First Swim of the Year

When Daddy got back from overseas, he got an extra day off since he traveled on the weekend, so we went to Uncle Gary and Aunt Joyce's house to swim! They have a great pool, and Avery wore floaties for the first time! She did great, and in no time, she was doing a lot of it by herself! She even jumped off the side by herself and no one had to catch her! What a big girl!

A Visit at Nona and Pop's

There is a great patch of sand where Avery loves to dig!

What better way to learn where some of your food comes from than the actual source! (and corn on the cob is one of Avery's all time favorites!)

this is about the best smile for the camera I can get these days. I have to say "show your teeth" and this is what I get!

Well, as most of you know, Craig was just out of the country for work for two weeks recently. The first week we stayed here because we had VBS, but my mom came on Wednesday and took care of us until we all left Saturday to go to her house. We stayed with my parents for a full week, and it was so wonderful to be taken care of the whole time! It was busy because we had my mom's VBS that week (we were so worn out!), but Avery always has a great time at Nona and Pop's house because there is so much for her to do there! She feeds the horses with my dad every night, and they go down to the pond to feed the catfish afterwards. She runs around and plays in the dirt outside and rides her little car up and down the driveway. This time she swam outside in the new pool/sprinkler thing that Aunt Jenna bought for her. Also a new thing was we got to help pick some things from Nona and Pop's garden. We got to shuck corn and see potatoes and beans from the garden. Avery loved running up and down the rows of corn because she was hidden behind the tall stalks. What a great place for visits to your grandparents! However, we were SO glad when Daddy finally got home! We picked him up at the airport about midnight last Saturday night and Avery ran to him yelling "DADDY, DADDY!" while all the people in the airport looked at us, and I could not hold back my tears. It was sweet. (I know, I'm so emotional with this pregnancy!)

Chef Avery

OK I know it has been a long time since I have posted and I was doing so good at keeping up! My only excuse is that the exhaustion and nausea are really getting to me and it is hard for me to keep up with normal daily activities and chores! I am praying that this part of pregnancy will be over soon, but in reality, I probably have another month of it at least. Pray for relief!

Anyway, here is my little Chef Avery after I found an apron, oven mitt, and hot pad set that all matched. She was particularly excited about the oven mitt! Just like Mommy's!!

First Doctor's Appt!

OK I know this picture is not good at all, but can you see that seahorse looking smudge kind of to the left side of the black oval? Well, that's Baby Alexander #2!!! It's still very early, so there are not really any recognizable body parts yet, but hopefully next time I go we will be able to see a lot more! The doctor said that the baby and I look good and the important thing is we saw the heartbeat and it's not twins! So YAY! Due date is still set for the end of January. Your prayers are appreciated, and if you want to be specific, no nausea!! Thanks!

Dress Up Day with Daddy

(for those of you who know Ashley Alexander, is this below face not an Ashley face or what?! You have to make the picture bigger to see it!)

First of all, let me just say how fun and sweet Avery has been lately. Craig and I have been talking about what a joy she has been lately...just hugging and kissing us and being so funny and entertaining! Well, yesterday I ran to Kohl's for about an hour, and I came home to the funniest thing ever. Craig and Avery both had on boots and cowboy hats (and shorts!) and Craig said Avery made him dress up! What a great dad!! Avery loves her rain boots, so she had put them on with her cowgirl hat, then said "put on your boots, Daddy." He tried to say he didn't have any, but she said, "yes, in your closet, I'll show you." And she proceeded to show him the boots he bought at Goodwill for her birthday party this year. So he had to put them on. Then she said "put your hat on Daddy." He again tried to say he didn't have one, and she pointed up to my cowboy hat I bought for the party, and said, "right there, Daddy. Put it on!!" So he had no choice but to oblige, and Dress Up Day with Daddy begun. Later, Avery insisted on putting on her mittens and winter hat as well, and so she switched between all of her hats all day long. I especially love the winter hat, mittens, and rain boots on her rocking horse. What fun she is! And what a great Daddy she has. How many dads would dress up and play with their daughter on their Saturday afternoon? I hope Avery realizes how blessed she is with her Daddy!

The Fire Station

Today we joined a different playgroup and went to the fire station in Jenks! When I told Avery at breakfast that we were going, she started clapping her hands and yelled "YAY, FIRE STATION!!!" She then talked about it for the next hour and a half until it was time to go. In case you don't know, fire trucks (and other emergency vehicles) are one of Avery's favorite things! She loves to see fire trucks, ambulances, police cars, etc. when we're out driving and if she hears a siren, she always wants to see the truck wherever it is! So needless to say, she loved the fire station and the kids got to see inside the building, inside the trucks and one of the firemen put on his whole outfit for them to see. The kids had a great time and I'm sure it will be the highlight of Avery's summer!

New Background Again!

OK, sorry if this new background change annoys you. I loved the other one I chose, but it was really annoying me how you could see the background through the pictures! So this one makes the pictures solid and you don't have a flower stem shooting up through anyone's head! Better!

Tricycle Maniac

Avery got a tricycle for her second birthday back on March 1st. So she has had her tricycle for 3 months now, and this girl is a tricycle maniac! She loves to ride it and she is so good at it! A couple weeks ago, she rode it around the entire block while I followed behind! I thought for sure it would take her all summer to master it, but it barely took two months. I am just now getting pictures of her on it! You really can't tell, but I wish I had gotten a picture of her 30 minutes before these were taken. She was eating a lime green popsicle and of course it was running everywhere because it was in the 90s here today. Her hands, arms, face, and the front of her dress were covered!! Oh childhood summers....

First Polished Toes

Avery has always been interested in my polished toenails, but I have never wanted to mess with trying to put polish on a toddler! Well, today I noticed a couple girls in her Sunday School class had their toes polished, and she also asked me today to put some on her toes. I thought she was old enough to obey and not touch it until it dried. So we sat in the kitchen and she let me polish her toenails pink and thankfully it dried very quickly so she didn't have to resist touching it for too long! Our little girl is growing up so fast! Also, I have to add that she has been saying hi to the new baby lately. She will lean over and say "Hi Baby" and kiss my tummy! It's so sweet. Then on the flip side of the sweetness, she tried to see what the baby was doing in Wal-Mart the other day by lifting up my shirt! Oh the things to look forward to as the belly grows... :)

Washcloth

This is something I wanted to remember, so I thought I would write about it on the blog so you all could share the joy--or strangeness. :) Avery's new favorite thing to play with is a washcloth-- damp or dry. Lately she has been asking me for a washcloth or getting one out of her bathroom and she carries it around and rubs it on her face, arms, and legs. Today she gave Craig and I a sponge bath with a dry washcloth. It's so funny. It has been keeping her happy and entertained for a long time! Whatever keeps them happy, right?!