Happy Father's Day in Amsterdam

Brad, here's a little something from Ellie to you...



You are the best dad and we wish we could celebrate with you today. Thanks for being such a great role model for our sweet girl. We love you so much and appreciate all that you! Talk to you soon.

White Lake Videos

Ellie got a lot of attention from all of the older kids at the lake this year and she ate it up! Here she is with Ty & John performing one of their favorite tricks.

Ellie loved to "jump" off of the platform into the water as well as stick her face in the lake. She is becoming quite the little dare devil in the water these days.

White Lake 2010

50+ years ago my Grandad, his brothers, and their dad thought it would be nice to build a house on the lake, White Lake to be exact. Ever since then White Lake has been the place where the Avery family gathers each year to spend time together basking in the sun, playing in the water, and eating lots of homemade ice cream. This place (and the memories that have been made there) hold such a sweet place in my heart that I can't even begin to explain it. The old cottage has been out of the family for over a decade now, but thankfully the Avery's presence at White Lake each summer is still going strong! I am so thankful to be a part of such a neat tradition and I pray Ellie will grow up with the same fond memories that I have had there. Here are some of the highlights from this years reunion...

Ben & Ellie, lake buddies

A sweet shot of Allison & Meg

Ellie got a lot of love from her older cousins and she loved (almost) every minute of it!

Ellie & Paige

cousins,

cousins,

and more cousins.

All of the kiddos dressed up as super heroes

Pudding Paint

Today was not a fun day to be outside. In beteween rain showers and the thick humidity we decided to stay put in our beloved AC! After Ellie's afternoon nap I let her paint with pudding for the first time and she had a great time! I use the term painting loosely, she basically just spread it all over her plate, but she had fun doing it! So far Ellie seems to love crafts, which makes me so happy. I have been looking forward to us having fun making things together. I am so thankful to have a girl who loves arts and crafts. Let the fun begin!

She enjoyed eating the pudding as much as she liked "painting" with it!

Fun at the Zoo

This past Saturday we took Ellie to the Asheboro Zoo for the first time. We all had fun and enjoyed a nice day together looking at all the animals. We spent most of our time in Africa and saw many of the animals up close and personal. When we first got there the Giraffes were running around like crazy. I was so glad for Ellie's sake that they were so active, but Brad and I enjoyed watching them too!

The lions were being lazy, but that's okay the chimpanzees made up for it!

While we were here Ellie just happened to pull her banana out of the bag for a snack. As soon as this Chimp saw us with it he came right up the window hoping to get a bite. I was so excited that Ellie got to be so close to him!

Ellie & Daddy looking for the Zebras

One of Ellie's favorite things was getting to walk around with us. She has gotten to the point that she would rather walk and sometimes throws a little fit when we try to put her in the stroller. When the crowds thinned out we let her roam around as much as possible. Her little fits these days are so funny. When she's not happy with something she does this funny little squeal to tell us all about it. We totally ignore it but inside I laugh every time she does it. It's just so funny to me that even when she's frustrated she still manages to be so stinkin' cute!

After lunch we headed over to North America mostly to see the polar bear. Unfortunately, he wasn't much fun, but we did see the sea lions and arctic puffins. By this point Ellie was fading fast so we decided to save the rest of the animals for our next trip. I'm so glad we went ahead and took Ellie to the zoo at this age. It was really neat to see her watch all these animals in person for the first time. Don't get me wrong, she was just as interested in what the other kids around her were doing, but she did enjoy herself. We got a membership for the year so we plan on going back a few more times before it expires. Next time we will definitely pack a lunch and go on a weekday when there aren't so many people there. I'm already looking forward to our next trip!

Fun Weekend

This past weekend we had a visit from Nan & Pop Pop and we had a fun time together. Brad had to work most of the weekend so I got some much appreciated help and some time away on Friday thanks to the grandparents! On Saturday we took Ellie to Bond Park and ate lunch. Ellie loved watching the sailboats, the ducks, and all the other people. We even fed some of the ducks for a few minutes and Ellie loved being so close to them. At one point they were only a foot away!

On Sunday afternoon we went with The Bridge to the Durham Bulls game. Ellie did great and enjoyed watching everything going on around her. We left really early on in the the 2nd game to get Ellie home for bed and because of some ominous looking clouds. Lucky for us we got in the car just as the rain began to come down.

15 Months

Book worm

This morning we took Ellie to the doctor for her 15 month well check-up. She weighed in at a whopping 19.6 pds (5%) and is 29 1/2 inches tall (25%). This was the first appt that she cried when the doctor examined her...a lot! She was not happy about being poked and prodded and she definitely let us know it. She was in general not a happy camper even when they weighed and measured her right at the beginning.

The last few days we have had a whiny, clingy girl because she has 2 molars on top still trying to come all the way through and now two on the bottom are trying to poke through the gums as well! Except for the last few days Ellie is a lot of fun! Some of her new tricks include hissing like a snake, trying to scare us (boy is she intimidating!), and smelling flowers ( and just about everything else she gets her hands on). She has also just started feeding herself with a spoon & fork and is getting pretty good. However, our once good eater has turned toddler on us as well and any meal is hit or miss these days. Our doctor today told us that this phase could last until she's 4 or 5!!! Yikes!

My girl & I on Mother's Day