Jack-o-Lanterns

 

Last week we (Rob) carved some pumpkins.  We haven't done this with Avery before so she didn't really get it when I was telling her we were making jack-o-lanterns.  When the Mickey pumpkin was finished and we turned the lights out and put the candle in it she whispered "wow." She then patted the pumpkin and said "he's a good Mickey."

She requested the other pumpkin have a "mad face."

2.5

It's been a while since I've detailed all the fun and not so fun things Avery is up to.  As I've said before, this blog is Avery's baby book as well as a journal of sorts for me.  So here is what Avery is up at one week shy of 2.5.

INDEPENDENT. OMG so independent.  In her mind.
Regular phrases we hear:

I do it.
I do it by myself.
I don't need help.
Let me do it.


Independence is awesome, and, obviously, we encourage it whenever possible.  But sorry, honey, you may not drive the car.

Helpful.  Veeeeeeery helpful.  I LOVE her helpful spirit.  Have you ever been helped by a toddler though?  It's actually the opposite of helpful.  When I do laundry she stands by me and I hand her each article of clothing so she can put it in the dryer.  It takes about 10x longer but it's very sweet.  The flip side is that if she helps you do something one time, that is FOREVER her job.  If you do it without her she will lose her ever-loving mind.  Tuesday morning was completely ruined because she wasn't up in time to push the button on the blender when I made smoothies.  I have also seen her fall into a heap of tears in front of the dog food bowl if she wasn't the one to put the food in it.

As I mentioned the other day she is becoming less and less of a scaredy cat on the playground.  She is more confident in her ability to climb, slide, and jump.

Every day she has a different favorite color.  Sometimes it's pink. Sometimes orange.  Sometimes brown.

The friends she talks about most from school are Cohen and Keelie.

When asked about her day she can usually recall what she had for lunch (the other day it was fish, but she told us it was STAR fish), if she played outside, or if she watched a show.

She LOVES Dora.  We have one Dora DVD and she will watch the entire thing, despite the fact that she's now seen it probably 20 times.  Mickey is still very popular.  Barney has fallen by the wayside.  She hasn't asked to watch the purple dinosaur in forever.  No one in our house has shed a tear over that.

She knows her colors, shapes, alphabet, can count to ten, and is "reading" (aka memorizing) books.

I'm working on emphasizing the difference between want and need.  I often hear
I NEED to watch Dora. 
I NEED to play Angry Birds.
I NEED to go outside.
I NEED to play my apps.

She loves to give hugs and kisses and is very loving.  She is funny.  And sweet.  And sassy.  And shy. And fun-loving. And smart.

She is the absolute joy of our lives.

Weekend Wrap-Up

On Monday!

Rob headed out Saturday morning for a mini-mancation to Norman to go to the football game.  Avery and I took full advantage of girl time by doing a little shopping around town on Saturday before we headed to a shower for my cousin.

Having a little snack while shopping

Showing off while changing clothes.
"Ta-Da"

Changing into OU gear

After the shower we went to Shannon's to see her new condo and watch the game.  The game got a late start due to storms, and we left about halftime.  

Sunday morning we went to the big playground a couple miles from our house.  If you recall just a month or two ago I was talking about our scaredy cat.  Well, she certainly seems to have grown out of that.

She did this slide twice

Ambitious, but maybe next time.

Later that afternoon I painted our nails, we had delicious chili for dinner, and went out for ice cream afterward.  

Awesome weekend!

School Photo 2011

A couple weeks ago they took school pictures.   I wasn't too pleased with the photographer the school chose.

One: the background is distracting and just an odd choice in general.

Two: they were ridiculously expensive ($15/4 wallets, $15/2 4x6s, and so on).

Three: the proofs were only available for viewing one day, in person, and you had to wait in line to see them over someone's should on a laptop.  And you had to order right then and there.

Bleh.  I hope the school chooses another photographer next time.

Anyway, here they are.  You can tell she really was doing her best to smile and get it over with.

She handled it much better than last year though!

Pumpkins & Cookies

So last weekend (see, I caught up)...

Saturday morning we went to the pumpkin patch by our house.  She had such a fun time.  She didn't really get that we were there to get some pumpkins, but after some urging I finally convinced her to pick out some small ones to take home.

"We going punkin' patch!"

It was a beautiful day!  We got there early before it got too warm (or crowded).  She played on the playground a bit, and we went home with our little pumpkins!

Saturday night Avery went to spend the night with Gigi and Pepaw while Rob and I went to dinner for our anniversary.

Sunday it was time to make some cookies with Avery.  My coworker's wife (Facebook page here) made a cute apron for her, and we needed to test it out.

She had so much fun making the cookies.  I think she's going to be a great little baker.  By the time the cookies were ready to be decorated, she had lost interest and was doing something else, so I hurriedly decorated them by myself.

Yes.  I decorated these all by myself, despite their distinct appearance of being decorated by a toddler.  It's ok.  I wasn't trying to win any prizes, and they tasted good.

OUvsTx & Brisket

I'm going to catch up very soon-bear with me!  I'm sure all three of you who follow this blog are on the edge of your seat...

We had contemplated going to Dallas for OU/TX weekend but time off work, money, and life in general just conflicted this year.  Instead, we headed to Lynn and Drew's to watch the game (and OU victory)!

"I drivin'"

Trying and failing to get a picture.

"Hey...I got a big, big stick!"

As you see, we weren't very diligent about taking pictures that day! But we had a good time, and went by Gigi & Pepaw's for dinner after the game.

The next day we had our annual brisket lunch.  It started a few years ago when Rob got my mom's brisket recipe.  Every year since we've had a big lunch of brisket, mashed potatoes, a huge vat of green beans, rolls, etc. etc. Basically, we make ourselves sick with delicious food!  I didn't have time to take many pictures-either of the food or the actual guests!  Fortunately the weather permitted us to eat outside on the deck, as the dining table we ordered arrived the previous Friday, damaged.

Pumpkin cooler

Hummus & ranch dip with veggies

AMAZING cheesecake Stephen made for Drew's birthday

Even though we definitely missed celebrating OU's victory in Dallas with friends, we had a good time at home (with friends)!

Zoo & Fair

I'm sorry.  It's Friday.  I'm tired and can't come up with any cute or witty titles.


Catching up again.  Two weekends ago.  We've had some fabulous weather the past couple of weeks, just perfect for the zoo!  Much-MUCH-better than the 110 degree temps back when we went in August.  We took Avery on the train for the first time, but other than that it was a pretty routine visit.

Sunday we headed out to the Tulsa State Fair with Lynn, Drew, Stephen, and Tim.  Another beautiful, warm day.  This was actually Avery's first trip to the fair.  She enjoyed it ok, but didn't care too much for being confined to the stroller for such a long time (we were there for about five hours)!  She took turns riding on shoulders.  Despite the fact that I am both ashamed and appalled at how much money we spent, it was a great day!

She loved the carousel

Had enough sweet potato fries

First fair corn dog

Sharing roasted corn with Stephen

Meat on a stick

View from the top

Getting sleepy

Cheese