Long Time, No Post!

Hi, y'all! Long time, no see. :) I doubt there is anyone out there, except maybe Niki D. but I'll update anyway. I guess I need something in next year's bloggy book. There is just never any time in the day to update the blog! Even as I type, a certain little girl is pulling on my chair saying, "Play mama, play!" Needless to say, I have been very busy keeping up with work, the precious princess, being a wife and all the things that it takes to run a household. We have taken way too many trips 'home' these last few weeks, for one reason or another. I guess I'm out of excuses now :)

So. here is what we've been up to:

• Days at the park. You can read more about that here. Avery still doesn't enjoy swinging, but the child can slide all day! She loves the monkey bars too. Leaving is never fun!
• Visiting family. We were away every.single.weekend in October, usually taking that 2 hour trip back 'home'.  I wonder if I'll ever call this place home? I lived in the same, small town from birth until 18, when I left for college. Now, I feel a bit 'stuck' in my college town. Maybe I should've picked a different college town! It seems like the longer we live here, the less it feels like 'home'. Avery doesn't think so though. Every day when we take the exit off the interstate, she says "Mama, we home!!!" I guess the only question left is do I want her to grow up knowing this place as her only home. So, I hope there will be some changes in our future and we are certainly praying constantly about that decision!
• Trick or trunk. Or is it Trunk or Treat? Or, as our pastor tweeted, "Trick my Trunk". So, who knows? This was Avery's first Halloween and I was very torn about whether or not to celebrate. I never celebrated growing up and it is my least favorite holiday. In the end, we decided to take her to the very large church we attend. And boy, was that a mistake. They had a live band and jumpy things for the kids and hotdogs and popcorn, and of course trunks full of candy. It was promoted as a community event and there were 853,905 ppl in attendance. Ok, maybe not, but it sure seemed that way. The line was insanely long and 2 year olds just don't understand the concept of waiting in line for 2 hours! We walked around for a while and Avery sang along to the music (which I loved) but left with no candy. The 2 pieces she collected while we were there, were gone by the time we made it to the car. I dropped her and Charlie off at home and headed to Target to fill her basket! She was pretty happy when I got home. Next year, we will certainly come up with a different plan!
• I celebrated my 26th birthday. And although getting older has never bothered me, 26 feels much older than 25. It's like you might as well round to 30. Yikes! To my surprise, my boss in NY planned a party for me at work since she couldn't be there. It was a lot of fun and I was shocked. I figured since my boss and peers were scattered across 3 different states, there would be no birthday celebration! The next day, we drove to Nonna and Poppa's house and Nonna had a cake for me, a delicious supper and, as always, a gift that was too generous! I love my elephant necklace. And believe me, it does NOT stand for Alabama. More like the GOP! Charlie and I headed to Baton Rouge on Saturday. We had fun shopping until we dropped and a nice dinner. I love staying at the Hyatt Place BR, the Starbucks in the lobby is my favorite! It was a great birthday weekend (minus Trunk or Trick) ;) 
• Election day. OH HAPPY DAY! I stayed up way too late watching each race called, most of them for the GOP. It seriously made my heart happy. Avery and I danced and danced that night. I am so proud that our 'party of no' has some control. No more big government. No more wasteful spending. No more raising taxes. No more abortion. I'm proud to say NO, NO, NO you can't!
• Avery is so big that it blows my mind. She just gets more adorable every day. Her favorite game is hide and seek. She always loves playing dress up and 'house'. She is talking all.the.time and her words are much clearer. We are still working on a few speech issues with her. She can count to 12 (and sometimes 15!) like a pro. We are working on ABC's. My favorite 'new' thing is that she says, "Mama, I love you too". (Even if I didn't say I love you first!) How adorable is that?

Well, I think that's my October recap. I would promise to do better on blogging, but let's face it. We have have less than 30 days until Thanksgiving and less than 50 until Christmas, so it's not time for making any promises to do more work! Maybe it'll be my New Year's Resolution? Here's what I'm looking forward to, in case you don't hear from me again until 2011!

• Today: LSU vs Bama. Avery will be decked out in her "I hate veggies and the Crimson Tide" shirt and I'll be sporting my "I love 2 teams...LSU and whoever beats Alabama" shirt. We know it will take a miracle, but anything can happen in Death Valley, just ask TN! GEAUX TIGERS!!!
• This month: A trip to grandma's in 3 weeks (YAY!) and then Thanksgiving at Nonna's house. Nothing better than being close to those you love (and some good food sure can't hurt)!
• Next month: Need I say? CHRISTMAS! I'm finding it hard to decide what Avery really wants this year, since she 'wants' every.single.toy w/ a commercial on Nick Jr.! If I had a dollar for every time she said, "Mama, I want that. I want that, mama!" Seriously though, I can't wait to celebrate our Savior's birth. December is always such a fun month!

And here are just a few pictures (shame on me, I know!)

Days at the Park:

My big girl!

Before the trunk or treat disaster!