Ava's Dedication

Ava was dedicated at church on Sunday. Michael's mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa came into town for it, as well as Mary's mom and dad. Julie, Jason, Noah, and Abbey were there, too. (Sorry we didn't get any pictures of you Jul and Jas!)
We were reminded again of the blessing that Ava is to us, and the responsibility that we've been given to teach her to follow Christ.
She was a little angel almost all day, and was perfectly behaved up on stage. (which is good because there was a lot of people there and we never know what to expect with an 8 month old.) She didn't even mind wearing the frilly dress and bonnet! We love her so much and we're so proud of her. Thanks to everyone that came, and for those who couldn't, enjoy the pictures.

Two New Nieces

This week we got two new nieces on the Johnson side of the family. Mary's brother Dave and his wife Leanna welcomed their 3rd child, Sadie Marie Johnson. She was born on Monday, May 22. She was 8 lbs, 4.5 oz. and 21 inches long. Then on Friday, Mary's sister Julie and her husband Jason finally recieved the picture of their baby daughter, Hannah, that they are adopting from China. She is 11 months old and she will probably be here sometime in July.

Aren't they both so cute?! We are so excited for two new additions to the family and some playmates for little Ava! Congratulations guys! We love you!

Reunion

This weekend I (Mary) got together with my college girlfriends in Indy. It was really fun! It's amazing how quickly we reconnected even after some of us hadn't seen each other in a while.
It was weird to be away from Michael and Ava... It was so strange to only take care of myself for a weekend. I didn't have to change diapers, make bottles, cook dinner, ect. I gotta admit, It was nice.
I had alot of fun with the girls, I'm so glad that we could finally all get together..it had been way too long!
Although I enjoyed the break from responsibility, I really missed Michael and Ava. I have the best hubby ever to take care of the baby for a weekend.

a review of the last 8 months, part one :)

We're Bloggers.....

Should we open with the same line everyone opens with? "Well, we finally decided to start a blog...." :) I guess we will..
For those we've not been in close touch with over the last few years: We've been married for almost 3 years now, It's hard to believe! We lived in Indianapolis for about a year and a half, and then moved to Columbus, Ohio. We hope to stay here for quite a while, we really like it here.
We really love being married! (We don't know why so many people said it would go down hill after the first year?) And in addition, we've recently recieved the most wonderful blessing of a baby daughter! Ava Grace Iles was born on September 22, making her nearly 8 months old already. She is amazing... We think that she's adorable (but, we're very biased!) We are very proud parents!
Michael is working as a graphic designer and he's really enjoying it. Mary is a stay at home mommy, and really loves it, especially on Ava's good days :)
We started this blog in hopes that we can share pictures and memories with friends and family..especially since we live miles away from many of you. We hope that you enjoy getting a glimpse of our lives, now and again.