Good Clean Fun!

What's a girl to do when she's played with all her toys, read all of her books, and watched every episode of Elmo on PBS? Go exploring! Leave it to Miss Avery to find a new way to get into mischief every single day! There is no such thing as "Avery-proofing" unless you consider removing all toilets, bathtubs, and major appliances a safety precaution! As I was unloading clean laundry and carrying it into my bedroom to fold, Avery climbed into the dryer and when I came back to get more clothes this is where I found her. Some people might say, "Oh my, that's dangerous!" Trust me, you would not be able to miss her and accidentally start the dryer with her in it. She was giggling up a storm and kicking the sides, making a huge ruckus! 100% pure ornery!!

Cupcake Cuties!

For the first time in a few years we actually "celebrated" Valentine's Day this year! Not that we have boycotted it in the past, we've usually just exchanged cards and called it good. (Did you know that St. Valentine is the patron Saint of people who have seizures? No kidding.) I guess maybe this year Kaylen was old enough to really wonder what all the fuss was about, and she was very excited for the big day! We made cupcakes for Daddy, had a special 'takeout' dinner, and opened gifts from each other. It was such a fun night! Kaylen loves to bake, (not sure where she gets this from-I certainly don't) and she was so happy to strap on this adorable cupcake apron and get to work. She really amazes me. She can crack the eggs, measure the water and oil, and do the mixing almost completely by herself! It won't be long before she is whipping up a batch of goodies all by herself! I can't wait!

Little sis had her very own apron and took her job of guarding the oven very seriously! "Are they done yet?"

Another fun part of Valentine's day was getting to take part in Kaylen's Valentine's party at school. I really enjoy my role as "room mom" in Kaylen's classroom. I get to help plan their celebrations and enjoy the excitement with her. Sometimes I also learn things about her that I didn't know. At her Valentine's party I was talking with some of the other moms and learned that apparently my sweet, innocent, FIVE year old is already getting a little boy crazy? Her "boyfriend's" mom informed me that her son has a HUGE crush on Kaylen, to which another mom of a different little boy replied, "Who doesn't?!" Holy cow. Look out Daddy! We don't encourage this behavior, and I was reassured by her teacher at parent teacher conferences later that night that it is totally innocent 'puppy love,' but still. She is a baby. My baby!

Opening "musical" Valentine's from Daddy

The Crayola Bandit Strikes Again!

Caught! Orange handed! Or orange-mouthed as the case may be. For a couple of weeks we've been finding these random crayon masterpieces throughout the house. They are too childish in their scribblings to be the handy work of Kaylen, which leaves only one suspect! Today I finally walked in on the artist hard at work on her creation. Is it a coincidence that the latest door to fall victim to Avery's graffiti is none other than big sis Kaylen's? I think not. If you look carefully in this picture below Avery's hand you can just barely see her scribbling. Right above her head (and serious case of "bed head") is a sign posted by Kaylen that apparently reads "NO BABIES ALLOWED!" I guess this is Avery's way of letting Kaylen know that she might be shut out, but she will not be shut up. Avery always seems to have a way of finding the last word!

I know you're in there!

Poor Little Miss Avery. Lately big sis has been on a "privacy" kick and frequently goes in her room and shuts the door. This infuriates Avery! For about a week she just stood outside Kaylen's door and cried pathetically until Kaylen caved and opened the door. Then Kaylen got fed up with the whole process and started ignoring the pleas and cries from baby sis to be let in on the action. A couple of nights ago I found Avery like this, on the floor peeking under the crack and sticking her chubby little fingers through the tiny gap between the door and the carpet. How cute is that? Now for the outfit Avery's wearing in these pictures? I'll give you three guesses! Exactly. Daddy dressed her to go outside for a little while, and apparently he's not only color blind, but oblivious that stripes and polka dots in every shade of the rainbow, do not go together! Not to mention that the shirt Ave is wearing is two sizes too small! I guess it just adds to the humor of these photos! God bless Daddies! (Sorry the last two pics are a little out of focus. They were just priceless!)

Let the good times roll!

There's nothing like an afternoon wearing goofy shoes and trying to knock down big white pins with a gigantic ball to lighten the mood! Avery is going through some serious medicine withdrawals right now and is a train wreck, so we decided maybe a change of scenery would be good for her and all of us! Now, you have to understand our new town to understand why we chose the bowling alley of all places. To quote Kaylen, "there's no Chuckee Cheese, there's no Pump It Up, there's no Libby Lu, there's no Zonkers, there's no Deanna Rose, and the mall doesn't even have a Food Court!" You get the point. Not that we don't love our new community. Small town living certainly has its benefits. Apparently you can take the girl out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the girl. Sooooo, bowling it was!! Woo hoo! Daddy gave Kaylen a little help, until she ran into one of her Kindergarten buddies, and then she was suddenly 'an old pro!' Avery seemed to enjoy watching the action, but was obviously confused. The whole time she had this stunned look on her face, like, "I can't believe they are letting her throw that ball inside!"

I'll admit, I had to be talked into dragging a fussy toddler to a bowling alley on a Saturday afternoon that I would normally spend cleaning, organizing, and doing laundry, but I am so thankful that Daddy and Kaylen were persistent! It was so fun to watch Kaylen celebrate each time she was successful at knocking down pins. Her exclamations of, "Did you see that Mommy?! I knocked three down that time!" reminded me that life doesn't have to be perfect to celebrate! And who could pass up the shoes? I mean really. . . I might just have to get a pair of these!

Oh and for those of you who were wondering, the final score was Daddy- 156, Mommy-106 and Kaylen-82!