Visit to Indy

We are having a great time in Indy. Avery has so many things to do at her grandparents' houses. She is quite spoiled. Here are a few of her on a 4-wheeler and riding a horse. Ryan's dad has a rodeo arena in his yard so every week he has a few guys over to rope steer. We were there for it today so Avery was able to get on a horse. Between the dogs, horses, steer and bugs she was in paradise. She really had fun with it. She is so amazing that she just has no fear about things like that. I love that she is so adventurous and courageous.

Happy Birthday Avery!!

I can't believe my little girl is 2 today! Being her mother is so much more than I could ever have imagined. I truly thank God everyday that he has given me this joy and this responsibility. I am constantly amazed at everything she does, says, learns and shares. I just can't wait for the next one to join our family and we can see how our joy doubles and watch Avery develop into a big sister. I have has so many blessings in my life but my family of Ryan, Avery and baby girl have really been the best parts of my life.

Here are some pictures from this morning when I woke her up. I don't think she liked being disturbed or my singing. Don't worry, it wasn't long before she was smiling! I know they are having a party for her at Lani's today so I can't wait to see how that goes.

Mmmm that's good...

Just a few cute pics and sayings from Avery. I wake up every morning just wondering what she'll do today. On Thursday I made some chocolate chip cookies so I gave her a little taste of cookie dough. Off the couch she went, into the kitchen and pulled her stool over to the bowl. She picked up the spatula, licked it, looked at me and said "mmmm, that's good" Needless to say I laughed quite a bit and she licked the spatula clean!
She's also developing quite an opinion. In the car today she said "no sing mommy, no sing mommy" Now, since I wasn't singing I assumed she meant the radio so I turned it off and she was happy.

We've also really developed a bedtime routine that she loves. We've always read a book every day but now I get in bed with her and she loves it. I took some pictures because my friends think I'm crazy but it's really no different than getting into a toddler bed, we just have "bars" around us. Truly it will be easier when she goes to her "big girl" bed next month. Plus then Ryan can get in bed too as he won't even attempt the crib no matter how much she asks. (Now that would be a picture I'd like to see...)

The other is a pic of Avery relaxing watching Sesame Street. She always puts her legs up like that and I thought it was too funny.

I can't wait for tomorrow to see what's next!

Video

My funny Avery

I made the mistake of turning the water on in the tub and then letting it fill while I was in the kitchen. This is what I found when I walked back in. She was a bit confused as to what happened but sure looks cute! Needless to say if I fill and leave I close the bathroom door so she can't get in. I do know that this could be dangerous.



This is just Avery relaxing on the couch watching Sesamie Street. Just thought she was cute all curled up with Pooh.

Weekend pics

Nothing really special happened this weekend but I did get a few cute shots of the family. If you are a grandparent you will probably also like the video otherwise it may be a bit long for you. I was cleaning on Friday and Avery was playing quite nicely in her room. As you can see it was because she was in Bitty Baby's crib. I think she started doing that again because I now get in her crib with her at night to read books. It will be much easier once she gets in a real bed.
The other video is just the game Ryan and her invented. I think they did that for 10 min and had a great time.
Notice that in the picture with Diane that there are goldfish on her bed. Avery had decided to share them with Diane. It is also easy to see how impressed Diane is with that gesture. Avery was quite happy to pose next to Diane since she loves them so much more than they love her!
The one of her in the "tent" isn't that impressive it's just another sign to me how she is growing up. She had made sort of a picnic in there for her and her teddy bear. I know these are normal stages for her but sometimes it is such a shock when she takes the next one. She just makes us laugh so much. Unfortunately it is often when she is doing something that she shouldn't, it is just so darn cute.

Baby girl!

Here are the ultrasound pictures of our newest little girl! As far as I'm concerned we are still in the naming process, regardless of what Ryan says, :) so I am not putting down our name options. They didn't give me any shots of the "girl" parts but the tech was very nice to make sure she got us some nice profile shots. She even made me move around then came back and did another series so we could get some better ones. Avery went with us and was more interested in the raisins we gave her! The image on the screen just didn't look like any baby she'd ever seen before! We are very excited about our newest little girl. I've been asking all my friends that have sisters what it's like since that is totally foreign concept to me. I just hope they are good friends and help each other out through life.

Playing around

We got Avery some finger paints for Easter so we decided to bring them out for some fun. She really seemed to like them. I left Ryan and Avery playing while I walked the dogs but when I got back at least 3 pages were full and the T-shirt was covered in paint. (so was Ryan!) I think they both had fun.
Ryan also did a lot of work in the yard today and as you can see he had a bit of help...
(and yes, it was turned on and blowing)

Easter Video

Happy Easter!!!

What an exciting holiday. Just knowing that Jesus died and rose again just to save little old me (and everyone else for that matter) is so wonderful to experience.

We've had a very nice weekend. Avery had an Easter Egg Hunt at the church on Saturday. You can see the pictures of her playing the different games. She spent a lot of time with Greg (with the fishing poles). He loves children and is a grandfather just waiting to happen. She was quite happy when Karoline showed up. You can see them going around to the different games.
Things were going fine until the actual hunt. We took away the lollipop she was sucking on and that led to a major meltdown. It was not a pretty sight and she really didn't get any eggs. It took some real food and a nap before she was back to her lovable self.
Today we went to the early service and then had a nice breakfast at this little diner. Ryan got a plate of food covered in sausage gravy. It was even too much for him and he is ready for breakfast tomorrow!
Avery looked too cute in her dress. Unfortunately we couldn't get her to wear the headband for very long!

Walking at Wildcat

Avery still loves to go to Wildcat but now that she is older I HAVE to let her get out and walk for awhile. I can try to pass the field that we usually walk but it just causes her to be cranky during the ride back. It makes the walk longer but it's good exercise for her and helps her appreciate being outdoors. I'm hoping all this hiking at a young age will make it easier to take her when she is older. I'm thinking she can do this all by herself by the time she is 4!
At the field we usually try to track down the cows but if they aren't nearby we amuse ourselves with other things. This trip we explored bugs! She held a grasshopper and a pill bug and saw many others. She really loved it and kept looking for other stuff. The only thing she didn't like were the prickly plants!

Zoo with Karoline and Emma Raines

Avery and I went to the SF Zoo on Friday with Beth, Karoline and their best friends from Vermont Natalie and Emma Raines. Natalie was staying in the city so we picked them up and headed out. It was a lot of fun but a tiring day. It's great to see the world through the eyes of a toddler but takes patience and a slow step to wait for them to keep up. It's funny the things they decide to "explore"!