Sophie's 2nd Birthday: Part 2

We continued celebrating Sophie's birthday today with a visit from Mimi and G-Daddy and Uncle Harold and Aunt Theresa. Uncle Harold and Sophie share the same birthday, so it was a real treat to get to see him as well as Aunt Theresa and our cousin Nicole. We all enjoyed playing and sitting on the screened in porch.

Happy 2nd Birthday Sophie (Part 1)

We had a wonderful birthday party celebration for Miss Sophie Rose today at Carl Cowan Splash Park. It was the perfect hot summer day for a day of running through the splash park. Sophie had a wonderful time with all her friends. Mimi and G-Daddy even came in to help celebrate. I had a friend taking pictures for me so I will post pictures from the party soon. We opened gifts at home and we are now enjoying playing with all our new goodies.Happy Birthday sweet Sophie! Mommy and Daddy love you very much!

Opening gifts.

Party favors

The cake

Sleepyhead!

Future Most Original Song Grammy Winner?

Emma-Caroline loves to sing and is now "writing" lyrics for songs. The other night at dinner she serenaded Howie and I with her newest song, "What is Love" It goes a little something like this:

Oh, What is love?

Love, is a feeling.

Love is caring for others.

Love is taking care of your doggies,

And pettn' and feedn' them.

Oh, love, love, love, love, love, love!

When I asked Emma-Caroline how she came up with this song she said, "Well, Mommy, I just looked at Lucy and Barkley and I just love them so much I wanted to sing a song." Pretty good, especially for a four year old, already drawing inspiration from the world around her. Maybe one day she'll be accepting an award for Most Original Song at the Grammy's. You never know! LOL

Happy Father's Day!

Today we have had a wonderful Father's Day, spending much of it at the pool.

The girls love swimming in the pool with their Daddy.
Sophie especially loves going air born and then splashing in the pool.

Yesterday, as I was folding some laundry, I could hear Howie playing with the girls downstairs. They were laughing and having the best time. That it is how it is around here at the Avery House.

Howie is a wonderful father to Emma-Caroline and Sophie. He always has time to play, read a story, give a push on the swing, do a puzzle, play a game, splash in the pool . . . anything for his girls.

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband who is such an awesome father to our girls. Happy Father's Day Howie! We love you very much!

"Wrinkles Only Go Where the Smiles Have Been"

Those of you who are Buffet fans (Jimmy that is) know that the title of this post is one of his quotes. It's also the footnote at the end of each of the e-mails I receive from my Dad. This morning, as I looked in the mirror, I grimaced at the wrinkles around my eyes that now seem to be more prominent as I smile. And then the quote "Wrinkles only go where the smiles have been" popped into my head, and I smiled a real smile thinking at the same time of my Dad and how true that quote is. As Father's Day draws near, I can not express how grateful I am to have such an amazing father as my Dad. For as long as I can remember, my Dad has been my hero, my comfort, my friend, my role model. I love him so much and feel certain that we are kindred spirits. My Dad inspires me in so many ways; to do my best, to be a better person, to never give up, to always lend a helping hand, to be a friend to all, to live life to the fullest, to give it my all, to never say " I can't," to overcome all odds, to be an awesome parent, and so much more. Honestly, I really can not do justice to how great my Dad really is. All I can say is "thank you" for the amazing father you are Dad. I'm so blessed to have you in my life and to be your daughter. I will always be grateful for the wrinkles where the smiles in thinking of you have gone. You are an incredible person and I love you with all my heart! Happy Father's Day!

Crying It Out

Tonight I let Sophie cry herself to sleep as she screamed "My 'racas"(My maracas). It felt terrible to just let her cry and scream so desperately wanting the maracas that I wouldn't let her sleep with. I have always gone in to soothe her and put her back down to sleep. Each night it seems I go in there at least 10 times if not more. I suppose it started out as an attempt to keep her from waking up Emma-Caroline with her cries. Recently though, Sophie screamed at the top of her lungs while Emma-Caroline lay fast asleep not even flinching at the blood-curdling screams Sophie was belting out. At that point I decided, well, maybe I should just let her "cry it out." It still feels terrible to hear your baby crying, even if it is for the " 'racas." I'll go in there in a little while just to make sure she's covered up and that she has her baby doll.

Going on a Wild Goose Chase

Today we went on a wild goose, or rather house wren, chase. Earlier in the year, a couple of house wrens had again built a nest on our screened in porch. Six little birds hatched and left the nest and it was left unoccupied, or so I thought. Today, I heard a tweeting sound and decided to look into the nest only to startle a mother wren who flew out and into our open house door.
Thus began the chase, through the kitchen, into the family room up to the vaulted foyer, into our master bedroom with more vaulted ceilings, into the master bath with still more vaulted ceilings, into our own pet bird Paulo's cage(which scared him half to death), out into the hallway and into Emma-Caroline's room where she was finally captured in a toy cooking pot with lid.

While Mrs. House Wren was in EC's room, I decided to snap a few pictures as I am always on the hunt for new blog material.

And so here it is, my blog post about our "Wild Goose Chase" through the Avery house in pursuit of a poor scared little house wren.

Mrs. House Wren is feeling better by the way, and is right now recounting her story to Mr. House Wren who I am sure is getting an ear full.

The Zoo Is Closed . . ."

"The Zoo is closed because the giraffe ran away. " This is what Emma-Caroline informed us yesterday when we asked her if she wanted to go to the zoo. She has become quite the vivid story teller these days and entertains us as well as herself with all sorts of imaginary worlds and tales. It reminds me of when I was a little girl when I would play for hours with my friends or by myself with toys in an imaginary world that was very vivid and very real at the time. I think we all had great imaginations as children and it is probably why we resonate so well with our children when they say something like, "The zoo is closed because the giraffe ran away." It opens up a whole new world of possibilities.

Happy Birthday Grandma Beverly!

( Howie's Dad and Mom before Howie)

Today is Howie's mom's birthday. Beverly is a wonderful grandmother, mother and mother-in-law. She has a great sense of humor and loves to play bingo and garden. We always love spending time with Grandma Beverly who has never-ending love and time for her "Little Girlfriends" Emma-Caroline and Sophie. I am so fortunate to have such a wonderful person as my Mother-in-Law and grandmother to my girls. Happy Birthday Beverly! We love you very much and hope you have a wonderful day!

Emma-Caroline's First Tennis Lesson

Emma-Caroline is now taking tennis lessons twice a week through the summer. The lessons were a great deal and the "class" consists of just her right now, so she's basically getting a private lesson each time. She's only had two lessons so far, but seems to be picking it up fairly quickly. Here are a few pics from her first lesson with Mr. Cristian.

Getting ready for the lesson

Shaking hands with the racket

Getting in position

Learning to swing

Following through

Ready to hit

Success!

Happy Birthday Nana!

(My mom as a little girl.)

Today is my mom's birthday. I always remember too that June 6th is the anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy Beach in France and the turning point of WWII. I remember this because my mom always made a point of remembering it too and thanking all the service men and women for their great sacrifice for our nation on that day. My mom got to travel to Normandy a few years back and visited the cemetery where the servicemen who lost their lives on that day were buried. She said it was one of the most remarkable things she has ever seen and treasures that trip.

My mom is a wonderful person, mother and grandmother to our girls. She is very creative and is a very talented artist and writer. She is a very strong person and has an amazing ability to bounce back into life even after the most tragic. My mom is a very caring person who sees good in all people and who listens to all people. I love her very much and I am so thankful to have her as my mother. Happy birthday Mom! We love you very much and hope you have a wonderful birthday!

Every Good and Perfect Gift is From Above James 1:17

The title of this post is one of my most favorite Bible versus. I think I say it daily as I feel God's blessings upon my life. I truly felt God's gift of the Holy Spirit upon me at Howie and my wedding vow renewal ceremony on May 23, 2009 at the Church of the Ascension where we were married. It was indeed our 11th wedding anniversary and I will treasure our vow renewal ceremony as much as our actual wedding. It was simple and beautiful and the Holy Spirit dwelled amongst us. Our dear friends Sarah and Nathan Eaton and Patrick Wade blessed us with their presence and participation in the ceremony, and Father Howard spoke to us with such touching words both from his heart and from scripture. The ceremony was good and perfect and truly from above.

All pictures were taken by A.K. Vogel. We were again blessed by her amazing gift!

Summer Days . . . Busy Days!

With summer vacation upon us, life has suddenly become busier. I'm not quite sure how that happens, except for the fact that we want to take advantage of the great weather and therefore are doing all we can to accomplish that goal. Emma-Caroline is starting swim and tennis lessons this week. Vacation Bible School is coming up next week and then we will have other fun camps, trips to the zoo, Dollywood, and Splash Country. It seems the lazy days of summer are not lazy after all, but I am really not complaining. I love spending extra time with my girls and seeing them discover new things through recreation and fun outings together. I will post pictures soon, but until then, I hope y'all are enjoying the start of your summer vacation as much as we are. Now go and enjoy a tall refreshing glass of lemonade!