Our family trip to the Dallas World Aquarium!!!!

Mommy and Ave in the rainforest!

Our experience at the "aquarium" was very positive. Although "aquarium" is a bit of a misnomer as it is more of a rainforest/indoor zoo! Avaree lasted a little over two hours though, so we think she did very well! Many of the exhibits (animals) were too small for her to focus on, but she certainly enjoyed all the noises of the wildlife and rainforest! Our favorite animals were definitely the monkeys, the alligator, the sloth (soooo cute!), the penguins and the jaguar! Of course my camera died soon upon our arrival, but we were able to snatch a few pictures with Daddy's phone! Hope you enjoy!

Daddy and Avaree at the cafe!

Avaree's favorite "perch" during our tour of the aquarium.

Mama and Avaree...

The beautiful jaguar--Avaree's favorite!

Daddy and Ave watching the Mayan performers. Ave thought they were hilarious!

The following video was taken at the Jaguar exhibit! This was (BY FAR) Avaree's favorite part of the whole day! The video is a little quirky, so when it stops just let it load a bit then move it back to where you started. Be sure your volume is up! Avaree LOVED this "Big Kitty!" Hopefully you can hear her sweet voice and see the HUGE grin on her face. She was sad when he went on the other side of his "home." :) We now know that she would LOVE the zoo and we can't wait to take her! We're going to wait until it is a little cooler and then we will have soooo much fun! P.S. Brandon says to tell the grandparents not to freak out...the "kitty" is behind the glass, even though he doesn't appear to be! :) Enjoy!

 

11.5 months and growing!!!

This week brought a little more of a routine into our lives, though we're still struggling (both baby and mama) with the drop off in the mornings. But, Mrs. Donna and I think we have a plan to help. If you haven't seen the video yet, we have loooooved asking Avaree: "Where's Precious?" and watching her sweet little answer to the question. :) We have also been working on "obeying" since June. Avaree definintely knows what "no, no" means and is capable of obeying; however, one of her latest tricks is pretty funny. Lately, when I say "No, No" she will not even look at me (like usual), but will instead pretend that she wasn't interested in doing that action anyway and just move on. It never ceases to amaze me how observant and sponge-like she has become. :)

This weekend we realllllllllly enjoyed our time together as a family! Friday afternoon Ave and I came home to a clean house and dinner (thank you, DADDY!!!!!!!!) and then we visited with Uncle Spencer and Shannon. Saturday we played and played and played and went to our favorite store--Target! On Sunday, I ended up taking Ave to the doctor--and then we enjoyed having Daddy home for his last Sunday afternoon with us!!!

Avaree has had a runny nose for the last two weeks, but I had finally attributed it to teething; however, her mucus started turning colors and she was running a little fever, as well as having difficulty sleeping and eating. But, the doctor attributed it to allergies and advised that we have her tested soon. As usual, though, I am not convinced that this is all it is. So...I'm just giving her lots of liquids and love and we're playing the waiting game again! If you think about it, please say a quick prayer for her. It is always hard for her when Mama leaves, but it is especially worse when she isn't feeling well (and it breaks my whole heart in a million pieces)--and it will be harder than usual to adjust after having been home with us for a long weekend! We so appreciate your prayers!

Don't think that we were sick and feverish all weekend: we had WONDERFUL family time and took a trip to the Dallas World Aquarium!!! :) I'll share pics of that in my next post!

Enjoy!

"Mama....do we really have to leave?" :)

Avaree reached over and grabbed a Chinese noodle off of Uncle Spencer's plate. She decided that she didn't care for Chinese food. Then, she decided that fortune cookie wrappers were awesome. :) hehe.

One early morning...it was our yellow day! :)

She is VERY serious when she is pushing her walker. AND...she does not like to wear pants. :)

We had Lois kitty this past week. Poor Lois kitty...she was always on the run from the baby girl.

One of Avaree's favorite things is to lay on the floor like this and kick her feet. We think it is adorable!

 

"Where's Precious?"

Mrs. Donna started teaching Avaree this and we've been reinforcing it at home. It is my absolute favorite trick ever. :)

Get ready for pure cuteness... :)



(Sorry, you have to have a FB account to watch it. Family, if you don't have a FB account, email me and I'll give you my info so that you can watch it. It's so worth it!)

Our big girl...

So many new and exciting things are happening in Avaree's little life! At 11 months and almost 2 weeks, she can feed herself her snacks (the little ones too--not just the larger ones!), get her snacks out of her "snack trap", eat more real food every day, walk very easily around and around and around the coach and ottomon, put herself to sleep easily, obey more quickly, and love us even more than we thought she could!!!! :) Tooth #2 has pushed all the way through and #s 3 and 4 aren't far behind!

The weekend before I went back to work, we had a shower for LaLa! It was WONDERFUL! This is the beautiful Mommy with her hostesses!

Little Allie (Lauren's niece) kissing Bella (Lauren's cousin's daughter)! Sooo sweet! (P.S. Little Allie calls me "Big Alli" --it is the cutest thing ever to hear her say it!)

Auntie Alise writing down all the gifts!!! :)

Brian opening his gifts toward the end of the shower! :)

Beautiful Lauren and Mrs. Terri!!! (aka Mommy and Tootsie)

Look at this sweet little person that has overtaken my BABY's body!! :)

It is becoming increasingly more difficult to get a normal picture of Avaree, b/c as soon as she sees the camera she comes right toward me! :)

Ladybug playing with her house!

Walking more... :) GiGi brought Avaree this walker and she has put some miles on it. She runs into all the walls...it's too funny!

Yes, she still kisses everything. She gives the best kisses ever.

Precious angel girl....

We were all wearing black and white--even Speckles...haha! :)

Dad and Denise took us to Maggiano's last weekend and it was sooooooo yummy! Avaree did soooo well too! :)

Uncle Spencer wanted me to be sure and tell everyone that this beautiful child is his niece. (Even though this looks like a beautiful family portrait! ;) )

The waiter asked us what we were celebrating and we just said life and then I remembered that it was Avaree's 11-month birthday! So, at the end of the meal...they brought Avaree out her own "celebration plate!" As you can tell, Avaree wasn't quite sure what to make of it! :) It was just practice for what is to come!

Papa, Niecey, and Uncle Spencer!

Mama and Daddy!!!!!!!! :)

She would prefer to not wear clothing at all...especially when we're going to church! ha! :)

Sweet baby girl...

Early Thursday morning before we left for school....

Playing with Daddy!! Yay for Friday!!!!!!!

Her first taste of PANCAKES! :) (She loved them--of course!)

"Helping" Mommy with laundry on Saturday morning! SOOO SWEET!

Trying to get her snacks out of the "snack trap!" :) (I LOVE this thing.)

HOORAY! For the last couple of months, Avaree has been unable (or not wanted to) to put her puffs in her mouth. She could put a biter biscuit in her mouth, but not a puff. So...we were so happy when she successfully put her puffs in her mouth! YAY, Avaree! :)

Jamie came to visit us on Saturday! We had sooooo much fun!!! Jamie kept commenting on what a little person Avaree has become. She's growing so fast!

Practicing her trick that Shannon taught her... :)

A lazy Sunday morning with Mama and Froggie. :)

We had a sickness scare this week, but I'm almost positive that it is her teeth. Thank you for loving our family, and thank you for your prayers! Please keep them up as we continue to adjust to new things every day!!

Eleven months... wow!

Our baby girl is ELEVEN MONTHS old today! Oh myyyyyyyyyyyy...time has flown. This week brought lots of change to our little family: Mommy went back to work, Avaree went back to Mrs. Donna's, and Daddy went back to school. It was rough in a lot of ways (particuarly on Mama), but we know that in a couple of weeks it will just become our routine.


Avaree did pretty well at Mrs. Donna's. She cried a little, but not near as much as I did, and Donna was able to distract her pretty easily. She loves Mrs. Donna and loves being at her house (who wouldn't...I love being at her house too!)...so that definitely helps! The only little quirk that we experienced this week was a little jealousy. Last year, Avaree was the baby at Mrs. Donna's house, but now she is the big girl and there are two babies there. So, at first when Mrs. Donna would hold the babies, Avaree would cry. She has gotten better about this, especially since Mrs. Donna gave her a new bunny lovey just for her house that she can hold (and kiss--she kisses everything, especially the babies). Mrs. Donna also mentioned that when she gets the babies' bottles out to feed them, Avaree cries because she thinks she needs one too. I'm sure that all of this will pass in a couple of more weeks. Overall, Donna said that she did great and of course I get there just as soon as I possibly can, so that helps. When I got there on Friday, Avaree turbo crawled to get to me...which warmed my heart, but also made me realize how much she has grown. Last year when we left Mrs. Donna's...she wasn't even crawling yet.

Perhaps the second largest change in Avaree's life is her night night routine. For 11 months I have rocked her to sleep...and now she falls asleep on her own. This is a bittersweet milestone for us. On the one hand I am so proud of her for being able to soothe herself and it certainly makes it easier on Mrs. Donna, but now that I am working again, I don't get to rock and cuddle her when she wakes up from her naps, so nightime was our special time. Last night I fed her, sang to her and put her down for night night. Then...I waited until she was asleep before I snuck in and picked her up. I held her and rocked for a long time. I guess I just needed that time...and obviously need it more than she does. Then I remembered that book "I'll Love You Forever" and the waterworks began. Poor Brandon...he's such a good sport with all of my emotions. So..we're going to let this sink in for a while and continue trying to walk before I introduce an even bigger change...weaning.
As for the rest of the family, I had a crazy week at work and am bracing myself for the year to come. I have 190 students in 6 classes, so it will be a challenge--especially in the grading arena--but I will make it work. :) Thankfully, Brandon really enjoyed his classes this week. Of course he informed me that he we will be writing several papers this semester, so that should be interesting. :)
Hallelujah for Saturdays with my WHOLE family (Avaree AND Brandon). We are looking forward to what lies ahead and thankful for all of our many blessings.

Pictures and more to come... love to all.

I wonder...and my sweet Avaree loo hoo!

This past week and weekend were absolutely wonderful. I have been cherishing every moment and trying to store up sweet little smells and looks so that I can hold them in my heart when I go back to work next week. While so very thankful for all of the countless blessings in our lives, I am also a bit apprehensive about the next couple of weeks. My husband will have to adjust to trying to balance a full time school load, 30-hour+ work load with all new responsibilities, family time, football (yes--you can imagine where this is on his priority list compared to mine..ha!) and homework. I will be adjusting to going back to full time work (after a little over two glorious months of being with my sweet baby girl every day and night) that includes AP essays and papers to grade at night, full time household duties (which were not a big deal at all while I was home, but is much more difficult during the school year), along with being the wife and mommy that I desire to be. And then, my sweet baby girl will have to adjust to going back to Mrs. Donna's every day. I adore Mrs. Donna and am so thankful that Avaree is in a small environment with a precious lady that adores and dotes on her, but can I just say that it is so very hard to even think about right now. I suppose it is normal, but I go through all sorts of feelings--especially now that Ave is soooo cognizant of where I am. I wonder if she'll think that I want to leave her. I wonder if she will think I don't want her. I wonder if she'll be sad. I wonder if she'll cry for very long. I wonder if it will make her act out in other ways (i.e. behavior and or sleeping habits). I wonder if she will take her first steps when i am not there. I wonder if I will miss something. I wonder if every summer will pass by this quickly...I wonder. And then I also know that Avaree loves playing with the other kids. I know that we will both get back into a routine and it will be okay. But it is certainly an internal battle of my heart. I so love teaching and I believe that it is my gift, but since Avaree was born, my heart struggles with all sorts of things. Ultimately, in a few weeks...all will be okay again. I know. Just please pray for the transitions that will soon begin for all three of us. We are certainly thankful to have so many precious praying people in our lives.

And...now that I have dried my tears, how about some pictures??! :)


My sweet, precious friend Patricia (whom I will miss sooooo much this year--but I am sooooo glad that she gets to be a SAHM to her precious baby girl!) came over with her little princess to play with me and my little princess! :) Contrary to what you see here, Avaree didn't really play that "well" with Liv. In fact, she was quite jealous and even tried to take Liv's toys from her. This suprised me because she ususally plays so well with other babies, but I guess b/c this was at HER house...she felt threatened. WHo knows... :) Anywho, we hope they will come back and play again!!!!!!!!!!! :)

A rare Mommy and Daddy pic... :)

Since so many of you have mentioned that I am never in any pics with Avaree, I made it a point to ask Brandon to snap a few this week/weekend! :)

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tickle bug...

I LOVE this look that Avaree is giving her Daddy. This is not likely to be the last time that she will look at him like this. hehe... :)

Our feeble attempt at a family picture. Oh well. :)

No idea....just playing with Mama!

The cutest little froggie you ever did see!! :)

Avaree transitioned from her learning cup to the EZ cup (it's just the next step up to a big girl cup) and this is the first time I gave it to her. She was thinking...well, it's the same color as my cup...but looks different hmm...

...but it tastes the same! YAY! :) She has done really well with her cup! Yes, I am still nursing and will continue to nurse/pump through her first birthday. My goal is to transition her straight into cow's milk from a cup! Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to make it this long breastfeeding--it was a rocky start, but sooo worth it!

Just chillin' with her Daddy.. :)

Since I've been putting Avaree loo hoo's hair in a loo hoo pony, it becomes a mohawk when I take it out! :) Daddy loves it. This is the only time her hair will ever be in a mohawk, despite whatever Daddy might think! hehe.

Another growing up moment: Avaree is just getting too long for her footy jammies, so she now has a couple of pairs of big girl jammies. Oh my...I'm not sure if I can handle this one. I just love those footy jammies.

All dressed up and ready to go to church with Mommy and Daddy!!!

Mommy and baby... :) I never get ready without her and I think we are a great team!

I have been cooking soooo much lately. Seriously--breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have even been working on making meals that LAST. Brandon isn't big on leftovers, so my new goal was to come up with things that could be transformed once they are "leftover". So...one day I made an Italian chicken casserole. The next day, I shaved off the seasoning of the leftover chicken and made homemade (brown) fried rice. Then, the next day, the remaining chicken became fajitas!! Brandon ate leftovers, we didn't waste anything, and I saved time and money! This is great! Now, if I can just keep it up during the school year. Meanwhile, because I had been cooking so much, we decided to go to Roadhouse (yummmmo!) after church on Sunday. It was Avaree's first time to go and it is by far a super baby-friendly place! She loved munching on her biter biscuit while we ate! :) See cute pic below...