North Carolina Weekend

I spent the weekend in the Raleigh-Durham area with my family and a great friend. I started out in Cary, which is right outside of Raleigh. My Aunt Trish and Uncle Emil (pictured above this past Thanksgiving) live there and also had a special guest - their granddaughter Emily.

Emily is 8 years old and is a true sassy spirit. It's fun spending time with her. She came running into the house with her mom Karen wanting to meet Avery. Of course, Avery wasn't obliging, as she was taking her afternoon nap. But Avery woke up soon enough and gave her eager audience a winning smile. We spent the rest of the day playing with Avery and adoring her every move. Emily even spent some time reading to Avery while "Gaga" (aka Aunt Trish) held the book.

After a yummy time at a local chinese restaurant, (where Avery discovered the joy of her feet) we headed to Durham to hang with my friend Renee for the rest of the weekend.

We had a great time shopping and eating (I love Nordstrom Cafe!!) and watching a whacked out movie. No need to see "Across the Universe", everybody. But in spite of the movie mistake, Avery and I both had a great time with Renee. Avery seemed to love Renee instantaneously, as you can see.

Thanks for a great weekend, everyone. We'll be back to visit, we promise!!

Happy Valentine's Day

Teeth

Yep, two of them. In my girl's mouth. After several unsuccessful attempts at capturing her teeth with a photograph, you'll have to take my word for it. My mom discovered them as we were taking a walk on Monday. She reached down to laugh at Avery and saw these small white things protruding from her lower gums. Then she touched them with her finger and it was official....Little Bit is becoming Slightly Older Bit. Then I experienced for the first time the common struggle of all Moms. I wanted to be excited about the next milestone in her baby book, but I was sad that she was growing up so quickly. My reaction was "Oh no" instead of "Oh great!". Ah, the mixed blessing of being a Mom. I want her to be a cuddly little toothless girl forever, but that would make for an awkward senior picture. Here's to enjoying it all - no matter how quickly it comes our way.

Almost Over

We're at the end of Spring Break 2008, so of course we had to hit the beach for one day. We headed to Fort Myers Beach this morning and walked out to the pelican pier.

I'm not a fan of sun and little ones (Okay, let's be honest...I'm not a fan of sun at all), so Avery was snuggled nice and tight in her stroller with the shade down at this point. I did, however, take a picture of what everyone else was doing:

Good for them. They'll have leather skin by the time they're forty. Eventually, I did let Avery have a quick glance at the beach. We walked along the shop area and found this cute little entrance to the gulf waters:

Avery and I snuck down to the sand and had our picture taken to prove we were actually at the beach. And yes, it is Avery underneath the hat and glasses.

We strolled around the beach area a little bit longer and then headed to Junkanoo, one of my parents' favorite restaurants in the area for a relaxing lunch and a great view of the Gulf Coast. I love the beach from the convenience of my shaded indoor table!

While we were here, Avery was able to take her first big girl bath. I think she was a little nervous, because she held onto her rings for dear life for the duration of the tub time.

Well, that's it from Florida. I miss my husband and my dog! (In that order, of course!) Can't wait to see my Virginia friends again.

More Florida Pictures

It's been a very relaxing day in Fort Myers. We've spent some time shopping (notice the new sunglasses) and napping. Nothing too exciting to report, except that Avery cried for about ten minutes after I left the house to go grocery shopping with my Dad. I think she was still unsure of her new surroundings, so she broke my Mom's heart with her pitiful cries. Poor thing. As you can see from the pictures, she seems fine now.

And We're Off

It's kind of hard to tell where she is, but Avery is on her first airplane ride. We're in Florida for a week visiting my parents and extended family. This is actually right before we started to land. I tried to get the clouds and pretty blue sky, but I had no chance for perspective. Avery did so well on the flight. She looked around when she was buckled in, and then she closed her eyes and slept for an hour. She missed the takeoff! But she was wide awake for the landing and had a grand time playing with her new plastic rings (Thanks, Marie!). I must say the airport experience was quite an adventure. I met many new friends as I attempted to work my way through the maze of Norfolk International Airport. (Interesting...before I had Avery, I thought the airport was easy to navigate). They helped me close the stroller for x-rays, hold the stroller while security looked through my bag for my contraband diaper rash creme, and push the stroller to the plane before we took off and to the gate when we landed.

My mom met us at the airport in Tampa and then whisked us off to New Port Richey so Avery could meet more of her family.

Avery and my cousin Brandi

My Uncle Phil and Avery having a bonding moment....Uncle Phil would have been perfectly happy to have Avery stay in that position all night long

Avery and my grandmother Isabelle...hence her middle name

My Aunt Holly with the Judd girls

We'll see you tomorrow!!

Yummy in My Tummy

Quiche is our new favorite Saturday morning breakfast treat. We usually have orange segments or grapefruit with it. It can last us through Sunday morning and sometimes Monday lunch for me. The quiche craze started on New Year's Day, when we had a brunch over at Mark and Heather's. The thing I love about this dish (and several other dishes I make) is that you can throw in leftover whatever from the week and not waste any food. Plus it creates its own crust. This morning's treat was sausage, onion, and cheddar. MMMM!!

QUICHE

4 Eggs

1 1/2 c. Milk

1/3 - 1/2 c. Jiffy or Bisquick (I prefer 1/3)

1 small onion, quartered

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 c. Cheese

Any added ingredients (Spinach, Tomato, Bacon, whatever!!)

Put the first four ingredients and salt and pepper in a blender and blend it all together. Meanwhile, put the added ingredients in a pie plate. Top with cheese. Pour the egg mixture over ingredients, and using a fork, push the cheese down into the egg mixture. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Go Patriots!!