Here are some pictures from last week that I never posted:

Fun with Momma's sunglasses:
Dave and Betsy before our anniversary dinner- yes, I coerced our babysitter into taking our picture =)

Avery's super birthday gift from her "Aunt" Rebecca Rogers: a Vandy cheerleading outfit!

Strangely the outfit inspired her to do nothing but read... hmm....

Our trip to the museum last week: LOVED the water table

Fun Tea Party with Mom. Notice the wet hair and shirt from the water table. ha ha.A playground just my size!
LOTS of fun at our last Michigan tailgate as Michiganders.

Popping and a ponytail

Taking some pics in the Kitty halloween costume
Waahh- why is Dawkins running away from me?!

I'm calling Mimi- I'm being tortured.
HA- just kidding! Just wanted to press buttons on your phone, Mom!

Leaves are fun

Ok, so I knew I shouldn't have blamed Avery for losing the camera- found it in my coupon basket! Anyway, our neighbors raked up a nice pile of leaves yesterday so Avery and I took advantage of it =) 

Here Avery drives her car around the sidewalk- her favorite activity along with popping.

Morning leaf session- Whoo hoo leaves!

Gotta love popping on a fall afternoon

Cute boots right?!

Afternoon leaf session:

She would shuffle all the leaves, run away from the pile, and then SPRINT back to them. 

Here's a video of her sprinting back. My old motto was: Avery come back! Now it's: Slow down please!

Cheesy pj pic:

Where's my camera?

Hello! We had a great weekend... our 5th wedding anniversary was Saturday! I celebrated by forcing Dave to watch some of the video we have from the rehearsal dinner and pre-wedding festivities. We look very young! I need to post some of it... it was funny to look back. It also made me miss all of our friends! I'm very glad to NOT be planning a wedding right now, but to have almost every one of our loved ones at a big party together sounds wonderful =) 

We had a babysitter on Saturday night and went to the West End Grill here in Ann Arbor. We didn't have reservations, but someone canceled at the perfect moment! It was a great night out alone- a rare occurrence these days!

I would post some pictures from the weekend but I lost my camera!! I had it on Sunday afternoon, taking pics of Avery playing in the living room, and then Sunday night it was gone... it has to be here somewhere... granted I do want a new camera but was going to wait until Christmas! I'm thinking that Avery toted it off somewhere like she has been in the habit of doing lately. I checked all the trash cans. Now I'm waiting for it to turn up like in her Halloween pumpkin or underneath the crib. Wish me luck!

Weekend Update

We had a wonderful fall weekend, especially since it was Dave's weekend off- woo hoo! We had to cancel our "date" Sat night since our babysitter got sick, and our football teams played terribly, but oh well, those are pretty small problems in the scheme of things. This morning we ventured down to the Toledo Zoo. The weather was perfect, and it was fun to hang out with Dave and Ari Taub who met us there for some train riding and animal action. Avery was a hoot barking her dog sound at the polar bears, hippos, elephants, etc. After we got home this afternoon, I decided to document some of Avery's tricks. Here is a montage of her latest and greatest... the itsy bitsy spider, her version of a dog barking and a not so great version of her cow mooing, hilarious dancing with her new spinning techniques, hugging the Dora pumpkin that Daddy carved, and dunking her face in the bath water. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Patch

Here are some pictures from our adventure to Jenny's Dexter Market today, for a pumpkin patch, cider & doughnuts, a hayride, etc. It was a perfect fall day and we had so much fun with Jess, Kaitlyn, Susie, Grant, Hunter, Katie, Thomas, and even a surprise visit from Dave! 

fun goats and ponies at the "petting zoo" area
We survived the hayride (barely) Just picture... a flat bed trailer pulled by unpredictable horses, bumpy hilly dirt roads, slippery hay, no gate on the back of the trailer, and Jess and I were at the very back. EEK- it was an adventure!

Here is how we felt on the hayride: (Avery's expression is spot-on)

We decided to do a picture on the trailer NOT connected to the horses for safety's sake

Avery felt the need to go around and touch every pumpkin until she found the perfect one.

Lots to Report

Sept 28: Big House Big Heart Run
Dave, Avery, and I all ran in a 5k that ended in the "Big House." We got to run through the tunnel where the football players go- fun!!


Sept 28: Kaitlyn's 1st Birthday Party
Avery throwing her hat in the ring for control of Kaitlyn's popper:

Sept 30: Avery's 1st Trip to the Emergency Room
We were getting ready for bathtime when Avery slipped, fell, and hit the back of her head on our hardwood floor. She then proceeded to go unconscious! Eek. She was out for several seconds, came back to, but wasn't herself. She was groggy and out of it, not crying, pretty much limp. We threw her in the car and headed to the ER, as she tried to fall asleep the whole time. Me, simultaneously trying to keep her awake while crying/choking out "the eensy weensy spider." As soon as we made it there she pretty much snapped out of it, and was fine, pointing to Dora the Explorer on the walls of her hospital room. They watched her for an hour or so and decided she was just fine as long as she didn't show any other symptoms. We monitored her all night and she seemed like her normal self, only confused as to why we were waking her every 3 hours to hug her and kiss her. Anyway, they gave us the go ahead to head to KY the next day. Hopefully we won't be making any more trips to the ER any time soon. =(

Oct 1: Avery and I head to KY to visit Mimi, Granddaddy, Aunt Katie, and the rest of the gang. We stayed Wed-Sun and Avery was basically in hog heaven. Mimi and Avery explored every inch of the yard, running, playing, picking up leaves, acorns, etc. What a switch compared to our .2 acre lot here! The house was also a Disney-worldish scenario, with Taz the dog, a kitty, 2 birds, and plenty of toys, books, and low level cabinets to dig around in. We had lots of fun and I can foresee many happy times in our future with Avery wrapping these grandparents more and more around her little fingers.



At the arts and crafts show where Avery kept pulling off her shoes and socks and sticking her bare, redneck feet way up in the air:


Otherwise I've been working, working, working like crazy until our Oct 15 deadline is over at work. There's light at the end of the tunnel!

A Full Heart

Ok, so having a newborn baby is nice, and a 6 month old is cute and cuddly, but I have to say that I've never had more fun than I'm having with this one year old little girl. All of a sudden I find myself, not with a baby anymore, but with a child who is curious, affectionate, mischievous, and who amazes me pretty much every minute of the day. You can see the wheels turning in this kid's brain.  She can effectively communicate what she wants to do and what she does NOT want to do. She can organize/sort her farm animals, puzzle pieces, tupperware, blocks, q-tips, stuffed animals, bottle parts, baby dolls, clean laundry, etc. for seemingly hours on end. I will turn on her video monitor at night after we've put her to bed to see her reading her books aloud, patiently, enthusiastically in the dark. To see her jiggle her shoulders and shake her booty to music, whether it be from the stereo, the Happy Monster Band, or her Fisher Price Ipod, will inspire joy and laughter even after the longest, most tiresome day at work. How can she pick out Dora the Explorer so quickly on coupons, Blockbuster display racks, and Yoplait yogurt? She can find your nose, blow a kiss, sign a "touchdown", and even tickle you under your neck just when you think she's falling asleep. A hug or a kiss (she gives both) from Avery fills my heart with love so far up to the very brim that nothing else matters in the world. I feel blessed to have her in my life and just wanted to post about how I am so simultaneously filled with love and worry about her that, when not working, I spend my days either playing, cuddling, or shielding from danger. I'll keep you all updated, don't worry, but with this super fun, attention seeking, trouble finding, non-consistent napper, I don't have as much time to blog anymore =) 

Not much new to report this week. Today is Dave's Birthday!! Happy 31st! He's in Chicago at a conference and hopefully having a wonderful evening. Here are some pictures of Avery from today:

She could literally stay outside 24/7, running, exploring, and finding leaves. 

I love this picture even though it's fuzzy.

Here she found some leaves and is bringing them to me. 

"Here Mom, more leaves!!" I have a hundred pictures like this. 

Ok, so I hate to spoil the surprise, but Avery's Halloween costume came in the mail today- she's going to be Dawkins and she's the cutest darn kitty I've even seen. She wasn't too keen on the hat until she looked in the mirror and exclaimed "Kitty!!"