Easter 2011

We had such a wonderful first Easter with Avery Nicole. I'm seriously loving all of these "firsts" and am overflowing with so much joy as Chris and I get to experience these things with eachother and with Avery.

Our small group had an Easter party on Saturday complete with an Easter egg hunt for all 20+ kids that were there. Obviously Avery did not participate, but she did get to be a part of the big group picture with all of the kiddos. What a fun memory (for Chris and me, since she obviously won't be remembering it *wink*)! Brad and Amy were so sweet to have us all over to their house and we enjoyed some delicious food and great fellowship with eachother. We are so blessed to be a part of this small group and look forward to the many more memories we will make with them.

(Don't forget you can click on each picture to enlarge them!!)

On Easter Sunday we went to our home church here in FL. Avery hung out in the nursery with her friends while Chris and I enjoyed a really wonderful Easter service. Our pastor's message was really great and was followed by the cardboard testimonies. If you've never heard of this or seen it done I encourage you to research it. The idea is that on one side you write one of your struggles and on the other side you write how God has saved you from that pain. A number of our congregation participated and I don't think there was a dry eye in the entire building. God works in each of our lives and uses different circumstances to ultimately bring us closer to Him. Those that shared their cardboard testimonies on Sunday had suffered from a great deal of pain in their lives, but in the end they have found faith and hope in God and have turned their pain into a means to glorify our God. It was so impactful.

After the service we went to my parents house where Avery got to have her first Easter egg hunt! She was very interested in how the eggs tasted. hehe. After her Easter egg hunt we all changed and headed to the marina where my parents rented a pontoon boat for my sister's 23rd birthday and Avery's half-birthday- both of which were on Monday the 25th. Aunt Tara also went with us and we had a very fun and relaxing 4 hours out on the water. Chris took his paddle board and it was so fun watching us all try it out. Bailey also got to go out with us and we put her in the water to try and improve her swimming skills.... she is absolutely TERRIFIED of the water and was shaking all over. She prefers to be on the boat instead of in the water.

...Avery with her Easter goodies....

...isn't our little bunny so precious?...

{family pictures}

...I love my baby girl oh so much....

....Avery with her Aunt Amanda...

...Avery with her Great-Aunt Tara (aka. Aunt TaTa)...

...I loved, loved, loved her Easter dress-she is so beautiful!...

...Mimi, Avery, and Granddaddy...

...mommy's favorite....

...Avery's first Easter egg hunt...

...Easter goodies from Mimi, Granddaddy and Aunt Amanda...

....Aunt Tara trying out the paddle board for the first time...

...she did it!!!...

...sister, sister... (ewww, I'm so pale next to her!)

...even Bailey tried out the board...

...happy birthday!!!...

...Avery's first time on a boat....

...love them....

There are a lot of pictures from our time on the boat, but I guess they are all on my parent's camera. I'll have get them and post them later for you all to see!

It was a wonderful Easter weekend and I'm so glad that we were able to celebrate Amanda's birthday as well. I hope you all have a wonderful time with family or friends as you celebrated our risen Savior.

We have a SITTER!!!

Over the past few weeks we've really been working with Avery in helping her to sit on her own. She has always had great head/neck control and has been learning to sit in her bumbo seat from an early age. We have also used her boppy pillow as a means in supporting her as she learns how to sit. She started out in a reclined position on her boppy and then moved to a seated position with surrounded support from her boppy. Just in the past week she has been able to sit without any support for a few seconds before toppling over. On April 21, I say she truly sat for the first time without any support because it was the first time I was able to snap a few pictures while she remained sitting! We still have to be close by in case she begins to fall over, but every day she is able to sit for longer periods by herself. It is unbelievable that our little girl is already sitting on her own.... when did she grow from a newborn into a sitter?!!?

{Practicing sitting with her boppy pillow}

{April 21, 2011- sitting for the first time without any support!!}

{It is so wierd to see her from this new angle!}

Avery laughing while chasing Bailey Video

Avery LOVES Bailey and laughs anytime Bailey is near. I recorded this video for Christopher, but Avery's laughter just had to be shared with the rest of you. It truly is the best sound in the entire world!

A Charleston Wedding

My best friend, Courtney, got married this past weekend!!! The wedding was in Charleston, SC and was absolutely beautiful! Courtney was one of the most stunning brides I have ever seen and I am so incredibly happy for her and Alston. I am so thankful to have been by her side on the most special day in her life. She is an amazing friend and will be an amazing wife to Alston. The entire weekend was spectacular and I enjoyed every minute.

The drive from FL to Charleston is about 11-12 hours so we decided to split the trip and drive it in two days. Unfortunately, Chris couldn't take that much time off of work so on Wednesday Bailey, Avery and myself piled into my sister's car with my parents and sister, Amanda and began our roadtrip. We were packed in like sardines, but we made it work! Our plan was to spend Wednesday night in Douglasville with my in-laws. It was really the perfect stopping point as it is half way between home and Charleston. They were keeping Bailey for us for the weekend and we were going to drop her off so we decided we would stay the night. Unfortunately, my Great-Aunt passed away on Tuesday night so we made a pit-stop in Newnan so that my sister and I could pay our condolences since we were not going to make it to the funeral due to my bridesmaid's duties. It was great seeing family, but I wish the circumstances had been different. After visiting with my Great-Uncle and the family, we got in the car and drove the last hour to Douglasville. It was so wonderful seeing Ed and Cheryl and I'm glad they got to spend time with Avery. Cheryl had dinner ready for us and we were even able to celebrate Ed's birthday!!

Thursday morning we ate breakfast with Cheryl and then hit the road again. We had to stop at the ATL airport so that my parents could rent a car since they were having to stay in Newnan an extra night for the funeral before driving to Charleston. Amanda, Avery and I finally made our way to Charleston and enjoyed a "girl night" and some fun time with Courtney, her family, and the bridesmaids.

Friday morning was the bridesmaids luncheon and it was such a wonderful time for Courtney and her girls. Courtney is so blessed to have so many women who love her. The ladies that hosted the luncheon honored Courtney in such a beautiful way. I am so thankful to have her as a friend!

The rehearsal dinner was held at Lowndes Grove- a magnificent plantation on the water in Charleston. After the rehearsal, the parent's of the groom hosted a party for all of the wedding guests. There was an awesome band and an open bar. What a wonderful way to welcome all of your guests to a destination wedding!

Chris flew in just in time for the rehearsal dinner to start!!! We really enjoyed spending time together at the party on Friday night while my parents kept Avery at the hotel. They arrived in Charleston about an hour before the party. Amanda kept Avery for me all day on Friday while I was at the luncheon and rehearsal. She was a fantastic babysitter!

It was a fabulous weekend and I'm so excited for Courtney and Alston.

A very special thanks to Amanda, Mom and Dad for all of their help with Avery while I was busy with my bridesmaid duties. Also, thanks to my wonderful in-laws, Ed and Cheryl, for taking care of Bailey for us. Last but not least- thanks to my amazing husband for all that you do for me. I had so much fun this weekend and the wedding was a great reminder of the vows that we made more than 3 years ago. I love you!!!

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures with my Mom and Dad. I had every intention of getting a big family picture, but I guess I got distracted... so sad.

5 months!!

Happy 5 months to our precious baby girl! Every month I take a few pictures of her in her glider to show how much she has grown and I must say that it was quite difficult trying to capture a decent picture because the girl is all over the place! No, she is not crawling or sitting on her own yet, but she reaches for absolutely everything and wants to be on the move so badly. Take a look at the pictures below to see exactly what I am talking about....

{She is laughing, not crying, in this one}

We won't be going back to the Dr. again for another month, so no stats to report.

Things Avery is doing at 5 months:

-laughing

-squealing

-interacting more with Bailey

-traveled on her first airplane

-only using a pacifier in the church nursery, the childcare at the gym, or if we are in a restaurant and she starts to get fussy. No paci at home for this girl!

-she is very content and very happy

-enjoying tummy time more and will turn herself in a circle while on her tummy

-trying to roll from her back to her tummy- she almost has it!

-tasted rice cereal for the first time

-grabs her toes which can make diaper changing interesting, to say the least. It is helpful while cleaning her bottom, but putting on a new diaper can be quite the challenge! ha!

-"talks" very loudly

-still nursing 4 times a day- yep, we made it FIVE months!!!

-just started a new shedule this week and has adapted very well! She is now staying up longer between naps and has dropped from 5 feedings down to 4 feedings every 4 hours.

-went "swimming" in the pool for the first time

-wears six month clothing and size 2 diapers

I hope I didn't forget anything....

We love you, Avery Nicole!! Thank you for bringing so much joy into our lives!

A's first taste of rice cereal

Avery has really shown a lot of interest in whatever Christopher and I are eating/drinking. She is always grabbing for our food and the other day she took a chip out of Chris' hand and put it in her mouth! No, we didn't let her eat it- no worries! So, we thought we would try giving her rice cereal on Sunday, March 20 (just 5 days before she will be 5 months!). Truthfully, we think she was more interested in the spoon than the food. Half of the cereal ended up in her mouth and the other half - well, let's just say bath time came immediately after the rice cereal experience!

{here comes the first taste...}

{not too sure about this stuff....}

{the spoon is much more interesting that the food}

{definitely not sure about this....}

Video of Avery's first time in a pool

About half way through you will notice that I thought she pooped- let's just say I felt some gas- and we were worried it would leak out into the pool. She had little swimmers (diapers) on but I was afraid we might have some floaters. Thankfully, it was just gas! haha!