this kills me!

Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

We LOVE YOU!!!

Avery's birthday party and family dinner!

we had avery's birthday party yesterday with some of her friends and a family get together after that. today she and asher both had to make a visit to the doctor. both are doing great. avery is 3 ft 1 in and weighs 29 lbs. asher is 27 inches and weighs 18.5 lbs. this time avery had to go potty in a cup and get her blood pressure checked. she is officially a big girl. she did have to get one shot, but she handled it like a trooper. poor asher had to have 4. daddy got his flu shot while there. here are some pics from the birthday party and the family get together.

the gang of preschoolers can't wait for the cupcakes and swimming
mmmm!
Olivia and Avery discussing their baby brothers

Henry (3 months) and Asher (6 months)

my, it's a nice day out

Avery can't wait until Asher can sit up in the tub

Asher and mom in deep conversation about the merits of sleeping all night. As you can see, he doesn't quite buy into it's benefits yet.

See my toy? I can sit up and play with it like a BIG BOY!

That title has nothing to do with this post. I just couldn't come up with a good title. And, it is a gorgeous day outside.



We did a little shopping yesterday for Avery's birthday party. She's having a little get together this Sunday at an indoor water park type place. I know she is so excited and it's been super fun this year to make plans together with her input, etc.



Today shawn and i both looked at asher and thought, "he's getting so big!" he's such a doll and so laid back! And, boy does he like to cuddle! mmm, love it.

trouble sleeping?

no problem! books work wonders!

Love catching our kiddos in the act...of napping.

four generations...almost

i missed the photo op - actually wasn't asked to be in the pic...no hard feelings...much.

avery with her gamma, kk & gigi

i am one with the tree. can you see me? look harder, i'm right HERE!

had a late lunch at Cafe Express over at the Shops at Legacy for my parents birthdays. It was very cold. We stopped at Shockolad for an afternoon goodie. My aunt and grandmother each got ONE piece of candy. They were $2.50 and $3.50 each! I'm talking a 2x2 inch square of chocolate. I, on the other hand, paid $3.50 for a small hot chocolate - pure HEAVEN and oh, so worth it! I have NEVER tasted hot chocolate like this. You know the chocolate river in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Had to have tasted like this.

best friends

avery & olivia - bff :-)

the kids

"hey sis, i like your hair! can i have some?"
"no, asher, that's not nice."
"aw, c'mon. you're always stickin' it in my face!"










go away mom! i'm trying to sleep! okay, maybe i'm already out and it sure is dark in here! (thanks, Kristi, for the homemade lovey!)

wedding dress revisited

at least somebody looks cute in it!

When we picked the kids up from my parents house this evening, i saw my wedding dress in "avery's" room. I decided to bring it home. Avery wanted to wear it and i wanted to try it on. yeah, right. that thing is not even close to zipping up. what a reality check and i'm only 6 years out. shawn was helping with the zipper and was so charming:

"that thing ain't coming up." i suck in even harder.

"let me get a tape measure. it's at least a good 6 inches if it fit comfortably." AH, silly man! But when does a wedding dress fit comfortably in the first place. It's good and tight from the get go. I have him pull even tighter while i smush my chest.

"that's about an inch apart but the waist is not even gonna happen." yeah, well, your gut is starting to catch up with you, mister!

a new goal - get the dress zipped up.

Change is good

I needed a change to the look of this blog. I also upgraded to blogger beta which is nice (not sure why. it is easier to navigate and i figured out links!)

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" was originally used in the medieval church liturgy as a series of antiphons-short musical statements that were sung for the week of vesper services just before Christmas Eve. Each of these antiphons greets the anticipated Messiah with one of the titles ascribed Him throughout the Old Testament: Wisdom, Emmanuel, The Lord of Might, The Rod of Jesse, Dayspring, and The Key of David. from cbn.com

O come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Key of David, come, And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high, And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might, Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times did'st give the Law, In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.

i like that shirt.

Decorating Christmas Cookies

Me and my girl

Like sister, like brother

Both kiddos at 5 months, respectively

I was looking through pictures of avery at 5 - 6 months and it's uncanny how much the two of them look alike. I'll have to post some pics and have you guys figure out who is who. The red hair is the only major giveaway (and if she is wearing pink)...but that can be taken care of with black and white.

How time flies...

Avery and her "Gamma" - my mom

lovin' those "wide open spaces"

Ah, what a smile!

I cannot believe it's December. We have been in this house almost a year (the 14th), Asher will be 6 months on the 10th and Avery will be 3 on the 18th!

Avery has really "grown up" over the past month alone. She potty trained and gave up her beloved pacie. She's become so independent and witty. The girl makes funny jokes. I'm looking forward to this birthday and Christmas. I think she's gonna really love them this year.

Asher is too cute. He is a big smiler and it melts our heart each and every time. We're working on eating solids right now - you can tell he wants to eat like his big sis but he hasn't figured out how to keep the food in his mouth. He loves his big sis. He'll hone in on her no matter what else is going on-nursing has become a bit of a challenge.

sim