Running around in her red pajamas!

Avery has a very soft spot for babies. This is her opening her Christmas Eve present. She looked concerned until we freed the baby from its packaging. During the holiday we went to see Toy Story 3. Every time the big baby appeared on screen she would coo "baby!" It was kind of a creepy baby doll, but Avery was totally enamored with it. At the climax of the movie, the "bad bear" pushed the baby doll. Avery screamed at the top of her lungs "BABY!" She cried until we sorted out that the baby was really okay.

Decorating the Christmas tree.

One of Avery's cheery morning smiles.

Happy Birthday

Avery and Aaron celebrated their birthdays together. Avery has been blowing out everyone else's candles on their cakes for the last few birthdays. She finally gets to blow out her own candles!

"Look how big my spoon is!" Avery eating in her birthday crown.

Avery got a baby doll for her birthday. She immediately started "mothering" it. She covered it with a blanket and carried it around. She is putting its hat on in this picture. A few weeks later she covered her doll in lip gloss. It is a very loved baby!

Halloween

 This year we chose the theme of "superheros," for our Halloween costumes.  We had a good time at Jason's Deli. Here is Avery in her flying pose!

 

Super girls need grilled cheese sandwiches for power!

"Mom, are you sure that my "super suit" doesn't make my bum look lumpy?"

SUPER-FACKRELLS to the rescue! (Plus Sam- Brianna's fiance')

 Avery is starting to say many new things. Just this week she has said new words. She is mimicking us. Today she brought me a fork while we were making lunch and said "hungry." She is saying "yes." Yay! (It sounds like "Yesh.") She is just getting over a mild stomach bug. Both of her brothers had it last week. They were barely sick. She had a low fever last night. She never threw up though. Today she is right as rain. The weather is just getting chilly. We got out the fall clothes and Avery doesn't fit even some of her 2T shirts. She is getting so big. She is so cute in her sleeper pjs. They are just a tiny bit too long so she walks very deliberately in them. It looks like she is marching. We took some video of her dancing. I can't find it. It won't be hard to recapture. She is always dancing.

Same shirt, different days

This was at the park in Cuba, NM. Avery really likes to swing!

This is the week before. Madeline and Alisa put lots of pig-tails in Avery's hair. Avery knows how cute she is!

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Utah vacation

At the Duck Pond at The State Park in Midway, Utah

Avery's swimsuit was on backwards. After a while we realized that was the reason for her "cheekiness." We turned it around!

All of the cousins playing with Grandma's box of necklaces.

 

Avery's winning smile in Grandma Loretta's garden.

Summer Fun

What is it about hot pink cowboy boots that makes you not want to take them off!?

Avery loves to hide in the cupboards and play peek-a-boo. This is her favorite cupboard to hide in. When Mom is working on the computer upstairs she hides in the math book cupboard next to the computer and pops out every few seconds and laughs.

Avery's opera face! She likes to yell for fun ~ as loudly as she can and then she laughs! Avery is very expressive. She has been doing many things lately to show us how she feels. She has a few words: NO!, That, Wa Wa (water), More. But she uses mostly her non-verbal talents to communicate with us. A couple of weeks ago we were driving to church. Avery was wearing a pretty dress. She wanted a snack. I rummaged through the cooler I had with me to find her a snack. I pulled out a tangerine and Brad suggested saving the tangerine for after we changed her clothes. I got a different snack. Avery rejected the snack and demanded the tangerine. I explained she could have it later when she wasn't wearing a dress because it would get juice all over her. She showed her displeasure by yelling at the top of her lungs. I offered the other snack again and she scowled and closed her eyes tight. For several minutes she continued closing her eyes. She would peek sideways through her eyelashes and if she saw me looking at her she would tightly shut her eyes again. Her Grandma Loretta did the same thing when she was a little girl. She thought that if she closed her eyes tight that no one else could see. A great way for a little one to "punish" uncooperative adults!