i am happy to report that library day 2 was a success! she slept in a little which made the timing much easier and she didn't cry once. at the end of story time the lady goes around and blows bubbles to the kids and sweet avery just stared at them. by the time she decided she wanted to catch one they would pop but she didn't seem to mind! happy thursday!

here are some pictures i took yesterday. i was having fun with the sun...i think i like the effect. the weather has been SO nice!

this is what happens when we go to the library instead of napping...

look at that hair

she hearts grass

every girl needs her phone

library time

i took avery to "mother goose time" at the library because i decided she needed to be around other kids. i felt like i had that child. the one who isn't doing what they are suppose to and is scared. i was suppose to put her on her back and play with her legs and arms. she is just so stinkin' strong that i couldn't do what i was supposed to be doing with her arms and then she kept rolling over. the teacher was a little strict and seemed annoyed but what does she expect...they are BABIES. anyways, needless to say she was the only one who was "fussing" when she looked at the other babies. i always thought i would have the kid who would want to play with everyone and i would be chasing her around but turns out i was wrong! finally about half way through she started to warm up to the little girl next to us and crawled over to her. of course the other girl was so sweet (she was 8 months) and just wanted to give avery kiss. what did avery want to do? pull her hair out! awesome! then when i wouldn't let her she sat up and started crying. the other mother kept asking if her baby hurt avery...i wish i could say yes she was hurt but no, she's just an only child who is used to getting everything she wants...oh man what do i do. the mom told me about another story time on thursdays at a different library. we will be going to that one as well and hopefully she will learn to play with other babies!

anyways, i took this video the other day to show her progress with crawling and i was too lazy to upload and now i feel i should do another one!

7 months old

in case you didn't notice, avery is already 7 months old! it's hard to get her to smile at the camera these days because all she wants to do is crawl around or find something to put in her mouth. her latest trick is to go from the crawling position to sitting. which is so great EXCEPT when it's time for bed. I put her down and went downstairs to get my delicious pie i was so excited about, turned on the tv, turned the monitor up only to hear sweet avery crying. so i look at her and she is SITTING UP in her crib. of course then she gets upset and throws herself back against the crib, which sends me into mom mode and i go running in to get her! mark is back from san antonio so we think it's time to lower the crib.

it's still so hard for me to believe she is 7 months old. in those 7 months we have become a family. a friend asked me the other day "can you believe we have kids". part of me still doesn't believe it. in these 7 months our lives have changed tremendously. we have moved to a new state, into a new house, and both got new "jobs". i.am.blessed. i have the best husband in the world who works long hours, commutes in traffic, and travels all to provide us with everything we need. i can't imagine how my life would have been different had i gone back to work. i'd still love avery just as much but feel so lucky to share all of these moments with her. somedays it's harder than others and the thought crosses my mind, "it sure would be nice to be at a place of business". but, then it's bed time, and i'm sitting in the rocking chair with avery's head on my shoulder and i know that those days make me a better mother. i can't express how fortunate i feel. i love these two more than anything in the world. i'm.in.love.

this is sarah's watch which she crawls for in the video

the sneeze

after the sneeze: after everyone she coughs, laughs and sticks her tongue out

things are a little dry around here.

The word of the day

cuteness: pronounced - kyt-ness

definition: Avery

She loves being outdoors and just being in the grass! Thank goodness I didn't birth a diva. I don't know what I would have done!

Here is the sweet pea sporting her cute jammies Jessica sent her!

the only way this picture would be sweeter is if she were really sleeping!

I'm trying to learn how to make my images more clear but still be able to upload them here. So, these will be random for awhile! :)

This is sweet Reid from New Year's Eve!

The Cost of Kiddos

Well, Mark went out of town this afternoon and I have finally started Avery's scrapbook! If I promise her nothing else in this world I can promise her life will not go undocumented! Thanks to this blog it makes it much easier to look up many of her "firsts". I also realize we have a ton more that I can't wait to experience. I was also cleaning out this email that I received when I was pregnant. I remember reading it at work and tearing up (I did mention I was pregnant and a little hormonal). I just wanted to share!

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a
middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition .

But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:

* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month,
* $171.08 a week.
* A mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is; don't have children if you want to be 'rich.'
Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140.00?

* Naming rights . First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:

* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs,
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:

* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle
wreaths for Christmas , hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day , and cards with backward letters for Father's Day .

For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your
buck. You get to be a hero just for:

* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool ,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat in history to witness the:


* First step,
* First word,
* First bra,
* First date,
* First time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of
limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing,
criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match..

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God.
You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the
monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a
slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without
limits, so one day they will, like you, love without
counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!


Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren!!!!!!! It's the best investment you'll ever make!!!!!!!!!

1st trip to the Zoo

I finally went through Avery's clothes and divided up what she could no longer wear and stored them. I can't believe she was used to be that small! She's still pretty small but those clothes will always be cute. I put the outfit she came home from the hospital in on her! :) We went to the zoo this weekend and it was awesome! We finally had some warm weather so I made us get out and do something! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

giraffes

ok, so i have no idea who this couple is but i LOVE weddings :) they were walking on a mission so i thought, what a great opportunity to take a picture of random strangers!

Yes, I even took the time to edit it

love that smile

Elephants!

this is avery and mark's "i'm ready to go face" coupled with mumbles under mark's breath :) they are such good sports...they'll thank me someday for all these pictures!

fat girl in a little shirt - she thinks it's funny too!

belly.

look at those cute little diapers

trying to show how small that outfit is

We have a daddy's girl!

Let's forget the fact that I have been asking her to say mama for oh, I don't know months! The other day to Avery I said, "say dada"...and she did. But, I wasn't convinced it was the real thing. So, last night Mark came home (he's been working really late because busy season started) and I said while Mark was in the room, "say dada"...and just like she understood, she said "DADA"!

sorry if it is hard to read right now. mark told me the words were running into the background on his computer.

It turns out Avery's immune system is better than ours! Mark and I both got colds and thankfully Avery didn't catch them! We had a busy weekend running around Houston and also went over to my Aunt and Uncle's house for dinner. It was great to see everyone. Unfortunately, I didn't get many pictures because Little Miss was not the happiest camper. It was our fault since she didn't get a good nap in but what can you do! It was finally warm yesterday so Avery and I went to the park in the afternoon. As always here are pictures!

Big girl!

At the park

This is her "indoor stroller" :) This is what allows me to shower everyday!

That cute hat she's wearing was made my Aunt Allison (I know I am a little behind on the pictures from Corpus)

This is how my Sunday started

Avery's sweet cousin Emily

Sugar, spice, and everything MICE!

We went to our first playgroup today! We met at McDonald's close by. It was nice to meet other moms. There was only one other girl with a baby close to Avery's age, although he had 6 lbs on her! I think next week I am going to take her to the library for "mother goose time". I've decided it's time for her to start interacting with other kids. The other baby kept staring at Avery and of course my little one spotted the TV which was practically on the ceiling and kept staring at it...awesome! Also, her new favorite toy is a MOUSE! Yes, that's right a mouse! If you didn't know I HATE mice (real ones)! But, it's so sweet how much she loves this little stuffed toy. The best is when she puts it in her mouth and then has both her hands free. It looks pretty gross but it's so funny. Miss Mouse and Avery met Christmas day! We also made homemade applesauce yesterday with cinnamon. So, mark it in her baby book...her first spice was cinnamon and she loved it!

More on the children photography front, I found this website. They haven't really started up but I think it will be great to follow. If anyone is interested here is the link. http://www.beyond-snapshots.com/blog/

The first day they met

It makes her so happy

Miss Mouse - I always know where she is

Sometimes it's just one of those days.

Making Daddy proud

LOVES making noises with her tongue!

Chubby foot

This is why she gets strapped in...