Avery and Her Randomness

Avery learned the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho the other day in Bible class. Now she's obsessed with marching around, blowing horns and walls falling down. So, she and her daddy have been building towers to march around and knock down. This is her latest 'TALL' tower!

Daddy came back from football camp with a fun surprise for Avery. She loves her 'football shirt' and wants to wear it nearly every night to sleep in. I can't imagine the day that it won't fit her like a nightgown anymore.

Uncle Thomas is in town now for a while. He's playing football at Faulkner. Avery has acted a little shy around him this time, but she still loves it when he reads her bedtime stories.

And in other news, this is Avery's newest way to watch her favorite movies.

Preferred Comments

Here I am, working on my 28th week. I've always noticed that some comments are a little easier to hear than others. Here's my small compilation:

You sure are blossoming, huh?
So, when do you pop?
Wow! You're getting on out there!
"Hi, I'm so and so. Oh that's right, I've met you before. You're just so much bigger than last time I saw you."

Seriously, people really do say these things.

2 Going on 20?

Comfortable?

Can You Watch TV Like This?

First Time...Last Time

First Memory: I remember lots of things from when I lived in Colorado, which would make me 2 or 3. The most vivid memories include having horrible nightmares each night. There are also good memories of trips with my family, etc.



First Real Kiss: I think I was 15 when it actually meant something. When I was in 5th grade, everyone used to meet after school to see who was brave enough to kiss someone. Apparently this kid, Cody, and I were brave enough for a quick peck.



First Concert: It was a Beach Boys/Chicago combo. I still remember shopping for the perfect flip flops to match the shirt I picked out to wear!



First Love: I think there are different kinds of love, some much more mature than others. First "love," high school boyfriend. First everlasting love, Kenny of course.



First Crush: If you go back and read my journals from school, you'd think I was boy crazy, but I'm assuming my first crush would be one of my older brother's friends.



First Thing you Think of in the Morning: Sure wish Avery would sleep a little longer...



First Book you remember loving: Cars and Trucks and Things That Go (find Goldbug?)



First Question you'd ask in heaven: I have tons of questions, but I'm sure once I'm there none of them will matter.



First Best Friend: Holly Boyer. When we moved to Texas, we stayed pen pals for a long time. She was a great sticker trader!



Last Time You Dressed Up: Church last Sunday. Fancy Smancy dress up would probably be when we went on our cruise three years ago. (There needs to be more opportunities for girls to get "dolled up.")



Last Book You Read: Patricia Cornwell's Black Notice



Last CD You Bought: Carrie Underwood's new album for part of Kenny's father's day gift.



Last Time You Cried: Tears welling: today; Boo Hoo: yesterday. Yes, I'm pregnant.



Last Movie You Saw: Man of the Year..decent movie.



Last Time You Told Someone You Love them: Earlier today to Kenny



Last Funny thing you did: Who knows?



Last Thing You watched on TV: Kenny's channel surfing and there is some weird Japanese movie on with horrible voiceovers...I hope we get to watch something else once I'm finished here.

CopyCat

Avery had become quite the Copycat. She has always tried to mimic things we do, but now it's to the point where she gets very frustrated if she can't do everything that we're doing.

Not only does she like to do the things we do, she repeats EVERYTHING you say. Not just words, but the entire sentence, and she starts repeating about two words into it so it's a little confusing to talk because you hear yourself and her saying the same things.

We've decided we're to a point where we need to take a break, so today has been a day of rest for us. (Especially good because we stayed out late last night and all need a good nap this afternoon.) So, Kenny was playing XBox when Avery came along and thought she needed to help. She picked up "her" controller, pulled up a chair, and this is the result. Of course every time Kenny cheered, she would copy.

For a few minutes she got sidetracked and read some books, piddled in the kitchen, etc. Just as I was about to close the blog, I heard her walk to her daddy, pick up her controller, plop down in her chair, and say, "I'm back!"

Air Force Gal and Her Proud Daddy

Today while we cleaned out the baby's room, we found some clothes that had been packed away when we found out Avery was a girl instead of a boy. Included was a jacket that used to be Kenny's when he was little.

I have had the joy of seeing Avery wear, play with, listen/watch tapes, etc. that I used to watch when I was little, but there haven't been too many things of Kenny's that he has been able to enjoy through Avery.

So, you can imagine the look on his face when he put the jacket on Avery today. His eyes lit up when he saw how proud she was to "wear Daddy's jacket!" She did not want to take it off; even to go outside, get in the hot car, and drive to school to drop Daddy off. When we got home, it was time for her nap, and I had to do some major bargaining to get her to take it off so she would be comfortable to sleep. She knows exactly where it's hanging and agreed to take it off only if she could put it right back on the second she woke up!

Our Room

Here are pictures of the master bedroom. There's not much to say except that I don't have drapes yet, and nothing is on the walls. In most parts of our house we don't have things hanging up yet because the walls are made of plaster and could crack if you nail or screw things into it. So, we're going to use the picture molding and hang things the old fashioned way with wire and hooks. I think it's going to remind me of an art gallery.

Avery's Room

I guess I technically finished getting Avery's room straight before we left for Huntsville, but her bedding finally came in so I thought I'd wait to post pictures until it was complete. In actuality, I've realized that it's still not complete. Her name will be hung on the wall above her bed, but we have not had a chance to do that yet. For the irony of it all, her bedding has been at the store the entire time, I've just been receving contradictory emails. That's definately not something I'm going to stress about though.

I'm really pleased with the way it all came together, but most importantly, Avery LOVES it! She constantly talks about her new room, pink curtains, new pink rug, and her Big Girl Bed. Sometimes during the day I realize I haven't heard from her in a while only to find her in her room playing.

Whew!

As Kenny mentioned, we've had a very busy few weeks. Right when we got in the house and were able to start getting settled, it was time to hit the road again. My mind raced the entire time we were gone, trying to figure out what to start on first when we got back.

Well, we're home now, but there is only so much unpacking you can do in a day without getting 'sloppy.' I want things to be put away in a neat order, but by the end of the day, I find myself starting to cram things in closets instead of finding a better home for it. This is when I decide to take a break.

I wanted to take the time to thank everyone who helped so much getting the house ready and of course during the final move as well. My mom was here, and she's a picture-taker, so we have a picture of the group that helped us move. I'm not sure it's the entire group, but it was most of us. (I say us, but really feel like I didn't help much in the heavy lifting department...I'll make up for it after this baby comes.)

People have asked when I'm going to post pictures of the house...we'll not until the rooms are presentable of course. Some are finished, so I may update along the way.





I also feel like I haven't done justice talking about my family's visit. Maybe one of these days when I catch my breath I'll elaborate on how wonderful it was. To sum it up, Avery thoroughly enjoyed her Grammy and Pop, and of course they loved getting to be around her too. My dad worked his head off the entire time trying to get the house ready so we could move in. (Kenny learned quite a bit, and at times could be found under the house or on the roof!) Grammy worked her head off keeping Avery occupied so I could come to the house to work as well. It was a long awaited and much needed visit. Of course when they left, I started to miss them, but a few hours after they were on the road, we left for our trip as well. It was not until last night when I walked into the house and knew they weren't going to be there with us when the sadness hit hard. There are always future trips to look forward to, but I'm afraid they are always too few and far between.

Moving Party!

Moving Party at the Simpson's Thursday at 6:00 p.m. if anyone's free!

Highlights From Our Week

Football practices everyday as usual.

Volleyball practices on Tuesday and Thursday.

House closing set for Thursday morning at 10:00; postponed to Thursday at 3:00. Annoying.

Thursday night: rip up carpet in new house; sweep and mop floors. Kenny goes to 7 on 7 at the field.

Friday: Paint, Paint, and More Paint. (Thanks Dawn and Chris for all the help!)

Saturday: Trip to Lowes for more paint, then more painting at new house.

Saturday evening: Anxiously awaiting the arrival of my parents! Avery can't wait to show "Grammy and Pop what a big girl I am!"

No time to chat any longer; gotta pack more!

Cheesin' Good Pictures As The Weeks Go By

I've completed 21 weeks of this pregnancy, and am feeling great! Tired spells still hit me every now and then, and I seem to have to practice my patience a little more than usual. All in all, I'm feeling great and enjoying my family!

This morning we finally got a good picture of Avery and me. Normally, she cheeses with me and smiles pretty with Kenny. This morning it was visa versa!

Whew!

There have been some ups and downs this week regarding the purchase of our new home. We even thought we caught a few glimpses that it all wouldn't work out.

To make a long story short (and not bore you with all the details in between) God has smiled on us, and things have worked out. A week from today we will be the proud owners of our new home!

To add to the excitement, my parents are getting to come help us with minor repairs and updates! We haven't seen each other since Christmas, and a visit is long overdue. Avery looks forward to her Pop and Grammy's visit. She relates when they will be here with the fourth of July and fireworks. It's cute to hear her talk about how "Grammy and Pop will hear and see the loud fireworks, but it will be okay because Daddy is here to protect us from the scary noises."

So, if anyone wants to come help paint, rip up carpet, move furniture, caulk, trim trees, etc., you're more than welcome! ;)

Happy Father's Day!

What a difference a year can make! Notice last year's father's day picture vs. this year's!

(On a sad note, it does make me sad to see her baby bracelet in the old picture. It was among the things that were stolen when our house was broken into a few months ago.)

Avery's growing up! (Kenny looks the same...and he likes blue shirts...)

Seriously, it was good to once again celebrate the fact that Kenny is the father of our little girl and soon to be little boy. He's a great daddy!

The Name Game

Kenny and I have been tossing several baby names around in our minds for a while now, but since we now know the gender, we've kicked it into high gear. Last time when we were deciding, school was in and Kenny got ideas from them; then took polls of the kids' favorite names. Since it's summertime, there aren't as many opportunities for that.

So, I wondered what other people's favorite names were. Some may be saving them as secrets for their own children someday, but I love hearing other ideas and options.

Let the name game begin! Tell me what you like for a little boy!

It's A.....!

I asked Kenny if this was too graphic to post online, and he didn't seem to think it was inappropriate...so, here's a not-so-modest view of our new Baby BOY!!!

Thumbs up!

Scary face....will sure be a sweet one in real life!

Answered Prayers!

On June 28th, we will be proud homeowners again!!!!! YEAH!!! Thanks for all the prayers.

New Home?

We put an offer on this one....we'll see what happens next!

Vacation Time!

Kenny has already posted the highlights of our trip to Stone Mountain, so I thought I'd just add a few pictures.

Wednesday included a day of travel, but included fun stops along the way. When we got checked in, and after dinner at Mama Mia's Pizzaria , we stopped in The Family Fun Center to try to get a few games of bowling in. They were booked, so Avery enjoyed playing arcade games instead. Her reaction time to bopping the sharks on the head was a bit slow. She hit every one that popped up, just a second after the fact!

The next day was a full day of Stone Mountain sights. We enjoyed watching Avery take in all of her surroundings. She talked about the big mountain and how we were going to go way up high. She also talked about how she was going to pet the goats and sheep, and oh by the way David took care of sheep. Then he got Goliath. Little bit of a sidestory, but at least she's learning in Bible class! Kenny already mentioned the 4-D show involving the snake...but we all had fun taking silly pictures before the show began. (Why can't they make cute glasses?)

Also, who knew a tree could grow on top of a giant stone mountain? Avery also enjoyed "riding the choo choo tain..." and requested another ride the following morning. While we waited to board the big boat, we decided to go for a short paddle boat ride. Avery had fun, but not as much fun as when we fed the ducks. According to her, there was a momma, a daddy, and an Avery duck. It did look like a family with two adult ducks, and two baby ducks. I guess she assumed the last duck was the new baby. Other people started watching and feeding, so more and more ducks swam toward the crowd. Then, the fish got in on the action. Avery thought it was funny when they jumped up to try to beat the duck to the precious food. We decided the biggest duck was a bully because he kept turning and lunging at the other ducks who tried to get close to his feeding ground.

After a full morning, afternoon, and dinner, we headed back to the hotel for a break and a swim. We promised Avery since she had done so well all day that she could go swimming. Well, we know for the future to check out the temperature of the water before making such promises! It was frigid, but she held us to our promise. After a warm up bath, we rested in the hotel until the night laser and fireworks show. We warned her that it might be loud, but it would be okay and pretty. She talked all the way there, "be loud; but ok..." After the show which ended around 10:30, Avery fell asleep on the 4 minute ride home. After she was tucked into her pack and play, Kenny and I hooked up the headphones to his laptop and watched a $1 movie we purchased from Wal-Mart earlier in the afternoon. Cheesy movie, but a fun memory, all huddled under the covers so Avery wouldn't wake up from the light on the screen.

Avery slept in until 10 the next morning, so we bypassed our plan of playing a rousing game of Putt Putt before heading home. Once we were packed up and ready to go, it was almost lunchtime, so we got on the highway and headed home. We made a few stops here and there, but Avery had been patient long enough. She was ready to get home. We finally made it home in time for her to take a nap, then head back out for dinner. We were determined even though we were home, we were not going to let the vacation be over (especially since our anniversary is today!)

I'd say we had a fantastic time with each other, and Avery was a trooper as always. And now we know she doesn't turn into a terrible monster even if she doesn't get a nap!