Gravy Train

After a Whataburger lunch recently, Avery got sneaky and took off with my gravy so she could dip her chicken in it. What can I say, she has the love of gravy in her DNA!

Go Team Orange!!

Aidan's first blastball game was this morning! Our first two games were cancelled because of all this crazy DFW rain so we were anxious to finally play! Aidan had the time of his life and is really getting into it. He caught several balls (even running way out of his "zone" sometimes to run after them!) and made some great hits. Daniel was the first-base coach and also helped in the outfield. They don't keep score in blastball so it was a lot of fun to see them just enjoy themselves. Way to go Aidan, Ryan, Jake, Evan, Kyle, Cade, and Nicholas!!

In the dugout gearing up for the game against Team Blue:

Lined up in the outfield (Aidan's in the center about to throw a ball):

Up to bat:

Good game, good game:

Unofficial team picture...minus one member!

Gamma's Pantry

As a kid I always loved my grandmother's pantry. It's filled with dozens of boxes of cake mix, jello, popcorn, all kinds of treats! When we were there this past weekend, I decided to snap a picture of Avery exploring in there like I was caught doing at her age, diaper and all! You can see how short her hair ended up being after the insane "touch-up" she got last week. She got an adorable bob (see two blog entries ago) but it was slightly uneven in the back...so I went to get it fixed and a different lady who was CRAZY whacked it and gave her a wedge which I did NOT ask for. But, it has grown on me and I know it'll grow out :)

I am asked a lot how Avery's speech therapy is going. The adenoid removal and tubes were definitely the way to go...her hearing seems to be great, she hasn't had a single sinus or ear issue, and she makes absolutely no sound when she sleeps! The talking is a slow process but we are getting there. Her identification has improved and we're trying to get her to imitate sounds more. She has a lot to say, just doesn't feel like using words yet :) Thanks for thinking about her, we are very lucky to have such an encouraging group of family and friends!

West Texas Tour

Grammy flew in from Florida and drove to West Texas with me and the kids! We drove straight to Midland on Friday to see Mema, Aunt Jeri, and Uncle Reggie. Papi also flew in and met us there, since he and Grammy had a reunion that weekend with their youth choir...where they of course had to briefly show off their grandkids! Jeri & Reggie are such fun and they have three labs which of course Avery LOVED. True to Midland tradition, we all went to Luigi's for dinner (they have the best Italian food ever!) and had yummy Mexican food for lunch. After two nights in Midland, we drove back halfway and spent the night at Pa and Gamma's farm in Abilene. Both kids got to ride the tractor (Aidan even got to drive!) and they loved running around the farm. Gamma made my favorite meal ever, chicken fried steak. Needless to say we eat very well on these trips :) We stopped by Aunt Marsha's in Weatherford on the way back home to stretch our legs. The kids were troopers for being in the car for so long...we were glad to be home but it was so much fun to see everybody!

Watching pizzas being made at Luigi's:


Avery with Clyde!

With Mema:

Reading with Uncle Reggie:

On the trailwagon with Great-Pa:

Picking tomatoes:


Aidan driving the tractor:

Avery's turn on the tractor:

Chop Chop

Avery had her second haircut today at Sweet and Sassy. She has been doing pretty well on her talking. She has a small handful of words including "Baa" for what a sheep says, and "Moo" for what a cow says. She loves to say "Yay!" and can identify "Mama" and "Dada." I've been trying to get a video but she is easily distracted or too busy to perform.

Goin' to the Chapel

Cookie (AKA Beth, Daniel's mom) and Jeff got married this past weekend in Comanche! It was held at Daniel's grandmother's house and the kids were part of the ceremony. Aidan was the ring bearer and Avery and Cousin Sage were flower girls. Aunt Amy and I had found them matching dresses on Ebay. Avery loved her dress and made the most of her moment in the spotlight. She was in no hurry to get down the aisle, and was careful to go back and pick up the petals that she had dropped! Both kids were pretty well-behaved during the ceremony, but Avery kind of pooped out during the pictures afterwards. It had been a long day, since we drove in that afternoon and the kids only caught a short nap in the car. But, she perked up in time for dinner (of course) and then it was off to bed for all three kids. It was a very fun weekend :) Congrats Cookie and Jeff!
P.S. Aidan's first blastball game was rained out. Not a drop for weeks, then it pours nonstop for days. Boo! It's not looking like it will clear up enough for a rescheduled game.

Blastball!

Aidan went to his first blastball practice last night. Blastball is like t-ball for 3 and 4-year-olds, and just has one base that honks when you step on it! It's pretty non-competitive and a great way to teach them the basics of the game. We formed a team with several of Aidan's friends from Mom's Club. One dad is the head coach and a few other dads (including Daniel) are assistant coaches. Aidan was kind of quiet and nervous at the beginning of practice but then warmed up to it and made some good practice hits! Their first game is on Saturday morning. Go Team Orange!!

Brooks Invasion

Our best friends from Waco came to visit this past weekend. Jenna and I took a "girlie day" on Saturday while our awesome husbands took care of all five kids. Aidan and Avery had a blast playing with Katy, Hannah, and James in the backyard!

Wee School, continued!

Today was Avery's first day! She marched in with no drama...hooray!! She was kind of grouchy when we got home since she only napped for 45 minutes there, but some quiet time in her crib helped. Cousin Sage is in her class too, which should be fun :) I used the time to get an oil change, shop a little, meet Daniel for lunch, and make a huge grocery store run. My Awesome Thursdays are back!!!!