well avery is on the mend. after waking her up at 10am today she went back down by noon. she just wanted to lay around and be held. while i hate that she doesn't feel good it sure was a nice morning full of snuggles! she played pretty hard for 30 minutes this evening and i think wore herself out so she went to bed an hour early. hopefully tomorrow she will be back to her usual self!

snuggle time!

what a great morning! mark went and brought us CFA for breakfast! he came in the room and told me it was here. i was taking my time getting out of bed when mark yells "HELP"! oh, good morning!

for the most part i share what i love about motherhood, what i don't like about motherhood, sickness! i don't like being thrown up on. it's not like you can jump in the shower right away because you have a kid who needs to be bathed and cleaned first. thank goodness it's the weekend and mark is around! but, really, it's just gross! but, don't worry because avery is acting just fine! :)

oh and maybe some advice, when you are holding your child and you think they might throw up, turn your head and close your mouth!

well, all i can say is that it is a good thing we didn't pay to see santa! :)

we have internet again!!! we had a "little" leak. and by little i mean i am sitting in our office with my feet on concrete :) without internet i will tell you that we found ourselves going to bed much earlier than usual which was probably a good thing! :) we picked out this morning and the man is coming to measure tomorrow! avery *tested* out the carpet by laying down on the boards so i think she approves.

we met santa thursday night. she wasn't a fan. i haven't connected my camera yet but i'll post a picture when i get that set-up. until then, i am going to share my hard work of getting all of the pomegranite seeds out because my loving husband was trying to buy some healthy food. side note: who cares if it's healthy, it is not worth the time and effort!

ok, i was working on Christmas presents which requires going through old pictures and i found this one. i'm not typically in many pictures for good reason! LOL!

and just for fun. these were a year ago this week! she was just mastering sitting up but by 6 months she was sitting up on her own! she grows up too fast!

and apparently i was excited to give her food because she wasn't 6 months old and here i was giving her avocado. she is so small in her high chair!

i even gave her a cup. guess i thought she was ready!

avery has given new meaning to hugging the toilet. for some reason she literally gives the toilet a hug. it is very odd, yet very sweet! bless her little heart!

i still have a lot of photos to go through from thanksgiving but here are a few since every post needs pictures!

our cousin's took this and there is something about her eyes that is so sweet here!

we got to visit aunt allison (lots more pictures to come) but this one made me laugh because i'm sure she was either bringing us a piece of dirt or an acorn but you would have thought it was a million dollars!

just the clean edit of the previous photo by aunt allison!

Christmas card take #2

she is wearing 6-9 month shoes! LOL!

i'm teach avery important things

well, you can't say i never teach avery anything....

whoopsie!!!

moments

reason #543,645,354 i love avery. last night i was making dinner and avery was in her playroom playing by herself. that in itself is a miracle. it was pretty quiet so i peeked my head around to find her dancing. i had my ipod playing in there and she was just shaking her hips. i stood and watched her for about 10 seconds and she turned around and saw me. she tilted her head to the side and got bashful and started smiling. i walked back in the kitchen and grabbed the video camera. i waited awhile and went back to try and record it. she was standing there for a moment and then started to shake her hips but after one little shake she turned around to see if i was there and got bashful again. she is just so sweet sometimes and it's endearing to see her get embarrassed. of course it ended with me picking her up and dancing around the room. we were spinning and having fun and when i looked out the window there was a man in the car across the street watching (not in a creepy way he was dropping off his kids at the neighbors house) and then i too, was a little embarrassed! maybe i'll upload the video soon!

ps...have you listened to the first song that comes on. LOVE IT!

on the way home from the post office i saw a cool looking location for photos so we went home and grabbed the camera. more to come, after i finishing editing clients photos. but, until then some sweetness!

wanna help?

i am editing my first newborn session and am playing around. what would you think if this edit was on a newborn. i know it's a little hard bc avery isn't the correct subject, but try to imagine. do you like it? or do you prefer the original? imagine a sleepy newborn! THANKS!!!

original

edit

i should add that i personally love it and it's totally my taste, but am i alone?

a couple more with this type of edit.

and just a little reminder of how small she really is...

i hope everyone had a great turkey day! we enjoyed great food and spent time with family yesterday! my cousin and her husband took pictures of us and i got to edit them! they run drumm studios. check them out HERE!!

and of course some snapshots!

and just to brag on avery's cousin and his cuteness! he has a lot of older cousin's who love him (and of course mom and dad too)!

LIGHTS

i finished working yesterday! hooray! i'm so thankful to have work but even more thankful to have my sweet pea and hubby! i spent the morning getting organized and mark put up the tree! now that i'm done working i can get back to my regular job, which includes taking snapshots of avery! we are taking a family picture tomorrow and i've been trying to figure out what we are going to wear. we will all get dressed (which basically includes actually doing my hair and make-up) and avery will wear a bow if she'll keep it on. it's nice to have those family pictures. but, avery isn't usually that put together. i took some pictures this morning, which captures exactly what she looks like everyday!

i sure did miss that messy hair, crooked smile little girl!

i haven't forgot about this blog i'm just out of town. i am doing some audit work this week in new york...so exciting! ;) i feel like i never quit working when i travel. but, then i come home to skype and i see what i'm missing. mark told me avery is getting a molar and she is saying the word cheese and grandma gaye is trying to teach her to say gobble gobble! luckily avery doesn't grow at lightening speed so i don't think i have to worry to much. i know she's having fun and i know grandma gaye is enjoying her time as well!

someone sent me this link and it was a list of things that change when you have a kid. if you want to read theirs here is the link. i thought i'd come up with my own list of things that have changed since having avery.

first what i learned this week...
- my idea of a break is coming to work for a week
- i have never appreciated eating dinner in front of the tv on my bed more
- i love skype
- it's healthy for couples and mothers to take "breaks"
- there are people who love my kid just as much as i do
- not everyone has a human for an alarm clock
- people go out after 8pm
- showering with your eyes closed is a luxury

and a little more general...
- the day before is never like the next day to come
- i do things and never expect anything in return, and i'm okay with that
- i find joy in things i would have never given a second thought too. recently, i love going to home depot because every time she is excited about the huge blow up Christmas decorations. yes, i bought one of those tacky inflatable things and will proudly put it in our yard.
- i read other people's stories and i'm touched. not just for that 5 minutes it took me to read but everyday. because of layla grace's story i am reminded that while i can't unload the dishes in 5 minutes or use the restroom without having someone pull all the toilet paper off the roll, this is the way it is suppose to be.
- when i look at pictures i look at her first
- when i think about getting my paycheck, i think about being able to put avery in gymnastics or do swimming lessons with her, not about the what i want for myself
- i will never pee or shower alone again
- i've become more comfortable in my appearance
- it doesn't matter what you wear to the store/mall/anywhere because no one is looking at you anymore
- i'll drive to the grocery store that's farther away because avery will get a balloon
- i remember when the only thing i had to schedule was when i was going to to workout. workout? when does that happen?
- it doesn't matter how big of a mess it's going to make you will do it anyway for someone else's happiness
- i can't remember the last time i bought a pair of jeans that weren't maternity
- will a week ever go by where i don't have to clean the floor?
- those who don't stay at home think it's the sweetest job in the world, and i never feel the need to defend staying home because it's enough for me
- i spent more time researching preschools and reading applications than i did for college
this list could go on, but i'm getting tired so one more...
- i can say with my whole heart that i would give everything and anything i had to protect her and keep her safe. i'd donate every organ in my body and give away all of our possessions to save her life. i'd give my own life if it would save hers.


a big thank you to grandma gaye who has spent the past 2 weeks loving my little girl like she's the only kid on the planet! mommy's coming home tomorrow! :)

LIVE!

this year mark and i are stepping out of comfort zones. we're taking some risks and both starting our new business adventures. RIZK went live today! go check it out! i took the product photos! ;)

RIZK STREETWEAR

avery and i go to the little gym every week but i never get pictures except when grandma gaye is in town! here are some pictures from avery's class on tuesday! this is how the class goes...