Bunny Fun!

My parents sent this dancing, singing, hopping bunny in Avery's Easter package. I think we'll have some good times with this new toy!

It's Been a While....

Whew, the past month has been busy for me! I haven't forgotten about the blog or given up, just haven't had more than ten minutes to spare on the computer for a while! My days have been more consumed with baby time. Both Avery and Gage have become more active, which means more time for all of us to play. Also means less downtown for me! That's ok, I love staying busy with them.

Kyle has also been monopolizing the computer because he's working on his final project. This is a culmination of all the information he wants to take with him from this program and from his internship. It's quite an endeavor, already almost 100 pages! Anyhow, since we only have one computer I often get about 30 seconds to check email and fb then goodbye to the computer for the day!

This past weekend Avery and I spent our first night without Kyle. He was in Dallas at a certification seminar. I was dreading it, but the weekend actually turned out delightful! The toughest part was taking the dogs out, but we managed. You all know how I feel about that subject so I won't even get started!

Saturday Avery and I slept in, ate, played, napped. Then we did some shopping, rented New Moon, I got a salad from Central Market (and a red velvet cupcake), watched New Moon and basketball games. Kyle got home around 1:00 Sunday, we made breakfast bagel sandwiches, watched more basketball, watched New Moon again, walked Peyton and called it a day! It's a relief to me that we made it on our own since that is something we'll have to get used to when Kyle has a job as strength coach. Half the season is spent on the road, so daddy will not always be home to help out!

We have some fun stuff to look forward to in the next few months, Peter will be here on Wednesday for almost a week! Kyle's family (including both grandpas) will be here in May for his graduation, then we go to Charleston for a week!

Lookout for Avery pics on fb, she is starting to sit up on her own and it is awesome! She gets a new view of the world! She turns five months this week, hard to believe!

Ok, babies are calling for me! Time to run :)

4 months

Last week Avery turned 4 months. 14 lb, 7oz and 24.5 inches long. Honestly, I can't believe it's been four months, a third of an entire year! At the same time it seems like a lifetime ago that we were eating our "pregame" dinner at South Congress Cafe, about to head to the hospital. Seriously, as I wrote the post about our wedding and browsed through the pics, they seemed so empty! The pictures are missing the most important person in our lives! Funny that she was there all along we just didn't know it. Ok, before this turns too philosophical I want to write some of the things that have become true for me in the past four months as well as to share some of my favorite Avery pics from birth to four months.

*I've never experienced anything more heartbreaking and more joyful at the same time. Being a mother to Avery really makes my heart hurt when I think of each day as the last I will see her the way she is. She is growing and changing by the minute and I won't get any of these memories back. I really wish I could walk around with a video camera tied to my chest so that I can always look back and remember exactly what she was like at all of these wonderful stages. But even a camera can't capture how she feels when you hug her, how fresh she smells after a bath, how her toes curl when I try to clean out her toe jam, the way her eyes crinkle when she smiles. I have to try to etch these things into my mind. Already it's hard to remember her as a newborn, I'll never forget of course, but I'll never have that time again. If you aren't tearing up (I am near sobbing), now I'll write how joyful everyday is. My heart could not be more full each time I see that smile, hear a giggle, hear a loud shriek, see her rolling over, see her discover a new object, hoot like an owl in the stroller, fall fast asleep in her swing or carseat, and best of all everytime I can kiss her chubby cheek. The days of the future are no doubt going to be amazing with her and I look forward to her next third of a year!





*I have a pretty amazing husband. Seriously, he is a machine. He works so hard and is by far the most intelligent person I know. I love that he just looks at Avery and she bursts into a smile. I am unbelievably proud of him and believe in his talents wholeheartedly. I only hope and pray that his determination and dedication over the past two years pays off with a job that is deserving of him. He trains at a facility in Austin, check out his profile! http://www.train4thegame.com/trainer/kyle-tarp



*Laundry is a never ending battle that I will never win as long as I have to travel up and down three flights of stairs and have quarters at my disposal. Ditto for dishes as long as I don't have a dishwasher, ditto for dogs as long as I don't have a backyard.




*I used to be someone who had to workout in the morning, had to have a shower in the morning, would never leave the house without sunscreen, always brushed my teeth at least twice a day. Well, let's just say some of these things don't happen so much anymore! It seems grooming takes second place to taking care of a baby! Of all the things to sacrifice for a baby, I am willing to let this be the one to go first, which is not something I plan to continue forever. Don't get me wrong, I take a shower daily it just doesn't happen in the AM very often! I end up working out probably 3 times a week, wish that was more. The sunscreen will have to come back into my life now that warm weather is approaching and I have no excuse for the teeth brushing....! (can't believe I even admitted that but at least you all know the truth!)




*I am truly glad that at this point we don't have any doctor's appointments on the calendar for March.




*I really appreciate that our UPS guy leaves our packages at the door with two dog biscuits because I put a sign on our door asking him not to knock since our dogs are nuts! We get a lot of packages so the dogs love that he is such a nice guy.




*I enjoy online "window shopping". That is, I love going on my favorite sites and adding items to my cart. I truly have no intention of buying them, but I look at product reviews, compare prices, etc. I never complete the checkout but I have a good time imagining what it would be like if I could have bought them! Silly, I know...




*Life is happening fast. We made it through fall and winter with Avery. Spring is around the corner and I think she is going to love spending more time outside. Just in time for her to become mobile...not sure if I'm ready for that, but that's the thing about having babies...everything keeps moving forward whether you are ready or not so it's best to celebrate the progress and be happy in the present :)



Some of my favs...best to look bottom to top. If anyone knows how to arrange photos better using blogspot please let me know! Once I uploaded them I couldn't figure out how to rearrange...