We Three Kings

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T19:22:00.000-08:00

A Few Smiles and What's to Come...

2011-07-16T07:19:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy summer! After back-to-back trips to NYC and Charleston, I sure have a lot to blog about. Both trips were amazing and in true Lauren-fashion, I have boat loads of pictures to share, so stayed tuned....

In the meantime, here are a few Poots pictures to make you smile...

In 3 Days....

2011-06-21T13:36:00.000-07:00

I will be here....

with this girl....

And on my very first trip to the big apple, we plan to see this...

and go to this...

and go to one of these...

to eat one (or two) of these...

and go here...

to indulge in one of these...

and of course go here...

and here...

and here...

and here...

and here...

and here...

...among many other wonderful places.

Can't wait to have my first New York experience!

If You're Happy and You Know It.....

2011-06-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

If you're happy and you know it...

clap your hands...

If you're happy and you know it...

clap your hands...

If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it...

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands!

If you're happy and you know it stomp your feet...

If you're happy and you know it stomp your feet...

If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it...

If you're happy and you know it stomp your feet!

Trip to the "Zoom!"

2011-05-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

Avery has a love for animals and I have been anxiously waiting for the day to take her to the zoo (which she refers to as the "zoom"). During spring break, we decided to travel to the Asheboro Zoo. We had a great time and Avery loved seeing all the animals in person. The one thing she said she wanted to see the most was the "girafees" and she was lucky enough to not only see them, but had the opportunity to feed them. This was super cool in her book! She also loved riding the carousel and watching a Dora & Diego 3D movie. The "zoom" was a lot of fun and we hope to go back again some day!

*Warning: Prepare for picture overload

Ready for Spring!

2011-03-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

After a looong winter, this little family is yearning for some warm weather! We've been fortunate to have some warmer temperatures and sunny skies lately, so we decided to take advantage of them. Avery loves to do anything outside, so as long as she's outdoors, she is a happy camper. Well, she's a happy camper pretty much all of the time, but extra happy when outside :0). Here's some pictures from our bubble-blowing, flower-finding, duck-feeding, picnic and fishing good times!

Party Time

2011-02-27T04:45:00.000-08:00

Of course I have a bajillion pictures from Avery's birthday party and I would love to share them all, but I promise not to overload you (too much) by just sharing some favorites.

2 years

2011-02-10T14:15:00.000-08:00

Our precious little Poots is two years old....my how time flies...

Decorating her cake...

And enjoying it!

Opening presents...

And a birthday dinner...

Christmas Day 2010

2011-01-16T11:09:00.000-08:00

Santa came!

And he brought the much-anticipated candycanes...

And a present for Dixie...

The aunties came over to assemble the new tent...

Christmas at Papaw's

Christmas Eve 2010

2011-01-14T05:56:00.000-08:00

So I figured it was about time to post pictures from Christmas. In true Lauren fashion, I am behind, I know, but our laptop and blogger must not get along because it takes sooo long to load pics...and of course I have a ton I would like to share.

We were really excited about Christmas this year since Avery was a little older and could get more into it. Of course, she still didn't really understand the Santa concept, but she was excited about her presents. When I asked her what she wanted Santa to bring her this year, her response was "A candy cane....a camel...a book!" Any other time she was asked, she would always respond with "A candy cane."

Her favorite thing about Christmas this year was "Frosty the Snowman." I introduced her to the Christmas movie classics and she became pretty obsessed with Frosty. She managed to confiscate my mom's stuffed Frosty and has slept with it every night ever since. Her nana also gave her a small stuffed snowman which Avery refers to as "Lil Snowman." And wherever there is Frosty, Lil Snowman is sure to be there too. Avery insists on watching "Frosty the Snowman" and "Frosty Returns" quite often and can usually quote the movies. When telling my parents goodbye one day, she told them "I'll be back on Christmas day!"

Avery also learned how to sing "Jingle Bells" this Christmas and would sing it all the time. While she stayed at my parents house, her and my dad would usually sing it with some form of accompaniment (piano, recorder, tamborine, etc).

Christmas this year was really wonderful. I was so thankful that Shayne wasn't scheduled to work and we were able to enjoy Christmas together as a family. It was also nice to be blessed with a white Christmas this year!

Christmas Eve, we got together with my family and Shayne's family...

Avery with her cousin Cameron

My niece, Bridgette (on the right) with her cousin Elliette

Avery with her uncle Shannon

My 3 nephews

My niece, Alex

Me & my daddy

With my brothers & parents

The whole family

Christmas at nana's house...

Shayne's sisters, Devan & Paige

Fun with "cousins"

You know you're getting old when you ask for a coffee maker for Christmas...

Covering her eyes for the big one...

She was way too tired to be excited...

More to come soon!

Fun in the Snow

2010-12-27T12:37:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T06:10:00.000-08:00

(Sorry this video is sideways, I loaded it from my phone and I'm not up on technology enough to know how to flip it around. And please ignore the big wad of Dixie fur showcased at the beginning.)

Hope everyone has a safe and very merry Christmas!

The Search for the Perfect Tree...

2010-12-19T07:47:00.001-08:00

This year, we decided to start a new family tradition. I actually have to give the credit to Shayne, because it was his heart that was set on not only having a real Christmas tree, but picking it and having it cut just for us. We really wanted to go to a place that provided an "experience," but we didn't want to have to travel too far to get it. After a quick internet search, we came across the Boyd Moutain Tree Farm. Why is it the both of us have lived in Haywood County all our lives and not known about this little gem? It was great. The whole operation was very well organized and the staff was extremely nice. There were many many trees to pick from, free hot chocolate and cookies, and of course, Santa was there for a free picture.

All three of us had a great time and look forward to carrying out this tradition for many more years to come!

Pictures by Colleen

2010-12-12T06:23:00.000-08:00

We are so fortunate to have a friend who has ventured into the world of photography. She is very talented and I am always anxious to see her pictures! We have enjoyed being her guinea pigs and it's very hard for me to only choose a fraction of them to share. To see more (or contact Colleen), check out her site:
http://colleenhannahphotography.zenfolio.com

Halloween

2010-12-02T18:29:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I'm slacking yet again. I think it's time to realize that I'm just not that good at keeping up with my blog. I do try though, and I appreciate those of you that keep up with me, despite my slacky-slackerness :0).

Even though I'm very much in Christmas mode right now, I wanted to share a few pics from Halloween. As Avery gets older, holidays become more interesting. She was not at all interested in helping her daddy carve the pumpkin this year, but she did enjoy watching...and she loved getting to paint one! Still to this day, she points to her pumpkin and says "Avery painted pumpkin!" And even now when I tell her it's time to get dressed, she says "Halloween!" Obviously, unlike me, she is still in Halloween mode.....

Counting our blessings...

2010-11-25T05:46:00.000-08:00

As the holidays approach, it is easy to think of all the things we want and to forget about the important things we already have. We have so much to be thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-06T08:02:00.001-07:00

Avery really got into pumpkins this year. She loved going to the pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins. She preferred the little ones, stating that the larger pumpkins were "too big" or "too heaby (heavy)". Our house actually looked like a pumpkin factory, because between us, Avery's nana and mawmaw, we ended up with nine real pumpkins (in addition to the fake ones used as decorations). But that was okay, because Avery loved playing with them!

I'm in love....

2010-10-15T12:31:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Shayne and I went out of town to celebrate our anniversary. We stayed in our camper at his hunting lease in Roxboro...not luxurious by any means, but quiet, peaceful and most importantly FREE! Anywho, we ventured to Raleigh for the State/Boston College game on Saturday and of course, no special occasion would be complete without a visit to the Cheesecake Factory. After indulging, we walked around the Southpoint mall. They opened an Anthropologie there and I have always admired their clothing/home decor from afar, but have never had the experience up close and in person. Of course I oohed, awed, touched and drooled over their beautiful clothing...but of course did not buy, since it is waaay too expensive for me. I had no trouble passing up the overpriced items until I saw this....

Another looksie?

Gorgeous, I know. And I am in love with it. But much to my dismay, it did not leave the store with me, since the $248 pricetag came with it. I am desperately longing for a king-size bed, and have always imagined it covered in some shade of white. I am a color person and white is definitely not our decor style, but I am fully convinced that I will have the best sleep of my life in a whimsical, white, fluffy cloud of a bed....preferably covered with the beautiful, Rosette quilt pictured above, that I just can't get out of my head.

So unless it goes on double clearance, it will remain in my dreams....and I will settle for my queen-size bed decked out in true Target fashion....

4 Years ♥

2010-10-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

Happy 4 year anniversary to an amazing husband, father and friend....

Fun in the sun (and waaay overdue!)

2010-09-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

We got very lucky and had the opportunity to go to the beach for the July 4th holiday. As always, I was desperately hoping for a beach trip this summer, but with Shayne's unreliable work schedule, we had no idea if we could work it out. I had two days off for the 4th holiday and miraculously, Shayne got his 8 day break at the same time. Finding this out the Monday before we planned to leave, we thought there would be no possible way we would find a place to stay, at least an affordable place for that matter. Shayne's dad always stays at the same place every time he goes to Myrtle Beach for bike week and typically gets a good bargain since he's a loyal customer. We figured it was a long shot, but we contacted him to see if he could hook us up and again, miraculously, they had a 3 bedroom condo available just a block from the beach, and for a very affordable price.

Shayne's mom, stepdad, sister and her boyfriend also went with us and we had a great week! It took Avery a while to get use to the beach and much opposite from last year, she could've cared less about the sand but was all about the water. The beach was very crowded but luckily we were unaware of the fact most of the time. The week definitely went by too fast and we can't wait to go back next year!

Hi, my name is Lauren and I'm.....

2010-09-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

....a blog slacker!!! I apologize for my slackness, but since I've started a new job and I'm now taking two classes this semester, the blog has definitely been put on the back burner. I hope to have some new posts up soon, including our beach trip from July....yes, July I said. I know, I know and I will (hope to) do better :0)

Always remember....

2010-09-11T13:10:00.001-07:00

(Picture hijacked from http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/ )

I'm gonna say it....

2010-08-19T04:42:00.000-07:00

Yes, the f-word....

I'm ready for fall!

Day out with Thomas

2010-08-13T06:08:00.000-07:00

Avery has recently developed a new love for Thomas the Tank Engine. I am by no means someone who thinks that children should play with only gender-specific toys, but I have babysat boys who were Thomas fanatics, so it's a sort of funny to have my little girl, decked out in her bracelets, get so excited about Thomas, Percy, Harold and the whole gang. Because of this love for the big blue train, we took Avery to Bryson City to see him in person....

Big mistake! This was an unpleasant experience for all parties involved.
Problem numero uno: Avery may have been a little too young to really understand what was going on. I assumed as much, but I just could not wait to see her little face when Thomas actually came driving through, right in front of her.

Problem number two: Avery is extremely independent. She does not like to be held and if you are holding her, you will hear a constant repetition of the word "walk." I have no problem with Avery walking around, but this was not the best solution at this particular place, which was crawling with people. Not to mention that she doesn't want you to hold her hand either. This carried over to the actual train ride. Avery did NOT want to sit, but wanted to walk. This wouldn't have been such a problem either if she was content to walk in one confined place, but she wants to walk everywhere which is not so doable on a moving train.

Problem three: the heat. Before we got there, it had poured the rain but fortunately stopped when we arrived. This helped to bring the temperature down but once it started to clear out, the humidity was just about unbearable. Avery, like her mommy, is a little on the heat-sensitive side so she was very hot, which was evident by the bright red cheeks and sweaty head.

And lastly and probably at the forefront of the problems was number 4: teething. The Poots has been cutting an influx of teeth over the last few weeks, which makes for a very irritable child.

Looking back at the experience it's a little humorous, but definitely was not at the time. I don't regret taking her, though, because all new experiences are trial and error when it comes to a toddler!

She liked the goats...

The train tables didn't hurt either....

A small gleam of excitement in her eye when Thomas approached....

Check out the tear...

Avery at 18 months

2010-08-02T10:04:00.001-07:00

*Avery still loves Elmo, but now has a new favorite character...Thomas the Train. Every night, she sleeps with her small Thomas train and his friend Percy. She actually loves trains in general, but Thomas is right up there with Elmo.

*She is saying pretty much everything now...it's hard to think of a word she can't say! Her words are also becoming much clearer. She can say "bicycle" and "motorcycle" perfectly, all syllables.

*She is putting more words together. Some of her current "sayings" are "Slow, slow...fast, fast, fast!", "C'mon Dixie", "Where is it", "I see you", "Slow down Paige," and she will say "hey (whoever)" and "bye bye (whoever)."

*Speaking of fast and slow, she is starting to grasp the concept of opposites. She obviously doesn't understand that they're "opposites," but she does understand the difference between the words. She knows fast/slow, inside/outside, up/down, open/close, off/on, hot/cold.

*Avery is an accessory girl! She loves to carry around purses and wear hats. If I ever leave our closet door open, it is a given that she will walk out with a hat on...and always on backwards. She also loves sunglasses, but her favorite accessory is a bracelet. At any given time, she may have as many as 3 or 4 bracelets on each arm. Much to my dismay, though, she does not go for the hairbows. She likes to try to put them in hair, but will not keep them in.

*I think she is part monkey because of her love of bananas. Seriously, she can eat almost an entire banana in one sitting!

*She is really getting into imaginative play. She loves to sit at her little table and have a "tea party." She will even sit her animals or babydolls in the extra chair and occasionally pretends to feed them. She loves to play with dolls and will tote them around or put them in her baby stroller and push them around the house. Her "mothering instincts" are starting to show, and it's too cute.

*Avery loves other kids and refers to them all as "babies." Even if it's an 8 year old boy, she calls him a baby and blows him kisses.

*Not only will Avery go up to just any child, but she'll talk to anyone. We can be in the grocery story and she is waving and saying hey to everyone within view. Shayne and I have NO idea where she got this outgoing personality from because I was always painfully shy growing up and Shayne claims he took up residence behind his daddy's leg as a child. Avery is quite the opposite...

*She does not stop for a second. She is constantly moving from one thing to another. Sometimes, she just likes to run laps and laugh along the way! She is definitely an active child.

*She can now count to 13 and likes to try to count as fast as she can. She still loves the ABC song and can now say every letter of the alphabet.

*She absolutely loves music. Once she hears a song a few times, she can sing it. If it's a kid's song or rhyme, she can sing every word. If it's a longer song, she can fill in words here and there. She loves "Ice Ice Baby." Not sure why, but she does. I can sing parts of the song and leave words out and she can fill them in (only the appropriate words, of course). She also loves certain pop songs I listen to in the car. I can watch her in the mirror and she will be dancing to the music, singing and then looking at me to see what I do to the music. It's very funny.

*On that note, Avery reminds me of a much older child (which I don't really like). She loves to sit on her auntie Paige's bed and will dance and listen to music with her and her friends. She'll also throw herself back on the bed and laugh and smile, like she's embarrassed.

*Avery still loves books and can recite her favorite ones. We won't even have the book and I can start reciting it and she will say it along with me. She has a pretty powerful memory.

*Along with all the wonderful things, she also has her moments. She is super sensitive and a little on the dramatic side, to say the least. It doesn't take much to start the waterworks. She also has quite the attitude and shows it from time to time. She tends to throw things whenever she gets mad or frustrated, which we are working on. Gotta love those toddler tantrums!

*Overall, she is a sweet, loving little girl with such an amazing personality who never ceases to amaze us. She keeps us on our toes and always keeps us laughing and well entertained!

"Oh boy...fisheees!"

2010-07-22T06:02:00.000-07:00

Last month, Shayne, Avery and I took a day trip to Pigeon Forge to go to the aquarium. Shayne and I are like little kids when it comes to the aquarium and always love to go (we're the ones who make multiple trips on the conveyer belt to go through the shark tunnel over and over again). Needless to say, we were excited to take Avery for her first aquarium experience.

For the most part, Avery really enjoyed it. While walking through the aquarium, her eyes would light up as she pointed towards the fish and said "Fisheeees! Oh boy!" I was especially excited about the new penguin exhibit, since I think they are the cutest things ever....Avery didn't care as much about them, though. She did, however, like the stuffed penguin her daddy bought her much more than the real ones.

After the aquarium, we walked around town and ate at Bubba Gump's, where I realized that I probably know more about the movie "Forrest Gump" rather than actual important, historical facts...sad, I know. Another realization: No matter how far you travel and how much you spend, all it takes to make a small child happy is a simple red balloon. This was definitely the highlight of Avery's trip. And of course, we stopped at Bass Pro on the way home, which was the highlight for Shayne.

Overall, we had a really good time. I think Avery will appreciate it more as she gets older, but it's still so much fun to share these experiences that are new for her!

Update...

2010-07-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

This morning I was happily awakened at precisely 7:00 am and I got out of bed with a smile on my face. Admittedly, I am not always this happy to get up early on a Saturday morning, but this morning was different. I was grateful that I had the opportunity to be with my child....

If you happened to read my previous post, I am sad to say that Preslee did not make it. Please remember this family in your thoughts and prayers. Pray that they are comforted as their little girl has moved on to a better place.

Prayers

2010-07-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

During my morning blog stalking, I happened to come across this story of a little girl named Preslee. She fell into a canal and was in the water for an estimated 30-40 minutes until a farmer discovered her and pulled her out. As I was reading it, I literally found it hard to breathe as I could not even imagine what this family is going through. I have no connection to these people whatsoever, but I do believe in the power of prayer, so I wanted to share their story with those that actually keep up with our blog and ask that you please pray for this family and their precious little girl as she fights for her life.

http://patrickandashley.blogspot.com/

Flower frolicking

2010-06-30T09:17:00.000-07:00

Back in the spring, we made a day trip to Biltmore to see the tulips. I have been to the house many times, mostly during the Christmas season, but had never been to see the flowers. We decided to go on a sunny day with the camera in hand, of course. We were able to get lots of good Avery pictures that day and I have been anxious to share them! So finally, here they are! There are lots, so brace yourself :)

Of course, Avery wasn't all smiles the whole day....

Playing catch up...

2010-06-26T17:35:00.000-07:00

So I'm really behind on posting pictures here lately and need to catch up, so don't be surprised to see some older pictures posted every now and then.

Here are some pictures from Easter. Avery loved dyeing Easter eggs and was definitely a fan of the Easter bunny. Egg hunting, not so much...

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to the two greatest dads I know....

And to all the other dads out there!

The other baby...

2010-06-11T18:10:00.001-07:00

Ever since Avery's arrival, our other "baby", Dixie, has been feeling a little left out...okay, very left out. I do admit that she does not get the attention she use to and even though she gets quite a bit of attention from Avery, it just doesn't cut it for her. So this post is dedicated to our first child....

Baby Chicks & Cutesy Pics!

2010-05-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

On one of the first warm weekends we had, we decided to enjoy the day at Biltmore. Their new "Antler Village" had just opened, so we took advantage of the warm weather to check it out. This was actually one of the last projects that Shayne did while working for Fairview, so we wanted to see the end result. We were a little disappointed in the final product, being that there really wasn't much to do, but it was still a great day to be outside. Avery had just recently started walking, so this was a great opportunity for her to practice her newfound skill too.

We went to the nearby petting-zoo area so Avery could get up close and personal with the animals. I thought it was hysterical because there are random animals just running all over the place. Avery tried to greet a goat but when it decided to nibble on her arm, she became unsure...when it tried to take her paci, however, she decided that was enough goat for her. It started to get a little chaotic with a large amount of little people, adults chasing behind them, and the random animals taking over the space, so we decided to get out...quickly. Buuut not until Avery could see a baby chick. Right before trying to flee the circus scene, I noticed the area of baby chicks...I'm talking only a couple of days old baby chicks. I HAD to let my child touch a chick...or maybe stick one in my pocket, whichever I could get away with. Shayne didn't let me down and maneuvered his way into the small area swarmed with other baby chick adorers. Avery wasn't quite as enthusiastic about the chicks as I was and she was only really interested in poking out their eyes. But even so, my wish was granted and I got the pictures to capture the moment.

After finally escaping the petting zoo, we happend to catch the horses and the nice horse lady was kind enough to stop and let Avery pet one. This seemed to be more exciting to her than the chick. I think I can live with that!

15 Months

2010-05-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

I definitely believe this post would be more appropriate if titled "24 Months," because Avery acts more like a 2 year old than a 15 month old child...I don't lie...

Yes, our little Avery Jean has changed so much. It's as if the 12 month mark hit and she literally went full speed ahead from that point on. Of course she is walking and my sincere apologies for not posting a video when the major milestone hit. She is basically running now and is all over the place. Most people say "it's on now!" whenever they start walking, but I honestly love it. She looks so darn cute toddling around the house, not to mention it's ever so helpful when I can just say "Avery, let's go change your diaper" and she walks straight to her room.

Speaking of which, I occasionally get a "no" response to this, which is point numero uno in my "She acts like a 2 year old" case. Avery has developed an opinion now, which often involves a "no" response when she doesn't want to do something. This word became very popular during the time we tried to take away the bottles, replacing them with sippy cups. For example, I would say "Let's get some milk" and her response? "No...bottle!" Or she would simply spot the cup 10 feet away and say "no, no, no!" From time to time, we do get a "yeah" response, like when we play our "silly game." We'll ask her if Avery's silly and she'll say no, then she'll immediately say "Daddy silly." I then ask if daddy is indeed silly and she responds with her stiff head nod and a "yeah." She also tells us that Dixie is in fact silly too. It's quite funny.

Avery is definitely a verbal child. She now has over 80 words that she is able to say, but also understands what they mean and uses them in reference correctly. I won't list them all, but some of them include: ball, baby, flower, shirt, shoe, water, milk, kite, juice, more, rocks, trees, car, please, heart, cool,read, bath, book, cup, spoon, hot,swing, remote, play, walk, sing, and the list goes on. One of my favorite words she says is "whoa." If she ever loses her balance or almost falls, she will say "whoa!" It's stinkin' cute. She will say "oh boy" when she gets excited about something. She also attempts to flash a peace sign every now and then (which is more of a crooked index finger, really) and say "peace!" She can label many different animals and also tell you the sounds they make. She is able to point to her ears, eyes, nose, teeth, fingers, hair, toes, back, belly, and will show you her tongue. She can also tell you who people are, specifically those she sees the most (grandparents, aunts, cousins, etc)...and of course the many dogs that she adores.

She's also turning her words into two syllables rather than just saying the beginning sound. Some of her two syllable words are: airplane, Elmo, cookie, paper (prounounced "paypay," one of my favorites), biscuit (or "bitsit", another fave), bracelet, lipstick, cracker (pronounced "crackerrr"), apple, okay, and outside. She can also say short phrases like "I don't know", "bye bye..see ya..okay!", "all done" and "Where baby go?" She loves to hide things and say "Where go?" and then she will find it and say "there!"

Avery has also learned to count to 10. She skips 5 for some reason, but she loves to count and when she doesn't have anything to count, she will start to count on her hand. She also sings most the letters of the alphabet song and usually throws in some dance moves along with it. She also enjoys singing the "Avery song" her Pawpaw made up for her and "Where is Thumbkin." She loves to sing in general and will pretend to sing to songs while we ride in the car.

She loves to pretend to talk on our cell phones and will even turn them around the other way and say "cheeese!" while pretending to take her picture. She jibber jabbers in the phone, says "yeah" a few times and then "bye bye." She also adores her Elmo and "Cookie" (Cookie Monster) comes in a close second. Her stuffed Elmo goes everywhere with her and occasionally, Cookie gets lucky enough to tag along too. She likes to make them clap their hands together while saying "clap clap" and also makes them dance. From time to time, she even makes her two little buddies play the drums. She is very loving towards her stuffed animals and baby dolls. She loves to hug them and give them kisses. She is also very loving towards animals and babies in general. If she sees real ones or even pictures of them, she will say "aww" and blow them a kiss, or kiss their picture. She's a very affectionate little girl. She does have her non-affectionate moments, however. Over the past week or so, she has developed "the look." If I do something that doesn't make her happy, for example giving her an empty cup that she expected to have something in it, I get "the look." It's a very dramatic look that mostly involves the eyebrows...it's hard not to laugh at!

Avery still loves books, which makes me oh so happy. She loves to look at them on her own and will even turn the pages and say familiar words from the books. She can point to pictures in the books when you ask her to or will tell you what certain pictures are when you point to them. I attribute much of her learning to books.

She loves to be outside, however she will NOT walk in the grass. You put her there and she immediately freezes, arms out ready for you to rescue her. She often requests to go outside and would honestly stay out there all day if we let her. This of course makes her daddy very happy. One of her favorite things to do is swing. She also loves to look at flowers and smell them. She is actually very fixated on flowers right now and says they're "pretty." She's also developed a recent infatuation with caterpillars as well and is always asking to go look at the "cats."

Avery has acquired some new skills just recently. She loves to color and actually does fairly well holding crayons and making marks in her coloring books. She likes to pretend to write her name by saying "A" as she makes lines on the paper. She can also identify the letter "A" if I write it or show it to her. She enjoys carrying her crayons around the house and I am beginning to discover her artwork in various places, such as on our drink coasters. She is also learning how to climb. She climbs on the step to our bathtub and on the stairs at Mawmaw's house. Once she does it, she of course cheers for herself by clapping and saying "yay!"

It is so amazing to watch this little person grow and learn. She seems to do something new every day. I am fascinated by how quickly she learns and soaks everything in. She has such a cute little personality and I look forward to watching her discover all the new things she can do!

Say Cheese!

2010-05-08T09:16:00.000-07:00

Snow days

2010-04-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from one of the many snows we had. During this particular snow, it was very cold and windy and I was reluctant to take Avery outside, so we brought the snow in! Avery loved every minute of it, although I think she was way more into the bowl and spoon than the snow. It's hard to even think about snow with all this beautiful weather we've been having, but I wanted to share the fun we had while it was here!

Missing...

2010-04-08T04:46:00.000-07:00

I know, I have been MIA for the past few weeks and the blog got put on the back burner. We've been busy and have had a lot going on. Shayne, praise God, got a job and is now doing the shift work thing which has been a big change we are all trying to adjust to. Since Shayne is working again, I am trying to get back into the domesticated swing of things. During his unemployment, I was fortunate enough to not have to worry about grocery shopping, cooking dinner, cleaning, etc. (I know, I have an amazing hubby), but now it's up to me again.

So while I've been adjusting and readjusting, there's been very little "me" time after Avery goes to bed. This is typically when I get lost in the blogging world, but lately this time has been devoted to a new addiction...

Yes, I have jumped on the bandwagon (late as always) and I'm already sucked into the Twilight vortex (thanks Leah). I'm anxiously trying to finish the book so I can move on to the movie....and the other books that follow. Any-who, I have lots of catching up to do and a ton of pictures I want to post...so stay tuned!

In Honor of St. Patty's Day....

2010-03-18T04:59:00.000-07:00

"Who else seen the leprechaun say 'yeeeaahh!'"

Who woulda thunk?!?

2010-03-13T17:53:00.000-08:00

Like every other red-blooded American child, Avery loves Elmo....L.O.V.E.S him! Our toy collection is slowly becoming overtaken by this red furry creature. Luckily, I think Elmo's pretty darn cute so it's something I can live with. I happened to catch a glimpse of the man behind the super puppet on TV one day and was quite surprised. Would you have guessed this one?

Birthday Pictures

2010-03-10T04:42:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the picture overload, but I know some of you who enjoy it :)

Avery's 1st Birthday...Part 2

2010-02-26T17:28:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to say that Avery's party went really well. I'll be the first one to admit that yes, maybe the party was a little more for me than her. I mean the party was all for her, but she could care less about the food and decorations...but I really wanted it to be special and something she can look back on when she's older and know that I tried to make it the best I could just for her.

With that being said, this party stressed me out! I tortured myself with magazines, blogs and pictures from extravagant parties that I in no way, shape or form have the means to do. I had visions of the perfect party, but did what I could. I decided to go with a ladybug theme...cute and simple. My heart was set on cupcakes, but I decided to save this until she's older. I made all of the decorations myself. I attempted the infamous Martha Stewart pom-pom balls which turned out okay, but nothing like dear old Martha's. I am totally convinced that when she offers her "step-by-step" instructions for her marvelous creations, she conveniently leaves out a crucial, but yet easily miss-able step just so that no average person's attempt will turn out as perfect and flawless as hers. I do have to pat myself on the back for my resourcefulness regarding my homemade ladybugs. My good friend (and coworker) Haven brought some leftover sale dots from Bath and Body Works that she thought we could use at work. I confiscated the dots and decided to turn them into ladybugs, adding rhinestones and other patterned paper. I also made a birthday banner with cut out circles and stickers...nothing fancy.

("Auntie Lee Lee" showing of some of the ladybugs)

I discovered that you can customize invitations on Etsy....*sigh*, oh how I love Etsy. I found a really cute design that I loved and added my pictures of Avery holding the letters O, N and E. This was another project I took on...I rushed through it so the letters turned out a little sloppy, but they served their purpose.

The seller of the invitations worked with me, redoing it until I was satisfied (I will definitely be taking this avenue for this year's Christmas card!). I also relied on Etsy for Avery's shirt. I've seen a ton of cutesy birthday shirts, but I wanted hers to be just for her so I ordered a personalized shirt that turned out great...and most importantly, was affordable. And I knew I could count on my friend Amber to make the perfect matching tutu and hair bow to complete the outfit.

Nana came through with the cakes. She has a friend who does a great job making cakes and she did not disappoint for the party cake and Avery's personal cake (although it was a "birthay" cake, not a "birthday cake"). She was also so kind to take care of all the plates, napkins, cups, etc. Mawmaw took care of the tablecloths and punch and made the cutest little ladybugs out of rice crispy treats. I tried my hand at play dough cookies which turned out pretty good...and apparently tasted good too, since I didn't have any left to take home (besides the ones that fell on the ground prior to the party...thanks babe :)).

Adding to my stress was that fact that the first party attempt had to be canceled due to snow. I was so disappointed because I knew that a lot of our family and friends were going to be able to come and I was worried they may not be able to make it when we rescheduled. Fortunately, mostly everyone was still able to come which ended up being around 45 people! I was happy to see the people we love there to show their love for the Poots. The delay in the party also gave me a chance to finish things that I may not have gotten finished to being with...God knows what he's doing :).

So now that I've bored you with all the details you probably could have done without, here's a preview of party pictures...and you know me and my picture overload, there will be plenty more to come....

Avery's 1st Birthday...Part 1

2010-02-22T09:55:00.000-08:00

It's so hard to believe that Avery's birthday has already passed. It was a great experience, but definitely bittersweet. During the course of Avery's first year of life, Shayne and I have gotten in the habit of saying "I look forward to" rather than saying "I can't wait until..." because the truth is, yes, we can wait for all the things Avery has yet to experience. We do look forward to such things, but cherish the time we have with her now. That pretty much sums up my feelings towards Avery's first birthday. I am excited to see her learn and grow and look forward to what lies ahead for us...but I am sad to see her "baby" days slowly disappear.

With that being said, we took LOADS of pictures to capture her first birthday experience. The ones I posted are from Avery's actual birthday. I stayed home from work to spend the day with her and since Shayne's unemployed, he was able to be with her too. We fixed her birthday pancakes for breakfast and spent the day at home in our pjs playing. Her Mawmaw and Pawpaw came over for lunch to witness Avery's first cake experience and to give her a couple of presents. It was a special day and we were so glad to be able to spend it with her.

Excited about pancakes

Ready for cake!

Sharing with daddy

I'll take one more please...

Trying on my birthday tutu!

Max Patch

2010-02-17T04:32:00.001-08:00

I'll start out by saying that this was just one of many snow days. This winter has been caraaazy! I can't remember a winter where we've had this much snow. Since before Christmas, snow has been in the forecast every week...and has usually come to pass. I do have to admit that I love it though. While everyone else is griping about the snow that keeps coming back, I am happy to see it yet again. To me, as long as it's winter and going to be cold outside, then let it snow!

During one of the better snows, our little family decided to venture up to Max Patch. Shayne's mom and sisters, Paige and Devan, and Devan's boyfriend Bradley also went with us. I spent most of the time in the car with a sleeping child while the others did a little sledding. Once Avery decided to wake up and join in on the fun, we got out to take pictures. Avery even got to sled a little but was not a big fan of it. Max Patch is just one of the many reasons why I love to call this place home...

Biltmore House

2010-02-06T06:36:00.000-08:00

During the Christmas break, we had the opportunity to go the Biltmore House. First we went to the Candlelight tour with our good friends David and Leah. With those tickets you are able to go back on the estate the next day, so we took Shayne's mother and grandmother (and the Poots of course) and got to play with our new camera a little bit. We also got hooked up with twelve month passes, thanks to Shayne's dad, so we will have the opportunity to take many more pictures. Here's some of the ones we got while we were there...

Happy 1st Birthday Avery Jean!

2010-01-28T11:01:00.000-08:00

Thank you for making this past year the greatest of our lives and we look forward to many, many more! We love you so much!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

More Christmas

2010-01-26T17:43:00.000-08:00

This should be the last pictures of our Christmas shenanigans. I still have lots of pictures I want to post from Christmas break, but you can breathe a sigh of relief because these are the last Christmas-related ones.

Christmas Day...

Christmas continued...

2010-01-23T17:58:00.001-08:00

Christmas with Shayne's family...

A week from today...

2010-01-21T04:47:00.000-08:00

my little baby girl will be a year old!!!

Christmas 09....Finally!

2010-01-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am finally posting Christmas pictures! I'm still not finished editing them all and since Shayne and I got a little camera happy, I'm going to put them in separate posts. So here's the first batch!

Christmas with my family....

11 months

2010-01-09T18:09:00.001-08:00

I know, I know, this is a little late but as I said before, I am trying to play catch up. I will start out by saying that our little Poots went through a transformation over Christmas break. She went from army crawling to completely "normal" crawling, and from grabbing onto furniture to pulling up and then cruising. For a while, she wasn't able to get back down from her new found standing position, but she quickly fixed this problem by pointing to her mommy or daddy and saying "deh" (for "down") for assistance. Yesterday, she started bending over to reach toys as she stood and today she has learned to sit back down on her own. She shows pride in this by clapping for herself after she sits. Since she is now more mobile, she has decided to embark on the rest of the house rather than sticking to her play area in the living room. Unfortunately one of her favorite places to go is the bathroom, and it did not take her long to discover the toilet...the bathroom door now remains closed.

Avery is still a little chatterbox. She will say "deh" when she is done with her bottle, which is usually followed with a throwing of the bottle (just in case you didn't get the hint with the "deh"). She is using her "more" sign all the time when she wants more food. She attempts to sing the "Hip Hip Hooray" song from her favorite show, "Super Why" (wait, I don't let my small child watch TV, not even when I need a break....I have no idea where she learned that song:) ). You can ask her what a duck says and she'll say "cack cack cack," a monkey says "ah, ah, ah," and a sheep says "baaa." She likes to say "pretty" and "aw, man!" Dixie is beginning to become a two syllable word....and something with fur, which is fun to pull out by the handful. She loves to look at pictures displayed around the house and she will occasionally say what sounds like "who's that" as she looks at them. Avery loves to read books and sometimes she will pretend to read them herself. She also loves pretending to talk on the phone. She'll hold one of her 200 phones to her ear, say "hey" and "bye bye," and sometimes blow a kiss.

It's so hard to believe that she is only weeks away from turning a year old. These little, precious beings simply grow way too fast!

A look ahead...

2010-01-07T05:06:00.000-08:00

I am SO behind in my postings! Christmas was a whirlwind and we are gearing up for the big birthday this month! I plan on an 11 month post soon in addition to all about our Christmas shenanigans. And Shayne and I purchased a new camera (a little Christmas present for ourselves) which we are are too excited about, thus resulting in picture overload...so be prepared!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T18:29:00.001-08:00

Wishing everyone a merry, blessed Christmas...

Oh the weather outside is frightful....

2009-12-22T18:37:00.000-08:00

Could it be that we actually got a decent snow for the first time in forever or did I just dream it?!? Nope, we did indeed get a good snow...for real!

Last Friday I decided to go on to work. I figured I wouldn't be there for very long with the anticipated snow storm threatening to close the center (or at least send my "too scared to drive in snow" self home, whichever happened first), but I at least wanted to get some things to take home to work on. Well, that turned out not to be the best idea. On my way to work, it was already starting to snow and cover the ground...this was at 6:45 am. Let's just go ahead and get this little disclaimer out of the way: I insist on owning a 4-wheel drive vehicle, but by no means does this make me comfortable driving in the snow...moving right along....
I was driving Shayne's truck because both (yes both) of my headlights were burned out in my Trailblazer. This should be fine, I thought, driving a truck and all in the snow. WRONG! The center closed not long after I got there and when I struggled to pull out of my parking spot, I knew I was in trouble. So here I go, swerving down the road as if there were a 9 year old behind the wheel driving the speed of a 90 year old. In the meantime, I am totally freaking out and sharing the freak out with my mom on my cell phone (sorry about that mom...specifically the part where I'm letting you know how I'm rolling through an intersection without a working stoplight and without brakes). Needless to say, I immediately pulled over to the nearest parking lot and put my shaky, not-so-happy self in park. My wonderful dad came to my rescue and took me on the long trip home. The roads were treacherous, but the snow was beautiful. We ended up with at least a foot.
Friday night around 7:00 pm we finally lost power. Shayne, Avery and I piled in our bed that was covered in a massive amount of blankets. The next day we decided to hang out at Shayne's dad's house, since we were still without power and he has a nice wood furnace that kept us toasty. Later in the day, Shayne's dad took him to Waynesville to get his truck and ended up wrecking on the way there, which is a whole other story in itself. Both made it out okay, although the truck suffered a little damage.

Despite all the craziness, we loved the snow. I can't remember the last time we had a snow this big and it has been long awaited. Avery seemed to enjoy it too, although she was afraid to touch it or basically move in it at all. We did get some great pictures of her, though, which I am of course posting! We hope to have more snows like this with opportunities to create great memories with our little one... just don't expect to see me driving in it!

Random video

2009-12-19T17:46:00.001-08:00

So I've decided to change my "Video of the week" to "Random video," being that I've become such a blog slacker lately. Now I will periodically post a random video instead of posting one weekly, so keep checking back because you never know when one may pop up!

This video is pretty cool and I'm pretty sure I'm going to ask Shayne to do our lights this way next Christmas...he has a year to get started so it shouldn't be that big of a task, right?!? Make sure you pause the music in the right column of my blog so you can hear the video. Enjoy!

Did you hear?!?

2009-12-16T08:24:00.000-08:00

Hundreds gather to protest global warming....

10 months

2009-11-30T13:54:00.000-08:00

So I've been majorly slacking on my blogging and hope to make an effort to catch up over the holidays...so be prepared for picture overload. And I realize that Avery is 2 weeks past her 10 month birthday, but I'm writing about it now and that's just how it is :)
So now Avery is in the double digits and only 2 months away from being a year old. How did that happen?!? Our little Poots is such a blessing. I am in awe as I watch her day after day. She is moving all over the place and exploring her surroundings. She is becoming a chatter box, making as many sounds as she can. She does a great job reaching for and pointing to objects to identify them. She has added some new words to her vocabulary, including Papaw and Pawpaw, pretty, ta da, duck, tap tap, and "ba" for bottle. She loves to imitate and play games and she can now point to her belly, ears, head and teeth. I am trying to teach her some simple signs (I can't help myself...it's now ingrained in me from work) and she will sign for "more" and is trying to do "done" and "eat," but mostly smiles instead. She loves to make all kinds of silly noises and has "silly wars" with her daddy. We hope to have a video of this up soon...it's pretty darn funny.

I'm telling myself that her language is her strong suite at this time, being that she is not as mobile as some babies are at this age. It's hard not to compare your baby to others, especially when you see them cruising or walking all over the place, but I have to remind myself that all babies are different and it will eventually come. Not to mention that she is much easier to keep up with at this point in time! But no matter what, she's always ready for her closeup....

Video of the week

2009-11-27T17:10:00.000-08:00

I was watching this movie earlier and wanted to post this because, well, I just love it...

On the move...

2009-11-24T13:57:00.000-08:00

Now that Avery is crawling (okay, it's a modified version of crawling, but moving nonetheless) she is beginning to explore her environment. She is moving all around the house, anywhere and everywhere she can. The word "no" is becoming a popular word in our household.

She has discovered walls...

And enjoys crawling under things, such as the dining room table...

Her jumper...

And even Dixie (this was not a set up, she put herself there...not even joking!)

Avery is also learning to climb and finds her daddy to be a good practicing tool...

Bring on the childproofing!

So true...

2009-11-19T09:47:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, I know this all too well...

Video of the week

2009-11-13T18:24:00.000-08:00

I just love Ellen...

Avery's first Halloween

2009-11-09T08:09:00.001-08:00

Video of the week

2009-11-07T06:13:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when good 'ole boys get bored on Halloween....

I was wondering what ever happened to Lovelace...

9 months

2009-11-04T17:29:00.001-08:00

Can it really be that Avery will be a year old in just three months?!? This can't be right...she should definitely still be a small, newborn infant...

But she's not. She is now a sweet, babbling, attempting to crawl, happy, 9th month old baby. And with a tooth I might add! Yes, our gummy-grinned girl now flaunts a cute little tooth, just barely peeking from her bottom gum. If you get to touch it or even see it you're lucky, because she is very "protective" of her new appendage. Avery is also working on her communication skills. She still says "dada" and occasionally "mama" and "bye bye." At times, it seems as if she is trying to say "hey there" and she also tries to say "Dixie." She also likes to say "uh" for "uh oh"..and of course drops things repetitively so she can say it over and over again. She imitates barking and quacking. She loves to clap her hands and has recently started to "roll them" around each other (like for "roll 'em up" in Patty Cake). You can ask her where her belly is and she will pat it with her hands. She will also throw her hands in the air when you say touchdown...a trick I'm certain a certain Brindley boy taught her without us knowing :).

Avery is desperately trying to crawl. Her once spastic moves have become a little more refined and she is now our little inchworm. She also enjoys vocalizing as she moves, because it is such hard work! We did happen to capture this cuteness on video....

It is unbelievable how much and how quickly she is learning to do new things (see, I've said it again). I went to the Exceptional Childrens conference in Greensboro on Sunday and returned Tuesday afternoon. Avery had acquired a few new skills just in the short amount of time that I was gone! She started to wave with her fingers (instead of her whole arm) and can hold her bottle by herself. My mother-in-law also informed me that she is able to sit up on her own. It didn't take long for her to learn how to get down from a sitting position, but she has suddenly discovered how to sit up on her own. I didn't actually witness this new talent, so I was a little unsure...until last night. I laid Avery in her crib and bent over to turn on her CD player. When I stood back up, there was my once lying baby, now sitting up looking at me. Needless to say, her crib mattress has now been lowered. I must brag on Shayne a little. This was his first time being alone with Avery for more than a few hours. He did a great job taking care of the Poots and I believe they have bonded more because of their daddy/daughter alone time.

We look forward to seeing what this next month brings!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-30T18:24:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd have a little Halloween fun for my video of the week. Leah, I had to borrow you for this one.

Happy Halloween!

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Video of the week

2009-10-26T04:29:00.001-07:00

Sorry the video for last week is a little late, but I believe it's worth it...

Fall in the mountains

2009-10-22T04:31:00.000-07:00

I just love this time of year. When it starts getting cooler and the leaves begin to change. The return of Friday night lights and the anticipation of upcoming holidays. Making (and more importantly eating) pumpkin cheesecake. The smell of hot apple cider. Getting to wear fuzzy socks to bed and sleep on flannel sheets. I could go on and on...

Last Sunday, our little family decided to venture out and enjoy the beautiful fall day. We went to the pumpkin patch at First Methodist church and our good friend Colleen met us there to take some pictures of Avery. It was bitterly cold, but Avery was a trooper. The pictures are absolutely amazing and I believe that Colleen needs to make a quick career change :). I've posted the pictures in a slideshow because there are too many to post individually and there was no way I could only pick a few!

After taking pictures, we decided to take a trip to the parkway, however it was closed, so we decided to go to Cataloochee instead. The trip there was amazing! It had snowed that morning, so we were able to have our first winter preview. Nothing is prettier than fall-colored leaves covered in snow. Avery got to see her first elk (alive that is...not counting the one hanging on our wall at home) but did not seem too amused. Shayne and I were able to get some decent pictures while we were there...hopefully after Christmas we'll change "decent" to "exceptional" when we buy ourselves a new, much nicer camera. Although our pictures don't quite do it justice, there's no doubt about it...this place we call home is amazing.

Video of the week

2009-10-16T04:56:00.000-07:00

This one's for you dad

On this day, three years ago....

2009-10-14T04:32:00.000-07:00

I married my best friend...

Vote for the Poots!!

2009-10-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

So I decided to enter Avery in the Gap casting call contest. Us Kings...well, we never win anything, but Avery's duck did win during the pig races at the fair, so I think our bad luck streak may end with her. Okay maybe not, but just for fun I decided to go for it. There are a gazillion adorable babies already in the contest, but what the heck, it's worth a try. You can go online and vote for her to be a "fan favorite"...the baby with the most votes wins a trip to Jamaica or something, which I know Avery is just dying to win (no, not Shayne & I...Avery...seriously, she told us!). Anywho, go to the link below and it will bring up her pictures that you can vote for (you'll probably have to copy and paste the link in your toolbar b/c I can't ever get the linky thing to work on here). I think you may have to register at the site in order to vote, but hey, it's for a good cause (yes, sending Avery and her parents to Jamaica is a good cause). So go vote for the Poots!

http://family.go.com/gapcastingcall/entries/laurenjean28/

Video of the week

2009-10-09T17:23:00.000-07:00

Lately it seems like my only posts are my weekly videos...I promise to try to do better...

This is a video that Shayne told me about and it's pretty darn funny.

Video of the week

2009-10-02T04:49:00.001-07:00

Shayne introduced me to this video a while back and I had forgotten about it until my dad e-mailed it to me this morning.

Meet Diamond Dave (not to be confused with Canton's Diamond Dave). He's one of West Virginia's finest (which Shayne refers to as "the place where men are men and goats are scared") and he is here to teach you how to become a ninja. C'mon, you know you've always wanted to be one...

And remember..."don't go ninjan nobody don't need ninjan."

8 Months

2009-09-29T09:08:00.000-07:00

So I know I've said before about how amazing it is how babies change from day to day...but the changes in Avery in the past month have been unbelievable! She is babbling all the time. She enjoys saying "mama" and "dada," although it's not really in reference to us yet (even though we tell ourselves otherwise). She is waving and will occasionally try to say "bye bye" when she waves. She likes to wave up and down with her right hand, but if she waves with the left, it's a backward wave to herself with her fingers. She also loves to wave at herself in the mirror. She is beginning to rock and bounce to music and she recently discovered her tummy while taking a bath. She enjoys rubbing and patting it and it is so stinkin' cute!

She is so close to crawling, which is almost nerve-racking! You never know when it's going to happen, not to mention you can't help but to think of the baby proofing mission that lies ahead of you. Avery use to be adamant about sitting up and would get mad if she fell over. Now she wants to be on the floor and is starting to get the hang of moving from a sitting position to laying on the floor. She mostly rolls to get where she wants to go, but she is definitely trying to crawl. Yikes!

She is an excellent eater. So far she's not encountered anything she won't eat. I'm holding off on the finger foods, though, since this child still does not have any teeth! Sometimes it appears that she's teething because she chews on anything and everything and drools quite a bit (and chews some more and drools so more). But still no teeth.

Avery has been suffering from her first cold this past week. Fortunately its not terrible, but it has presented quite a challenge when it comes to sleeping at night. She isn't sleeping that great and when she wakes up, it's difficult to console her. The more she cries, the more her nose runs which makes it hard for her to breathe and even harder to suck on her paci...the result?!? An unhappy baby (and an overly-tired mother). Yes, believe it or not the nights on the couch with the Poots have not contributed to a well-rested me. Any suggestions from you veteran moms are more than welcome :)

One thing is for sure...this baby just gets cuter and cuter everyday!

Video of the week

2009-09-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

Call me a nerd, but I just love Sonic commercials...

Happy Birthday Leah!

2009-09-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to give a little birthday shout out to my bestest friend Leah. Us Kings sure do love you!

Video of the week

2009-09-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite YouTube videos. Hands. Down.