Catching UP!!

Hello everyone!
I know I have been terrible with keeping up on my blog. I need to do better because I have it printed every year and it serves as my journal/scrapbook so I really need to keep it up, but I have been crazy busy with school and kids and everything else, so the blog, as well as other things have been moved to the bottom of my priority list. The good news though, is that this semester is 1/3 of the way over already!! 9 weeks to go, then I will get a break and will hopefully be able to catch up on a few things. Mackenzie is loving first grade and is reading up a storm. Right now she is reading Charlottes Webb. She wanted to get it when we sent in the book order. I thought it would be one that I would have to read to her and I really didn't think she would be too interested in it yet because there are no pictures in it. She has surprised me though. She sits in bed every night and reads a couple pages. She needs help with a few words every now and then but she is doing great! She has taken it to school a couple times so she can read it while on the bus. I am so proud of her for all she is doing. Gavin, on the other hand, is her complete opposite. He is definately a boy's boy. He will be five in April and he still won't even write his name. He has NO interest in reading and writing. He would rather be outside digging in the dirt. He is going to a different pre-school this year and he loves it! He loves doing crafts: cutting, glueing, painting, drawing, ect... but, we are going to have to really work with him to get him to learn to read and write. It is going to be very hard for me to send him to kindergarten next year. I am not ready for that. I still think of him as my little baby boy and I don't want him to be that grown up. He is my little buddy, so I won't know what to do without him at home. Avery is the funnest baby. She is starting to walk a little bit but she will only do it of she has her tennis shoes on, and she doesn't walk forward in a stright line, she walks sideways. It is so funny-she gets so proud of herself and smiles and claps. She is almost always happy and just has a great disposition. She still only has 2 teeth. There is one on the top that looks like it's going to break through at any second, but it has looked that way for three weeks and it's just not coming in. I wish she would slow down and stay a baby for just a little while longer but she has other plans! They are already getting excited for christmas and Mackenzie changes her mind about what she wants every day. I'm afraid it's going to be a long wait for them! I am in charge of Mackenzie's class party for halloween and Mackenzie is having so much fun helping me plan it. Gavin wears his costume almost every day. I think it will be completely worn-out before halloween even gets here. That's all for now!

Hunting with Dad!!

Dallas took Gavin hunting with him for a couple days. Gavin had so much fun and can't wait to go again.This is what it looks like when you wake Gavin up at 4:00 in the morning.

sOcCeR!!

Mackenzie and Gavin have been playing soccer for the past few weeks. They LOVE it! Mackenzie has improved so much this year. I've even seen a little bit of a competative edge from her which I have never seen before. This is Gavin's first year and he's just happy to be there! It is so much fun to watch!

This was Gavin after his game. His face was bright red!

One year old!!

I took some pictures of Avery today. She did not want to cooperate so I didn't think I got any good ones. I thought I would have to do them again but there were actually quite a few cute pictures! I couldn't decide which ones to post!

I think she'd had enough!!

In Memory

It was 3 years ago today that we lost our sister, friend, daughter, mother, and wife. We miss you and love you Tina!

Happy 1st Birthday Avery!!

Little Avery is turning one today! I can't believe it's already been a year! It's a little depressing for me to think she's not a baby anymore! We actually celebrated her birthday Sunday because Dallas was going to be out of town today. I felt kind of bad because for Kenzie and Gavin's first birthdays, we had big parties with lots of family and for Avery's birthday, it was just us. I guess that's what happens when you move to Wyoming. She had a great day regardless.We ordered some pizza for Dinner. She loves pizza!!

Then she got to open a few presents. Well, actually, Mackenzie and Gavin got to open a few presents :) She was so funny! Mackenzie picked her a little remote-controlled kitty and after they opened that, she wanted nothing to do with the other presents. She would push the button on the remote control to make the kitty go just for a second, then she would drop the remote, pick up the kitty, scream as loud as she could, then throw the kitty on the ground. Then she would pick up the remote control and do it all over again. She did that for probably 20 minutes. It was so funny! Gavin picked her a little red barn with farm animals-go figure! Plus she got a cabbage patch doll and a little couch from Dallas and I. She loves the couch too! Mackenzie got one for her first birthday and that was the best thing we've ever gotten her. She played with it for years! I think we may have to invest in a few more. Gavin thinks it's his. He doesn't want anyone else using it so him and Kenzie keep fighting over it. I have to remind them that it's Avery's.

Then came the best part. The birthday cake! mackenzie picked out the care bear cake for her. We got the big one, plus a little one, so she could have the whole thing to herself.

She started out slow. She wasn't sure what to think. She just kept sticking her fingers in the frosting and licking them. We were starting to think that she wasn't going to get messy after all.

Then she decided to dig in! She stuck her whole hand in the cake and started shoveling it in!
For some reason, she decided that it would be fun to rub the frosting in her hair like shampoo! She enjoyed that so much, that she figured it would be fun to smear it all over her body like lotion. This was the result...
She had so much fun with that cake! I couldn't believe how much of it she ate. I am surprised that she didn't get a stomach ache. She was smiling and lughing and saying Mmmm the whole time! I got her all cleaned up and she was ready for bed!

Happy Birthday Avery Marie!! We have enjoyed the last year with her so much! She has brought so much happiness to our family. She is so loving. She adores Mackenzie and Gavin and they can't get enough of her. They all have so much fun together! Avery is learning new things every day. She is not walking yet, but I don't think it will be long. I hope she takes her time! She is talking more and more. She will pick up the phone and say "hello." Our phone is off the hook most of the time because she is always playing with it. She loves to brush her hair and to brush her teeth. She is like my other two, and loves to be outside! If she's outside, she is usually content. She has been such a happy, easy going baby. I couldn't ask for anything more. She does have a pretty feisty personality though. She can be a bit stubborn at times and I love it! I love how such a tiny little thing can have so much personality. I hope she knows how much we love her. Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!

I took her to the Doctor for her 1 year check-up and she weighs 22 lbs 7 oz (75%)

and she is 28 3/4 inches (40%) and she is in the 50% for her head circumference. She still only has 2 teeth!

Pre school!

Gavin had his first day of pre-school today. He was so excited! I dropped him off and he didn't even want to say bye-he was too busy playing. When I picked him up, he told me all about it and couldn't wait to get home so he could show me what he did at school I. am so glad that he gets to do something that's just for him! I think he's going to have a great year!