Keim Party of Three

Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch

2011-10-29T19:53:00.001-07:00

Hodges Dairy Farm ~ Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Mommy and Avery

Daddy and Avery

Ooops!

Mid-drop - another OOOPS Moment. Avery loved to pick up and hold the pumpkins as long as she could and the she let them drop.

Look at our little pumpkin!

Chasing Daddy!

Taking time to smell the sunflowers!

...and knowing she is being cute.

October Fun

2011-10-29T19:37:00.000-07:00

Greensboro Science Museum ~ Aunt Nancy and Uncle Harry came to visit us the first weekend in October and we came up to the Science Museum. They had a traveling exhibit on the Titanic that was pretty amazing. Avery loved seeing the animals outside!

Daddy shows Avery how to use the water table.

Avery's animal MO - touch it and then jump back and see what happens. She loved being able to walk right up to the goats and sheep but wasn't too sure about actually touching them.

Aunt Nancy was Avery's best friend - it wasn't too long after they came that she was calling her "my friend, Ansy."

Uncle Harry, Aunt Nancy and Avery

So hard to get up at 6AM and be cheerful.

A new kitchen set ~ Daddy's yard sale find.

Avery's first American Doll - a Bitty Baby from Nanny and Papa Keim. Avery loves all dolls but her favorite part of this set is the backpack!

Avery with Nanny and Papa Keim

My big girl on her big girl swing.

My happy girl on the carousel at the mall.

Avery is finally tall enough to wear the long skirt that Uncle George made for Madeline. She was so excited to have a skirt "just like Mommy!"

I love this little outfit but unfortunately Avery doesn't share my love for it - she didn't like the neck or the tights, but she does look cute!

Nana Sue and Papa Dale with Avery

Watching her shadow as she swings.

Snapshots of September

2011-10-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

All of August

2011-10-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

End of July

2011-10-29T18:57:00.000-07:00

Avery Turns 2!

2011-07-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

Shawn and I singing Happy Birthday to her.

She was more interested in the Elmo ring on top than the actual cupcake.

And that was about all she ate...still not into sweets.

Her present from Mommy and Daddy. Every time we are cleaning we hear a little voice saying, "I help" so now she can.

Loving the vacuum

Sweeping...we have already used this in the kitchen this morning to sweep up some crushed goldfish.

Ready to clean!

Sunday Morning

Avery is obsessed with shoes of all kinds but right now her favorites are her flip flops so it was only fitting that that be her theme.

The cake baker.

Wearing her flip flop dress made by Grandma Sue.

Sunday evening we had Avery's party. Matt, Christina, Phoenix, Gillis, Lindsey, Norman, Ellie, Eric, Shelly, Hatcher, Carson and Zoe helped celebrate!

Sleepy girl after everyone went home.

After having multiple hissy fits that she couldn't get her Build-a-Bear shoes on herself she is finally satisfied with the fit.

Some things I want to remember about Avery at age2:
1. Just this past weekend she added the "I" to her usual "love you." It's been so cute to hear her say, "I love you, Mommy. I love you, Daddy. I love you, Sasha."

2. The MOUSE! Avery has an imaginary mouse. She will say, "Mommy, the mouse!" Mommy..."Where?" "Outside" or "On Daddy's head" and then "Mouse ran away. It was scared of Avery." And we will repeat, over and over and over.

3. Her ever expanding vocabulary! Her first sentence a few months ago was, "I want some more chicken!" Now most of the time she talks in complete sentences and it's amazing the things she comprehends and picks up.

4. She has been free of her paci for one week now! Yay one success this summer!

5. Favorites: Foods - mac n cheese, hotdogs, cereal
Toys - new cleaning set, Sasha, any and all dolls, tea set
Band - the Avett Brother's - yes, she has been brainwashed since birth by her Daddy. She knows almost every song and sings along to many.
Nursery Ryhmes - Mac n cheese aka Yankee Doodle, the wheels on the bus, itsy bitsy spider, I'm a little tea pot
Place - the beach!

6. Avery counts to 10 in English, Spanish, and French...with help, of course. :-)

7. Avery loves to stomp ants out on the driveway.

8. When we were trying to show Avery how to hold up two fingers for two years old she kept saying "Peace!" Thanks to Mariah. :-)

Avery definitely has an independent streak and sometimes she can be a real stinker, like last week when I took her to have her portraits made, but overall she is such a sweet and vivacious little girl.

We love you, Avery Reagan!

First half of July

2011-07-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

On July 9th the Avett Brother's were having a concert in Red Rocks, Colorado...but we got to see them too! They did a live broadcast of the concert at Charlotte Motor Speedway on their huge HD screen. So yes, we went to watch a concert on a huge TV but it was lots of fun! We met some of my co-workers, Steve and Michelle Rines and their daughter, Morgan, there and had a really fun night.

Avery, Morgan and Michelle

Avery and Morgan spent most of their energy rocking out to the opening act...Grace Potter.

I wanted to try pudding finger paint that I'd heard other people talk about. I was babysitting Malachi this day so I figured that'd be a fun activity for him and Avery. I made cheesecake flavored pudding and divided it up into little containers for each of them and added some food coloring. Avery loved it and dug right in. She loved eating it, painting the paper, and painting herself. Malachi, not so much. I made him at least try to paint with it but he thought it was pretty gross.

Mom and I have kind of a running joke about giant onesies and big onesie pajamas. Mind you, Avery wore a onesie almost daily until she was 18 months old and she does have some pretty cute 3T onesie pajamas. But for some reason whenever I see them in the store the giant onesies crack me up. Mom sent Avery this onesie a little while back and of course I thought it was cute with the elephants and Mommy and me. Today was a perfect day for Avery to wear it around the house after the pool and before getting dressed up for gospel meeting. Thank goodness 24 months is the biggest they make this type of onesie!

We had planned to take a day trip to the beach on Friday the 15th but Shawn found a good rate at the Hampton Inn right on the Isle of Palms Connector so we decided to make it an overnight. We hadn't even finished setting up and Avery was already playing in the sand.

There were storms out to sea so the waves and the wind were really fierce with a strong undertow. Shawn and I took turns boogie boarding but you couldn't just go out and relax in the water, you had to fight just to stand up. Avery loved playing in the surf and discovered the shells...at one point I was holding about 20 for her.

After getting cleaned up we headed downtown for the evening. We walked out on the pier and saw a dolphin only about 15 feet away...that was pretty spectacular!

Somehow without even trying we find something new in Charleston every time we go. This evening we found a new street with this parking area that basically had windows. Kind of hard to describe but it was really neat.

Back to the beach in the morning so we could get back and shower before check out time. Happy Birthday Avery!!

We were going to drive into downtown and walk around before heading home but Avery fell asleep in the car almost immediately. We drove around for a while and then made our way to the Mt. Pleasant Waterfront Park. Avery had just woken up and in a moment of spontaneity we decided to walk on the Ravenel Bridge. It was quite a hike for two out of shape people pushing a stroller but we made it to the top and it was totally worth it.

Shawn is scared to death right now and can't look down!

Charleston Harbor in the background

The birthday girl finally gets to get out and play!

July 4th Weekend

2011-07-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

We surprised Mom and Dad with a quick 4th of July weekend visit. We called at 7:30 to tell them we were driving through Pittsburgh. I think they were pleasantly surprised.

A visit to the Arcade Park on Friday.

Running through the sprinklers with NaNa.

Helping NaNa with the watering.

Our little fire-cracker!

Doing Mac n Cheese AKA Yankee Doodle with Aunt JoJo.

4-wheeling with Daddy

Hanging with Papa

Ready for a bonfire Sunday night.

Mom and I go for a spin on the 4-wheeler

Watching fireworks with Curtis. At one point Avery was crouched down just like Curt but I missed the picture op.

Near Sisson's at 6AM on our way home...a few lucky cows.

June 2011

2011-07-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

Nana and Papa came for a visit the first weekend in June. Dad and Shawn did some antiquing and Mom and I spent some quality time shopping. As usual their visit was over way too soon!

Papa helped Avery put some change in her piggy bank.

Mommy's cleaning buddy

Avery is very into all of her babydolls right now...it's pretty sweet.

The Pout - we've been seeing this look a lot lately.

Pretty roses from Shawn for our 9 year anniversary

A weekend trip to Charleston to celebrate the end of school/ our anniversary/ Father's Day.

Avery loved the beach - especially playing in the sand and running through the surf.

Avery gets the sweet ride to and from the beach in the Wonder Wheeler.

We went to Charles Towne Landing for Shawn's Father's Day gift - a historic site. They did a little demo of the cannons and for the rest of the weekend we heard, "Cannons loud!" They made quite an impression on Avery.

I love you Daddy!

Ready to go to her first story hour. The class was supposed to be for 1-3 year olds but there were kids sitting around the teacher who had to be 6 or 7...you know, giving all the answers. Avery loves to read stories at home and will sit for as long as someone will read to her. However, she couldn't seem to understand why she had to sit on Mommy's lap when there were 20 other kids in the room to play with. Needless to say, she gave me a run for my money. I think we're going to wait to go back until next summer and hopefully by then she will willingly sit through story time. We do still take her to the library and she gets to pick out a few books and she generally does great, so we'll see how next summer goes.

I'm pretty sure she's the only kid who managed to get 2 stickers out of the teacher who very clearly said because of the crowd she could only give one sticker to each kid.

One of Avery's favorite things to do is run and hide when we tell her to do something. Well, she runs and hides in plain sight, but hey if she can't see us then we can't see her, right?

Avery and Malachi! I babysat Malachi last summer and he and Avery were so excited to see each other again! Avery is used to having a playmate during the day so she loves it!

Avery has been spending some quality time in "time out" this summer.

Reading her Bible on Eeyore

Avery and Malachi play dress up

Enjoying the water table on a hot day.

May Highlights

2011-07-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

A trip to Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC. We always love the zoo but it was pretty hot so the animals weren't very active.

An afternoon walk in Uptown Charlotte - this girl is on a mission - chasing the Canada geese.

I love this little park with the fish fountains...and yes, we were those people who let their kid run around in just a diaper.

Avery helped Daddy plant all the flowers.

Avery rediscovered her baby gym one morning.

Telling us it's time to take a trip.

Avery loves putting all of her diaper covers on at once...or at least on one leg.

We took a spur of the moment trip for Memorial Day weekend to Savannah, GA and Tybee Island...Shawn and I honeymooned here almost 9 years ago.

Just the three of us...

Downtown Savannah

Happy Memorial Day!

The Rest of April 2011

2011-07-06T19:12:00.001-07:00

This girl loves to walk in Mommy's shoes!
Having a tea party with Sasha.

Heading out on a walk to the playground.

Singing hymns before meeting...apparently we sound very mournful?!

A trip to Charleston for Spring Break!

I've been duly warned that allowing Avery to get these sunglasses will turn her into a diva, but what can I say, she loves them! I took her to Old Navy and we tried on the pink ones, the purples ones, the blue ones, the star shaped sunglasses, the heart shaped sunglasses, she chose the movie star look!

"Ocean!"

Beautiful rainbows after a massive storm.

Despite the rain, we made it an enjoyable evening!

The next day there was more rain! We got soaked walking around but we were in Charleston so that makes it all ok. We had lunch at Tommy Condon's...a new fave. Avery picked up our horrible habit of dipping her french fries in ranch. Right now the fry serves mostly as a means to get the ranch into her mouth.

21 Months

2011-07-06T18:47:00.000-07:00

We took Avery up to Concord Memorial Gardens to have a 21 month photo session. This is the third time we've brought Avery up here to be photographed and the flowers are always gorgeous! However, our gorgeous daughter no longer sits still, stands still, or smiles on command. I still think we got some good shots and more that show just who she really is!

I bought this adorable dress at a "fill a bag for $5" yard sale last fall. Nanny Keim sent Avery the corker hair bows. I love the bows but she hardly has enough of a pig tail to hold them in.

"Ok, now hold that pose"

"Pretty flower"

"Ta da!"

April

2011-04-16T17:56:00.001-07:00

We rescued this Eeyore from the dumpster at our apartment years ago. He was tagged to be sold for a very low price at our yard sale but Avery rescued him.

Reading some Nicholas Sparks. Apparently Eeyore will be used for our little trick rider. Now that our office/junk room has been cleaned out due to selling the bookcases, futon, and tons of books it's like we have a whole new room. Half has become Avery's playroom and I have reclaimed the other half as my scrapbooking area.

Avery and Sasha have a tea party.

Up bright and early Saturday morning...have cup of cheerios...will yard sale!

Nanny and Papa Keim bought Avery this cozy cottage. Shawn and I put it together while she was napping so she was very pleased to come outside and find her new abode. She loves it...and so do all the neighbor kids. :-/ I hate being the mean lady on the street but sometimes the mean teacher in me comes out and I have to reprimand an 8 year old for climbing in and out of the windows and remind him it's made of plastic and we don't want it broken on the first day Avery gets to play with it. Yes, I'm the mean mom on the street.

Avery and Michael (the babysitter's son)

The whole gang...Amari, Avery and Michael

20 Months Old!

2011-04-16T17:39:00.000-07:00

Time flies! I can't believe Avery is 20 months old and while posting this I realize that I'm a month behind and today she is actually 21 months...will I ever be an up to date blogger? At 20 months Avery is still the light of our lives and we love every moment with her. When I got home from school I dressed her in this adorable dress that Shawn and I got for Madeline a few years ago and hauled her up to the pool/playground area for a little photo shoot. Mind you, Avery rarely naps at the babysitter's and her usual routine is to take a nap as soon as I get home, so on this particular day she had been up for 9 hours with no nap.

Our happy girl!

We are continually amazed at the new things Avery learns. Avery repeats everything we say and has an ever expanding vocabulary. Some of our favorite phrases are "tank ou" and "wov wu."

Avery was very confused as to why I wanted her to read a book on a bench at the park. Guess I was trying to be a little too artistic for her taste...there is one reason to go to the park...to play!

Trying to get her to smell the Bradford Pear blossoms.

And now she's happy!

Majorly cheesing!

March Highlights

2011-04-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, now we are those parents with their kid on a leash! I never thought that would be me, but it's a different story now that I have a very busy toddler. We do travel a lot and we go to lots of museums and sometimes it's nice to let Avery stretch her legs a bit and now I'll know that she's three feet away instead of getting lost in a crowd. So far she thinks it's pretty cool to have a monkey on her back. We leave it in the car and a few times when she's really sleepy we've handed her the monkey and she's cuddled it like she does her doll when she's falling asleep.

We have a shoe lover! Upon waking up Avery's first words are "Sasha" (her doll) and next she looks at her feet and says, "shoes!" We keep our everyday shoes by the door and now they are continually scattered throughout the house as Avery tries to walk in one or two different shoes at a time. She'll try anything but definitely prefers Mommy's few pairs of shoes with a little heel. My mom tells me this is all my fault since Avery owned 12 pairs of shoes when she was born! I'm worried about what the teenage years will bring!

Walking in Mommy's very worn brown shoes...but they do have a three inch heel.

Cheesing it up big time!

Fun in the sun!

Taking time to smell the flowers.

Giving her dolls some fresh air.

On March 19th we went to Charlotte's St. Patrick's Day Parade. It was a pretty spectacular parade with lots of bagpipers, beauty queens, Irish dancers, dog rescue groups and even a Star Wars club/gang?...guess they let anyone in. :-)

We walked around downtown a little after the parade and went to Fuel Pizza for lunch.

Our new favorite all in one dish...low country boil. I'm sure we don't quite do this authentically but it is yummy and super easy. We just boil the corn, potatoes and sausage for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and then add the fresh shrimp (we've found fresh NC shrimp to be the best) and boil for about 3 minutes. We use about 1/2 cup of Old Bay seasoning and it tastes delish!

Heel's are better but any shoe that isn't her own will do.

Triple the paci's!

Grandma Sue comes to visit!

2011-04-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

Mom came to visit during the last week of February. We were so glad to see her and Avery warmed up to her pretty quickly. Mom watched Avery while we were at school and Avery loved all of the attention. I loved coming home to supper cooking, laundry caught up and a happy, well-napped kiddo. We do love our babysitter but would love for Mom and Dad to move down here and to be our permanent babysitter. Mom did get to enjoy some pretty nice weather for February so maybe someday...we can hope, right? :-)

On Saturday we took a day trip to Charleston. It was a gorgeous day and we got to see the Bradford Pears, daffodils, magnolias, etc. in bloom. We love this city and someday we shall live here!

Avery found a seat just her size.

Walking along the Battery.

Mom feeding Avery some She-crab soup...yum!

We stopped at Isle of Palms and enjoyed the beach for a little bit...even in February it was fun to play in the surf.

And it is fun to chase seagulls!

Weekend trip

2011-03-06T18:42:00.000-08:00

The weekend before my birthday we both took Friday off from school and headed out for Wilmington, NC. It's about a 4 hour drive and it was raining so instead of checking into the hotel we went to the aquarium first. There was hardly anyone else there so it was really neat to get up close to all the tanks and Avery could walk through by herself. She touched a few things in the touch tank but most of them were too squishy or too prickly for her taste.
We happened to be there when the divers were in the giant tank. This diver came right up to the glass and put his hand where Avery's was.

Avery loved the fish and didn't want to leave.

Ready to go swimming in the hotel.

We had grand plans to walk on this stone path to at least the first island but at 9AM it was a little colder than we had bargained for and my ankle was hurting so we decided to turn back before I hurt myself and Avery froze...maybe next time.

The view from atop the dunes.

Bring big red down the sand dunes to the beach.

Gotta try out the new boots.

We had packed a picnic lunch and after we ate we went on the USS North Carolina. It was pretty neat and gave a much better picture of life aboard a naval ship than the USS Yorktown in Charleston.

Action shot

Wilmington in the background.

Some cooking pots just like convention.

Enjoying some French onion soup.

Playing with her doll, Sasha, as we pack up.

February Highlights

2011-03-06T18:16:00.000-08:00

Some museums are free the first weekend of every month if you are a Bank of America card holder. We finally decided to take advantage of this program and the first weekend in Feb. we went to the children's museum in Columbia, SC. We only had to pay for Avery since she doesn't yet have her own card. :-) Avery loved the museum and Shawn and I agreed that it would have been an awesome place to go as a kid. I'm sure she'll be able to do more there once she gets a little older but there were plenty of things to entertain her.
"It's snowing!" Shawn and I found it quite amusing that one room in a southern museum would be dedicated to snow and snow activities. It was real snow falling and they had an igloo that you could climb through and an old snowmobile you could sit on.

Avery's favorite room was the music room. She found this activity quite fun once she realized that each square made a different sound. She also liked pounding on/playing the piano.

And still thinking she's at the museum and discovering new things...sitting in our fridge.

Feb. 18th...78 degrees...makes turning 30 just that much easier.

We went out to eat at the Brickhouse Tavern in Davidson for my birthday and then had ice cream cake when we came home.

Looks like we have another ice cream cake fan!

All prettied up for meeting.

Talking on the phone...a favorite activity.

Surrounded by books...Avery loves to read to herself and count how many things are in a picture. She always misses the "one" but quite often we hear "two, tree" over and over again.

January Highlights

2011-03-06T17:58:00.000-08:00

I've been terrible at keeping our blog up to date but time flies when you work full time, when you are taking classes and when you are chasing after a busy toddler. Our favorite memories of 2010 are of course watching Avery grow and experience new things and I'm sure 2011 will be more of the same. She's a very busy girl and we love watching her learn and discover new things almost daily.
Ready for union meeting at our house...she of course, thought the chairs were an obstacle course set up just for her. This was one of my favorite dresses from last summer so we reworked it a little to make it a super cute winter outfit...fake uggs and all.

One Saturday the Nascar Hall of Fame was free so we decided to check it out. Since we aren't really into Nascar we wouldn't pay $30 per person to go but a free afternoon sounded good. Well, everyone else thought so too! It was super packed and we looked around but you couldn't really get close or read anything. I saw enough to be satisfied but Shawn wouldn't mind going back with my dad or his dad and brother.

18 Months of Cuteness! Where has the time gone?!? Avery is still our joy and delight and makes us smile everyday!

A big girl sitting in her rocker that Papa made.

1/18/11 Family Photo

Ready to go watch some Davie County Baskeball...go War Eagles!

Toward the end of the month we all had colds but it was so nice we drove to Rock Hill, SC to check out a park I had seen pictures of in Southern Living magazine. It was a nice park and Avery loved the fountains. I'm sure it would be much prettier with some blooms!

Playing in the driveway Sunday afternoon...no jackets!

Snow Day!

2011-01-10T08:10:00.001-08:00

Yeah! Mommy and Daddy get to stay home!
Playing with Alphabet Pal

Singing along

"Seriously...why are you guys doing this to me? I'd rather be at the beach!"

"Ok, maybe this is a little fun."

This is how southerners clear the snow. Shawn actually saw one guy trying to use a hard rake.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-10T07:55:00.000-08:00

Our happy girl
Waiting for our table at Cheesecake Factory New Year's Eve.

Exploring the chairs before Union Meeting.

Helping Daddy collect trash.

Shawn and apparently everyone else in the Charlotte area found out that the Nascar Hall of Fame was free between 4 and 6 on Saturday the 9th. Since tickets are $20/person and we really aren't Nascar fans we decided to check it out while it was free. It was kind of neat, but super crowded...definitely something that my dad and Shawn's dad would enjoy though.

Christmas Continued...

2010-12-29T13:00:00.001-08:00

Polish Dinner is served! Yummy!
Grant and Avery having a snack.

Avery and Madeline

The two babies - Avery (17 months) and Grant (22 months)

Sunday Morning. Thanks for the matching sweaters Justin and Jill! We were definitely missing Justin, Jill, Cora, and Maverick!

Madeline and Oscar taught Avery how to play Ring around the Rosie. She didn't quite get the concept of singing but she sure liked the "we all fall down" part!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T12:08:00.001-08:00

The night before we went to NY we had a mini-Christmas at home. Shawn and I exchanged one gift and we gave Avery two. We wanted her to practice opening presents...she caught on rather quickly.
Alphabet magnets for the fridge.

"Is this what I think it is?"

Looks like Santa made a good choice!

A new baby doll!

"Eyes!"

We traveled to NY on Wednesday Dec. 22nd. Mom and Dad thought we were coming on Thursday so Mom was pretty surprised when at 4:30 she heard some knocking on the door and our faces in the window. Grandma Sue gave Avery her first set of pigtails for Special Meeting Thursday night.

On Friday, Christmas Eve, we left the house at 6:30 and headed to Papa and Nanny Keim's. They majorly spoiled Avery and now she has enough toys to last until she is at least 5! Uncle Kyle, Adam, and Hallie came over for lunch.

Avery didn't need big toys to get excited. She was excited by the animal crackers in her stocking!

Weebles Treehouse...this has been her favorite toy since we've been home.

Testing her boundaries and self-control in this room.

Fisher Price Doll House

Tons of toys!

Family Pictures

We're finally at Aunt Katie's and Avery can run around!

It looks like Christmas Bear made the trip north.

Avery and Madeline checking out the gifts on Christmas morning.

"Can we open presents now?"

My job was to entertain these two kids as much as possible and keep them out of Mom and Katie's way. We colored and then played pin the nose on Frosty.

October

2010-11-08T13:30:00.000-08:00

I've been a terrible blogger so I'm going to try to do one post for all of October.

Here Avery is all dressed for union meeting, playing with the laces on my tennis shoes...she loves shoes!

Anyone who knows Shawn well knows that he is a huge Avett Brothers fan. They started out as a little local band and have grown over the years and now have a national record deal. On the day their newest album came out they did a little concert to thank their fans in their hometown. Their release day happened to be on a school night so we did a very unlike Shawn and Renee thing and went to the record store where they were holding their concert. Space inside was limited to 400 people but they opened the doors so everyone outside could hear. Shawn was a very happy guy and Avery was a happy girl...they played her favorite song...Laundry Room...yes, she has been brain-washed since birth. Then at 9PM we did something else very uncharacteristic for us on a school night...we went to Big Daddy's for some great burgers.

Wide awake at 6:00 on Mommy's day off.

We went to Patterson Farms to take some pumpkin pictures of Avery. She slept the whole way there and we had to wake her up to get out of the car. She was still dazed and was not impressed with the pumpkins at all!

Rolling the baby pumpkin.

Get me out of here!

Avery loves to wear Mommy's headbands!

Lifting weights in her belly shirt.

Pumpkin carving!

Lately Avery has been very into her baby dolls...it's pretty cute.

First pony-tail. I'm sure she's had enough hair for a little while but those tiny rubberbands are hard on this Mommy's arthritic fingers. :-) I also bought her some new hair bows made especially to stay in fine hair so they help reinforce the pony.

Modeling the new hat and winter coat Grandma brought.

Mom and Dad came to visit the last weekend in October. We had beautiful weather! Friday we went to the Lazy 5 Safari and rode through in the big white van. Avery loves anything lately where she is breaking the rules (riding sideways in the grocery cart, not being strapped into her stroller, etc.) so she loved riding in the front and helping Papa drive.

Avery walking with Grandma and Papa...she's keeping an eye on their shadows.

Grandma and Avery

Papa, Avery, and Grandma...just moments before Avery puked all over Grandma and they both needed a wardrobe change before meeting.

Garrett came for lunch on Sunday. He brought Avery this dog...her new favorite toy.

Playing in the leaves!

New way to kiss...offer your chin.

Pretty little flower!

I'm ready to go! We only went to about 10 houses and Avery cleaned up! Her pumpkin bucket was half full of candy that she can't eat! It was fun dressing her up and taking her out. She was getting the hang of it by the time we finished...hold up your bucket...look at what they put in...turn around.

Helping Papa pass out candy.

End of September

2010-11-07T16:56:00.001-08:00

We had a free evening and went to Concord Mills. It's great to walk around the mall on a week night because it's not at all crowded and we had fun showing Avery a few new things. She got to ride the carousel for the first time and loved it. There were only two paying children on the ride so I'm sure the attendant thought she as being very generous...after twenty or so rotations, this mommy was done!
First ride at the mall.

Pushing her elephants around in her buggy.

Sleeping with her dolls. I can't figure out how she got underneath the doll but it sure was cute.

Shelby Convention

2010-09-23T13:50:00.001-07:00

Avery and Zoe
Shawn was holding sweet little Adaline Webb and Avery went and sat on his feet until he picked her up...a little jealous!

Avery, Gueniviere, and Zoe

Zoe and Shawn

Guenivier Yap

Cabarrus County Fair

2010-09-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

Avery loved the petting zoo, fair food, and watching the adult rides. Shawn and I had a great time watching her get so excited about everything.

"Come here, mister!"

The hamster dance balls.

When the AC is out...

2010-09-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

A girl has got to stay cool!
Our AC went out because one of the fan blades broke. We had to call a repair man who nicely offered to replace the entire unit (23 years old) but Shawn stuck firm and made sure he only fixed the actual problem so our bill was in the hundreds and not thousands of dollars. They had to order a part so we were without AC for 5 days of 80-90 degree weather.

Trip to Charleston

2010-09-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

We took a quick overnight trip to Charleston. Our hotel room wasn't ready when we arrived so we headed downtown to Waterfront Park. Avery made a friend in the fountain.
She explored the pier.

Posed in the single seater benches.

Showed off her balance...

Walked around the dock...Daddy's favorite spot to pose her.

Took one nice picture with Mommy...

and then went wild. Since she has really taken off walking, she is Little Miss Independence.

Once we checked in at our hotel we quickly changed and headed for the beach.

No hesitation...she took right off.

Beach Baby

And later we enjoyed the pool in the hotel.

Avery's bed in our room.

New Red Wagon

2010-09-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

Nanny and Papa Keim sent Avery some money to buy a wagon. She loves it and is already working on her parade wave.

Totally relaxed...taking in the view.

End of August

2010-09-07T13:36:00.000-07:00

Waiting for us to decide what to do.

Wearing a hand-me-down dress from Madeline.

Walking is definitely Avery's preferred method of motion.

The zombie walk

Trying on hats at the Museum of the New South

Avery loved Ralph!

Reading a book after her daily destruction of the bottom two shelves of her bookcase.

Day Trip to the Mountains

2010-08-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

Ever since Avery was a few months old we kept saying we should take a day trip to the mountains and then everytime we planned it we changed our plans to go to the beach instead. We had a fun time, but somehow we picked the foggiest, rainiest day of the summer to go.
Heading out for a short hike.

Loving being out of her carseat and carried up high.

Avery's new thing is to hold her arms out perpendicular to her body and grab anything she comes in contact with. We're always having to be aware of what she is trying to grab.

The Blue Ridge Parkway

We dodged raindrops and had a quick picnic lunch on Grandfather Mountain.

Where are her parents?!

Mile high suspension bridge...that's Avery and I out there...Shawn could only take pictures if he was on either side of the bridge...it was swaying too much for him. :-)

Why aren't we at the beach?

Some black bears

Stand like a baby bear

And she's spent!

Trip to NY part 2

2010-08-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

Avery and Grandma Sue
with Uncle Justin

Picking up Daddy's bad Pepsi habit

Hanging with Caden

Trip to NY

2010-08-13T15:40:00.001-07:00

Ready for union meeting the Sunday before we left.
Blowing kisses at Nanny and Papa Keim's

Getting into the antique dolls

Sleeping Beauties...Avery and Jane McCoy

Avery is getting some help with her paci from Cora.

Daddy and Avery
I LOVE all of Mom's flowers and everything was sooo green and beautiful!

Family Picture

Mom and Dad with their 6 grandkids

Getting a bedtime story from Papa Dale

And a basket ride from Uncle Justin

End of July

2010-08-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

On July 23rd we went to Morton's for supper to help Carson celebrate his 3rd birthday and Zoe her first!
Zoe takes her first ever bottle...from Shawn...Avery isn't too sure if this is a good idea since just moments before she was enjoying her supper from this very same bottle.

Avery's answer to the question, "Are you cute?"

Splashing around her water table.

Talking to her doll.

Party!

2010-07-26T20:22:00.001-07:00

The night of Avery's actual birthday we gave her a cupcake to see what she'd do. She liked plaing in it but wasn't very fond of actually eating any.

A birthday elephant from Nanny and Papa.

Crawling doll

Avery's cakes

"Happy birthday to you!"

Playing with some new toys

Avery is One!

2010-07-26T19:57:00.001-07:00

July 16, 2009...our world is made new!

Wide awake at 2AM after a 10.5 hour drive.

A family at last

She was smiling already

and making goofy faces

and ONE year later... July 16, 2010

She is the light of our lives!

Charleston in July

2010-07-26T19:37:00.001-07:00

A walk/ride on the beach.
"Hey Mommy!"

Then a walk along the Battery in Charleston.

Big sloppy kisses for Daddy. We spent part of the day on the beach but since I've already ruined one camera because of sand I kind of decided we'd try to limit beach pictures when we are going to be covered in sand.

Back into Charleston to walk around...having fun with my baby girl!

She loves to hang upside-down!

Beginning of July

2010-07-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

Shawn had the first two weeks in July off so our plan was to do a day trip, a day working on the house, day trip, etc. We only ended up taking two day trips plus an overnighter to Charleston but Shawn got a lot done in the yard and he pressure washed the house.

We went to the state museums of history and science in Raleigh. Here is Avery...future president from NC?

Our second day trip...Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC

A picnic lunch after the zoo.

Avery totally took me by surprise when I put her behind this little cart and she just took right off across the living room. Now it is one of her favorite toys.

End of June

2010-07-26T18:55:00.001-07:00

A day trip to the beach! Avery loves the sand...eats it by the fist-full...and she also loves the waves! Avery refused to take a nap on the whole three hour trip to the beach but as soon as she got back in the car...she was out!
A stop in Charleston on the way home to cool off in the fountains.

Daddy takes one for the team...somehow he thought he could take her in this fountain without getting wet himself.

Malachi and Avery...I'm babysitting this adorable little boy about once a week this summer. I've quickly learned to do everything in shifts...we all eat at the same time, diaper changes, etc.

Watching the rain.

A few steps

2010-06-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

Weekend Trip to Atlanta

2010-06-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

June 18- We're here! After a 4 hour drive Avery is anxious to explore the hotel room.

Day 47-The day I carried the Olympic torch in Buffalo, NY.

Avery chills in her stroller.

The Georgia Aquarium - truly an awesome experience...pictures don't do it justice!

A whale shark- largest fish in the sea

Shawn touching a sting ray

A beluga whale

Playing in the fountains in Centenial Park

Happy Father's Day

We stopped in Greenville, SC on the way home to explore the Falls Park.

Daddy and his girl

Where are you guys posing me now?

Avery and I on the bridge

11 Months 6/16/10

2010-06-22T08:44:00.001-07:00

Standing Tall
"Kee Ka!" Avery is very into this kitty cat from Uncle Kyle. Her face lights up when she sees it and she says something that somewhat resembles kitty cat.

Soo Big!

At eleven months Avery seems to be growing and advancing so quickly. It seemed like it took her forever to crawl forward but now that she's mastered that she's going great guns. She's pulling herself up on everything and cruising around the living room. She has not mastered getting down though so it's either fall and then cry or cry until someone comes to get you down. Avery loves to babble and she literally loves talking to her hands. :-) Now that she is mobile she is not as interested in her toys...she'd rather crawl to wherever we are and get right under our feet. Avery has taken a few steps toward me but I'd in no way say she's walking yet. She loves clapping her hands and uses that as a way of communicating, "I like that!" "I want more!" "Keep doing that!" In the last month she's also gotten more cuddley and we are loving every minute of it. We've been to our neighborhood pool several times and Avery loves the water! We're hoping to head to the beach this summer too so we'll see how she likes sand and salt water.

Wheeling down the drive

2010-06-15T13:11:00.000-07:00

Warm weather is here!

2010-06-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

"Mowing the yard with Daddy is exhausting! I need a drink!"
"I'm so excited to be going to see Janna, Mariah, and Addie!"

On this particular day, Avery had taken a late afternoon nap so in an attempt to expend some energy we brought her walker outside. She loved it and we had fun watching her.

Avery is getting sooo big! I love these hand-me-downs from cousin Madeline. :-) I'm sure Madeline enjoyed them at 3 years old but Avery is sporting them at 10 months. :-)

Chilling on Mommy's big purple hippo from college.

Scooting around.

Checking out a new playground.

Shawn seems doubtful that his daughter will ever be a ballerina.

And the next morning we can see why. :-)

Getting into everything!

So pretty!

We are all glad the end of the school year is finally here. I ended up with great test scores and for the first time ever all of my kids passed their state exam. Yes, they were honors students but that still isn't a given. Shawn has had a few stressful weeks at his job as well. He was in charge of testing...a huge job. He is turning in all of his tests booklets today and will finally be finished! It's been an exhausting and sometimes frustrating task so he is truly glad to be finished! I'm looking forward to staying at home everyday with Avery and I'm sure we will quickly fall into a daily routine. I will also be babysitting occassionally and tutoring once or twice a week in the evenings.

Today marks our 8th anniversary! We're celebrating our anniversary/end of school/father's day this weekend by a little trip to Atlanta.

End of May

2010-06-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

Sweet Girl!
Using the turtle pool for the first time.

Loving the new neighborhood playground. Avery squeels on the swing.

Silly girl!

A trip to the Shiele Museum in Gastonia...Avery loved all the animals...even if none of them moved.

Avery and Zoe...ignoring each other and going in opposite directions as usual.

Sun. May 30th...brunch with Eric, Shelly, Hatcher, Carson, Zoe, Matt, Christina, Pheonix, Gillis, Zach and Karra. It was a hot afternoon so we filled up the turtle and Eric and Shelly supplied the Slip 'n Slide.

Follow the leader...Hatcher, Michael, and Carson.

Now that Avery is on the move we've gotten the Pack n Play back out...here enjoying a mid-afternoon snack.

Ten Months 5/16/10

2010-06-01T13:48:00.001-07:00

As the months go on, still pictures are harder and harder to come by. The 16th happened to be on a Sunday so these were our attempts at a quick photo shoot before meeting. They really show off Avery's personality: GOOFY!
At ten months Avery is finally crawling forward! She's done the backward crawl for over 2 months and has finally figured out how to get it out of reverse. Now she's all over the place and into everything. Avery is done with babyfood...she wants what we're eating whether it's Chinese food, spicy taco dip, or steak. She babbles a lot and says dada, naynay, mama, and gaga. I'm not sure that any of these hold any meaning to her yet but we like to hear her talk. She also loves being outside and our new evening routine is to sit outside for the half-hour before bathtime and watch the squirrels, birds, kids, and airplanes.

Beautiful Girl!

My First Mother's Day

2010-06-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful everyday for the young lady who loved her baby so much but knew she wouldn't be able to provide the life she wanted her to have. I'm thankful for the beautiful baby girl who lights up my life and allows me the privilege of being called a Mother.

We went to Freedom Park to walk around and have a lovely picnic. It was a perfect first Mother's Day!

Early May

2010-06-01T13:10:00.001-07:00

Avery's new trick is to pull herself up like a monkey as soon as she is set in her carseat.

On Friday May 7th we went to Big Daddy's Burger Bar for supper and then walked around uptown Charlotte. Avery loved all the fountains.

My current favorite outfit for Avery. I lover her in this hat!

Welcoming Baby Gillis

2010-06-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

Christina has her hands full!
Gillis Hamilton Pipgras
April 25, 2010

Happy Mommy and healthy baby!

On this particular Sunday, our evening plans were to have pizza with Matt, Christina, Phoenix, and Karra. Our plans were altered a little when baby Gillis decided to make his appearance. We got to meet this precious baby boy when he was about 5 hours old. On our way home Shawn and I realized that 5 hours is the newest we've ever seen a baby...Madeline was born the day we were heading home from Katie's and we stopped at the hospital on our way...Avery didn't wait for us to arrive...we were in Nashville when she was born...and then baby Gillis.

Nine Months 4/16/10

2010-05-04T18:17:00.000-07:00

I was a week late taking some nine month photos of Avery but I don't think her looks changed too much in that one week. :-) At her nine month appt. Avery was 19lbs 2 oz. and 27.25 inches long. She's basically perfectly average for size.
At nine months, Avery is...
*tired of babyfood...she wants what we are eating...unless it's fruit
*on the move...sort of...in the crawling position she only goes backwards but she does get around the room on her butt doing some sort of crab walk
*babbling all the time
*giving wet, sloppy kisses
*clapping and waving hello and goodbye
*chewing with 3 and a half teeth...one top one is coming in VERY slowly

*AS CUTE AS CAN BE!
On April 10th we were remembering the call we got exactly one year ago at 12:55PM that began, "How do you feel about Missouri?...because that's where your baby's birthmother lives!" We were soooo excited to have gotten that call and then excitedly and nervously planning and preparing for the next three months. One year later we have a beautiful little girl who is the light of our lives.

That smile that will make anyone's day!

Spring Time

2010-05-04T17:51:00.001-07:00

A few pics with the cherry blossoms...one of the first of many flowering trees in Charlotte.
They don't taste all that yummy.

We took a day trip to see a reenactment of the Battle of Bentonville. It was super hot and out in an open field but that didn't bother Avery.

A quick trip to Charleston to kick off our Spring Break. Avery here at Shawn's favorite spot to pose her.

Avery's first time swimming in a pool...she loved it.

Toes in the sand.

Our attempt at a family photo Easter Sunday.

Concord Memorial Gardens

A super quick trip to NY at the end of our break. Avery finally made nice with Papa Dale.

She thought he was SOOO funny!

Grandma Sue is pretty funny too!

In her sailor outfit for special meetings

8 Months Old 3/16/10

2010-03-18T13:48:00.001-07:00

Our goofy girl! I tried to take some 8 month pictures as soon as I picked Avery up from the babysitter's. I thought they would look cute with her outside sitting in one of our lawn chairs, but of course it was overcast and a little chilly. We settled for her bedroom but she was ready for a nap and I'm no professional so they are all shadow-y and not the greatest but here she is at 8 months!
Not too much has changed since my 7 month post...

Avery's babysitter has her walker and now Avery zooms around their house...all hardwood floors. Michael, her 3 year old playmate, is getting frustrated with her because he can't get away from her. He does have moments where he likes her though because yesterday he told me he liked her hair and that she was handsome. LOL
Avery has tried a few more babyfoods and seems to like the ones with small chunks that she can mash up. She also loves puffs...the ones I bought are "greens," lettuces, collard greens, kale, etc. My silly girl still isn't crazy about anything fruity.
Avery celebrated her 8-month birthday by sitting up to the table and eating some pancakes for supper. She also likes pizza crust and chocolate ice cream.

March Madness

2010-03-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

One of the rare moments where Avery seeks to move and go after a toy. Usually she just moves on to something else.
Loving a spring-y day. Avery will soon realize, a walk on the Greenway means a stop at the playground.

Avery loved the swing...she would just laugh and laugh!

My little rock star enjoying her new toy.

I'm loving those chubby legs in a pair of capris...and the cutest shoes in the world. :-)

Ready to go for a walk with Mommy.

Mmm...pasta primavera is yummy...and messy!

Dancing with Daddy

Crashing after too much playing

End of February

2010-03-01T18:10:00.000-08:00

Yes, I will love elephants just like Mommy!
Now I'm into everything I can get my hands on.

Riding her new bike!

I love the big bathtub!

Daddy does the sleeping routine best!

Happy Birthday Mommy

2010-03-01T17:38:00.000-08:00

I'm 29? Seriously? Guess I'd better enjoy my last year in my twenties. I know I will because I've got this little ray of sunshine in my life! :-) On my actual birthday we went to Hawthorne's for garlic knots and pizza. Then we came home for presents and ice cream cake.
Avery gave me a Starbucks gift card. Shawn gave me this bag...I do love tote-bags but I think this one is really more for him. The Avett Brothers are his favorite band...they started out here locally and now have a national record deal. He also gave me a watch and some school supplies that I had asked for...neat post-its and pens...I know, I'm a nerd.

Mmm...blue frosting

Saturday morning we got up early and headed out to our favorite city...Charleston, SC. We still had points from our extended stay in St. Louis to get a free night so it was a little added bonus to my birthday weekend. No matter how many times we've been here we still find it beautiful and always find a new street to explore. We spent all of Saturday morning exploring the parks and streets along the Battery. Then we headed up toward the Market and had lunch at Bubba Gumps. In the afternoon we went to our hotel and then out to Isle of Palms. We stuck our toes in the water and walked on the beach. Later we went to supper at Gilligan's and I had my favorite...fresh peel and eat shrimp.

Sitting in a high chair like a big girl!

Shawn walked out a little ways to dip Avery's feet in...and she promptly sat down in the water.

Sunday we went and explored Folly Beach. We'd never been there before. The island seemed a little older and more run down but the beach was beautiful and had lots of shells.

The weather was beautiful and it was a perfect weekend to reinvigorate us for the long stretch until spring break.

Seven Months - 2/16/10

2010-03-01T17:17:00.000-08:00

Seven months already!?! It seems like such a short time ago that she was six months and we finalized her adoption. At seven months Avery is:

sitting all by herself
reaching for her toys and then when she accidentally falls backward or forward, acting like that was what she meant to do
fascinated by shadows and the patterns sunlight coming in through the windows makes on the floor
still not loving babyfood, but she does love iced coffee, butter, and licking garlic bread
thinking she's pretty cute...she will entertain herself for almost an hour at the babysitters by sitting in front of a mirror and laughing and talking to herself
jabbering...dadadada, gagagaga...no mama's yet of course
teething...2 bottom teeth so far and more on the way
taking a bath in the big tub and playing with all her fish
wearing a huge range of clothing...some 3-6, 6-9, 12-18...she still has dainty feet...still room in the size 2's
a survivor of her first double ear infection
excited to see Mommy show up at the babysitters...hugs and sloppy kisses
always excited to see Daddy come home...everything he does is funny
sporting some crazy hair...lays down in the front, spiky toward the top of her head and too thin to hold a bow or barrett
enjoying some hand-me-downs from cousins Madeline and Cora

I'm sure I could write more, but you get the idea.

Swimsuit model in training

Anyone want to come to the beach with me?

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T14:07:00.001-08:00

Avery loves sitting in the rocking chair in her room all by herself. One of her new things is to hang on...to the chair, her carseat, the changing table...

So far the only baby food fruit Avery hasn't gagged on is peaches, so I thought we'd try a real peach...no such luck.

Playing with a few of her elephants.

Sunday February 14th.

Daddy and his girl

Mommy and her girl

Avery's Infectious Laughter

2010-02-02T17:01:00.000-08:00

All because Daddy is slapping the sides of her Bumbo seat!

January Wrap Up

2010-02-02T16:43:00.001-08:00

A Saturday drive up to Fort Dobbs Historic Site...a huge disappointment...took a total of 10 minutes to see. As you can see...Avery seemed to think it was the greatest thing ever, though...all that Daddy needed to see to think she will be as into history as he is.
Sleeping like a princess in Mommy and Daddy's bed.

Loving bathtub toys...this was one of her last few baths in the whale over the kitchen sink...Mommy and the floor were getting way too wet from someone who likes to splash vigorously.

Friday Jan. 29th...this is what my daughter thinks of snow and I tend to agree!...just kidding, I was actually a little excited for our snowfall and as soon as she woke up from a nap I took her outside.

Later Friday evening after we had gone to Pizza Hut and to the mall...we literally had the mall to ourselves!

Mesmerized by the fire Saturday morning...her own personal entertainment system.

You can't sit back in the swing because you just might fall asleep!

Yes, that would be a cookie in Avery's hands. She liked licking it but never actually took a bite.

Avery is very into her toys right now. She loves the ring stacker, her socks, a musical giraffe, and the shape sorter...mostly just to shake. It's hard to believe that I took her 4 month pictures in this outfit as a dress and that her first pair of jeans are rapidly becoming high waters. Notice the cute green shoes that Grandma Sue bought way back in September...yes, those size 2's finally fit!

Adoption Status: FINAL!

2010-02-02T16:25:00.001-08:00

On the airplane ride from Charlotte to St. Louis.
We had an empty seat in our aisle so Avery got her own seat to sleep on. She fell asleep right before take-off and woke up as we descending into St. Louis...a great first flight!

Hanging out in the hotel room...waiting for Daddy to bring back pizza!

We had accumulated so many points during our July stay in St. Louis that we had enough to cash in for a free night. Then when we got there we found out that we had been upgraded to a two-bedroom suite...the biggest room in the hotel! So not only did Avery have her own bed, she had her own bedroom!

Yay! As of January 20, 2010, Avery's adoption is final! It was adoption day at the Family Court so we got to see 3 other babies around Avery's age who were also having their adoptions finalized. One little boy looked like he could be Avery's brother...same color hair and huge cheeks!

Our St. Louis "team"....social worker and lawyer

Last view of the Arch...maybe forever. :-)

Six Months Old!

2010-01-16T17:51:00.001-08:00

Sitting all by herself...for a few seconds anyway.
Cutest behind ever!

Avery is making a lot of funny faces as she has discovered her tongue and is teething.

Attacking her doll.

Relaxing at the table.

We say this at every "monthly milestone, " but it's hard to believe that Avery is six months already...half a year! Here are some things Avery is doing at six months:

*Smiling and giggling, as usual

*Rolling over once in a while...first time was Dec. 4th, but since then she has rolled exactly 6 times...that big belly...

*Holds her own bottle

*Resisting naptime...afraid she'll miss something

*Eating some solids...cereal, carrots, sweet potatoes, and peas. She's not as much of a fan of solids as we thought she'd be...we've tried bananas and applesauce but they actually made her gag! I have found that she opens her mouth a lot bigger when she has one hand on the spoon.

*Sitting up on her own for a few seconds but still prefers the support of the Boppy.

*Beginning to hold her arms out when she wants to be picked up

*Dancing with Daddy to "Dancing Queen"

*and GROWING, GROWING, GROWING!

We fly to St. Louis this week to finalize her adoption! We love our baby girl so much and can't imagine life without her!

HAPPY HALF-BIRTHDAY, AVERY!

Jan. 15th- Enjoying a Spring-Like Day

2010-01-16T17:28:00.000-08:00

Avery and I set out for a walk when I got home from school so we could enjoy the 60 degree day. She was asleep by the time we got to the park but being the mean mommy that I am, I woke her up.
This is how you RELAX in a swing!

Early January

2010-01-16T17:12:00.001-08:00

Jan. 3rd.
Playing on the quilt Grandma Sue made.

Mid-squeal

Hatcher's 5th birthday party...awesome dragon cake made by Shelly.

Yes, I'm talented! I can eat and potty at the same time!

Happy New Year

2010-01-16T17:03:00.001-08:00

Shawn's dad, brother, and two kids drove down on New Year's eve. Sadly, we didn't make it to midnight. On New Year's day we went to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC. It was a little cool and rainy but we pretty much had the zoo to ourselves.
Hallie and Adam

Papa shows everyone how it's done.

I survived walking through the reptile house! Here an anaconda

First Taste of Cereal

2009-12-09T17:22:00.001-08:00

Avery had her first taste of cereal on Sunday Nov. 29th. She took a few spoonfuls but wasn't too sure about it. Since then we've tried a little everyday and she has the spoon part down but still isn't crazy about the cereal. We'll see how she likes some carrots and sweet potatoes next week.