All About Avery & Adalyn

Big Girl

2012-01-29T21:31:00.001-08:00

My little baby is getting big! I'm not too sure how I feel about that:( She is so much fun though. Smiling all the time and starting to do some big girl things.

She likes to sit in her chair next to her big sister and watch Praise Baby. Avery is so sweet and lets her watch her's first and then she picks a movie she likes.

She tried the jumper for the first time and really liked it! I'm still in denial that she is old enough to do this. I put in Avery in it at 4 months so I figured it was time to accept that Addy was old enough:)
She found a new teether :)
playing together so sweetly with one of the presents Aunt Laura and Uncle Blaine gave her
Standing up at the table on her own! So not ready for this...

Big sister surprisingly still meets the weight requirements to play too, at her whopping 26.5 pounds :) Fun day with my girls!

Happenings

2012-01-27T20:35:00.000-08:00

Seems like we have been busy around the Norsworthy house lately. Here's what's been going in pictures.

Our church had it's 2 year anniversary. It was a great day. Can't believe how far God has brought us in the last two years! Our church family is so special to us! We had a meal after the service. Nothing like a good old fashion potluck!

some of the sweet kiddos singing Happy Birthday

Little miss has been working on a tooth. Poor thing! She insists to be held all the time:) I don't mind except I can't get a thing done. If I sit her down she actually pouts and whines, it's quite pitiful.
Sweet girl is happy like this:)
Poor Avery got sick for the first time this season with Strep. She had super high fevers and looked pitiful. She never complained once, she just slowed down a bit and cuddled with me more. This was the first time she's been really sick:( She's only had colds, and a few ear infections in the past. It was sad. She's almost back to normal now, thankful!
Sweet girls. Avery likes to play with Adalyn more and more. I love it.
We went to a princess party for sweet Kallie and Klaire. It was totally adorable to see Avery and all her best buddies dressed and up and in full princess mode!

We had a great weekend at my parents. Pretty sure both girls didn't want to come back home! Papa pulled Avery around in the wagon a lot and she loved seeing the horses and cows. The weather was beautiful!

My parents have mine and my sister's old toys for Avery to play with and she is in Heaven with it all.

My cousin's sweet boy, Rhyder, turned one. The girls and I got to go to the party. He's such a sweet and adorable boy. Can't believe he is one! He had a huge scare with Croup recently and I'm so glad he's home from the hospital and pulled through it all.

Ice cream on the patio in January! That's Texas for you. Whatever Avery's little heart desires, she gets with Papa and Nini.;)

So that's the past few weeks in a nutshell! Happy weekend every one!

Sister Love

2012-01-25T08:43:00.000-08:00

"Sisters don't need words. They have perfected a language of smiles and frowns and winks - expressions of shocked surprise and incredulity and disbelief. Sniffs and snorts and gasps and sighs - that can undermine any tale you're telling. The best thing about having a sister is that you always have a friend."

~Pam Brown

I love having my sister and I love having sisters! These two make my heart smile every day. Avery truly adores her sister and Adalyn can't take her eyes off her big sister. It's quite possibly the sweetest, closet thing to Heaven I have ever seen. I know I'm bias and every mom thinks this of her children.:) I just love they way they love each other. It's something so different than a parent loving their child. It's just an incredible bond I guess. Last night, Avery said she wanted to give Adalyn her bath. So I let my three year old bathe her five month old baby sister while I sat and watched with tears rolling down my cheeks. She washed her little head so gently while Adalyn smiled and cooed at her the whole time. She washed her little tummy and kissed it after she rinsed it off. Then she leaned down to Adalyn's ear and said, " I love you 'Adawyn' and I'm so glad your ear infection is gone. That made me sad when you were sick" I think my heart skipped a beat for real. There's nothing like seeing your kids love each other. Sorry, this is quite mushy and you probably think I'm a hormonal mess, probably I am, but that was a memory I never want to forget.

Raising Children

2012-01-23T19:48:00.000-08:00

I have seen bits and pieces of this article a few places and my friend, Amber, sent it to me the other day. It made me laugh and encouraged me a bit. I do feel like I try to enjoy every minute of the day with my babies and most of the time I do, but there are plenty of days I feel like I'm just surviving and trying my best to take care of them while keeping my head above water.:) Hope you enjoy, my fellow momma friends!

"Every time I'm out with my kids -- this seems to happen:

An older woman stops us, puts her hand over her heart and says something like, "Oh, Enjoy every moment. This time goes by so fast."

Everywhere I go, someone is telling me to seize the moment, raise my awareness, be happy, enjoy every second, etc, etc, etc.

I know that this message is right and good. But, I have finally allowed myself to admit that it just doesn't work for me sometimes. Especially during this phase of my life - while I'm raising young kids. Being told, in a million different ways to CARPE DIEM makes me worry that if I'm not in a constant state of intense gratitude and ecstasy, I'm doing something wrong.

I think parenting young children (and old ones, I've heard) is a little like climbing Mount Everest. Brave, adventurous souls try it because they've heard there's magic in the climb. They try because they believe that finishing, or even attempting the climb are impressive accomplishments. They try because during the climb, if they allow themselves to pause and lift their eyes and minds from the pain and drudgery, the views are breathtaking. They try because even though it hurts and it's hard, there are moments that make it worth the hard. These moments are so intense and unique that many people who reach the top start planning, almost immediately, to climb again. Even though any climber will tell you that most of the climb is treacherous, exhausting, killer. That they literally cried most of the way up.

And so I think that if there were people stationed, say, every thirty feet along Mount Everest yelling to the climbers -- "ARE YOU ENJOYING YOURSELF!? IF NOT, YOU SHOULD BE! ONE DAY YOU'LL BE SORRY YOU DIDN'T!" TRUST US!! IT'LL BE OVER TOO SOON! CARPE DIEM!" -- those well-meaning, nostalgic cheerleaders might be physically thrown from the mountain.

Now. I'm not suggesting that the sweet old ladies who tell me to ENJOY MYSELF be thrown from a mountain. These are wonderful ladies. Monkees, probably. But last week, a woman approached me in the Target line and said the following: "Sugar, I hope you are enjoying this. I loved every single second of parenting my two girls. Every single moment. These days go by so fast."

At that particular moment, Amma had arranged one of the new bras I was buying on top of her sweater and was sucking a lollipop that she must have found on the ground. She also had three shop-lifted clip-on neon feathers stuck in her hair. She looked exactly like a contestant from Toddlers and Tiaras. I couldn't find Chase anywhere, and Tish was grabbing the pen on the credit card swiper thing WHILE the woman in front of me was trying to use it. And so I just looked at the woman, smiled and said, "Thank you. Yes. Me too. I am enjoying every single moment. Especially this one. Yes. Thank you."

That's not exactly what I wanted to say, though.

Parenting is hard. Just like lots of important jobs are hard. Why is it that the second a mother admits that it's hard, people feel the need to suggest that maybe she's not doing it right? Or that she certainly shouldn't add more to her load. Maybe the fact that it's so hard means she IS doing it right...in her own way...and she happens to be honest.

I love having parented. My favorite part of each day is when the kids are put to sleep (to bed) and Craig and I sink into the couch to watch some quality TV, like Celebrity Wife Swap, and congratulate each other on a job well done. Or a job done, at least.

My point is this. I used to worry that not only was I failing to do a good enough job at parenting, but that I wasn't enjoying it enough. Double failure. I felt guilty because I wasn't in parental ecstasy every hour of every day and I wasn't MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY MOMENT like the mamas in the parenting magazines seemed to be doing. I felt guilty because honestly, I was tired and cranky and ready for the day to be over quite often. And because I knew that one day, I'd wake up and the kids would be gone, and I'd be the old lady in the grocery store with my hand over my heart. Would I be able to say I enjoyed every moment? No.

But the fact remains that I will be that nostalgic lady. I just hope to be one with a clear memory. And here's what I hope to say to the younger mama gritting her teeth in line:

"It's helluva hard, isn't it? You're a good mom, I can tell. And I like your kids, especially that one peeing in the corner. She's my favorite. Carry on, warrior. Six hours till bedtime!" And hopefully, every once in a while, I'll add -- "Let me pick up that grocery bill for ya, sister. Go put those kids in the van and pull on up -- I'll have them bring your groceries out." "

-Glennon Melton

Adalyn's first bites!

2012-01-15T17:36:00.000-08:00

Adalyn tried her first taste of rice cereal tonight. She wasn't too sure about it and will have to get used to it. She wasn't the biggest fan.:) She may be like her big sis who never liked it and moved right on to oatmeal, veggies and fruit. It was fun experiencing her first taste of food though. Sweet memories. Can't believe my baby is almost 6 months old!!

Look at that mad face! She tolerated us and took the bites but wasn't a fan of the taste.

Big sister was a good helper!

Love these baby girls to pieces!!

Seems like just yesterday we were feeding this little baby for the first time! How time flies:(

Mary

2012-01-10T18:35:00.000-08:00

When Avery isn't dressed up as Rapunzel or Cinderella(which is 90% of the day) she has come up with a new "dress up" obsession. Mary. I love the age of make believe and dressing up. Last week she came to me and asked me to help her look like Mary. At first I wasn't sure what she meant and then she explained, "Mom, she's Jesus' mommy of course!" So we did our best and she now loves to play Mary. She knows the story so well and travels from her room through the house to "Bethwaham". When Chloe cooperates, she gets pulled along as the donkey. Daddy is Joseph when he gets home from work. I guess she couldn't think of anything for me so she lets me be the innkeeper.:) Today she told us the baby Jesus was the Savior. So precious. Can you guess who stars as baby Jesus?? The whole thing is quite possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen.

When the "real" baby Jesus is asleep, the doll fills in:)

Baby Jesus in the manger

LOVE

5 months old

2012-01-08T17:30:00.001-08:00

Sweet Adalyn,

You have been with us for 5 months now our family has loved every second of you being here! You are such a blessing. You are the happiest baby ever. You seriously rarely ever fuss. I love your giggles, they melt me. You love to laugh at your big sister when she is silly. You have started trying to hold your toys and you put every thing right to your mouth. You are so laid back and are so content to sit in our laps or in your bouncy seat. You started to love watching Praise Baby and Baby Einstein. You're a great eater and sleeper. I wish I could freeze you at this age for a long time because it's SO sweet. I know each month will just get more fun though. I love you so much Addy girl! Being a mommy to you and Avery is my greatest joy.

Happy five months my

precious girl. I love

you to the moon and back!

Mommy

Christmas Twinkies

2012-01-06T20:53:00.000-08:00

I was looking through Christmas pictures of the girls at the same age and had to compare them in the same outfits. They both are the cutest things I have ever seen!! I think they look just alike sometimes and other times they look night and day different. They have different little personalties for sure. I love that about them though. Each little thing that makes them who they are is so precious to me. I don't know how you could look at a baby and not believe in God!

She cracks me up...

2012-01-05T21:49:00.000-08:00

Oh Avery, so many of my smiles begin with you. You are such a little character! You keep us laughing all the time. The other day I hear you yelling from the hall, "Mom, come see me! I'm dressed like a mom in the summer time. It's cute, right?" Where do you come up with these things?! And that pose, no words:) Thanks for bringing so much laughter to our home! I love you so much.

Happy 2012!!

2012-01-01T14:18:00.000-08:00

2011 brought us so many blessings, the biggest one being the birth of our sweet Adalyn of course. I have also watched our church grow and become even more of an awesome Christian community of people I love, and I have watched my toddler grow into a precious little girl obsessed with princesses and Hello Kitty. God has been good to us through everything, good and bad. We are blessed! I usually don't make New Year's resolutions cause to be honest, they usually don't work. Last year I was pregnant and chasing around a crazy busy toddler so I just mainly had the goal of surviving 2011.:) This year, I am going to try to love more and worry less. I want to slow down, be a better mom and live in the moment more. I want to soak up more of my girls and worry less about things that don't matter as much. I want to be more like the woman I'm trying to raise my girls to be. If Luke and I can manage, with God's help, to raise them to be good people who love God and all people, then I will be happy. That's a huge goal that I will fight tooth and nail to see come true. That's my New Year's resolution every year. Everything else seems small compared to that.

We had a great New Year's Eve with our friends, the Jacksons. Avery and her bestie, Avery Kate had a blast playing princesses all night. We may have appeared kinda like a zoo at the restaurant that night with all our kiddos, but we had fun.:) I'm thankful for friends who have the same goals for their children as we do. It makes this journey more fun and bearable at times.;) Happy New Year!!!

Christmas part 5

2012-01-01T12:29:00.000-08:00

Last stop of the Christmas marathon was Luke's parent's house. Every family member was able to make it this year and it was so much fun! There were 22 people under one roof for Christmas. Loved it! We joked about how much driving we had to do with two young kids at Christmas, but as exhausting as it was, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love being with family and I love the way my girls are loved so much by so many people. We are blessed! Christmas 2011 was wonderful.

One of the most special parts of the trip was Luke's Grandmother getting to meet Adalyn for the first time. So precious! They both adored each other:)

Nana and Adalyn

Avery loved playing with Grandpa and watching movies cuddled up with Nana. Good times!

Grandmother turns 92 soon, so we surprised her with a little birthday celebration as well!

Fun with cousins!! Avery is the only girl with a herd of boys but it doesn't bother her a bit. She keeps up with them just fine and loves every minute of it.

Addy spent a lot of time being rocked by every one and she loved it
Luke's parents had a photographer come to take family pics since it's so rare for us all to be together. I snapped a few too! Can't wait to see them all!
Luke's grandmother wanted a picture with all her great-grandchildren. So sweet. Can you believe she's 92 years old and sat right down in the grass like it was nothing and got right back up after the pictures?! I hope I'm like that in 62 years..

My loves!

Christmas part 4

2012-01-01T11:56:00.001-08:00

The Christmas celebrating continues! We headed to Austin for Christmas with my parents. It was a great time and the world revolves around the girls at Nini and Papa's house so they loved it. :)I love spending Christmas with family, it's such a sweet time of the year.

We started off by going to a Christmas Eve service at my parent's church. It was really neat, especially for Luke to not be so busy at church and for us to just be there as a family. I really enjoyed that for a change. It was a beautiful candlelight service and Avery thought it was so neat. I love these pics of her..

Opening presents Christmas morning! In true Avery style, she woke up really late so we were up waiting on her to wake up. It was so sweet to see her get so excited when she woke up, especially about her new horse and carriage. Christmas through a child's eyes is so much more fun. I remember being little and SO excited about Christmas. Now it's fun to relive it through Avery.

She really liked her stocking:)

Addy crashed hard after opening all her presents! :)

Thanks mom and dad for being so generous and hosting a wonderful Christmas for the family! Swete Memories

Christmas part 3

2011-12-31T20:56:00.001-08:00

The Christmas marathon continues! Christmas number three was at my grandma and grandpa's house. So many sweet memories at their house over the years! We had a great time with family and the girls loved every minute of it. Some pics I took to capture the memories this year...

opening gifts!

Cousins, Rhyder and Adalyn

I think Rhyder looks cute as a little girl!

Our little family

sweet Christmas baby

Addy loves her Nini!

Two of my favorite people:)

Papa and his favorite little girls

Grandparents and all their sweet greats:)

Fun with cousins!

As we do every year, we enjoyed decorating and eating my Aunt's YUMMY sugar cookies

By the end of the night, Papa and Aves were partied out:)

What a great Christmas celebration with family! Love them!

"Happy Birthday Jesus" -Avery

2011-12-22T21:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas part 2- at home

2011-12-22T21:11:00.001-08:00

Christmas with our little family was so sweet. I loved experiencing it through Avery. It was priceless. This is such a fun age to believe in Santa because it is so real to her. She wanted so badly to see him come down the chimney that night!

We left him a cupcake from Jesus' birthday party and some carrots for his reindeer. Avery also drew him a picture.

We read the story of Jesus' birth that night before bed.

And then Santa left some good stuff for the girls while they slept:)

Avery was so excited when she ran in that morning, at 10am I might add! She didn't even know where to start, she was just giggling. Loved it.

The present full of what she wanted most, Tangled dress up. She was in awe that Santa got it all right. It's was so sweet to see the magic in her eyes.

Me and my baby on her 1st Christmas:)
Then one of my favorite memories happened, Avery opened all of Adalyn's gifts and showed them all to her. It was too sweet for words. She is so sweet to her baby sister and Adalyn just watched each one like she knew exactly what was happening. Avery would talk her in a sweet little voice and be excited about each gift she got, then she would lean down and hug her periodically. They way they love each other makes me want to have 15 kids. (but not that bad;)

Me and all the Christmas presents I ever wanted:)

Daddy and his girls!

Rapunzel!

Avery got a nurse outfit like mommy's and she was very proud. I asked her to show me her scrubs and this is the pose I got. She kills me!
Suddenly Daddy felt sick and needed a check up;)

Little princesses. Avery requested Addy in her castle tent.

Needless to say, we had fun playing with the toys Santa brought all day. It was a wonderful Christmas with the people I love most.

Happy Birthday Jesus

2011-12-22T00:33:00.000-08:00

We had our annual "Happy Birthday Jesus" party on our family's Christmas eve last night. This is year number 3 and we hope to continue until the girls are grown up! It's so much fun and it really reminds Avery what Christmas is about and why we have it to begin with. It's so easy to get lost in all the other stuff. This year we baked cupcakes for the party, yum! Avery picked out everything for the cupcakes and decorated them. She wanted to understand why Jesus wouldn't come to his party. We explained the best we could and then she said, "So he's not coming? That's kinda rude" Leave it to a three year old:) She cracks me up constantly. Despite the fact that Jesus was only here in spirit, we had a great family night celebrating His birth. Sweet memories!

Avery made one to leave for Santa and a few carrots for the reindeer. She also made a picture of baby Jesus' birth to give to Santa. This was her idea and I loved it.

Adalyn enjoyed watching Avery in action like she always does:)

This picture makes me smile

Christmas part one!

2011-12-19T20:40:00.000-08:00

We had our first of many Christmas with family this weekend. This one was Houston style:) It was so much fun to see family, a lot of them I haven't seen since last Christmas. Avery enjoyed playing with cousins and seeing Santa and Adalyn got to meet lots of new family members. I love this time of year spent with the people I love so much!! Here are some pics from the weekend...

Adalyn meeting my papaw for the first time! So sweet

This picture makes me cry

She got to meet memaw too:) They are my dad's parents and

Adalyn is their 4th great-grandbaby

Avery loved playing with her cousins that she doesn't get to see much.

Her and Elise were buddies:)

We always have a white elephant gift exchange with the adults. It's so much fun to see what everyone gets! Luke got a camo santa hat and a big oxen:)

Sweet Addy got passed around all weekend and loved all the cuddles. She also made her longest road trip yet to Houston and did great. She never made a noise in the car the whole 5 hour trip. I don't know how I got so lucky with her!

My cousin Shaylee with her new baby, Campbell. She is just too cute, I could just eat her up!! The girls are 2 months apart.

Me and my cousin Sheena, love her!!

Santa came to bring gifts and the kids LOVED it

Adalyn found a lap whenever she could to pass out

Cousins Seth, Avery and Hunter. We get their picture together every year and I can't believe how much they have changed!
Sweet Allison. She just loved the babies and was so good with them

My cousin Corrie and her cute little boy, Zane

Pianta time!

2011-12-16T20:53:00.000-08:00

There's something about Christmas time,

makes you wish it was Christmas every day..

We are just loving December around here! Avery is gearing up for Jesus' birthday party:) We were questioning her on what she was going to tell Santa she wanted for Christmas and she listed several things and then said, "But Jesus is the best gift right?" Our teachers at church have really been teaching this and we have at home as well. It was so sweet to see in sink in with her. Made my heart smile! We had a great Venture Christmas party that I took no pictures at. We also adopted a family in need this year with our church family. We got to spend the evening with them last night and bless them. It was a great experience! Avery also had a little Christmas party at school with her friends. They had a book exchange and it was super sweet. I feel like we are so busy I can barely catch my breath but it's so much fun!

My little loves visiting Santa! Once again, Avery was quite in love with Santa and Adalyn was along for the ride:)

"Santa, I want some Tangled dress up and toys for Christmas"

I love how she whispered in his ear!

"Santa, my baby sister can't talk but she wants some baby toys" That melted my heart.

Addy girl's first time to meet Santa!

Avery was very excited about visiting Santa. He gave her a book and she thought that was the coolest thing:)

Can't believe it's this girl's first Christmas! Seems like yesterday that it was Avery's.

She's very excited about it too:)

Preschool Christmas Program

2011-12-13T13:48:00.000-08:00

Avery's preschool Christmas program was this morning. A bunch of preschoolers up on stage singing is about the cutest thing ever! Avery kept waving to us, it was too cute. Pretty much none of the kids really sang loud except for little girl who yelled, cracked me up.:) They all did such a good job. At the end, they always sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. I love all that she learns about Jesus at her school.

They were riding their donkeys into Bethlehem :)

Her little class(minus her bestie Avery Kate)

Family pic! Avery was so proud of herself afterwards. She loved that everyone clapped and cheered:) She wanted to know if Addy watched her and liked it. I thought that was too sweet!

My sweet girl!

Waving bye. I was afraid she would be sad to tell us bye and go back to class but she wasn't. She told me she had a very busy day and that she needed to go. Ha!

This is too cute for words! She got to play Mary in class. One of her best friends at school, Wes, was her Joseph. I think she was a good little mommy to baby Jesus:)

4 months

2011-12-09T16:14:00.001-08:00

Adalyn,

You're 4 months old! Wow, these last few months have flown by. You have changed a lot the last 4 weeks. You smile and giggle all the time. Your giggle is too precious. You love your big sister and look for her all the time. The Christmas tree lights mesmerize you, you love Baby Einstein, laughing at Daddy(sometimes you start laughing at just the sound of his voice), watching Avery play, riding in the sling with mommy, and being sung to. I simply adore you! You are the easiest baby ever. You never cry unless you're too tired and when that happens, it startles us all cause we rarely hear it. You eat every 4 hours during the day and will sleep anywhere from 5-7 hours at night at a time. You love to be held and I confess, I hold you all day. Probably should let you have some tummy and play time:) I love the way your face lights up when I go to pick you up. It's such a joy being your mommy. I love watching you grow and change. I'll love you for always and as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be. Love you Addy girl!

Mommy

Adalyn had her 4 month check up yesterday and checked out very healthy. So thankful for that! She weighed 14.9 pounds and was 25 1/4 in. long. That put her in the 70% for weight and 85% for length. LOVE my chubby girl:)
She had to get a few shots and laid on the table smiling like this through it all. I was shocked along with the nurse and doctor. She's too sweet! And tough too I guess.

Christmas Cuties

2011-12-07T22:31:00.000-08:00

Every time I sit the girls down to take pictures, Avery kisses on Adalyn. Love how she loves her!
Can't believe it's going to be this little baby's first Christmas! How did she get so big? :(

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2011-12-03T21:38:00.000-08:00

We decorated for Christmas the other day and it got me so excited! I love this time of year!!! I love seeing Christmas through Avery's eyes. She is beside herself excited about it. We are really trying to teach her what it's all about and not just Santa. I have let her pick out gifts with me for tother people and she loves it. I told her that it's better to give gifts to people than to get them all yourself. She looked at me like I was a tad crazy. She's only three I guess.:) She saw a little girl in the mall freaking out and crying about Santa. She said, "mom, does that girl know he brings you presents?" Ha! She cracks me up.

Addy loves the tree lights and is just perfectly happy to sit and watch Avery dance around the tree. Love her! It will be so fun this year with two girlies!

Avery helping put some lights outside

My lovies in their matching jammies
Avery loves the tree! She will randomly go and take a bunch of ornaments off and then redecorate it.
She had fun decorating her little tree in her room. She has all the princesses on the tree and is very proud:)
Aunt Laura got her some Hello Kitty ornaments that she loved

Adalyn's tree

Can't believe our mantle has so many stockings! Seems like yesterday that it was just mine and Luke's. Makes my heart happy.

Even Chloe got into the holiday spirit. She was thrilled:)

Matching

2011-12-02T20:06:00.000-08:00

Hello, I'm Lindsay and I'm a matchaholic. Yep, just might be mildly obsessed with the adorableness of matching sisters:)

It started from day one.

Ahhh....just makes my heart happy. No plans to stop anytime soon:)

2011-12-01T21:45:00.000-08:00

Never seen anything cuter than these two.

And no one could convince me otherwise:)

Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T20:18:00.000-08:00

"Every good and perfect gift is from above" James 1:17

Best attempt at a family pic this year. That's life with a three year old sometimes. Still thankful for her:)

I think it's easy to see what I'm most thankful for...my sweet, sweet babies.

My little pilgrim:)

Addy had a good first Thanksgiving:)

We spent some time in Abilene with Luke's parents and had a great time! Then we headed to Austin to see my family. It was so much fun getting to spend time with everyone. I'm so thankful for family I love so much.

The girls love Grandpa. (Luke's dad)

Everyone got their share of cuddle time with sweet Adalyn

Avery loved playing with Justin. He lets her boss him around:) She's just a tad spoiled when we are with family cause she's the oldest grandkid.
Sweet baby girl just passed out on the floor while we ate. She is just so easy going.

Cousins! Rhyder and Avery. They love eachother.

Avery loved playing with his toys too:)
Addy and Aunt Laura. Mutual love
Avery stealing kisses from her Papa!
The girls with my parents

Hope every one had a great Thanksgiving! We all have so much to be thankful for in Jesus.

Crazy Girl

2011-11-19T20:03:00.000-08:00

Life with a crazy little 3 year old is so fun. Avery keeps me laughing all the time. I must document her funnies so I never forget what she was like at this age.:) She is SO full of personality. She is sassy and very sweet and sensitive at the same time. She really never slows down. I joke that she is either asleep or going 100 miles an hour. She's been like that her whole life and when she was about 18 months old, I didn't know if I would survive the toddler years chasing her;) She will talk a stranger's arm off and quite often embarrasses me in public by what she says. It's so innocent though so I just have to pray that other people either don't hear her or aren't offended! Here's the funny things I remember from this week....She walked out of her room last night after being tucked into bed and I said, "Avery get back in bed it's time to go to sleep." She says, " Mom, hold on just 2 seconds, I just came out here to tell you some truth. I have been playing in my room for a wittle bit while you thought I was asleep, okay?"

I took her to the park to play cause the weather is so nice and there was another little girl there. The little girl was a little shy and kinda acted sad(or maybe Avery was just a little too much for her:) Avery said to her and her mom, "Why is she sad? Is it because she doesn't know me and she isn't my friend? I'll be her friend!" Too sweet and funny. Poor thing thinks everyone is just dying to be her friend I guess.

She told a lady in line at Walmart that her pants looked "just a wittle bit dirty and kinda weird". That was awesome.

She calls her hair crazy hair when she needs it combed and fixed. So when we saw a women at the store who really did need to comb her hair, she had no problem shouting, "Mom, that lady (while pointing straight at her) has crazy hair like I do sometimes at home." See why I get embarrassed??:)

After I set her plate in front of her at dinner tonight she says to me, "oh, that looks delicious sweetheart."

As a man wheeled his wife ,who was in a wheelchair, past us in a parking lot one day, Avery says to her, "That's a cool stroller." She smiled.

She is constantly standing on the fire place putting on "shows" for us and performing. It's quite hilarious. The other day when ran in Target to get just one thing so I let her walk with me. She spotted this platform that was displaying a baby stroller, baby bed and such. She thought it must be a stage for her to show off, so she proudly ran up on and it and shouted, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my show!" There were two or three people near by who died laughing. I did too.

Avery, being your mom is both exhausting and so fun. You make my life so much better and so many of my smiles begin with you. I love you SO much! I hope you have a little girl just like you one day so will know the joy you have brought to me.

Some pics from this week that make me smile...

Yes, she is using the ENTIRE roll of TP. I just happened to walk by the bathroom to catch this. She said,"It's important to wipe mom."

Wearing my wedding veil...sniff, sniff

Buddies

2011-11-18T20:47:00.001-08:00

Sweet sisters. Makes my heart happy. Avery loves to play with Addy. She's obviously too little to play but she sure smiles and coos when Avery "plays" with her. Avery asked me if she could play babies with Adalyn the other day and so I let her, with supervision of course.:) I love that Avery loves her so much. Since day one, she has never said a negative word about her new sister despite the fact that it had to have been a hard adjustment for her having to share our attention. She just loves her to pieces! I see a little glimpse of Heaven when I see them together.

I love how Addy's little worried eyes are looking at me like, "mom, save me!" Too presh

I can dress myself

2011-11-14T21:16:00.001-08:00

We reached a sad new phase in our house. All I hear when it's time to go somewhere is, "I can dress myself mom!" It's very sweet but sometimes what she comes up with kills me. Part of the fun of having little girls is dressing them up and I sadly have to almost bribe her to wear the cute outfits I want her to wear! It's quite often either Hello Kitty or a princess dress that she wants. I think I have finally convinced her that we don't need to dress up in Cinderella's Ball dress to go to the store, we can save that for home. Her argument for a long time was, "but Mom, I am Cinderella today and I need people to know that." How do you argue that?? I hate to crush her spirits so I often caved but luckily she has chosen to leave the tiaras and dress up at home...at least for now anyways. I try to let her do her thing and not constantly tell her no when she picks things out, but sometimes it's a must. I just have to take her picture sometimes and laugh at what she comes up with. :)

This made it out of the house. Everything from head to toe is HK. She was very proud of herself and made sure to show anyone in Target who would pay enough attention to her.

She lost this argument... I love how her shoes are on the wrong feet to top it off
This might have been okay but it was 40 degrees out so we had to have a 20minute discussion about the seasons and how we wear appropriate clothes according to them. I was almost too tired to go anywhere by the time we were ready;)
This posing cracks me up. We were going to dinner and she came running out saying she was all ready. She said, "I look so pretty, right mom?" That she did. She is becoming quite the diva:)

At least this little cutie let's me pick out whatever I want still. I better enjoy it while I can :)

Adalyn's Welcome Video

2011-11-11T22:09:00.000-08:00

Luke made a video of Adalyn's birth story. I just love it. I know the girls will love to watch their videos as they grow up. Avery already loves to watch hers. Can't believe it was 12 weeks ago. Makes me cry every time I see it (please excuse how rough I look...all natural will do that to a momma:) Thanks for working so hard on this Luke. He is such a good daddy...

3 Months Old

2011-11-08T14:20:00.000-08:00

Addy girl,

You're 3 months old! I almost let the day slip away from me before I realized it was your big day. It just doesn't seem like three months have come and gone. You are a pure JOY. You're just the best baby ever! (Avery, I love you just the same, you were just a tad more high maintenance for momma;)) You are just so content all the time. You never cry unless you get too tired. You like your paci when you're sleepy or hungry. You still nurse every 3 hours during the day and you have slept through the night several times already but not consistently, usually you will go anywhere from 4-8 hours at night. You smile all the time and love it when people talk to you. You started giggling and it melts me. You really love to be held, it doesn't bother me a bit if I'm spoiling you;) You like riding in the car, the swing, Baby Einstein, and floor time. To say you adore your big sis would be an understatement. You love to hear her voice and smile so big when she talks to you. You almost rolled over this morning from your back to your tummy because you were trying to watch what she was doing. You've got the sweetest little rolls that I love! Your big cheeks and lips are adorable! I love you so much and our whole family is so thankful for you. You are loved more than you'll ever know baby girl!

Much love, your Mommy

Family Pictures...

2011-11-07T21:33:00.000-08:00

We had some family pictures taken recently. I just love capturing sweet memories like these. I will cherish these forever! These are some of my favs. The rest I'm saving for Christmas :)

This is how I will forever remember Avery at this age; having tea parties and dressing up. Too sweet for words.

My girls....makes my heart skip a beat :)

Daddy's girl!

If you live in the Denton area and want your pictures taken at a great price from a very talented and sweet lady, check out Christy's site. Tell her I sent you!

Halloween Festivities!

2011-10-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

We have had a fun Halloween weekend! I loved seeing my little pumpkins all dressed up:) This is Avery dressed up for her Halloween party at school. No surprise it's a Hello Kitty dress

On Saturday we had our 2nd annual Fall Fest with church. It's always so much fun! The kids have a blast and it's a great way to reach out to the community.

Our little family

Of course Avery found the Chic fil a cow and stalked him!
My sweet momma came and helped with the girls! No way I could have kept track of two kids and decorated a trunk and other things there without her!!

Me and my girls

Avery with the Hello Kitty trunk. She was so proud and I loved seeing her so happy.:)

My two cuties on Sunday morning for church

Love that baby!

On Halloween night, we went trick or treating in our neighborhood. It was a lot of fun and Avery especially had a blast. She loved saying trick or treat to everyone. She would scream and run from house to house saying, "come on mommy and daddy, let's go get some more trigger treater candy!"

Never seen two cuter kitties :)

She looked so tiny knocking on the doors:) She wanted to do it all on her own, she would knock and say "Trigger Treat, Thank you!" each time. So cute!

She felt the need to run the whole time in true Avery style. LOVE that girl:)

See how much candy I got?!

This little kitten melts my heart

When we got home, Avery and daddy answered the door and gave out candy to a ton of kids that came by. Avery was in her element getting to say hi to tons of people. I overheard Luke teaching that Jesus told us it's better to give than to receive so we should be even more happy to share candy with friends than to get it ourselves. She later told me in the tub, "mom, it's better to give candy like Jesus." So proud.

Have you ever seen such a cute little kitten in the tub?

30 things I have learned in 30 years:)

2011-10-26T23:09:00.000-07:00

Can't believe I turned thirty! It was a wonderful day spent with my girls and my friends. I feel very blessed. I have got a lot to learn and God still has plenty of work to do on me but I thought it would be fun to a make a list of some of the things I have learned in 30 years for the girls to read one day....

1.God is good, he's really all you need.

2.Having someone sincerely compliment your child feels even better than a compliment to yourself.

3.When I didn't have kids yet, I thought I really knew how to raise good ones:)

4.Do a job you love.

5.If you have extra money, spend it on something fun to do with your family, not on stuff. When you're old you won't remember the nice things you had but the fun times you spent with your kids.

6. A dog can be the best friend sometimes

7.Things that now seem very stressing, will look like silly things in the future.

8.Your family matters more than anything else.

9.Don't spend money you don't have to buy things you don't really need.

10.Giving birth to a child is EXTREMELY painful!

11.Say you're sorry to your kids when you need to, even when they are very young.

12.God will provide a way even when there seems to be no way.

13. Being a stay at home mom is VERY hard work!

14.The laundry really never ends so take time to rock your babies

15. Don't worry, like Jesus said, "who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?"

16. Being a mom has brought me the greatest joy and heartache I've ever felt.

17. Good friends are truly a gift from God.

18. Birthdays and holidays matter, make them special for the people you love.

19. Having a sister means having a best friend for life.

20. Little girls never stop thinking their Daddy is their prince.

21. Love doesn't divide when you have more than one kid, it multiples.

22. Being a mom means you never really catch up on sleep.

23. I am capable of loving someone infinitely more than my own self.

24. Marry a good man, one that challenges you and makes you want to be a better person.

25. There's no one else in life like your momma, no matter how old you are.

26. There really is power when you're on your knees in prayer.

27. Always do the right thing, even if no one is looking.

28. Take lots of pictures, babies change too fast.

29. Take risks, expect God to honor your leaps of faith for Him. Heck, plant a church with your husband! ;)

30. I am FAR from perfect but I serve a perfect God who loved me enough to save me and I am thankful.

Babies, Birthdays, and Football

2011-10-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

The girls and I spent almost a week in Austin visiting family and celebrating mine and my sister's birthdays. My sweet cousin, Shaylee had her baby last week so we got to meet little Campbell. She is such a little doll. Can't wait to get my hands on her again!

We also got to see my dad's FB team win. I love Texas high school football, there's just nothing like it. Avery has started to really love it too. She and daddy have been to lots of games in Denton on Friday night date nights. So sweet!

This year is the big 30 for me and I can hardly believe that! Trying not too feel bad about getting old:) My sister's birthday is three days before mine so we always get to celebrate together. I love that! She is still a young 25 though. It was a great week seeing people I love so much!!

Sweet baby Campbell. She made Adalyn look huge! Can't believe how fast newborns change!

Cousins!!

Aunties lovin on their nieces:)

Can't remember what was so funny here...

Papa and his girls after the FB game Friday night.
Nini and Addy

Avery got to run on the field after the game which she loves.

Some pics from the birthday night....
Pretty sure Addy was held the entire time! :)
Avery had tons of fun swinging, "hiking", and having picnics with my dad. She also was throughly spoiled by Nini. She is currently in detox at home:) She already told me today that home is boring. ha!

The best little presents I could ever dream of for my 30th birthday:)

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-17T19:31:00.000-07:00

We had our annual family trip to the pumpkin patch. Made it really seem like Fall when I put the pumpkin shirts on the girls.:) We had a blast playing; love family days!

Had to get a pic of this cutie before we left:)

Adalyn's first visit to the patch:)

My two little punkins :)

This is Avery last year. You can see how much she has changed in the pic below. Makes me smile and want to cry at the same time!

My girls!

Avery loved to lock Daddy up in jail!

Sweet, sweet Addy girl. Bless her heart, she is so good. She just is along for the ride whatever we do and never complains.

We took a break from playing and had snow cones!
This was Avery's first taste of a snow cone and she approved!

Loved seeing her have such a blast

You know how I love comparing baby pics:) Both my girls at the pumpkin patch at the same age. They look more alike here than I thought they would. Both the sweetest little pumpkins I've seen!

Bedtime Beauties

2011-10-17T08:03:00.000-07:00

Nothing better than a fresh and clean baby in pajamas....except for maybe two clean babies in matching pj's. Ahhh, love it.

These are from the next morning. Avery wanted little sis to watch cartoons with her. So presh, I adore these girls!!

Cinderella

2011-10-14T12:28:00.001-07:00

She spins and she sways

To whatever song plays

Without a care in the world

And I'm sitting here wearing

The weight of the world on my shoulders

It's been a long day

And there's still work to do

She's pulling at me

Saying "Dad, I need you

There's a ball at the castle

And I've been invited

And I need to practice my dancing

Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella

While she is here in my arms

'Cause I know something the prince never knew

Oh, I will dance with Cinderella

I don't want to miss even one song

'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight

And she'll be gone...

These pictures melt my heart. I decided to sneak in on one of Daddy and Avery's dancing parties today. He always turns on music with his computer for them to dance to and today it was " Cinderella" be Steven Curtis Chapman which about made me bawl like a baby. It's the sweetest thing I've ever seen. She loves to dress up as Cinderella(though the dress of choice is Minnie Mouse with a Hello Kitty crown but it works:) She will go knock on Luke's office door saying "Prince! It's me!" She wants her prince to dance with her at the ball. Little girls are so adorable with their Daddies. I know he cherishes this time with her. He says the #1 best thing about having a church office out of the house is that he gets to take his breaks with his little girls. Avery sure has him wrapped around her little finger:) Won't be long and there will be two little princesses dancing with their prince.

Preschool Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-13T19:08:00.001-07:00

Avery had her annual pumpkin patch day at preschool today. It was a fun day with friends! Daddy agreed to watch Adalyn so mommy and Avery could have a fun few hours together. I love one on one time with my girl. It was sweet though that Avery asked numerous times where her sister was and why she didn't come. :) Looking forward to taking my two little punkins to the patch together soon with daddy!

These are Avery's besties at school. Wes has been her best friend since the first day of school last year. She just loves him despite how daddy tries to discourage relationships with boys;) Avery Kate is in her class this year and she is so happy about it. They do everything together and Avery tells me she misses her 5 minutes after we leave school each time. So sweet that these two have been such good friends since Aves was only 4 months old!

enjoying the hayride

picking her pumpkin to take home

And just because I can't not put a picture of this little cutie!

2 Months Old...

2011-10-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

My little baby is two months old already! Wow, this is going fast. I just want to bottle her up and keep her this little for a long time.:) She is so much fun at this age!

Sweet Adalyn,

You have been here for two months now and I can't even imagine life without you. You are such a joy! You really are such an easy baby. You rarely cry and just are so content. The other day I realized you hadn't cried in almost two days! It kinda scared me so I had to check you out real well to make sure you were still okay.:) You love to watch your sister and listen to her squeal and laugh. You smile at us now and it melts me! You will have the biggest grin when someone talks to you and makes eye contact. Daddy can really make you smile big. Your big dark blue eyes are so pretty and I could stare at your adorable little face all day. You are on a pretty good schedule now and sleeping well. You go to bed around 9pm and usually wake at 2am, 5 and 8-9am. The last few nights you have dropped the 2am feeding but I am too scared to jinx myself and say you are sleeping through the night! Your sister never did that this early so I am prepared for many more nights waking often. I actually love this time with you, it's so sweet and special, just you and me. You're a cuddle bug and really love to be held. If I hold you all day you're super happy. You do love your swing and bouncy seat though. You have started taking little naps in your big girl crib and really love your rainforest sound machine just like your big sis did. Avery loves to see you watch it and she is so proud that she is sharing it with you. :)

I love you and your big sister more than anything. I think I could try my whole life to put it into words and never find the words to describe how deeply I love you. Happy 2 months Addy girl!! Momma loves you to the moon and back!

Here are Adalyn and Avery at the same age. I don't think they much alike here. Avery looks a lot more like her daddy than Adalyn does. Can't believe the two cutest things I have ever laid eyes on came from me and Luke. :)

Update after her 2 month well check: Adalyn weighed 11lb. 10oz and was 22.75 in. long. This put her in the 55% for length and weight. Her head measured 15.5in. and that put her in the 80%. She checked out fine, super healthy girl!

My babies

2011-10-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

My babies .... both at the exact same age. Different in a lot of ways and the same in some. Both the most precious things I have ever seen in life. How did I get so lucky?? :)

Weekend Fun!

2011-10-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

We headed out to Abilene on Sunday for a quick trip to visit Luke's family and see some friends. It was a fun trip! The girls loved getting to spend some time with Nana and Grandpa.

Grandpa was so sweet to let Avery crawl all over his lap and play with him. He just had a major surgery 3 weeks ago and we are happy that he is doing so well.
sweet pic of Addy and Grandpa!
Love this one of the girls and Nana. Adalyn loved getting to meet her for the first time:)
My sweet sleeping girl.
Daddy and Adalyn looking sweet together watching a football game
Avery loved the fact that she got to sleep in bed with mommy and daddy while we were there. I think it was more fun for me and Luke to get to cuddle with her all night:)

We also got to see some of our best friends, the Storments. Great times! These girls have been friends since Avery was barley a month old and every time they see each other they pick up right where they left off.
Leslie and I with all our kiddos

We also took Avery to see where mommy and daddy went to school. She loved running around the campus at ACU. It's so beautiful on campus and it was great to be back. I felt SO old pushing around my double stroller and seeing all the cool college kids walk by. ;)
Avery looked so tiny walking around campus saying hi to all the students

Avery said she wants to be an ACU wildcat. Let's hope she doesn't change her mind! (let's also hope the tuition doesn't keep soaring!)

Last stop was our old house. This was the first house Luke and I ever owned. So many sweet memories there. The yard looks horrible now but it was such a cute little house. Can't believe it's been 7 years since we lived there! It was fun showing the girls where mommy and daddy started out.

Because she's so cute...

2011-10-02T13:25:00.001-07:00

Oh my, I LOVE this girl to pieces!! And her big sister too:)

2011-09-23T15:49:00.000-07:00

"In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips."

I remember when we got this little"I love my big sister" onesie in the mail and I wondered if the baby in my belly would be a brother or sister for Avery. Either way we would have been thrilled, but I desperately wanted her to have a sister because I can't imagine my life without my sister. Now here is sweet little Adalyn wearing that very onesie. What a blessing! Every time I see them together it makes my heart smile. Avery is such a great big sis and Addy adores her already. She turns towards her voice and is mesmerized by watching her. I feel like I'm getting to relive my childhood some through my sweet girls. :)

She still loves her even when she does things like this to her :)

A few firsts...

2011-09-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

A few fun "firsts" have happened at our house over the last week or so. The biggest one, Adalyn rolled over! She rolled over from her tummy to back about a week ago and I thought it must have just been "lucky" because she was barely 5 weeks old. Then she has continued to do it! No more tummy time for her cause she flips herself right on over. Avery did this at 8 weeks and I thought that was early! Hope this doesn't mean she will be an even more active toddler than Avery was/is. ;)

Tummy time! She's already working on pulling enough strength together to make her move:)

When she flips over she acts like, "wow! what just happened?!"

Success!

First bath together! Avery LOVED it! She loves having her little sis do things with her and it makes me so happy. Adalyn just loves bathes in general so she was happy chillin in the tub with her full belly:)

First walk as a family of four! (or five if you count Chloe:) We had a nice stroll down to the pond in our neighborhood to see the ducks. Adalyn passed out before we left the driveway and Avery desperately wanted her to wake up for the ducks, maybe next time. :)

In case you're wondering, yes Avery is wearing dress shoes for the walk. They are way too small and I told her they weren't made for going on walks to the pond. She insisted saying, "they're just too beautiful not to wear mom!" Oh the drama!
Looking forward to many more firsts with my baby girls!

Small Fry Soccer

2011-09-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

Avery had her first day of "small fry soccer" on Saturday. She had been talking about playing soccer for a while and was so excited. She looked so cute and tiny in her little soccer shin guards. Cracked me up! She did well and I'm sure she will learn a lot. She was a little afraid of the coach at first, which if you know her, you know this is not like her to be afraid of much. He has a different accent and played a game involving giants which I think did her in. ha! He's seem like a great coach though and I admire him for trying to teach 3 year olds a sport! She will warm up I'm sure and love it. Right now she tells us she wants to play football and soccer when she gets bigger. We hope she sticks with soccer;)

action shot!
Daddy had to hold her some when she was scared :(

My little soccer player. This is her unsure face. ha!
Looking sweet with her Daddy

The two Averys' :)
The coach telling her something
Aves with her buddies :)

It won't be like this for long...

2011-09-18T13:27:00.000-07:00

This picture makes me smile. It's the way we spend a lot of time these days. As tired as I am at the end of every day, I know it won't be like this for long and I will look at this picture one day and just cry. My babies won't be babies for long! When I wake up for a 3 am feeding I have to remind myself of that.:) I am cherishing this time cause I know in the blink of an eye, I'll have two teenage girls going to prom...

If you haven't heard this song, you should. It's sweet!

First Smiles

2011-09-17T20:23:00.001-07:00

I caught a little smile from Addy on camera! She started smiling some at us a few days ago and it's too sweet. Melts me! I love this girl! She is just the sweetest little bright-eyed thing. I could eat her up with a spoon:)

Warming up to smile. (if you could only hear how silly I sounded trying to get a smile)

Little smile
A little bit bigger smile! So precious.

RAIN!

2011-09-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

We have lots of rain in the forecast lately and we actually got quite a bit tonight! I love the smell of rain! Avery got to play in it before bedtime and had a blast. Nothing like running out in your panties and rain coat to splash around:)

This face sums up how we feel about the rain and cooler weather!

Could she be any cuter??

2011-09-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

I don't think so!! I could stare at this little face ALL day long :)

Football

2011-09-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

I have always loved HS football. My dad is a coach so maybe it's just in my blood:) We took Avery to her first game when she was just a few weeks old and Adalyn went to her first game last weekend. Avery loves cheering for Papa's team and Adalyn enjoyed it too. She slept through the whole thing, band and all! SO excited for Fall and football season!!

I think the girls enjoyed the weekend. Avery NEVER sleeps in the stroller! I think she just had too much fun and was worn out!

Sip and See

2011-09-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

My sweet sister and mom hosted a "Sip and See" for me and Adalyn in Austin last weekend. It was lots of fun and great to get to introduce her to lots of friends and family in Austin. They did such a great job and every detail was perfect! I didn't take many pictures but here's a few that I did get...

Beautiful and yummy too!!
Me and my sweet momma with the girls
Aunt Laura! (this is what you get when you ask a sassy 3yr. old to smile)

Chillin while the guests admire her :)
Some of my best friends from HS even came :)

Addy loves her Gigi already!
Sweet cousin Sheena. Adalyn will have tons of fun playing with her one day:)
Aves stealing kisses from cousin Rhyder!
Great-grandma with her "greats". This pic cracks me up because it's so "real life" and typical of what it's like trying to get three little ones to take a picture!
Some of my sweet fam
Kid tested and mother approved stroller! I LOVE this thing! I was so grateful to get it from my family! If you're looking for a double stroller, it's awesome. I even tested it out today at Target and it's so light weight and easy to push around, and it even fits through all the clothes aisles:) The girls loved riding in it.

One Month Old

2011-09-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

Sweet Adalyn,

You're one month old! Can't believe you have been in this big world for a whole month now. Our family is so in love with you. You are the cutest and sweetest little thing. You have changed a lot since we brought you home. You are more alert now and really try to hold your head up a lot. I love watching you look at things and I can't wait until you start smiling at us. Your big, dark blue eyes are so beautiful and I could sit and stare at you all day. (if only I had the time to sit! ;) You have started to put yourself on a little schedule which is nice. You're a good baby and really only cry at the end of the day when you're tired and want to be rocked to sleep. I may be spoiling you but I enjoy it:) You nurse every 2-3 hours during the day and every 3-4 hours at night. Your big sister is crazy about you and loves to help mommy and daddy take care of you. She is so sweet to you and hates it when you cry. You two are going to be the best of friends! I love being you and Avery's mommy; I feel so blessed. I am cherishing every moment while you are this little, it's such a sweet time. I look forward to watching you grow baby girl! I just hope it doesn't happen too fast.

Love you always,

Mommy

Adalyn

2011-09-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my sweet baby is exactly one month old today! She is just the sweetest little thing! She has changed a lot in just four short weeks. I can't believe one week ago at this time I was rushing to the hospital to meet her. Time sure does fly by way too fast and babies grow up quicker than I like! We had a fun family day today with the girls and thanked God for our new sweet baby. Famous pink chair pics with the Bear to come, but here's some cute ones of her from today.:)

Just Pictures...

2011-09-02T15:30:00.000-07:00

Just for today....Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. ---Robert Brault

First Day of School!

2011-08-31T12:58:00.000-07:00

Avery started preschool on Tuesday! It's no longer called Mother's Day Out, but preschool. That makes me sad!:( It's still just Tues/Thurs from 9-2 but I guess she is a "big kid" now. Can't believe only one year ago she was clinging to my leg and not wanting to go in. This year she ran in all smiles and never looked back. Sigh...bitter sweet! I'm excited for her to start a new year, I know she loves school and learns so much too.

This is a few nights before at open house. She picked out her own outfit to wear and told me how she wanted her hair. :) At first when we got there, she ran to her old classroom and teared up when we couldn't go in but once she saw her new room and friends, she was excited. Her teachers from last year made a treat bag for her and she loved it. So sweet!

First day!

I love this girl!

First Day at church

2011-08-28T13:21:00.001-07:00

My baby all dressed for her first day at church :)

Both of my sweet babies Sunday morning :)

Family pic
Mommy and her girls!
Adalyn also had her baby blessing at church. Every baby at Venture has a baby blessing and it's a neat thing. She got her first Bible and a framed prayer. Luke always does them so our friend and one of the leaders at church, Chris did ours. Sweet memories!

My sister and brother-in-law came to visit this weekend and we had a great time. Avery especially loves all the attention! Aunt Laura got lots of cuddle time with Adalyn and Aves. Avery was in Heaven! It's always so much fun spending time with them. Neat to have family that's also your best friends!

"Only an Aunt can love like a mommy, keep secrets like a sister, behave like a friend and love them like her own."

Avery had uncle Blaine crammed in her little playhouse and playing all sort of things with her this weekend. He's such a good sport and will be a great dad one day. She adores him.

Happy 30th Luke!

2011-08-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

Luke turned 30 on the 25th! We had a fun family day on his birthday; celebrating a birthday is one of Avery's favorite things in the world! He opened his presents that Avery and I had picked out and we went to lunch at one of his favorite spots. Then Avery and I made him a dessert and she was very proud to show him. :) He didn't really want me to make a huge deal about his birthday but we had a little party at On the Border for dinner with some of our friends. It was a lot of fun! One of our friends hired a lady to come sing and embarrass him at the restaurant. She dressed as a fairy princess and sang a song about Luke. The whole restaurant watched and laughed. It worked, he was embarrassed and we all had a good laugh! He is SO hard to ever embarrass so it was fun. :) Happy Birthday to the best Husband and the best Daddy our little girls could ask for! We love you!

Daddy with his girl and birthday dessert. And yes, she is dressed as some princess 90% of the time :)

Out of the mouth of my 3 year old...

2011-08-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

Avery cracks me up most of the day but lately she has said some funny things I don't want to forget. She is such a mess!

Avery quotes:

" Mom, what's wrong with your tummy? It looks gross, did you fall down on it or something?"

Thanks Avery, I had a baby a week ago:)

To a lady walking through Dillards, " Hi! Did you know I'm a princess and I live in a castle?"

"Does Daddy have chocolate milk in his boobies?"

"I want to call Adalyn "Adawinnie" when I want to be silly, ok?"

"Mom, you love Target right? Well, when you get bigger and just a 'wittle' smarter than you are, maybe you can work there."

I had answered some question she had with, "That's how God made it" She then asked "Who is he again? What is he? Where is he?" I answered the best I could and thought it wasn't too bad. She then responded, "Mom, I don't think you know. It's ok, I'll just ask Daddy"

She asked me in the store if these two older women she spotted with gray hair were Grandmas. I told her probably because they looked older than a mommy. She wanted to know whose Grandma they were and I explained that we didn't know them. Then as we wheeled by she shouts, "Hi old lady Grandmas!" Nice. Luckily the women were sweet. :)

" I love 'Adawyn' as big as the world mom!" - my fav :)

Doctor's appointments

2011-08-24T15:03:00.000-07:00

The girls had doctor's appointments this week. It's really nice that their birthdays are days apart because we did Avery's 3 year and Adalyn's 2 week appt. in one visit. They both did great; Avery really loves going to the doctor! Adalyn is getting chunky fast and Avery is still just as tiny as ever. :) She talked the doctor's arm off and told her what it was like to have a baby sister, it was pretty funny.

Here are Avery's stats: Weight= 25.6 pounds 3%, Height=34.75in. 7%. Her BMI was in the 25% which was great. Thankful to have a healthy 3 year old!

Miss Adalyn is getting big:) She gained a lot of weight since her last appt and the Doctor was surprised. She checked out fine as well!

Here are her stats: Weight= 7.7 pounds 45% Height= 19.5in 45% Head circumference= 14in 70%

She hated being weighed but liked the rest of the visit

Pics of my girls at the same age. They still look alike but Adalyn is starting to look like her own little person now I think.

Adalyn (thanks Avery Kate and Allie for my super cute dress:)

Avery at two weeks. Where did the time go?? :(

2 Weeks Old

2011-08-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

Sweet Adalyn,

How can you be 2 weeks old already? I wish I could keep you little. As hard as it is sometimes to wake in the night to feed you and change you, I know I will miss this time. You are such a joy to our family. I could sit and cuddle you all day long and that's pretty much all you want to do too. You are a very good baby and sleep most of the day and love to be held. I don't care if we spoil you like that. ;) You like to eat every 3 hours during the day and night. You go to sleep for the night around 11pm and you're up for the day by 10am. You love to sit in your bouncy seat in Avery's room and listen to her play. Your sister, Daddy and I love you so much and we are so glad you joined our family.

Life lately with baby sister...

2011-08-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

We have been adjusting to life with two kids! It was a little overwhelming at first, but Avery has done so well and Adalyn is such a good baby so far, so we have been blessed in that way. Needless to say, there is no down time at all with a very busy 3 year old and a newborn but I love it! Here's a few pics from the last week..

All ready for her first Doctor's appt a few days after she came home. Big Sister went to stay with my parents for a few days and had a blast. It was really nice for us as well to get some rest. I had forgotten how easy just having a newborn is!
Getting examined by Dr. Adams. She checked out perfectly healthy!

Her first bath! She liked it pretty well.
She seems to like the swing and bouncy seat, although she is barely in them because I can't put her down:)

Avery adores her and has done so well as a new big sister. I'm sure some jealousy will come later but the first two weeks she has done great! She wants to share everything, show Adalyn all of her toys, play with her like she's a doll, gives a million kisses a day and constantly is decorating her with stickers.:) The first day we brought Adalyn home and Avery heard her cry for the first time, she started crying and got really upset. She thought Adalyn was hurt and it upset her. It was the sweetest thing! She has gotten used to hearing the crying now and will immediately want me to fix it. She will say, "Mom, is she poopy, does she need to burp, do you need to feed her??" She's a good little second mommy:)

Playing with baby sister in her doll crib.

Sisters

2011-08-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

"A sister is

a little bit of childhood that can never be lost.

A gift from God to make life worthwhile.

She is a forever friend."

~Marion C. Garretty

Birth Story-part 3

2011-08-18T09:18:00.001-07:00

We got to go home on day 3! We were more than ready to get home even though everyone at the hospital was awesome and treated us so well. I totally meant to take a picture of Adalyn with all the sweet friends and family who came to see her and I completely failed! I did get all the family but not even half of the friends that came by. Thanks to everyone who came by to share this important time with us. We are blessed to have such great friends!!

Nini and her second granddaughter :)
Rocking with Papa
Aunt Laura! Adalyn will grow up to adore her just like Aves does:)
Uncle Blaine and Aunt Laura
Great-grandparents with their 3rd great-grandbaby!
My sweet Aunt Gina and cousin Justin
Grandpa!
Uncle Josh and Aunt Alicia
Adalyn's adorable cousins, Gage and Griffin
Sweet Tiffany or "TT" as Avery sometimes calls her
The Jackson Fam, love them!
Sweet friends, the Averys'

Going Home pictures!!

How cute is she??!

Avery was thrilled when we get home!
She ran and got her favorite blanket that she calls her "night night" and said, "I want to share this with Adalyn!" This is a big deal because it's her most prized possession. She is such a sweet big sister!
Avery had to try out all the baby stuff with the "real baby" :)

Adalyn's Birth Story-part 2

2011-08-17T19:21:00.000-07:00

Day two in the hospital was a good day! Luke and I enjoyed cuddling miss Adalyn all day, I'm pretty sure she never touched the crib except when the nurses put her in it. ;)

Avery came up to the hospital that morning to have the long awaited meeting of her baby sister. She was so excited. Luke and I were prepared for anything because we knew it might be a little hard or shocking for her. She did great! It still makes me cry thinking about it. She ran in with the biggest smile and gave Adalyn her gift she had picked out weeks ago.(a baby blanket like the one she has) She just stared at her and smiled. Adalyn was awake and stared back and turned her head to Avery's voice. I think she was thinking, "there's that little voice I've heard for so long!" It was a very sweet moment!

Sweet girl all clean after her bath and warming up under the warmer

Bundle of love!!
These pictures melt me......

Mommy, Daddy and baby sis got Avery a new doll and book. The first thing Avery wanted to do was read to Adalyn.

Adalyn's Birth Story- Part 1

2011-08-15T10:33:00.001-07:00

August 8, 2011 was a very special day for our family. Adalyn was born at 10:27 pm. She weighed 6lb 13oz and was 18in. long. Avery became a big sister and mine and Luke's heart doubled.

That morning I woke up and had a feeling it was going to be the day. I had contractions on and off the day before but nothing regular. My contractions started around 8:30 am that morning and were about 15-20 minutes apart and nothing too painful. I went about the day as usual. I knew life would be very different so I did my best to have a fun day with Avery. She wanted to go to lunch at Subway and get a prize a Target so that's what we did. While sitting in Subway I realized that my contractions were getter a little closer and more painful. I called my family after lunch and told them to head to Denton cause I thought we would have a baby at least in the next 24 hours. Avery I and went home around 1pm and cleaned house, played and packed bags. She didn't really know what was happening yet but she knew baby sister would be here soon. She was more excited that Aunt Laura, Uncle Blaine, Nini and Papa were on their way. :)

By 6pm that night I was hurting and knew we better leave soon. My contractions were 8 minutes apart and I had been told to wait till they were 5-7 minutes apart to head to the hospital. I really wanted to bathe Avery and put her to bed myself that night. She hadn't had a nap and was actually ready for bed by 7 which never ever happens. She usually goes down around 8:30-9pm. I bathed her and tucked her in bed by 7:15. I remember reading to her while breathing through contractions. It was kinda crazy but I really wanted to spend that time with her. :)

My sweet friend Tiffany came to sit at the house with Avery in bed and Luke and I rushed off to the hospital. We checked in and were in the room at 8pm. They got me all ready, started the IV and sent my labs. I was at 6cm at this point. My nurse told me I could have the epidural by 9:15 after the labs were back and Doctor was there. I figured I could tough it out till then. She said, "We'll have a baby by 3am I bet!" Something told me that it would be sooner than that! A lot of it is a blur after that. Long story short, it all went very fast after that. I started panicking and knew that she was coming fast. My nurse(who I loved) came in then to tell me the saddest news ever, the CRNA had to rush to an emergency C-section and I would have to wait another hour for the epidural. I knew then that I would never get it cause this baby was coming fast! That's when every bit of strength I ever thought I had came out. To all of you women who have had a planned natural birth, I admire you more now than ever! I had an epidural with Avery and though it started to wear off at the end, it was so much easier and peaceful. When God said He would greatly increase the pains of childbirth, He was not joking around. ;)

By 9:45 ish, I was 8cm and my water broke. At 10:27 Adalyn entered this world. I was in the worst pain of my life but as soon as she was born, It was over and I was so in love. It was a really special time. Luke was overwhelmed and in shock to say the least. It was so much different than Avery's birth and he was not prepared to see me like that. He did great and was so supportive of me. I actually left marks on his body, ha! My mom and sister were in the room as well and took great pictures and some video after she was born. It was a day I'll never forget; so blessed to have another sweet daughter and so thankful she is healthy.

Last pregnant pic

This is how I spent most of the time in labor, the death grip on the side rail. Unfortunately, the side rail was replaced with Luke's arm and even the nurse's arm at one point. :)
Adalyn's first pic!
Daddy cutting the cord
Love at first sight! Everyone had told me that somehow your heart just makes enough room for two children. To be honest, I couldn't imagine this. I couldn't imagine loving someone else like I love Avery, but the second I saw her, it happened and my heart grew.

Adalyn and Daddy. He claimed his "allergies" were acting up the whole birth :)

Dr. Cummings is the best Doctor ever!! Seriously love this guy!

Precious girl
First pic with mommy and daddy

We love you Adalyn and we are so blessed to have you in our family!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Avery!

2011-08-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Avery,

You are getting so big! I cannot believe you are three years old today! Words cannot express how much I love you and how proud I am of you. You are such a sweet little girl.

You certainly have changed a lot this last year. You have conversations with me now just like an adult. You make me laugh every day without fail. You love to be silly, dance, dress up, sing, show off, and talk to every one you see. You have a very sensitive heart and are always concerned when someone is sad or hurt. Even though you are super busy, you always seem to notice how other people are feeling. I love that about you. To say you are super busy might even be an understatement! You are always on the go! You really never sit still except for maybe a Bubble Guppies or Peppa Pig episode. You also love crafts and you're constantly making pictures for people. The other day you made a picture, put in an envelope with a sticker for the stamp and ran out to give it to the mailman. So sweet! You also really love to read. You could sit and read 100 books in a row with me or Daddy and never get bored. You have recently started liking to "read"to us as well. It's the cutest thing. You like to read to baby sister too. This year you got a new baby sister and she is the best gift Daddy and I could ever give you. I'm so happy you have a sister to grow up with! You already adore her and have done better with the new role as a big sister than we ever imagined. You amaze me every day and I feel so blessed to be your mommy!

I love you to the moon and back!

Love, mommy

Baby Girls

2011-08-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

We brought our sweet little girl home yesterday! She arrived fast and furiously on Aug.8th at 10:27 pm. She weighed 6lb 13oz and was 18in. long. We are doing well and enjoying being home. Avery is doing awesome as a big sister! I love my baby girls so much! Having Adalyn brings back so many memories of when Avery was a newborn. Maybe cause they look so much alike?! Check out their going home car seat pics, can you tell who is who?? It's kinda crazy! Adalyn has her own look for sure but there are times that I look at her and have to remind myself. So precious! I'll update with more pics and the birth story when I find the time. Who knows when that will ever be! :)

PS ( Avery is in the first pic and Adalyn in the second:)

Pregnant Belly :)

2011-08-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

I love pregnant tummies! I always smile when I see someone pregnant. It's just a sweet sweet time. I will say, having a pregnant tummy in the hottest Texas summer EVER is not fun. Hauling this sweet girl around in 110 degrees is quite challenging! I'm sure I will miss being pregnant though. (as soon as I forgot how hot I was:) God is so creative to grow babies in their mommy's womb.

Avery loves to put stickers and give kisses to my tummy all the time for Adalyn. It's too sweet. Today I let her "paint" Adalyn. She thought this was so fun! Adalyn was squirming around the whole time as if she knew. Sweet memories!

We love you Adalyn and can't wait to meet you soon!!!
Avery also colored a picture to give her after she is born. She usually is just so active going 100 miles an hour all the time that her paintings are finished quickly with little thought because she is too "busy". She really concentrated on this picture and worked hard. She says it's a rainbow on the left and every one in our family on the right plus some trees and a sun. So precious!

Probably the last prego pic I take...me at 39 weeks!

Circus Memories

2011-08-04T19:41:00.000-07:00

We are stilling waiting around on baby sister to make her appearance and in the meantime we are soaking up special times with Avery while it's just us three. Some sweet friends from church gave us free tickets to the Barnum and Bailey Circus in Dallas and we went last night. It was a very neat experience. Lots of fun things to see and Avery really enjoyed it. Special memories I won't forgot! Cannot wait to start making memories with Avery and Adalyn together:)Mommy, Avery and Addy too :)

Sweet profile of Aves taking it all in
Love this little family!!

Making Room for Baby

2011-07-31T23:22:00.001-07:00

Baby Adalyn is almost here, any day now really! We can't wait! I think everything is ready, funny how the second time around you are a little more laid back about everything. Though if you told Luke I said I was laid back, he would probably laugh. ;)

We have been working in her room and my sweet sister came a few weeks back and really helped me get things washed and ready. Our bags are packed and we are just waiting on Addy!!

Here are a few pics of the nursery...

The color in this pic turned out weird. I made this to hang above her crib out of an old candle holder. I removed the glass, spray painted, found some birds to paint and attach and then hung the letters from the"branch". Her bedding has some little birds on the bumper that you cannot really see in the pics. I was happy with how it turned out and how little I had to spend!

Avery has really loved playing in the baby's room. She plays with her babies in there all the time. She tells me that her baby's name is "Adawyn" too but a different Adalyn, not her sister. So cute! She says she wants to change all of baby sister's diapers and put her to sleep in her crib when she gets here. I love how excited she is! We put the infant seat in my car the other day and when she saw it next to her car seat, she squealed and said, "Yay! I have a friend to talk to in the back seat!"

Poor baby girl doesn't have many bows to choose from at all ;)
This is what I find in the crib on a daily basis!

Seems like yesterday this sweet "baby" was sleeping in the same crib. :(