Our Little Lady Bug

Kevin and I (okay, probably more me) were so excited to for Halloween 2010! I LOVE to see all the kids come to the door and pass out candy. My dad and I keep count of how many kids we get and see who wins at the end of the night! ( I think I won with 22 this year!) ALSO, this was Avery's 1st Halloween! I debated for weeks what she should be, but once I saw this adorable lady bug outfit in the store, I knew that is what Miss Avery would be for her first halloween. So, we dressed her early in the day and let her wear to eat breakfast at Crackle Barrel and play around in it all day. Around 5:00 that evening we ventured over to her Aunt Mandy and Uncle Danny's house for her first trick-n-treat! We only went to one more house to round out her first Halloween. (and no, she did not get to eat any of the candy) :) We all then headed back to the house to pass out candy, which she loved too! It takes both Kevin and I to pass out candy in our house. Once the doorbell rings (or when the kids are walking up the driveway) Bailey starts going crazy! So, one of us grabs Mr. B. and the other picks up Ms. A. and finally we are ready to open the door to greet the kids! It was a great evening and I am so excited that we got such great pics of Avery in her costume! Enjoy.

Where Does Time Go?

Avery is official 8 months! Was is it really 8 months ago that we welcomed our little 7 lbs 12 oz baby girl into this world?

Newborn Avery Marie

Where does time go?

Well, Avery is a movin' and a cruisin' these days and not looking back!

Avery Marie-8 months old!

Avery is crawling, pulling up, clapping and has two teeth! Kevin and I can't believe how much she changes from day to day! She keep us on our toes, that is for sure!

We sure do love this little girl!

Avery sporting a new fall outfit!

Grandparents

I am very fortunate to have two wonderful grandmothers. My MeMe(mom's mom) is a energetic 76 year old who can still get on the floor and roll around with her great grandbabies. She has such an upbeat personality that she can light up any room! My Grandma M. (dad's mom) is a 90 year old who is one of the most inspirational woman I know. She has endured many hardships in her lifetime, but yet has the strength to get up everyday and enjoy another blessed day! My Grandma M. has the tradition of cooking dinner for every new parents in the family. This is her one on one time with that great grandchild and her grandchildren. Now, this is no small feat. I have quite the large family (my dad has 10 siblings) and she is continues to do this at 90! Finally, Kevin and I were able to make a trip to Okarche together to have our special meal! It was so delicious. The menu consisted of fried porkshops, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, homemade bread, homemade jam and homemade chocolate pie! Everything was spread out on beautiful china! What a special memory!

Grandma M. and Avery

Goals

As a new school year approaches, I always like to think of goals I want to accomplish during this first semester. These aren't just professional goals, but personal ones as well. So, this year I decided to write them down and hopefully try to reach them all!

Goals for Fall 2010

1. Cook dinner at least 4x during the week.
2. Be the best mom, wife, teacher, coach, daughter, sister and coworker that I can be.
3. Teach my students not only how to read, but how to become a better person.
4. Train and run a 1/2 marathon.
5. Lose 10 lbs (hopefully this will happend by doing #4)
6. Manage my money better.
7. Earn A's in my two master courses this fall.

Hopefully in December when I reflect back on these goals, I have made every attempt to reach them all! What are your goals for the rest of 2010?

Bye-Bye Summer

As the middle of August approaches, it is time for me to say good-bye to summer. Not only am I saying good-bye to the lazy, carefree days, but I am saying good-bye to spending all day with my daughter. So here are a few highlights of our summer......

Avery is 6 months old!

She had a wonderful 6 month check up. Here were her stats....

Weight-21.2 lbs (99%)

Height-27 in (90%)

We are so excited to see her grow and change daily. She rolls over both ways, gets up on all fours, eats solid foods and one tooth is poking through! Here are some of her likes: being held and kissed, bottle, lovey, anything she can put in her mouth, bath time, pool/lake, stroller rides, shopping (starting her at a young age), sweet potatoes, bananas, anyone who will talk to her, her BFF Isa and Journey. Some of her dislikes are: having to get out of the bath,putting her to bed before she is ready, scraping the excessive food off of her face with the spoon, and wearing bibs. Kevin and I love our little girl and are so excited to see what the next 6 months bring!

Mexico!

Well, while Avery was turning 6 months old, Kevin and I were enjoying the beautiful, sandy beaches of Mexico! Last summer my parents, Kevin and I decided that we needed to take a trip to a beach somewhere. So this past April we booked our trip to El Dorado Royale Casitas Resort. It was beautiful and very relaxing. Our only regret was not staying longer!

Also, this summer we have enjoyed many weekends at the lake, playdates with some of our besties and lots of hanging out on our living floor playing with the toys. I will forever cherish this first summer with my baby girl and excited to see what this school year brings!

Can It Already Be 6 Months?!

Well, not quite, but Avery is just 10 days shy of her 6 month birthday! I think I have experienced EVERY emotion over these last six months, but the one that is above them all, is how BLESSED I feel. Kevin and I have a beautiful, healthy baby girl that can make our hearts melt with a tiny smile. Julie, a co-worker of mine, is starting out her photography business and wanted to take pictures of Avery for her portfolio. Above are just a few of the great pictures Julie took of our baby girl!

A New School Year

A new school year begins for me in a little over a month. This school year is going to bring a whole new set of challenges for me. First, this will be the first school year as a mom. Not only do I need to balance being a teacher, coach and wife, now I get the added joy of being a mom with a full-time job. I will truly miss Avery each day, but she has a WONDERFUL babysitter that will love her and teach her new and exciting things! I am also taking on a new teaching assignment. I will be teaching low readers ( 2nd, 3rd, or 4th grade level) on a block schedule (100 min). I am very excited about this new challenge and love learning new ways to teach kids how to read. Which brings me to another challenge I will be facing this year....I am hoping to start my Masters this fall! I know! I am crazy! I recently found out that SWOSU has a web-based Reading Specialist Masters program and I just couldn't pass up the oppurtunity. I adore my Professors at SWOSU and excited that I can be a student in their classroom again. Even if it is in the virtual world! So, between Kevin's 2nd year of residency, teaching, coaching, Avery and my Masters program I am going to have one busy school year! How many days until next summer? :)