Avery is 2!!!

Our sweet baby girl is TWO today! It really is hard to believe that it's been two whole years since Avery entered our lives, but in other ways it's hard to remember our lives without her!

Avery Grace, here's what you're up to these days:

• You still wear a size 2T for the most part, but I'm starting to buy 3T now just so you have some room to grow. 

• You're officially a potty pro! You only wear a Pull-Up at night now (instead of at naptime also), but most mornings you wake up dry, so eventually we'll get brave and ditch the Pull-Ups altogether.
• Singing is your favorite! Seriously, you sing ALL the time, whether it's Jesus Loves Me, If You're Happy and You Know It, or the recently learned Sesame Street Theme. You have the sweetest little voice!

• You know numbers 1-10 and still love your ABCs, although last month you began replacing U with O. Oh well, we have time to fix that before kindergarten. :)

• You still love to read, although you've finally moved on from Fox in Socks (thank you!). You haven't been too particular about which book we read, so we've definitely been appreciating the variety. :)

• You moved from the nursery to the 2s/3s Sunday School class last month! You look like such a big girl walking into that classroom (although you're the youngest in the class since you have a summer birthday, so you just look big to me). You love your little friends at church, especially Lily.
• You are such a good big sister! You frequently run up to Landon, get right in his face and say, "Hi Landon hi!" before you run away. Anytime he cries you either start singing Jesus Loves Me to him or go over to him and say in a sweet, high-pitched voice, "What's wrong, Landon? It's okay, little boy" while you pat his leg. It makes me tear up every single time. You've pretty much memorized your "big sister book" and go around quoting lines from it, like "Look at me, baby, I'm your big sister!" I'm excited for you and Landon to be pals.

• People are always surprised to find out how much of a Texas Rangers fan you are. I don't really know how it happened (besides the fact that you've been to tons of games since you were born), but you are obsessed. You love to go to games (duh), and you actually pay attention to them, cheering for your favorites, Kinsler, Hamilton, Elvis, Murphy, and "Michael Young!" You ask to go to Ranger games all the time, and every time you ask, you talk about the fireworks and polka dots (the dot race).

• You have a few favorite sayings : "No way!" (emphasis on "way"), "Oh my gosh" (drawn out emphasis on "gosh," although we've pretty much gotten you switched to saying "goodness" instead), and "I do it by my own self" when you don't want help from us.

• The other day you woke up early and I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep, so I went to the kitchen with you while I was half-asleep. Meg started barking at the door to go out, and I said, "Ugh, Meg, shut up!" You quickly responded, "Mommy, I say hush." I told you that you were exactly right and apologized for saying "shut up" because those aren't nice words. You said "yeah" and we moved on. Until Daddy came into the kitchen. You totally ratted me out and told him, "Daddy, Mommy said shut up but I say hush." I have a feeling this is not the first time God will use you to call me out.

• You have quite the imagination! Not only do you carry on hilarious pretend conversations on cell phones, you also "cook" for us all the time and play with your Little People house and dolls. I'm always surprised when I hear you talking out stories with your toys. You even love dress up. 

You've brought so much happiness to our lives, and it's been our joy to watch you grow into a little girl with a huge personality. We love you SO MUCH!

Mommy and Daddy

Friday Five: It's Back!

Well, we're getting into more of a groove these days, so I've finally had a chance to catch up on some computer stuff (ahem, blog included). Hence the return of the Friday Five! This next picture doesn't have anything to do with the post, but I'm including it because it makes me happy. 

1. My baby boy is one month old today! If you missed the post last night, you can find it here.

2. I am so addicted to Pinterest lately. I signed up awhile ago but it took awhile for me to spend any time with it and figure it out. Remember when you were in middle and high school and you cut out all your favorite pictures and ideas from magazines (oh, that was just me)? Well that's Pinterest but online. It's awesome. I've gotten SO many ideas from looking at other peoples' boards. I think you have to have an invite to join, so let me know if you want one.

3. Grocery shopping with Matt is almost worse than grocery shopping with Avery. We went to Kroger yesterday, and he made me look at the bakery selection. Who knew Kroger had such an awesome bakery?!? Let's just say we left with two of these.

Now that is a cookie sandwich. And for $1.50, the only thing it hurt was my waistline. I have got to start working out soon. I'm just waiting for the go-ahead when I go to my follow-up appointment with Dr. D. Yep, that's my excuse.

4. Sheesh, forget Christmas. 'Tis the season of gift giving. I have SO many friends getting married and having babies this summer, and now that Avery's getting birthday invites, too, it's enough to make us go broke. Don't get me wrong, I do love giving gifts, it's just an overwhelming amount in a short amount of time right now!

5. Every day feels like the weekend during the summer because I'm lucky enough to have my husband home every day, but I'm especially excited about this weekend because 1) I love the 4th of July, and 2) we're celebrating Avery's second birthday (although her party will be next weekend)! A preview of what's to come: swimming, watching the Women's World Cup, playing at the fountains, going to fireworks shows, going to a birthday party, cooking out, and finding even more spontaneous fun wherever we can. I can't wait!

Hope you have a great (safe) 4th of July weekend!

Landon: 1 Month

Where did this month go?!? We sure have enjoyed the last few weeks of sweet snuggles and sleepy smiles, but boy, has it gone by quickly!

Landon, you have already brought so much joy to our home in your short month of life. We think you were just the perfect addition to our family! Here's what you're up to:

• You're a big boy! At your two week appointment you weighed 11 lb 11 oz (>95%), were 23" long (95%), and had a head circumference of 15.5" (90%).
• It's no wonder you're so big; you're a breastfeeding champ! I was really nervous because Avery did not do well in this area. You eat about every two-three hours, and you've even taken a pumped bottle a few times when I needed to go out (and once at the Rangers game). Yay!
• You sleep pretty well, even at night. You sleep most of the night in your Fisher Price Rock 'N Play or in your Pack 'n Play bassinet. Usually you'll have your last feeding around 11pm and then sleep about 4-5 hours before you're hungry again. (One night you slept for 6 hours!) Most nights you go back to sleep right after you eat, so I'm getting more rest than anticipated. Thanks for that. :) I also love when you fall asleep on my chest (or on Daddy) because you just look so peaceful and sweet.

• You're already filling out 0-3 month clothes (you wore NB sizes for all of one week), so I'm changing your attire multiple times a day so you we can get some use out of all of these cute clothes! Thank goodness for Carter's long onesies; you actually still have some room to grow in those! 
• You seem to have a pretty chill personality so far. You don't cry much unless you're hungry or needing a diaper change (or if I eat barbeque sauce, dangit). You've become much more alert, and we love seeing those gorgeous eyes when you're wide awake! You also make the cutest little old man/turtle face when you stretch out. Oh, and those cheeks! I just want to squish them! :) 

• We're getting used to being a family of four. It just takes us a little more time to get out the door these days! While we miss the double-team, it is nice that Daddy and I can still implement a man-to-man defense. Avery loves you, too; she will come right up to your face and either say, "Hi, Landon, hi" and run away or she gives you the sweetest hugs and kisses on the cheek. I think y'all are going to be pals (you know, once you do more than just eat, sleep, and poop). 

• We know you're going to grow up way faster than you should, so we're trying to take everything one day at a time and enjoy all of the fun (and the not-so-fun!) that comes along with having a newborn in the house. So feel free to be your snuggly self as long as you want because all too soon you'll be telling me not to kiss your sweet face when I drop you off at school.

We love you, sweet boy!

Mommy and Daddy

p.s. Just for fun, here's Avery's one month picture.

Hometown Nazareth

Oh, VBS. I hate you. But I kinda love you, too.

I tend to try to steer away from tradition, especially when things are done simply because they've always been done. This also holds true in regards to children's ministry; I dreaded putting on Vacation Bible School because I feel like it's such a gimmick. My ideal summer children's outreach is to host a free soccer camp for community kids, sharing the Gospel through the best sport in the world. Since I knew I'd be having a baby this summer, I wasn't quite ready to reinvent the wheel, so I decided to stick with a traditional VBS.

But then I started looking at curriculum. Ugh. So many of them were so me-centered and completely obsessed with a theme that it was hard to pick the Gospel out of them. I didn't want the kids to come to VBS for a week and only remember that it was about a panda (*no offense to any churches who chose that curriculum); I wanted them to see a true picture of who God is. I was thrilled to find the Holy Land Adventure, which this year took us to Nazareth when Jesus was a kid. The whole week was totally God-focused, and I loved that the format wasn't so typical.

I like to do things on my own (or as Avery would say, "by my own self") because I'm such a perfectionist that delegation is not in my vocabulary. God kinda threw the whole dependence thing in my face though. Dependence on Him, utilizing others' gifts, etc. And I'm so glad He did because there is absolutely no way I could've pulled it off on my own.

It was a great week. God was glorified. I'm glad it's over. :) Here are some pictures, and the thank yous are at the end.

We had SO many volunteers during the week, but I'm especially thankful for:

• Adrienne, who was my right hand through the entire process. She doesn't even think she did anything, but she kept me sane through the planning while I bounced ideas off her. And during the week of VBS, she practically ran everything while I was hiding away nursing Landon in my office. And she was our resident photographer for the week!

• Jennifer, who planned, coordinated, and executed feeding 70+ volunteers every night. I didn't even have to think about food because I knew she had it all under control.

• Matt, who organized the band and led the Celebration time every night. I love his heart for worship and serving. 

• Mom, who took care of Landon while I ran around like a crazy woman and took Avery home to get her ready for bed while we were closing up shop each night.

• Kendra, who coordinated all the decorating with her brilliant theater mind and then played the part of Mary each night. 

• Sandra, who publicized the event so well and got the word out into the community (not that numbers really mean that much, but we had double the amount of kids this year from last year, and about half of them weren't from our church).
• Every tribe leader, kitchen crew member, tech team member, marketplace shopkeeper, Celebration team member, games helper, nursery worker, registration worker, and everyone else who played a part in making the week happen. I can't say thank you enough!

Swagger Wagon

Never say never.

When all my friends were being picked up from soccer practice in their parents' cool SUVs (or shoot, even their plain sedans), I dreaded being seen getting into the boxy white Astro minivan that my parents used to cart me and my three siblings all around the Metroplex. My 13-year-old self just knew that everyone was thinking less of me because of the vehicle I was riding in. Forget that I had two super supportive parents who sacrificed their time, money, and probably their sanity so I could participate in activities and sports that I loved.  No, I was concerned about their ride. And it was for that reason that I swore I'd never put my kids through the torture of the minivan.

Only my parents were kinda smart. (Gosh, I hate admitting that.) It turns out that if you need lots of passenger and cargo space with acceptable gas mileage for a decent price, a minivan is pretty much your best bet.

If you're one of the few people in the world who hasn't seen the Swagger Wagon commercial that Toyota put out awhile ago, here it is. You should watch it because it's pretty funny. And it makes me feel better.

I've had more and more friends jump on the minivan bandwagon, so maybe that's made it easier to accept my fate as a "soccer mom," but what really changed my mind was the fact that I could no longer ride as a passenger in our Scion xB without my knees touching the glove box. Two carseats take up a lot of room! (Side note: third row crossovers weren't an option because when we have more kids, that third row will need to be permanent and we'll need the extra storage in the back.)

We went to the small local dealership where we bought our Scion, and they had six minivans: five Toyota Siennas and one Honda Odyssey. When you're looking at used cars, you can't always be too picky. But then we found it.

A 2005 dark gray Sienna XLE with tons of sweet extras. It's a 7-passenger with leather seats (heated, although that's not too appealing at the moment), a sun roof, DVD system, a CD changer, built-in sun shades, automatic doors, and tons of other stuff. I love the color, and when I'm inside I forget that it's even a minivan. :)

The best part was that it has fewer miles than our 2008 Scion (75,000) and they gave us so much for the Scion that we were able to avoid getting a loan by borrowing money from our savings account. Hooray for no interest!

So now I'm that mom, and I'm surprisingly okay with it.

Last Week in Review

Oh, there are so many things to catch up on in this post. We'll start where we left off last week (eek! a whole week between posts??)...

{Monday}

I got to go see my cousin Amy on Monday afternoon for a massage (she's a massage therapist and she's fantastic), and I left feeling human again! My back had been killing me, and I'm so thankful Matt had the idea for me to get it taken care of.

After dinner, Mom and Dad came over to see Avery and Landon before leaving Wednesday morning for their European extravaganza.

{Tuesday}

We went looking at minivans. We found one we loved. I'll have a separate post about embracing my inner soccer mom.

We stopped at Chick-fil-a afterward so we could feed Avery and Landon and avoid hungry meltdowns since we needed to go to the grocery store before heading home. We all survived.

{Wednesday}

Amy came over for the day to play with Avery and Landon. I was so thankful that she offered to do this because it gave me a chance to get a lot done around the house. And I don't think Amy minded all the baby snuggles one bit. :) 

Matt took my parents and our pastor and his wife (their traveling buddies) to the airport. They don't come back until July 8, and it's so weird not to be able to call my mom. I talk to her so stinkin' much during the day, so I think I'm going through withdrawals. Weird.

Ral, Sam, and Maddie came over for dinner and Wii competition on Wednesday night. We just love them! And Avery is still talking about playing with "Mr. Ral and Maddie and Sam."

{Thursday}

I had a chance to run up to the church to get a couple things done, but the majority of my day was spent running errands while Matt had both kids at home. (I'm so thankful that Landon will take a bottle of pumped milk since it gives me a little more freedom for when I need to be gone longer than a couple hours.)

Tiff, Ross, and Macyn got here late Thursday night, right after Landon spit up threw up all. over. me.

{Friday}

After breakfast, we went to pick up our new minivan! It took a little longer to get out the door, and then we had to get a cashier's check at the bank, so by the time we finally had the keys and could leave, both kids were screaming because it was well past lunch time.

Naturally we all went to Chick-fil-a. It was super crowded though!

Avery refused to take a nap, so she played in demolished her room for two hours before we had to get her up to get ready to go to Landon's (and Macyn's!) first Rangers game!

We tried so hard to make it early to the game to see Dirk throw out the first pitch, but between 4 adults and 3 kids (all of whom fit into our new ride!!), we didn't make it to our seats until the end of the first inning. Landon slept most of the time, Avery had a major meltdown in the bathroom about halfway through the game, and it was miserably hot in our section since there wasn't any breeze, but we still had lots of fun. We left before the fireworks show, but we got to see them from our car. They're much louder outside the ballpark!

{Saturday}

The Melancons left in the morning, and during our errands run, Avery fell fast asleep in the car. Not wanting to relive the previous day's naplessness, we didn't even wake her up to eat. The girl slept for two hours and would've slept longer if we hadn't woken her up because Sam was there to babysit.

We usually don't have to find babysitters because my parents live 10 minutes away and love to keep Avery when they can, but since they're in stinking Europe, Sam came over to hang out with Avery while we went to my friend Caty's wedding.

Weddings are kinda awkward when you don't know anybody there. I mean, I obviously knew the bride (we used to teach together), and I knew one bridesmaid, but other than that? No one. The ceremony was gorgeous and I cried (yes, I am a huge sap, even more so now that I have kids). The reception was equally beautiful, but then came the awkward part. We got to the reception a little late because I had to feed Landon, so we just sat at a table by ourselves. No big deal. Until the popular table beside us was out of chairs and people kept coming to take them from ours. We were officially the loser table, and since we needed to get home anyway, we decided to jet after saying hello to the bride and groom. I made Matt walk with me over to the cake table so we could at least look at the cakes, and it just so happened to be cake time, so we stayed long enough to join another loser table (they didn't know anybody there either) and devour some chocolate cake. Yum. Anyway, besides feeling like a lame-o, we really did enjoy seeing this sweet couple tie the knot; I just love their story! So congrats, Caty! You were gorgeous and I can't wait to see what God has next for you two. :)

{Sunday}

Matt had to be at church early, so I had my first test in getting two kids out the door by myself. I passed! I was just a little late. :) Avery slept in, so that gave me a chance to get Landon dressed and all of our stuff together. She woke up just as I was about to go get her, so after she was dressed, I fed Landon while she ate breakfast and we eventually made it out the door.

We usually don't make it to Sunday School because of our other church commitments, but we went to lunch at Sam's Pizza with our Sunday School class anyway.

Avery once again refused to nap. Lovely. I'm really hoping this is just a phase and she gets back to her normal napping self.

We went to the monthly prayer gathering at church that evening. Matt was leading worship and I didn't get anybody to cover childcare, so I decided to just go and do it myself. Our kids were the only ones there anyway, so Avery hung out and ate our dinner at church.

A napless day = a stressful bedtime. There was much screaming involved. Oh dear Jesus, please let this just be a phase!

{Currently...}

And now. I woke up at a decent hour this morning and got quite a bit done around the house and even got to play with Avery while Landon napped with his daddy. Avery is still awake in her room. I'm still praying she naps.   It is so. very. hot this week. I don't even want to leave the house. Maybe I'll at least shower today. We'll probably go swimming at some point this week or something. Something. I think Avery's getting bored, so I really need to be more intentional about what we do at home during the day. Anyway, this catches up the week at least; now I just need to finish a few other posts (i.e. VBS, minivan, Avery's 2 year old post, etc.). Now about that shower...