Brrrr....

Once again, we asked the talented Hailey Haberman to take some family pictures for us. It happened to be the first day of snow in mid November and it was super cold! We all tried the best we could to make Avery smile, but it was short lived. Despite the weather, Hailey took some great pictures in the snow!

www.hjgphoto.com

Party Time!

On Saturday we celebrated Avery's soon-to-be birthday with a party. The kids decorated Christmas cookies and had a great time! It was wonderful to celebrate with friends and family. The day couldn't have been any better. Plus, Avery was so good. She's just growing into an amazing little girl (along with her sassy 2 year old attitude) and it's fun to watch her change everyday.

It's a...

I had my appointment with Dr. Sand on Thursday. Fred was not home yet from his week long trip with my dad so I asked Dr. Sand if he would put the results in an envelope for me and Fred and I would open it when he got home that night. We even had plans to wait until Thanksgiving to open it but when we had that envelope firmly in our grasp, we couldn't help it! We are excited to welcome another girl into our family in April! I know firsthand the special bond that sisters have and I'm excited that Avery and her sister will get to experience that relationship.

Don't you just love Dr. Sand's drawing?

So now the fun begins with figuring out names, bedding, etc. Our third bedroom (soon to be baby girl's room) is a very pale yellow color and we're thinking of keeping it that way since it was recently painted within the last couple of years. I was looking online today for bedding sets and came across these two sets from Pottery Barn Kids. They are both on sale and both include that pale yellow color. Not sure which one I like best yet...but it will be fun to accessorize the room with pinks and greens. Avery's room is purple so pink/yellow/and green will be different and fun!

Monkey

Avery was a monkey for Halloween this year. Because I'm still waiting to get my energy back from this pregnancy (as well as patiently waiting for this morning sickness to subside - but that's another story), I went the easy way out. This costume was Grayson's last year but we added a pink bow to make it girly! Avery loved it so it really worked out well. I'm sure next year she'll be telling me what she wants to be for Halloween!

Baby legs!

Fred and I had an appointment earlier this month for our 13 week ultrasound and NT scan. The scan went well and we got some great shots of baby. I especially love the "baby legs" shot, where you can see so much detail, even his or her toes! It's amazing what you can see at 13 weeks. Soon we will know whether this baby is a boy or a girl. I've got lots of plans for baby's room so I'm trying to wait patiently to start planning until we know! I feel like it will be a win/win for us either way. We would be thrilled with another girl and yet excited for a new adventure with a boy. We just can't wait to see what is in store for us.

October Fun!

We had a great weekend! We went to Silverdale to visit Grandma and Grandpa Leist, celebrated Grayson's 3rd birthday in Gig Harbor and went to the pumpkin patch at Spooner Farms.

Grayson's party was at a new place in Gig Harbor called Jump! It was so fun! Avery loved going down the slides and jumping. We can't wait to go back so the kids can play again. Grayson had a great day. He's turning into such a caring and funny little boy!

Avery is so light she was flying all over the place

Action shot of Avery and Papa going down the slide

Avery and Grayson jumping!

Blowing bubbles with Grandma

We spent some time with Grandma and Grandpa Leist. We explored the world of leaves one morning outside their house. Grandma and Grandpa also carved a pumpkin with Avery. Ok, well all she did was take the guts out but she still loved it!

She had a great time exploring

But got a little tired towards the end

Pumpkin fun!

On Sunday we took Avery to Spooner Farms with Grandma and Grandpa Bull and Jody, Ryan and Grayson. The kids had a good time. It was so busy and traffic was a nightmare but at least we can now say that we did it!

They loved the pigs

And the bunnies

I think this is why I hardly ever take pictures. Toddlers never look in the camera and smile!

So many pumpkins that she couldn't take her eyes off of them!

AND

In other exciting news we are thrilled and overjoyed to announce that we are expecting baby #2 sometime in early April 2011!

September Update

I have been so bad about taking pictures the last couple of months! Avery is growing up before our eyes and learning new things everyday and I wish I would remember to take actual pictures and not just from my phone. We have lots of fun things coming up so I'll be sure to remember. Here are a few from September when the weather was still beautiful. Avery loves being outside and so we were sure to take advantage of the great weather.

The last picture is her first pony tail! It's hard to believe her hair is long enough but the curls seem to hide the actual length of her hair. Now only if she'd stop pulling it out all the time. :)

Future Artist.

The other day we met up with Nik and his fiance Lilian at the Yellow Church Cafe as they were driving through Ellensburg. They hadn't seen Avery since Father's Day and they couldn't believe how much she's grown! She hammed it up for them and was showing them her masterpieces from her Elmo toy. This has been a lifesaver at restaurants and keeps her entertained. Of course, it helps when we "Ohhh" and "Ahhh" at her creations!

Lilian took these pictures from her phone. I love that they look like polaroids.

Please don't interrupt the artist at work!

Simply beautiful!

Summer Fun!

Wow, it's been a while since I last posted. We've been busy! Here's a run down of the fun we've had recently:

- We celebrated Father's Day at Laura and Rob's house in Snohomish. The whole Leist family was there, and it was great to see everyone. Scott, Sally and the girls have a new addition to their family, a pup named Tatu. Avery loved petting her!

- Our daycare was on vacation for the week of the 4th of July so Fred's mom and dad came over to watch Avery. Avery was so excited to have them at our house! The weather was great and they got to spend some time in the back yard while Avery played in her fun new pool that we got for her. Avery called both Grandma and Grandpa Leist "Gampy" and one morning before Grandma and Grandpa arrived to watch her for the day, she looked at me with a concerned look and asked, "Momma, where's Gampy?" It was too cute! Here she is in her new pool as she went in fully clothed:

- Fred traded his motorcycle for a Jeep! It's an '87 Wrangler with a hard top and is in really good condition. We took it for a drive one evening and had a picnic dinner with our friends Craig, Candice and Chase in the Manastash area. Avery's carseat was in the backseat and it was such a beautiful day that Fred took the top off. She had a blast looking around and it was so fun to watch the wind blow through her hair (literally). She was loving every second of it and it was just the cutest thing! We tried to get her to wear her puple sunglasses, but of course that only lasted for a few minutes.

- Avery had her first haircut...which was probably more of a big deal for me than it was for her. My friend Neely cut it and it turned out great. Avery had a lollipop as she sat down in the chair and she did fabulous!


When we got home, I tried to take some "after" pictures but Avery was tired and hungry and wanted to watch "Ah-Saw-Me" (Sesame Street) so she had a snack and watched Sesame on our bed - but here are a couple that I tried to get:

- We attended a 2nd birthday party for Carter Flatness on Saturday. It was great weather in Kent and it was nice visiting good friends! Fred and Avery are looking forward to celebrating with Shane and Heather for Colt's 3rd birthday next weekend. I'll be off on a "Mommies Only" weekend in Chelan with my sister and a few girlfriends. Looking forward to some R&R!

Rock-A-Bye Baby

Avery loves her baby doll cradle more than her stroller or vacuum or Elmo. Avery's Aunt Laura gave her this cradle, one that Laura used to play with when she was a little girl. Avery's doll, Danny Boy, might get thrown around quite a bit (in a room that looks like it got hit by a tornado), but there are some tender, caring moments and it is an absolute joy to watch!

After...

After the last few weekends of painting, painting, painting, we are 95% done! I need to finish painting the trim around the doors and trim on a small section of the back of the house. Oh, and get address numbers, too. Mom and I (and Avery) filled my pots with flowers today. I love when my mom helps me with my flower pots - she is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to plants! I hope to have a garden and yard like hers one day!