Flashback Friday: 2 Years Ago!

Two short years ago, Avery Grace had just come home. Imagine what she will look like 2 years from now? We are going through so many changes lately: thinking about converting to a toddler bed, getting strict with the paci and introducting panties. All of these things are hard for me. A lot of moms get these feelings around birthdays, but I'm so absorbed in the planning and execution of the party that I don't go through this around birthdays. But it is hitting me now, and hitting me hard. My sweet baby Grace, is really not a baby anymore. I'm trying to embrace the changes, look forward to 'big girl' things, but behind all of that is a mama that wants to freeze time. The years don't have enough weeks, and the weeks not enough days (esp Saturdays and Sundays!) and those days surely don't have enough hours. I guess I'm not the first mom to experience this, and I certainly won't be the last. It's time to put my big girl panties and deal w/ her wearing those big girl panties!

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Love ya, Jami!

Just click any of the text to visit: http://japimages.blogspot.com/

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Wordless Wednesday - Pizza Hut Edition!

Riding with Snoopy

Ahh...Spring!

What’s Spring without pictures of beautiful flowers and adorable little girls pulling them off the bushes. (Oh, and golf too!) Ahhhhh....Spring! Can you smell it? Can you see it all around you? Can you tell it’s my favorite season? (In Fall, I may say that Fall is my favorite, but I will never say Summer or Winter is!)

Flashback Friday: 2009 Tea Party

I love the expressions in this picture. Not the best of me, but who cares what you look like when you get a sweet smile from a precious baby, right? 

We were attending Avery's first tea party. No, not the play dress up and drink with your pinky finger out kind. The protest the government until they listen and change kind. I had hope a year ago that protestors could make a difference. Today, I find myself counting down the days till the Novemeber election, where hopefully the GOP can regain some control and reverse some serious setbacks for our country (like ObamaCare). I am also counting down the days (1002 to be exact) until he is G-O-N-E. Other than that, I'm putting faith in God that He is really the One in control, he is the ONLY one that can offer hope or real change. And I'm praying that he'll show us, as parents, how to raise our little girl in the right way (pun intended) so that she will never feel entitled, but will always know you have to work hard and earn everything that you have on this Earth.

Wordless Wednesday - Dairy Queen Edition!

Lesson Learned

Lesson Learned: Do not attempt to entertain a toddler with a tube of lipstick in hopes of finishing your makeup before she figures out how to open it. Somewhere between powder and mascara, Avery DID figure out how to open it. And she did figure out that she could stick her finger in so that she could put her makeup on too, just like mama. Like I said, lesson learned!

Imagine That

Just a few pics from a weekend w/ Nonna and Poppa. Imagine that?

And...guess who is actually holding down the pedal WHILE steering (AND smiling!) Yes, she IS a genious! ;)

Fun at the Zoo

Last weekend, we went to the zoo. Avery has never been and it was on my list of things to do in the Spring. This weather is too great to not get out and enjoy it! It was a perfect 73 degress, with a slight breeze and sunny skies!

Avery enjoyed the zoo and was so well behaved the whole time - no meltdowns! It was such a fun afternoon and I think there will be many trips in our future! Here are some of the way too many pictures I took.

A Day at the Park!

One nice, Spring Saturday, we headed out to a local park. Avery loves the park but, of course, HATES to leave! It seems like if I take her alone, she is not afraid to have a full meltdown during the leaving process, but if daddy is there, she tends to suck it up and only lets a few tears fall during the walk to the car. It is amazing the different way she handles things, depending on who is there! We are loving this Spring weather and trying to soak it all in before its too hot to breathe outside. Believe me, it will be here before ya know it!

"No time for pictures mom, let's go over there!"

Avery w/ her best friend - Daddy!

Swinging always starts out calm, and I was hoping she would enjoy it if daddy was doing the pushing, but...

It ALWAYS ends badly! Somewhere between sitting and pushing and swinging, something scares her every time!

We had such a fun time at the park and here she is sucking it up and making that terrible trip back to the car!

Bunnies and such...

As I admitted in an earlier post, I kept adding to Avery's Easter list. I definitely stopped BEFORE the LelliKelly's though! ;) Here is her little assortment of goodies from us. I decided Easter would be the holiday when she gets a Disney DVD, so we can build a collection. This Easter we started with Lion King, Little Mermaid, Cinderella & Beauty and the Beast. We haven't watched Cinderella yet, but she LOVES the other ones!

She loved the Easter bunny!

She found her bunny early, so I just let her have it!

Real bunnies at Jami's....we opted NOT to buy one! ;)

She got a ton of cute stuff from Nonna and Poppa and Charlie's family too. I never got a final picture, but add to this a kite, another dress, a swimsuit and bucket loads of candy and eggs - you get the idea!

Easter Egg Hunt!

Okay - I know what you’re thinking. Yes, I disappeared again! I think around holidays I have so many pictures to sort through, upload, edit, etc. that I get overwhelmed and tend to procrastinate. Yuck. What an ugly word. Or I could blame it on work being crazy these last few weeks and there is NO time in the evenings for blogging. But have no fear, fellow blog buddies, I am taking some ‘me-time’ (a.k.a. Avery’s naptime) to catch  y’all up on what’s been going on! I am scheduling 12, yes TWELVE, posts as we speak so I can mark the blogging chore (did I just admit that?) off my list until May! Does blogging ever feel like a chore to you? I used to really enjoy it but lately its just another thing on my long ‘list’. But its something I definitely don’t want to give up since this is basically the scrapbook of Avery’s precious little life. Lord knows, I hope she appreciates all of this one day! But if not, when I’m old and gray, I’m sure I will! It’s also time for another bloggy book - I really need to add that to the top of my list! Okay, enough rambling, on w/ the real post!

After going to church on Easter Sunday, we changed into the backup Easter dress for egg hunting at Granny’s. Charlie’s family has always had a huge egg hunt because they’ve always had tons of little ones around. Avery really enjoyed it and I didn’t even have to ‘teach’ her. She knew she wanted some of those bright eggs in her basket!

Happy Easter...

Photo credit to Jami Ainsworth