It doesn't seem so long ago that this little boy was making his entrance into the world and now he's three and a big brother! Mr. B is the third, having the same name as both his father and grandfather. I think that makes year three extra special since he's three and a third. :)He did such a great job and though we tried to stick to the shade, it was really hot out! And after pointing out the rocks on the ground, he pretty much just wanted to find rocks and throw them at the wall. He really has a great arm, I ducked out of the way a few times!I love that there's just a hint of three year old mischief in his smile. I'm pretty sure throwing the rocks was his favorite part of the morning.But I doubt even rocks compare to his beloved monkey. I asked him if his monkey had a name and he said, "Yes. Monkey." Of course we had to get him in a couple of pictures too! We stopped to play with cars for a few minutes and he was particularly fond of one truck. He hid it behind his back and was all, "Where did it go?" before happily revealing it to us. It was really cute!It was an eventful morning to be sure, after running out of gas for the SECOND time in a month, our session got off to a late start. Thanks so much for everything R, your oldest boy (much like your youngest boy) is totally adorable and I know one day he'll come to appreciate photos as much as you! ;)
I was first contacted by L in May. She said her husband would be home on leave in June and it was time for family photos! I met up with this gorgeous couple and their sweet baby boy on a Monday evening and it was such a perfect summer night!Little C really did so well during our time together. And he's really fast, no doubt he keeps everyone on their toes! Thankfully there were a couple of grandparents and uncles on hand to keep him out of trouble so I was able to get a few pictures of his lovely parents. They're a really cute couple and I do believe they started dating in high school - oh, young love! :)It was so nice meeting the whole family and I'm glad we were able to get everyone together! More to come of the entire H Family later this week!!
This has been a hectic couple of weeks filled with sessions and lots of family fun. Deran was off a couple of extra days and I feel like we got exactly nothing accomplished at home. We spent some time with my in-laws and sadly I'm feeling quite sore after a two inning game of wiffle baseball that was played on Tuesday. This is Thursday. I would like to point out that my team, consisting of me, Deran, and his older brother D, totally stomped the other team. It's always a good idea when playing games of any kind to pair my brother-in-law and I together as we're both excellent winners and don't care to lose. And sure, the other team may have consisted of two grandpas and an eleven year old, but they also had my martial artist sister-in-law! Four against three and we couldn't be stopped! Please note I said I was an excellent winner, not gracious. Anyway, I'm sore two days later. I'm scheduled to have a makeover tomorrow with a cousin currently at the half-way mark of her cosmetology schooling. I keep telling myself it's just hair. Plus, she always looks pretty and has really great hair so I don't think she could make me look awful. I doubt I share pictures because I'm not really in the wanting-to-be-photographed frame of mind. However, I have no doubt I will boast of her abilities and send you all her way for any hair and beauty needs!I've rambled long enough. I have lots to share but for now I'll end with a boy and his mustached monkey.Have a good weekend!
I'm so thankful to be living in America, land of the free. Today we attended a celebration at our local park and Internet, we didn't have to pay for anything! An added bonus was running into various cousins and friends!There were ponies.And small sleeping goats.And thirsty lemurs...wearing diapers.
And lots of lemons.And loved ones having fun! Mostly.There was a rock wall.And a mechanical bull.A firetruck on display.And a band.And a cute girl with a flag. In the last photo she held up the flag, looked up at Deran and said, "Daddy, hold it please?" The request to have him hold her flag isn't particularly cute, but she seriously has the most adorable little voice. LOVE her!!It was a very full afternoon and our plans for the evening changed. Deran and I were both pooped and Avery hadn't had a nap so we decided not to party with the Schilling family tonight. After leaving the park I told Deran that next year I really would like to go watch the fireworks because Avery's never seen any. So he pulled into the library and we sat in the car, then moved to the grassy area beside the building to enjoy the show.It was kind of nice, hanging out under the stars, away from the crowd and a mile from home. Avery insisted upon sitting in my lap which made picture taking kind of hard, but she was being really cute!Happy 235th Birthday, America!
It's official, this is the last month I'll be telling strangers Avery's age in months. I fully intend to continue her monthly updates because it's a great way to help me remember milestones and who she is and what she does every month. However, I've decided that once she turns two, I'll say she's...well, two. Oh, woe is me! Ah well, life moves forward and besides, she's still only twenty-three months right now!At 23 months Avery loves Dora, Wonder Pets, outer space, riding (scooting) her bike, playing at the park, eating noodles, eating any random thing she finds ANYWHERE, playing with her babies, and of course Mommy & Daddy! She dislikes not getting her way, being told NO, and this organic flavored water beverage.She's taken to calling me Amy quite often and I know it's just a phase so I'm trying to push past the pain. Sometimes I remind her to call me Mommy, sometimes I tell her I don't know who Amy is, and sometimes I just answer her because we're busy or talking and it is my name after all - I'm used to answering to it. Her vocabulary is expanding daily and a certain husband must learn to watch his mouth. He dramatically asked me why I hated him the other day and Avery piped up with "Hate?" So Deran was all, "No, we love. Say love!" And she yelled back, "HAAAATE!" Lovely. For the record, we don't hate one another, he was just trying to get my attention because I wasn't listening to him. Here's a list of a few of my favorite Avery words and phrases, with helpful correct pronunciations, at 23 months: Hess (yes), Worry (sorry), Nope, Doodoo Hock (cuckoo clock), Durdle Dut (turtle Tuck), Wenny (Lenny), Moose (move - still cute!), Milt (milk), Mitmus (Christmas), Dhost (ghost), Ha Hooo (ho ho, as in Santa Claus), Backbus (cactus), Diedo (Diego), Oss (off), Help me, Hold it, hold me, No more bed, C'mon let's go, and Oh no! There are so many more that I can't think of right now, but pretty much anything she says is darn cute.
And I really have to devote a separate post to The Wonder Pets and how those pets have completely invaded our lives and reality, but for now just a short tale. Avery really loves one episode where they save the visitor, an alien. They go into space and she's pretty much been crazy about space ever since. We were at the library one day and in preparation for a visit from a NASA representative, the children's section had lots of books on space on display. I was already halfway down an aisle, bending down searching for titles when I hear, "Amy, space! Spaaaace!" I look to my right and see Avery in front of a bookshelf, hands on her cheeks in surprised awe, staring at one of the books with a big picture of the moon and a rocket on the cover. So cute, but seriously, people are going to think I'm some random woman babysitting if she keeps calling me Amy!
We still manage to fit some school-ish time in most days. We're still working on letters and numbers. When I ask her what starts with the letter A, she always answers with, "Me." And it always makes me smile. "Indeed!" I say, "Avery does start with the letter A." She usually throws Oscar on the A list too and I totally get that because she learned the A says ah, and Oscar sounds like ah. I've been teaching her how to count like The Count from Sesame Street. She tries hard to manipulate her fingers and it's always cute to watch. She mostly says two over and over when counting like The Count, but it's still really hilarious to hear, "Ah ah, Doo (two) ah ah, doo ah ah," until she gets through five fingers. Since the beginning, Deran and I have both really loved to see her learn and discover new things. Every day is an opportunity to learn about the world around her and we never tire of watching her try to figure it all out.
I feel like I'm leaving so much out but it's hard to remember it all right now, it seems like she's growing up and changing so much from week to week. I feel like the last month has passed in a blur of playgrounds, playdates, and fun family time. I love this age and stage. Deran recently said he likes to watch new parents because you can see the love and wonder for new life and an adorable baby that's a part of them. Maybe he doesn't realize that 23 months later, he still wears the same love in his eyes as he looks at her as he did in those first few moments. She has our whole hearts, how blessed we feel to call her ours. Her 23rd month iPhone photo tribute:Happy 23 month birthday sweet girl, we love you lots!
