Making Memories-Beach 2011

 

Over Memorial Day weekend (Friday-Wednesday), Levi, Avery, and I headed down to Sand Destin for some much needed relaxation. Work has been quite stressful for us both lately, so we were ready for more than a weekend of not hearing the alarm clock sound at 5:15. While there, we split our time between the beach, lounging by the pool, taking naps, eating really great food, and of course shopping. My uncle's town house is just across the street from the outlets, so I buy a whole season of clothes for us all each time we go...you cannot beat the prices, especially on Memorial Day weekend. We are very thankful that Don is so generous and allows us to stay there when we visit.

Her first trip was back in September, right after she turned 1. She loved the waves and water then, but wasn't too sure of the sand. She has never really liked anything to stick on her hands, and sand as we all know, sticks to everything. This year she was a little more fond of the sand...once she figured out that it could be used to make shapes and to play in, all was good.

Ya'll she LOVED the waves. Though some may consider it bad parenting, we took her out with us (where the water was a little over waist high) and let her experience the roll of the waves as they came in. She laughed uncontrollably each time Levi or I would jump one...even the salt water splashing in her face seemed to make her giggle. I am so thankful for her laid back personality.

I have always hoped that Avery would love the water as much as I do. Since I grew up with a pool, swimming was a big part of my childhood. So far, she loves the pool too. Even jumping off the side to Levi or I wasn't too scary for her! She wanted so badly to jump out of our arms and swim on her own...I can't wait to watch her as she grows into a little fish!

A trip to the beach with Levi isn't complete without searching for sand crabs with only a flashlight and the glow of the moon. Avery loves bugs, amphibians, and well really anything that crawls. Since she isn't intimidated by creepy crawlers, we have had to really explain to let Mommy and Daddy know before touching anything that moves. This was an awesome experience for her. She was mesmerized with each little crab that was thrown into her bucket. She even touched them! After catching 6, we decided to call it a night and let them go back to see their mommies :) That is about the only way we can get her to let anything we catch go.

My mom and her friend Dale were down for the weekend portion of our stay and kindly watched Avery so that Levi and I could enjoy dinner out by ourselves. We have eaten at a lot of different places in the Destin/Ft. Walton/Sand Destin area and were looking for something new. I looked up reviews and found a place called 790 on The Gulf on Old Scenic 98. If you are down there, we highly recommend it. They have a happy hour menu from 4-7, with amazing prices. The outside seating is right on the beach (not above). Beautiful views and not a lot of people know about it yet.

Before   we knew it, we were packing our bags and heading back to Auburn. I am truly convinced that beach time is faster than time at home during a work week! I amthankful for the memories we made on our trip...life is just so full right now!

I Know She Will Make A Great One!

Big Sister that is! Avery will be the proud big sister to Baby Elliott #2, who is due to make his or her debut around February 18th, 2012. I am 11.5 weeks and still feeling pretty icky...I am not complaining though, as we are humbled that God has given another sweet baby to our family. Today was my 2nd doctors appointment and I got to hear the heartbeat for the very first time, it was 179. I am measuring 2 weeks ahead and definitely have a small bump. We will hopefully find out if the baby is a boy or girl when we have our ultrasound in 4 weeks, on September 7th! I am anxious to see if my due date stays the same, since I am measuring a little ahead.

If you asked Levi or I when Avery was born how long it would be before we started trying again, we would have given you a definite, they need to be at least three years apart. God changed our hearts and they will end up being 2 and a 1/2 years apart which is absolutely perfect for our family's needs! I know that there will be hard moments, but I am praying that Avery will just be crazy about her sibling! She already talks to the baby and pretends to hold it, but 99% of her day I would say the thought of occupying her space with someone else doesn't cross her mind.

We are excited to finally share our big news with everyone and ask for your prayers as we prepare for this change! I would be lying if I didn't say that I am nervous and a little scared of the transition. However, I trust that God is going to equip us to be the best parents possible to our little ones.

Where the Wild Things Are

Avery loves animals and has been able to tell us the sounds each one makes for a long time. In my mommy planning, you know the kind where you say "when he/she is this old, we will take them to ____", fill in the blank with the destination, I thought she would be a little older than 20 months before she would enjoy a trip to the zoo. But several weeks ago, Levi and I realized that now would be the perfect time! As we visited each exhibit, she sweetly told each animal hi and bye. Hi giraffe, bye bye giraffe. Just precious :)

The blessing of getting to watch Avery take in the wonders of God's creation is sometimes a little overwhelming. Levi and I try very hard to not to take these sweet moments for granted and are really beginning to understand how short this season of our lives will be. With all the stress that results from our jobs and lives in general, it is refreshing to get away as a family to make memories.

This was my first trip to the Birmingham zoo since I was probably 3 or so and Levi was pretty young on his last visit as well, so we really weren't sure what to expect. I will say though after visiting Bush Gardens in Tampa when Avery was 4 months old, we were a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, Avery enjoyed it, but after Tampa, the expectations are high.

We met Levi's parents, his Aunt Johanna, as well as little Taylor (Levi's 2nd cousin) there. It was a little chilly, but we all felt that we would rather wear sweaters than battle the smothering heat and humidity. Avery's favorite animals were the monkey's, the tiger, and the lizards/snakes. She wasn't that thrilled with the train and hated the carousel. I think the loud music and circler motion was too much! The next "go round" will hopefully be better!

Easter Sunday 2011

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and belives in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

John 11:25&26

We had a very blessed Easter and after church, spent the day enjoying family and resting. As a Christian saved by grace...I cannot imagine what life would be like without the reconciliation that Jesus provided to us by his death on the cross. Apart from Him I am a slave to the wickedness of this world. Praise God, that it didn't end with His death, but that three days later, He arose from the grave! The ending was written, death and satan were conquered....Today, we can rest in the truth of His victory and anxiously await the day He will return to call his children home!

The look of exhaustion!

Her First Bunny Cake...She has a Mimi who loves all things Easter

Easter Basket!

After the Egg Hunt, we headed home to give Avery her Easter Basket. When discussing what our Easter traditions would be, we decided to do baskets on Saturday...a decision that will hopefully make Sunday mornings before church a little less stressful. Easter for our children will involve dyeing and hunting eggs and a basket, but they will know that the basket comes from us. We don't want to play up the Easter Bunny, but they will know that bunnies are just like eggs and yellow chicks, they make the holiday fun, but are not the reason that we celebrate. We had a lot of fun watching Avery pull each gift from her basket! This year, it included several books, the one I am most excited about is the 'Jesus Story Book Bible.' Each story points to Jesus and the gift of salvation He gave when He died for our sins and rose again. Avery has already enjoyed several stories read to her by Levi. In addition to the books, it had an Elmo DVD, PJs, hairbows, a bug capturing kit, gardening tools, and an apron.
Her big gift was from Mimi...a water play table :) She loves it! I am continually amazed at how smart she is and that she knows exactly what to do with any new toy she is given. This is such a fun age with new developments almost daily.

Easter Egg Hunt 2011

I have looked forward to taking Avery to her first Easter Egg hunt for several weeks now (See post below on practicing). The annual hunt in my town continues to be one of my favorite childhood memories. It was a big deal to try to get a prize egg...In all the years we went as a family, I think I only got one. They didn't separate the age groups, so all of the big kids ran ahead and took them all. So, I was excited to see that Opelika was going to separate the eggs by age and thought that it would make the hunt more enjoyable for Avery

After the stampede, Avery was actually able to participate in the hunt

Well, I hate to say it, but I was really disappointed in the set up of the hunt. They had the 3 and under section in a very small area and that was probably the majority of the children represented. I was with Avery during the hunt and really didn't have any intentions of helping her pick up the eggs, but oh my goodness, if had I not picked up the eggs for her, she wouldn't have got even one! Other people were scooping up every one in sight for their child and some kids had two or three people hunting with them. No kidding, 30 seconds after the announcer said go, everything was gone. I am not sure this will be an annual event for us. We will probably stick to hunting in our yard :)

Playing Mark, Set, Go with Mimi

Riding the train...possibly the most fun she has ever had!

All in all, we had fun and definitely made memories. Avery loved the train and side walk chalk. It is really nice to have some of our family here to share such special times.

Story Time with Ma Mize

Avery is one lucky little girl, she has the privilege of getting to know all four of her great grandmothers! When visiting our hometown, she enjoys riding the mule (the motorized kind) with Granny Smith, seeing MaMaw Brown smile when Avery sweetly says her name, and chasing the cat at Grandmother Christine's house.

The last time we visited, her Ma Mize came over to Levi's parents house for supper. Afterwards, she and Avery read Come on Baby Duck!, which just happens to be Avery's favorite. She can tell you what is happening on each page and points out objects in it with great enthusiasm. I am thankful we were able to get these precious shots of the two of them together :)