Spring Break Festivities

So when I downloaded my pictures, I downloaded them backwards. Oops! Oh well, I am just proud of myself for putting pictures up before our Spring Break is even over. We have had such a relaxing break and it is the first Spring Break Jason and I have ever spent at our house since being married. We have always gone to Sherman so this is so nice to be home. We left on Friday and went to stay at Nona and Pops house (Sherri and Stan Young) for a weekend in Houston. They are so dear to us and while living in Houston we became very close. They became our family away from family and we love them dearly. We came into town for Carter Ingram's wedding; she was one of my students while teaching in Houston. She is such a sweet girl and was a beautiful bride. After a short visit with the Laborde's we came home after the wedding and have just been hanging out at home. Here are some of my favorite pictures!

Avery loving being outside

Another sweet picture

She loves the bubbles

Waiting on the bubbles!

Trying to get mama

Visiting with the Laborde's. Kara is getting so big! :(

And the twins.....they will be two this June. Sweet Lizzy and Lolo!

Ashley, Me, Carter, Brittni, and Megan (I miss my girls)

Love my family

Loving her Brittni

New way to hold the paci! Goofy girl.

First Dance

I love these two!

The newly married couple! Congrats JP and Carter!

Lunch at Lake Conroe with the Drake's and the Young's was so enjoyable. We miss this area so very much.

Avery is getting so close......anyday now she will be walking!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Our Lucky Charm

The New Look

So I have been wanting to change up our blog for some time now. Well, I finally found time in between cleaning and a sleeping baby to do it! I love the new look. It screams Spring/Summer!

Baby Dedication

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate."

Psalms 127:3-5

March 6, 2011 was the first milestone to mark Avery's walk with Christ. Jason and I vowed ourselves to be Avery's guidance and example in bringing her up in a Christian home. It was such a special day for our entire family and we thank everyone for their love and support in this very important time in our lives. We would like to thank Papa, Nana, Pawpaw, Gigi, Papaw, Teresa, Aunt Jenn, McKinley, Brennan, Emma, Great-Grandpa and Grandma Burrus, Great-Grandpa Powell, Aunt Lori, Rudy, Aunt Kim, Uncle Wayne, Jennifer, Blake, Jason, Gammie, Aunt Cinda, Kiel, Ashley, Sarah, Jayme, and Ella for all being in attendance for the special occasion. What a support group! We missed Aunt Lulu, Papa and Betty, and Uncle Tristan but we know you all support us in this journey.

Our dear friend, Ashley Boothe, with Blue Box Designs, created these beautiful invitations. Thank you so much! I do regret that we only took pictures at Church and did not get pictures with our family. We will always appreciate everyone who made the day that much more special. God blessed us with an amazing little girl who will continue to bring joy and light into our lives. You cannot help but smile when you see her sweet face. Thinking of the trial and tribulations that Jason and I endured, God knew His plan for us and He was waiting for the right time to send Avery to us. What a gift from God! She is a miracle in every way and we are proud to be called her parents. Please continue to support and pray for Jason and I in guiding our precious baby girl.

Beautiful Invitations

Our beautiful Angel Baby

Our Family

Lunch was held at our home afterwards to show our appreciation of our family and celebrate such a beautiful little girl. The cake was wonderful and the family time was even better. We are so glad we live here by our family. Avery opening her wonderful dedication gifts. She received some precious keepsakes that will be treasured forever. Thank you everyone!

Happy 10 Month Birthday

Happy 10 Month Birthday!

My beautiful baby girl is now 10 months old. In two months it will have been a year from the time I first looked into her gorgeous blue eyes. I cannot express the love I have for this little baby because there are no words to describe everything I feel for her. She brings so much joy and happiness into our home and I feel like a kid on Christmas morning when I get home from work and see her. I love watching her play and then her finally making eye contact with me and her screaming with excitement. She is such a smart baby and I am so very proud to be her mama. Being a mom has changed my life for the better and parenting with Jason is awesome. As parents we are in sink with everything and I know that is what makes for such a happy baby. I know this mama is ready for Spring and to take a break from visiting the pediatrician. It seems like since October we have been to the doctor every month. I think Avery has allergies but her nose has ran ALL winter. Knock on wood, but things seem to be getting better with this warmer weather. I am so very thankful for Avery and for the love she has filled in her parents hearts. Even after 10 months, there are still times I look at her and think, "Wow, she is really mine!". I am so lucky to have Avery and Jason. God is good!

Here is what Avery's has been up too:

• Avery now has four VERY visible and SHARP teeth (just ask Jason)
• She recognizes the word "No" and she knows that means to stop whatever she is doing
• Wearing 9-12 month clothing
• Size 3 Diapers
• Avery has definitely thinned out a bit from doing the "big" girl crawl on all fours
• Eats 4 bottles a day
• Takes three to four jars of baby food
• Cereal at night and a thousand puffs a day!
• Anything that mommy or daddy eats, so does Avery (she thinks she is ready for steak!)
• She wears a size 3 shoe and is doing pretty good with wearing shoes everyday
• Avery takes two to three naps per day
• She can now wave "Bye-bye" pretty consistently
• Avery visited the Fort Worth Zoo for the first time
• RSV (she had perfect Oxygen levels so things never got too serious.)
• Trying to take a few steps (Yikes!)
• Oh, and she is into everything............

Avery also was given a wooden swing set for the backyard and she LOVES the tire swing. Thank you Aunt Lori and Tucker! Avery loves to be outside so this is perfect!

Avery was so tired that she fell asleep in her highchair drinking her bottle. I wish this stage would last forever. I cannot believe how fast she is growing..........

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!