Keeping Me Laughing

Avery is definitely feeling better after her stay at Lebonheur- gtown! She started the day off sleeping in til 830! woohoo! Once she got up she was a little clingy, but she had been in a little coughing fit. We went through our little unset alarm, let dogs out, and get a drink routine. She desperately wanted a "pep-taht," which we didn't have so I gave her a nutrigrain bar. She didn't really eat it and wanted my cinnamon roll which I unsuccessfully tried to hide under my blanket, lol! She's not supposed to have them (egg) so I'm glad she only ate about 3 small bites. We watched Cedarmont's Action Bible Songs twice before deciding to run to Target for TP. (what I was going to do on Sunday!) Much to my surprise, she was REALLY good at Target. She always starts out fine but gets restless. She, instead, just started talking about everything she saw! I think she was just glad to be out! I decided to go through Wendy's because I knew she loved nuggets and theirs are a better quality than Mc D's. We got home and she ate all 4 of her nuggets! (accompanied by ketchup, of course) Even after being offered fries, she still picked the nuggets! so proud of her! At the hospital all we could get down her was yogurt. She's a normally picky/finicky eater anyway, but she wouldn't even eat the normal stuff. So glad to see she's getting her little appetite back!

We worked on daddy's valentines present before I realized it was almost 2 and she was about to fall out! I put her down for a nap and went back to working on the part I had to do on it! After her nap we worked on it some more, watched cedarmont a 100 more times, and had some totino's for dinner. (so nutritious, I know!) Watched Idol and put her to bed. Somewhere in there I did some laundry and she had 2 things of GoGurt- asking for more! Now for all the things she does that keeps me laughing! Where to start...

We'll start with something sweet:
She was real lovey this morning and was all about her baby doll for most of the day. Earlier, she was playing with her baby- talking to her, patting her back, giving her a bottle... it was cute! I looked over and she was sitting in the floor with a diaper. She lifted the baby's shirt, opened the diaper, and started telling baby about "melmo" who was on this particular diaper. She attempted to put the diaper on, then took it off, wadded it up and threw it in the trash! I just thought that was the cutest thing ever! She's going to be a good helper and sooo sweet! *hopefully!*

Trying to pull one over:
I was sitting on the couch and wild child was running around trying to keep herself awake. I saw her head towards the end table where my 1/2 full dr. pepper can was sitting. I knew her motive and immediately said "ah, ah, ah!" In a split second she grabbed something else sitting on the table and looked at me with that "I wasn't doin anything but gettin this thing right here" look! She and I had a stare-down for what seemed like a good 2 mins, ending with me saying "you better not!" The second I turned my head I saw her drop what she had and grab the can! I knew she was going to do it and met her hands before she lifted it off the table! I wrangle it back and fuss at her for not listening. Needless to say miss smarty pants (putting it nicely), starts picking everything up off the table she can saying "ah, ah, ah!" with everything she picks up- all while smiling at me. This was one of those turn your head, grind your teeth, and fight a smile moments!

Little Miss Problem Solver:
Avery was given some mylar balloons while in the hospital. 2 blue stars and a get well balloon! She just HAD to play with them tonight. (they kept her busy in the hospital) They were tied to a giftbag so they didn't venture up into no-man's land (vaulted ceiling). I get them untied and tried explaining to her to keep them in a certain part of the room so we can still reach them! Yeah, well... ya'll know where this is going! Up, up, and away goes a star! while they're all on amazingly long strings, I just couldn't reach it. I even showed her I couldn't- hoping she'd be content with just 2- of course not, lol. I picked up the grabber (yeah, hush... I'm preggo and tired of bending to pick up toys) and reached and jumped and stood on the couch... still couldn't get it! So, i run to the kitchen to look for something to help! When I come back in she is standing in one of her wooden toddler chairs with the grabber, reaching up! She saw me come in with the camera and started laughing. She hands me the grabber and points up. I said, "baby, mommy can't reach it" she looks at me says "mommy!" smacks the chair and points to the balloon! Yeah, well mommy ain't exactly lightweight so.... that didn't happen. I am happy to announce I was able to reach it by standing in the rockin chair with the grabber! Go ahead and fuss, but mom already got on to me for doing it! :-)

Ok, last one... though there are plenty from today...

Princess Perfectionist:
While in the hospital, Avery slept in a regular bed. I put the guardrails up and slept with her, just in case. She sorta slept on the pillow in the bed, but only while I was in it with her bc she couldn't lay sideways with my big ole caboose in there. She always sleeps sideways, I'm sure if I go up there now, that's exactly where she is. silly girl! Anyway, sooo I thought I'd be nice and put a pillow in her crib! I washed her sheets, bear, and blanket and put a fresh case on my older pillow bc it wasn't as fluffy and "suffocating" as a new one. we finished our book, said our night nights and kisses and I laid her down. Waiting for her reaction... her eyes bugged out her head and she said "no no no no no..." yanking on it til I took it out! I set it aside, she grabs her bear and rolls over to go to sleep! Now, what kind of person would rather sleep without a pillow!? Silly girl! Mom says she's a perfectionist. (OCD is the clinical term, lol.) She just likes things a certain way and has to have it THAT way. She's a mess, for sure!
Oh- during story time, we were reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear and when we got to the blue horse she said "oh! he has a tail!" ... and from then on out she pointed out the tail of every animal to the end! goober head!

Ok, I'll shut up and attach some pics now... just have to upload them first! :-)

Well my pics don't want to load, soooo one more!

Good Hygiene:
I hadda go to the bathroom and of course, I can't go alone. Avery busts in there and climbs up to the sink. I turn the water on so she can wash her hands in the meantime. She asks for soap, so I put a little on her hands. Next thing I know she's washing her face with the handsoap! I started laughing and made sure she knew it wasn't going to taste very good if it hits her mouth. Sooo... she proceeds to rub it in her hair! She was havin a blast with her mini-bath! Dial doesn't come out nearly as easy as shampoo! But, at least that patch of hair smells good! Why is it that it's ok for HER to soap and wash her hair, but if *I* do it, it sounds like I'm drowning her! silly girl! She thought it was funny that it made her hair stick up, lol.

Now that you're bored and probably quit reading. I'm gonna shut my mouth! Maybe it will eventually let me post my pics! :-)

The Pics

I'm not very good at formatting pics on here, soooo bear with me! :-)



Passing the time in mommy's shoes.

Nursing her bear back to health!

Still a work in progress down here, have some finishing touches to add!


The front of daddy's "card."


One of the envelopes!


What it looks like unfolded.


The pics in the first 3 envelopes.


The pics in the last 3 envelopes


BUSTED! Trying to get to her balloon!

Catching Up

Wow! It's been forever! My laptop completely bit the dust so I have been offline for quite awhile. I now have a new laptop (woohoo!) and spend more time on the internet. Guess it's time to write a catch up blog!

Ok, A LOT has happened since June 4!

First of all, We are pleased to announce that we will be welcoming baby girl #2, Emelyn Claire, at the end of march/early April! We found out towards the end of July and are very excited to expand our family. We are eager to meet our newest addition. Big sister, Avery, is also excited! She loves babies and practices taking care of her dolls. She also loves to talk to Emelyn and give her kisses! :-)

About a week prior to finding out we were expecting again, Jon signed his contract with the army. His technical MOS (job) is a healthcare professional. He is currently in Fort Sill, OK for his BCT (Basic Combat Training). His graduation date is February 25. He will then go directly to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX for his AIT (advanced individual training). At AIT he will train to be a combat medic. After AIT is still a mystery, but we are hoping for it to include additional military schooling. His goal with the Army is to work his way up to being a physical therapist. His contract is 4 years, but he has mentioned making a career of it if all goes as planned. I guess we will just wait to see what God has in store for us! I get letters almost daily and he says he feels as if the Army is where God wants him. He has had several opportunities to witness to his battle buddies and seems very upbeat about it all. He wants to go on a mission trip to do medical work when he gets a chance. :-)

Avery- man... sooooo much as changed in the past 7 months! She is just awesome! She's so smart and so silly! Her vocabulary is ever increasing. She speaks complete sentences and uses possessives like "That's the baby's seat." or "This is mommy's car." She can count to 7 and tries to count to 10. She knows several letters, most animals, and so many other objects out there. She repeats everything and keeps me laughing most days with the things that come out of her mouth! Today, while she was playing with her phone, she put it up to her ear and said, "hey dude, sup?" umm, ok!? lol! A little later, I told her the phone was ringing and she should answer it (her phone). I handed it to her and she "answered" it saying "what!?" oh man... she's a mess! She asks about daddy, a lot. We usually just say "daddy is in the army." She gets quiet and puts her "thinking face" on. She loves animals, loves coloring, any sort of art, building things with blocks (esp tractors and trucks), watching football and soccer, and singing songs! She is like a broken record most days. She loves music soooo much she just hops from song to song without taking a breath. She will literally go from singing "deep and wide" to quacking (6 little ducks). She loves babies and takes pretty good care of her doll. We have the carseat sitting out right now and she likes to put her baby in there to sleep. She will say "shhh... baby seepin!" and make snoring sounds. Again, she's a mess! lol! She goes to school 2 days a week at First Evan (pop and 240) and absolutely loves it! She's doing so well. It's a great program and she learns sooo much while she's there! The school has such a wonderful staff and their Cirriculum Coordinator was a teacher at Riverdale. I was so excited to see she was at 1st Evan! I am definitely proud to be called mommy. Avery seriously keeps me going and I don't know what I would do without her. I'm sure my future blogs will be full of "avie-isms."

I guess I should do my update now. I'm in my 31st-ish week of my pregnancy. My actual due date is April 3, but we will see. Miss Emelyn has been trying to jump the gun for quite awhile and is already dropped and in "position." I have contractions all the time, but I just keep on truckin on. I'll be 26 tomorrow. I'm not so thrilled. I mean, 26 is a much prettier number than 25, (I hate odd numbers) but I really miss my hubby and would rather spend my birthday with him. I've done pretty well since he left, but lately I've come to realize that there is a lot to do to get ready for Emelyn, so I'm getting a little overwhelmed. It's caused a lot of melt downs this week. I'm still truckin along though. It's par for the course. Such as the life of a military wife, right? We write to each other every night, so that definitely helps. Poor mail lady is stalked everyday, lol! I've taken up smocking recently. I have already finished Emelyn's going home dress, and I am currently working on their Easter dresses. I'm excited about having 2 girls to sew for. I love coordinating outfits! I'm excited about being a mommy to 2, but a little nervous at the same time. Nonetheless... I am mommy, hear me roar! *flexes muscles*

Well, I've bored ya'll to pieces, so I guess I will wrap this up! I will post some updated pics, ASAP! I have plenty, they're just trapped on my memory card, lol! I'm going to do my best to keep this updated! Wish me luck! LOL! :-)

as of late

Ok, Sooo... I'm behind on the blog world again, but this time it's not my fault. My laptop has serious issues. It completely died, so I was offline for awhile. I'm back on, but it is still blue screening! booo... If anyone has a new or slightly used laptop they'd like to give away or sell really cheap, that'd be cool!

Where to begin...
Avery will be 1 in 8 days, I can't believe it!!! It has gone by waaaay too fast! I'm happy and sad all at once!

We have had a pretty busy week and Avery has missed out on most of her naps, but she's still been a great baby regardless!

Monday- we took my laptop to Andrea's house so her hubby could fix it, then we went to the Dairy Queen on Houston Levee to meet momma for lunch! Andrea has recently gotten me hooked on the chicken strips there, they are the BEST! Then, we went to Target with momma to do a little shopping and bday wish listing! She was so worn out, she fell asleep before I had a chance to back out! A little later we went to the pool with Jill and John (her b/f). The water was freeeezing in the big pool, but the kiddie pool was warm! Avery loved it. Then, we tried to go get dinner at Milano's but they were closed, boo! So, we all went to our house and ate dominoes instead!
Tuesday- we went to the collierville spray park for my cousin, Jaedyn's 4th bday! We were there the majority of the day (til like 430). Avery had a lot of fun playing with the "big kids." She loved Elise and Micaela and cried when Elise was trying to leave. So, we let Elise stay a little longer to play! Avery was soooo worn out, she sacked out in the car before I made it out of the park! We took her home for a nap. Then, we went to dinner at the Kwasigroh's house. Jon and I are needing a little bit of guidance regarding something (will tell all when it is official), so it was wonderful having them to talk to! They really helped us. Avery loved eating spaghetti and green beans!
Wednesday- we went to gymnastics, then met momma for lunch at o'charleys! Avery, again tore into some pasta! I guess I need to make pasta every night, now! After lunch we went to like 7 stores looking for a swim suit for Avery. She only has 1, so we needed to get her a 2nd one! I can't believe how hard it was to find her another one! I finally decided to run into the Wolfchase Old Navy while Jon and Avery stayed in the car. I hate that ON b/c it's always so cluttered and messy! Much to my surprise they have completely redone the entire store! That is where we found her a swimsuit on sale for $9!!! I even left with 2 pairs of flip flops (which, of course, are too big).
Thursday- Jon had to work, so Avery and I went to the zoo with my cousins- Jill, Julie (and her bun in the oven), Micaela, Jaedyn, and Malachi, and my Aunt Karen. The kids had a blast playing at Teton Trek in the water. Malachi got a big boo-boo on his head, but he bounced back pretty quick! Aunt Karen, gave Avery an oreo when I wasn't lookin... *scowl*... she liked it, but we're not going to make a habit of it... lol. Mom was on Aunt Karen's side, of course! haha! Apparently that's their job. Oh well... After we left the zoo, we attempted to go to Sunset on the Square in Collierville, but the rain set in and we had to go home. Better luck next week.

Whew, told you we had a busy week! Avery is down for her 1st morning nap of the week! I'm enjoying the quiet. She's having some major allergy and asthma problems this week. Yesterday she went into an asthma attack and had to have her inhaler. Today she's hacking while trying to nap. poor baby! She acted like she felt better today, but I still may take her in so he can listen to her breathing. Ok, I'm going to quit boring you now. Time to post some pics for the week!

ok, they put all my pics up in a reverse order... here they are tho!


Malachi and Avery posing at the birds and bees exhibit!


Avery at Teton Trek in her new suit! :-) Rockin her "tunder tighs"

Read what's underneath the credit card logo's... yes this is why you run a DQ... stupid, lol! I'm totally sending this to Jay Leno...

Chillin at the spray park!

Checkin it all out...

In the big pool... it was cold, she wanted out! lol!

Memorial Day... rockin a dress I got at a consignment sale! :-)

Catchin' Up

Yeah, ok... Andrea fussed at me today b/c it's been over a month since I've updated my blog, soooo here's to you, Andrea!!! :-)

Let's see... in the last month- Avery has started walking a lot, talking even more, and she's goofier than ever! She's everywhere, I can hardly keep up! She's growing up soooo fast! She was recently a flower girl in Heather's wedding, and she did great! I will post pics when I get them. :-) She is saying even more words and phrases now! Her latest weird word- CHICKEN!?!?!? Yes- we spend waaaayyyy too much time at the zoo! We are there at least once a week! She can say- Daddy, Momma (though she prefers to say daddy), hi, hey, bye, stop (usually at the dog), dog, oof-oof, duck, cack cack, kitty, chicken, gi-gi, gandaddy, headuh, see big bear, i did it, yaaaaayyyy, avie k, look, book... I dunno there are probably more! She's BIG into pointing. (we say she's got the "evil monkey point" from family guy, lol.) Aunt Heather taught her to stick her tongue out and Nana is trying to teach her how to roll it! She's a MESS! Soooo sweet though! Such a happy baby too! She has 11 teeth. Still lacking 1 molar. Her eye teeth are white now, too. We are slowly transitioning her to cows milk. This is our 2nd week. We are currently on 1/2 milk and 1/2 formula in a bottle. She's taking it! She still isn't a fan of straight up milk, but we're gettin there! Let's see... She thinks it's funny to wear things (not bows or hats, that'd be too easy) on her head. I will look back in the mirror while I'm driving and she will have her pacie sittin on her head. (plenty of room, haha!)... Today, however... it was pieces of a jiffy corn muffin! oye! I will attach the pics at the end! She is just sooo goofy!
She has some little friends that we hang out with a lot. Sean, Ethan, and Nathaniel. She tends to go for Nathaniel, I guess because he's older, lol! She's definitely got her pickins!
She really loves going to gymnastics. I don't care how crazy people think I am for taking my 11 month old to gymnastics. My child is going to be way more advanced and stronger than those who laugh! It apparently runs in the family. Jon's little cousin, Marley, is 4.5 and she's a double state champ! She has already qualified for nationals and jr. olympics! yeah... because she's awesome like that! I wish we could go see her compete somewhere! Anyways, she (avery) already knows how to pull up on the bar, do forward rolls, and we're working on the jumping thing. She loves to flip over the bar too! She's practically fearless!

Ok, I'm rambling, so I'm gonna shut up now. Hopefully I can get better at this whole blogging thing! I know it's driving Andrea crazy, haha! Later!


"He wore a hat, it was a yellooooooow hat!"


Gives a new meaning to "muffin top" lol!

Growin up!

I can't believe my lil angel is 10 months old today! It went by waaaayyyy too fast! She's standing more by herself (without holding on to anything) and is taking a few steps here and there. Not really walking unassisted yet! She's a busy busy body! Into EVERYTHING! In fact, I wish my camera was handy she's hilarious right now! Hug your babies b/c they grow up way too fast. She started gymnastics 2 weeks ago! She loves it and she's starting to make progress! She loves doing forward rolls, climbing over the caterpillar, and doing "handstands." She also likes to flip over the bar, "popcorn" on the trampoline and for me to throw her in the foam pit! She will walk on her hands if you hang her upside down by her feet! silly girl! Welp, I'm needed so I'm gonna end this blog! Here are a few pics of miss priss! Enjoy! =)


You can see she is standing in the dog bowl with 1 foot, while destructing Heather's dvd stand and playing with a hula-hoop! I smell T-R-O-U-B-L-E!


Making a mess of mommy's dvd's! - told you she was trouble! lol!


Sittin in the grass!


Playing with her new bubble mower!

Let's try this again

ok... so I didn't do a very good job getting this thing started before, so I'm gonna try again! Wish me luck! I'm hoping to get internet at the house soon... That will make it easier to keep this thing updated.

Avery is veeeeeryyy busy these days. She's been crawling for a while now, but now she's climbing on everything... and i mean EVERYTHING! It started with the stairs on saturday. Then it progressed to anything that was on the floor. Now were climbing fence rails (at the zoo's "once upon a farm"), baby gates, and her crib! She's also mastering cabinets. She's a mess! she's not walkin yet, but she's tryin hard. You'll notice the link on the right of my page for itzy bitzy shoes. They're running a thing where if I post a link to their site, I can enter to win free shoes... so there it is.... go click on it! They're the squeaky shoes. Yes, I know, I'm the 1st person to complain about some bratty kid running around the store with them on. However, I think they are good for kids who are learning to walk. A friend got them for her little girl with Down Syndrome, and they really help her walk! It's great! So, in my opinion- as long as they're being used for a good thing, they're cool! Otherwise... take the squeaker out! I LOVE the styles of mary-janes they have! The prices are great! They only cost between $10 and $20!!! That's awesome! You can't find cute shoes anywhere for those prices. They totally kick stride rite in the butt there! They're waaay cuter than stride rite too! They even have some really cute styles for boys, not just girls! Sooooo go check em out peeps! =)

Ok, well Avery has ventured off into parts unknown at the in-laws, so I better go find her! She can be destructive! I gotta get home and fix dinner! Tonight: Apricot-mustard chicken... sounds gross, but its awesome!!!! Gotta order ave's new shoes too! Yay!