525,600 Minutes

We've been measuring some pretty big years.

In 2007, Ned and I got engaged.



We married in 2008.



Avery was welcomed into the world in 2009.



In 2010, we lived.



No fancy events, no lavish trips, no new house, no promotions. Just life. Our biggest purchase was a car. Our longest vacation was to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Our social calendar was relatively empty.



It was wonderful.



In our life, wonderful is composed of ups and downs. Baby milestones, small business worry, growth, changing friendships, love, disagreements, family triumphs and family struggles, fun, contentment. We lived our life, and it was good.



Perhaps 2011 will be measured in a new house and a new baby. Perhaps there will loss or strife. But, there will be living. We will enjoy the blessings of good and learn lessons from the bad.



2010 was a non-monumental year. It was the most monumental of them all.



How did you measure your year?

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

And a merry little Christmas it was! After a fun Christmas Eve, we were ready to start the Christmas festivities again. We think Avery has been such a good girl, and it looks like Santa agreed with fun new toys, books, a bow holder, and more.



Santa probably wishes that Avery's stocking was a little smaller, but he filled it with books, utensils, a snack cup, and a new Giraffi. Avery noticed Giraffie #2 right away!



Jen-Jen has several coupes and cars so Avery knew just what to do. Sammy was hoping to catch a ride as well.



Santa always leaves an apple and an orange in the stockings, which made the perfect items for the grocery cart. Giraffi came along for the maiden voyage also.



Ned and I gave Avery the little Fisher Price phone. I remember my phone like this having a slightly longer cord. Avery entertained herself with her new toys while Ned and I opened our presents. I was unable to provide the Bayou Cottage house or John Deere, but Ned seemed pleased with his boots, pants, and swamp seat. I was very excited to find a new camera lens, gift cards, and socks under the tree.



Both sets of grandparents came to see what Santa brough, then we went to Mimi and Vincent's. Avery found her new chair right away and seemed to know it was just for her.

Uncle Rob and his girlfriend Stephanie joined us for presents also.

After presents we ate a yummy brunch that Mimi fixed and watched old videos of Ned and Rob at Christmas. By then it was time to get home and put Avery down for a nap. Avery's late nights and busy days did not result in longer naps for Christmas. I tried twice to get her to sleep longer but it was no use.

The snow started early in the afternoon, making me a little nervous about our trip to Newsoms. By the time we left it had stopped. Poppa helped us take a family picture, but he was a little unsure about my camera and new lens. Avery thought the whole process was funny.

My family arrived and we were all ready to sit down for a yummy dinner. The dining room is always full of people and laughter on Christmas night. Avery liked all the laughing and all the eyes on her.

A little rest in the den was called for before attempting dessert.

Avery was excited to see more presents. She got a fun farm puzzle and a big bag of blocks. The blocks had to be opened immediately, and each block had to be taken out and inspected. While this did make a mess, it kept her occupied and quiet for a good bit of time. She caught on quickly to the blocks and helped Poppa build a tower.

We were inching further and further past bedtime, so we finally got Avery into her pajamas and headed home. It was just starting to snow there, but we met more and more as we got closer to home. Our neighborhood roads were just starting to get covered, so we arrived at just the right time. Avery went from car to bed, and I worked on straightening up our disaster of a living room. Between the tree, the old toys, and the new toys, we're getting a little full.

Christmas came and went in the blink of an eye. Avery didn't understand the reason for the celebration or the magic of Santa, but she loved all the excitement, and we loved experiencing it with her. Christmas was filled with family and fun, and Avery had an abundance of hugs and kisses for all. A day later, I'm wondering what Santa will bring next year and planning when to order her Fisher Price nativity. It's too special not to look forward to all year!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Avery and I got up and got busy Christmas Eve morning. She occupied herself while I made corn pudding and dirt cake. Ned got home mid-morning and we rested while Avery took an abbreviated nap. Mid-afternoon we packed up and headed to Lolli and Poppa's house. Avery had a quick snack there and got dressed for church. Christmas Eve service is always one of my favorites, and Avery was such a good girl. There were lots of babies and young children in the sanctuary, so that took some of the pressure off of us. We did a lot of singing, and I think that broke things up a bit for her. Her little face was so sweet while we sang Silent Night with the candles lit.

Everyone wanted to visit and see Avery after church, so we were late getting to Lolli and Poppa's for dinner. Ned, my dad, and I enjoyed the hot crab dip while Lolli and Avery found something else to eat. Once we were done eating we were ready to open presents. Avery is of course the best gift of all.



She thought it was much more fun to carry the presents around than to actually open them.



Avery was happy to open her Bitty Baby and gave her a big smooch. Bitty came with her starter kit backpack with clothes and accessories. Avery didn't want to share the bottle with Bitty. She also got books and silver bells that will be engraved with year. I have a bell for each year up until college or so, and Lolli wanted to carry on the tradition.



Bitty will be a friend for years to come. By the time I discovered American Girl, I was too old to play with a Bitty Baby. I couldn't wait to have a daughter to enjoy one though. I'm already planning what fun accessories we'll need for Bitty once Avery gets a little older.



Lily thougth she better give Ned a quick sniff to check him out.

Avery loves to back up to things or climb up and take a seat. She thought my Christmas dishes were the perfect place to do just that.

Avery was tired by the end of the night but did so well.

We packed up to head home, put Avery to bed, left our treats for Santa, and prepared for his arrival. I love that It's a Wonderful Life is on every Christmas Eve while we get our things just right.

Soup, Sandwiches, and Sleep

Avery and I have tried to have a few days that weren't too terribly full. Yesterday she slept until 8 am. That was a nice surprise! She seemed really quiet when she woke up. We snuggled in her rocker for a long time, and Ned and I both started to worry she was sick. Since she had slept late, I thought it would be a good day to continue without her morning nap. We kept ourselves busy and aimed for an early than normal naptime. My goal has been to stop using the pacifier when she transitioned to one nap, and when she didn't reach for it yesterday, I didn't give it to her. She took a fairly good nap after sleeping so late. When she got up, our friend Alison and her mom came for a visit. Avery enjoyed opening a present from Alison and David and then thought she should open all the presents under the tree. Ned hunted in Newsoms and brought home the paper with Avery's letter to Santa. When she went to bed I made cookies from Clover Lane and read all the letters to Santa.

Avery was up earlier today, so I had a longer time to occupy her without a morning nap. I made taco soup and pimento cheese sandwiches for Ned, his mom, and the lady who works with them. Avery went down easily again for her nap (pie pie free!) and I did nothing productive. She woke up as Mimi arrived to watch her. Ned and I received a rough draft of our house plans yesterday and met with our architect to go over everything. Most of the concerns I had were things that he hadn't included in this draft. I was fascinated by the amount of things he had found wrong or impossible with the plan we had given him. Apparently Donald Gardner, and other architects who contribute to house plan books, make beautiful houses that would fall down if built as drawn! Never buy plans from a house plan book.

When we got home Avery had her coat on, but she had not been outside. I took her coat off, and she opened my hand and put her shoe in it. I think she may have needed some time away from the house but dinner called. While Avery took her bath, I made watergate salad. Once she was in bed I made hot crab dip for tomorrow night. Still on the cooking list are corn pudding, dirt cake, and monkey bread. I hate to complain about my list when Lolli is cooking away and hosting. Ned and Felix are now assembling the Cozy Coupe, which came in many parts. Ned and I are both glad he started on that tonight. I hear it rolling around now and hope Ned is not in it. I'm not sure what we'll do when we have 2 or 3 children who each have several things that need assembling. I also don't know how we'll contain ourselves. Ned and I are both so excited this year, and Avery doesn't even understand what it means to have Santa come. I can't even imagine how fun it will be next year when she's eagerly awaiting the big day.

Home Alone 2 is on but I'm afraid if I get comfortable to watch it my eyes will be closed in seconds. Our next few days will be full, and I'm already sad at how quickly I know they will go by. We're still waiting to hear how much snow we'll get, but it doesn't look like it's going to interfere with our plans. Ned picked up some lovely boots for Avery today just in case.

Merry, merry Christmas to you and your family!

17 Months

Avery Grace is 17 months old today! I can't believe that next month I'll have an 18 month old...that just seems so old since it's halfway to three!

We have not been to the doctor since her ear check in late November. At that visit Avery weighed 22 pounds, but I believe that was with her shirt and Giraffi. She still wears her 12-18 month clothing and a size 3 diaper, but she has moved to a size 4.5 or 5 shoe.

Avery continues to go to bed between 7 and 7:30 pm. Wake up time is 6:30 on school days but we usually get a little extra time on the weekends. Since we have been out on break, she's been sleeping in. Just yesterday morning she slept until 8 am after going to bed the night before at 7:15. We are in the process of giving up/taking away her morning nap. That works pretty well when she's able to sleep in, but I think it will be tough when she's up early. We're also going to work on taking her pacifier from her nap also.

Eating habits remain about the same. She's doing somewhat better about trying something new but lets us know quickly if she doesn't like it. We haven't added any new favorites to our list but continue enjoying the old ones. Avery sampled peanut butter for the first time this month and has enjoyed it several times. She still isn't a fan of milk but is drinking only water now instead of water with a splash of juice. We are encouraging the use of spoons and forks more now. She can definately tell which items can be done with her fingers. She's working on scooping firmer foods and poking things with her fork. Avery now has a total of 10 teeth and seems to be working on more.

Avery continues to tell us exactly what she thinks, whether we can understand it or not. Some words that we are hearing are hi, bye, Dada, Mama (but not to call me), cheese, keys, shoes, Ho Ho, choo choo, pie pie, tree, see, this, side (outside) Poppa (but not to call him), and D for Dixie and Doodie. I think she's also saying kiss, but any word with an s sound is pronounced sssss. She'll repeat something also but these are things I've heard more than once. She still uses her words as she pleases, and right now her favorite is bye. She doesn't really use our names to call us. She knows exactly what we're talking about though, and knew where the Ho Hos and elf were after seeing them once. She will "sing a pretty song" on cue, and she accompanies O Holy Night by the cast of Glee beautifully.

Avery still loves her toys and all the odds and ends that she carries around. She usually has at least one item in her hand. Sitting on or in something continues to be fun as well, and she's discovered a great new spot under the dining room table. Books are still a favorite thing, and she brings them to us all throughout the day. Sometimes she wants to sit and listen, and sometimes she wants to flip through the pages and point to her favorite parts. She is still fascinated by lights and has enjoyed them so much with the holidays here. The moon is also a fun new friend, but she doesn't understand why we can't see it every night. Avery entertains herself very well and would be very content to wander around the house all day checking things out. We are not experiencing any tantrums or toddler temperment (yet). We do get some whining and tears that can be turned off in an instant.

We realize more and more each day that little eyes are watching. For quite some time she's known where to point the remote and holds the phone on her shoulder. Now she opens my cell phone like she's texting. She touches her finger to the opening of lotion bottles and rubs her hands together. If something needs to be opened, fixed, or moved, it's pressed into my hand. Avery is never at a loss for hugs and kisses. Hugs are always accompanied by a squeeze and sometimes by pats on the back. I love when I am rocking her at night and she lifts her head and leans in for a kiss. And, although her feet were made for walking, there are times when she must be carried. At these times holding hands is not acceptable and she walks in front of us until we comply.

Christmas is here, and it's been wonderful so far. Avery doesn't understand what it's all about, but she's loving everything and we are loving these new experiences with her. We look forward to teaching her about Christmas next year, and of course so many other things. What an awesome, and sometimes overwhelming, job we have as parents. We eagerly look forward to all we have in store but also wish we could freeze the moments we have now. We are so enjoying being Avery's parents. This age is so fun that we could end up with a house full of children if we aren't careful!

Dear Santa (Avery Edition)

Below is Avery's letter and photo to Santa, appearing today in The Tidewater News. Each year I impatiently wait for the edition to be printed with all the letters. I used to look for all the children I babysat for and couldn't wait to be able to send in my child's letter one day. I know Avery will have much more say in her letter next year, and I can't wait to see what fun things she'll ask for. A little boy at the babysitter's, who is one year older than Avery, asked Santa for a football, muffins (John Deere muffins to be exact), and a toothbrush. I hope Avery's list next year is as comical and cost-efficient! Be sure to compare Avery's note to Santa with her father's.

Dear Santa,

Hi! It's me Avery! Thank you so much for the toys you left last year. I've done lots of growing since I sat on your lap. This year I am loving all the decorations and lights and am trying very hard to keep my hands off of them. Mama and Daddy say that I have been such a good girl this year, so I think it's ok to ask for a few more toys. I would like Bitty Baby, a Cozy Coupe, a farm set, a grocery cart, and my very own chair. More books would also be great because I'm bringing the same ones to Mama and Daddy to read over and over.

Please remember all the people who love me so much, and leave something special for Mama and Daddy, Lolli and Poppa, and Mimi and Grandaddy. Don't forget Jen-Jen who takes good care of me every day and all my buddies at her house. My pets Sammy, Dixie, and Felix deserve something nice this year too since they've tried to be very patient with me.

I can't wait to see you in Richmond, and I'm going to try to be so brave when I sit on your lap. We'll have cookies and Pepsi for you on Christmas Eve and some treats for the reindeer. Felix may be waiting for you in the fireplace so be sure not to step on him! Have a safe trip!

Love,

Avery

Oh No, Ho Ho!

Today was the big Christmas party at Jen-Jen's! Since the party started at 3:30, I knew Avery would need to nap at Lolli's so her nice, long nap wouldn't get cut short. Lolli saw this as the perfect opportunity to steal Avery for the day. I enjoyed a nice, relaxing day of cleaning while Avery was gone. Not only did the snow mess up school and party festivities, it also kept my house from getting cleaned. Avery did not nap as long as she should have after missing her morning nap, but I'm thinking the call of nature was the reason for that. I picked her up and we set off for the party. Jennifer had a house full with all the kids she keeps regularly, plus the ones she's keeping now that school is out.

Avery was more interested in loving on Jen-Jen than opening her present. Here she is trying to help with someone else's present, though. Her buddies Jackson and Andrew have their back to the camera, and that's little Livia sitting with her mom.



This isn't even the whole group. Several regulars and several older children are missing, plus quite a few family members that came for the party. Carter and baby Gage, sitting on at the far end of the room, are 2 more regulars.



Avery saw no need in sitting with Santa today! I could tell as soon as he came in that she wasn't sure about the situation. I think it was just too many people and not enough time to take it all in. Here we are walking over to Santa. She did pick her head up to look at him but put it right back down when he reached out to take her. I didn't see any need for tears today.



Avery wanted to spend the whole party loving Jen-Jen. I guess it had been a long time since she had seen her last Wednesday. We are so thankful that Jennifer has opened her home to us and others to provide such great love, values, and fun.



Jennifer always has the best gifts for parents on Christmas and Mother's/Father's Day. Last year we at Christmas we received photo albums showing our child's day at her house. That caused tears for all the moms. This year we got these sweet pillows with our child's picture on it. Looks like Avery thought the Santa hat was so funny! I can hardly get anything done with just Avery, so I can't even imagine how Jennifer gets these projects done with the children she has each day.



Avery and I left the party and headed to Farm Fresh to pick up crab meat. I know I save a lot of money at my local Supercenter, but I certainly do love shopping in a calm, shiny store. We picked up dinner and got home right at Avery's dinner time. She had been reminding me of this on our ride with some fussing that turned to mooing. As I walked in the door I told Ned that I didn't care what I had forgotten, I wasn't going back to the store because I've been three times since Saturday. A few minutes later I realized I was missing something for a dip I wanted to fix tonight.

Ned is at his last city council meeting tonight. Hopefully he'll return soon to take out the dog that's been barking almost two hours. If not, Santa might be getting a yellow lab instead of cookies and Pepsi.

It's the Holiday Season

I thought I better break down our holiday week into shorter posts, or our Week in Review might go on for another week. Last night (Sunday) we had dinner at my parents' with my mom's side of the family. My mom only has one brother, so our dinner table isn't too full with him, my aunt, their son, and his wife. Mom cooked roast and we all fixed yummy sides to go along with it. Avery, as you can imagine, was the star of the show. Everyone's jokes were so funny, and she just had to laugh right along with us. After getting her fill of dinner, she also enjoyed checking out things under the dinning room table.

While Avery was the star of the show, I was the butt of a joke. My family knows that I usually don't eat food if I don't know the person who made it. When the time came for dessert, I eagerly dug into my piece of sweet potato pie, thinking my aunt had made it. Halfway through, they broke the news that one of the residents of the retirement center where my dad works made the pie. Everybody got a good laugh out of the look on my face, but it was too late by then, so Avery and I finished the piece off.

Avery obviously doesn't make her 7:30 bedtime on these nights, so luckily she slept in this morning. This resulted in no morning nap, but that was ok since we had managed 2 yesterday after quite a production in the afternoon. After her rest in her bed this morning, we went out for a few errands. A little playtime before and after lunch was all we could manage since she was tired. She took a long nap, and I did nothing productive except make ANOTHER grocery list. I love to cook, but I'm thinking I may have taken on a little too much. Once Avery woke up we went to Walmart to get almost all the groceries and things we'll need for the week. This was of course after the $150 trip on Saturday.

After dinner tonight, we rode and looked at Christmas lights again. Ned turned Avery's seat around in his truck this weekend, and Avery seems to be enjoying the new perspective. I'm still deciding what to do with her in my car. Tonight she was more interested in the moon than the Christmas lights though. We could see the moon through the house window before dinner, and she loved pointing it out then pointing to the moon on her house. Once she went to bed, we wrapped a few presents and have enjoyed some warm cookies. There is football on the TV now, which I can't understand because I'm sure there is a Christmas movie somewhere.

Week in Review ~ 12/18

Snow, snow, and more snow was the story of the week! We started out with a surprise snow Monday morning, slowing down our drive to school quite a bit. I left home with snow on the roads and yards covered but got to the babysitter's and didn't find much. Shortly after school started we were covered there as well though. We kept waiting to be sent home, but we stayed all day. Even though most of it was gone by the afternoon, our staff dinner was canceled for the night. I was disappointed about missing a good dinner and a chance to run some errands alone, but I was excited to be able to pick up Avery and get home at the regular time.

We had our Christmas program at school Tuesday night. Ned picked up Avery while I ran my errands and had dinner at my parents'. It's nice to have them a minute from school when I live over 30 minutes away. Leaving the house at 6:45 am and getting home at 8:30 pm can make for a long day though.

Wednesday was a regular day with lots of talk about snow in the forecast. Lolli picked up Avery because she got out of school early, so I visited there before coming home. I brought nothing for school home with me because I was expecting an early release on Thursday if we got that. The forecast was for 2-5 inches but it showed it starting mid-morning.

Ned got up to go hunting Thursday morning, and I couldn't go back to sleep because I wondered if the phone would ring. Finally it did, telling me that Avery and I would have snow day at home. Not much had happened when Ned got home around 8, but shortly after our yard and road were covered. I was so glad to be home and not having to worry about how I could get Avery from the babysitter's and get home safely. Road conditions were not good. My dad left work at lunchtime, and his usual 40 minute trip to almost 3 hours, with 1.5 of that sitting at a standstill. My in-laws planned to leave early to go to Blacksburg to see Rob graduate but waited a few hours in the hopes roads would get cleared. They had a long trip as well. I was unprepared for the snow in terms of food. I like to have lots of snacks during inclement weather, and I was lacking except for Pepsi and peppermint bark. This resulted in a delicious pizza dinner though. I'm sure you've gathered by now that we enjoy a good pizza. Things still looked bad on the roads, and I kept waiting for the phone to ring to say that we at least had a delay. They finally called around 10 pm to say that school was canceled.

Avery woke up at her normal time on Friday then got silent and I fell back to sleep. Almost an hour later I jumped out of bed in a panic because she was quiet. Silly girl had found a pie-pie tucked away from the nap that never happened Thursday and was hanging out in her crib. We set off after her nap to pick up my bonus check at the high school. It's a pretty good drive that fell right at lunchtime, but I didn't know if the check would be mailed over the holiday. I figured a late lunch and nap would be ok since she had a long morning nap. We had a repeat of Thursday though with no afternoon nap. I rescued her from the crib and received lots of hugs and back pats. We headed to Food Lion to get dinner and a few extras. Avery went to bed a little early but had done well both days with no afternoon nap. That's a little scary to me. Once she was asleep, Ned and I watched Christmas Vacation on DVD, one of our favorite holiday classics.

I shopped with my mom on Saturday. I didn't have much Christmas shopping to finish, but the deals were too good to pass up. Everything at Gymboree was 50% off and 40% at Ann Taylor Loft. If this is tradition for the weekend before Christmas it will also become tradition for me! Avery also needed a new pair of shoes to wear to Jennifer's. She got a whopping 3 months out of the pair she outgrew! I see frequent trips to the outlet at this rate. I grocery shopped among the chaos before returning home. Ned and Avery had a good day but another day with no afternoon nap. Morning naps were hit or miss for awhile but had returned pretty consistently. I had really hoped to at least have a morning rest through Christmas, but something has to change so she's sleeping in the afternoon. I put away the piles of groceries, and then we decided that Mexican sounded better than anything I could fix. Ned turned Avery's seat around in his truck so that she could see some Christmas lights after dinner. We did a little drive but had to get home and finish drying Giraffi so that she and Avery could get to bed early.

This week is Christmas week! Tomorrow I'm keeping the nursery at church if it isn't canceled because of snow expected tonight. Then we have our first Christmas dinner at Lolli and Poppa's tomorrow night. Avery has her Christmas party at Jennifer's Tuesday then Friday and Saturday will be the big days. Somewhere in all this we're hoping to get an e-mail with the first drawing of our house. I'm more excited about Christmas than I've been in a long time, and I'm always excited about Christmas! I just know I'm going to turn around and find it all over, so I'm trying to soak up every minute of it now.

Here are a few pictures from the end of the week. Avery looks so grown here...



Avery reading what appears to be a shocking text. Perhaps she's seen Mama do this before?



Under the dining room table is now the perfect spot for everything from ribbon inspecting to pooping.



More snow Saturday before dinner! When it started it was huge!



Avery knows just where to see "side" and watch the snow fall.