First Haircut

Avery Reese's bangs have literally been in her eyes for a while now. But if she wore the many cute bows I have purchased for her, we would not have an issue with the extra long bangs. (Ok, she also may have had a mini mullet). I have taken it upon myself to trim her bangs a few times, but this has not been an easy or fun task for anyone in the family. It typically takes at least two of us: me to do the actual trimming and someone else to entertain Avery Reese. If you have spent any amount of time with Avery Reese you would understand the forces of nature it requires to keep her seated and still for any amount of time.

So there is this adorable salon near my office who specialize with children, Pigtails and Crewcuts. Brad joined me yesterday afternoon because we were not sure how this event was going to go down. As we entered the salon, Avery Reese clung to Brad with all her might, while I was once again distracted by all the pretty bows. Avery Reese was reluctant to sit in the cool police car chair, but once the stylist offered her some animal crackers, she was cool. And the cutting began.

Avery Reese did amazing, she enjoyed her snack and the cute girl looking back at her in the mirror. The haircut was over before it began.....those women are amazing!

Before the haircut....oh yeah, she has a black eye in these photos (school bully)

Trimming away the mini mullet

I can see, Mommy!

Finished product....I couldn't resist buying a new bow.

Easter Weekend

Easter was amazing this year!! Avery Reese was old enough to hunt for eggs and get goodies from the Easter Bunny which was so much fun for Brad and I too. We had been practicing hunting eggs around the house for about 2 weeks. I wanted to make sure she understood the concept. She quickly picked up the "hunting", but had difficulty hunting and carrying her basket, which is about as big as she is. But hey, this was an easy fix....an adult would simple carry her basket for her, so she could concentrate on finding those glorious eggs.

So we planned to attend a public Easter egg hunt on Saturday. We went with some friends because I just knew this was going to be a great opportunity for photos with the girls in their pretty dresses. We woke up Saturday morning to soggy, muddy grass....great! We decided to tredge on and attend the event, but Avery Reese was not going to wear her pricey monogrammed Easter dress.

As soon as we registered to hunt Avery Reese fell down and scraped her knee, so now she was upset and dirty. I thought to myself, this has to get better. The actual egg hunt was a bust, Avery Reese only got 2 eggs (we believe there was some cheating). But the girls had fun running around the park and playing with one another

Easter Sunday was great! We attended a wonderful church service. Later in the afternoon we went over to Mama Judy's to eat ham with all the fixings. Avery Reese was surprised with another visit from the Easter Bunny...he gave her a set of keys with a clicker. Since the weather was so much nicer and the competition was nill, we had another egg hunt; this one was much more successful.

Spring-ier Weather

We have been enjoying the warm and sunny spring weather the past 2 weekends. Avery Reese loves the park and we all can't wait to take more advantage of it in the months to come.



Assisting Daddy with his lunch

Running free!!

You have to stick your tongue out when you swing

Sliding with Mommy. Not too much longer and she won't need me anymore.

Weeeeee!

New York, New York

I recently took an adventure with a co-worker to New York City. We went for a continuing education conference. We left on Saturday and returned on Tuesday, so it was a short trip but not without some adventures!! This was only my second time to be away from Avery Reese overnight and it was 4 long days!! Brad really stepped up and was a single parent working and being a daddy for these four gruesome days. (We later discovered Avery Reese had a double ear infection and along I just thought she was missing her Mommy).

My co-worker and I are alike in many ways, but as the trip progressed I realized how different we are too. Our roles for the trip were quickly established: I was the Cruise Director and she was the tourist. I was the responsible one in charge of flight times, directions in the city, hotel key, receipts for the trip, etc. She was in charge of having a good time. Don't get me wrong, I was there to have fun, but one of us had to be responsible.

This was my second trip to New York City and a very different experience for me. Last time my best friend, Amber lived there so I didn't have to manage around this big city on my own. If you know me well, you know I am not good with directions (I still get lost in Little Rock). I was able to single-handedly find our way to our conference each morning, figured out the subway system, and get us to the airport, which was in Queens by the way.

We had a great time! We visited Times Square, Rockefellar Center, Central Park, China Town, and got to know the neighborhood around us, Tribeca. I won't scare you all with some of our adventures, but China Town was SCARY!! Food was great, drinks were expensive, and manicures/pedicures were cheap. All around a great trip....oh yeah and the conference was great, I learned alot.

Amish Market in our neighborhood "Tribeca" where we ate lunch one day

Times Square

Radio City Music Hall

Central Park....I'm sure it is more beautiful in the spring and summer months

Our hotel and breakfast cafe next door

Snow Day!!

We have had 2 unexpected snow days and while I should be doing something productive like cleaning out closets or the refrigerator, we have just been enjoying the extra time together dancing and being silly. Avery Reese really enjoys the snow, she likes to listen to it crunch when we walk. Although the reflection of the sun off the snow is not her favorite, she is fascinated by this white stuff. Nonetheless, we have taken advantage of the snow.

Gearing up with Mommy's snow boots

Smile...its snow!

Brad is measuring the snow on our patio furniture.....4 inches!

Might as well teach her some chores during these long days.

Cupcakes and Tutu's.......1st Birthday Party

We celebrated Avery Reese's 1st birthday party on Saturday; it turned out amazing! We had plenty of food, the cupcakes were perfect, Avery Reese was happy and looked too cute in her birthday outfit, and we had plenty of friends and family to celebrate with.

After a couple of presents, she finally got the idea behind "unwrapping". Her fellow party goers (Kennedi, Katilyn, and Zach) also enjoyed her gifts. Quickly after opening gifts we stripped the birthday girl down to her diaper for the big finale......smashing the cake! (On Tuesday we had a practice run with the smash cake during her one year photo session, so I was not worried about this portion of the party). She dug right in to the cake, icing on both hands, up her arms, in her hair, everywhere, but her mouth. Apparently my child is not a huge fan of icing, she shivered when she received a small taste. Avery Reese preferred to throw her cake and share it with others. She eventually dug deep enough into the icing and discovered cake; she enjoyed that. Overall, I could not have asked for a better party or birthday girl.

I still can't believe my baby girl is already one! Brad and I were reminiscing about our car ride home from the hospital with her.....we were scared to death. I can't say we have changed that much today. Avery Reese is amazing and we thank God for her everyday. Happy Birthday!

Our Pumpkin

Avery Reese had a fabulous 1st Halloween. She was an adorable pumpkin. She dressed up for school on Friday and trick-or-treated around campus. I dressed up for work as well.....notice those photos are not posted. She didn't mind dressing in costume, but was not too sure about me in costume. Then on Saturday she visited her two grandma's who live nearby. But Saturday evening is when the real fun began. We decided to stay at home and pass out candy to the neighborhood kiddos and Avery Reese had so much fun. She spent the entire evening sitting in our entry hall watching through the glass, just waiting for the trick-or-treaters. Don't tell them, but I think she licked every piece of candy in the bucket......oh well.




Halloween class photo.....pumpkin, duck, devil, double-stuffed oreo and dinosaur




Trick-or-treating on the bye-bye buggy around school

A perfect little pumpkin