4th of July

We had a great fourth in TN with Kevins family this year! With the upcoming arrival of Sofia taking a "real" vacation this summer was not in the budget so instead we spent five wonderful days at Kevins parents farm! Some of our friends from TN even came and stayed all day Saturday and Sunday with their three girls!
We went to this small church that puts on a HUGE firework show and has hay rides and bouncers for the kids- the kids got to do everything they wanted too but as soon as we sat down to watch the fireworks the RAIN started to pour, so we saw maybe two or three fireworks go off! But oh well we still has a great time! We always have such fun with Kevs fam, and getting to see our friends was an added bonus! We only wish we had more weeks like that to relax!

Averi follws her cousin Addison all over the place! He is really good about playing with her!




These pictures are a little blurry... the is me and my FIVE POUND CAT FISH that i caught all on my own!




Pool time





FISHING!






Averi on her first four wheeler




Happy fourth of JULY!

Happy birthday Aunt Lindsay

my very best friends birthday was the 24th and I am just sitting down to type out a little birthday message for her! Lindsay is beyond a best friend to me, she is another sister! We have literally grown up together, from basketball camp, to homecomings, to proms, to winning games and losing them, to graduation, to the lake in Texas, to my wedding day and to the birth of my daughter Lindsay has been my constant friend. Never has she left my side. She has been a constant encouragement, constant support to not only myself but to my family. Despite any fears she willingly stood by my side throughout Averi's birth, Kevin and I will never forget her support and joy in the birth of Averi.

Lindsay is more then a babysitter to Averi, she is in the truest since another Aunt. Lindsay came over just last night to babysit while we went to Bradley class and as soon as she came in Averi LIT UP!!! She is as head over heals for her Aunt Linz as her Aunt Linz is for her!

Words can not describe how indebted we are to Lindsay. She has been there every step of the way and I know she will be there for the rest of my life. Rarely do you find a friend whom you have that kind of bond with, a bond that doesn't break NO MATTER WHAT, a bond that is deeper then description, a bond in which you know each others thoughts just by looking at each other! Thank you Lindsay for laughing, crying, cheering, supporting, encouraging, and praying both with and for me! I hope that my daughters grow into the amazing Godly women I have witnessed you growing into!

one year shots...

Thank you Uncle Jon for these amazing pictures, we are thrilled with how they turned out!

Here is a link to Jons flickr account so you can see the other amazing pictures he has done
http://www.flickr.com/photos/halfchanceironbridge/

Poor Mickey...

Averi LOVES to hang out in our downstairs bathroom/ laundry room while I am getting ready or doing laundry. She "helps" me pull clothes out of the drier- I then fold them, she spreads them throughout the downstairs but hey at least she wants to help! Well yesterday I was in the bathroom straightening my hair and Averi waddled in carrying her baby Mickey Mouse, thank goodness I had just cleaned the toilet that morning because that's where Mickey ended up, face first in the toilet! I couldn't help but laugh, I shouldve known better then to keep the toilet open! So I fished Mickey out and immediately put him in the wash with HOT water... while i was doing that Averi walks in with TWO more stuffed animals ready to give them the same death she attempted to give poor Mickey, I sent her back in the living room with both stuffed animals and closed the toilet before she executed her plan! Oh how fun toddler years are going to be, especially while I have an infant to keep up with too, at least these little escapades are FUNNY!

Thank you Uncle Jon

My brother is very talented behind the camera- and becoming more talented by the day! He took Averis "ten month" pictures and shot some fun ones at her 1st bday party and then today he took what were supposed to be her one year pictures, we are a couple months late! He said he will get the one year shots back to me soon but today gave me the disk with her bday pics on them! Here are a few favorites!






Thank you Uncle Jon for your willingness to capture memories of averi growing up! We love and appreciate you!

She loves her daddy

We have wedding pictures over our bed that averi has recently discovered. She has started pointing to a specific picture of Kev and saying "DADA" over and over again AND if that didn't melt my heart enough she gives the picture a BIG kiss! She loves her daddy so much! Here are some pictures I tried to capture of her loving on her daddy's picture!

Big changes!

We have had some BIG changes lately! I had begun to really stress about the idea of watching the little girl (Emma) and her brother (Blake... whom I only watch before and after school and on school breaks) once miss Sofie came. I was feeling totally overwhelmed at the idea of having an 18 month old and a newborn much less adding two other kids to the picture!
I began to pray daily about my concerns, I know that me staying home full time without babysitting just isn't an option for us right now, as badly as we both wish it were! I prayed the God would either grant me peace about watching Blake and Emma or he would open another door for us!
I talked to Kevin about it and we both committed to praying for the whole month of July before making any decisions... well we didn't even get to July before God showed us his answer! Blake and Emma's mom was layed off this past week therefore not needing childcare, they were so sweet and offered to watch Averi for free so i could work extra at the nursing home until Stacy found a new job then i could go back to watching their kids. We were n a situation where it called for quick decision making, Kevin and i both love the family i sit for and letting them go was extremely hard! I have watched Emma daily for a year and love her to death. Stacy (their mom) and I are far more then an employee/employer we are friends- God truly blessed our lives with them this past year. Despite that we felt that since I had already been battling with watching them when Sofie comes that this was Gods answer it was time to say goodbye to babysitting!
So what does this mean for us? Alot of things are still up in the air. I am blessed with a job that allows me to work as many or as little hours as I want. So for now the plan is I will work a double on Sundays (2pm-6am, I have already been working Sundays 2pm-10pm to make extra money so this is nothing new!) Averi will go to a mothers day out program on Mondays from 930-130pm so I can get some rest (kev will take her and I will pick her up) this was a great option because it only costs $
15 dollars a day! I will also work Tuesdays 6pm-6am and my mom will come to our house and stay with Averi so I can rest.
I am excited because my days off that I am not sleeping are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and Saturday which means I get four full days to focus on just Averi... Monday and Wednesday I will be sleeping until 1230 or 1 but get most of the rest of the day enjoying my girl! I am excited to focus on her alone especially since we have another baby on the way so soon! Kevin is REALLY great with her by himself and he has enjoyed getting to bond with her alone on Sundays while I've been at work, she adores him!
Please say a prayer for us as we transition once again into a new pace of life! Pray God continues to grant us peace in our jobs and decisions and especially that Averi enjoys Mothers Day out, I am most leery about sending her off for it then anything else!