Halloween

This year was so fun because both of the girls were able to actually participate this year.  That being said, we still let Avery pick out what each of the girls was going to be for Halloween.

 

This year has been crazy, to say the least. So, we ended up skipping the big pumpkin patch that we've been to each prior year because between our schedules we literally couldn't find a day that we were all free and the weather was nice.  We just went to the little pumpkin patch at a church by our house.  The girls did not know the difference, of course.

 

Ansley was in awe of all the pumpkins!

 Avery was giddy with happiness, but she forced every smile when the camera showed up.

 

This is my favorite picture of the two of them despite it not being the best one.  It shows both of their personalities perfectly....Avery with the forced, cheesy smile and Ansley with her coy little self.

Avery had a Halloween party at dance class.  Much to her delight, one of her little buddies was dressed as Jessie and went perfectly with her Buzz costume!

 

Avery had a Fall Fun Festival at her school, and she loved it.  She looked forward to it for weeks.  Their class made shirts to wear as they went through all of the different rooms and played games and earned candy and prizes.  It was fun for everyone involved!

And finally, Halloween night.  We went to Nana's new neighborhood to trick or treat because our neighborhood is a little out of hand and, frankly, seems dangerous for small children.  Here are my Buzz and the Pizza Planet Alien from Toy Story.  Aren't they adorable?

At the end of the night, done trick or treating....Ansley enjoying a blue lollipop that matched her outfit (and soon her face!).  It was a great night, and each of them did so well going up to every door, saying "Trick or Treat!", and then saying, "Thank you and have a great night!"

Avery Starts Gynmastics, Ansley Turns 18 months!

At the beginning of September, Avery started gymnastics---thanks to the 2012 Summer Olympics!  She currently takes from a gym called Legacy Gymnastics which is a legit gymnastics training center (more legit than we realized!).  Because of gym rules, no flash photography is allowed since multiple classes are going on at the same time including the older kiddos who actually compete at a high level; no flash=blurry photos.  Also, these were taken from a balcony/bleacher area that overlooks the gym which is where parents stay and watch.  Avery is wearing a little outfit that is black shorts on the bottom and pink sleeveless on the top and holding a red circle (far left of the first picture, line leader in the second).  She loves it, especially the 30ft long trampoline!  She is actually really good at the uneven bars but she doesn't care for them because they scare her.  Oh well.

 

Also at the beginning of September, Ansley turned 18 months old!  CANNOT BELIEVE IT!  She is so full of life and so full of herself.  She is daring, caring, and funny (and she knows it!).  She is a big hit at the stores because she can be sweet and cheesy when she wants to :)

 

 

She had her 18month check up, and she is doing great!  30% in height, barely 10% in weight.  Numbers are deceiving, though, because this child eats all the time....sometimes I feel like I'm feeding a teenage boy!

Avery's First Day of School

(Please excuse these late posts!)

 

Avery had her first day of school, well 3K, this year.  Matt and I were a little apprehensive about sending her because she hasn't been to any organized school-like setting except church nursery.  She's been very healthy (knock on wood) and seems to be very smart (of course we think that, right?).  But, we both agreed that she'd benefit from the social aspect.  Avery was, on the other hand, overjoyed with the idea of going to school.  She goes Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am-1pm.  She still loves it, and Matt and I have realized that we made the right decision.  She loves her teacher, Mrs Jennifer, and the love is mutual.  We couldn't be more thrilled!

 Here's a little beginning-of-the-school-year questionnaire....quite funny!

Trip to Hilton Head

This summer's trip was spent over on the east coast in Hilton Head, South Carolina.  We went at the beginning of August, and the 9+ hour trip was well worth it!  We spent the week with my parents, Gigi and Skip, and my brother and his girlfriend.  It was a great week as far as weather goes...perfect, actually.  We spent most of the day by the pool, but we had to go to the actual beach at least once each day.  The actual beach is a bit of uncertainty in our family...love/hate relationship with Avery and Ansley's last trip occurred when she was 5 months old, so we weren't sure how she'd react.

 

Highlights of our trip include riding around in a golf cart or riding bikes to get anywhere (including Matt and I being very adventuresome and going to the grocery store on bikes!), seeing all of the deer every night on the golf course including the teeny newborns (aka: "deer hunting" as the girls called this activity), wonderful food, time with family, a big homemade breakfast our last morning all together, a developing love for the series of Air Buddies by the girls (please, help us!!), playing golf on an RTJ ocean course not in Alabama, and the laid-back lifestyle of a primarily retirement community!

 

 

Here's Ansley taking off toward the beach on our first day.  We walked over the boardwalk, and as soon as she saw sand and the water, she literally took off running and did not stop until she was knee-deep in the water.

 

Here's Avery...very timid and tip-toeing into the sand, taking her time.  You may notice Matt up ahead of her, still with bag in tote and shirt on because he had to run after Ansley and had no time to set anything down.

 

 This is probably the best picture of the girls from the entire week.  We took this one night when we went to dinner and explored an area of Hilton Head called Sea Pines.  They had this great playground set up near the shopping centers/restaurants, and it was a great way for the girls to blow off some steam.

 

We have many, many pictures from the trip, but the blog website is being ridiculously slow, and I grew impatient waiting for all of them to upload :)

 



Callaway Summer 2012

We go to Callaway Gardens in Georgia two or three times each year...at least once in the summer and once at Christmas.  I guess this is one of our family traditions :)

We all love it there.  It's a great place to go and unwind and get away for a short trip.  This year's summer trip was the 3rd week in May.  The weather was perfect, and we had a great time.  The girls have their favorite parts, too, just like Matt and I have our favorite parts.  Since it was so hot, we spent some time at the pool and the beach.  We took walks through the woods all day long and every evening after dinner.  We brought a soccer ball with us and Avery loved kicking it around.

Both girls loved being able to wake up and have powdered donuts for breakfast while they watched tv...what a treat!

 Avery really liked having her own double bed all to herself....again, what a treat! (at home she sleeps in a twin)

 Sweet picture of the girls together before we went out one morning.

Avery showing Ansley the way to the car so that we could go see the all the butterflies (a favorite of all of us) 

 Matt and his girls walking over one of the many bridges that wind you through the woods.

We can't wait to get back...even if it's not until Christmas to see all of the lights!



Boxes

My girls are starting to play together well, for the most part.  There is one thing that will start a fight though....a box.  Below is a picture of the two of them in a Pampers diaper box (the small one).  Really?!?!

 Ansley decided to take the high road and got out of the box in order to start a new fashion trend.

Caught Ya!

As soon as it started warming up, Matt and I started looking for PopIce, a staple in our house during the summer months.  We got our first box back in May.  We stocked the freezer one night so that they would be ready by morning.  Once everyone was up and going, it got quiet...too quiet.  I went into the kitchen to find some PopIce nabbers....

 This is Avery's "ask forgiveness rather than permission" please face...

 And who could say "no" to this sweeti little face??