All Things Judd

Giggle Monster

2012-02-13T06:39:00.000-08:00

Adam starting putting a hat on his head and moving his head down so it would fall off. It was a simple motion, but for some reason it caught Elliott's fancy. We have yet to replicate his intense giggle since the night we videotaped it. We're so glad we caught this little moment!

Seven Months

2011-12-16T06:31:00.000-08:00

We love our Elliott! He's a darling little baby. He is sweet and kissable and is eager to give a smile. During our seven month pictures, Elliott was enjoying rocking back and forth while sitting up. It's hard to get a clear picture these days. He's also making some cheesy faces. It's like he knows he has these four teeth and desperately wants to show them off. I couldn't resist posting the picture of him with his siblings. He was the only one who knew there was a camera around.

Six Months

2011-11-30T08:46:00.000-08:00

I think I say this every month, but I can't get enough of this little guy. He's as darling as he looks. He's been chattering away lately, and he's also been tracking his siblings every time they come into the room. It seems as if he reserves his biggest smiles for when Avery and Adam look his way.

Turns Out I Have a Four Year Old

2011-11-13T12:02:00.000-08:00

Avery turned four this past month, and we finally decided to have a full-on friend birthday party. Avery wanted a dress-up party, and I thought it would be a good time to channel my inner Snow White.

My sweet little giraffe.

I think I had as much fun dressing up as Avery did.

Adam was Super Why, though I made his costume a little tight and we barely got it over his head. He seemed fine, though, after eating his cupcake.

We let the kids play outside, and I had a little box of dress-up items, including hats, scarves and mustaches.

Thanks, friends, for making Avery's day special!

5 Months

2011-11-03T14:04:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little Elliott is such a joy! We love the baby of our family. He is easy-going and incredibly happy. I can't imagine life without him. I couldn't resist the shot of his chunky thighs.

Four Months

2011-09-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

Sweet Elliott is quite the chunker these days. His thighs are legendary. He's weighing in at a solid 17 plus pounds and is showing no signs of slowing down. While he's my biggest baby, he's also my latest bloomer. Adam had teeth at three months, and Avery cut her first two a day before she was four months (I think). He's still all gums, which I'm thrilled about. It makes me think he'll stay a baby just a bit longer. His best feature is still those baby blues =)

Because of Irene

2011-09-07T10:02:00.000-07:00

We decided to avoid Hurricane Irene altogether and pretend we had planned a trip to Paul's brother and family all along. It was a fun weekend! Avery loves hanging out with her cousins, and as soon as we pulled into the driveway, Avery and Mary Scott headed to the girls' room and played for hours. Catherine, our oldest niece, grabbed Elliott and held him as often as he was awake. She loves that boy! Next time we see them, I'll have to be sure to take pictures of the two of them. It's so sweet to see her cuddle on our little guy. Adam loved playing with everyone, but he was especially taken with Benjamin. Benjamin was sweet enough to kick the ball around with him, and Adam felt like such a big boy when his cousin was around. Although Irene's fury was not as strong as predicted, I'm grateful we had a chance to visit family in the midst of the storm. It was a beautiful, sunny weekend, and our kids never knew it rained back home.

Duets

Obligatory bath picture - I can't get enough of these.

Future BFFs - Monica caught them arguing if they were friends or cousins - they couldn't quite believe they could be both.

Beautiful face!!!

Anna is quite the ham...can you tell?

The Boys

Loving on Elliott

Three Months

2011-08-26T05:01:00.000-07:00

I didn't get the greatest pictures of Elliott this month. We were headed to Georgia that day, and then I never seem to remember to take pictures during the trip. Wish I could improve on that! Here's his little face anyway.

Two Months

2011-08-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

Sweet Baby Boy.

I want to snuggle him all day long!

Second Birthday

2011-07-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

Adam turned two in June, and we decided to keep things low-key since I was still pretty occupied with Elliott. I was glad my mom was here to help us celebrate. Out-of-town grandparents don't always get to experience birthdays. We took Adam and Avery and a friend of mine and her kids to the Botanical Gardens. I wish I took more pictures, but we were a bit busy chasing around six kids under the age of three and a half. It was a very fun and very busy morning.

Enjoying the WOW gardens water area

I made these little baseball cupcakes (thanks, Heather, for the inspiration!) since Adam is crazy obsessed with the sport. We opened up presents and skyped my Dad and Paul's parents. I'm still not sure Adam knew what was happening, but it was fun. Paul called him the morning of his birthday (he had to leave early for work) and said "Happy Birthday, Buddy". Adam replied, "Happy Birthday to you!"

The baseball cupcakes

Daddy and his oldest boy

Adam needed a lot of help opening up his presents

Enjoying his brand new lawn mower

The next day we headed to a baseball game. Adam was enthralled. He wouldn't look at the camera just in case he missed a moment of action. And to be honest, there was no action. The game was rained out. He had a blast just being there, though, enjoying baseball footage on the big screen and watching the rain fall on the field. I can't imagine how excited he'll be when he gets to see the players run onto the field. I'll definitely take pictures of that!

My Red Sox fan (sorry, Paul, maybe Elliott will like the Braves)

I wanted to take a picture of Adam and Paul, but little guy couldn't keep his eyes off the field. It was so sweet!

Big Sister

2011-06-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

Avery is now the proud owner of two little brothers, and boy does she own them! She and Adam play so well together, but I frequently hear her tell Adam, "No, bud, you need to obey me". We've had several conversations letting her know that she is not his mother.

These two are inseparable. Adam is forever repeating Avery's phrases, whether or not he understands what he's saying. And he'll often join her in mischievous undertakings, like the time they decided to wash their books. Did I mention some of them were library books?

I'm convinced Adam had no idea what he was doing here, but as long as Avery was involved, he was game:

Of course, when you have a big sister, the inevitable dress up pictures and videos appear:

Let's not forget Avery's newest sibling. She had the privilege of feeding Elliott his first bottle and she was overjoyed.

Elliott is cooing and smiling these days, and whenever Avery is around, he is always obliging with a smile and a few baby noises. He's in love with her already. The feeling, of course, is mutual.

Four Days Earlier

2011-06-18T19:44:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Easter just a few days before Elliott was born. It was a crazy week - our fifth anniversary, Easter, and the upcoming birth of our third. Add Paul's workload for school (which was coming to a close for the semester), and both of our heads were spinning. Fortunately, we have dear friends who invited us to their home for Easter, so I didn't have to cook. We had a little hunt after a yummy lunch, and both kids had a great time. You might be able to tell from the pictures that Avery cleaned up in the egg department.

One Month Later

2011-06-05T19:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe a month has already flown by since our little guy was born. We have loved welcoming him into our family life, and he has obliged by fitting right in. Here's a few pictures of him at one month.

Elliott Wesley

2011-04-28T17:43:00.000-07:00

Our little guy showed up at 8:06am on April 27th. We're pretty smitten by our youngest son, though we're still in shock that he doesn't have a huge amount of hair. Here's a few pictures of the newest member of the Judd family. I also added a few pics of Elliott meeting Nana and his siblings.

Ready to go!

Off to School

2011-03-28T21:14:00.001-07:00

Okay, so Avery isn't actually ready to go to school yet. She's only three, after all. But Paul is back in school taking two online courses a semester (including the summer) for the next three years. He plans to have a masters in library science with a archive specialty by the end of it, which means he'll be qualified to be an archivist. Google it if it confuses you; that's what I had to do. Anyway, as his courses are online, he's been spending several hours a week at Starbucks taking advantage of the free wi-fi and the relative quiet (compared to a household with two toddlers who desperately want Daddy to play with them as soon as he walks in the door).

The other day Avery mentioned how much she'd love to study with Daddy. She's been intrigued by the concept of school for a while, especially riding the bus, so she said, "Maybe when I'm bigger I can go to school too." We decided to indulge her on this particular request, so one Saturday morning I told her she could study with Daddy for a little bit. We packed her backpack with two Dr. Seuss books, a favorite book about flowers, and her notebook and pen (a la Sid the Science Kid). I don't have any pictures of her at Starbucks, although Paul said that she sat right down in her chair and started "writing" in her notebook as soon as she got there. I do have a few of her beaming face before we got into the car on the way to study with Daddy. Poor kid is going to be sorely disappointed when she goes to kindergarten and the classroom is not stocked with a personal barista and all the pastries you could want. We'll cross that bridge...

Our Pitcher

2011-02-22T16:57:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows Paul knows he loves baseball. I think he would have bought Adam a bat, ball and glove the day he was born if he thought it would do any good. Adam seems to have caught the bug of baseball from his dad and loves to throw....all day long. He also loves to imitate pitchers and their windup. I think he's going to love this baseball season. If only he could learn to catch...

Christmas 2010

2011-01-31T06:53:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd post my small amount of Christmas pictures before February. Looks like I'll just make it. We had a great time for the entire month of December. I thought about what we could do to create a sense of expectation for Christmas this year, and though I don't have a lot of pictures of every event, I felt like both kids, especially Avery were excited about Christmas as well as the true meaning of Christmas. She seemed to have a great time sharing about the Nativity with her friends and decorating gingerbread houses and cookies throughout the month. It made Christmas morning that more special, because we had all made a point to get excited about the day for weeks.

I inherited some pretty amazing friends when I married Paul. While at Regent, Paul met a group of people who are still close to this day. We invited them and their kids to decorate Christmas cookies with us.

The finished products. They did not last very long!

My parents came up for Christmas, so we waited to put our big gingerbread house together until Christmas Eve. Avery had so much fun with Nana. I wish I had the complete house picture, but it looks like I never took one. Oops!

My brother and I played carols on Christmas Eve. The kids loved listening to the songs

Avery in her tutu and slippers, both Christmas presents

a "new' tricycle

Adam loves sitting in Avery's chair and reading or jumping around in it. Nana Judd gave him his own this year, and he loves it!

Snow Days

2011-01-25T11:49:00.000-08:00

We had the privilege of experiencing three snow days (as in the snow actually fell and there was real accumulation) in the Hampton Roads area this past December. This was Adam's first experience with snow, and he approached it with his usual enthusiasm. He started laughing at the snowflakes, ran accross the yard and laughed even harder when he fell down. My kids couldn't be more different. Avery didn't want to have anything to do with the snow when she was his age. Fortunately, she's older now and also loved each snowstorm. And those of you who know Paul know my husband is the biggest fan of snow that ever lived on earth. No exaggeration. Paul actually woke Avery up when the first snow started so she could see the flakes for herself. It was so much fun to watch them share that special moment together. Our final snowfall started on Christmas night and didn't stop until 14 inches covered the ground. Paul was the biggest kid of all, making a snowman at the height of the storm. Here are a few pics of all three days, which were always followed by a warm fire in the family room and hot chocolate for all. We love snow!!

Seeking shelter underneath the magnolia tree

The snow was falling pretty hard most of the day on the 26th. Adam lasted about 15 minutes outside.

Dance Party

2010-12-07T18:39:00.000-08:00

The kids were supposed to be in bed but were clearly not tired enough to go down yet. We put the Elmo Hokey Pokey on and let the kids go crazy. I love that both of them seemed to have so much fun dancing and jumping around.

Costumes!

2010-11-02T12:25:00.000-07:00

Our friend Vara, who was a skeleton butterfly

Woof!

We had a great time on Halloween this year. Friend of ours usually trick-or-treat in their parents' neighborhood, so we and several other friends joined them for Avery's first trick-or-treating experience. She had so much fun, though it took her a few houses to realize she actually was allowed to take candy from the people who offered it to her. She had a blast! Adam joined in the costume wearing, but we held him for most of the walk around the neighborhood. I think both kids had a ton of fun getting dressed up. Adam also enjoyed seeing me dressed as a cat (Avery asked if I would be a cat like her, so how could I resist?). He laughed every time he noticed the whiskers on my face.

Three Year Old

2010-11-02T12:02:00.001-07:00

I can't believe Avery is three! We had a pretty low-key day on October 12th, but I tried to make the day about her and what she would like to do. We spent the morning at the Botanical Gardens and then had lunch with Paul at Chick-Fil-A. We had quesadillas for dinner (one of her favorites) and then tried to go to the park for a little bit of swingtime. Avery LOVES swinging at the park. She could sit in the swing the whole time and not feel a bit disappointed. Unfortunately, we arrived at the park right when they were closing down, so Avery was devastated. The family quickly rallied and headed to Barnes and Noble and all was right with the world again. Playing with the toy section and the train table will do that for a three-year-old. We loved the gifts that several of you sent from far away places! Thank you notes are in the mail soon, I promise, dear family!

Here's a few pictures of my three year old (and her 16 month old little brother).

This might be my favorite one of all. This is a pretty typical Avery expression.

This is what Avery did when I told her to look up. Apparently I told Adam to look really tired.

Adam saying, "Cheese". He's one of the funniest people I've ever met.

Walking Man

2010-09-16T12:01:00.001-07:00

Adam has been walking for a few months now, but I came across this little video of his first few steps. Little guy went about learning how to walk in a very different way from Avery (big surprise). He never wanted to hold our hands until he knew he could walk on his own. He fell all the time, but he always seemed eager to try again. He's very steady on his feet these days, so it's fun to watch him toddle. I must say one of the things I love in this video is his long hair. It's so much shorter now.

Family Pictures

2010-09-06T11:53:00.000-07:00

We had a great time visiting the entire Judd family, although it did take several days to see them all. Avery loves her cousins and aunts and uncles, and she was especially excited to see Nana and Papa. Here's a few pictures with the family....

Anna, Mary Scott and Avery played on the water slide the last day of our vacation. Mary Scott did not want to be photographed, but we did get Anna in on the action.

Avery adores Katie Beth. It's so sweet!!

Bath time at our house a few weeks ago...

...then at Carter's house a few weeks later.

Paul insisted on bringing Avery and Adam to the park he want to as a kid. I think Paul enjoyed the nostalgia of it all.

Nana and Papa!

Georgia Aquarium

2010-09-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

Paul and I planned a vacation to Georgia, so I took the kids to visit Brian and Monica and then Mark and Heather and Katie Beth. Paul met me in Atlanta, and we decided to spend an extra day being tourists. I have never been in Atlanta other than driving by on the way to Macon, so I was really excited. We took the kids to the Aquarium and then headed across the street to see the Centennial Olympic Park. This was probably one of the major highlights of our trip. Both kids loved the aquarium and there was a cute little playground at the Olympic Park we all enjoyed. When we got out of the car, Avery said, "Mommy, I'm so excited to see the fish." Boy, did she see a lot of fish!

Our Porch

2010-09-02T13:09:00.000-07:00

During the week of Adam's birthday (yes, that was way back in June), Scott and Cathy came to visit us and help us put together a new look for the front of the house. Scott worked three solid days and then some to make our porch go from this:

to this:

Yay! We love it!! It makes our house look so much better. Now I have to make some pillows, paint the front door and the shutters, and we'll have a completely new porch.

Gene's Wedding

2010-07-06T12:21:00.000-07:00

Paul's wonderful friend Gene got married over the fourth of July weekend. It was on the Eastern Shore at this beautiful bed and breakfast, and Paul and I were able to have a vacation as well as help Gene celebrate. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed being on the groom's side of the aisle. The day of the wedding was surprisingly relaxing.

We had lunch at The Crab Claw, a local seafood restaurant in town. How many brides can say they had an amazing, casual, lunch with friends the day of their wedding? I'm telling you, the groom has it made.

Once we returned from lunch, we saw the workers getting ready for the ceremony. It was a beautiful setting.

The groomsmen minus one.

Gene!!

The beautiful bride

Paul and Gene's Best Man, Chris

Pretty handsome groomsman, huh?

Congratulations, Gene and Katherine!!

Adam's Birthday

2010-07-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

Our little boy turned one recently, and we had a little quesadilla party for him. Both Paul and my parents were able to attend, and we had a few friends join us for his celebration. Here he is with the food and the pinwheels.

This is not a great picture, but the birthday banner fell off the wall soon after the party, and I never did put it back up. It's made from scraps of Adam's baby quilt.

This is where it all went wrong. I think Adam was fascinated by the light and accidentally touched it. He wanted nothing to do with the cupcake after that, so Paul had to hold him for the feast.

The Cleanup

The Ninth of the Month

2010-07-04T15:25:00.001-07:00

...or somewhere around that date. I tried to take Adam's month pictures and I'm pretty sure I posted each one, but I thought I'd sum up the year in one little post. One of these days I'll figure out the details of coloring and lighting.

Eleven Months

2010-06-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

We're getting ready to celebrate our sweet little man's first birthday in just a few short days. I've been thinking about last year at this time, how I couldn't imagine loving anyone as much as I love Avery, and then this amazing bit of yumminess entered our lives. My heart is lost forever...

Little Guy

2010-05-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

Avery and I went in to Adam's room after his morning nap, and we found him standing up in his crib (this, of course was probably a few months ago at the writing of this post). He was quite proud of himself, and so we couldn't resist this little video. A few days later, we had a particularly busy day and I was trying to feed Adam before his afternoon nap. Clearly he had sleep on his mind more than food.

Ten Months and Easter

2010-05-30T11:39:00.000-07:00

Adam's ten month pictures were a few days early, but I couldn't resist this little face and his adorable outfit. I made Adam's little tie and Avery's dress for Easter. Paul did a great job of "hiding the eggs". It took Avery a while to attempt to find the eggs, as she kept saying "I don't want to". But once she discovered there were treats inside each one, she was more than willing to play along. It's exciting to think Adam will be toddling after her this time next year.

Nine Months

2010-03-22T07:41:00.001-07:00

First Haircut - For Real

2010-03-21T18:31:00.000-07:00

Adam got his first big-boy haircut at a real hair salon at the beginning of March. He handled it all with his usual easy-going flair. Paul and Avery were also on hand to watch our little guy's new do. As sad as I am to see his sweet and crazy locks go, I knew it was time. Look at those shaggy sideburns!!

Big Boy!!

Eight Months

2010-02-25T07:03:00.001-08:00

This was my most challenging month for a photo shoot. Adam has discovered the joy of moving his hands, so the first thirty pictures were quite blurry. He finally stopped long enough for a few precious shots.

23 Out of 26 Is Not Bad

2010-02-20T05:40:00.000-08:00

A Bit on the Belated Side

2010-02-19T13:28:00.001-08:00

I couldn't get my memory card to download these Valentine's Day pictures in time, but I finally got it to work (by ignoring it for about a week...who knows how that solved the problem). It was a bit tough to get both kiddos to smile at the same time, but I was able to salvage a few decent ones. Ignore the elmo underwear. I didn't have time to crop these.

Then I had to have a little Adam photo shoot, since he seemed to be in a smiley mood (which is pretty much all the time). He's awfully scrumptious.

Proof

2010-01-28T06:02:00.000-08:00

Many people from church ask us, "Does Avery ever talk?" Our reply is always a resounding, "ALL THE TIME". But most people know Avery as the little girl who says little and never smiles. We finally were able to shoot a video that proves otherwise. This is Avery "reading" a book to Adam. And as a bonus feature, we have some giggles from our little guy.

Seven Months

2010-01-28T05:57:00.000-08:00

Sweet little guy is sitting up! He started around Christmas time, but now he sits up without the help of pillows. He does very well, unless his sister decides to push him over.

Cousins Everywhere

2010-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

We had the privilege of spending Christmas in the mountains of Tennessee. The whole Judd family rented a cabin for Christmas and the following week. I didn't take many pictures of the log cabin itself, but I took lots of cousin pictures (including some from Christmas morning in Charlotte).

Christmas Morning!!

Nana and Papa with their eight grandkiddos

The siblings

Benjamin held Adam at every photo shoot (and there were several)

Katie Beth with Ave and Mary Scott

Nana with her youngest grandchild

Thanks, Judds, for such a great Christmas!

Our Princess

2010-01-14T11:05:00.000-08:00

Avery had the privilege of attending her first all girl birthday party right before Christmas. Her friend Gwyneth was turning four and having a Princess Tea Party. We dressed up Avery in an outfit that most closely resembled a princess dress, and the first thing she said was, "Show Daddy dress?". She's crazy about her Dad.

The next thing she said was, "I Princess". She is obsessed with being a princess now and asks to put on her dress at least two or three times a week. It's amazing how quickly girls fall in love with looking good.

Gwyneth's Aunt Maggie was sweet enough to help Avery decorate her crown

Doesn't she look so happy? She never smiled or talked the whole time she was at the party. But now she talks about it all the time.

Killian, Gwyneth's little brother (who is closer to Avery's age) had a blast putting together his crown. I think the flannel shirt really completes the outfit.

The beautiful tea setup

Libby and Vara enjoying lunch

The Birthday Girl.

A Few Firsts

2010-01-08T17:53:00.000-08:00

Adam's first try at rice cereal

And, since you can probably see that Adam's hair is a bit long in the front, Cathy gave Adam his first haircut while we were in Tennesee. To be honest, I made an attempt, then chickened out, and then Cathy took over.

Just enjoying the ride

Now he looks like a little boy!

Crafting in Tennessee

2010-01-07T14:21:00.000-08:00

The Judds went to Tennessee for Christmas and the following week (more pictures of that fantastic week in the next post). While we were there, the sisters-in-law, inspired by Monica, decided to craft a nativity set that each family could take back with them. When I first saw the set, I was not exactly thrilled to try it, since it was made out of felt. I'm not the closest friends with felt. But I wanted to spend quality time with the girls, and this craft provided plenty of opportunity for quality time. This is the original inspiration, from the Pioneer Woman blog:

We made a few changes, including painting the wooden blocks a cream color. Heather and I distressed our blocks, and I decided to use leftover scrapbook paper instead of felt. Here's how it turned out:

Baby Jesus, Jofus, and Murray (Avery's description of the Holy Family)

The angel, cow, and donkey

The shepherd and his sheep

These men were some high maintenance Magi, but the results were worthwhile.

Thanks, Monica, for a great idea! (And yes, I actually do love it!)

Christmas Traditions

2009-12-22T10:54:00.000-08:00

We're trying out Christmas traditions this year to see what ones will work for our family. I wanted to try to make a gingerbread house completely from scratch, but then I decided it was an insane idea for a mom of two tiny kids, so we bough a Wilton gingerbread house, glued it together (which took a day) and then slapped some candy on the roof and sides of the house. Avery had a blast decorating the house. I put all the candies in separate bowls, and she seemed to understand what to do right away. She also kept licking the icing off her hands and saying, "I love it!!". She couldn't wait to show Daddy when he came home for lunch. We're definitely keeping this tradition, but we'll have to see if I ever get around to making one from scratch in the next few years.

Six Months

2009-12-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

Poor guy had a rough beginning to his six month (or I guess it's technically his 7th month). Anyhoo, he was dealing with a cold, a third and fourth tooth and a growth spurt all at the same time. We also discovered Avery was going into his room and "seeing if he was awake" during his naps, so he wasn't sleeping well for a few days. He's Mr. Pleasant again and as sweet as ever. Did I mention I adore him?

Way Back in October...

2009-12-15T09:25:00.001-08:00

...we went on a trip to Massachusetts. We happened to time it around Avery's 2nd birthday, but the real reason we were in town was for this happy couple:

This is my brother Rick and his then fiancee Eveline at our wedding. They've been married for almost a year now, and they had a reception in honor of their wedding this past October. We had such a great time meeting Ev's family and listening to them talk to each other in French (Eveline is from Montreal). My parents, Paul and the kids and I were able to meet Ev's immediate family the night before the reception and share an amazing meal Ev's dad put together. On Sunday, we celebrated with the rest of the family at an open house reception in a beautiful home rented for the occasion. I loved every bit of it, but I must say the food was a big highlight!

Our cuties were quite the novelty, as they were the youngest and only kids there. My cousins Barbara Rose and Brandi (both 13, but from different sides of the family) were Avery's new best friends. I loved how much they paid attention to her, especially considering I used to dote on those two girls when they were Avery's age.

Adam befriended Eveline's mom. I don't think I held him at all during the reception.

My Dad and his sisters

The Whole Fam

Five Months

2009-12-15T09:15:00.000-08:00

Okay, so he's already six months as I'm posting this, but this is what he looked like a month ago. Cute as ever, of course. Adam is turning into a very easy-going, sweet little guy. He was recovering from a cold at month five, but he still seemed to manage it all with a smile. (We'll talk about how cranky he is at six months when I get around to posting those pictures).

Costume Pictures

2009-11-01T18:33:00.000-08:00

Avery and Adam attended a friend's costume birthday party on Friday, and then we all attended another friend's bonfire party on Halloween night. We dressed up the kids, and I did an impromptu farmer girl outfit. I must say I love dressing up the kids in costumes. I'm already trying to think of what to do next year.

Our Georgia Cheerleader (too bad wearing the outfit didn't help them win their game). As I look at this shot, I'm realizing she's not looking all that cheery. What can I say, she doesn't get the idea of hamming it up for the camera.

Avery's Second Birthday

2009-10-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

Yes, her second birthday!! I can't believe how quickly two years have flown by. The exciting part about her first birthday was that we were able to announce our pregnancy with Adam to Paul's entire family (in fact, we took the pregnancy test during the party). This year, we were in Massachusetts celebrating my brother's marriage to Eveline. It was a blast being able to have Avery's party with such a crowd of people from my side of the family. Our relatives were so generous to give her many sweet gifts, and Avery almost always responded with an "Oh wow" when she opened them. Christmas is going to be a blast.

Ice Cream Cake -Yummy!

Avery's '2' Shirt. Avery loved having her shirt on, and was showing it off to everyone in the house. She even yelled to Moses, my brother's dog, "Moses, Two!".

The birthday banner made the trip from VA as well.

The Loot

Nana Judd was kind enough to send Avery's birthday gift up to Mass. in time for her party. It was a huge hit - a Curious George tea set. Thanks, Cathy!!

We were also able to introduce Adam to our New England family. Adam was snuggled by all (and boy, does he love to snuggle!)

Avery put two of her gifts to use the next day. She wore her 'Cape Cod' sweatshirt and played with the t-ball set we bought for her.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Two-Year-Old!!

Four Months

2009-10-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

Three Months

2009-09-25T17:58:00.000-07:00

One of these days I'll post these pictures on time. Adam is three months in these pictures and cut his first two teeth a few days after this post. When I took these pictures, Adam couldn't stop giggling and cooing. He's turning into quite a happy baby. I seriously want to squeeze his cheeks all day long.

Will Work for Cheerios

2009-09-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

Toddler For Hire:

Burps Baby Brothers,

Washes Cars,

Sweeps Floors,

Decorates Front Sidewalk.

Other areas of expertise include unloading the dishwasher and giving commands to dogs. Please note: your dog must be named Ellie.

Two Months

2009-08-18T10:40:00.000-07:00

Sick Day

2009-08-15T09:39:00.001-07:00

Paul has a cold, Avery is coming down with one, and I'm trying to ignore the fact that I have the sniffles.

One Month

2009-08-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

Nanas and Papas

2009-08-13T07:14:00.000-07:00

We could not have survived the first few weeks of Adam's life without these two fabulous ladies:

On a side note, this little shirt Adam is wearing was his coming home outfit. I made it from a basic white kimono shirt and some brown ric-rac. It's my new fave craft.

Paul's mom came into town the Saturday before Adam was born. She took care of Avery and our crazy dog while were gone, and she brought Avery up to the hospital every day so she could see us. Cathy also helped us through the first week of surgery recovery (also known as Zombie Week), so I was able to concentrate on eating, sleeping and feeding my little boy.

Scott (Paul's dad) came into town the next week, as did my parents. Avery had a very exciting day hanging out with both sets of grandparents (at this point, she's decided to call them both Nana and Papa). We had to take a picture of this momentous occasion.

Both Papas and one Nana left, and my Mom ended up staying for another 3 weeks or so, picking up exactly where Cathy had left off; cooking, cleaning, walking the dog, doing laundry, etc.

Adam was five weeks old when we dropped my Mom off at the airport, packed up the kids and headed to Georgia to see Nana and Papa Judd again. We also were able to see Brian and Monica and the kids as well as Mark and Heather and their kids and Katie Beth. Mark and Heather had met our little guy when he was just a week old, as they came up to close on their house in Va Beach. You'll have to trust me that these events happened, because I took no pictures. I guess I was still in a bit of a fog.

Thanks, dear family for loving us and taking care of us during our first few weeks as a family of four.

More Adam Pics

2009-07-04T14:10:00.000-07:00

What We've Been Up To

2009-07-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

Adam, of course, has been sleeping

We've been doing lots of cuddling (It's one of Avery's favorite phrases - "Cuddle Mama?")

Avery has discovered the joys of the baby pool. She can't get enough, though she calls it a bath.

Just being cute.

Avery is in the mimic stage, so she's copying me...I'm always laying down with a ton of pillows around me.

That's about all we've been doing these days. Not a bad few weeks, huh?

Ta-Da!!

2009-06-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

Here's our sweet little man. I think I'm crazy in love already. Adam Durwood showed up at 8:04 on Tuesday morning. He was 8lbs. 7 oz. and 20 inches long. The surgery went really well. I felt nothing and was able to see Adam right away. Let's get to the pictures...

Just before walking into the operating room...sweet outfit, huh?

My little guy and me.

Paul and his Babes

And Away We Go

2009-06-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

Poor girl...she has no idea her world is about to change tomorrow.

Bye Adam...we'll see you in the morning!!

The family of three...almost four!!

Good thing he's coming tomorrow...I don't think my stomach wants to stretch anymore.

Fun with Katie Beth

2009-05-31T18:45:00.000-07:00

Paul's sister came to visit this week, and we all had a blast. Avery seemed to take to her right away. The first morning in the house, Avery ran to her with her arms up wanting to be held. It was so sweet to watch her and her aunt have such a great time getting to know each other. I have high hopes of the same responses with all of her aunts.

Paul took Memorial Day off and we headed to the beach after breakfast at D'Egg, one of our fav breakfast places. Avery was a little nervous about the whole beach atmosphere, but she warmed up to the idea of playing in the sand and even enjoyed the water after a few trips down there.

Katie Beth and I spent the rest of the week working on Adam's room. We put together the dresser and the crib and then cut out the birds for a bird mobile I'm working on. And when I say 'we' I mean Katie Beth. She did most of the craft tasks as well as laundry, dishes, and general cleaning up. I felt pampered. But I think Avery felt the most special. She's still babbling about her adventures with 'Katie'.

37 Weeks

2009-05-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

....and counting. We are scheduled for a C-section on Tuesday, June 9th at 7:30am. It's nice to know that even if he decides to come early, he can't come any later than the 9th. If you think to pray, pray that the surgery goes smoothly. I'd love to meet Adam at the same time that everyone else does.

A few friends and family members from out of town have asked for a belly shot....view at your own risk. I chose the same shirt as the post with Avery. The perspective is a little different, but you get the idea of the enormity of my midsection. I'm thinking 10lbs. 2oz. Paul's guess is 9lbs. 2oz. Man, do I carry some big babies.

A Weekend Away

2009-05-19T18:24:00.001-07:00

We took our last trip as a family of three on Mother's Day weekend. Paul and I have friends in the Charlottesville area, so we headed out there with Avery and my big ol' belly and had a great time with Lynne (my roommate from grad school), Andy (her husband) and Annalyse (their very precocious six-year old). Annalyse was very excited to have a friend to hang out with, and she was really sweet to Avery. The only picture I caught of them was when they were reading books together.

Paul and I love taking tours of local vineyards, and fortunately so do Andy and Lynne. We headed to King Family Vineyards in nearby Crozet, VA and had a great time touring, tasting, and picnicking. Avery and Annalyse were able to saunter about the grounds and even made a few friends (of the canine variety). Of course I forgot my camera for this portion of the trip, so you'll have to take my word for it.

We had another fun-filled day (related to food of course) on Sunday, ending with an incredible pie purchased at a local orchard. If I ever find the recipe, I'm posting it. It was a perfect end to a very relaxing weekend.

It's not much, but it's the only Mother's Day picture we could get.

This pretty much sums out Avery's willingness to get her picture taken on Sunday morning.

I'm in love with putting Avery in pigtails. She looks like such a little girl!! She's talking on the phone, just in case you were wondering.

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-26T14:11:00.000-07:00

I think Paul and I were more excited about Avery's first Easter Egg Hunt than she was. For some reason, Avery started carrying around the baskets in our house a week or two before Easter, so she seemed primed for the experience. We went to a friend's house Easter afternoon, and they set up an egg hunt for the kids. Avery was by far the youngest, and it did take some time for her to get the rules of the game. She ended up going a little overboard, picking up croquet balls and other various items from the property, but she seemed to have fun. Don't you love her dress, by the way? My friend Amy made it and you'll probably see her in it all the time this Spring and Summer.

Time With the Cousins

2009-04-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

Heather and the boys came up for a week right before Easter. We had a chance to see them every day they were here, so we were very busy playing in the mall playgrounds, hanging out at our house, and going out to eat (my personal favorite). The last full day they were here, we met up with some of Heather's friends and introduced Avery to the playground. She's been several times before, but this is the first time she was able to walk around it with ease. She even went down her first slide, thanks to cousin Carter's encouragement. It was sweet to see both boys and Avery enjoying their time together. Avery smiled and waved every time she saw them, and Carter kept calling for "Avery, Avery".

Crossing the "bridge". Avery kept saying "Cheese" as we took her picture. She's turning into quite the ham.

We've always wondered if Mark and Paul's kiddos would look more like brother and sister than cousins. Heather thinks they look alike here, and I have to agree.

Taking the plunge.

Gramma's Visit

2009-03-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

My Mom came into town last Wednesday and stayed until yesterday. She came to help organize the new baby's room (and my life in general), but she mostly came to see Avery. They became fast friends, and we had a ball visiting the Botanical Gardens, the Zoo, the local library, the Williamsburg Outlets, and of course, Jason's Deli. I was also able to finish our little guy's quilt top (photos in another post). We all had a great time!

I didn't intend to give Avery her first cone (I wanted to wait until June), but neither of us could resist the photo ops.

My Mom bought Avery a baby doll stroller. She used it all week long.

Gearing up for our trip to the zoo. Can you tell my Mom lives in Florida now? She bundled up Avery a little more than necessary most of the time. I have no other pictures of the zoo, but Avery proclaimed every flying thing "Quack Quack" and every other animal a puppy. We're hoping to improve her zoo vocabulary by the Fall.

The highlight was definitely the Botanical Gardens. They have this great children's section, and Avery discovered the joy of walking around the sidewalks and the wonderful play house. She walked in and out of the play house, closed and opened the doors, and played peek-a-boo through the windows. The WOW Garden will be a favortie place this Spring and Summer.

A Dream Come True

2009-03-06T06:35:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows Paul well knows he is obsessed with the possibility of snow in the area. He has been disappointed several times this year, as snow has fallen west and south of us, but not here. Monday's forecast finally came through for us, and the ground was covered most of the day. Paul worked some of the day, then he came home and introduced Avery to her first snowfall.

The video shows two things: Ellie loved the snow and kept running around in circles, and Avery was not interested in having her hand covered with snow.

We finished the afternoon with some homemade hot chocolate. Avery loved it, though it seemed to end up on her face more than in her belly.

She's a Baby No More

2009-02-25T11:14:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago it occurred to me that I am now the mom of a toddler. Avery is walking all the time now (I'm trying to get a video, but she has discovered that the camera contains fascinating pictures of her cute self and turns around to look at it instead of performing like she's supposed to). She's also doing all sorts of independent things, like reading her books with her blanket every day. She is dwarfed by her oversized reading chair, but she still looks like a big girl to me.

We're Getting Closer

2009-01-24T18:06:00.000-08:00

Avery finally started taking a few steps, although it's more like falling into Paul. She's clearly having a great time trying.

Leroy

2009-01-16T17:11:00.000-08:00

It looks like Avery is going to have a little brother. We had our ultrasound today, and everything looks great. We can't wait to meet our little guy!

Over Christmas, my nephew Benjamin was coming up with names for our potential boy(he wasn't very interested in girl names, as he already has three sisters), and he asked, "What about Leroy?". It looks like we have a great nickname until we find a real name for him.

Too Good to Pass Up

2009-01-10T12:54:00.000-08:00

I ran across this at Etsy today. It's my new slogan.

The Energizer Bunny

2008-12-12T10:31:00.000-08:00

I think Avery's milk must have been super-fortified yesterday morning. She scooted in circles for about an hour, pausing on occasion to play the piano or say hello to Ellie on the couch. Why bother walking when you can move so quickly the other way?

The Twins

2008-12-12T10:25:00.000-08:00

This post is long overdue, Mark and Heather (Paul's twin brother and fam) moved on Thanksgiving Day. We are sad for us since we will no longer be in the same area, but we are excited for them as Mark starts a new job and they move back to their native Georgia. Friends of Mark and Heather's had a going away party a week before they moved, and in typical twin fashion, Mark and Paul showed up in almost the exact same outfit (blue button-up, brown pullover sweater, jeans). The outfits confused more than one of Mark's friends. Carter, Mark and Heather's youngest, is in between his Dad and his beloved Uncle Paul.

Judd Nugget

2008-11-07T06:56:00.000-08:00

I keep delaying this post, only because I'm trying to think of something clever to say. Apparently I'm clever-less, so here's the scoop: Judd Nugget#2 will arrive some time in the beginning of June. We're really excited about Avery being a big sister and adding another Juddly (as Paul puts it) to our family. We found out at Avery's birthday party, so Paul was able to tell his family who were all in town for the birthday weekend. We've had an ultrasound to determine the due date, and all looks well. Can't wait to meet our sweet baby!

The Cutest Giraffe Ever

2008-11-02T12:28:00.000-08:00

Avery and our friend Madison

At the Piano

2008-10-31T10:22:00.000-07:00

Avery just started pulling up on the piano bench. She's been playing for 15 - 20 minutes at a time. The thing I love about her first picture is how tiny her bum looks. She's usually in cloth diapers during the day, so she can have a good-sized booty. With a little tweaking, I think I might have found my holiday picture.

Avery's First Birthday

2008-10-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

Avery's birthday was a great success. Paul's family came up for the occasion, and we had a few friends over. My Aunt Trish sent a gift a few days early, so we thought we would train her to open gifts. It didn't really work, because she was more impressed with small pieces of paper she would rip off than the big package. She ended up carrying the card around for the rest of the weekend.

I decided to make Avery a birthday banner so she can have it every year. It has my favorite fall colors (I'm so glad I have a daughter who was born in the fall!!) and was finished with some brown bias tape (Thanks, Cathy for finishing it up!!). In my continued effort to be more like Martha Stewart, I also made some pinwheels for decorations.

I made carrot cupcakes with lemon cream cheese icing. Avery was not impressed. She kept twisting her face when she had the lemon icing and ate about half of her cupcake. But when we sang "Happy Birthday" to her, she started clapping and smiling at her audience. I think she realized this moment was for her.

Avery seemed fond of hugging on Killian, though he seemed more impressed with our niece Anna's paci.

Thanks, friends and family, for making our girl's day so special!!

Cousins

2008-10-20T08:26:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Avery's birthday, so all the Judd cousins were together to celebrate both Avery and four year old Anderson's birthday. I forgot to include Carter and Anna in the mix, but we'll see them soon! We love our cousins!!

Mary Scott and Avery waiting for the party

Mary Scott, Anderson, Benjamin and Catherine awaiting their cupcakes

Anderson getting ready to blow out his candles
The Girls
Hanging out at Cracker Barrel with Nana, Papa, and Brian and Monica and the kids

Month Twelve (also known as 1 Year)

2008-10-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

Okay..so this picture was taken on the 13th, but I think it's one of the cutest of the weekend. More birthday pics and updates to follow.

A Very Fast Year

2008-10-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here getting ready for Paul's family to arrive this weekend so we can celebrate Avery's first birthday. WOW. We have always heard how quickly kids grow up, but we didn't realize it would happen this fast. To help me remember Avery at every stage, I took a picture on the 12th of every month this past year. You'll have to wait until next week to see this Sunday's picture, but here is a little taste of how much Avery has grown.

On the Phone

2008-09-24T09:47:00.000-07:00

Avery just started doing this last night. We;ve often had suspicions that Avery will be outgoing and talkative. The ironic thing is she doesn't say a word when the phone is actually in use.

My Little Scooter

2008-09-12T11:44:00.000-07:00

A Weekend in Massachusetts

2008-09-09T06:29:00.000-07:00

The Judd fam went to the Mother Land for Labor Day weeekend. This is Paul's third trip to the Boston area, but we've never been able to walk around the city due to horrible weather. Thursday was clear and beautiful, so we decided to do some serious sightseeing. We started with the Freedom Trail, which is a self-guiding tour of several historical sights relating to the American revolution. The trail is marked by a red line on the sidewalk throughout several Boston streets, but to be honest, I've tried walking it several times and I always seem to get lost at some point.

Anyway, one of the highlights was the visiting a cemetary where Paul Revere, John Hancock, and Samuel Adams are buried. I know it's weird, but we like cemetaries. We also went inside The King's Chapel, which was the first Anglican church built in America. We had lunch at Quincy Market and then walked around for a bit longer. You'll have to trust me on this because I took no pictures. This is what Avery thought of Boston:

Friday found us taking the ferry (the Island Queen, to be exact) over to Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard. You'll have to trust me on this one as well, because even though we took pictures of Avery's first ferry ride, we forgot to include the water.

We hung out at the green by Oak Bluffs.

The brown house to the left of Paul's head is Bob Vila's house. It looked pretty impressive. And well put together, of course.

We also walked around the Martha's Vineyard Campmeeting Association, which is a Methodist summer camp meeting that started in the 1800s. All the cottages look like gingerbread houses and are impeccably decorated.

We even found one for Avery.

This is what Avery thought of Martha's Vineyard:

The rest of the weekend was spent with my brother and his fiance Eveline. We had a great time and ate some fantastic food. The meals are always highlights when we get together with Rick and Ev.

Avery loved their dog Moses. We had daily photo shoots with Avery and Moses.

My cousins Jen and Steph were able to stop by, and we were also able to see my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Don and cousing Lynne. Thanks all for a great weekend!

Cuties

2008-08-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

Mark and Heather (Paul's brother and wife) went away for a night for their anniversary. So that meant we had our sweet nephews for a day and a half. I pulled out all of our baseball hats on Saturday morning, and we had a little fun.

Rachel's Last Day

2008-08-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

My friend Marie's daughter Rachel has been a great help to our family. She has come over about once a week since before Avery was born to help out with the housework and with Avery. Rachel and her family moved to Maryland last week, but we were able to hang out one more time last Wednesday.

This is my pitiful attempt at a self portrait

Paul Judd to the rescue (by the way, don't you love Rachel's bangs!)

One of the highlights of our time with Rachel has been bath time (hence the previous post). Poor Rachel has been soaked several times with Avery's splashing, but of course she never complains. Here's a few more bath pics of Avery.

We'll miss you during bath time Rachel!!

Bath Time and Some Signs

2008-08-22T07:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my annoying voice.

Joy

2008-08-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

I had a proud mommy moment on Sunday morning. We walked into church, and before we finished crossing the foyer, Avery was visibly excited and started clapping her hands She seems to be recognizing familiar places lately, and I couldn't be more thrilled that her latest recognition is our church, a place where God is worshipped and the love of Christ is evident. I pray my little girl always enters the house of God with the same joy she did this Sunday.

Katie Beth

2008-08-04T06:40:00.001-07:00

Paul's sister came into town a few weekends ago, and we had a great time hanging with her. Avery and I picked her up from the airport on Friday morning, and we had her all to ourselves until the rest of the crew came home from work and had dinner together.

Mark and Heather have a pretty steady tradition of Saturday morning beach time, so Avery was able to experience the beach for the first time. She seemed to enjoy the water until a wave came and knocked her over. She wanted nothing to do with it after that. But she still looks cute in her beach hat.

We spent the evening at Mark's softball game and then hit Bruester's up for some serious ice cream.

As always, it is a great time when Katie Beth is around!

Blueberries

2008-07-21T07:12:00.000-07:00

While we were down in Charlotte, we went blueberry picking in the middle of a neighborhood in Rock Hill, where Brian and Monica live. Monica and I stayed with the babies in the shade while the rest of the crew got busy picking 4 quarts of blueberries. The owner of this gem of a garden only waters his bushes and plants rye grass in the fall to fertilize.

This man has a huge backyard that he has filled with several fruit and vegetable plants as well as a large number of blueberry and blackberry bushes (are they bushes? I'm not sure). He and his wife were so sweet and told some fantastic stories.

The kids enjoyed their time, and we all enjoyed some incredible fruit for the rest of the weekend....well, almost all of us.

Meet My Niece

2008-07-21T06:50:00.000-07:00

I would like you all to meet my littlest niece, Anna Elizabeth Judd. She was born three weeks ago, and Paul, Avery and I had the privelege of going down to Charlotte to meet her for the first time. She has such a sweet spirit and seems perfectly content with her life. We had a great time with Brian, Monica, their kids, and Papa and Nana Judd. Avery was a little unsure at first, sucking her thumb and hanging on pretty tightly to my arm, but she soon warmed up to the crowd and was babbling and playing with the cousins in no time. We were sad Mark and Heather's family were not able to come down due to Carter feeling a little under the weather.

Mary Scott and Avery sharing some Cheerios. Mary Scott loved helping to feed Avery.

Papa and Avery checking out a cell phone.

The Girls (Avery, who couldn't keep her hands off the baby, Catherine, Anna, and Mary Scott)

Two Budding Musicians

Raspberries

2008-07-09T19:35:00.000-07:00

Motor boats, lip trills, zerberts...whatever you call them, Avery loves them. She is always discovering the many sounds she can make with her lips, but not always at the most opportune times. She has made some crazy sounds at church, at bridal showers, and at Barnes and Noble, while Paul and I are trying to read. I caught her in a lip moment the other day, so of course I had to take a number of pictures.

A Happy Fourth

2008-07-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

We had a great day celebrating the birth of our nation. I had this vision of Avery waving two flags in one of her patriotic dresses (yes, she has more than one). But soon-to-be-9-month olds don't always cooperate in photo shoots. She ended up eating more than waving the flag. Maybe next year...

But the highlight of Avery's first July 4th happened to be her first baby pool experience. Her cousin Carter, an expert in the realm of baby pools, was happy to assist Avery as she splashed her way through several moments of enjoyment. I wasn't able to get many pictures of Carter, because that boy is always on the move.

We capped off the evening with a view of the Mt. Trashmore fireworks from Mark and Heather's deck. Avery sucked her thumb through it all, so I can only imagine she enjoyed it.

The Fruits (and Vegetables) of My Labor

2008-07-03T13:26:00.000-07:00

My mom planted some tomato and pepper plants while she was here in April. I'm not exactly the best gardener, so I was a little nervous. But lo and behold, I went to check on my plants today, and look what I found:

Pretty impressive, huh? There's nothing that a little camera trickery can't do. Let me give you some perspective.

The yellow pepper is courtesy of Harris Teeter. The good thing is that this fruit is a strong correlation to my labor...I've probably watered these plants five times since April. But at least I didn't kill the plants. Paul and I will enjoy a very tiny pasta salad with these beauties.

Professional Shots

2008-06-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post on this for a while (I feel like that's how I begin a lot of my posts), so here it is. My friend Amy took some adorable shots of Avery at the Botanical Gardens a while ago. Don't worry, family, you'll be getting some of these in the mail soon. By the way, let's just pretend these were taken the day of Avery's dedication, since we totally forgot to take any pictures of that momentous occasion. She was wearing the same dress, after all.

One Great Father's Day Weekend

2008-06-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

Father's Day will always be a special weekend in our family, not just because we have two great Dads we love very much. Last year on Father's Day morning, Paul reached over to touch my five-month pregnant belly and felt his daughter kick for the first time. It was an amazing moment for our tiny family. Since Paul was on the sound team for church and would miss the important morning, we decided to celebrate all weekend long.

We started out with Bit's first Tide's baseball game on Friday night. We were stuck in traffic for quite a while, and a truck in front of us decided they had had enough. One guy jumped out of the truck and held up his tickets, asking if anyone wanted them. Paul was ready to negotiate a cheaper price when the guy gave us the tickets for free. Score!! That was the only score of the night, as the Tides were shut out 6-0. Although Avery did enjoy my sunglasses more than the game, she seemed to enjoy herself and even clapped along with the crowd on occasion. You can't quite tell she's at the game, but here we are:

On Saturday morning Paul decided he wanted to go out for breakfast, to D'Egg, our favorite breakfast spot. (It's in Norfolk in the Waterside area on Main Street). We gave him his card and some bookmarks in the shape of ties. (Does anyone want some tie bookmarks? I'm having a blast making them and could make about 50 more!)

We ended the weekend with a grilled steak dinner with Mark and Heather and the kids on Sunday evening. Here's the dads and their kiddos...we could never get all of them to look up and smile at the same time.

Hope you all had a fantastic day with the special dads in your life!

Clap Yo' Hands

2008-06-04T15:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, so my next post was going to be about Avery waving "bye" and how she now waves to everything (the tv, the pork grilling in the pan, me when she's nursing). It was going to be my best post ever. I turned on the camera to catch some waves (no pun intended, I swear!). I managed to capture Avery in one of her favorite moves. She opens her eyes wide, looks down, and twists her hands and feet back and forth.

I caught her waving a few times, but it was mostly her double wave. She seems to be very excited about the camera lately.

But the really exciting thing is that while Avery was trying to figure out whether she should do the light bulb wave or the hand-grasp wave, her hands magically came together in a clap. I wish you all could have seen her excitement as she discovered the joy that is hand clapping.

The exciting thing about this discovery is that not only did I notice it (I have a habit of noticing Avery's milestones a few weeks after she can do them) but I caught it on camera. We are talking live-from-the-scene-of-the-crime footage. I honestly think I was more excited than Avery, which is why I ended up getting this picture:

Ellie likes to be involved whenever exciting things happen. While we're on the topic of Ellie, she is completely recovered minus a small dime-sized wound that is slowly closing. She rarely picks up her leg anymore. We are grateful she is alive, but as our friend suggested, we might rename her "Money Pit". All I'm saying is she better live a LONG time after the hard, cold cash we have invested in her. I want her to babysit my kids, do my laundry, and dust for many years to come. In reality, she will probably make a mess at her food dish, heel when she feels like it, keep Avery and me company when Paul's away, and endlessly entertain us with her personality-plus antics. That will do.

Since this might be the only milestone I actually capture, I'll leave you with these:

Mornings with Daddy

2008-05-28T07:20:00.001-07:00

One of the things I love about long weekends is the extra morning we have as a family. Paul usually gets up much earlier than the rest of us, so mornings with him are truly special days. Avery has been joining him in his reading of books or the paper. Saturday I came home after helping a friend clean and found them here:

Look at this little flirt!!

Monday (Memorial Day) Paul let Avery read the paper with him. I happened upon her just as she was looking down...how cute!!

Guess Who's Sitting Up?

2008-05-22T14:04:00.001-07:00

And yes, that is a Braves shirt on my girl. Forgive me, Red Sox Nation. I am not officially a Braves fan, but I am in love with one.

Not Quite...

2008-05-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

Avery and I have been hard at work in Sippy Cup Training. As you can see, Avery hasn't quite figured out which end is sippable, but she is finding it extremely entertaining to sit in her high chair and discover all parts of her cup. These training sessions are taking some time, hence the three different outfits.

Success at last!!

Mullet No More

2008-05-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

So this post is a little bit old, since we gave Avery her first haircut a few weeks ago. But here's some pictures of our sweet girl getting her tail cut off.