Lucky #7!

December 27th marked the beginning of year Number 7 for Darren and I. It fell on a Sunday this year, so we didn't celebrate until the following week. I think we actually spent the day at my family's house for my brother's birthday. For Christmas, my little brother gave us a hotel stay, so we celebrated the next week. We had everything all planned out, but it turned out to be an interesting anniversary. Nothing seemed to work out quite right, but we still had a great time. It was nice just to spend time together. After my Uncle's house on New Year's Day, we dropped the kids off at my mom's for a sleepover and fed Avery and started our anniversary celebration by going to a movie. We finally redeemed movie passes that we got for Christmas last year and bought tickets online for Blindside. The only problem was we bought tickets and then were running late (Big surprise if you know us, right??) By the time we got to the theater, we were about 10 minutes late and then we had to wait in a long line for online ticket pickup and by the time we got into the movie, we were about 20 minutes late and there was no where to sit. There were a few seats, but all of them were in the middle of rows so we would have to climb over people and none were together. Since it was our anniversary, I didn't think we should watch the movie sitting apart from each other, so we just plopped down on the floor at the back of the theater and watched from there. We discussed other options besides watching the movie from the floor, but we had already worked Avery's feeding schedule around going to the movie and we had just eaten at my uncle's, so we weren't hungry enough to go to dinner, so we just stuck it out....on the dirty theater floor.... It was still a date night, and those are hard to come by around here! Luckily, the movie was one of the best I have seen, so I didn't really care that I was sitting on the floor of a dirty movie theater. Until my butt went numb.....
Next, we went back to my mom's house and fed Avery, and then went to dinner at Tepanyaki, one of our favorite places. It was feeling a little bit like deja vu from Darren's birthday - we stayed at the same hotel, went to the same theater (luckily we did NOT see GI Joe again...) and ate at the same restaurant! But, why mess up a good thing, right? We don't have anything like Tepanyaki in Logan, so we like to eat there when we can and it was too far to go to PF Chang's or the Melting Pot. Tepanyaki was delicious...especially the noodles. The only thing that I don't like about Tepanyaki is the seating arrangement - If you have never been there, it is kind of like Benihana and one of those Japanese places where they cook the food while you watch. There are about 10 seats around the grill, so if you go as a couple, you will sit with several other couples. Our weird evening continued as we sat at a table with some VERY weird people who were drinking a lot of alcohol, dropping tons of "F-bombs", going outside to smoke a lot and talking about sex in a VERY explicit way and having a LOT of drama! So fun! We were glad to get out of there! By the end of dinner, Avery was having a meltdown. My mom had tried everything but she was MAD! We had planned to leave her at my mom's but after we saw how upset she was, we decided that we better just take her with us. I figured it was better to take her than worry about her all night or get a phone call at 2 am. So...Avery crashed our anniversary. Good thing she is so cute, right?
For breakfast the next morning, we went to Mimi's Cafe, which was also what we did on Darren's birthday, but you can't beat their breakfasts! I LOVE their stuffed french toasts, muffins and hot chocolate! Yummm!!! It was not our best anniversary celebration, but not our worst - We had a good time. After having 3 kids, you expect for things to not always go as planned.
A few weeks ago, we went to my parent's ward for church and went to a marriage and family class. In it, they had you make a list of the qualities you admired most about your spouse. I missed most of the class because I was out feeding Avery, but Darren gave me the list he made, and ever since I have been meaning to return the favor. So, in honor of our 7 years, here are 7 things I love about my honey!
1 - He is the BEST father! He is there for everything they do and does so much for the kids. Sometimes I get a little wrapped up in cleaning or other things and don't play with the kids as much as I should, but Darren is so great about getting down and playing with them, changing diapers and spending time with them. I LOVE that and am so lucky that he enjoys it and puts family time as such a priority!
2 - He is a great hubby and helps me do everything! He is understanding and is so great to help around the house, clean bathrooms, give his opinion on my craft projects, whatever. He is also great about getting us out on dates when that is sometimes hard for me. Not that I don't want to go, I just have a hard time leaving the little ones, but he makes it important. He is also so supportive of me getting out and doing things with my friends or sisters or having some "me time" and never complains about taking care of the kids so I can go somewhere.
3- He is such a caring person. He really cares about his patients and other people and goes the extra mile for them. Sometimes I think he may end up getting taken advantage of, especially at work, but he always tells me that sometimes it is just the right thing to help people. He is a great home teacher and loves the families he teaches and his Young Men.
4- He is the BEST cook! I love this because I am NOT and I enjoy his cooking and help in the kitchen a lot! It is great!
5- He is a big nerd when it comes to the Aggies or soccer. That may sound not so nice, but I love how into he gets and that he knows everyone the Aggies are scouting and all the soccer schedules. It is a good thing that I am also a sports fan, or it may get to be a little much, but I love that he loves them so much.
6 - His whistling! Just hearing it makes me smile! If you have never heard him whistle, he is pretty good and is whistling a tune constantly. He even has a special "Webber whistle" that he got from his dad that he uses to find me in crowded places. It is great!
7 - He is my best friend! I love spending time with him, even if it is just hanging out and watching TV and our many lame reality shows that we love. He can always make me smile and laugh and I love that about him! He is so good for me!
I could go on and on.... I am a lucky girl and feel so blessed to have such a great hubby! At my brother-in-laws wedding this past weekend, the sealer said that in a marriage you should always make the other person the best version of themselves. I have always felt that Darren makes me better - I hope that I help him, too. It just seems like we are perfect together and make a great team. I hope we have lots more anniversaries to celebrate together! Love you babe!!!

December Leftovers

Here is my December recap of leftover pictures I didn't post yet. Not that I am every caught up on my posts, but I do now have an excuse. Our computer is just about dead. It only turns on when it feels like it now and then the internet goes in and out and last week it had a virus that almost crashed it! I haven't been uploading pictures for fear I may send it into a frenzy! It is almost 6 years old, which is ancient for a computer, and has been pretty much our only computer that whole time. It was also the one Darren used for school which meant he used it for all his studing, papers and all his patient stuff, and now I use it for work and blogging, so I think it is safe to say we have gotten our money's worth and it is time to move on. We just have to find the time to shop and find what we want, and we don't really know what that is. Anyway - there is my excuse for poor blogging habits! And here are a few leftover photos from December. I think I posted most of my pictures in all the Christmas and other posts, so there weren't many left.
Here is my sweet Rylee with her babies. She LOVES to take care of them and requested that I take their picture, which she does quite frequently. Such a silly girl. I love it! Also notice the PJ ensemble she put together. She is really into dressing herself.

Rylee with many of her baby and stuffed animal friends. She is such a great mommy and puts her babies to bed and likes to remind us to be quiet while they are sleeping and even nurses them. She tells me she is feeding her baby and walks around with her shirt pulled up and a baby held up to her stomach. Funny stuff! Also notice her pose - She loves to pose that way for some reason, with her hands up by her face. If I haven't mentioned this before, Rylee also has a bit of an obsession with lining things up just so. It is pretty funny how organized and also messy she is, but I always laugh when I see her toys all standing in a line. The kids at our first Aggie game of the season against St Mary's. We really did have fun, but I think I may have already posted about that.

We attempted a bath with all 3 kids for the first time this month. They had a great time and Avery was fine with it, but I was a little nervous with all the craziness and splashing, so we haven't attempted again yet. They loved having Avery in there though.

I thought this was so funny! I wrapped Avery up and put in her swing and came back a few minutes later to find her covered in stuffed animals. Funny Rylee decided she needed some friends and Avery was just as content as can be all covered in them.

My girls! Rylee just had to be in this picture! She does that a lot - She can't stand to have other people get a picture without having one of her. She also loves to hold Avery and tell me to get the camera and take a picture. She puts their heads together and says "We're Sisters!" and poses all the time.

I have already posted these I think, but I didn't have too much to post since most of this month was just Christmas stuff. So here are a couple of our family photos from the holidays. We had a great month and such a fun holiday! I love these guys!!!

Avery at 3 months

Here are some of Avery's firsts and a little update about her at 3 months, even though she is now 4 months. Some of these pictures I have already posted, but I wanted to include them since they were firsts or milestones for her. I have started her 4 month post, but it just takes me awhile to get these done. Someday I will be caught up...Maybe....
Here are a few pictures from a little photo shoot with Avery at the beginning of December (Dec 1). I was trying to get a good picture of her smiling, but instead I got lots of other funny faces.

So serious and thoughtful

This is a face she pulls a lot with the pursed lips

I love baby yawns Still no smile! She is such a happy baby, but I never seem to catch her smiles on camera!

I came out of the bathroom to find Avery swinging with all of these stuffed animals, thanks to Rylee. She loves to mother Avery and get her blankies or toys or stuff a binky in her mouth. It just made me laugh! Avery loves her swing - she just sits there and stares up at the lights and tries to grab for her toys. It is a little sad to see her so concentrated but not be able to grab them, but she is getting better and better and grabbing them more and more often.

Here are some where I finally caught her smiling and talking to Daddy (Dec 3). So sweet!

She loves to talk and babble!

Love this girl!!! Aren't those cheeks the most kissable you have ever seen?

I have been trying to get a picture of Avery every week just to see her changes. This is her at 10 weeks on December 4th.Here is Avery looking so cute in her first pair of blue jeans! (Dec 5)

Avery at her first Aggie game at 10 weeks old (Dec 5). She did so great and made it through the whole game without much fuss even though it was SO crazy and SO loud!

This is Avery after her 1st shots....so sad! I think the worst thing in the world is taking your baby for shots. They are looking at you and then all of a sudden, they get the shot and their face gets so sad! I'm sure she thinks I am the one doing that to her. She cried for a few minutes, but overall did pretty well. She was a little grouchy for about 2 days but nothing too bad. This was for her 2 month appointment on Dec 7th. She was actually close to 2 1/2 months by her appointment. Her stats at her appointment were: 13 lbs 8 oz (93%), 23 3/4 inches (85%) and her head is in the 76% (40 1/4 cm). She is growing so quick and starting to be such a cute little chub! She is wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes, and size 2 diapers.

This is Avery's first bath in a real tub. (Dec 10) It was a little stressful to have her in there with our 2 "helpers" but she seemed to have a great time. She loves her baths!

Rub a dub dub - 3 kids in the tub!

Avery at 11 weeks (Dec 12)

Darren had a work Christmas party and we weren't really ready to leave Avery with a babysitter, so she got to come along and she was the hit of the party. She was passed around the table and everyone kept commenting on how great of a baby she was and how alert she was and all of her facial expressions while they talked to her. It was cute to see everyone with her and we all had a great time and she was perfect the whole night.

Avery ready to go to Daddy's work party. (Dec 12)

Avery in her dress from Uncle Dean's wedding. For some reason, I haven't gotten very good pictures of her in the dress and I love it on her, so I wanted to get one before she outgrew it. Isn't she sweet?

I think she looks like a little doll!

After all the stress of the last bath and thinking her siblings might drown her, I decided to try Avery in her own little baby tub. I had been doing her baths in the kitchen sink. She loved it and was so happy. She would make an occasional splash and was so cute! (Dec 16)

She is chewing on her little hands a lot lately, even in the tub.

Avery at 12 weeks (Dec 17)

Another picture at 12 weeks (Dec 18)

Avery and her first visit with Santa. She did great and didn't even cry at all. (Dec 18)

Here is Avery modeling her Christmas dress. (Dec 20) I love this dress! It is the one that my mom made for Rylee to wear to Aunt Heather's wedding. She got lots of compliments at church.

These are some of my favorite pictures! Avery did her first real laugh on December 23rd. I was playing Pat-A-Cake with her and clapping her hands and she let out the cutest little laugh. She did it a few times. It was the first time I think that she really meant to laugh. She had started to laugh a little bit now and then, but it seemed like the sound scared her and she stopped, but this time it was like real laughing. Does that make sense? She LOVES playing pat-a-cake and she will laugh sometimes (you have to really work hard for those!) and smile so big when we play that with her. So cute!!!

Avery in her Christmas eve outfit

Avery on her 1st Christmas with all her loot!

Avery in her cute Christmas jammies with a smile! This is also her 13 week picture and it was her 3 month birthday!

Avery in her cute green jammies - Logan and Rylee both wore these same jammies, so I really want to find pictures of them to compare them.

For those who don't know, I do pictures monthly for the 1st year for my kids. A little over the top and obsessive, but I love it! Here are Avery's 3 month pictures. Not the greatest, but a few turned out pretty cute! I was pretty bummed that she didn't smile in very many! Maybe next month...

This one was a little bit of a smile.

This was the best smile that we got. So sweet!

We took a couple in her Christmas dress, too, but she was pretty much done by then. I loved this one because she is blowing raspberries, which is one of her favorite things. She loves when we blow raspberries or stick out our tongues for her and wants to copy and do the same and is getting pretty good at it. She is so cute and getting to be so much fun!

Looking a little grumpy...

Here are a few other things about Avery at 3 months old. She loves her toys and tries so hard to grab them. She is getting pretty close and hitting them more and more and improving her coordination so much. She especially loves the little toys that dangle - like the little toys that hand down in her swing and her play gym and the ones in her carseat. She stares at them so hard and will even talk to them. Her very favorite toy is her hands! She is always looking at them and trying to figure them out and they end up in her mouth a lot. She has also started to discover her toes. When she is sitting or when I am changing her diaper, she notices them and I can tell she is trying to figure out how to get them. In her bumbo, she can occasionally grab them. It is cute! She is also loving the bumbo she got for Christmas. She loves to sit up so that is a great thing for her. She also loves to stand in our laps and talk to us and her little legs are so strong! If she is sitting, she will push off with them. She loves to babble and talks a lot and is so sweet with her little coos. She is always so happy and so smiley, especially first thing in the morning and at night when she has mommy and daddy all to herself. She sees to love having all the attention and a little bit of quiet time just for her. She is doing pretty well at night and usually only wakes up once, sometimes 2 times. I am a little lazy and just let her sleep by me once she wakes up, so I am probably not creating great habits, but I am just too tired to get up! She is great to go right back to sleep and is a great snuggler! She loves to have her head right up by mine just like Rylee. She loves Logan and Rylee and watches everything they do. She has the biggest smiles for them and seems to be interacting with them more and more. She loves to be out and about and around people, and especially seems to love the grocery store for some reason. We took her to her first movie this month - THe Princess and The Frog. I wasn't sure how she would do, but she was great and hardly made a peep and even slept for part of it. Avery loves people, but seems to have started a little bit of stranger danger and has been a little unsure of people, especially if she is tired. We love Avery and can't believe how quickly she is growing! It is so fun to see her little personality, but sad to see that newborn stage left behind. She still has tons of hair and it is dark, but occasionally people will say it is red. I think it is because it is coming in very light colored underneath and when the light hits it a certain way, it does look a little red. Her eyes are still very dark, but we still can't tell what color they will be. The are kind of a grey color now.