happy easter!!! i know, i'm a little behind but we had a great Easter! :) we've been busy around here over the last couple of weeks! i got to go away for a weekend with my friend to austin and see old friends. it was so nice to eat and shop kid free. we took our time in the stores and ate at great restaurants. i think we're going to make it an annual thing! avery got into preschool 2 days a week so i'm pretty excited about that! she'll go on tuesday and thursday from 9 to 2:30pm. i had to fill out the 5 page form about avery and then the carpool sheet. i can't believe she's old enough to be carpooling. it just sounds like something a big kid does! then, i had to write in that she was going to be having a little brother in august so they would be aware of the changes going on at home. again, i had to pause that i will have TWO kids!

on a completely different topic, we went out for mother's day yesterday! avery was, well, a toddler. within 5 minutes she was standing on her highchair with her dress at her waist. it was actually funny at that point. you can imagine how the rest of the meal went! she didn't nap and was just a total toddler! you would think after a day like yesterday i should be frustrated and over it. i laid in bed last night and was so excited thinking about avery with her little brother. i clearly have a screw lose or i was just made differently. i can say with certainty this was not the same feeling mark was having! i just know i'm doing what i am suppose to be doing and it sounds so crazy to say. don't get me wrong, i have my moments. and yes, that's plural but the thought of driving avery to preschool with little blake in backseat and trying to juggle them both really excites me. i know it's going to be a hard adjustment for everyone. i probably don't even realize how hard it's going to be. i'm so prepared for avery to turn into this little monster and for her to act out and i'm okay with that. her world is about to turn upside down and i need to remember that.

alright, pictures from easter!

the bribe!

droopy drawers and all her eggs!

this blog started out as a photoblog about avery. but, as time has passed it's almost been a place of reflection. today is just another thursday. but, it also marks ten years since my dad passed away. i told mark last night what today was and that i needed to call my mom and he asked if i was okay. we laid there and i thought about the last ten years and how much has happened. i graduated high school, graduated from the business school at UT, worked at one the big 4 accounting firms, moved a couple of times, got married and had a beautiful daughter, and have another on the way. i know he was proud of me and i know he would be proud, especially that i became a longhorn! if you look at my resume i did everything right. i graduated early, got a great job, every parents dream, right? that's what you think your parents measure you by when you're a kid. really, i think he would be proud because i am happy. i have the most supportive husband in the entire world. they are pretty similar when i stop and think about it. both accountants, both love spreadsheets and drawing charts, both have tempers (which i have seen both through a remote control). but, both love me more than i can describe. both push me to want to be a better person. i had a great father and now i'm married to one!

i am happy but there were many times that i wish he were here. i wish i could have seen him with avery. i wish he could be here to have a grandson and watch them grow up. he loved to give me talks. about school, marriage, life, kids, relationships. he always told me i was going to be successful in whatever i did and that relationships were the most important part of life, even in your work. i wish i could have grown up to really understand some of those talks. it's hard to understand when you're only 16. he taught me to always try your best (well, both my parents did). he taught me to be a christian and never lose faith. i hope mark and i can teach avery and blake these things. i know i'll see my dad again in heaven one day. so in the meantime i know he's watching down on us, especially avery.

i can't be sad on this day because i know he'd be proud of the person i have become because i know i am proud of myself.

i have so many pictures of avery to go through. but, they are ones i want to take my time with and edit. avery and daddy got in the pool yesterday while i had a shoot. i've been busy but we got a couple of pictures before i had to upload photos to the computer. mark and avery got to spend the day together and when i called and asked if they wanted to meet for dinner mark responded with "we're still in our pjs"! as hard as some weekends are that i am working most of the time i'm really glad they get to spend time alone together and have so much fun! i realize not all dads are this awesome and supportive! so thank you to the best husband in the world!

they also got in the pool again this afternoon while i watched from the side. i still think it's a little too cold! so of course i went and grabbed my camera!

amanda and i took the kids this afternoon on a quick trip to her parents house to take their pictures. i have a million photos to edit for other people so i picked a couple to open and share! i can promise there will be many more to come!!! these will serve as our easter pictures! :) but, for now i am clocking in at aubrey torrey photography!

painting

we (i) decided we would finger paint this afternoon! at first she would rather color with a pen on the paper but then she liked it!

hand going in...

this is fun!

then we had to take a bath!

her hair is so long when it's wet

she likes to put her feet under the water

don't you wish your hair looked this cool? ;)

pens and boxes

one of avery's favorite activities is coloring! especially with pens! she's pretty good about only coloring on paper and boxes! she knows she's not really suppose to color with pens!

but you tell me how you would deny this sweet face. it's as if she's asking if it's okay!

and of course i let her

and it makes her so happy!

hehe! coming to show me her pen!

but then she colored on her big toes. she thought it was really funny!

until mommy had to be the bad guy. we don't color on ourselves! :(