Always remember....

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

I'm gonna say it....

Yes, the f-word....



I'm ready for fall!

Day out with Thomas

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

*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!"

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...

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

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/