Spoiled with Sunshine

I am so in love with this spring weather!!!  Living in Duluth, spring comes and goes in a blink, and what spring you have is a complete muddy mess, so spring here is so nice!!!

 

The sun has been out, the weather has been warm and in the 70s, and I could soak it up all day!

 

My house may suffer, because all I want to do is be outside, but those stifling hot summer days will make up for it, when I am stuck inside laying on top of the air conditioning vent....

 

So here is how we have made the most of our absolutely beautiful sunshiney days:

 

The zoo!!

 

Landon was most excited to see our polar bear from Duluth that was moved to KC.  He remembered she was here and it was the first thing he wanted to see! 

 

Caroline got to practice walking with her new shoes.....it can be tricky to add those shoes in the mix of walking! 

 

Next up....the motorcycle!!

It hasn't been out in a while, so Adam had to take it out and around "just to make sure it was running fine".....

So, Avery got to have her first ride around the neighborhood. 

 

And the playset!!

We had been talking about getting a playset for the back yard since we had to leave ours in the yard in Duluth (it was buried in the snow!!!).  We found one for a deal and the boys spent all day doing assembly.

One should always beware of large things that come in rather small boxes....lots of small pieces!

 

All hands were on deck to help! 

 

Or at least look cute....

 

The finished product was a hit!!  

 

By 6:00 in the evening after all this fun in the sun, my kids were wiped out!

Early bedtime....yes!



Caroline.....10 months!

We have hit double digits!!

 

I just love this spunky little thing!

And the strawberry blonde hair.....

 

We can just let the pictures do the talking....

 

Girlfriend is on the MOVE!!  Forget any other mode of transportation if it is not walking.  And she takes things with her now!  She leads with her belly and just waddles right through her day!

 

Absolutely 100% of baby foods/snacks are out of my house!  Caroline wants nothing to do with any "baby" food.  As if she would know the difference.....but somehow she does!

 

The supply of breast milk is all gone and she took to whole milk like a champ!  I had just put away all the bottles when the doctor said she had a bit of anemia since dairy milk doesn't have quite the iron that breast milk does.  So, I put a smidge of formula in with milk and we have our vitamins covered!

 

She still only has the 2 bottom teeth, but those top ones are just about to peek through!  If they come through like her bottom ones, they should be in by the time Christmas comes around..... :P

 

She now has a word vocabulary of 3 words!  "Mama" came first, and is really only used when she is super fussy or hurt.  Now we have added "Uh-oh", especially when she drops food on the floor for the dogs, and "Hello", which comes out more like "heh-ow". 

 

We have started talking about the big Birthday coming up soon!  Is anyone surprised that baby fever has settled in pretty seriously now too????

Make Up and Nail Polish and Hair Bows, Oh My!

Avery has a new hobby....

 

In addition to dress up and make up, she has fallen in love with nail polish.

 

Today, Adam was the one "nailed" down for a little primping. 

 

Such a good dad!!  Just in time for flip flop season too!

 

If you ever lose Avery, just look for her in the make up department!



Here We Are At THREE!!!

Ok, one day I will blog about more than just babies and birthdays, but until then......

 

We have a THREE year old!!

 

I am not going to say that the time has flown by, or that I can't believe Avery is 3, or even wallow in the fact that she is my baaaaaaby.

 

Because for the first time, it just isn't true!  This year has gone by pretty slow (until you break down all that has happened....), and Avery is such a spunky kid that chatters your ear off ALL DAY LONG, it is amazing to me that she is just NOW three. 

 

She is pure attitude and all sass!!  Gone are the things that make me want to call her a baby, and here to stay is a 100% diva! 

 

Look how she has grown over the past year:

 

 

We have spent the weekend celebrating her birthday and really just celebrating HER.....even her sassy pants attitude!

 

We started out with making cupcakes for her group of friends at church.  I have Bible study on Thursdays, and her birthday fell on a Thursday this year, so they had a little party for her!

She LOVES to help in the kitchen!!   

 

Then she got to open presents at home later in the day.  One thing she got.....this little play hair set that she refers to as her "dress ups".  She sat for two hours "fixing" her hair!!

She also did a few 'dos for Daddy! 

 

The family came over for dinner that night.  Avery picked the menu (mac and cheese, salad.....yes, she loves salad!, grapes, tomatoes, and pickles) and we got to sing her Happy Birthday.

She looks forward to the song more than any other part of a birthday celebration! 

 

More presents.....including a Sophia princess dress that she wore the entire next day. 

 

......ALL day!! Landon was having a project day with Grandpa, so Avery and I just hung out and did girly things.  Dress up, hair 'dos, dress up, a movie, dress up, and maybe a little dress up. 

 

Then the big party capped off the weekend festivities.  We decided to push the easy button this year and let her pick a place, the people, and the snacks. 

She was more than happy to oblige!

Avery picked Fun Run, a bouncy house and indoor play area with a "Sophia the First" theme (anyone surprised??).   

 

 

 

All her little friends came and they just ran and ran for a couple hours, breaking for cake, of course!

 

She loved that she got to sit by her boyfriend, Hudson.... 

 

......and boyfriends Chad and Liam as well.  Maybe Adam should start getting a little worried......

 

Happy THIRD birthday Aves!!  We love you......SO much!