Pass the snowcone!

We got snow, oh yes we did. And Avery thought it was so yummy.

(Psst! Order this kid a Snoopy Sno-cone maker for next Christmas!)

Christmas at the White House, 2010 - part 2

Just a couple things we love about Christmas:

- Starting our own White Family Traditions

- Rememering and Celebrating the Reason for the Season

- Yummy food (we love milk & cookies)

- Dressing up in fancy clothes for Christmas Eve church service

- Sharing the joy of Christmas with one another

- Ransacking the house (Avery)

- Football, football, more football and fantasy football (Jeff)

- Downing scary amounts of Cinnamon Pear spiced Cider (Kate)

Christmas Eve meal tradition:

Cheese fondue with grilled chicken, fresh fruit, veggies & french bread:

Avery looking dapper in her "fancy" clothes for church:

And then ransacking the house:

And stomping on gifts:

A quiet moment, finally:

And she's tuckered out and ready to close her eyes (with visions of sugar-plum fairies...):

But before we do, let's help Mommy leave cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer!:

"YES, I swiped a cookie before anyone could catch me!"

Caught in the act:

Reading Avery's FAVORITE book "The Mitten" before bed, followed by "The Story of Christmas":

Christmas morning!

"OH.MY.GOODNESS. This is awesome!"

She immediately wanted "cackers" from the empty play boxes I put in the cart. FAIL.

And then was on to demanding Olivia & Mickey Mouse on TV:

I LOVE my new chair from Grandpa and Beggie!:

The only way to tear her away from Olivia and Mickey Mouse? FOOD!

The breakfast spread of fruit, eggs & bacon and a stack of blueberries pancakes:

"Happy Birthday, Jesus!"

Avery's special Mickey Mouse pancake:

All smiles!

"Can we do this every day?":

Big girl cup!:

"Now, on to those gifts you were talking about...":

Having fun with her new pots and pans:

And her new baby we named "Grace":

"Gracie is the best baby. We love going to walks together! I always check in on her to make sure she isn't hungry and to give her her blankie":

Oh, the joy of Christmas through a toddler eyes. And hearing her exclaim "Happy Birthday Baby Jesus" was absolutely beautiful! She is such an angel and makes us appreciate one another in a whole new and exciting way.

Joy to the World, the Lord is come! We are so blessed with this gift and the gift of family this holiday season.

(ps: if you missed some of our holiday pics, make sure you visit "part 1")

Christmas at the White House, 2010 - part 1

Welcome to our holiday soundtrack...

We've been busy Rocking around the Christmas Tree:

Avery even helped us Deck the Halls:

Here's our little Santa Baby:

Bringing Joy to the World:

She loves her new BFF Frosty the Snow Man:

And making friends with Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, too:

Yummy, new ornament! Hark, the Herald Angels Sing!:

(Glory to the Newborn King!)

The night of Christmas it started snowing! We loved having a White (day after) Christmas...

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it SNOW!:

And Avery was old enough to enjoy the snow this year.

She loved Walking in a Winter Wonderland:

(more pics to follow in "part 2" - enjoy!)

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas!

From our family to yours...

Merry CHRISTmas!

xoxo,

Jeff, Kate and Avery

Chapel Hill Visit with the Wyatts

A little backtrack...

The second weekend in December we went up to Chapel Hill to visit with the Wyatts while they were in town for Kent's brother Stephen's wedding. We watched sweet Elle while they went to the wedding, and we got some great visiting in with them that weekend.

Here are some pictures of Avery, Elle and their antics over the course of our visit.

First, we'll start off at the book store where Avery enjoyed playing with puzzles:

Here comes Elle...

Avery decided to try and claim all of the puzzles quickly:

But at least she let Elle take a seat:

Sweet Elle-belle (14 months):

Avery still busy putting her "claim" on things, while poor Elle has a close encounter with a falling chair:

Saturday night we watched the girls while Kent and Kirsten went to the wedding. The evening started out with our special guest Frosty the Snowman.

Avery was infatuated with Frosty's singing and dancing, and was perturbed when we stopped playing him over and over:

So she figured out how to push the button herself:

Elle was very helpful in selecting the best Pizza joint in town

(she gets this particular skill from her Daddy):

Then she was on to looking at pictures of doggies while we waited for our grub:

Meanwhile Avery was busy licking the furniture (seriously?):

The most fun toy the girls attempted to share was the ride-on dinosaur.

Of course, Avery was very bad with sharing, but Elle didn't seem to mind too much:

Elle casting a spell on her buddy Avery:

Thank goodness Elle didn't mind sharing since the dino kept Avery very entertained:

These gals will be BFF's for many many years to come. So very glad we were able to squeeze in a visit and were able to help out too!

Checking our statistics

Avery's 18-month doctor visit was today. Unlike Jeff's fantasy football stats, which he has access to at any given moment, we get very anxious to know Avery's latest "stats" and usually have to wait for her next doctor visit. I try to assess her growth with my naked eye, but it's always so hard to tell. Her pants have gotten shorter, but she hasn't grown out of them. That's about as technical as I get.

So. Here are her stats:

Avery measured in at 31 1/2" tall

Avery weighs 26 lbs

She is in the 50th percentile for both height and weight, so she is right on track. I suspected all of this, but it was nice to have it all confirmed, of course.

What I didn't know was what the doctor would find in her ears! A double infection... I had NO idea. I must have looked horribly guilty for not knowing, because the first words out of the doc's mouth were "Do NOT feel bad - you didn't know." Then she proceeded to tell me that they were both filled with puss. Ew, no one likes the word "puss."

Despite the fact that I could've SWORN she said "ear hurt" the other day (it was such a fleeting thought because I swore I made it up in my head!), she never made one peep about it or showed any sign of being uncomfortable. What a trooper. I guess I will listen up next time she tries to tell me something. Sorry, sweetie!

In other statistical news... AKA fantasy football news, Jeff and I have both been officially eliminated from our "I'd rather have a beer" league. Even with two of his players getting hurt and exiting the game, Tom nabbed a win over me this week. In a closer race, Chad and Jeff TIED in their playoff game when the Bears defense rocked it against Minnesota bringing Chad back from slightly behind. Since they tied, the tie-breaker was who was ranked a higher seed for the playoffs and with his #1 spot, Chad scooped up the win.

Final week - Chad V. Tom. We'll keep you posted on our big winner.