Another one of those....

I love to look at older pictures and see exactly how much Avery has changed in the short time she has been with us, so here we go with another one:

July 4, 2008......and......July 4, 2009!!

Guess we don't have a baby anymore, we have a little girl!

Jibber Jabber.....ALL THE TIME!!

There was a time several months ago when we (Paul and I) were concerned with Avery's speech..or lack of it. We addressed it with our pediatrician at her 18month visit where he encouraged us to just wait a little while longer. After all, she has already made such huge progress let's just let "nature takes it course" and see if the speech comes too. Between the 18 month and 2 year check-ups she did start to verbalize more. At her 2 year appointment we were given to the "standards" for kids her age and I have to say she still fell way behind on the "normal" vocabs of 250+ words and 3-4 word phrases for a 2 year old. Once again her pediatrician encouraged us to wait, after all she had progressed from the last visit and he really thought she would come in to her language at her own time. Well, once again Dr B. was correct!

At 26 months this girl talks non-stop!!! It's almost as if she woke up one morning and said to herself "I think I am going to talk now!! and hasn't shut up since. She identifies everyone and wants you to help her to identify everything, which she proceeds to repeat several times.

The funniest thing is her manners! I will go ahead and admit while Paul and I encourage good manners we are not drill sergeants on the issue. Our little Avery, on the other hand, is very diligent when it comes to manners. She says please about everything, she thanks you over and over again for giving her something or helping her, she blesses you when you sneeze. It cracks us up because all of these phrases she says not once but approximately 10 time for each incident.

She has also started wanting to talk on the phone. She will hold a conversation with whomever is on the phone but doesn't quite have the concept down that the other person cannot see her nod her head for yes. :)

There are still certain letters she has verbalizing but we have become pretty good at interpretation.

I know I am way behind on pictures and posting but I wanted to record all her progress since I use this blog as my own journal of her growing up.

Happy Monday!!

18 years!!!!

June 22, 1991......the day we said "I DO!!"



It seems like a lifetime ago....we have been through so much together but I wouldn't have chosen anyone else to be by my side.

Paul...I love you more than words can say. You have been with me through thick and thin, happy and sad, and everything in between. I can't imagine my life without you in it. I hope you never doubt my love for you!!



Here's to 60+ more years together!!!!

Happy Father's Day!!!

Crazy, busy but fun weekend!!!

Last weekend was a whirlwind around our house. We were some partying fools!!!

On Friday Avery and I took a little dip in the pool. We had been concerned if the water was warm enough but our fears were relieved the moment we stepped in...I am happy to declare Pool Season 2009 has officially began!!

Our little water baby. She is verbalizing more and more these days and her current word of choice is: SWIM!! She loved the pool so much so that I had a hard time convincing her when it was time leave.
Soakin' up the sun in her ladybug float.

Once again we are amazed in the difference a year can make in the growth and development of our little girl. Time really does fly!!!! Just for fun I have linked a post of one her pool adventures the beginning of last summer so you can see how much she really has changed. Click here to check out Avery last summer in the same ladybug float.

Have I told you lately how much I love this little girl???

Saturday was Party central around our house. We had 3 different occasion to celebrate and party we did!!!

Up first was Mollianne's 6th Birthday Party! I am honored to say that this is the 4th year we have celebrated with Mollianne and family and are blessed to have them in our lives.

Her theme this year was Tinkerbell!!
The guest of honor with her one of her 2 birthday cakes!!

Of course the birthday parties are a little different now with all the little one's running around.
K-Man going for swing!!

Does Quint look like a GQ model or what?

Aubriana was adorable in her party dress.

And of course no birthday party for Mollianne would be complete without the bounce house. Will we ever forget the "Great Bounce House Collapse of 07"? I have to say that we have been unable to Valerie back in the bounce house since that fateful day!! Or what about the introduction of the bounce house slide in 08? Yep, we definitely get some good use out of those bounce houses!!

Mom will probably kill me for posting this, but how could I resist?
How fun is it that just last week we were celebrating her 56th birtday and now here she is enjoying the bounce slide?

And of course there's me and my partner in crime, Erin, taking our turn on the slide.
Erin, our bounce house partners seem to be declining but I know it will always be you and me girl!!

Avery was not very impressed with the slide but she loved the bounce house!
Jumping her little heart out!!

This was the scene in the car about 2 minutes after we left Erin's:
all that fun really wears a girl out!

After a quick trick home to clean up and trade grandma for daddy (he had to work and missed Mollianne's party) we were off for celebration #2.

One of my very dear coworker's and also whom I affectionately refer to as my "work momma" was hosting a graduation dinner for her daughter. Amy did a fabulous job of preparing the meal for tons of people wishing Maureen a bright and successful future! I know it has to be a little bittersweet for Amy since Mo is her youngest of 3. I can't even imagine Avery's high school graduation!

Amy and Maureen!

Me and Amy with our baby girls!

Best wishes Maureen and Good Luck at TLU!!

After dinner it was time for party #3 of the day: Erin's Birthday celebration at Cru Winebar.

Now just a little side information: Paul and I are not wine drinkers. We couldn't tell you the meaning behind the swirl, or the sniff, or what a "flight" is, or even the differences between the hundreds of bottle of wine displayed. We could probably tell you the difference between a red and a white but that would be the extent of our "wine knowledge". That did not stop us from having a wonderful time with a great group of people!! Maybe, just maybe, one the days they will culture us enough so that we are sniffing and swirling right along with them :)

The birthday girl and her hubby!!

Kelley getting her "flight of wine". I thought the wire wrack that carried the glasses was a fabulous idea so I just had to take a picture of it!!

Me and Paul having a great Saturday night!!

So that was our weekend in a nutshell. Sunday was definitely a day of rest around our house!!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend as well. Thanks for checking in with us!!

Happy Tuesday!!!

A day to celebrate!!!

Today my family celebrates not one but 2 special occasions. My mom's birthday and mom and dad's anniversary!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!! May all your wishes come true!!


HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM & DAD!!! 39 years....wow that's a long time!!


We celebrated by going out to eat together and of course I had to take some family pictures while we were there:
my little family!!

Chris, Danette, Kelby and Kolin. Getting Kolin to smile for a camera is virtually impossible :)

Mom and Dad with the grandkids!!

Mom and Dad, hope you had a great day. We all love you very much!!!

Inspired....

Friday we spend the day in Arlington at the Special Olympics Summer Games. Paul's company was a corporate sponsor so he and some of his coworkers volunteered to work the event. Avery and I didn't have any other plans so we decided to tag along.

I wasn't really sure what to expect but I have to say it was an amazing day. To see the kids out there giving there all, having a wonderful time was great. Many of the athletes came up to Avery with an eager "Hi!" and with all her spunk she was "Hi" and "Bye" right back.

When we arrived we checked out the "Athletes Village", they had games, crafts, snacks and even karaoke for the all of the athletes. Avery and I spent quite a bit of time in the karaoke tent. We were greatly entertained by these kids singing their hearts out with no inhibitions while they were being cheered on by the crowd. Personally I know there are many times that I am too worried how other may perceive me or my actions but it was so inspiring to see these kids (who may not have known all the words or may not have been in tune) belt out these songs!! Our favorite was a young man who sang Achy Breaky Heart! He literally gave it all he had and even had some back-up dancers to accompany him!

Over all it was a great day for us!!! We interacted with a ton of kids, we played, we cheered, we were inspired!!!

You know I couldn't let the day pass without a few pictures, right?

Avery was loving the bounce house!! She was in there with several other kids and they were so protective of her!

The slide was also a favorite!!

There were several sports booths and games set up:
Avery trying her hand at the football toss. We just may have a little quarterback in our family!!

And last but certainly not least:
The #947 crew having a great time!!

Thanks for checking in!!

Ready for summer!!!

After spending time running around all over lately we were very happy to have spent this last weekend at home with just a few outings. In our area we have had a ton of rain lately but thankfully as of yesterday that seems to be over for a little while. Friday afternoon I took the opportunity to go through part of Avery's closet and see what swimwear she had available for this summer. We spend alot of time in the pool in the summer months so adequate swimwear is a must for us!

One of the swimsuits she tried on she became very attached to, once we put this one on she did not want to take it off. She literally ran around the house all afternoon and evening in this attire:
I guess that's her way of saying she is ready for summer to begin!!!

Saturday we were supposed to attend not 1 but 2 birthday parties. Unfortunately one got cancelled because of weather. That meant another morning a home for us. I got caught up some much behind tasks (unfortunately not all my blogging). Early after we started getting ready for birthday party #2 and it soon became "the great fit of 2009!" Avery had been running around all day in a old tshirt and shorts and when I tried to change her clothes for the party she was NOT a happy camper!

Here she is in the middle of her crying spell because mommy would not let her wear the tshirt and shorts to the party.
Since when does a 2 year old get to have an opinion about her wardrobe??

We finally compromised and headed to the party.

This was Avery's first time at a bowling alley and she was amazed by all the lights and music.
Here she is getting a little help with some bowling.

In addition to bowling there were also a ton of video games all around. Avery would climb up on every thing she could reach to test it out.
Avery and daddy driving one of the cars. I love the serious look on Paul's face....it's just a game honey!

The birthday boy received this new bicycle and Avery had to give it a ride too!
She conned several people into pushing her around the facility on the bike. Her little smile works like a charm.

I do have to point out that if you look closely at the pictures you can see the tacky pink flip flops she is wearing. Of course we have adorable brown sandals that would have completed this outfit but that is where the compromise came in....mommy has to pick her battles!!

Next up was climbing onto one of the motorcycles. She immediately knew to lean forward and grab those handlebars.

It was a great party and Avery had a ton of fun!!

After the party we headed back home to catch the last half of Mekenzie's spring dance recital. The girls have all had an awesome year of dance and this was their opportunity to show off their skills.

After the recital Avery posed for a picture with Mekenzie and Emily.

Sunday morning had us getting ready for church and wearing yet another adorable outfit. No big drama with the clothes this time, Thank You Lord!!!

This frog top was one of her Valentine's presents from Aunt Kathy and Uncle Bill.

After church Avery and I walked up to mom and dad's and instead of walking back home Avery got herself a nice little ride:

Yep, country livin' at it's best: having your wagon pulled behind the lawn mower!!

Avery's version of a Sunday afternoon drive.

So that was our weekend. I still need to post our pictures from our trip to Branson, MO over Mother's day weekend and some pictures of Mother's day dinner. Hopefully I will be able to do that in the next couple of days!!

Thanks for checking in!!

Happy Monday!!