This way to the beach

This past Wednesday we got back from an amazingly fabulous trip to the beach. It was a perfect little getaway, despite some of the drizzly days.

Before we got to the beach, we started the weekend with a quick visit to Norfolk. There we visited with Erin, Martin and baby Parker:

Avery loves Aunt Erin because she sings more than she talks. She also loved meeting Siris the dog. He has got to be one of the drooliest doggies ever, but after a brief hesitation, Avery and Siris were fast friends. She even let him give her sloppy kisses.

The last time that Avery and Parker saw each other Avery was into poking at him with her pointer finger, and he didn't do much to defend himself. This time, Parker was all about grabbing at Avery, and she returned the interest in her by giving him the stink-eye. He was grabbing at her shoulder trying to chew on everything in sight. Go figure - she let the dog slobber all over her, but got annoyed when Parker tried to. Parker was so much fun to watch in his bouncy seat - he could really get going!

Sisters (looking at the wrong camera) with Babies (looking at Siris, the dog):

Saturday we headed to Richmond where we met up with our friends the Wyatt's who traveled across the country from Portland, OR. They brought with them their west-coast wit, sassy charm, dashing good looks... and best of all, BABY ELLE!!! The guys went to their fraternity brother Andy's wedding on Saturday night while the ladies stayed in for a girl's night, as we didn't have a sitter for the babies and couldn't take them to the wedding. Kirsten and I got the babies to bed and then whispered and quietly giggled late in the night trying not to wake them.

Jeff and Kent before heading out to the wedding:

Prior to Elle and Avery's big meeting, we had already discussed the fact that Ave (11.5 months) and Elle (7.5 months) were going to be BFF and decided that they would college roommates at Elon in 2027, so you can imagine how upset we would have been had they not liked each. We were not let down... they adored one another!

Ave checking out her new BFF Elle:

Sunday through Wednesday we went to Carolina Beach. This was the view from the back porch of our condo:

There the girls had lots of heart-to-hearts between their toy-playing, book reading, drooling, naps and eating. Avery showed off her new moves (crawling, pulling up and walking with assistance). Elle impressed Ave with her fancy raspberry noises and her new word, "Da-da." I'm sure they will be trading in their stylish unicorn "Carolina Beach" t-shirts for matching sorority tees one day...

Elle lets Avery play with "Pippi":

Sharing:

Avery tells a story while Elle hangs on to every word:

Elle says "I want to move like Avery":

The girls in their matching tees pose on the rocking chair:

While we were at the beach, we also got the bonus of getting to see our friends Grey and Haley, AKA "Greyley." We had high hopes of taking a One Tree Hill tour of Wilmington, but alas it never worked into our schedule. The days flew by too quickly as usual, and we were sad to have to say goodbye to our dear friends the Wyatt's on Tuesday morning as they headed back home. But, before they left we got some cute pics of the Daddies with their little ladies...

Like father, like daughter:

Um, cutest pic ever?:

KA boys and the future Elon girls:

And of course some family shots:

And close ups of the little ladies:

On Tuesday afternoon after our friends left we went to the beach. While there Avery pointed over my shoulder and said "dog!" Sure enough, I turned around and saw a dog. The very same day she repeated "Whoa!" with great voice inflection, showing surprise and concern at the same time.

After the beach, we visited the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher:

At the aquarium we learned that NC has a ridiculous amount of different types of sharks. Yikes! Avery had a staring contest with a HUGE Puffer fish; he liked her so much that he pressed his face up against the glass. Then a shark came a little too close to the glass and I stepped away from it. Too close for comfort... even with the thick indestructable glass in between us, I didn't like having my kid that close to JAWS.

After the aquarium we went to Pop's for homemade ice cream... yum!

What a great way to end our beach trip... the perfect dessert!

Bye-bye beach! 'Til next time!

Just Dance!

This video is proof that Avery will be well-rounded; she's studious, yet knows how to party! She can multi-task by reading and dancing at the same time...

'My Favorite Things'... Avery is 11 months old!

'Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

These are a few of my favorite things.'

- Maria, Sound of Music

Like Maria in Sound of Music, Avery does love whiskers on kittens. Along with that, here is a list of some of her favorite things at the moment...

Sitting outside for lunch (or really, anytime it's nice out):

Controlling the spoon during meals:

Rockin' the "bald" look (note the message on her shirt):

Favorite sleeping position:

The POOL!

Her new pool 'do:

Smashing little red bugs (ew!) at the pool:

Standing up in her crib:

Stealing cell phones:

Her BFF Garrett surprisingly has a very calming effect:

Her pretty new bracelet from Daddy:

Playing with Daddy between the bars on the baby gate:

Learning to stand up on her own (Daddy lends his bum to help her balance on our picnic blanket):

Giving love to Mommy on Mother's Day!!!

11 months have sure flown by! Trying to savor each moment with our sweet little family...

More from last week...

To continue our week o' fun last week, Grandpa and Grammy Bricker came into town Tuesday night. They cared for Avery on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday we headed down to Sun City Hilton Head to enjoy a lovely weekend. Along with her second trip to Hilton Head, Avery also got to experience her first trip to the beach... It was a bit chilly right on the beach, but we still went down there to let her get her first "taste." She loved the sand, and kept trying to touch it. She also enjoyed gazing out over the ocean. (If that can't soothe the soul, what can?)

Another day we ventured over to Savannah, GA for a couple hours. We walked around and did some sight-seeing and then took Avery to the Savannah Sand Gnats baseball game. They are a single A affilliate of the NY Mets team. Along with watching a disappointing game (they lost 6-1 to the West Virginia Pirates), we also experienced real live sand gnats that ate Jeff's legs up (but not the rest of us?)

The rest of the weekend was relaxing and nice. The weather was beautiful for the most part. Sunny and clear, yet not too warm. Avery enjoyed more time being loved on from her grandparents and we all enjoyed some fresh air, down time and yummy food.

This past week was nice getting back to a routine, but it's always hard to come back from a fun-filled weekend away. We miss all of our family that had graced us with their presence the last weeks. Lucky for them and us, we may just be planning a little visit this July... details coming soon!

Fast-talkin' & Risktakin' - Avery is 10 months old!

Smile for the camera, Avery! You're 10 months old...

Avery is talking up a storm. Most of it is indistinguishable noises, but new words include "dah-yee" for Jack (who we call "Jackie" alot, so that accounts for the double-syllabel sound). She also only yells this word (very loudly) when Jack comes around. She also pats Jack in the same manner she typically plays her bongo drums. (Cue the 'Jaws' music for the sneak attack...)

Da-dum, da-dum, da-dum...

Avery enjoys standing up while holding onto our legs or tables. She has started to attempt more standing balance as she now reaches out with one hand, and sometimes with two before she almost pummels to the ground. She isn't pulling herself up by herself yet, but she is definitely showing signs of wanting to be upright and on the move. Cat-like reflexes are imperative from Mommy and Daddy (or "Ma-ma" and "Da-da") in these risk-taking moments.

Avery started waving goodbye this week. She kind of has been making the fist-open, fist-close move for a while, but now she REALLY knows what she is doing, and the whole arm is in motion, so we feel like it is a more official "bye-bye."

So, have you ever felt like there should be a beer named after you? Avery has one, and it's actually fairly decent! Cheers!

Fun with family!

It's Monday, and we're exhausted! Exhausted because of all the FUN we had this past weekend!

This past weekend we had company in town - Grandma and Grandma White came down to Charlotte with Jeff's grandmother, Non. Then Jeff's brother Brad and his girlfriend Nikki came in for Friday night only. We love having our house full of family!

Avery enjoyed giggling and playing in the family room. She is in heaven, because we cleared away the coffee table to create more room for her to move around, and move around she did! She crawled around playing, and even figured out how to crawl into the bottom part of her exersaucer and was rocking back and forth in it. Quite entertaining for her, and humorous to us as well!

Saturday we started the day off enjoying the warm spring air. Jeff, Avery and I spent the morning at the park taking a long walk, showing Avery the ducks and she even got her first experience on the swings!

Ready...

Set...

GO!

We spent the afternoon playing at the house and then went out to dinner, where Avery was the life of the party, slamming her hands against the table, talking and yelling out in glee, and smirking at all of her admirers. Highlights included drinking water from a straw and trying a french fry... as well as obsessing about her little apple shaped teether.

Sunday was our first Easter with Avery! We went to church in the morning, where she kicked her legs and bobbed her head to the music. At some point during the service the pastor asked us to lift up a "joy," and I just thought "this." This. Right now. This awesome time in my life is my joy! We have so much to be thankful for. When we got home Avery napped while Jeff and I had brunch together. The whole crew came over after brunch to start getting Easter meal together. It was a beautiful day, so we enjoyed a little walk around the neighborhood before the meal.

Avery LOVES her first official bouncy ball (pink, with easy-to-grip spikes!) from Grandma White. We are already teaching her how to catch... which is a first priority for both Grandma and Aunt Meg, since they are both Phys. Ed. teachers! She loves to reach out her hands and grab the ball when it comes toward her. Her is Ave with her new friend "spike:"

Another funny tidbit was teaching Avery to "tap out" when she is done eating. When she gets close to being done, I started tapping the highchair tray twice, and now she repeats it. She may only be mimicking the motion for the sound it makes, but it's more funny to think that she is actually "tapping out" when she is finished eating.

Well, for now I will "tap out" myself. Need to get a good night's rest tonight. I am home from work tomorrow with Avery while Donna is on Spring Break. Then Grandma and Grandpa Bricker come in Tuesday evening to take over care for Wednesday and Thursday! It's fair to say she will continue to get plenty of love and attention this week.

Happy Easter!

Some bunny hopped by to wish you all a Happy Easter!:

Elmo-bunny Easter Eggs are a hit! (What HAVEN'T they thought of?!):

Avery stars in her Easter version of 'The Turtle and the Hare':

Today we are once again reminded of how blessed we are. We are so thankful for our family, our health, the roof over our heads, the laughter filling our home and we are reminded of God's love for us.

Easter blessings to all!