Hiking, Birthdays and Corn on the Cob

So, the potty is very hit or miss now. The other day, we sat on the potty for about 10 minutes, only to have no success on the potty, but on the carpet in her bedroom! It's a work in progress. Maeve turned 1 last week, so we enjoyed a birthday party with friends on Sunday. I got to do a 50 mile bike ride in the wind and rain on Saturday to start the weekend, let's just hope it's nicer in July. Avery and Chris went for a hike a couple weeks ago to test out our new backpack. Avery had a great time, though the weather again, was not the best. We're hoping to do a family backpacking trip once the house stuff starts winding down. Avery and Chris are going to try out the pack again this weekend while I'm at work.

Yes, she put the sunglasses there. She's such a little mimic now.

Eating an apple like mommy does.

Enjoying the birthday festivities with dad.

This is how you chew the block Divia.

Corn on the cob!

Hiking with daddy.

House Update

Not much to show, but here are a couple photos of the new kitchen countertops. We're getting there...... one. day. at. a. time.

Guess Who Has a Big Girl Potty?!

We bought Avery a potty seat yesterday afternoon. We put it in the bathroom and decided to start putting her on it just to get the idea. She promptly told me she was "pooping" and actually went. It took a while and a few times of redirecting her back to the potty, but she did it!

Happy May!

Lots of fun was had by all while our family was here and lots of work got done. There's still a lot to do, but we are so thankful that dad, Aunt Brenda and Ann took time to come visit us and work so hard on our house with us. While they were here, we got tile floors laid in the kitchen and bath, cabinets in the kitchen and bath and new doors hung. We are now in the process of painting. Not our favorite thing to do, but it's getting done. Next on the agenda is countertops and refinishing the floors. I will try to post pics as things progress. When not working on the house we try to keep Avery busy. We went to the zoo and took a ferry ride to the Olympic mountains while papa was here. We got the seat on my bike so Avery and I can do some bike riding together, and she LOVES it! We have taken many rides to the "paygound" to play in the sand. We finally broke down and bought her lots of fun new sand toys to play with. It's funny to watch, because she likes to play in the sand, but doesn't like to get dirty, so if she's sitting she needs help up, because she won't put her hands down in the sand. And, the rock obsession continues. We can't go anywhere without her stopping to pick up as many rocks as she can fit in her tiny little hands. Tiny is Avery's word of the week, btw. She is starting to learn her colors now. She knows mommy's car is black and daddy's truck is silver. She can also almost spell her name. She was writing the other day and we heard her saying A-V-Y (imagine the y drawn out and high pitched). We're trying to get the e-r in there. OK, enjoy the pics!

Kitchen Cabinets

Bathroom Cabinets/floor

Daddy got me a flower at the University Street Fair

Look at those daisy dukes!

Enjoying the beautiful weather at the Seattle Center fountain

Picnic with daddy

Lovin' the sand

Ferry ride to the mountains

Olympic Mountains

The goats are sooo funny!

Ready for a bike ride

Happy 18 months Avery!

A lot has happened since the last post. Chris had his 31st birthday, which we got to celebrate together on a beautiful sunny day in Seattle. We got Avery a bike helmet on daddy's birthday so she can help mommy train for the STP. April 30 was officially Avery's 18 month birthday. We had a fun day because "papa"(grandpa Manchester), Aunt Brenda, and Annie were in town to visit and help us with the new house. We started the day with a doctor's appointment. Her stats for 18 months are 26 lbs 11 oz (80th %) and 31.5 inches (50th%). Sorry baby, you got your mommy's measurements, short and stocky! The day ended with yummy food at "The Crab Pot" restaurant downtown. Avery ate my share of clams and mussels (yuck!), just put a little butter on it and she loved them! She then got to ride the carousel on the pier. She couldn't get enough. Here are a couple photos for now. More later....

Mmmmm, clams are good!

Making my eggs for breakfast.

Got my helmet, let's go dad!

Happy birthday daddy! Let me help you with that.

Celebrating Chris's birthday at Golden Gardens.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRIFFIN THOMAS MCGUIRE!

This is long overdue. We welcomed our newest member of the family on April 17. Griffin was just over 6 lbs and 18 inches long. Just a tiny little peanut, but so adorable! Hunter is a proud big brother, and we hear he is liking Griffin more every day. We can't wait to meet him! Avery asks to see him on the computer all the time and always asks for "mo" photos of him. Congrats Steven, Alysa, and Hunter. We love you!

What am I thinking?

I give in to peer pressure way too easily. I just signed up to ride my bike from Seattle to Portland, OR. That's right, over 200 miles on a bike. It's called the STP. I hope I still remember how to ride, since I haven't been on my bike since before Avery was born. I better get training....

Weekend Update

Not a lot to report for the week. Avery had fun playing with friends while mom and dad worked. Chris worked on the house a lot, getting it ready for us to move in. Avery and I tried to run errands to help out, since she's not so helpful with the manual labor. The kitchen door and window were moved to make room for more cabinets and the all- important dishwasher. The electrical work was done in the kitchen and bathroom and trim and doors were removed. We are going to try to start posting photos of the progress. In no particular order, here is a recap of the week and house photos(finally!).

Admiring our new house!

Back Yard

Back of house.

Front of kitchen with new door.

Kitchen from dining/livingroom

Our bedroom

Bathroom with the new tub!

Which animal am I?

Just a cute video of animal sounds courtesy of Avery! Except for the fact that I can't remember the difference between a pigeon and a penguin......which actually does "waddle-waddle".

Happy belated Easter

And happy belated birthday to Grandpa Ed. Hope you had a great day! We had a great Easter Sunday, though Avery did not enjoy the extra long church service. Chris has been working really hard on the new house. The kitchen and bathroom are completely demolished and new plumbing is in. Electrical work gets under way tomorrow! I promise to post photos of the progression soon! Other than house stuff, we haven't been up to a lot. Here are random photos of the fun we've been having.

Thanks for the softball and glove gramma Beth. Is this what I do with it?

Talking to Uncle Mike on the phone.

No photos please mom. (This is the best we got from Easter)

Checking out the Easter loot

Attempting a photo op of their new bunny ears

CHEESE!!!

The girl likes to accessorize

17 months and binky-less

We have finally decided that it is time to ditch the binky. Avery was not aware of this plan and is not appreciating this new way of life. We had weaned her to only having it in her crib, but it had become somewhat of an addiction for her, even requesting to go "ni-ni" just to have the beloved binky. Last night was our first night, and it wasn't quite as bad as we thought it would be. We at least still slept through the night. Nap time was a little harder, it took about 45 minutes to fall asleep. But, fingers crossed, I think she's asleep and hopefully will stay that way for at least an hour. Wish us luck!