Our Princess

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

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

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

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

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...

...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

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).