Ava Lynn: 2 Years Old!

I can't believe it, but this sweet girl is 2 years old!

How on earth is she big enough to wear jeans and pigtails?! 

This sweetie pie is just the cutest, best girl we could ask for!

Here's what's happening with our Avey right now:

• At your 2 year well-check, you weighed 29 pounds, which put you in the 75th percentile.  You were 34.5 inches tall, which was also the 75th percentile!  You're a healthy, growing girl!
• If you asked anyone who knows you, they would say that you are a talker!!!  You have so many words that I can't even begin to count them!  You speak in phrases very regularly and often use full sentences.  Some of the things you say are hilarious!  The other day you told me when I was driving, "Mommy, be careful.  This car is dangerous!" One day after I told you I loved you, you said "Mommy, don't say that.  That's rude!" And I just heard you say to your daddy "I a baby, Dad...wahhhh, wahhhh" Ha!!! You very rarely stop talking.:)
• You could care less about watching tv, which is so different from your sister!  If you're going to watch something, you seem to prefer movies like Frozen, 101 Dalmations, or Little Mermaid.  Occasionally, you will sit for a few minutes to watch Mickey Mouse, Sofia the First, or Doc McStuffins, but that is a pretty rare occasion.
• You loooooove to eat!  This has not changed from day one.  You are a very adventurous eater and seem to really prefer more "adult" foods.  We laugh so much because Alexis is the complete opposite and prefers very few, mostly bland things and those are some of the only things you don't want to eat.  You really love white chicken chili and black bean and corn salsa.  I wouldn't say you love vegetables, but you will eat them when asked especially if they are mixed in with something else.  We are SO thankful for this aspect of your personality! 
• You love your sister!  Sometimes you fight like cats and dogs, but as soon as you are separated for any length of time you ask where she is and what she is doing! 
• You are a smart cookie!  You get to do lots of things earlier than your sister did because she is doing them and you don't seem to skip a beat!  You love to use markers and scissors and do both pretty well for being so young!
• You sleep through the night most nights and only occasionally wake up crying.  If that happens, you put yourself back to sleep easily.  I think you must get startled or have a bad dream!
• You are mildly interested in potty training, but you are not at all ready quite yet.  You will sit on the potty here and there after Lex has used the toilet, but you don't produce anything.  We're not rushing it!
• Your nicknames are Avey, Avey Lynn, Sissy, and Stink-o-potamus (that's Daddy's:).

Sweet Avey Lynn,

The last two years have been a joy as we have watched you grow from a newborn to an infant to a toddler.  You bring the funny to our family and we love when you make us laugh!  You love your sister fiercely and she loves you back.  I hope you are always best friends!  You are so sweet and love to snuggle and be sung to.  You also have a sassy side that we have seen a little bit more lately, especially while your 2 year molars have been coming in!:)  We just love your personality and the way it is changing every day.  May God bless you with health and happiness as you continue to grow to be a child of His, sweet girl!  We love you more than you know!

Love,
Mama and Dada 

Park, Zoo, and Picnic...Oh My!

We had such a fun day!

Miss Fancy Pants was all ready with her side pony tail!:)

We finally went to Memorial Park for the first time since they redid it!  The girls loved it!

Little sister always tries her hardest to keep up!

They loved the "telephone" system and hollered back and forth to each other for the longest time!

We came home and had a wardrobe change.:)

Then we headed to the zoo!

Playing the drums with Daddy!

Our little chicks!

After we got done at the zoo, we ate a picnic lunch right outside the entrance. 

This peacock walked right on out of the zoo and joined us!  He was determined to get some food!

My sweet family...I love them SO much!

Weekend Wrap Up

We had a fairly low-key weekend and it was lovely!  Here are some random photos of things we did.:)

Mama is missing kindergarten a bit with school starting last week so I managed to turn Lex's fun into a bit of a learning opportunity!  She did so well with a lot of the beginning sounds of her animal magnets!

My baby helped me with zucchini bread!

The girls got some new boots and this little love bug is head over heels for them!  She wears them all the time!

This picture makes me laugh so hard!:)

Lex likes to wear hers, too!  She managed to find the perfect outfit to wear with them.

Saturday was Lillian's birthday party and today she turned 4 years old!  We love that sweet girl SO much!!!

These two doing what they do best...dress up!  They loooooooove to put dress up clothes on every time they are together!

We went to church this morning and then enjoyed a rare Sunday at home.  I cleaned out our chest freezer to get ready for the beef that we are getting this week!  We have a fairly free week ahead and I'm looking forward to starting some painting and updating projects around our house!:)

Fun Times

It has been fun times at the Hall house this week!  We're wrapping up summer right and enjoying not sending anyone off to school this year!:)

Alexis got to have the thrill of her life and had a sleepover with her cousins on Tuesday!  Aunt Michele said that even their trip to Walmart was exciting.:)

Everything's better when you're with your cousins!:)

All ready for bedtime!  She had so much fun!:)

On Wednesday night, we had tickets to see the Tin Caps from the summer reading program at the library! 

The crowd was minimal, we had awesome seats, and the weather was absolutely perfect...such a nice family outing!  The girls actually sat and watched the game for a few innings and we enjoyed a few ballpark snacks, of course.:)

Chanda gave us some tickets for the fun zone so we had to go check it out!  Alexis loved this huge blow-up slide!

Ava was slightly less fond of it...any idea why?!:)  Poor baby!!

Second time with Daddy=much better!

They also went in a big bounce house and had a great time!

Quality time with my family makes me one happy mama!

On Thursday, Bry finally had a day off after working 11 days in a row!  We wanted to go to the Splash House in Marion, but it was closed.  So we decided to take the girls golfing for the first time!  Daddy bought them their own pretty golf balls...of course!:)

Again...perfect weather and time with our little family made for a priceless time together!

Lex is pretty into "playing golfing." 

She might have left a few marks in the green with her club, but she's getting the hang of it!  We think she might be a lefty when it comes to batting and golfing so we want to get her a left-handed set of clubs to try out!

Little sister had so much fun chasing her ball around, too!

Daddy and his girls!  He is so great about including them in whatever he is doing and this was no exception!:)

They loved riding in and driving the golf cart!  It will be no time at all before they're driving us around the course!:)  I am so thankful for a fun few days with my people!

Big Girl Bed

We finally transitioned Lex to a big girl bed!  It was really not too big of a deal...Bry took the side off of her crib and voila! 

Why on earth are they both picking their noses?!  Ha!  They love to get in there and play with each other now that they can do it on their own!

Our big girl sleeping in her big girl bed for the first time!

This is how we found her the next morning!  Silly girl!:)  Overall, the switch to the big girl bed was one of the easier things we've transitioned to and within a few days it was no big deal at all.  Although Lex has asked several times..."Why did Daddy break my bed?":)  Sweet girl has always loved her bed!

Father's Day Weekend

We had a wonderful weekend full of friends and family...just the way we like it!

This is the reservoir by our house...just a liiiiiiittle bit full!  Woah, baby!  They eventually closed the highway going over the reservoir because so many people were stopping to gawk at it and were causing accidents.  It has definitely been a rainy summer!

We had a break in the rain this weekend for the most part and it was delightful!  We had a rare chance to go out with our sweet friends on Friday night.  We went to Two EE's and Club Soda with Lucas and Anna and then came back to our house for a bonfire.  We had the best time!

The girls stayed the night with Aunt Kate and Uncle Ty and met us at the Heritage Days parade the next morning!

This girl was all about the parade!  People throwing candy at me?  Yes, please!:)

Daddy and his big girl!

We got to see the Blair family in the police car!

"Hiiiiiiiii, cousins!!!"

Me and my baby:)

Grammy was in the parade with her church!

We got to see Meriah, too!

Me and my big girl!

After the parade, we went home for naps and then headed over to the Blair's house for Zaya's 6th birthday party!  We love that sweet boy so much!

After the party, we finished up a fun day with the balloon glow at the high school! 

This is one of my favorite little events of the summer!  It's so fun to see lots of people that we know and just hang out enjoying a beautiful summer night.

Unfortunately, it was a little too windy for the balloons so they only put a couple of them up!

Looooove my family!

Big sister got some popcorn...that always makes her happy!

The balloons that didn't go up had their baskets do a flame throw type of thing to music.  It was pretty neat!

On Sunday, it was Father's Day!  We L-O-V-E our daddy!!!

After church, we went over to Kate and Ty's to celebrate with my family!  Love this pic of Grandma and Grandpa with the grandkids!

The girls and I made this frame for Bry.  I think he liked it.:)

Nothing better on Father's Day than post-nap snuggles with your babies!  We are so thankful for the amazing way he provides for our physical and emotional needs every day!:)