Wordless Wednesday

Daddy's Boots

Avery has discovered her daddy's boots. They sit in the laundry room beside the dryer. One day I was cleaning the house and heard "Maaammmaaa". I rushed in to find Avery stuck in the boots, hollering for me to get her out! She climbs in and then can't get her little self out of them. It is pretty funny. Can't ya tell?

Merry Christmas!

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. Ours was very busy and very merry : )

As always, Avery got wayyy too much but she loves it all! Gigi bought her a lego/art table. She loves playing w/ the Legos and coloring on it too. Its a 2-in-1 table so it converts to a flat surface. We have used it a lot already!

I have never been a fan of putting the presents out without wrapping them, but I think Avery may do better with that. She still wasn't really into opening the gifts this year, but liked to play with them. I think next year I will wrap a few things, but leave the others out for her to play with.

Of course, she loves moving things from here to there...a toddler's work is never done!

Mommy showing Avery her very first Cabbage Patch Kids Doll!

Relaxin on the beanbag, after the chaos was over!

Nonna and Poppa surprised us all w/ Avery's big gift - a Barbie Beetle! She is just getting the hang of pushing the pedal but LOVES getting in and out of it. I'm sure this will provide entertainment for years to come!

All dressed up and heading to another Christmas w/ more family!

Her loot! Minus the castle slide (pics to come!), lego table and Barbie car! I have NO idea what else she 'needs' - her birthday is less than a month away! She was too interested in the Zhu Zhu Pet to look at the camera. She lovvvves that lil hamster! Barney, on the other hand, has met his arch enemy!

Boy, did I regret buying the dollar store version of a toddler kitchen! When I opened the box and found 154 pieces of plastic that needed to be cut out (YES!) and screwed together I almost took it back. But somewhere inside me another ounce of Christmas spirit came out and 2 days later...MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. And I will never, ever buy a cheap version of a big toy again...promise!

It was all worth it to watch her cook with daddy though!

I was also surprised with a Nikon Coolpix (again - THANKS Nonna and Poppa!) and lots of other wonderful things. Charlie had a great Christmas as well. Of course, where would we all be without the first Christmas gift that God gave us all - His Son! I think in years to come we may start the 3 gift rule with Avery on Christmas. I never want all the gifts to overshadow the real reason we celebrate the greatest holiday ever.

All Things Christmas!

Wow, how did I get so far behind on blogging? For now, I'll blame it on the hustle and bustle. And next, I will attempt to write the longest Christmas blog post ever, before Avery finishes her nap. So, fix a cup of hot cocoa, kick your shoes off, relax and stay a while bloggy buddies!

Avery loved helping decorate the tree. I would give her an ornament, and she would throw it in the tree somewhere. I tried to find them all and hang them up, but with a dog and a toddler, it becomes quite impossible. So, you can imagine what our tree looks like this year! Also, once I got the gifts wrapped I would hand her one and say, "Put it under the tree" and she would try her very best to lodge the gift IN the tree, instead of under the tree! 

She also loved putting the red Christmas balls in a vase I fill up every year. She would move some of the balls to the tree, then a few back to the vase. Needless to say, this kept her very busy!

One of the things that most people relate to Christmas is snow. Well, not down here in The South! I hate to say we were blessed to have snow (with all the terrible winter storms lately) but we get pretty darn excited when it comes. This is as much as we got (as you can see, none of it stuck) and Avery was not impressed!

Nonna and Poppa got much more snow!

Another thing I love about Christmas, is Christmas plays. Growing up, we always had one at church and I always participated. They were a lot of fun. This year, Nonna and Poppa starred in the Christmas play. We couldn't make it to the play, but we got to see the rehearsal. It was written by two ladies at the church. It was such a good play w/ a great message. Nonna and Poppa did a great job, along w/ all the kids!

I started a Christmas tradition last year, making sugar cookies with Avery. This year was a bit more challenging, Avery definitely didn't understand that we couldn't eat the cookie dough, so she didn't get to help much at all with that part. But when the decorating began she was loving every minute! So, even though I succeeded in making the world's ugliest sugar cookies, Avery had a great time - and really, that's all that matters!

Earlier in December, Avery attended her first Christmas parade. She quickly learned the importance of picking up candy and even which ones she liked! She had a great time. All of the floats passed playing music and she would look and smile, but she got her groove on when the local hip hop/rap station came by. It was pretty hilarious. She ran out into the street and showed her moves. Too bad I didn't get the camera out in time! She also hollered "Hhhhheeeyyyyy" to every horn that honked!

Well, that's it for now. We are off to Nonna and Poppa's to celebrate Christmas with my family and Charlie's. It will be a busy, fun-filled few days to come!

Sunglasses

Avery also likes wearing her sunglasses around the house. It gets pretty hilarious, she squinches up her eyes when she's wearing them, so she can barely see. Once she starts running into things, we have to put a stop to it!

"What is it MOM? Can'tcha see I'm trying to figure out how this thing works!"

 

Oh, and did I mention she takes them on and off over and over!

iPhone = All Smiles!

Sometimes Avery just doesn't want to take a picture.Sometimes she is more interested in finding pacis...

But give her an iPhone and you'll get a smile!

(Or a fake one at least!)

Mittens

Avery loves putting her mittens on and wearing them around the house..

Even if they don't exactly match her outfit...

And even when (as Mrs. Penny would say) 'thats a lot of stripes'!

Every good Southern girl...

...must always have a copy of Southern Living on hand at all times!

Must practice her 'pretty' walk on a stage

(or couches, whatever is available)...

...And keep her hair accessories in place!

Wordless Tuesday?

Busy week...no time for words!

Breakfast with Santa

The other day I was googling some addresses for Christmas cards and came across an event going on in Nonna and Poppa's hometown - Breakfast with Santa. It was at a local hotel and they had all kinds of fun. Of course, Santa had a big introduction into the room and Avery pointed and said "Santa!" Avery had a great time and when it was her turn to see Santa, she actually ran to him! I think it's so sweet that even though she doesn't understand how to tell him what she wants, she still enjoys seeing him. I really have a complex about telling her the whole "Santa Story". I really don't want the day to come where I have to admit we've lied to her for years. So, instead we'll take a "Sit in Santa's lap and tell him what you want and if you're a good girl, mommy and daddy might buy it for you" approach. Of course, we always want Avery to know that we are celebrating the birth of Jesus, but I will also let her enjoy sitting on Santa's lap once a year for a little chat. While we were there Avery enjoyed orange juice, sausage and french toast and she also won a prize - a free kids meal at Wendy's. We had a good time and now we're off to celebrate Uncle Mark's birthday and then to watch the dress rehearsal of the Christmas Play at Nonna and Poppa's church. Oh, how I love weekend in December - full of Christmas fun!

Mesmerized...

Running to Santa...

Playing a game with nonna..

Coloring with mama...

Time to go...have I mentioned Avery is obsessed with carrying a bag or purse! It's the cutest thing!

Bye, bye Santa! See ya next year...

Coloring on Cabinets

One of Avery's favorite afternoon pasttimes is coloring. She loves coloring on her art pad, but prefers walls and cabinets much more.

Lucky for us, she loves cleaning as much as she loves the coloring!