Our Little Helper :)

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays!  This little lady of course is what we are so thankful for this year.  Family Family Family.  That is what it is all about right?  I am so blessed and so lucky to have such an amazing family.  Husband, daughter and my whole family.  Cullen and I hosted Thanksgiving this year for both our our families (just siblings...we aren't that ambitious just yet!) It was so great to have everyone all together.  We had a great time.  Thanks to our moms who did SO much.  We pretty much just provided the home.  :)

On Friday, my mom and I got up early and did the shopping thing.  I hadn't done that in awhile, and remember why now, but it was fun and we had a great time and found some great deals on presents!  It felt nice to get a dent in the Christmas shopping.  Then we decorated the tree yesterday.  

I took one of these photos last year at my parents house, and will have to do that again, because my mom's tree is so pretty and I love the windows behind it, but this one is of our little helper putting the finishing touches on our own tree..complete in her "new new fuzzy wuzzies"  She calls everything that is new, "new new" and calls her jammies fuzzy wuzzies.  Did I mention how much I love this girl.  I realize I haven't even gotten pictures of her birthday up yet, but I will soon, I promise.  I'm done taking photos for the month of December after next weekend and took the rest of the month off from photos, and I'm very excited for a little break to enjoy some much needed holiday family time!  Avery can't get enough of all of her new toys from her birthday.  Thank you all to those of you who helped us celebrate.  Thank you cards are on the list for tomorrow.  They are coming!!!   We decorated yesterday and it is finally feeling like Christmas and I love it!!!  Happy Holidays to you all and I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving.

 Aww..my heart melts.

Avery's Message for Uncle Jeff

Avery was having a snack today and I was messing around with a flip video

that I am using for school this week. Avery has really taken to singing her abc song. 

It is so darn cute. She lost interest here around v, but come on..she is 2! :) She also has a little message

for uncle Jeff at the end. She misses you Jeffy!!! Please excuse my singing and voice..I am losing my voice.

Please also excuse all the boxes in the back. We are slowly but surely getting unpacked in the new

place!!! More to post with updates soon. It is a busy time at the Bahn house!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Avery - We Love You!

Happy 2 Years Avery!!

Dear Avery,

   Another year has come and gone, and now you are 2!  Wow..where did that last year go?  We thought you were big when you turned one.  In a year, I can't believe all that you have done.  You are a running, jumping, dancing, singing, talking machine!  Again, each day you somehow manage to yet even more joy and happiness into our lives.  Right now some of your favorite things to do are to sing the ABC song..of course this is your own version, but it gets better and better each day.  You are hilarious when you sing the Bitsy Bitsy Spider song..complete with all of the actions.  You tell us you love us multiple times a day, and each time our hearts melt just a little bit more.  You are the light of your grandparents' eyes as well...with those same words of I Love You Bapa - Nana - Damma or Dammy or whoever is lucky enough to be on the receiving end of those words, and with your hugs, kisses and squeezes.  

You love to hide, chase, climb and be tickled.  You grow smarter each day with your growing vocabulary and amaze with each new thing you learn to do.  Right now you happen to love Dora, Abby Cadabby (Adabadabby..as you say) SpongeBob (you squeal and jump each time you hear the song) Puppies, and Baby Doll.  You LOVE your blankie and still love your bottle..though mama and daddy are really trying to work on that one.  You love to be a puppy too!  You are such a good mama to your baby doll.  You always make sure she has her bottle and gets burped.  You take her for many walks in her stroller all around our house.  You always call for her (Baby-Doll) first thing when you wake up and you make sure she is okay. You love to color with your color crayons, or as you call them "tully tans".  You are becoming quite the independent lady, and insist of buckling yourself into your high chair and carseat and you even like to try to put on your own pants!  You still love to snuggle, and daddy and I often fight over who gets to rock with you to sleep each night.  We love to wake up to your kisses and hugs in the morning, and LOVE reading books with you.  You can't get enough books.  We have them stashed all over the house so we are never far away from one.  You especially love books that have the moon in them.  For some reason, you just LOVE the moon.  You also love your cousins!!  You love the time you get to spend with Donner (Conner)...A-E (Ansley) or No-No (Noah).  You love when you get to play with Noah and Ansley's puppy Tucker also, and are very good at telling Tucker No-No!  

Your favorite foods right now are Yo-Gos, Cheese, Goldfish, Mac and Cheese, Toaster Strudels, Yogurt, Apples, Oranges, and......french fries..but we try not to have those too often.   You love to run and play outside. You love to go to Lori's to see your friends Zachy, Baby Catherine, and of course the puppy Molly.  We are so lucky you have such a wonderful place to go while mama and daddy have to go to work.  You get to go to the library each Tuesday and are always learning new things at Lori's house.  You are our favorite little helper and love to help mama and daddy out in any way you can.  You love to hand us things and help us clean up!  You usually sing a song when you do this, which of course we love! Your faces you make crack us up daily!   Your excited face is the best thing ever and you are usually willing to share it with us!!!!

As you can see, you amaze us each day.  Your words you use are countless and I've lost track!  You pretty much hear it, say it and you've got it! (Mama and Daddy need to be careful!!)  We are always surprised with a new word that you use!  You have lots of nicknames..you are our little Lou-Who, Avers, Avery Lou, Lovey.  But most importantly, you are the sweetest, most beautiful little thing in the world.   It is safe to say you are definitely a Daddy's girl, but I know you love your mama too!!  Your hugs and kisses let me know for sure!  Watching your personality develop makes us so proud.  You are becoming such an independent little thing, with a personality the size of Texas!  You are smart, sweet, loving, funny and beautiful!  We love you more than you can ever even imagine, and that love grows deeper each day.  We love you so much Avery Ellen Bahn.  Happy 2nd Birthday to our Avery Lou.  We LOVE you.

Love,

Mama and Daddy

The After-Birthday!

Avery woke up SO excited to play with her toys from her birthday party the next morning.  She is in heaven with all of her babies and accessories!  She takes her strollers on laps around the house and says she is going to the mall!  :) Gotta love her!

Avery Turns 2!!!

We celebrated Avery's 2nd birthday this weekend!!  (I pulled out my old point and shoot for the birthday party so I didn't have to worry about my camera, and I think something is up with my camera.  They are HORRIBLE.  At least you get the idea, but I'm pretty bummed.)  Anyway, her party was a blast!  Thanks to all of you who came over!!   It was so great to have family and friends help us celebate Avery turning TWO!  She is in heaven with all of her new toys.  She is so in love with her baby dolls lately, and got lots of fun new baby doll toys.  She is such a good mama to her babies!!!  It was a great evening.  Thanks again to all of you!!!!  We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives!  The pics are kind of random, just uploaded and put here, so no order..sorry!

Hew new "jogging" stroller...And notice the 98 piece food set all over the floor.  Yes, 98 pieces of play food.  She loves it!  (THANKS Aunt Dana for that one!)

Singing the Dora song with Ansley and Jaxon

Cake with Ansley and Nana

Daddy getting her some cake

Loves that frosting

Blowing out her candles on her Dora cake!

Waiting so nice while we sing to her

Playing at her new table

Lots of friends and cousins

More friends

SpongeBob coloring book!

And her other stroller and new bath baby doll.  She LOVES to give her baby baths, and sure helps us with bath time also!

Seriously, when did she get so big???

Friends Kate and Orelia

A little possessive over her new stroller..sorry Conner

Eating Dinner

Leaves Take 2!!

Yes, I LOVE fall colors, and I am starting to get sad already thinking that the leaves are nearly off the trees, and winter is right around the corner.  Avery has a super cute fall jacket, and boots, and I figured we should take advantage of this beautiful day and get out and do some pics in her outfit.  We had so much fun.  Just the two of us this time, Cullen had a football game, and she was great for me!  The pics aren't perfect, I haven't had time to edit them just so yet, but I love them!!  They are just so her and where she is right now...such a big girl!

This picture is horribly out of focus, color casts, everything it shouldn't be, and I can't believe I'm putting it up here, but I'm putting my mommy goggles on because I just love it!  She was running to hug me, hence my shaky camera and the blur.  Didn't want the lens to knock the poor girl out, so I had to be quick!  

Playing peek-a-boo----The Reveal!

The hiding..I love how she thinks if she covers her eyes you really can't see her!

Pretty hair..getting so long...Avery pondering life

Cheese Mama!

She thought this was a pretty flower

Apple Orchard!

Yesterday we went to Minnesota Harvest Orchard, to take advantage of the beautiful day.  It was packed, but so fun.  Avery loves horses, so we thought we'd try a pony ride.  We thought she'd get up there and hate it, since the one at the grocery store is hit or miss (and it isn't real), but she LOVED it!  She was all business on her horsey (pony) and did so great!  She even would pet his hair and blew it kisses when she was done.  Then we checked out some pumpkins, and she had to try to lift them all.  We just can't believe how much she is growing up, and are more amazed by her, and in love with her each day.  Here are a couple snapshots from the orchard:

Beautiful Fall

This past weekend was such a beautiful fall weekend, we had to take advantage and go play in the leaves.  I was searching for that perfect fall leaf photo, but it didn't happen.  What did happen was Avery had a blast playing in the leaves, throwing them herself, and having Daddy rain them down on her.  I can't believe my little sweetie will be 2 in a month, but she looks so old in these pictures, I can't even believe it.  She is so not a little baby anymore.  She has been talking so much lately, and is full of hugs and kisses.  It is just the best.  She also went potty in her potty all by herself the last two nights!  We haven't been potty training, we just have one set up in the bathroom to try to get her used to it.  She will go sit on it sometimes, and that is all we were really going for right now.  Then two nights ago we were getting her bath ready so she was naked.  Cullen and I were in the kitchen, and she was running around naked. Pretty soon we hear the little music her potty plays when something is in it (yes, very cool potty!) and sure enough, there she was sitting on it, and she went all by herself!  Then she did the same thing last night!  We aren't getting our hopes up, as we aren't totally potty training yet, but I think we may hopefully be getting ready to do that in the near future!  What a big girl she is!  She also has been kissing a little boy at daycare.  She just loves her "Zachy" from daycare.  I got a report about two weeks ago that she has been kissing him and hugging him.  Yesterday as we were leaving, he was ahead of us with him mom, and she said "Zachy"...and made a big kissing noise with her little lips puckered up.  Now she asks about him every night, and if you ask her what she does to Zachy, she will make the kiss noise.  We may be in for it.  At least she is kissing and not biting right??  Anyway, other than that not too much else is new here.  Uncle Jeff comes home for a visit tomorrow with "LoLo" (Lauren) so we are WAY excited to see them, and plan on spending some major family time this weekend.   I only have 1 photo session scheduled, and left the rest of the weekend open so I can enjoy him being home.  Yay!!!  Happy Fall everyone!

Daddy raining leaves on her

Every time I would ask her to smile that day, she would grin and cover her mouth with her little hands..such a cutie pie - she just messes with me! :)

Love the excitement in her eyes here

Making the leaves go crunch!