Crockpot 3 packet Pot Roast

I LOVE this dinner! It's so easy and yummy...I know I say that all the time, but seriously those are pretty much my requirements when cooking. I especially love crockpot meals b/c I don't have to do much. I'm not a fan of crockpot meals where you have to pre-cook the meat then dump it into the crockpot. There are many crockpot pot roast meals where it tells you to sear the meat on a pan first. Umm, yeah...no thanks!

This meal came from Pinterest (surprise!), but I've made my own changes. Here's my version:

Ingredients:
2 lb beef roast
1 packet of ranch dressing
1 packet of Italian dressing
1 packet of brown gravy mix
carrots
frozen peas
1/2 cup of water

Directions:
1. Empty all 3 packets into crockpot with water. Mix until well incorporated.

2. Place meat in crock pot. Roll around in mixture until all sides are covered in the mixture.

3. Cover and cook on low for 6-8hours.

4. Add carrots (I used microwaveable carrots which are smaller and thinner than baby carrots and cook pretty fast) and frozen peas about 30 minutes before the end of the cook time. You can probably use regular carrots cut into smaller pieces and put it in the same time as the meat, but I usually only buy microwaveable carrots b/c that's what the kids snack on).

And that's it! Serve with rice or mashed potatoes. I promise it is delicious! My whole family gobbles it up! ENJOY!!!!

This is the original recipe.

a broken record

Being with a wild 3 year old and a sassy 19 month old all day sometimes makes me feel like a broken record. I feel like I say the same things every day...multiple a gazillion times a day! These are probably the things I say the most:

Where's your underwear?!? Go put your underwear on!

Did you put the toilet lid down and flush?

Avery, what is going on with your hair?

Why do you throw your pillow, lovey, and binkie on the floor?

No you may not have a special treat.

Why are you still naked? Go put your underwear on!

Please hurry up and eat.

Stop spitting food out!

Stop throwing your food on the floor!

You're a hot mess!

Your underwear is backwards. Take it off and turn it around.

We don't kick/hit/push!

Let's go change your diaper.

We share and take turns.

I can't understand you when you're yelling and throwing a tantrum.

Let's take a deep breath and be calm.

ONE! TWO! THREE!!!

Go to timeout!

Stop touching/kicking/head butting the tree and ornaments.

If you throw your toys then it's going in the garage!

No more binkie!

Please.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

I love you so much!

Give me a big hug/kiss!

Leave your brother's glasses alone.

Give that book/toy back!

You're hungry again?!?

Clean up your toys and books

No throwing!

No running!

No yelling!

Close the trash can!

Let's sing and dance!

Quiet time - go get books!

I've read that you're not supposed to use "no" a lot b/c kids can get desensitized to it! I should work on this more. What do say all the time to your kids? Are yours as crazy as mine?

Goodbye, Elfs!

The night before Christmas Eve was Elfs last night with us. He went back to the North Pole last night after the kids went to bed. For his last night with us, he decided to play a little joke on us and we woke up looking like this on Christmas Eve morning:

We have red spots on our noses (sorry the pics aren't that good)...Elfs made us look like Rudolph!

My mom got up with the kids and let Kevin and me sleep in til 10:45 (what?!?) so when I came out of my room Parker immediately ran over and in a very concerned voice asked: "What happened your nose?". I looked down at him and asked: "What happened to YOUR nose?". He grabbed his nose and then looked closely at Lola (my mom) and Avery who all had faint "red" spots on their noses and started laughing. 

When he found Elfs sitting on my craft shelf with a red marker (thank goodness he decided to use washable marker instead of the red permanent marker I had!), he cried: "Elfs, you so silly! You draw on my nose and on my finger!". Somehow I don't think Elfs meant for your finger to look like Rudolph...I think you must have moved while he was drawing on your nose and got freaked out and accidentally drew on your finger.

Avery's nose wasn't as red b/c I think she also moved as soon as Elfs touched the marker on her nose and he had to run away as fast as he could before she woke up.

Nobody was safe from Elfs' mischief...even Lola got a Rudolph nose!

sporting our Rudolph noses - even Avery said "Eh, see-wee" (Elfs silly)

freshly drawn Rudolph noses

We said goodbye to Elfs on Christmas Eve. The kids looked for him this morning, but we had to remind them that he went back to the North Pole and would be back next year. I've gotta step up my game next year - it will be so much more fun b/c Avery will really be into it too. Although, I'm surprised about how excited she got when she found Elfs. She usually finds him after Parker does b/c she wakes up later and the first thing Parker did each morning was to look for Elfs. I think though that the Rudolph nose will be a tradition for us to do - Parker got such a kick out of it! 

Did your Elf on the Shelf do anything crazy this Christmas season? Please share ideas!

Hi, Santa!

We went to see Santa on Wednesday night. We told Parker we were going to visit him at the mall and he got very excited and started talking about what else...black train!

The line was pretty long so Kevin stood in line while I took the kids to the playground. Side note: a little girl who was about 4-5 yrs old took a liking to Avery and came right over when we walked in the playground. She sat next to Avery while I took her shoes off and just walked by her, occasionally touching Avery's pigtails, which made me laugh. Then Avery came over to me and started to act shy when the little girl followed her. Avery stuck her face into my arm and hid. Then the little girl says the funniest thing: "I'm not a bad guy. Can we play?". lol

Anyway, by the time we were ready to leave, Kevin had text messaged me telling me to start heading back. So we stood in line for another 15-20 minutes. I played Santa up. Parker I figured would be fine b/c he has really been into Santa. We actually met Santa last year when we were in NC watching a tree lighting ceremony. Parker just walked up to him without being prompted and even let us take a bunch of pictures! So this year, I figured he'd be fine too. I was more worried about Miss Sassy. I was 90% sure she would flip out and scream like her head was on fire.Well, you can see for yourself what happened.

I had talked to Parker about giving us a "nice" smile. But, he gave us his fake/goofy "smile". At first he was fine and giving a little smile, but Avery's shrieking really unnerved him, I think. He gave her a look as if to say: "What are you doing? This is Santa! You can't cry! You will not get any toys if you keep crying!". So $22 later, this is the picture I get: screaming 19 month old and a grimacing 3 yr old. lol But it's def one to keep and show future girlfriends and boyfriends. 

How did your kids do when they first met and sat on Santa's lap?

Happy Anniversary!

A year ago today was my first day as a stay at home mom. It's the hardest job I've ever had, but also the most rewarding. Sure it's enough to make me want to have a tantrum of my own when the kids throw one...at the same time...for 30 minutes over something as silly as asking why aren't you wearing underwear or why did you hit your brother and I'd be rich if I had a $1 for every time I said "no hitting/pushing/kicking", but these two little lovies are so sweet and loving. I love that when I tell them to go get a book, they immediately grab one and head straight for my lap...not beside me, but plop their skinny little bums on my lap. They give hugs and kisses when I ask (usually). They love to hold my hand while walking from the living room to the fridge to get a drink or just because. Soon they'll be bigger than me (ok no small feat since I'm only 5'1" and my kids are taking after their Dad so far and are pretty tall, but I digress). I try to remember that they won't always want to cuddle and give me hugs...they will be embarrassed and will want me to drop them off a block away from school. Kisses will be a thing of the past and I'll be lucky if I can drop a quick little kiss on their heads before they run away mortified. Happy Anniversary to us!

My babies at the beach around this time last year. 

Shepherd's Pie

Years ago, after Kevin and I got married (I make it sound like we've been married for ages and it hasn't even been 5 years!), I decided I was craving shepherd's pie even though I had never had it before (weird I know - I craved Indian food too without ever tasting it). I googled a recipe (this was obviously prior to Pinterest!) and found some crazy complex recipes. I don't do crazy complex recipes so I decided to just wing it. Sometimes my "wing it" recipes flop and sometimes they turn out to be yummy. This turned out to be the latter and super easy - my requirements when cooking! Best of all everyone gobbled it up - well except for Parker, but that's b/c he wasn't feeling well. He normally eats a huge serving when I make it though!

Here's a pic of Avery scraping up her bowl!! Side note: she did pretty good using her spoon, but did ask me a few times to help her scoop up some food. Her sweet little please for "heh" (help) were so cute! If I didn't move fast enough, her left hand just scooped it up - she def fished those carrots out fast with her chubby little fingers! The carrots were the first thing she ate!

Ingredients:
coconut oil (or olive oil - we've been out of olive oil for a while so I've been using coconut for everything - it smells so yummy when it's heating up!)
1 lb lean ground turkey
onions, diced (I used 2 small white onions b/c those were the only ones I had)
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 packet of brown gravy mix
frozen peas, corn, carrots (whatever veggies you like; I've thrown spinach in there too)
shredded cheese (for topping - I grabbed a couple handfuls)
boxed mashed potatoes (you can make your own mashed potatoes, but I actually like "fake" potatoes and it's super easy - I made 4 servings)
butter (I don't measure this, but use the box of mashed potatoes as a guide)
milk (use box of mashed potatoes as a guide)
water (use box of mashed potatoes as a guide)
parsley
black pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Heat coconut oil under medium/high heat. Add ground turkey once oil is heated. FYI, the oil is not required, but sometimes the turkey sticks to the pan since it is so lean - I just use a small amount to coat the bottom of the pan).

3. Add onions and frozen veggies (turkey does not need to be fully browned). Stir until veggies are heated through.

4. Add mashed potatoes, butter, milk, and water in a bowl (prepare as indicated on the box since it varies from brand to brand) - I made 4 servings. Microwave for 2 minutes.

5. Add gravy packet to turkey mixture with about 3/4 cup of cold water. My gravy packet called for 1 cup of water, but the frozen veggies released some water and the turkey was still slightly frozen in the middle when I started to cook it so I omitted some of the water. Mix gravy and turkey mixture together and allow it to bubble for a few minutes so gravy will thicken.

6. Scoop mashed potatoes on top of turkey mixture and spread in an even layer (or somewhat even).

7. Top with shredded cheese and place in oven for about 10 minutes until cheese melts.

FYI your gravy may bubble up to the top of the mashed potatoes and cheese - it's ok, you won't have a big soggy mess. The gravy will go back down once you pull the pan out of the oven and let it rest for a few minutes.

Enjoy!!!

Wooden Growth Chart: Avery

I have been wanting growth charts for the kids FOREVER! I want to document their growth b/c I'm sentimental about stuff like that. When I told my mom that I wanted to get growth charts for the kids she said that she had one from when I was younger. Huh?!? All I remember is being very excited to stand against the doorway to see if I had grown and she would pencil it in. Oh, and did I mention that doorway is in the Philippines?!? lol Then she brings down this rolled up growth chart...it's cute, but there's only ONE height marked on it: 5'1". Umm...I'm 5'1" now! lol It would have been cute to use if she had all (or most) of my height listed and to use that with the kids. 

So I nixed that idea and went back to looking for growth charts. I wanted something that would be easy to move if/when we moved, personalized and made out of wood. But everywhere I looked was so expensive! Sorry kiddos, but I'm not paying $75+. So I decided to make my own. We are giving it to the kids as part of their Christmas presents. The final product isn't perfect, but it's perfectly imperfect and I like that it was "homemade".

I got a 6' tall wood from Home Depot, which I had them cut down to 5'6" (free service). I was starting the chart at 10" and I def didn't need an almost 7' chart. It had little dings on the sides, tops, and bottoms, but I think it adds a little character. 

I didn't want to spend a lot of money on paint so I went to Home Depot to see if they had any quart sized paint that they had mixed already, but ended up being the wrong shade so people didn't buy it. They sell these cheap, but the only colors available were either in the pea green or mauve family. Who would paint their rooms these colors?!? Anyway, I digress. I left without buying paint and decided to come back at another time. We had leftover white paint from painting the doors and trim before we moved into our house so I used that as my "primer". While that dried I decided to just use the left over paint from painting Parker's room. But I wanted to also use that for Parker's growth chart and I didn't want them to be the same color. Solution: mix Parker's room paint with a little bit of bright blue acrylic paint I already had for Avery's chart. It's not a huge difference, but it's enough. 

I Kevin measured out the growth chart inch by inch starting at 10" and going until 6'. According to our pediatrician, if Avery continues to grow like she has been she will be around 5'10" (like her Nana). I used a leaf pattern to mark the foot markers.  I'd like to say that I free handed this, but I'm not artistic what-so-ever so I drew leaves on a sheet of paper and after 5 10 tries I finally settled on a pattern that I liked. I laid the paper on top of the foot marker and using a dull pencil I traced over it - hard enough so that it would make an indentation on the wood (it's hard to see, but look closely at the pic above). After, I outlined it with pencil. I'm sure there's probably an easier way to do it, but this is what worked for me. 

Next I used brown permanent marker to go over the inch markers and the branches (the foot markers). I probably could have used paint pens, but the last time I used one, I had a hard time with it. Figured this was easier. Then I used green acrylic paint  for the leaves.  

I wanted to put birds on the growth chart and found one online that I liked after a Google search, but it wasn't for sale. I tried looking at local craft stores to see if I could find a similar bird, but couldn't find anything that I liked so I asked Kevin to make me something. We he decided to use an empty box of K-cups since we didn't have any other materials or tools that would work. Ghetto I know! lol 

Kevin suffered a minor injury cut... 

Here are my K-cup birds! Fantastic job, babe!

While the kids napped, I painted the birds using the same green acrylic paint that I used for the leaves and a purple one that I bought for another project, but never used. You can see the lines from the cardboard, but I'm ok with that. 

******

So this post has been a draft for almost 1 month...why?!? Because I procrastinate and change my mind a million times. I got slightly freaked out that Christmas is NEXT WEEK. I had already decided last weekend to not use the birds (sorry, babe - I know you worked hard on them) and wanted to paint owls and use Avery's bedding as my inspiration. I drew the branches last week so all I had to do were the owls and leaves during nap time. It's almost done. Kevin just has to drill a couple holes at the top and I have to attach a ribbon. I'll post an updated pic once all that is done and we get it hung in Avery's room. 

Here is the final product!

Sorry about the horrible pic - it's hard to take a good pic of something so tall and skinny, even with my "real" camera. These pics by the way are from my iPhone. I tried to crop/zoom to see if it would make it better. Oh, and those 2 little owls...that's Avery and me. Cheesy I know! lol

Next project: Parker's growth chart! YIKES!!!! But I thrive under pressure and get more projects done when I'm rushed! BRING IT ON!!!

nightmare on aisle 5...

aka shopping with young kids...or at least my kids. One if not both usually drive me nuts while we are out shopping...and no I'm not at the mall buying clothes or shoes. By shopping, I mean getting groceries or other needed items (shampoo, diapers, etc). Friends and family tell me all the time that the only way to get my kids used to shopping is to take them. I get this. I do. And don't get me wrong, they go to the store with me, but only when I really have to go. I mean, if you had a choice of being able to wander down the aisles in blissful silence as opposed to flying down the aisles with a 3 year old and a 1 year old constantly asking for a snack, a drink, to be held, to be taken out of the cart, to be put back in the cart, kids going through the diaper bag, kids going through the items in the cart, kids grabbing things off the shelf that you don't need/want...and the list goes on...what would you choose?!? Yeah, I thought so. Kevin and I prefer to go to the store either on a weeknight (usually after Avery goes to bed) or nap time during the weekend. Although it's an errand I also consider it "me" time. It's quiet and peaceful. It's wonderful!

I'm off tonight and working for the next 3 days and likely on Sunday too so Kevin and I decided to take the kids to see Santa. Plus I'm hoping Santa won't be as busy tonight as opposed to during the weekend. But I also volunteered to make peanut butter sandwiches for Parker's Christmas lunch tomorrow. Unfortunately, I forgot about this and did not add an extra loaf of bread or extra jar of peanut butter to our regular grocery list over the weekend. Plus I needed to pick up a few things including a couple of Target gift cards for Parker's preschool teachers' Christmas gifts. So I decided to just bite the bullet and go to Target...with both kids...by myself.

Here's my must do/have when shopping or running errands with kids:

1. First thing: As we are getting ready I talk to Parker about where we are going and that I need him to be a big boy and to listen to Mommy; that I don't want any crying or want him to ask for things. With Parker, repetition is key so we have the same conversation while driving and then again while walking into the store. If he misbehaves in the store I remind him of what we talked about. It works about 70% of the time.

2. try to buy everything at one store. If I was going by myself I would have bought the bread and peanut butter at Costco b/c it is cheaper (it's in the same shopping plaza as Target so there's not a lot of extra driving). But when shopping with kids I prefer to only have to get them in and out of their car seats once. That's a chore itself!

3. make your shopping list according to how your store is laid out so you don't have to run back and forth.

4. bring lots of of snacks and drinks for the kids

5. bring a favorite toy or book to occupy them - my kids love their iPod or to watch movies on my phone. I also play "I Spy" with Parker - he loves this game and def keeps him occupied for a while.

6. give them one of the items that you are buying to hold - Parker feels special especially if it's something he wants. Today it was a box of hot cocoa. He had hot cocoa for the first time at Sea World a couple of weeks ago and he has been asking for some since then. We are having a few "cold" nights so this will be perfect! Avery played with a set of chip clips.

7. Bribery...yeah I said it! I tell Parker he can have a "special treat" if he is a good boy. He knows that Publix and Target's bakery give free cookies so he asks for a special treat. I usually try to do a little shopping first then when he remembers about the cookie and he has been good we go and get it. This will occupy him for a bit. If he starts to act up after he finishes his cookie, I remind him that he got a special treat and needs to continue being a good boy. It usually works. If it doesn't then I try any of the above items. Today we skipped the cookie...and made it out alive without any melt downs!!! Woo hoo!!!

These usually work, but when all else fails I've left carts full of items (if there's anything perishable, I tell a store employee - they usually give me a sympathetic and grateful look) and drag my screaming kids out the door). As you can tell from the above pics, I can't really go grocery shopping for a whole weeks worth of food b/c there's no room in the cart and Parker just cannot be trusted to walk by the cart and not run off or grab every other item he sees on the shelves.

What's your must do/have when running errands with your kids?

shopping is tiring work...

shoo bugs shoo!

I'm sick...again...as in I have a fever, runny nose, achy bones, and splitting headache. Parker started occasionally coughing on Friday and he coughed his germs on me a couple of times and I started to have a really scratchy throat and runny nose on Sunday after I got home from work. Yesterday I thought I was going to die. I didn't...I survived...barely. I actually took a 30 min nap while the kids napped yesterday then took another one after dinner. My wonderful husband made me a smoothie packed with vitamin C after my nap then made me ginger tea with honey before bed. He's def a keeper!

Then, today I woke Parker up to go to school and he had a fever. I should have known he would b/c I rarely have to wake him up. He's my early riser, but he also woke up at least 6x last night, either to pee, b/c he was coughing too much, he was cold, he was hot, he wanted to play with his truck...the list went on. Even though he didn't have a high fever (99.8 and 100 when I took his temp), I went ahead and kept him home today. I called his school to let them know he wouldn't be coming in. The teacher said she hoped he'd be back for Thursday's Christmas program - us too!!! So we've just been lounging around watching cartoons, playing with cars, and reading books.

When I finally could stand without feeling like I was going to pass out, I made the kids lunch and grabbed some Clorox wipes and wiped everything down. My ever curious child and I had the following conversation:
Parker: "Mommy, what you doing?"
Me: "I'm wiping down everything b/c we're sick and coughing germs everywhere."
Parker: "Germs?" What germs mean?"
Me: "Umm, it's like bugs...we don't want them in our house so I have to use special wipes to make them go away."
Parker: "Shoo bugs shoo!"

This kid cracks me up with some of the things he says!

Avery has also started to cough. I'm not sure whether it's for real or not b/c she usually only coughs after Parker and I cough, but it sounds pretty real. Speaking of Avery...she's still doing the whole spitting food out deal. It's driving me nuts! Parker did it too, but I don't remember it being this bad! I don't know what to do!

see the spit up carrots?!? She'll half chew them and spit them out. It's not she can't chew them b/c they're hard...she does them with blueberries, cereal...everything!

this was the grin she gave me after I asked her why she spit her carrots out. 

Poor sick kiddo gave me a half hearted smile - not feeling good, but that doesn't excuse the bad behavior: he decided to copy Avery and spit his carrots out...on top of his peanut butter sandwich. I gave him my Mommy look and he ate the bits and pieces of carrots - gross, but whatever! 

In loving memory of those whose lives were lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. 

Last Friday my Facebook feed started blowing up with news about the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. I turned the news on and could not help the tears that fell down my cheeks. I just wanted to wake Parker and Avery up from their naps and just hug and kiss them - thankful that they are safe and sound. 

As a mother of 2 young kids, I can't begin to fathom what the parents must be going through knowing they can no longer hold, kiss, hug, play or read bed time stories with their little ones - their bright futures have been stolen from them. They won't get to see them attend their first middle school dance, graduate high school, get married, and have children of their own. I've been holding my kids a little closer, doling out kisses much more often, brushing my hand over their heads as I walk by, and just staring at them - thankful for each precious breath they take. 

My thoughts and prayers go to those who lost a wife, a mother, a child, a sister, a brother, a friend...

Sweet & Sassy is 19 months old

Avery...she's sweet and sassy. Although lately it's been more sassy than sweet. She's 19 months old now. I know she's going through a stage where she's trying to assert her independence and show us that she's got a mind of her own and she wants to be heard. We def hear her loud and clear...in fact the neighbors can too! She loves to shriek...whether it's b/c she's playing or b/c she's throwing a temper tantrum. Either way my ear drums are begging for her to stop. Parker can often be found with his hands over his ears and yelling back: "Ouch, Sissy! You hurt my ears!". This is like the pot calling the kettle black b/c he is a shrieker too. Where do you think Miss Sassy learned it from? They love to have shrieking contests in the car and then laugh and giggle about it.

Her stats:
Weight: 26.6 according to our scale the other morning
Height: unknown - 34.25" as of her 18 month appt and her next appt isn't until May
Diapers: We've been squeezing her in the last of her size 4, but in the last week or so she's been leaking out of her diapers. It fits around the waist, but her tush has gotten bigger. She just started using size 5 this week and it's huge in the waist and her tush is swimming in it, but no more leaks!
Clothes: Mostly 2T, can fit into a handful of 18 month size - usually shorts b/c she's got a tiny waist. She's wearing some 3T Jumping Bean brand (from Kohl's) shorts. It's a bit big around the wait and a tiny bit long, it's not huge.
Shoes: size 7
Hair: It is almost shoulder length!!! But she's got a mullet. Sigh! I think I'm gonna ask my sister in law to trim it again to get it growing some more.

Loves: cuddling; reading books; still very attached to her binkie (will be weaning...soon); playing cars/trains with Bubba; loves to be chased or to chase someone; singing (new favorite is ABC song, she even sang: A, I, M, M, O, P, A, S today...multiple times, same sequence and happy birthday); loves to count (she's been saying 2, 3 after I say 1, but now she'll 8, 9, 10 too); going for walks (either riding in the stroller or wagon or literally walking while holding hands); drawing

Bad habits: same as before: hitting when she doesn't get her way or when she gets mad or just b/c she feels like it; closing her eyes when she doesn't want to hear something; she still spits out food when she sees something else she wants to eat or drink or she just doesn't feel like eating anymore; crying/whining/throwing a tantrum if you see a book/toy that you want that Bubba was playing with first

Potty training may be in our future. She keeps telling me "poop" after she goes in her diaper. Occasionally she will tell me before she has to go so I sit her on the potty, but she won't do anything and she'll usually poop about 10 min later...in her diaper. But sometimes she'll say poop and then run away and not let me change.

New words are popping up:
woo (look)
uh (up)
eee (here)
hung-geeh (hungry) - you say this as you rub your belly (a sign that I made up for hungry, which was the first sign you did, then you learned milk and more)
Eh (Elfs, our Elf on the Shelf)
I know (I don't know)
toe
daw (draw)
ha bih-day to you (happy birthday to you)

She is cutting some major teeth! But that stinkin' upper right molar still hasn't fully come out and it's been since October! What the heck?!? On 12/10 I saw her upper right incisor coming through and her upper left incisor is just under the gums - I saw a white spot. She's still working on those darn upper and lower left molars - still super swollen, but haven't broken through. I'm hoping that once these teeth all come out then her mood will improve. Then again, she'll probably start cutting her 2 year molars, which knowing what a slow teether she is, it will probably take a whole year!

She's doing really well stabbing food with a fork and putting it in her mouth. I'm still trying to teach her how to hold a spoon and put food in her mouth. She does pretty good eating yogurt and stuff that doesn't fall off the spoon easily. The thing is she wants to hold the spoon like her fork, which she holds with a tight fist and the fork facing down. I'm trying to teach her to hold the spoon right side up, but she keeps flipping it face down again once I let go of her hand.

Here are some pics from the past 19 months of our Miss Sweet:

she was about 3 months here - complete sweetness! she was such a wonderful baby. the only time she really cried was when she was hungry, needed a diaper change, or wanted to be put in her papasan chair or swing.

this was around this time last year so she was about 7 months old. still very sweet and agreeable baby...for the most part. 

she was about 15 months in this pic and def a sweet little girl who loves to cuddle and offer her cheek or forehead for YOU to kiss her when you ask her for a kiss, her "sassy-tude" (my husband says I make up my own words like trafficky when there's a lot of traffic) has def developed. Their cousin Mason and Audrey were over playing one afternoon and I built them a huge fort using Parker's bed sheets. Avery kept pulling on the sheets roof then would laugh cackle when the others would get mad at her and give them a look as if to say "what're you going to do about it?". I tried to distract her with her own toys and books, but she wanted to play with annoy the big kids.

about 16 months - at Busch Gardens...sweet baby girl just wanted to sit on the ground and play with acorns. there was no convincing her to get up...i chose my battles and let her sit on the ground and play since we were off to the side where there wasn't a lot of people. my OCD did kick in and I doused her in hand sanitizer when she was done playing. 

she was 18 months in this pic...we were going to take our family pics and picked my sister in law up so I was sitting in the back with the kids. Avery wanted to hold  my hand. She loves to hold hands and will even insist on holding my hand just walking around the house. 

Miss Sassy:

Avery's about 7.5 months - as you can tell her sassy side is coming out! 

about 8 months...we were going for a walk at the downtown outdoor market. she's got her sassy pout!

about 15.5 months - just look at that face! it's as if she's saying "I'm gonna do something naughty...whatcha gonna do about it?". She gives me this look ALL DAY LONG.