Two Months Old!!

Avery turned TWO months old today!


We had a fun day! We went Christmas Tree shopping, had friends over for dinner, and took the monthly "blanket picture" before going to bed. Avery was too cute and I had to snap some pictures to document the day. You KNOW I can't resist posting the pictures on the blog. :)

Happy 2-Month Birthday, Avery!!


Bouncy seat time!


Poages out tree shopping


Got one!! ...Avery was REAL excited as you can see...


Play time just before bed!

Over the river and through the woods... :)

Well, we made our first road trip with Avery and "to Grandmother's house" we went! :) Avery had a blast with her first visit to Gram & Grandpoppy's house, but it was a whole new experience for me and Collin trying to pack up the Jeep with our luggage for a 4 day trip, all of Howie's things (crate, bed, food & dog dishes, toys, leashes, etc.) AND packing up everything needed for Avery (clothes, diapers, wipes, blankets, burp cloths, travel swing, activity gym, blah, blah, blah....) From the looks of the Jeep, you would have thought we were leaving the country never to return.

Even funnier-- I sat in the back seat with Avery for the trip while Howie road "shotgun" with Collin! :) He felt like top-dog for sure. :)

The only "downer" of the trip was that even though it was our year to spend Thanksgiving with the Poage side, hosted by Collin's older brother and sister-in-law who live in Pflugerville (just north of Austin) we weren't able to hang out with Collin's family because our nephew, Ian, was running a fever. Poor Ian. Avery would have LOVED to play with him if there hadn't been a risk of illness. We missed being with the Poages for actual turkey-day, but we caught up with most of the group back in Dallas for a yummy brunch on Sunday morning.

But we have a lot to be thankful for this year, and it's always wonderful to be able to gather with family and friends to acknowledge every blessing the Lord has poured out over us since the last Thanksgiving. This year we are most thankful for Avery and for the joy that she has brought to our lives, the laughter she brings to our home, the refreshing way we get to see the world all over again through the eyes of a child, and the countless ways she has already pointed us towards the Lord and His Majesty. We are also-- as always-- truly thankful for YOU, our family and friends, and for the treasures you each are to us.

Love and Hugs-
Steph


Some pictures from our trip!...

Shopping with Gram the day before Thanksgiving


Us at Breed & Co. (A specialty gift and hardware store in Austin.)


Avery meets Santa! She's on the "nice" list this year for SURE! :)


Grandpoppy and Avery hanging out


Visiting with our friends, Thomas Kowalski & Heather Bossen on Thanksgiving




Howie cheers the Aggies on to a BIG WIN in Austin!


Avery's first Freebirds experience! Burritos as big as SHE is! :)


With Aunt Jen


Hanging out with the Poage side back in Big D... Free from fever germs but so sad that we missed out on Thanksgiving with this crew. Above: Avery with Aunt Kendra and Uncle Erroll


Avery chillin' with Uncle Jonathan


With Nana


With Aunt Kara


Avery and Aunt Kendra smile for the camera. (Gorgeous eyes obviously run in the genes on that side of the family.)


"Yawn" :)

Out on our OWN!!

Well- We DID it! We left Avery home with a sitter and went out on our own!! :) ...Okay, so the "sitter" was actually Avery's Gram (my Mom) but STILL! Big step!!!

We got to go to a wedding last night in Fort Worth and didn't have to worry about packing the diaper bag or getting Avery out in the cold. We just got ready and headed out the door like the olden days! :) We had a great time dining and dancing and hanging out with friends. LOTS of laughs... good memories. But as nice as it was to be out without Avery, we really missed our baby girl and it was wonderful to see her when we got back home.

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Brateris!! Thanks for sending me these pictures, Lydia! ...And also, a special thanks to our "sitter!" ;)



Our good friends, Glen and Lydia Farell. (Not pictured: Andrew Walter "Drew" Farell who is due in February! Doesn't Lydia look FANTASTIC?!)

Dedication Sunday - NEW PICTURES added!

Avery's dedication went off without a hitch! (Sigh of relief...) I don't know why, but I had visions of Avery up in front to everyone screaming her head off (although she really never screams), or making bodily noises that would have been embarrassing... or something like that. But NOPE! :) Everything went great!

That was the first "event" we've had since Avery's birth, and it was somewhat of a challenge just to get everyone dressed and out the door on time to church that morning. But nevertheless, we were able to stand in front of the church and promise to raise Avery in a Christian home and to do our best to parent her under God's guidance.

After the worship service we had family back to the house for lunch. It was such a fun time just to get to catch up with everyone and just hang out. It was a great get-together! Thanks to everyone who came!! We missed everyone who couldn't be there and can't wait to catch up with you guys too!


Ready to go!


Avery's clothes all laid out and ready for her to put them on! This dress is very special and sentimental to me because it was the dress that I was dedicated in as well.


Above: A few gifts for Avery on her dedication day... The New Testament is from her Gram and Grandpoppy, and the gold necklace is the first piece of jewelry she's ever gotten from a boy!... Her Daddy.

Below: A gift from her Aunt Jen and Uncle Andrew. A cross with a precious Dedication Day poem engraved on it.



Sweet little shoes for sweet little feet that never touched the ground


All dressed up!







A picture taken by friends of ours in the balcony... (Thanks, Mitchells!!)




Party Time!!!....