardly ate. She didn't want to go on rides like last time but she did love meeting all the princesses. We got to have lunch at Cinderella's castle and I think that was the highlight of her trip. They announced each princess and Ava's face was so full of excitement!
We also got a chance to meet the singer LeAnn Rimes. She works with Wish Upon a Hero and helped us wish Ava's wish. They colored a picture and Ava sang to her! It was great!
We are very happy to have had the chance to take this trip with Ava. It was a wonderful way to spend her last days with us.
I have wanted to write since Ava's passing but I couldn't find the words. Many of you have asked how our family is doing. Our hearts hurt. They don't hurt every minute of the day but the pain lingers and rises when we don't expect it to.
Discovering a present Ava hid under her bed, doing laundry and finding her last bit of dirty clothes and looking at her photos all have caused me to cry and face the loss we all feel without her.
Her funeral was beautiful. We found the prettiest pink coffin for her and she was buried with all of her favorite stuffed animals. She was dressed in all white and her head was adorned with her prettiest princess crown.
Her daddy gave the euology. He said, ..."Ava lived her life for every moment and taught us to do the same. To enjoy the cuddles and quiet times just as much as the laughs and silly moments. Ava will be forever missed but never forgotten. Her shining light is now a part of everyone who knew her and we will always treasure that in our hearts." That is just what we will do.
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| Photos coursety of Morgan Kervin Photorgraphy |
We've been doing Flashback Friday on Ava's facebook page and I wanted to bring this over to the blog too!
Ava was just over six months in this picture. I always smile when I look at her big ole grin in this one! Hope it makes you smile too!!
Ava was invited to her school last month for a very special lunch. She and the children from her class last year were reunited. Ava loved visiting with her school friends and them telling her all about kindergarten. The smile never left her face the whole time we were there!
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Ava loved her glitter session by The Gold Hope Project so much! What girl wouldn't love playing with glitter? I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as Ava enjoyed taking them! You can also check out a video from her session here.
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Ava got to be a model for The Gold Hope Project. This is a video from her session and a few pictures. She was so giggly for Morgan and Julie. She just LOVED playing with the glitter! If you listen closely you'll hear her sing "The Booger Song" (this is right after she picks her nose...LOL). She learned this from Dr. Etzl and he sung it for her every time she asked. She was a sight to see and I'm so happy to share it with you!
I want to thank Morgan Kervin Photography and Jewels Avenue Photgraphy for all their hard work putting this together! I know we will cherish the pictures and video of this forever!!
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It's finally cooling off here in Texas so we are able to enjoy our backyard again. Ava has always loved chalk and she got a huge laugh out of this chalk that looks like dessert. It was so nice to see her outside playing!
Overall she is doing great. She is trying to walk and can crawl again. We are planning a mini trip to an indoor waterpark next month. That was one place she wanted to go all summer but we weren't able to take her for various reasons. I know we will all enjoy a weekend of playing and splashing!
She finished her 10 days of radiation last week and one cycle of temodar. She handled it very well so we will discuss her starting another chemo cycle with her doctor. We will probably get a MRI in October to check the status of the tumors. Prayers that they shrink so she can move more freely!
I know I've said this before but we couldn't get through this without your help so I just wanted to thank you all for following us during this journey. It's not a path we would have picked but it makes it just a little bit easier knowing you are there for us. Thank you.
*If you want blog
updates delivered to your inbox, be sure to sign up at the bottom of the
blog under "follow by email" or "like" Ava's facebook page.*
Overall she is doing great. She is trying to walk and can crawl again. We are planning a mini trip to an indoor waterpark next month. That was one place she wanted to go all summer but we weren't able to take her for various reasons. I know we will all enjoy a weekend of playing and splashing!
She finished her 10 days of radiation last week and one cycle of temodar. She handled it very well so we will discuss her starting another chemo cycle with her doctor. We will probably get a MRI in October to check the status of the tumors. Prayers that they shrink so she can move more freely!
I know I've said this before but we couldn't get through this without your help so I just wanted to thank you all for following us during this journey. It's not a path we would have picked but it makes it just a little bit easier knowing you are there for us. Thank you.
You may remember when I wrote "Photography is a Gift" and how I struggled to find an organization and photographer that could take our family pictures in Arizona. Well, thanks to The F.I.L.M. Project we found Oh Snap Photography by Carlee. Carlee was amazing with Ava and she just shined for her camera! These are some of my favorites from our session.
Portraits mean the world to us and we are so grateful to Carlee and The F.I.L.M. Project for the providing these services to our family.
Portraits mean the world to us and we are so grateful to Carlee and The F.I.L.M. Project for the providing these services to our family.
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| Ava LOVES making her own lunch. Her specialty is peanut butter and honey sandwich without crust. |
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| Just wanted to share this photo of Ava and Myla having a tickle fight. They have the most fun together! |
Wow, it has been two weeks since I updated the blog. We have been so busy packing up our apartment in Arizona, driving to Texas and unpacking here the time has gone so fast!
Ava has been doing wonderfully. Since we got home she is determined to move and play! This makes us so happy since a few weeks ago she was basically paralyzed and could not walk. She now is able to move around the house holding onto walls and the furniture. She loves playing with her barbie dream house and all the other toys that we couldn't take with us to Arizona. Myla and her have been having so much fun discovering all their toys again.
We are so thankful for everyday we have together as a family and I want to thank each of you who has made this transition easier for us. We are so blessed to have you helping us right now!
Ava and I were able to go to a pottery painting place and she really enjoyed painting this puppy. I'm so glad our friends invited us out. It was just what we needed!
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| Ava's hospital stay. She felt so much better than she looks here. She was so sleepy when I took the camera out. |
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