Visit from Nana and Grandpa

Avery's Nana and Grandpa came for a nice visit this weekend.  She had a great time with them! 
Unfortunately, we have no pictures with Grandpa, since he's usually the photographer.  We'll have to make sure we catch him in some pictures next time.  But here are a few from the weekend....

 Our little gymnast!

 Happy Girl!

 She loves her rocking horse!

 Reading her doggie book with Nana.

 Just playing...

  My sweet girl.

Spending more time with Nana before they left. 

13 months!

Last weekend was pretty big.... We left Avery over-night for the first time... and actually we left her for 3 nights.  I had a conference in San Antonio, so my parents were gracious enough to keep Avery AND the dogs for us.  Unfortunately, Ted had to stay behind the first two nights to work, but he ended up joining me the final night, so we could have some fun.  We just celebrated our 8 year Anniversary, so it was nice to spend some alone time down at the Riverwalk.  Avery had a wonderful time at the farm... I'm pretty sure she didn't even miss us.  Ted and I enjoyed the little break, but all we talked about was Avery.  We really missed her. 
Last Sunday, she turned 13 months old.  We definitely have a toddler on our hands.  She is constantly on the move, with a 10 second attention span.  She is an accident waiting to happen.  You definitely can't take your eyes off her.  She's walking/running great now, and trying to have conversations with us.  She is such a good eater, and we've established a really good bedtime routine.  She is such a sweet little girl.  We just love her to pieces. 
Here are a few recent pictures....

Already playing on my iphone

Learning how to color!

T-R-O-U-B-L-E!!!

Thanks for keeping me NaNa and PaPa!

The food was great!

The playhouse was fun!

And the slide was also so much fun!!!

Opening Week of Dove Season

It's that time of year again... Opening week of Dove Season.  If you asked Ted what his favorite holiday was, I'm sure that Labor Day would be on the top of his list... only because it means Dove Hunting!!!  Unfortunately, he spent most of opening day in bed sick, but he still managed to go later on in the day and shoot a few birds.  He then waited patiently for the weekend to come, so he could go shoot more birds.  Today, he woke up early and went out to my parent's place to join all the guys for some dove hunting fun.  Lots of my cousins and their friends come, so it ends up being lots of fun.  I spent the day at work, so Avery stayed with my parents all day, and her favorite cousins C and G came by to play with her.  By the looks of my Mom's pictures... she had a BLAST!  Here are a few pictures from today....

Nana and the kids

Daddy and Avery

She loved this little car!

Courtney and Avery riding around in the jeep!

Look.... no Hands!

I finally arrived late after work, and got to join in on the fun!

Fun Day at the Farm

Not much to blog about here lately.... Both of us have been busy at work, and Avery has been getting over a double ear infection.  She is feeling much better now, and is really starting to take off walking.  She has been walking all over the place now and doing great.  No major boo-boo's yet, so hopefully it will stay that way!  She is doing so good in her new class at "school."  She loves her new teacher and is learning so much from her friends there. 
We went up to the farm this morning for a little visit, and Avery had a blast with her cousin Garrett and the rest of the family that happened to be around.  We were able to catch a few pictures... enjoy!

NaNa and Avery

Playing out on the patio with NaNa and PawPaw

The weather was actually nice for a change!

Swinging with PawPaw

Garrett and NaNa

My little Princess!

Avery got to meet Shana's horse and LOVED him!

Avery and Aunt Shana

Avery's 1st Birthday Party

On Saturday, we celebrated Avery's 1st Birthday with about 30 of our closest friends and family.  Ted's Grandma and Aunt traveled all the way from Kansas!  There were 6 of her little friends here, and Avery had a really good time with everyone.  The kids played in the water, and we cooked fajitas for lunch.  She LOVED her cake, and did a good job of making a mess of it.  Overall, it turned out great.  I really can't believe we have a one year old! 
She went in for her 1 year check-up yesterday.  Unfortunately, she is suffering from a double ear infection (#4 for her!), so she was put on antibiotics and is starting to feel better.  So, no shots this time around.  We go back in 2 weeks for those.  She weighed 20lbs and was 2'4" tall, both around the 25th percentile, meeting all her milestones. 
Here are some pictures from her party!

Great Grandma W, NaNa, and her cousins C & G

Having fun at the water table

Nana, Great Grandma R, and Great Aunt Karen arrive!

Playing peek-a-boo with Great Grandma R

One of Avery's favorite gifts... her very own chair!

Another one of Avery's favorite gifts... her car!  She loves going really fast!

Happy 1st Birthday!

One year ago today, we were given the best gift in the world.  Our sweet little girl was placed in our arms 4 weeks early, and our lives were changed forever.  She brings us joy and happiness, excitement and laughter, she is the center of our world.  We thank God for her every day and look forward to celebrating many more birthdays. 
Happy 1st Birthday Avery.  We love you so much! 

Avery's First Trip to the Beach!

This past weekend, we enjoyed a few days at the beach in Port Aransas.  10 couples, along with 5 kids, ranging in age from 4 months to 2 1/2 (yes, we were crazy!) stayed in 3 condos.  We had some good quality time with our friends, cooking together, hanging out at the beach and pool, and playing with our kids.  It was quite challenging with a baby, but we still had a good time.  Avery loved the water, but I couldn't keep the sand out of her mouth.  She is getting soooo close to walking this week.  She will walk just holding one hand or finger now.  She will let go and take about 5 or 6 steps on her own.  It is so exciting for her!  She moved over to her next class at school this week, and is doing great.  She is making lots of changes.... switching to just one nap a day, and transitioning from a bottle to a cup.  She is doing great with cows milk, but likes it warm.  We are looking forward to her birthday party next week! 
Here are some pictures from the beach...

Playing with Daddy in the pool.

Napping on Daddy before the beach.

Scoping out some sand to eat!

Our little family at the beach!

She loved the water!

Walking in the sand.

The guys enjoyed their new chairs.