Texas Bluebonnets

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day so we took a road trip to Chappel Hill and Brenham to look at land for sale. The Bluebonnets are everywhere along the way and there are so many this year. I just love the way they smell. I told Scott I wish I could just bottle it up and take the scent home with me. We took some photos of Avery in a field in Brenham. She doesn’t have any pants on because she had two accidents back to back so we ran out of back up clothing. (If you click on the photo, it will take you to the bigger version. I think the larger ones look better!)

I had a little fun with this one:

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Flashback Friday

I thought it would be fun to do a little flashback of Avery several months ago.  

Avery in October 2008 at 5 months:

Avery in March 2008 at  11 months:

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Little Ballerina

I finally made Avery’s tutu last night while “listening” to American Idol. I got the instructions off of a YouTube video and it took me about an hour and a half to make. I thought it turned out okay but what I found out after making it was that the toile I purchased is a little too scratchy so it bunches up. It’s all they had at Hobby Lobby. It looks cute, but I was looking for a more flowy look. If flowy is what you want, you have to get super soft toile. Also, in order to get it super full, you need to double or triple up your strips when tying them. I didn’t. Since this was my first time, I know for next time if I ever have the patience to tie little strips for an hour again. However, I decided to go ahead and purchase Avery’s tutu for her birthday party from a professional that does custom tutus so it will look better. She can have this one to crawl around in. I put it on her so we could take some pictures (note: it started pouring rain on us mid-shoot). She just couldn’t stop squealing and screaming with delight after we put it on her. She really liked wearing it!

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Avery is 11 Months

Saturday, Avery turned 11 months.  My baby girl is growing so fast!   She is more fun than ever.  Everything is interesting to her.  She loves opening all of our drawers and cabinet doors.  Her fingers have taken a beating.  Unfortunately, we have yet to find locks that work because they are custom cabinets.  At the same time, it has made for a fun exploration for Avery.  She continues to use everything that looks like a phone or is a pretend phone to talk into using babble that starts with a word that sounds very much like Hello and goes into pure jibberish.  It’s so funny how she holds her play phones over her shoulder to talk into them.   She signs more all the time and will sign eat if you ask her if she is hungry and use the sign.  We don’t use it a lot but recently started to.  Her walking is progressing a bit but she is still a bit insecure in her ability.  She will take up to 4 steps at a time and then decides crawling is faster.    Her problem-solving skills are starting to really flourish.   I can see that she is always thinking about things and how they work.  It’s so cool to see those wheels turning.


Walking:

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Busy Bees

March has flown by! It seems I blinked and March is gone. I’ve been meaning to post about a few things and I’m falling behind 🙂 Here’s a quick recap:

A few weekends ago, Nana came up to Houston to take Avie to the farm. Avery got to have a weekend with Nana and Papa which I know they were very happy about. Mommy and Daddy had vacation at home. It’s interesting how the most simple pleasures take on new meaning when you don’t have a baby to worry about. Since we weren’t on Avery’s schedule, we got to linger at El Tiempo and drink our margaritas slowly. How relaxing! We slept in late on Saturday which was super nice and spent a whole day doing leisurely activities. Then on Sunday, we met up with Mom, Dad, and Hillary in Columbus to get our Sweet Pea back. We certainly missed her!

Last week on Monday, we finally had a nice weather day after a cold and rainy week so we headed to the Houston Rodeo and Livestock show. We took Dee and Avery. Wow, what a gorgeous day! Because it was Spring Break, it was pretty crowded. It was so much fun to see all the animals, especially when she got to pet the little rabbits, guinea pigs, and calves. She took her little pointer finger and pet them back and forth….so cute. She squealed and laughed.

I can’t resist these little feet….

Then later on in the week on Thursday, Nana and Hillary stopped in to visit after a day trip to Lauberge. They decided to enjoy their Spring Break and do a little gambling in Louisiana. They came that night to spend the night with us. Avery had a fun surprise Friday morning when she saw them here.

This past weekend, Scott was Daddy Daycare. He’s been traveling a lot lately and I needed a girl getaway so I headed to Austin with Mariam to stay at the Lost Pines Hyatt. Scott is an awesome dad so I didn’t worry at all. They had a great time together and went to Brian and Elizabeth’s BBQ party on Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, Mariam and I got a little R&R at the spa and also soaked up the sun by the pool while sipping on Mojitos in Austin. We both brought our cameras and only ended up with one picture. Ha! We should have taken before and after pictures of going to the pool. Before: white as snow! After: red as lobsters! We had an awesome time. In fact, I love the resort so much that I want to go again soon with Scott and Avery. It’s a great family place. They have everything: spa, golf, kayaking, horseback riding, pool with slide and lazy river, bike riding, zip lining, rock climbing, live bands, and so much more and it is close.

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Baby Steps

For the last two weeks, Avery has been taking a few steps here and there. On Friday, she was super confident and was testing out her skills. She kept standing up and taking 4 steps here and 5 steps there. We were very excited! She still resorts to crawling as her most efficient way to get from point A to B. In fact, her crawl has evolved into the Mogli walk from Jungle Book 😉 It’s very funny to watch! Between learning to walk, her dance has evolved, too. She now not only does the bobblehead, but she shakes her hips from side to side, bounces up and down and throws her hands up in the air. Where does she learn this stuff?
Mogli walk:

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Snapshots!

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1st Birthday Party: Inspiration Board

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Dress for Less – Finds Under $30

In the name of this recession, I’m posting some great finds under $30. You all know how much I love Target and shopping online.

C & C Long-Sleeve Tee  On Sale $25 at BlueFly.com (great for layering!)

Gap Shorts On Sale  for $24.50:

Flounce Top  On Sale $24 from Nordstrom

Maxi Dress for $30 by Old Navy (I’m loving the Maxi dresses this season but the key is they need to be floor length):

Lunch Tote That Looks Like a Handbag $30 plus 20% Off (discount code:  stylebakery)

These are great for toting around babies milk that needs to stay chilled.   It also doubles baby bag or whatever else!

Lunch Tote That Looks Like a Handbag $30 plus 20% Off (discount code:  stylebakery)

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Projects Galore

I’m working on so many “projects” right now my head is spinning. I really need to start working on Avery’s birthday planning! That will be here before I know it. It shouldn’t be too hard since it will be small. We are just doing a family gathering. I finally finished designing Avery’s birthday invitations!  That’s one project down. Check!  I have been working on a special ‘First Year’ book for her since December and I’m still working on it. I hope to have it done soon. I can’t wait to post it. I think it is turning out very nicely. It’s incredibly time consuming though and I’m usually so tired after getting Avery down to bed that the last thing I want to do is to get back on the computer. This is just one of those projects that I have to finish and I’ve given myself a deadline. Usually, I’m really good with deadlines so we’ll see how that goes.

I’m also working on a tutu for her birthday and some other birthday projects that I’m made for myself. Not to mention a handful of household projects and Avery things not worth mentioning here. I really enjoy doing these fun crafty things. I just wish I had more time. Lately, I’ve been consumed by work. Sometimes, I just get into modes where it is all I think about. Scott says I keep adding things to my plate and it’s overflowing. While I agree, I just can’t help it. I do enjoy working, creating, and overcoming challenges. It’s something that I’m actually good at. It’s on my mind so much, I even dream about it! Yikes! However, when I’m done working for the day, I then create more projects outside of work as distractions to keep me from thinking about work. What a cycle! I guess all that matters is that I enjoy them.

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