In Which She Looks Like Her Mother...

We all know that Avery looks *just* like Wade. If you compare their baby pictures, they are almost identical. Apparently I'm just a oven for incubating little Wade clones. BUT... there is a look that she gives, that my Mom calls her "What the hell?" look... It does look *slightly* like me :-) I'll let you be the judge...

At "ZooBoo" 2008

And just so no one thinks we are horribly mean parents, she picked this costume out, and she really does like it. She's been wearing the hat part around the house for weeks! She was just not having it at this particular moment... she's a woman of many moods! :-)

Pumpkin Patch 2008

We went to the Pumpkin Patch last weekend. The weather was gorgeous, and we really had a fun time. We went with Mimi and Poppy (Wade's mom and step-dad) and Uncle Jordan. Avery rode a pony named Ginger, the wagon out to the pumpkin patch, and the "pumpkin train." She also picked out a pumpkin for Hayden. It was super cute. She walked around the pumpkin patch saying, "Nope! Too big! No... not that one! Hmmm... no! THAT ONE!" And she picked out a cute little pumpkin for Baby Hayden, because "She's little, Mommy!" Then Poppy helped her carve her pumpkin later that night. It was quite the eventful day! Oh, and may I just take a moment to say how happy the pumpkin sweater and shirt made me :-)

Pretending to be a pumpkin

I don't even want to know how long this took someone to accomplish!

Ridin' the pumpkin train!

All aboard!

Avery and her pal Ginger

In the wagon with Mimi and Poppy

You don't want to know the effort it took for Wade to pull me up from the ground after this picture :-)


"Help! It's too heavy for Avery! HELP ME!"

The chosen one

The finished product... and Baby Hayden's pumpkin :-)

Happy Birthday, Avery!

Avery wanted french fries for her birthday, so we went to dinner at Red Robbin. She was extra excited because they gave her several balloons, sang "Happy Birthday" to her, and gave her ice cream. What more could a two-year-old want??

The diva in her car seat on the way to the restaurant.

Enjoying her balloons and coloring.
Shot of the fam.

The birthday girl in all her glory.

My Kid is Weird

I was doing laundry this morning, and Avery always manages to rummage through the piles and escape with things. I found her in the kitchen with this shirt on her head. I said, "What are you doing??" And she said, "Mommy, I'm a flower! A very cute flower!" What-ev-uh kid!

It's Raining, But I'm Happy Because...

There is a new episode of "Ni Hao Kai-Lan" on television. For those not familiar with the current offerings of Nick Jr. , Kai-Lan is basically the Chinese version of Dora. So she teaches counting and whatnot in Chinese, as well as how to get along with your friends, etc. And Avery looooooves her. In each episode Kai-Lan says "You make me SUPER HAPPY!" about 38205 times. So now Avery says, "Mommy, I'm SUPER HAPPY!" At any rate, there were about 4 episodes played in rotation, and I'm sick to death of them all. Variety is the spice of life... so now we're watching Kai-Lan and her friends figure out how to compromise and share when when everyone can't agree about what they want to play. Really, it's the little things in life that make me happy. Oh, make that SUPER HAPPY :-)

T Minus One Month And Counting...

I had my 35 week appointment yesterday for Hayden. All is well. Only one month to go! Cool and terrifying all at the same time. On the one hand I am soooo over being pregnant. I think this child may have a future in some kind of martial arts or perhaps she will be a professional kicker. At any rate, my internal organs could really use a break. On the other hand... taking care of a newborn and a toddler scares the snot out of me. I know it will all be fine... and millions of other people have taken care of two small children and they (and the children) have lived to tell the tale... but still. I think it being so close to the holidays and all the cold winter weather is also making me think everything will be a little more busy/difficult. It's kind of ridiculous, but one of the things I'm looking forward to is dressing the girls alike. Yes, I'm going to be *that* mom. I can't help it... I think it's so cute. And Wade thought having another girl was going to save us a ton of money in clothes... HA!

Two Year Well Baby Check Up and General Update

We have the official stats... Avery weighs in at a monstrous 22 1/2 pounds and is 31 1/2 inches tall. Her doctor came in and said, "She's finally back on the charts! She's in the 5th percentile, but she's on there!" For those that don't know what "the charts" are... they tell you how your kid stacks up against kids of the same age with their height/weight. Avery hasn't been on them since she was 6 months old. So as of now, 95% of the kids Avery's age are taller and weigh more than she does. Of course, looking at her parentage no one expects her to be very big. But people are always surprised when they find out she's 2. Most think she's between 15-18 months. And then the talking in sentences really throws them off! At any rate, she's doing great developmentally. She's ahead in verbal skills and slightly behind in gross motor skills, but nothing to be concerned about. She got her MMR vaccine (which I delayed from her 1 year appointment), and when we were leaving the doctor's examining room, she pointed to the nurse in the hall (with an look of outrage and disgust) and said, "SHE HURT MY LEG!" (And then started wailing again even though she had just been fine!) She still refuses to eat meat/veggies, and survives on bread, crackers, fruit, yogurt, cheese, and milk. She "says" she wants to go potty on the potty... and then sits there and does nothing. She knows she gets a sticker if she goes, but so far, no dice. She's incredibly strong willed, dramatic, and opinionated (I have no idea from where these character traits come!), but she's also sweet and compassionate towards others. (That would be Wade's personality coming out!) She loves to color and do art type projects. She's also really into her baby dolls, and feeding them, taking them for walks, putting them to bed, etc. She's a lot of fun these days!

You heard it here first, folks!

We've been trying to talk up the merits of being a "big girl" to Avery before Hayden gets here.
"Big girls use the big girl potty!"

"Big girls pick up their toys!"

"Big girls ask for things nicely!"

"Big girls share and help Mommy!"

Etc. It's been a big deal recently to do things like a "big girl." So yesterday we had the following conversation... (and for those not familiar, Avery calls her pacifier a "sucky." And it is her favorite thing ever in the history of the world.)

Mommy: Are you going to share your suckies with Baby Hayden when she gets here?

Avery: Yes, Mommy! I share like a big girl!

Mommy: Are you going to give all your suckies to Baby Hayden?

Avery: No, Mommy.

Mommy: But are suckies for babies, or are they for big girls?

Avery: Mommy, suckies are for babies AND big girls! (Using exasperated tone to imply that this clearly need not be explained.)

Of course. What was I thinking?

Hey, you should really start a blog

Ok, family. I've started a blog. Please don't expect too much :-) While creative writing may have been a strength and forte at some point in my life, I'm pretty sure my brain cells in this particular area have begun to diminish. Somewhere between cleaning up spilled milk, changing diapers, and peeling Dora stickers off the television. Enjoy!