Birthday Bash

Three years ago on May 20th I anxiously woke up, anticipating the birth of our sweet baby girl. I did not know what to expect, but I did know that God had a plan, and I looked forward to it. Little did I know exactly how much joy would be brought into my life after a few short hours.

There are not enough pages to describe the sweetness of our bundle of love named Avery. I only hope that I do not do anything to stifle her free spirit and bright mind.

Once again, we threw a 'pool party' in honor of her birthday, complete with a slip and slide lined with sprinklers. The theme was Strawberry Shortcake, which stemmed from one of her favorite books. Our dear friend, Dawn, was wonderfully creative and re-created the exact cake from Avery's book, thus thrilling the birthday girl!

We were glad to share fellowship with all who came, and missed those who were unable to attend.

Braden did not have a clue what was going on, but as usual was a great trooper along for the ride.

Avery topped the evening off with more fun and dinner with her friend Adalyn.

We decided to get Avery a big pool for her birthday, and I must say that it was the perfect gift. She has spent everyday in it and especially enjoys the afternoons when Daddy comes home and takes a dip with her. One of my favorite parts of the day is watching them play together. The water is still pretty cold for my liking, so Braden and I are better at supporting the fun from the sidelines.

I've also included the latest of Braden. He's all smiles for Daddy, so when I get one every now and then, I have to capture it on camera.

Playing Catch Up

Where to start? Where to start....



My kids love each other. Braden thinks Avery hung the moon, and Avery loves to make Braden laugh. I'm truly blessed with two beautiful angels!


Now that Braden is 6 1/2 months old, I've decided to hold off on his 6 month post and combine it into the 7 month milestones. He's growing more and more everyday, weighing in at a whopping 20 lbs, 3 oz! He is 29" long, and is becoming quite the independent little (big) man. Everytime I think Avery or someone else is being too rough on him, I find him laughing so hard he gets the hiccups!


Avery and Braden joined their friends Griffin and Jaxon last week at the children's wing of the Shakespeare Museum. Braden enjoyed the hands-on learning as much as Avery did! We look forward to going back more often so we can take it all in and continue to learn.


Braden has a girlfriend named Riley. Yes, already! The thing is, she just celebrated her year birthday! I guess he likes older women like his daddy. ;) She's a doll, and they love to snuggle up with each other and give kisses. I have not been able to capture the cuteness on camera yet.


Track season is over! I enjoyed this season more than last, but seem to have gotten a little too attached to the kids. I found myself crying during Senior Sunday at church. Here are some pictures of Braden at the State Meet. He was great, going along for the ride, and Avery enjoyed her time at home with friends. I felt bad dolling her out to different people for the three nights we were away, but I think everyone had a good time. (Wouldn't it be nice if we had family in town?!)

And finally, Happy Mothers Day to me! My kids and wonderful husband made this year so special. Kenny brought home gorgeous flowers on Saturday; then that night we went to dinner and enjoyed great conversation while the kids sat quietly and behaved.


Sunday morning, I heard the pitter patter of little feet running to hand me my card. Inside was a gift card to my favorite restaurant (Olive Garden), which we enjoyed for lunch that day. I also received a very touching card from my great hubby with another gift card! One of our track runners, who is in the youth group, brought me a flower during our Mother's Day service at church, again starting the water works. (What's up with me crying so much now that I've had kids!?)


On Monday, Kenny called during the day to say he thought it would be fun if we went out to eat again that night. Little did I know he had planned for our friends to watch the kids while we were gone. We enjoyed each other's company for an evening of dinner and shopping for Avery's birthday present and new booster seat since Braden has outgrown his carrier and is going to claim her old car seat.

To sum it up; God has abundantly blessed my life!

Track Meet Troopers

Let me start off by saying that we would not have been able to survive this track season without the help from all of the wonderful parents. Last year we made arrangements for Avery for every track meet. This year we just started bringing the kids along for the ride, and everything has worked out just fine.

I did not ask permission to use names so I won't be listing them here, but there are a few particular parents who I'm especially grateful for. I know I can completely trust that when Avery or Braden are with them, I don't have to worry about if they are being fed, have enough sunscreen on, or are just flat out being taken care of. If anyone has any ideas of how to 'treat' these special people, let me know. I wish I could spend the money to honor them with a whole day at the spa.

We had Sectionals this past weekend, and Friday was a long day. Avery and Braden were both troopers. Here are a few pictures from the day. Fortunately there was a park nearby, so Avery was able to use up some of her energy there.

Whirlwind

Boston: The historical tour was nice, but very similar to the trip we took a few years back. Lots of walking ensued, so it was nice to get in some exercise and build up my calf muscles while looking at beautiful buildings and historical markers.

Kenny and Dallas (one of the kids) decided it was necessary to take a picture with every single statue in Boston. If anyone else reading this has been to Boston, you know how often we had to stop, then run to catch back up with the group. I had a shin splint by the end of it all.

The first night in Boston included The Blue Man Group show. I must say that was by far the BEST show I have ever witnessed. It combined elements of art, music, humor, audience participation, videography, improptu, and so much more. Our seats were in the poncho section front and center, and was a show that entertained old and young alike. For those who may not be familiar with The Blue Man Group, they are the three blue men who appear on commercials and other shows who are in a constant state of discovery. My cheeks hurt from laughing the entire time, and at every turn, I was amazed at the talent and genious of those who put it all together. From the amazing druming performances filled with flying paint to the art of figuring out how to eat, it was fantastic. I could go on for an entire post solely about Blue Man Group, but others may not be as amazed as I was.


We topped the second night in Boston off with a Celtics game. I was excited to go to the game, but it soon wore off when we were bombarded with 'drunk, loud, obnoxious, nasty mouthed, 40ish year old men who thought they were all that' behind us. Three of our girls had beer spilled on them, with no apologies, only flirtatious remarks (to 17 year old girls, mind you). Needless to say, I have a bad connoation now about the Celtics and will forever cheer against them even though it's not their fault.

Canada was nice. We had more free time there, so Kenny and I got to spend more time with just us without teenagers around. That helped make the trip feel like a mini vacation. It's weird looking at the pictures and not seeing two little chillins in them with us. I guess that's how we looked three years and 10 pounds ago. We did the usual shopping, dining (at the Rainforest Cafe), and then we had an old timey picture taken. On our honeymoon we had one taken, and we said we were going to do that each anniversary. Seven years later, we finally got around to having another one taken.

Niagra Falls: The ultimate summation of God's beauty, power, might, and awesomeness. When we drove into Canada, the Falls were off to our left, and were semi far away. We all must have been expecting the same thing because although no one said it, we all had a sense of disappointment. Our hotel overlooked the Falls, and that evening we walked down to see them lit by lights. It was amazing, but still not as impressive as I imagined. It was not until the following day that my disappointment vanished. We were able to tour behind the Falls, and we literally traveled in the tunnels beneath the Falls to portholes that led behind the Falls. It was fantastic. While standing on the river banks overlooking God's creation, I was awestruck. We always say we are imperfect beings and not worthy of much, but I felt priviledged to say that the same hands who created the glory falling before us, also formed me.

On the flight out, we were able to witness the beauty all over again.

While we were in Boston, Kenny got news that his uncle had passed away, so when we got home Sunday night at 11:30 p.m., we re-packed for a trip to Nashville the next day. Early Monday morning, we left for the trip, spent some time with Kenny's family, then turned around and left Tuesday morning so we would be back in time for the Jr. High Championship track meet. That was a whirlwind trip in itself, and even though the circumstances were not good, we were blessed to spend time with Kenny's mom, dad, and brother, Kirk and sister, April. Avery was excited to get to ride back to Montgomery in daddy's truck with Uncle Tom, so that gave me a little time to catch up on sleep while Braden slept. It was sad to drive through Columbia, where one of my good friends from college lives, as well as have to pass Huntsville by without saying hellos to all of our friends there.

Now we're home safely with a our Sectional track meet this weekend, followed by State next weekend. Maybe things will calm down a bit...then again, football and volleyball start, so who knows if life will ever calm down again. My bet is probably not.

Braden's Babbles

Avery, Braden and I were sitting at the table, eating lunch. Braden was babbling, "ahhh, ahh, ahh."

It sounded like he was telling us something very interesting.

Avery said, "well, Braden, tell us some more! Momma; he's telling us a story."

I said, "do you think he's telling us a story about frogs?"

She said, "no."

I said, "is it a story about fish?"

She said, "no."

We went on like this for a while.

Finally I asked her what he was telling us a story about.

She put her fork down, looked at me with exasperated eyes and said, "It's just 'ahhhs, momma."

Five Months Old

I don't know how much I weigh, but I would assume I'm getting close to 18 pounds.

I also know that I'm growing taller because I don't fit in many of my clothes that have feet and are less than 9 month sizes.

I love my feet, and play with them all the time.

I would be perfectly content to never wear clothes. Momma likes my chubby, chubby, chubby thighs.

Avery still makes me laugh, and now that I can reach out and grab things, I've snatched her hair, blanket and some of her toys. She's sweet to me, but I can tell she's not going to be super happy when I can follow her everywhere she goes.

I love every vegetable that I've tried, which includes carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, peas, and grean beans. I look like a little baby bird with my mouth open, anticipating every bite!

Anytime I'm watching someone else eat, I open my mouth for a bite. When I realize the food is not going into my mouth, I get a little upset and never take my eyes off of their eating utensil.

I can roll from my back to my side, but still haven't rolled over all by myself.

My favorite monkey is still the best toy ever!

I've been to several track meets, and am always a good sport.

My first trip to the beach was so much fun! I loved how the wind took my breath away, and had a hard time stopping my laughing so I could get some oxygen.

When I'm on my tummy, I can scootch (that's momma's word) around. I don't go anywhere, but I can change directions where I'm looking.

My momma and daddy are going away for the first time without me. Grammy and Pop are coming to take care of Avery and me. I look forward to a fun time of getting spoiled!

I like sitting in my 'jeep' activity center. The phone is my favorite part because I can put it in my mouth.

I've started eating a little formula so I can get ready for Grammy and Pop's visit since momma didn't get enough milk saved up.

I look forward to sitting up all by myself all the time without tipping over.

Momma and Daddy are still amazed at how fast time is flying by! I'm still one of their best blessings ever!

Biker Babe

We pulled out the bicycle to give it another whirl. After one day of trying to ride by herself, it clicked! She is so happy and wants to ride it everywhere!

Who's Who Part Two

The more I do this, the harder it is for me to try to 'trick' people into figuring out who is who. Mainly because they are normally wearing pink or blue, and it doesn't help that I normally had a bow stuck to Avery's bald head.

Comparing pictures has shown me that they don't look as much alike as I remember in my head, but I still think they resemble each other. It's neat to see their differences.

Happy Easter!

We had a nice Easter weekend. Saturday was the easter egg hunt at church, complete with bouncers and slides. Avery enjoyed them all until the big kids took over and got a little rough.

Sunday morning before church we had a mini egg hunt in the house. Avery ran around saying, "another one!" She picked each up, one at a time, ran to put them in her basket before heading back for more finds.

That evening we went to small group at Brooke and Jerry's house. They were so kind to have another egg hunt for the kiddies.