Going to the Zoo

Last weekend was absolutely beautiful so we decided to take Avery to the Fort Worth Zoo for the first time. My mom and sister also went with us! Avery loved looking at all the animals and just being outside. She loves to be outdoors. By the end of the afternoon she was getting pretty tired and passed out in her stroller. We got some super good pictures both of Avery and the animals. I would have to say that Jason is becoming a semi-professional photographer! I foresee many more trips to the zoo in the future!

Most beautiful baby! When we were going in Avery was so excited.
I felt so sorry for this Gorilla. He laid there the entire time until right when we were going to walk away and then he ran to the glass and literally punched it. It scared me half to death and Avery jumped. She just looked at him and started whining like she was telling him, "my mommy would slap your hand for hurting my feelings and hitting the glass. That is a no-no at my house."

I love being Avery's momma

Monkeys

Beautiful Flamingos

The infamous "Gremlin" face

Sweet little baby

She loved the fish!

And yes we let her touch a snake......she is her mommy's child. :)

Gorgeous bird, forgot the name. This bird talked the entire time we stood there. It was hilarious.

My FAVORITE picture. Jason is such a good dad. He truly loves unconditionally and God blessed Avery with an amazing daddy. I am very lucky to have such a great husband to share in raising Avery. He is such a big help.

Starting to get tired. When the feet go up you know she is done.

Bald Eagle

Giraffes

Tiger

Lion (The first thing that came to my mind was the song from "The Lion King"!)

Momma and Daddy

Safari Avery (Poor thing had just woke up)

Family pic (Lindsey had one heck of a time taking this picture)

Snow and Ice and Everything Nice

Our street after all the snow and ice. Beautiful!

We roasted marshmallows for smores. Yummmmm.
I love to see snow in the trees. It reminds me of all my years skiing and riding the lift to the top. All you see are trees with snow covering them.

Avery watching daddy cook steaks outside. We stayed bundled inside too!Ok, so let's recap this past week (February 1-4, 2011). To be quite honest with you I did not take the news reports seriously with regards to the "Big Ice Storm" and snow that was projected in our forecast. Much to my surprise they were pretty accurate this time. Monday night Avery started stirring which woke me up immediately and when I came too I could hear the ice hitting the windows. I ended up having to go upstairs and turning Avery's sound machine up so the noise would not wake her up. Tuesday I waited to get ready for work to see if we would have the day off. Sure enough at 6am the phone call came in and my head hit the pillow for a few more hours. In a million years I would have never thought we would be out for four days. The road conditions kept us home from work through Thursday and I thought for sure Friday we would be back in business. But then we had 6' inches of snow fall and cover the sheet of ice we had already received.

Now, I do laugh at everyone's reactions with the weather, but I will have to admit that I was a little stunned to see just how much winter weather we got. It was beautiful and I LOVED snuggling with my baby girl every morning and being home with my husband. With that came some bumps in the road......I got the stomach bug Wednesday and I am still not 100%, Jason started running fever Thursday afternoon (he is good now), and Miss Avery started feeling bad Friday morning (I will leave details to the imagination). I have been very busy cleaning, doing laundry, and disinfecting EVERYTHING. Overall it was a nice little break and staying home with my family for some much needed down time was a blessing. We all suffered a touch of Cabin Fever, but it was well worth it.

Loving on daddy

Staying warm and playing hard

I am sooooooo bored

We made a palate and snuggled next to the fire

Avery took good care of her babies while at home with mama and daddy

Mommy and Avery getting ready to get out of the house!

Avery helped me do the laundry

Beautiful

So excited to see her baby!

Happiest little baby

Dirt Bike Daddy

Last weekend Jason went riding with his Dad and brother. He loves riding dirtbikes so I thought I would share a few pictures.

Happy 9 Month Birthday

Happy 9 Month Birthday sweet baby girl!

So I cannot believe my little girl is already 9 months old. She has been in my arms just as long as she was in my tummy. It has been a busy month. Avery is no longer doing the "army crawl", she up on all fours and can move faster than mama and daddy! She can walk around the coffee table quicker than I can think and is into everything; if it is in Avery's reach, it is not safe. Speaking of the coffee table, Avery did decide to try to eat it about three weeks ago and had a pretty nasty fall. She split her gums which has now allowed her two top teeth on her right side to pop through. One of her bottom teeth came through on 1/1/11 and her other bottom tooth is playing peek-a-boo through the gums. One day it is here and the next it is gone. She talks all the time and I cherish every giggle and goofy face that she makes. Avery says Dada, Bye-bye, or just bye, and we have been working on Mama. She will also wave occasionally!

Avery has also started to develop somewhat of a little attitude. She swings her arms and does this squealing noise. I find myself saying, "Mama said no, no" A LOT! We replace the things she does not need with toys that she should be playing with. However, the toys do not hold her attention like I would like them too. We bought Avery a baby stroller for her many babies and she loves to walk behind it patting her dolls on the head and jabbering about who knows what! There is not a day that goes by that she does not make us laugh.

At Avery's 9 Month appointment she checked out with an A+ both in her development and physical exams.

Avery Lately:

Weight: 21.3 pounds

Height: 28.3 inches

Diapers: Size 3

Clothes: 6-9 months

Shoes: Size 2

She eats 4 bottles a day and two to three jars of food. She has started eating a lot more people food from the table and seems to like everything.

I am so thankful to be her mom. In the mornings and when I get off work, I cannot get to her quick enough. And to see her daddy with her makes my heart melt. She gets so excited when he walks into the room. She is truly coming into her own and I love it. Happy 9 Month Birthday sweet girl!

Sergeant Sally

June 9, 2007

Our wedding

June 2010

Grandma with her Great-Granddaughter Avery

On January 15, 2011 Jason's grandmother, Sally, went to be with her Lord and Savior and is no longer in pain. Sally will be remembered as the vibrant and vivacious red head who traveled and loved being with her family. She was an active member in the Dallas Ladies Elks and was known as Sergeant Sally for her determination to get the job done. I know we will all miss her very much but will one day see her again.

First snow of 2011

On January 9, 2011 we got our first snowfall of the year. Hopefully there are many more to come. I love the snow and although I would love to live where this was a regular routine, I could not live anywhere else but Texas. What a treat to get this much snow in Texas!

So glad to be back where we actually see snow without driving to the mountains!
Avery loved the snow!

Precious baby trying snow for the first time!

Everything looks so pretty with a blanket of white. We had about 4 to 5 inches on the ground after the last snowflake fell.

Coming into our neighborhood

A New Year........

2011 has arrived, and even though I am writing this a little late, I still want to share a few things. Each new year we can look back on the previous year and it seems that all we remember is the "bad" or "negative" things from that year. That was not the case for us. I have to say that 2010 came with much joy with the birth of our beautiful daughter. Avery has brought so much joy and life to Jason and I and that is all I can see from 2010. Granted, I do think about the tragedies and pain, the dear ones who passed, and the exhausting move we made from Houston to McKinney with a three month old who did not like her carseat while I was still strictly nursing. With all that being said, I was happy to usher in a new year to see what life holds for our family in 2011.

I made a few New Year's Resolutions:

1. In November we found a great church that both Jason and I are really excited about. We have made the decision to join and it feels so refreshing. As a family I want to grow in Christ and become more centered.
2. I want to be a better mother, wife, daughter, sister, teacher, and friend.
3. Become more financially sound.
4. Have a date night with my husband at least once a week.
5. And lastly live a "SIMPLE" life.

In regards to number five, I would like to share this from last Sunday, "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'"

-Matthew 6:5-13

I find this so true in my own life when I pray. I pray at night when I am rocking my sweet baby and I feel I need to name everything and everyone I am praying for. All it takes is the word, "Unspoken". I will simplify my words and my life in 2011. These are my goals for the new year and I hope to accomplish them. I am only human so I will do my best.

Avery is excited about 2011!

Happy 8 Month Birthday

Happy 8th Month Birthday

Gorgeous Baby

I feel like such a bad momma. Heck in just a few weeks, I will be posting another birthday month. It has been a really busy month and you will understand in the coming post why it has taken me so long to update. Here is what our precious baby has been up to:

• You are taking two naps a day; one at 45 minutes and the second for about an hour and a half.
• You started stage 3 foods and you weren't quite sure of them. You are getting better now and not gagging as much!
• You take 6 bottles a day and two jars of food and at night you get cereal.
• You are wearing size 3 diapers.
• You are wearing size 6-9 month clothes; the 9 month clothes are too big, but the 6 month clothes are getting too small.
• You are pulling up on everything; the coffee table, the bar stools, just about anything you can reach. The house is no longer safe.
• You are talking up a storm.
• When we get your bath water ready upstairs and you hear the water from your room, you take off like a rocket to the bathroom. It is so cute!
• You LOVE Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and we love to hear your reaction when Mickey comes on the screen; your arms start waving and you start kicking your feet. I can't wait to take you to see him in person, but that will be a while.
  

WOW! Time flies when you are having fun! You are a vibrant and cheerful little girl. You make us so happy and to see you smile still brings tears to my eyes. You want to play with Maddie so bad but she takes off running the other way. Maybe it is because you takes chunks of hair out and you try to pull off her Snuggy! Yes the dog has a Snuggy for those of you reading! I love your smell and how in the mornings when I get you out of your crib you lay your head on my shoulder. I wish I could just pause in that moment and stay there forever. I cannot believe that in four months we will be celebrating your 1st Birthday. That does not seem real. We are very blessed to have a healthy baby girl who is home with us and happy! We are blessed to be your parents and I take such pride in wearing my 1st Mother's Day Brigthon bracelet that you and daddy got me. Every time I look at it, I feel like the luckiest person alive to know that I am your momma! Love you baby girl.