Birthday Fun and Lots of Pictures

I mentioned in my last post that I would share more about Avery's birthday party later. Well, here it is with LOTS of pictures! For the first year of Avery's life, the sweet and talented Laurel at Eilas Photography has captured Avery's 1st year. When she mentioned doing a photo shoot at Avery's 1st birthday party, I was beyond excited. Thanks for capturing great moments of Avery's first year Laurel!

OK, on to Avery's birthday fun. Here is a picture of the birthday girl.

Here is the birthday girl and her little friend, Myla.

We had the party at Inside Out Play Park. It is a new play place in Franklin. Since it was new, I got a really great deal AND the people were so great and easy to work with. It was a great place for Avery's party. We were so glad to have family in town and a few of Avery's little friends there to celebrate.

I had so much fun planning and maybe went a little overboard. But I made Avery this little pink tutu for her special day.

Avery really enjoyed playing in the soft play area.

She very carefully explored her cake. She wasn't so sure about it and licked just a tiny bit of the icing off her fingers. Hopefully we have trained her well to eat her veggies. (One can wish, right?!) I just hope she doesn't love sweets as much as her mom and dad.

I think her favorite part was the birthday surprise. At Inside Out, they let the birthday girl/boy ride the 4-wheeler through the "park." She L.O.V.E.D it! As long as she keeps her girlie side, she can play outside with her dad.

I do NOT consider myself crafty, but I sure can borrow other crafty people's ideas. I found the cute Milk and Cookies theme idea at The Tom Kat Studio. Melinda, a crafty friend of mine, helped me brainstorm and stage this sweet 1st birthday party. I did make this burlap banner with some brown paint and stencils. It was easy. And if it was easy for me, you can do it too!

I also created the cake topper. You should have been a fly on the wall in Archivers when I walked in. Talk about feeling out-of-place. That was me. I am not a scrap booker either and was in there F.O.R.E.V.E.R just trying to figure out the perfect way to make the cake topper.

... and lots of Frappacino bottles later, we had a great place to put the milk. Thank you Matt!

Overall, we had a very fun celebration!

The Sweetest 1

Today was sweet little Avery's birthday. Look at this picture of her only a year ago. She was a tiny little one weighing in at only 5 lb. 13 oz.

Now look at her! She has grown so much over this last year.

We love her so much and can't imagine this past year without her. And, we are excited to see her grow and change over this next year. We had a fun celebration yesterday with our family and friends. I can't wait to share more about her birthday party later.

Uh - Uh - Oh

Here is a sweet little video Avery's Bibi captured this week.

Avery - 11 months

Our sweet Avery is 11 months old! She was quite the traveler this week as we drove to see both sets of grandparents. I think we drove a total of 1,400 miles, and she did very well for a girl who cries the whole way from daycare home each day.

Hopefully soon I will post some videos/more pictures of her latest milestones. Last week she began walking while holding our hands. She wants to walk a lot back and forth.

She is also becoming quite the talker, saying ma-ma and da-da and uh-uh-oh when she drops a toy.

Let me just say that it is much cuter in person than me typing it on the blog.

Avery: 10 Month Pictures

We just got Avery's pictures! I love them! They turned out great thanks to Laurel at Eilas Photography. She always does a fantastic job. Avery, as I have said before, LOVES to stand and pull up. Isn't she a doll? She is getting SO big SO fast.

I am pretty sure she ate a flower or leaf while taking these shots. The girl LOVES to eat these days. We have to literally stop giving her food. She is eating LOTS of finger foods now. Her favorites are wheat pasta, steamed carrots and cinnamon, cheese, green beans, black beans, blueberries ... well, like I said the girl just likes food.













This is possibly my favorite picture ever of us! I don't get enough time with Avery, but the time I do get is precious. When I get home at night, she is always very playful. She crawls, I chase her, and she laughs and laughs and laughs.













This is a sweet picture of Avery and Matt. Just look at that face. She loves her daddy for sure. She has a special game she plays with him at night too. He puts her on the couch; she rolls around and then off. Good thing dad is always there to catch her. I believe we may have a little "fearless" one on our hands. She and her cousin, Kylie, are going to be GREAT friends!

Avery - 9 Months

Well, actually Avery is now 9 1/2 months. I LOVE this age. It is such an age of discovery, growth, and laughter. She is a lot of fun to be around. Her teachers at daycare love her too. They say she is full of personality. I would definitely agree. Here are a few pictures and a little update of her current milestones.


















About three weeks ago Avery started getting her two bottom teeth. It took about three weeks for them both to come in. It is near impossible to get a picture of them. So, here is a sweet picture of her playing in a box! Who needs expensive toys?!













Like I said, she LOVES to laugh. She is the perfect fix to a bad day at work. I love coming home to a happy baby.













Look at me! I LOVE to stand! It is definitely her favorite thing to do right now. Avery goes from sitting or crawling to her knees. Most of the time she still needs help to get up ... but other times ...













she surprises us and does it her own! She thought it was hilarious that she was standing in her crib.













Ma Ma and Da Da have become a part of Avery's vocabulary. I certainly think she knows what it means. I am pretty sure she even understands the word NO, except when it comes out of her mom's mouth.

She Likes to Move It, Move It ...

Wow! It has been a hectic last two weeks. I truly can't even remember what happened yesterday and SLOW is not a word in my vocabulary these days. But, we took the good with the not so wonderful and made it through. Here is a little recap.

After Labor day, Avery spent the next three days at home with a double ear infection. Matt stayed home with her most, because ya'll they don't make it easy for teachers to take off! It took me an extra 2 hours to prepare to be off with Avery just for ONE day! Now, is there a trick I don't know about?! I mean, don't hold out on me teacher friends. If there is a secret to quick sub planning, fill a girl in, would ya?!

So Friday, Avery finally went back to school. Yes, we got to donate four days of tuition to Avery's daycare. Gotta love that! That afternoon, I was late leaving school and missing my little girl. Once again I left my classroom in a HUGE mess, rushed out the door, got in the car (the nicest one I have EVER owned), and backed up like I normally would. Unfortunately, there was a car parked RIGHT BEHIND me on the curb and BOOM, I ran into it. What a way to end an already less than perfect week. Still my fault I know, but ya'll I seriously think there should be a rule about people parking on curbs! Especially when I could back up and hit you.














So, apparently a stomach virus was going around daycare and the one day that Avery went that week, she picked it up! She was sick (if you know what I mean) almost all day Saturday and into the night! Poor thing was PITIFUL! We took her back to daycare on Monday because we thought she was well. At 1:30 that afternoon they called Matt to come get her. Matt called me right before dismissal at school that same day and told me that he was sick too. Oh. MY. WORD. YA'LL. Seriously?! I did my bus duty, got excused from the faculty meeting and went home to take care of both Matt and Avery. And guess what?! We donated another day's worth of tuition to Avery's school on Tuesday. Icing. on. the. cake!














So, that my friends is the "not so wonderful" news. The good news is this ... Avery is into everything now! She is army crawling EVERYWHERE! She started on Labor day. That is not all! She is pulling up on her new favorite toy! Our little girl is growing up fast.

Labor-Less Days

Labor day weekend could not have come at a better time. After 17 (what seemed like 30) days of being back at work, I was ready to relax, refocus, spend time with my little family, and clean our neglected little condo.


















We took Avery to the zoo for the first time. Since it is so close to our condo, we bought a membership and will be taking her this fall for sure. It was MUCH cheaper than buying day passes for two adults. Plus, since I am an educator we got $10 off! Yippee!


















Avery also got to play with a new toy! One of the sweet families in my class last year was cleaning out and gave us this awesome toy. Avery loves it already!
















Seriously, did you just love your Labor Day holiday as much as we did? It was low key, but really good! Now I will be looking forward to Fall Break! Until then, I am hoping to figure out a better routine to get more lesson planning and prep done during the week so I can enjoy my weekends more often.

Avery 8 Months

Avery is 8 months old! She has become quite the social little girl. She smiles and coos to almost everyone she sees. Two weeks ago we dropped her off at school for the first time. When I picked her up she was happy as can be. Hard for mom? Yes. But, I truly believe this is best for Avery. She LOVES to be around people.


















I took this picture of Avery before she went to school for the first time.

Avery is still sitting strong. She hasn't started crawling yet, but has been scooting around for a few months. Lately, she has been rocking back and forth on hands and knees. I tried to convience her to crawl today. I just know that she is going to crawl at school this week, and then I won't be the first to see the "first." Or maybe she will skip crawling and walk. Apparently crawling is NOT a milestone that is necessary for further developmental milestones.













Look at this girl standing on those strong legs!

Avery has been LOVING puffs lately. She has a lot of fun picking them up and putting them in her mouth. She loves the apple AND the "greens" (spinach, kale, and greens). I think she will eventually figure out that they have "green" stuff in them since she refuses to eat the pureed peas and green beans now. The only semi-green thing she will eat is avocado. This makes me proud though, because it is packed with good things for healthy brain development. She has recently began eating toast and diced bananas. Maybe next weekend I will have time to cook and cut up some other yummy finger foods. Seriously, I need to hire someone to cook/clean for us. (I WISH!)


















One of Avery's favorite treats is frozen banana. She usually lets me know it is all gone by throwing a BIG fit!

I miss her during the day when I am at work. I MISS HER A WHOLE LOT! I just know and believe that she is where she needs to be for now and is well taken care of. And for some reason, I have been entrusted with the job of encouraging, motivating, and teaching 20 VERY different 6-year-olds. Some of them could care less about learning (but by the end of the year they will LOVE it). One can't speak English AT ALL. Another has had only a year of English in her country of Korea. I have a challenging school year ahead, a little girl to love on when I am home, and a God to serve daily. I am praying for the strength to carry out the task He has set before me knowing that WITH Him all things are possible.

7 Months Old

Yesterday Avery turned 7 months old! I can hardly believe it. (I think I say that every month.) I feel like I am going to wake up and all of a sudden she is going to be walking and talking and I will have missed her growing up. (Especially since I am about to start school in three weeks ... ahhhhhhhhhh!) That will be another post for sure!


Matt and I LOVE this little girl more than words can describe. It doesn't take much for her to make our day brighter. Her smile is contagious.

Here are some things Avery has been doing this past month:

Sitting up very well

Trying to pull up to sitting from lying

Eating solids!!! (I never thought this would happen.) Her favorite so far is sweet potatoes and banana.

Learning to drink from a sippy cup. (We just introduced it to her to see what she would do with it. She thinks it is funny, because she laughs every time she puts it in her mouth.)

Continues to be VERY curious and loves to watch what is going on

Laughing (After all this time, we finally caught it on video.)

Reaches for EVERYTHING and procedes to put it in her mouth

Scoots backward and around but not forward yet

***This sweet picture of Avery was taken by her Bibi.

Avery's 6 Month Pictures

Once again Laurel at www.eilas.com did an excellent job capturing Avery's sweet personality. We met at the Factory in Franklin and found some perfect outdoor spots for the photo shoot.

Enjoy.













Avery has already learned how to wink (Ha!).



















The girl LOVES her dad ...


















... and her mom!


















She has already mastered the pouty face.













We LOVE our little Avery!

Meal Time Progress

Today, Avery was unusually happy when I was feeding her oatmeal. Between my ridiculously animated "this is really good" faces and the giraffe bib, I think Avery decided that she might actually like solid foods one day. At least it is progress!

Avery's 6 Month Stats

Yesterday Avery went to see her pediatrician. The doc said that she is growing at a good rate. She is definitely in the lower percentiles for now, but she is so very strong.

Weight: 13lb. 4 oz.
Height: 24.75 in.

6 Months Later

Wow! Where does time go? Avery is now 6 months old! Everyday seems to be new and exciting. Just last weekend, Avery went to visit my family for the first time. It was her first trip to the great state of Arkansas. I feel like she hit a growth spurt last weekend because she had several "firsts" while we were there.

She began sitting up for short periods of time by herself! I am such a proud lil' mom!


















Ask the girl a question and she will shake her head no. It is the cutest thing really! I think her Aunt Alicia taught her this when I wasn't looking.

Avery also tried green bean puree for the first time this past week. I made it from scratch ya'll! I was so proud of myself. Unfortunately, she wasn't a big fan. I seem to have a non-eater on my hands. She likes what she likes. Maybe this week we will try carrot puree. I am determined to find something this girl will eat. I guess I may have to resort to a sugary food (fruits). Every girl likes sugar you know.













Avery and I have also been frequent visitors at the YMCA these past few weeks. I think she really enjoys meeting new people. She seems to make people smile wherever we go. I always wonder if the childcare workers just think she is super cute and love to hold her or if she is "one of the fussy babies" and they have to hold her. Every time I pick her up she is being held by one of them.

Avery doesn't seem to have a consistent nap schedule lately. She usually takes a really good morning nap. But in the afternoon when I try to put her down for a nap, she cries and cries and cries some more. I am OK with it as long as she is getting the sleep she needs. Sometimes, when she is REALLY tired, she will laugh at you for no reason. It is one of those deep down "I think you are so funny" laughs. It melts my heart!

This week Avery also got her WHOLE big toe in her mouth. If only I had some of her flexibility!

I will post Avery's 6 month stats this week! I can't wait to see how she has grown since her 4 month well visit.

A Week in Pictures

Just look at this sweet face!




















Avery got to see her grandma, Bibi, for the second time!













Avery got her very first sippy cup.



















Avery now has enough hair to wear a bow without a headband!

There is More Than One Way to Eat It

This past Saturday was Matt's birthday. He LOVES german chocolate cake. I have only made him one "from scratch" german chocolate cake in the five years we have married. It was a lot of work!

This year, I wanted to make him something with the flavor he loves but in a different form. So, I made german chocolate cake balls. They were a big hit! We still have some in the freezer. The recipe makes about 50! Since we just started our summer shape-up, I don't think we will be eating any more for a while. Come on over if you want to try them.

You really could make them in any flavor. I started with a german chocolate cake mix (the store bought kind). If you really want to knock yourself out, you could make it from scratch.


















Once you bake the cake, let it cool completely.













Once it has cooled, you take two forks and gently crumble the cake into pieces.













Next, you mix in 3/4 to a whole can of icing. Again, I used the store bought kind.


















You could easily make your own. You want the mixture to be moist, not dry.













Then, I put the mixture into the freezer for about 20 minutes. I took the mixture out of the freezer and began rolling it into balls. You can use a small ice cream scoop to get the right amount and roll them with your hands. You don't want them to be too big because they are harder to dip in chocolate. Also, the colder the mixture the easier they are to roll. When the mixture got to room temperature again, I just put it back into the freezer to chill.



















Once I rolled all of the mixture into balls, I put them back into the freezer for two hours. If you don't get the balls cold enough, pieces of cake will break off into your chocolate.

I used chocolate almond bark for the final step. I melted two blocks at a time in the microwave for about 40 seconds. The next part for me was a little tricky. It is hard to get that smooth look when dipping things in chocolate. I figured out that the best way to get the smooth look was to put the ball of cake into the bowl of chocolate. Then, I used a big spoon the cover the top of the ball in chocolate. I carefully dipped the ball out with a fork. It dried SO quickly and they were ready to eat!













Be VERY careful! You cannot eat just one. This is a perfect treat to take with you to a party and you will definitely impress your friends!