Playdough

Today was kind of a boring day, so I had to think of something different and fun for us to do. So we decided to make homemade playdough! Avery has never really played with playdough, so this was a new experience for her. It is so easy to make and way better than store-bought playdough. I used to make it for my Pre-K class all the time, so I pulled out my recipe and let Avery help. She got to use a rolling pin and some cookie cutters and she loved it! Here is the recipe:

1 c. flour

1/2 c. salt

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 c. water

1 T. cooking oil

several drops of food coloring


Stir dry ingredients into a pan, then add wet ingredients and cook on about medium for around 3 minutes or until mixture pulls away from sides of pan. Dump out onto the counter and knead almost immediately. It is hot, so be careful. After it cools a little, you are ready to playing! Store in an airtight container and it will last forever!

Our Big Annoucement!

Well, most of you already know--but we have a big announcement!  Avery is going to be a big sister!  We found out this past week that Baby Alexander #2 is on the way!  We are extremely excited that God has blessed us in this way and that he blessed us so quickly after we decided we were ready!  Thank you Lord!  If you ask Avery what's in Mommy's tummy, she will say "a new baby" but if you ask her if she thinks it's a boy or a girl--you will get a different answer every time!  We don't care what we get next time as long as he or she is healthy!  We appreciate your prayers for the safety and health of Mommy and Baby!

Boots and Books

(sorry this one's a bit fuzzy)

I just had to post these pictures of Avery from this morning. She was playing really well by herself in her room (and trashing it in the process--but I had to bite my tongue!) and she decided to put on her rain boots with her shorts and plopped down in the floor to look at her books--not just one or two--ALL of her books were practically pulled off the shelf! But I am so glad she loves to read like her mommy. She would let me read to her all day if we had time!!

First Sprinkler Run of the Season!

Today was a very warm day! Avery was playing outside at her water table and was beginning to get very wet, so we put her swimsuit on her and she had a ball! Craig turned on the sprinkler for her and she ran around for a couple hours trying to drink the water out of the sprinkler. It was hilarious! Take note of Daddy's beautiful fence in the background that he worked so hard on! (He did have a little help since his thumb is broken, but hey--he did the hard parts all by himself!) Good job, Daddy!

Congratulations Aunt Staci!

Yay! Aunt Staci finally graduated from OBU this past Saturday! We went to Shawnee for the commencement exercises and then had a party back at our house for her! After four long years, she was glad to finally be finished! She got a job in Rogers, Arkansas, so she won't be too far from us! Congratulations, Staci! Sorry the grad. pictures aren't the best. We were in the balcony!

Happy Mother's Day!

What a great Mother's Day! The best part of my day was getting to hear Avery say "Happy Mother's Day" for the first time ever! A few times she said "Happy Mommy's Day" all on her own, and a few times, it came out Happy Mudder's Day...but it was the sweetest thing ever! My first Mother's Day, Avery was only 2 months old, and last year, she was 14 months, so this was the first year she was old enough to say it to me! I asked her to repeat it about 50 times. Here is a video clip I had to take of her saying it so I could remember it always. It's very short but super sweet.

I can do it!

Once a week, Avery and I watch Kolbi, my friend Lisa's little girl. She is about 8 months old now and super cute. Avery loves to play with her and boss her around like she's her little sister or something! This past week, Avery was insisting on feeding her so I let her give Kolbi the last bit of her bottle. She did a pretty good job--I think she will make a great big sister one day!

Learning about Baking

Last Friday, I was baking a cake for our friend Kate's first birthday party, and Avery decided to plant herself right in front of the oven and watch it bake! It was so funny that I had to snap a few pictures. She sat there for the longest time just watching the cake, (and I'm sure praying that she would get some when it came out of the oven!) She has certainly learned what cake is since I have started my cake business!

MOPS playdate at the Zoo!

Last week, our MOPS group had a play date at the zoo with our kids! It was very windy, but lots of fun. A lot of the animals were out, and we even got to hear the tiger growling for a while! It was fun for the kids and we even had a picnic there! Avery loved it and loved hanging out with some of her closest friends! Our wagon is so nice because we can share rides with friends!

COOKIES

After my friend Emily put a post on her blog of her son eating a warm chocolate chip cookie, it got me to thinking...I don't think Avery has ever had a warm cookie straight from the oven! She's had her share of cookies, just not a warm gooey chocolate chip one! So that next day I happened to be making some for a friend and I let her have a pretty large one. Needless to say, she LOVED it and kept asking for more! Here is a great slideshow of her enjoying every last morsel, and of course the glass of cold milk at the end! My favorite picture is the "two-handed stuff"! Too bad she didn't get as messy as I was hoping for the picture!

Loving my Water Table

The other day it was pretty hot, so Avery got to play with her water/sand table she got for her birthday. It was full of rain water, so I let her have at it! She had a blast and of course was completely soaked after she was finished! This table will get a ton of use this summer!! (You will probably notice that Avery has pig tails in A LOT! I just love them on her and I figured I better take advantage now before she won't let me do them anymore!)