Avery's Third Birthday Party

Avery had a joint birthday party with her third cousin Christopher who was turning a year old for her third birthday.  We had family and friends come out to Ama and Apa's house.  The kids played on a water slide and we had a small pool for the infants.  The theme was dinosaurs, Avery's favorite!  We even had a dinosaur pinata and some neat goody bags for everyone who attended.  The girls had so much fun being with all of their cousins, even the ones from out of town.  We were disappointed that Apa had to work and couldn't make it but we loved the brisket he made for all of us, it was delicious.  I was very excited that the girls were old enough to know what a pinata is and what to do with it.  All the kids got a chance to hit the dinosaur and were rewarded with lots of candy.  Avery was such a big girl and when it came time to sing to her she did a funny side to side glare at everyone, but at least she didn't cry or hide like her big sister always does.  Avery even blew out her candle!

Avery Turns Three

Avery is now 3 years old and mommy is so happy yet so sad.  My baby is growing up and we are so proud of all of her accomplishments this past summer.  Avery is finally potty trained with the exception of night potty training. She still wears a pull up to sleep in but wears panties all day.  She is now in the three year old class room at school and is having fun with all the new toys and her new surroundings.  Her good friend Easton isn't in her class anymore but her friend Michael still is and that makes up for her loss.  Avery tends to gravitate more toward the boys than the girls because they like to play with the dinosaurs and run around.

Some time back we discovered The Land Before Time on Netflix and the girls can't get enough of it.  I guess it's a good thing that there are more than ten movies in the series so they don't get bored.  Sarah the triceratops is Avery's favorite character along with Little Foot the long neck or brontosaurus.  I was lucky enough to find lots of $1 dinosaurs in the toy section and now we have a whole bin full of dinosaurs that the girls love.  They both like to play with them in the bath tub during bath time.  Now it's getting to the point that mommy and daddy are annoyed with Land Before Time movies and are encouraging other shows but Avery insists on watching her dinosaurs.

Now that it is summer we have been taking the girls to the beach and swimming pools.  Avery really enjoys the water and swimming.  She isn't too fond of bathing suits and it is a struggle trying to get her not to take it off.  When we do go down to the beach she, of course, will take her dinosaurs and play with them in the sand and water.

Avery and Emily are into pretend play and will re-enact scenes from their favorite Land Before Time movies with their toys.  It is really interesting to watch them say line per line and then switch characters so they each can play their favorite parts.  Avery has such a big imagination and I always find her speaking for her toys and playing out a situation.  The other day I was amazed at how she picked up one of mommy's novels and pretended to read Emily a book.  She would make up a story and then turn the page and continue the story she was telling, which went on for a good ten minutes.  Avery still loves the story of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf.  I don't think she will ever tire of them.

I recently took Avery to her three-year wellness checkup with her pediatrician.  The day before our appointment I prepared Avery by telling her what the doctor was going to do when we got to her office.  Emily helped out by bringing out her doctor bag and going through the motions of a checkup.  It was really sweet!  I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Avery was up to date with all of her immunizations so that meant no shots this appointment.  Avery was a wonderful patient and her doctor remembered who she was which is amazing when we haven't seen her in almost a year and she has a big practice.  Avery weighs 29lbs. and is 37 and a half inches long.  She let the nurse and doctor examine her without fussing and as a reward got a lollipop and a sticker.  Mommy was so proud of her!

Back to the Beach

Mommy took the girls back to the beach and this time with their bathing suits.  We headed out early and it made for a great time as it wasn't so hot.  Avery loved swimming in the shallow water and Emily loved playing in the mud and sand.  We took their dinosaurs with us and so they made a pile of mud that their dinosaurs could stomp through and get dirty like dinosaurs do.  I love this small park and beach we found.  It is the perfect place for the girls and the best part is it is so close to home that I don't have to worry about packing too many things.  Once they get tired I just put them in the car and head back the mile and half home.

Emily's First Family Drawing

Emily drew a picture of her family at school and I was so proud of her.  She drew our house, mommy daddy, herself and Avery and even drew our dogs. I think she practiced drawing faces because there are a few randomly scattered throughout her drawing.  See if you can tell which figures are mommy and daddy.  The big E is how she currently spells her name as she doesn't know how to write the rest of the letters out.  Anytime she sees the letter E she yells, "Look mom, it says Emily!"