I recently had a session with a very cute girl in honor of her fourth birthday. This session had been rescheduled a couple of times due to weather, so when the forecast looked sunny I texted her momma and we met the next evening!She is seriously such an adorable girl and on.the.go. She was very excited about trying to catch a duck and I have no doubt the highlight of the session for Miss J was when her older sister caught a duckling. The ducklings were all following their momma, crossing a road, and one got scooped up for a few seconds of extra attention.And speaking of that older sister, she was really sweet. It was fun to watch the sisters together and see the tenderness between the two.
No doubt J keeps her on her toes, but you can tell she genuinely loves loves loves her little sister.Happy belated birthday J! I hope you have an amazing fourth year! Sincerely, Miss Avery's Momma. ;)
I've been eagerly awaiting Mother's Day 2011 for the last few days. Not because I was anticipating an expensive gift, but because it's a day I get to do what I want. And honestly, what I wanted was a little bit of ME time. I felt a little guilty about that as I sent my husband and baby out of the room this morning, but the feelings were short-lived as I lay in bed reading an old book.Avery has been in the midst of an awful stomach virus since the wee hours of Friday morning and by Saturday night I was feeling a little frazzled. Partly from lack of sleep, partly because I felt everything in the house reeked of vomit, but mostly because I felt so helpless in being able to help her feel better except wait it out and pray. Such is the nature of a virus I suppose, but it really sucks.She's doing much better today and we spent a little time in the backyard this evening. I was hoping to get a few pictures of us together because it's been months since I've gotten in a photo with her. However, she was not really in the mood for photos. And by "not really," I mean AT ALL. She was happily sitting on an old CPU in the office when I asked her to come outside and she was very upset to leave her post atop the old machine. Ah well, it's us right now. 
Thanks so much to Deran for taking a few pictures of Avery and me, and for giving me time today to do what I wanted, even if it was a whole lot of nothing. I hope all of you moms and moms-to-be enjoyed an excellent day as well! I'm so thankful to have an amazing/generous/Godly/loving/thelistcouldgoonforever Momma! I'm also grateful for all the other moms in my life, my mother-in-law, stepmother-in-law, and all of the aunts, sisters (in-law), and friends/family that have shared tips and experiences and life in general with me. Moms are great! :)
Today is Deran's birthday and because it's on the fifth day of the fifth month and five is his favorite number, I'm going to list five things I love about him right now.1. His mad Words With Friends skillz. Though I'm not a huge fan of the gloating. But whatevs, I suppose I have to let him win a game now and again to keep the peace.2. His ambition. He's always reading and attending conferences and trying to stay on top of the technological advances in his field. And Internet, he enjoys it.3. His smell. It's strange because I wash our laundry together yet his shirts always smell better and distinctly Deran. I think my shirts smell like a drawer which is just, eh.4. His parenting. He's a great dad and we're pretty much on the same page so it's like I'm giving myself a pat on the back. Good job Amy, good job!5. His love. I love his love. Sometimes I'm strange, no doubt, but D? He just shakes his head and loves me anyway. I love that.Happy Birthday Husband, thirty-one is going to be a great year for you! But because he'd never let me snap picture willingly, I'm just going to re-post one that makes me smile. They both look so crazy, love the picture and the people!
Technically, she's still one. Twenty-one months is hitting me a little hard even though month 20 passed slowly it's like, here we are! Another month closer to TWO! We've been around several younger babies recently and it's really made me notice how much of a toddler Avery has become. At 21 months she likes Ming Ming, bup-pies (puppies), Elmo, fish, breastfeeding, being a tiny baby, noonles (noodles), and being outside. She dislikes cats, automatic car washes, and being told no. It's funny how she's held onto some of her likes and dislikes over the months, she's really never been a fan of NO unless she's dishing it out!It doesn't matter what time of day, if you ask her what she wants to eat she says, "Noonles." So I make a lot of noodles around here. She's actually starting to eat more food! Probably not as much as the typical 21 month old, but a lot for Avery and she's clearly still very healthy! She's also going through a tiny baby phase right now, where she likes to be swaddled and held close and we fuss over her and proclaim her tiny baby status. I'm actually holding her in my lap now, all bundled up as I type this monthly missive. I suppose we spoil her a little, but you guys, she's so dang adorable!We spend a lot of time coloring, puzzling, reading, playing with stickers, and playing outside. Avery loves markers and I love that they're washable. She's usually really great about coloring on paper but every now and again she gets a wild hair to frantically scribble on something else, namely herself. I'm so glad she enjoys books and being read to every day. She will pick book after book and bring it back to my lap to sit and read. I hope she always loves to read!Her vocabulary is expanding daily. She doesn't talk in full sentences yet, but I feel like it's coming. We get a lot of two or three word phrases. Mostly with a "Mommy!" in front. Like, "Mommy, help!" or "Mommy, no!" or "Mommy, up!" And lately she's taken to calling me Amy when Mommy isn't working fast enough. But when I said, "Wait, what's my name?" She said, "Momma." So it was all good. She also likes to point out the mommy, daddy, and baby in groups of objects. The other morning I sat her on the toilet and went to get something off the bed and turned around to see her looking down, pointing at the elephants on her pajamas and saying, "Momma, baby, momma, baby." It was really cute! And speaking of toilets, we're still working on potty training. She's really open to going on the toilet so I think we're headed in the right direction and the goal is still to have her trained before the jumbo pack of diapers is gone!She LOVES to be outside! We recently planted a garden and a couple of trees in the backyard and one day while we were out watering, Avery kept sticking her head in the line of spray for a drink. It was such a perfect moment with the evening sun shining on her blond hair, the front of her dress all wet and muddy from helping me outside, and the biggest smile on her face as she kept playing in the water hose. Right then, I made a mental note to try and always remember this time of her second spring. I know she won't remember these days, but they are so golden. She has no worries, no insecurities, no problems - just a lot of love directed her way from a couple of parents who adore their favorite girl. The monthly iPhone photo tribute:
Happy 21 month birthday sweet girl, we love you lots!
Much like the wedding post, I'm sharing this reception a little late. But better late than never, right? Right?! Yes, yes that's right. We left the church shortly after the ceremony was over and headed downtown to a lovely restaurant. The bride and groom were kind enough to include the photographer and DJ for dinner, so I can tell you first hand that the meal was delicious! In talking with the bride and groom before the big day, they both stressed the importance of capturing the guests. It's the people that matter and when it's all said and done, they wanted to look back on the friends and family who celebrated along side them. So that's what I did, I photographed the guests. Mostly when they knew to look my way...And sometimes when they didn't. :)There were lots of sweet moments between the bride and groom. Many glasses clinking for them to steal another kiss.And I'd like to point out that this pair could get down. Literally! They had a great DJ and it didn't take long for the crowd to fill the dance floor.
And I'll be honest, I may have had a little skip in my step as I moved around. He played some good tunes!After a little cake and a sweet toast by the best man, this couple ended the night much like it began...with a lot of love and a dance.
