Thursday, December 27, 2012

10 Months old!

Our little peanut is 10 months old!

Currently she:
1. Is not OFFICIALLY crawling yet...but moves every other direction...even backwards and gets herself stuck in corners.
2. Has two bottom teeth and getting two top teeth! (Just what she wanted for Christmas)
3. Has an expanding pallet...but loves applesauce..yogurt..and sweet potato puffs
4. is SO smiley and we LOVE it!
5. Has the cutest giggle ever
6. Is in a weird size of clothes...still wears 9 month stuff but fits into some 12 month stuff...
7. Is about 19 lbs
8. Her favorite toys are her blocks and books! She's a little bookworm:)
9. Is getting really good at feeding herself
10. Says "mama," data," and "baby"...and we're trying to get her to say "Obama:)"

I feel so behind on my posts but really want to make sure I keep up on her monthly bios! She's going to be a year old before long! Already planning for her birthday...:)

Ava is so sweet and just a joy...we love her so much!






Sunday, December 2, 2012

9 Months! A little late...

Here we are again...another month older! Happy 9 months Avaleen!

Things have been so busy so I'm a little late blogging about her 9 month stats! Here is Ava in a 9 month nutshell:

1. She is a WIGGLE worm...but not yet crawling
2. She laughs and smiles all the time:)
3. She has found her voice...a loud voice:)
4. Sleeping 7 to 7
5. Is a great eater...but is still not a fan of green beans:)
6. loves to bounce
7. Is SO curious and has to be part of the hang
8. Bangs her legs SO loud at night...wakes us up...think she's getting ready to crawl
9. Still has two bottom teeth only..but they are so cute...and sharp!
10. Loves socks and other soft things to snuggle with when she sucks her thumb...but socks...they are magic!
11. LOVES TO READ

Our little peanut has brought so much joy to our lives and as she reaches eat new milestone it is very bittersweet! We love our little one and feel very lucky!

Since her first Halloween...we've been gearing up for Thanksgiving! Getting ready to try a little turkey maybe? Stay tuned!



Monday, November 12, 2012

Pumpkin carving and Halloween!

Fall is my favorite season! And with my favorite season comes one of my favorite holidays! And with one of my favorite holidays comes a great opportunity for fun AND pictures. duh:)
Ava had her first pumpkin patch outing...But hello..carving is one of the best parts! She wanted a happy face...so we did our best to make a big, happy, smiley pumpkin! She really enjoyed it and gave great input as we worked:)


Brad and I tried our best NOT to make the same faces we do every year...I don't know how that happens. So NO scary face for him and NO goofy face for me...we did pretty well:) Ava LOVED hers:)


And obviously with pumpkins comes Halloween! I LOVE this holiday and Ava got to share her first Halloween with her two best friends...Arlo and Ellis!  
Arlo is the zebra...Ellis is the elephant and Ava is the bumblebee!

We had a great night with the parents of Arlo and Ellis...Kyle and Chesa...as well as my sisters Meggy and Colleen and cousin Cayle! A spooky menu and only 2 trick-or-treaters...we had a WILD night:) Next year maybe they'll be old enough to ring the doorbell?? hee hee...
Ava with Aunt Chesa!
What's on the menu? Well let me tell you...:)
Gravedigger's Dirtcakes
A spooky array of tasty delights!
A little "guacamoldy" and "crispy skin shavings"...mmmmmmmm
Ava with Uncle Cayle!
Cousin clan!
Mama and Papa Morey-Leber:)
Ava with Uncle Kyle!
Loved this...I asked Chesa to bring some "devilish" eggs...and boy did she! So delicious too:) Happy everyone could make the trip...We had a great night and look forward to many more Halloweens! What will the three girls be next year.....
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........









Sunday, October 28, 2012

8 Months Old!

Okay so this is a little late...but Avaleen turned 8 months old!!! (On October 11th.) 
Every time we turn around I feel like I'm posting about her growing another month!

She is still just as fun and cute as ever! We can tell she REALLY wants to crawl but has not yet mastered that...she moves, kicks, leans, grabs and tries to pull herself forward...but can't quite get it! But she is VERY close!

She is still sleeping great and has dropped her 11pm feeding...:(...I loved that time with her but I guess it's a good thing she is sleeping 7 to 7! She is way more active with her toys...loves to bounce...read...and is mimicking everything we do! She has been giggling a lot more which is hilarious and so much fun... baby giggles are so darn cute!


She still loves her food pureed and is not really into fork smashed bananas or avocados...We're planning on trying a protein like chicken or turkey soon...she loves pears and her morning cereal...omg...and there is no messing around with that. You need to shovel with no breaks or she gets antsy!

We bought her a set of colorful cups because she is obsessed with tupperware...she LOVES them. She likes to sit in her bumbo on the kitchen floor when we're working and play with them...and any extra tupperware we have around:)


She has gotten even more talkative and is a mover and a shaker. Her hands, wrists and feet are always moving...Brad and I think she's going to be into everything when she gets mobile...maybe we don't want her to crawl just yet...:) Next step? Start babyproofing the house!




Saturday, October 13, 2012

Pumpkin Patch

Fall is my favorite season...and Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! So we HAD to take Ava to the pumpkin patch to pick out her very first pumpkin! It was BEAUTIFUL out and figured we should take advantage before the rain came! 

We went to The Farm up near Snohomish, WA...which is were Brad and I go every year! It has everything from corn mazes, pig races, tons of food...kettlecorn being our favorite...hay rides...and a chance to pick your very own honeycrisp apples! Ava had a blast and did great the whole day!



We chose our pumpkins first...then enjoyed a quick walk through the corn maze...

Then we walked over to watch the pig races...Ava didn't totally get it but it was fun! Kettle corn was close by...so duh...we went there next. Brad grabbed a bag and then we sat in the grass by the big toy to munch and people watch. Ava snacked on her shoe...






We had a blast and can't wait to carve our pumpkins! Stay tuned!!! 







Saturday, September 15, 2012

Avaleen

Oh my...Avaleen is 7 months old!

She continues to grow into such a beautiful and fun little girl:) It's so hard being away from her all day while I am at work...it's clear how fast time goes! She has hit some new milestones as she's entered her 7th month...are you ready?

1. Eating MORE solid foods...such as:
              * sweet potatoes
              * avocado
              * peas
              * green beans
              * bananas
              *and most recently...pears!
2. Can sit up by herself...but with lots of soft stuff around her:)
3. Loves music...especially the drums! duh...
4. Enjoys "pony" songs while being bounced on our knees
5. Grabs EVERYTHING and thinks it's something to eat:)
6. She LOVES baths and screams..loudly...everytime we turn on the water!
7. Still has only two teeth but they are much more visible and cute when she smiles:)
8. Is getting more...wild red hair!
9. Is LESS scared of strangers...yay!
10. Thinks socks belong in he mouth...not on her feet:)

Brad enjoys morning snuggles with her after I nurse and head off to work...we walk in and as he says good morning...her face lights up into the biggest.smile.ever....everyday:)


We recently took her to the park and she had her first swing ride! Wheeeeeeee! She loved it!





She is extremely curious...and seems interested in everything...she does this funny little "puff" thing and then sighs when she's thinking...so cute:) We're looking forward to the coming season of Fall...my favorite...and get many more first with her! I can't WAIT for Halloween! Any guesses on her costume?? We just hope it fits because we bought it last year...:) Here's one hint...I dressed up as the same thing when I was little! 



Aunt Turkey

This past summer brought the loss of my Aunt Christy. It was an extremely tough and emotional summer for our family and I wanted to take the time to blog about how special she was.
Notice the bracelet she is wearing? She loved jewelry and even made her own. Our cousin Chesa (Christy's daughter) pulled a bracelet Christy had made and a pair of earrings from her personal collection to give to each of her nieces. Very special:)

My Aunt "Turkey" was an AMAZING woman (I called her Aunt Turkey when I was young because I couldn't say "Christy"...hee hee). It's very difficult to talk about her in past tense as I still feel her spirit being very much alive. She had been battling cancer for 6 years and as hard as she fought...it came back strong and unfortunately her body couldn't take any more.

To prep for her memorial service...we had a cookie making party and used Christy's special shortbread recipe to share with everyone who attended. It was a lot of cookies...but a lot of fun:)


We held a beautiful service in her honor...gathering right outside her garden studio that my Uncle Cliff built for her. We shared her life story, wonderful memories and countless ways she touched us all.

My sisters and I wanted to write something for the service. We had a long conversation about what we wanted to say...and my sister Colleen composed an amazing piece that was shared. I feel sharing it here on this blog is the best way for others to understand who she was and what she meant to us:

"To our sweet Aunt Christy,

Words cannot and will not be able to ever describe the amount of pure love and joy you brought into our three lives.  You were there for us during the happiest, sweetest, and hardest times of our lives --whether it be to clap at our successes or to dry away our tears.  The comfort we received from you was nothing short of the comfort we receive from our own mother, which is why we have always thought of you as our own as well.  You were the epitome of grace, love, and joy, and you have taught us that family is the most important part of a person's world and to never take that for granted.  The three of us have always strived to follow in your footsteps in every facet of our lives, and we will always continue to do so.  If we spent this afternoon talking about the countless times you were there for the three of us, we would never be able to leave -- Whether it be at our softball or volleyball games, holidays, birthday parties, or just another night out at the D Street house or Star Lake, we always knew we could count on you to put a smile on our faces, and make us feel like we were the three most special girls in the whole world.  We feel so lucky to have been considered your other three daughters, and we love you like our own mother.  Life will never be the same without you, but know that all that you have instilled in us will always live on in your spirit.  For as long as we can remember, you always would send us to bed by showering our faces with kisses, ending with kissing both of our eyes closed and wishing us sweet dreams.  It is now time that we do that for you, and wish the sweetest of dreams to the woman that has provided us with the most wonderful life we could have ever imagined. We love you more than words can describe. We are hugging you right now and always will be, sweet auntie ----- feel the squeeze. 

Love, your Katy Cakes, Meggy Lee, and Wee Colleen"