Tinkle Tinkle! :)

Avery Singing Twinkle Twinkle...pretty cute!!

Getting Back on Board with Blogging!photo

So yes, I realize it has been months since I blogged.  I was so good about it, and then I'm really not sure what happened.  I got busy, but that is no excuse.  I'm ashamed.  I loved blogging.  It was such a way for me to keep track myself of what was going on with Avery and with us, as much as it is about sharing.

I made the coolest book ever for Avery of her first two years from this blog.  I've kind of missed the boat on year 2, but hope to pick back up again for her third year, which I can't believe is just 2 months away.

I can't access new photos right now as I'm uploading stuff into Iphoto, but promise I will tomorrow.  The biggest news is that Avery got her new big girl bed yesterday.  She was just getting too long for her old bed, and with all the friends she likes to sleep with there just wasn't room.  The first night in her new bed was a success.  She looked adorable!  So there will definitely be pics soon!!  Just waiting on her new bedding to arrive.  We have the sheets, etc. but the quilt isn't here yet.  As soon as it is all set, there will be pics.  So anyway, consider this my welcome back to the blogging world!  I really do hope to be better about it.

Just one photo from our family photo session this summer with tasha of red bird hills.  They are beautiful and I love them.  I made this one into a pretty big canvas, and did a photo wall downstairs of a bunch of others!  love it!

Easter Eggs with Ansley!

I hate when weekends come to an end..that this one was especially good!  It was filled with lots of good family time and fun.  Yesterday morning, Ansley came over and we colored Easter Eggs.  Avery just loves her so much, I love to the two of them together.  Then we went an looked swingsets and ran some errands.  Today, we woke up and went to the Mall of America to Underwater World, and lunch at Rainforest, just the Avery, Mama and Daddy.  We had so much fun!!  Avery liked the Aquarium, but wasn't super sure about it all.  She LOVED the end when she could look at the seahorses and jellyfish in their own aquariums.  She loves seahorses, as she has one in her play-dough set she likes to make.  She even got to pick out her own pink seahorse stuffed animal to take home.  I mean, we really did need one more stuffed animal, really.  Then we had lunch at Rainforest, and got to sit right by another aquarium there.  She was so great.  It was such a fun morning.  Afterwards, we stopped in to look at more swingsets at an awesome showroom where they have a bunch set up so the kids can play on them and try them out.  They were so great.  We found a good deal, so Avery ended up getting her very own new swingset!  She is quite excited!!  It isn't delivered yet, as we need to wait for the ground to dry out just a bit, but should find it's home in our backyard sometime this spring!  I can't wait to see her face when she sees it in our yard.  Other than that, not too much else is new.  Just loving the spring weather.  I even got in my first senior session of the year this afternoon, so that was so fun too.  I can't wait for senior season!  So hope this spring weather sticks around, as it felt to great to have all the windows open today and fill the house with fresh air!!  Happy Spring!

The Easter Egg Coloring - Avery and Ansley, March 13, 2010

Smelling the eggs

She didn't really like how they smelled

The Swingset!

Here it is..well not exactly, but pretty close.  I couldn't find a picture of the exact one online.  Some fun times are sure to be had on this.  Can't wait!!

Mega Update

So I know that I've been completely neglecting my blog lately, and if you check out my photo blog, you hopefully understand why.  I've been so busy, which is so great.  I'm LOVE LOVE LOVING it!!  But with teaching full-time, and doing quite a few session a month yet (I thought this would be a slow time..and it is slower than spring/summer/holiday, but keeping busy enough) being a mom and wife...my blogging on here has taken a back seat.  But after talking to my brother last week on the phone (thanks for calling..we miss you:)  He reminded me that I'm not posting nearly often enough, and he depends on these to keep up with lou-who, so I'm going to try try try to be better.  With that said, I'm downstairs working, and my point and shoot camera is up stairs and I haven't uploaded the pics and that has all of my funny pictures on it of what she has been up to, so we're left with these from our little Valentine's day session.  My hope was just to get one for valentine's day cards for her daycare friends, which I did get and loved, but she was a riot that day, so I got some more funny ones as well.  The bad news is this pink is a horrible background to shoot on, very uneven with the natural light, so not good really for pics, and I didn't take the time to really edit them all, other than this first one, so don't judge!  But she is, of course, Adorable in them..or at least we think so!!

She is just hilarious lately!   The things she says and does just amaze us every single day.  She continues to grow, and is getting quite tall, but is continuing to grow up instead of out, and her pants are all getting too short.  It's definitely time for capri season to come back!  The things she says each day are hilarious.  Just a brief rundown for you Uncle Jeff..and anyone else who cares:

*She is obsessed with smoke alarms, which Cullen nicknamed Jim.  She has one in her room, we have to say good night to it every-night, and tell him to keep her safe, and give him thumbs up.

*She has had a rough month of being sick..pink eye, hives, croup, and a fever all in a matter of about 4 week.  The croup was SO scary.  Ended up with a run to the ER one Saturday night.  It was the scariest night ever.  I wish they warned you about those things.  She seems to be on the mend now though.

*She thinks every doctor is now the Eye Doctor.  When she wants to eat too much candy or cookies, we tell her she might get a tummy ache if she eats too much, and then she replies with "Go to the eye doctor"  not sure, but we'll roll with it.

*She is still obsessed with baby dolls and now we're into putting diapers on them and taking them off because they're "stinky" all the time.  We went out to eat for my dad's and my birthday last week.  She had to bring her bear with, in his diaper, in her play carseat into the restaurant and put him in a high chair next to hers.  Cullen took a pic on his phone, and I have to put it up here.  SHe also covered up the carseat with a blankie because her bear was sleeping.

*LOVES Taylor Swift.  Not sure how this came about.  We have to watch Taylor Songs all the time on tv.  It is about the only tv she likes to watch.  Thankfully, or not thankfully I guess, depending on how you look at it, Taylor Swift has her own channel on demand..all Taylor videos all the time.  She loves to listen the song, You Belong With Me, in the car all the time, and even sings along at the part where she says I Do.  In the video, she points out the mean girl and the nice girl.  It is pretty darn funny.  She has some pretty sweet dance moves to go with it too.

*Loves her friends at daycare, Abby and Maddy, three little 2-3 year old girls, and of course the babies Kendra and Catherine, who she names her babies each night.  She either has baby Kenna or Caphin.  She loves them.  There are little boys out there too, but she loves those baby girls and her little girly friends.  I'd LOVE to be a fly on that wall one day. 

*She is in a phase where she HATES baths and washing her hair.  It is a battle and stinks.  We can get her in the tub by letting her pick out her bubble bath, Dora or Spongebob..tough choice!  But the hair washing..wow is it rough.  I'd LOVE any tips! 

**Loves to go outside in all of her snow gear and help daddy shovel!  She even has her own little shovel..such a big girl. Hopefully we aren't breaking any child labor laws!

**Talking ALL the time.  Spoke her first complete sentence which was.. "Daddy, shave it whiskers RIGHT NOW!"  It was so great!  She doesn't like him to have whiskers on his face, and made it clear she would like him to shave right now!

Anyway, I guess that is a good update for now.  It is just amazing how fast she is growing up.  Too fast.  She doesn't look like a baby anymore :(  Where or where did that time go.  Man.  The things she is learning and remembering too is just amazing.  Cullen and I are about the same, busy as ever with school and our other businesses.  I'll save you the details..not too exciting!  Check out all of the adorable little newborns I've gotten to photograph lately on my photo blog.  ADORABLE.  So much fun!!  So there..Jeff..hopefully that will tide you over for a bit!  I'll try to post some of those other pics this week sometime..from going "pretend shopping" with no pants on, her tennis shoes, and her purse..HILARIOUS..to taking pictures of her baby doll like mama with her play camera, SO CUTE!    I will try to be better!!!

Our Valentine's Day Photos

My fave..So pretty here

Can't get over how old she looks here

Her goofy cheese face

This is pretty much her these days...just a nut!  Her personality is just the best.  Nana got her this sweet hat, and she found her shades.  She also went through a phase for about a week where she only wanted to wear these silky jammy pants, and her popsicle jammy shirt..no, they do not match, but she rocked it!  Yup, this is also what she had on the night we ended up in the ER..we looked like loser parents..silk jammy pants in January, and a too small popsicle shirt.  Nice. :)

So tough

Happy Valentine's Day!! Love, Avery

Well it's a little early for Valentine's Day, but I had a photo session get rescheduled today, so I took advantage of a free morning, and did some Valentine's Day pics with Avery!  I'm going to make these cards for her friends little Valentine's goody bags at daycare, and I thought it was cute so I'd share with you all too!!  She was so good for pics this morning..looked at me and smiled at me.  I know, I can't believe it either.  Apparently she has hit the age where she actually understands bribery!  Or else I just got lucky..either way, I'll take it!!  Happy Valentine's Day, just a tad early, from our little love!

**And I couldn't decide if I liked all the pink, or the coordinating colors..I haven't decided for sure yet, so you get to see both!!**

Snow Baby!

Yesterday Avery helped Daddy shovel the driveway and played outside in the snow.  I haven't taken pics of her in too long, just playing around, so I got lots of fun playing in the snow snapshots.  Here is one for now.  I just love this one..so pretty!!!  More to come tonight hopefully.  I know I have been a bad blogger lately.  It's on my list for today!

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Christmas Tree Pics 2009!

So I did a pic like this last year at my mom's house because I just love her tree and I loved how the picture turned out.  So we went over tonight to try it for year #2.  We got Avery decked out in her new Christmas jammies, complete with slippers this year!  I just love these pictures!!!!!  My mom's tree is so pretty, and I love the windows behind it and the reflection of the lights.  I really think I will try to make this a holiday tradition! Here are a few from tonight!

Blog Book!!!!!!!!

So to all of my blogger friends...you MUST do one of these!!!!  There is a website called blurb.com and it takes your blog and turns it into a book.  It is pretty easy.  You can change layouts, colors, do tons of cool stuff, or just keep it simple and follow their layouts.  You can do hardcovers, dust jackets, square books.  Mine is just the 81/2 x 11 hardcover.  It really didn't take much time.  I changed a few things but kept it pretty simple.  I meant to do it last year after her first birthday but am a little behind, so I made it of Avery's first two years and it is beyond what I expected.  It is just so awesome.  They aren't really super expensive either.  Mine was very long, like 250 pages and it was still under $100.  It is great quality.  She loves to look at it, so I actually think I'm going to order another one to put up for her and let her keep this one out to look at.  I tried to take some pics, but I suck at product photography.  Guess I need to work on that.  Really though, if you have been keeping up with a blog, I can't recommend this enough!!!!!!!!!!!

Some Funny Pics!

These are from Cullen's phone, so sucky pics, but so funny!!  The first one is Avery getting ready to help Daddy go shovel out of our big snowstorm this morning.  We had a snow day, and it was so great.  All of 3 of us snowed in..we stayed in our jammies most of the day, had a fire, baked cookies, took naps and had lots of snuggles.  We tried Avery's snowpants on to see if they still fit, and she walked around in them saying "Snow Day, Snow Day"!  Do you think she heard us mention it once or twice??!!

This one is hilarious!  She stayed overnight at Nana's and Grandpa's on Saturday night when Cullen and I were at a party with some friends, and they apparently stayed up way too late.  She went pretty hard in the morning on Sunday, and then after lunch, she all of a sudden got really quiet as we were cleaning up, and we looked over at her and she had just fallen right asleep...quick.  She was out. It was too funny.  She has never fallen asleep in her high-chair.  She is usually a crib girl. She just doesn't fall asleep anywhere, so she must've been TIRED!!!  Just thought I'd share these funny pics of our sweetie!!