Summer Recap

So I started off this summer with a very ambitious Summer Bucket List, and surprisingly we almost got it all accomplished! This has been the absolute best summer of my life!! We stayed totally busy and enjoyed every single day. I hate that it all has to end as I start a new school year tomorrow, but I feel more at peace with it this year than last. I'm grateful that my job allows me nearly 3 months a year to experience being a stay-at-home-mom, all while still getting a check. The time just flew way too fast!!

Helping me in my classroom!!

Here was the bucket list I created in May…

Pool- duhh..we went swimming as much as possible.

Splash park- we went in May--hated it.

Water park-We went to the Rosemeade Rainforest which is just a community pool, but I am counting as a waterpark because of the awesome kids area. She was indifferent the first time, LOVED it the second time. Wish we could have fit it in again this summer, but will definitely go next year.

Lakehouse- We went for Memorial Weekend and The 4th of July- Great times all around!!

Going out on the boat- so much fun!! Avery loved it, but hated her bulky life jacket towards the end when she was sleepy but couldn't get comfortable. 

Golf cart rides-Avery couldn't get enough! At the lake she would cry if anyone went on a ride without her, and at the beach, I can't even tell you how cute she was. She would say "Hold on tight, guys!" when making turns, and "Here we go ride!" when we would pull out onto the street.

Play dates-We met up with most of Avery's buddies at least once this summer!

Sno Cones-Let's just say Avery knows what the "Pink House" is  for, as she points it out when we drive by. 

Out for Ice cream-  we actually didn't make it out for ice cream..shocking!! But Avery did go on enough Sonic dates with Daddy to get Nerds Slushes, that we didn't really need to! Haha!

So this Sonic date was actually with me, but she has gone with Daddy quite a bit, since he is addicted to Nerds Slushies!!

Storytime at the Library-We only made it twice, but Avery loved it!!

Farmer's Market We didn't make it to the Farmer's Market, but I'm sure we will go here in a few weeks when the weather cools down a little.

Perot Museum-We went with my friend, Madelyn, also a teacher, and the best part…teachers get in fo free!! That was a pleasant surprise! The children's area was really neat, and Avery loved seeing the dinosaur bones!

Kylde Warren Park-We took my Aunt there, and met my brother and sister Erica and her kids there too. It was neat to see, but I was disappointed with the children's area. It's definitely for older kids. There was nothing for toddlers, or anyone under the age of 6, I would say. No swings, slides, tunnels, etc. There were two big climbing nets, a merry go round and a couple of sit-n-spins, then a big splash area (overrun with unsupervised kids that were scary to Ave). My niece and nephew (8 and 10) had a blast, but we probably won't be going back for awhile. There are so many great parks, much closer to home. 

Food trucks-We ate some yummy stuff from the food trucks while at Klyde Warren. The best part of the park! Yummy!! Avery was less than impressed though, she wanted to play in the fountains.

Hibachi night-We went for family date night, but Avery was scared of the fire. She didn't cry, but was legitimately terrified. It was also past bedtime by the time our main course was ready, so we got it to-go and bounced. Fail…but worth it because that Filet..mmmm!

Dollar movies (1st movie in theater)-We saw Rio 2 and even though she hadn't seen the first one, she loved it, especially the music! We had to take an intermission potty break and 5 min walk down the hall, but she enjoyed it overall.

Going Bonkers-She liked the quarter machine rides more than playing on the equipment, but that's ok!!

So this ride is at Babies r Us, not Going Bonkers, but she loves these things!

Gymnastics class-I already wrote about how much we loved Little Gym, and depending on our schedule we may have to pick up the Monday night class in a couple of weeks, after we get adjusted to school being back in session. She has learned some awesome stuff, and talks about "Litt Gym" all the time.

Painting Ooops, we missed this one, or crafts of any kind for that matter. Maybe we will do something soon!

Play with sand-She was not a fan of the sand at the beach. I can't blame her, the sand in Galveston was nasty and clay-like, and the seaweed this year was out of control. We are thinking of Florida next year so she can play in white sand and blue water. She loved the ocean waves so much!

Her face says it all

Pick out toys at dollar store-she picked Cheetos and a white puppy who quickly got covered in Cheeto finger prints. Her name is CheetoPuppy! Haha.

Play in sprinkler- At the beach house, playing in the outdoor shower was just as fun as the beach for Avery and Jojo!

Get a kiddie pool- We only used it a few times actually, but it was so fun.

Sea world We changed this plan from San Antonio to Galveston, so no Sea World.

Donut date- We actually did that this morning while Daddy was working.

Family reunion-So fun seeing cousins and extended family that we don't see often enough.

Coffee date-Pretty sure Avery knows the word Starbucks, and asks for chocolate milk when we pass the one in Target or Kroger. Love those moments with my girl!

Not sure what this face is for! Hahah!

Make cookies We didn't do much cooking at all this summer. Too hot! But she did help me make pancakes last weekend.

Zoo- We didn't make it there either, but Avery has been plenty of times with my sister. Hoping to make it to the Fort Worth Zoo soon.

Pet puppies-Do Aunt Connie's dogs count? LOL I wanted to go to a shelter or pet store and play with puppies, but decided it was a bad idea. We'd end up with one! Or Two! Haha.

Sharkarosa Ranch-Sooo cool!! We petted a newborn camel, saw lemurs, goats, zebras, horses,zorses, and more!!

Pick peaches in Terrell- So you can't actually pick your own peaches, but I'm so glad we went to Ham Orchards!! Best peaches ever!! And peach ice cream. And homemade fudge, and a mini farmer's market and delicious BBQ and we got the VIP treatment because my friend and new teammate, Karien's parents own the orchard. 

Arboretum- Well I bought the Groupon, but it was either raining or too hot any time we could have gone. So I think we will go back in the fall, because their pumpkin patch is amazing!!

Feed horses with Alex- Always a fun time! We didn't actually feed the horses this time but we petted them and had a fun photoshoot with A's best buddies!!

Get potty trained!-Welp. We tried. So hard. And some days she is totally trained, and others she flat out refuses. It's a power struggle thing, but I've got to remind myself that for a not even 2 year old, she is amazing and doing great with it.

We also transitioned to a big girl bed this summer and while it was a total nightmare for the first 2 weeks, it is great now. Our sleep is back to normal, and ready for napping on a nap mat at pre-preschool in a couple of weeks!! Yep, my babe is starting mother's day out in September and it's very bittersweet. She is SO excited, but doesn't realize that she won't have mommy or daddy or Lacy with her while she's there yet. I pray that she loves her teachers and enjoys being at "school". It'll be the first time that she will be staying with anyone other than family, so naturally we are a little worried. I hate that I can't drop her off or pick her up, but she will have her cousin Jojo there with her,in a class down the hall. 

She obsessed with her nap mat and wants it out all the time!!

Now that Avery is 22 months, it's time to plan her birthday party! I am still deciding on a theme, but think I have picked the place, so that's exciting! Avery can tell you she's "Almost 2" or "2 in 2 months", but she's showing us the terrible twos already. Holy cow. Miss independent is really turning everything into a power struggle. Sometimes I catch myself losing my patience, but I know I'll miss these moments one day. She is so hilarious too! She makes us laugh, constantly, and she is just so dang smart that it literally blows my mind and melts my heart in the same instant. I will say 22 months is the best and hardest age so far. Exhausting and the most rewarding. The house is never clean, but it's happy. So very happy. 

My loves!!!

Halfway through summer already?!?

I cannot believe how fast summer is flying by! We are having so much fun and it makes me so sad to think we only have a few weeks left. Avery and I have been crossing things off of our summer bucket list nearly every day, so we are making the most of our precious time together. 

At our family reunion in OK! 

Just kicking back in the hot tub!

Avery is 20 months old and so incredibly smart! She currently loves books, puzzles, playing dollhouse and picnic, peek-a-boo, singing, dancing, iPad games, Bubble Guppies, Mickey Mouse, pizza and "Choc-meelk." So far this summer we are also loving Popsicles, sno cones, splashing in the pool, sleeping in, staying up late, and just being silly together. 

Her latest milestone is learning her colors, for the most part, and learning to count. She can *almost* count to 10. She usually skips 4 or 5 but she's getting there! Now we are working on singing her ABC's and identifying her letters and numbers and shapes. She knows heart, star and diamond and sometimes circle, so far! She is learning so much so quickly and makes us so proud! I love how much she loves learning too!! 

At the Rosemeade Rainforest waterpark. She had a blast! 

Avery has been enrolled in little gym for about a month now and she absolutely loves it! I will be sad to quit next month but there aren't any classes that will fit into our schedule. It has been so neat in just a few classes to see her confidence really take off. She had absolutely no interest in trying out any of the equipment at first, but just this week she gave walking on the (on the ground) balance beam and swinging on the parallel bars a try! Even though she quickly was scared again, I was SO PROUD of her for stepping out of her comfort zone and trying new stuff! I am thinking of doing her birthday party there this year too. Can't believe its time to start planning a birthday party already but it's only a few months away! 

Some things Avery isn't liking so much recently are her crib, sleeping alone, or going to sleep at all (which I kind of came to expect after leaving her for a few days while Jon and I took our first vacation away, but it is still so sad to deal with) and eating anything that's not pizza. Seriously-this kid is pizza obsessed! It's so funny, she requests it for every meal. I mean who doesn't love pizza? So...we probably eat it at least once a week. :-) 

"I sleep Mama's bed?"

Right now we are most looking forward to our beach trip with Miss Avery and the rest of my family, back to Galveston, like last summer! I felt kind of guilty taking our Mexico trip without her so I wanted to do something special with her. We were originally planning to take her for a long weekend to Sea World, but the idea to go back to the beachhouse we rented last year again came up, and we decided it would be a blast so that's what we are doing instead. We aren't going until August, and I hate that I'm looking forward to the end of summer, so I'm definitely not trying to rush it, but it'll be fun to have one last hurrah before heading back to work. 

Last year in Galveston!! My sweet Bebe!

Perfect Weekend!!

The final countdown to summer is on! 14 more school days and I cannot wait. We had a small taste of summer this weekend and it was fabulous. Avery was such a good girl as we drug her around Costco and the AT&T store. I got a new phone and a house full of groceries,all on Jon's dime, which is always a nice treat. We went to the splash park with friends yesterday and to Aunt Jamie's house for swimming today, which was so fun, although Avery is such a cautious little scaredy cat! It's so sweet how she needs me to feel confident in new situations though. I love it! I also got to get some girlfriend time and my nails done this afternoon. All around a success! 

I made a summer bucket list that I am looking forward to fulfilling over the next few months as well.  

Summer Bucket List for Avery!!

Pool

Splash park 

Water park

Lakehouse

Going out on the boat

Golf cart rides

Play dates

Sno Cones

Out for Ice cream

Storytime at the Library

Farmer's Market

Perot Museum

Kylde Warren Park

Food trucks

Hibachi night

Dollar movies (1st movie in theater)

Going Bonkers

Gymnastics class 

Painting

Play with sand

Pick out toys at dollar store

Play in sprinkler

Get a kiddie pool

Sea world

Donut date

Family reunion

Coffee date

Make cookies

Zoo

Pet puppies 

Sharkarosa Ranch

Pick peaches in Terrell

Arboretum 

Feed horses with Alex

Get potty trained!

Jon says I sound like Buddy the Elf, but I  hope we can fit it all in. And Mommy and Daddy have a special anniversary trip coming up too!! Soooo nervous about leaving our babe, but looking forward to some QT together on the beach!! 

18 months!

Its hard to believe that it's been a year and a half since we brought our teeny tiny newborn into the world. In a sense it feels like she turned into a toddler in the blink of an eye, but in another way it kind of feels like we've had this life forever. I can't even remember our daily routine without caring for her. I know I was a workaholic and a bit of a gym rat, but being her mommy is what I was born to do. Life before didn't seem empty at all, but I didn't know how it felt to be truly fulfilled like I am now.

Avery had a great Easter! She didn't really get the Bunny stuff, but loved all the goodies he left her and totally went nuts over hunting eggs!!

18 months old is my new favorite age. She is so much fun!!! It's amazing to see how much she learns, discovers and grows each day. I love to just observe her problem solve and figure things out! Plus her vocabulary is off the charts! I tried to make a list of all the words she knows right now, because her check up is next week and her Dr. always asks, and it's insane. I've got 100+ on the list now, but she says probably 2 or more new words each day. I don't mean she just echoes what she hears, she is nearly having conversations with us and these are how many she uses independently! My favorites right now though are "hold you", "Sowee" when she is apologizing and "Han" when she wants to hold our hands for a walk. This is probably my favorite thing ever. Avery has always been very cautious and easily scared, especially with physical things like climbing stairs, going down the slide etc. Well I have always assured her "Mommy's got you. Want me to hold your hand?" And now she asks for our hands when she is scared or just wants to go show us something, and it totally melts our hearts! 

She is also starting to say more phrases, like "book-mama read it!"  And she's really recognizing ownership of things like  "Daddy's hat" "Mama's shoes" and every toddlers favorite word "Mine!" Lol

Some of her favorite things are books, stickers, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, trucks, babies, blocks, chocolate milk, her new water table, candy for going potty, playing on the iPad and watching "TB". She loves playing outside and gets seriously mad if it's raining, too cold or dark when she's asks to play. 

She also loves helping with chores like laundry, dishes and cooking. She loves Abby so much and loves to feed her and always asks to give her treats. She very sassily tells Abby to sit and does this adorable little hand command at the same time. She also waves her finger and tells her "no,no Abby!!" When she plays too rough, or tries to get her food.

 She loves to play hide and seek, and pretend to sleep then yell "WAKED UP!" She loves signing and drumming and dancing. She loves shoes and bows helping pick out clothes. She loves to put on "mate-up" with mommy, brush her teeth and play in the sink (washing her hands) too. She's getting pretty good at going potty when asked, and even went at a restaurant the other night at her request! 

We are working on learning colors and signing nursery rhymes and the ABC's. We are starting to learn how dress and undress, and miss independent thinks she is too big for a highchair so we are also working on sitting at the table to eat.

She was so proud of her creamer tower at brunch today!

Some things Avery doesn't like at 18 months- boundaries, being told "no", time out for not listening when we said "no", having to wait for something she wants, when something fun is over, and sleeping. Sleeping has become a battle, major regression going on in that department.

 She has apparently been fighting naps for awhile during the day, because at least a couple times a week for the past 2 months I get the news when I pick her up the she hasn't had a nap that day. This is frustrating because it means by bedtime, she is a total monster! At first I thought it was maybe just an adjustment period from being at home all day to being at my mom's but now she's also fighting bedtime and naps on the weekend. She's getting pretty good at the game of prolonging bedtime. She needs her Buppy (blanket) and George, to say goodnight to everything, then rocks and pats from me, then wants to tell Abby and Daddy night- night again, then turn on music and noisemaker, turn off the lights, sing more songs, give me pats and tickles, read one more book, play peek-a-boo, give kisses and then MAYBE she'll lay down without crying. If not we have to start over again. On top of that, she's waking up at least once in the middle of the night and again around 6:30 when I am trying to finish get ready for work, which has been making me run super late, because all she wants is me. Then I feel so guilty when I leave my baby screaming "Mommmmy!!!"

Hopefully we'll be out of this phase soon though because we're all exhausted!

Finally crashing after skipping her nap, then going to a birthday. That was rough, but this is one of my favorite pictures!!

Only 6 more weeks of school until summertime with my best pal and I couldn't be more excited!! This week we are looking forward to the day together on Tuesday for her check-up. We love to see how much she's grown and make a special day of me being off work, although the shots stink! 

Family Selfie

We had a rainy, indoor egg hunt on Easter Sunday

We took Avery "into town" for the Tipton egg hunt on Saturday. She loved it so much, but was very impatient about having to wait to get started.