Nature Walk!

The weather was SO beautiful today that we couldn't help but get out in it. So after a fun few hours walking around Northpark with Andrea and Ella, Howie and I decided that Avery was due for her first "Nature Walk." Just to clarify... we've taken Avery for walks before, of course, but the "Austin" is coming out in me and this one was more centered around introducing Avery to nature; Leaves... trees... grass... bark... etc.

For some reason, this walk was a little nostalgic for me. I'm not sure if everyone has stories like these, or if it's just me, but my Dad LOVED to get my Mom, sister and I outdoors to explore nature. My most vivid childhood memories take me back to warm sunny afternoons spent walking trails at Zilker Park in Austin and feeding ducks with the leftover sandwich bread we kept for such an occasion. I could write forever just about the sights, sounds and smells I remember from those times... and now I appreciate even more the amount of effort my parents poured into making sure I learned from and absorbed my environment at the earliest age possible. So with all that said, it was an especially touching "circle of life" moment to take my baby girl out into nature and put her tiny hands up to plants and textures she's never experienced before just like my parents did with me. Her sweet giggles and gazes upwards to watch tree canopies swaying in the breeze were more of a treat for ME than anything.

It was obvious that she enjoyed her outside time! ...Maybe we have a 3rd generation Landscape Architect on out hands!... :)

I'm 5 Months Old!

Once again, we're late getting this post up but we have a little bit of an excuse in that February 29th didn't occur this year. (Hey, I said "little" excuse!) Happy 5 months, Avery! We love watching you grow!

...getting ready for the blanket photo shoot...


Avery sandwich!!

Teething Bites

It's official! She's got a tooth!

Amazing how time flies... Avery has already cut her first tooth and it's a SHARP little chopper! Didn't seem to bother her too much though. I wouldn't have even checked for a tooth if my Mom hadn't said, "Wash your hands and feel for a tooth..." Sure enough! There it was. It's the bottom right front tooth, for anyone who was curious. This should make feeding her EXTRA fun for me! ;)

She's growing up already!... Crazy.

I'd like to thank the Academy...

Inspired by an evening of watching the stars accept awards for their film performances, I thought it would be appropriate to post our family's "honorable mention" short films:

"Happy Feet"


"Little Miss Sunshine" (A re-make of the original Poage Family Screenplay titled "Peek-a-boo")

"Babble" (....yes, I know it's spelled differently.... it's meant to be punny)


...And the award for "Mom with surprisingly way too much time on her hands who seriously needs to give up the caffeine addiction and go to bed before the sun rises" goes to..... :)

Game On!

Friday night, thanks to Nana, we got to go out with our friends Lindsay and Randy Key (sans-kiddo) for a night on the town. Now-- most new parents would probably take full advantage of an opportunity like this and go someplace very "Adult"... Very mature and distinguished... Someplace in Uptown Dallas where you would never DREAM of going with a baby for fear that the stares of disgust would burn right through your Baby Bjorn... Somewhere that warrants having ACTUALLY ARRANGED for a babysitter.

We are not those people.

Nope! We chose to spend the evening at "Chucky Cheese for Adults!" (a.k.a. Dave and Busters) I must say, it was quite fun. We "Donkey Konged & Skeeballed" our night away! (Actually, truthfully... we spent most of the evening playing Ultimate Trivia, but at the risk of sounding like Ultimate Nerds I probably shouldn't have mentioned that...) So, at the end of the evening instead of receiving stares of disgust from Dallas "20-something" millionaires, we got them from a much more "urban" crowd of 3' tall Dallas knee-knockers as we paraded through the arcade with an embarrassing amount of tickets we had won. The hardest part of the night was deciding how to spend our 3,200 tickets at the prize counter. Did we have the nerve to ask the guy behind the counter for 320 Chinese Finger-cuffs?... Or for 640 bouncy balls?... Unfortunately we did not. A couple of T-Shirts and a VERY classy golf glove later, we headed home.

Good thing we didn't have the kid with us!... THAT might have been embarrassing.

Happy Birthday to me!! ...And Ian too!!

(This post is a little late... Oops!)



It was a weekend full of festivities as we headed to Austin for Birthday celebrations! Our nephew, Ian, celebrated 2 years on February 16th and had his "Curious George" Birthday party on Saturday! We had so much fun getting to see family and celebrating 2 years with Ian. Avery got to meet her Uncle Elliot (Collin's Uncle on his Dad's side) and Aunt Vicki for the first time, and also got to hang out a little with Aunt Chloe (Collin's Aunt on his Mom's side) It was a wonderful party! Fun had by all.

The next day, Sunday the 18th, was MY Birthday so I got to celebrate with my family. Jennifer and Andrew came in town for lunch at Hula Hut (one of my favorites) and then we all went back to the house for cake and presents! It's funny... because now that I'm a Mom I see Birthdays in a whole new light! It's not really as monumental for the "kid" as much as it is for the MOM! All the kid did was be born! The MOM did all the work! :) ...From now on, I think I'll try and give my Mom something on my Birthday as a "Thank you!"

Here are a few fun shots from the festivities!

What's up, Doc?

Avery and I went in to see a pediatric Opthamologist this afternoon. We were concerned about some vision issues and wanted to make sure those pretty peepers were working as well as they possibly can. We have good news to report!... She was given a clean bill of health! I was afraid that her eyes were coming to the center a little more than they should, but the Doctor said that her eyes are functioning just as they should and she doesn't even show risk factors for crossing. He told me that what I was seeing that looked like crossing was a severe optical illusion that can happen in young babies when their noses aren't yet fully formed and protruding. The colored part of her eye sometimes gets "burried" when she looks down and to either side causing an optical illusion that she's crossing. But that's just it-- an "illusion" that will correct itself the older she gets. All that to say-- she's fine.

This was all wonderful news to Mama's ears! :) At least for now, she's still glasses-free. ...She'll just have to borrow Ella's trendy pink ones from time to time when she wants to be fashionable!...

Avery did very well even though the doctor did a series of tests shining lights in her eyes and covering them with different lenses. She did NOT like getting drops put in them to cause them to dilate (and she let us KNOW she didn't like it) but other than that she was a happy little camper. She smiled and giggled at the doctor during the exam. What a flirt! :) She sure was a trooper.

Thanks for the prayers, those of you who knew we were going in! It's always nice to know we're prayed over.

Happy Valentine's Day!

What a great day! Anytime a girl wakes up to a surprise of beautiful flowers in the living room, you know it's going to be a good one... Thanks, honey, for making me feel special today!

...And since it's "Baby's First Valentine's Day" we'd like to share a little slideshow with you. Make sure you turn your volume on so you can hear the sweet song that goes with these pictures. We are so proud of our new "love!" Hope this brings a smile to your heart... Love and Hugs to you ALL this Valentine's Day!

"Be Mine"

Peek-a-boo!

Avery is 4 MONTHS OLD!

Yes, we realize it's February 2nd and we're just now getting around to a post that should have happened on January 29th, but things kept getting in the way. Anyway, we finally got around to taking our 4 month blanket pictures and wanted to post them! This has become one of our favorite monthly traditions... Thanks, Josh & Melanie for giving us the idea! It's tons of fun to track her growth!

Hugs!!

Meeting Drew...

Avery and I got to meet Drew Farell today for the first time! (Collin met & held him moments after he was born, but since that all happened in the wee hours of the morning, Aves and I didn't get to be there.)

Significance of Avery meeting Drew: The Poage/Farell friendships go back a ways... Not only were Glen and Collin best buds through high school & on (and Glen was Collin's best man) but both boys' Moms (Linda Farell and Janice Poage) were friends in College! :o So-- this is the third generation of these "genes" being friends with each other... and you KNOW we took pictures of their first meeting just in case they go to a junior high dance together someday. We can pull these pictures out and say "you guys knew each other when you were THIS little..."


"Hey Drew! I'm Avery... I know how you feel, but hang in there! I'll teach you everything I know."


"Okay, first lesson: When the Mommies and Daddies pull out their shiny silver flashy boxes, try to look in their direction. I don't know why, but that seems to make the flashes stop quicker."


Kendra with Drew


Avery's so happy not to be the littlest one in the room.


Janice with Drew


Drew and the ladies... :)

Baby DREW is on his way!! --UPDATE: HE'S HERE!!--

UPDATE!!! Andrew Walter Farell was born at 3:30am! (Not sure if this is the EXACT time, but it's close.) He weighs 7lbs. 3oz. and I don't know his length. Mom and Baby are at Baylor Hospital and are doing GREAT!

A radiant Mommy and a very proud new Daddy...


Collin... are your eyes red because it was 4am, or are those possibly teary eyes?? :) What a blessing to hold your friends children. God is good.




Yesterday's post...

Our good friends Glen and Lydia Farell are at Baylor hospital as I type in the process of labor and delivery! Say a prayer for "Mom and Dad" and of course for baby Andrew Walter as he comes into the world!

We can't wait to meet you, Drew! We love all three of you very much!

Attack of the "Mama"razzi...

One of the most bizarre mysteries of Parenthood is how at any moment (and for NO reason whatsoever) it seems a good idea to grab the camera and go all-out "paparazzi" on the poor, unassuming infant. Is one shot enough to capture the moment of little junior playing with the red ball?... in the living room?... on some random Tuesday?... NO! And why is that? Because taking pictures of an infant is similar to playing a slot machine. (And for all my Baptist friends and family reading this I assure you I am not speaking from experience.) But from what I've heard about slot machines (wink, wink) the thrill is in the NEXT pull. You don't ever want to walk away because as soon as you do, some Grandma from Kansas will mosey up with her quarter, drop it in, pull the lever and come up with three sevens. Could have been yours... but you walked away. In a similar fashion, new parents become addicted to that NEXT snapshot. "I can't put the camera down, honey, because when I DO she'll look directly at me and smile!" So we fall prey to the pictures and let the flashes fly.

The only thing worse than these temporary outbursts of photo craziness is that we then force our friends and family to view the images. There are a gazillion pictures and they're all of the SAME THING! Each one just a tad different from the next.

I'll be the first to admit, it's annoying. But you just wait until it's YOUR child and see what you do!... If I were a gamblin' woman, I'd bet you do the same thing!

Enjoy the slideshow: "Attack of the 'Mama'razzi: Tummy Time" :)
Steph

Out and about...

We were getting "cabin fever" so we went for a walk today! Avery looked so cute bundled up with Collin so I had to share the pictures. We're enjoying the cool weather, but we'll be happy to see Spring when it gets here! :)

Howie at "Winter Gramps Camp!"

Howie's still in Austin with Gram and Grandpoppy and having a very cool time! :) We miss you, Howie!! We hope you're staying warm and having fun! Can't wait to see you again soon!

Check it out...

See that new box to the left that says "Blogarithm?" You can sign up to be notified anytime we post something new. Cool, huh?

...Technology... what did we ever do without it?...

Baby, it's COLD outside!!

Burrrrr!!! What is this weather?!... and why didn't it come around Christmas when we wanted it?

Collin, Avery, Howie and I braved the "ice storm" went to Austin for the weekend because all of my Mom's friends threw a beautiful party for Avery and her "Gram." It was not a shower, but a "Sip and See" where Mom's friends in Austin could come to meet the new grand baby. It was so much fun because a lot of the women who came to hold Avery also held ME as a baby! That's how far back a lot of these friends go. We were afraid that bad weather would keep people from coming, but we had an amazing turnout! I only regret having to leave the party promptly to get on the road back to Dallas before sunset. After all, we had to beat the ice back home.

Avery doesn't know what to think of the cold. Although I wanted to introduce her to the icicles that are hanging from various tree-branches in our front yard, I didn't want to take her outside today for fear it might be TOO cold (it's in the 20's for anyone reading this who doesn't know) but I put her hand on the glass panes in the windows to let her feel and I said, "Coooold." She drew her hand back and looked at me like, "What'd you do that for?" I guess she's going to prefer beaches to mountains, but it may still be too early to tell.

Hope you're all staying bundled-up and warm!

Nursery Time!

Avery got to go to Sunday School for the first time this week! She was such a big girl and had a wonderful time! The volunteers said she was very easy-going and that she didn't fuss much at all until she was ready to eat. We were so proud of her.

It was quite an eventful morning... We got everyone dressed and ready and got to church with plenty of time to get registered for the nursery. Collin and I had our pictures made and they printed out badges for us that show identification and electronically allow us access to the nursery- even if the doors are locked. It's funny... somehow when you see a badge that has your picture on it and says, "Parent," it becomes real.

Although I'm an official "parent" with the badge to prove it, I've still got a little learning to do as far as parenting goes... Even though I was very organized making sure Avery had everything she might possibly need in her diaper bag, I forgot my camera. Thank goodness Andrea was there with camera in-hand to capture the moment. I also forgot to label ANYTHING I put in her diaper bag! Fortunately we made it home with everything. (Even the pager the church gives you so they can reach you in your class if they need to get a hold of you... You're not supposed to take this home, but somehow we did! Oops!) Nevertheless- it was a fun "first" for all of us! We'll get the hang of it all....... soon.

Happy New Year!!!

5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Woo Hoo!! It's 2007!!!

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to miiiind... Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and blah blah auld lang syne! :)

Guess I could have google'd the words, but where's the fun in that? Does anyone even know what that song means? (Most likely to respond to that question with a very insightful description to the lyrics of this old folk song... drumroll... Josh Poage. Just a guess... we'll see.) I think it's Scottish... Anyone?... Anyone?...


ANYWAY-- HAPPY NEW YEAR, All!!! It's hard to believe how drastically our lives have changed since last New Year's Eve. When we rung in 2006, we had no idea what the year would hold... Just 20 days into the new year we found out that "Peanut Poage" was on her way, and all sorts of madness unfolded after that. Yes, 2006 was BUSTING at the seams with all kinds of things to keep us busy: A pregnancy, a rotting kitchen, a complete kitchen remodel, a trip to St. Louis, a trip to Florida, a L-O-T of work-related traveling for Collin, a L-O-T of baby-related doctor's appointments for Steph, baby showers, a guest-bedroom remodel (a.k.a. creating a nursery) labor & delivery, a newborn, a full-time career change for Steph, all of us living on just one income, a few tears, a LOT of laughs, an AMAZING out-pouring of love displayed to us by our friends and family, and sweeter memories than our minds can register. It's been a truly wonderful year. But throughout the year-- good and bad-- it was always good. We have been blessed. We can only hope that 2007 holds as many blessings in store for our family and for yours!

Happy 2007, everyone. We hope it's wonderful!

Avery spent New Year's Eve at home with Gram and Grandpoppy (Thanks for sitting, Mom & Dad!)


Looks like Avery had one-too-many bottles!!


With Lindsay and Emily at Luke's place where we celebrated the last few hours of 2006


Mmmm... If we had only had more pigs-in-a-blanket...


Randy and Collin playing pool


View from the balcony


Ringing in 2007!


Smile!! :)