The Princess and the Pea

If you have ever read the Hans Christian Andersen story The Princess and the Pea you know that it is about a prince who wants to marry a princess but can not find a real one to marry. One day a young lady seeks shelter from the storm at the Prince's castle claiming to be a real princess. To test her, the Queen puts a pea under the girl's mattress and piles it high with quilts and feather beds. In the morning the Queen asks the young lady how she slept. She replies that something hard was under her mattress and that she could not sleep at all thus proving that she was a real princess, for only a true princess would be able to tell if something as small as a pea was under her mattress.
Sophie is not exactly a pea under a mattress, but she is as small as one, so the title seemed fitting. Actually, I woke up this morning and found Emma Caroline already "dressed for the day" in full princess attire, crown and jewels in place. She and Sophie are the "true princesses" of the Avery House. I often imagine that it would be truly wonderful to wear a princess dress and tiara and be "dressed for the day".
So here's to the princess that lives in all of us. Put on your imaginary tiara and hold your head high!

The Queen Dog

Reading stories.


Twirling!

Princess Emma Caroline

On her royal coach

The Pea pushing the Princess

All Aboard! Set Sail!

Make a Smilebox photobook

Emma Caroline, Sophie and I are visiting G-Daddy, Mimi, Aunt Katie, and Aunt Kelly in Virginia this week. We are having a wonderful time! Yesterday, we went out on the Emma Caroline Boat to Old Town Alexandria. The girls enjoyed feeling the wind in their hair and watching the water with Mickey the dog. Sophie especially enjoyed peering over the edge and seeing the "Wawa". It's always a treat to go out on the boat. It's so peaceful and the scenery is gorgeous. We had a fabulous time and look forward to many more boat trips on the Emma Caroline.

Sweet Brown Eyed Girl, Emma Caroline

Emma Caroline knows (because Howie and I have told her) that the songs "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Sweet Caroline" are her songs. I think from the day that we knew we were going to name her Emma Caroline, we have sung or played Neil Diamond's version of "Sweet Caroline for her. And when her big beautiful eyes finally decided to turn brown, "Brown Eyed Girl" got added to the song list that we serenade her with. Emma Caroline is such a sweet, intelligent and wonderful child. Howie and I are so blessed to have this little girl in our lives. We love our Sweet Brown Eyed Girl, Emma Caroline.

First Steps!

Ready. Set. Go! Sophie is off and walking! And she is not taking her first steps lightly. She is delighted with her new mode of transportation and with her accomplishment in doing it. Squeals of laughter peal out with each step and you can rest assured, this girl is going places. How exciting! It is such a wonderful experience to see Sophie make such a huge milestone. We are all enjoying her new accomplishment.

Lion Tamer

Sophie has a new walking/ride on toy. She is enjoying walking around the house with it and "roaring" as the lion roars. She is quite speedy with her toy and is practicing the art of walking. It can be a little frustrating, though, when it doesn't "behave" as Sophie thinks it should. She is quickly "taming" her lion. Sophie actually is walking short distances now without any help at all. She's just like her big sister and beginning to walk just before she turns 13 months.

Rise and Shine!

It's a rare occasion that Howie gets to sleep in and an even rarer occasion that the girls get to wake their Daddy up. This morning, Howie got to sleep to 8:30 before Emma Caroline and Sophie stormed the bed, with a little help from Mommy of course. They sure do love their Daddy and cuddling up in his arms.

My First Bike

OK, I have said that I was not going to get Emma Caroline a bike until she is older. Howie and I didn't get our first bikes until we were six or seven and she is still enjoying riding her tricycle, but . . .famous last words. I participated in the Sacred Heart Children' s Clothing Sale this year and was there for the presale, not to buy anything, but to scout out a little bicycle for my neighbor's son. Emma Caroline was there with me as an extra pair of eagle eyes and we spotted the perfect bike for little Jack. Emma Caroline just so happened to also spot the perfect bike for herself. After trying it on for size, inspecting the tires, and a few little pleas of "pleeease Mommy can I have this bike!", I caved and we toted our bikes to the check-out. I guess the lesson here is two-fold; sometimes our children know better than we do when they are "ready" for the next step and boy, do we ever have a little shopper already! Emma Caroline is liking to ride her new big girl bike, but told me after her last ride in the cul-de-sac, "Maybe she (the bike) needs to rest for a while and I can ride my red bike (the tricycle) instead." Good. I'm glad she has the option of both and that she can decide when she is ready to ride her bike and when she wants it to have a little "rest". Have a great weekend!

Amy

Beautiful Blooms

We have many beautiful blooming plants, bushes, and trees in our garden; dogwood crepe myrtle, magnolia, rose, hydrangea, azalea. . . you name it and we may grow it in our garden. Many of these blooming beauties have been planted for a special occasion like the birth of our daughters or to commemorate their first birthdays. It's always a treat to see these plants bloom and to remember with fondness the significant moments in our life for which they were planted. Here are some pictures of some of my favorite blooms.

Seersucker Summer

Summer time always makes me think of Southern gentlemen wearing a nice seersucker suit and maybe a straw hat. I do love seersucker! It wasn't until after we were all dressed this morning and downstairs eating breakfast that I realized, after Emma Caroline pointed it out, that we were all dressed alike in seersucker. I've been asked many times before if I purposely coordinate the girls clothes with mine. The answer is no. I guess I just have a certain outfit on my mind and sometimes it just happens to show up on all of us. Today it was seersucker, blue to be exact and a white top. So here's to seersucker and the summer time memories it conjures up in the mind. Now, y'all go enjoy yourselves a nice glass of sweet tea.

Josie-Bea Originals

Many of you know that I have started a custom monogramming business out of my house. I named it Josie-Bea Originals after my two grandmothers, Josephine "Josie" and Beatrice "Bea" They both were sewing enthusiasts and inspired me in many ways. It was only fitting to name my business after two such wonderful ladies. Here are some pictures of my "shop".

Splash Country???

Well, we were supposed to go to Dollywood's Splash Country today, but the weather had other ideas. The forcast predicted rain, but late in the afternoon. As you can see, we are getting lots of rain and having our own "Splash Country" at our very own front door. We've found other things to amuse ourselves, though, by watching the rain and the laundry wash and dry.

Me and My Shadow

We love playing on our playground in our back yard. Now that Sophie is getting bigger, she is enjoying the playground as well. Emma Caroline has an American Girl doll that she named "Emma Caroline, but we can call her Emmy" as she said. We find little outfits for the two of them to wear alike. She loves being "Mommy" and dressing her baby like her. Emmy goes everywhere with us now and is Emma Caroline's little shadow. Today she got to swing and slide down the slide like a "big girl". Emma Caroline also showed me her "big girl" skills by climbing the rock wall and doing the monkey bars all by herself. We hope you are having a great weekend!

Amy

Playing in the Rain!

Knoxville is getting some much needed rain today! Emma Caroline wanted to put on her rain boots, get her umbrella and go out and play in the rain. It's so much fun singing and playing in the rain! Even rainy days can be fun.

Baby Birds

In April we had a House Wren couple lay four eggs in a nest on our screened in porch. It was neat to watch the pair take care of their chicks and to watch the chicks grow day, by day. Emma Caroline loved peering into the nest at the little "babies". It was bitter sweet when all four chicks finally left the nest. At the end of June, Mr. and Mrs. House Wren returned and layed four more eggs! What a treat to see a second set hatch and grow! This morning the second set of baby House Wrens left the nest. They are now in the backyard tweeting back and forth at their parents and learning the art of flying. We hope to be blessed again with the miracle of life right on our very own door step.