Avery's 1st Halloween

Avery had a very fun 1st Halloween dressed as a flower. She was very tolerant of her costume and even allowed me to take her to the Target Portrait Studio for pictures. She wouldn't smile, but she didn't cry. Oh well! We still got some cute pictures and had a really fun day!

No Bakarella, but...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Last night, Avery and I made witch cupcakes. Okay, I made witch cupcakes while she played with the tea towels and magnets on the fridge, then went to bed. But one day, I do hope baking is something we will enjoy together.

Since I've become a mom, I feel as if I have a responsibility to hone my baking skills in preparation for all the treats I'll need to bake when Avery is old enough to enjoy them herself, need them for school bake sales, and have them at birthday parties. But the problem is, while I can successfully cook just about anything, I just don't have the knack for baking. Greg can tell you some tales about hair brownies, burnt cookies, and cakes that bake up through the racks in my oven. By instead of getting discouraged and giving up, I've been inspired by Bakarella's website and a cupcake decorating book I recently purchased, "Hello, Cupcake." So, I'm giving it the old college try and gave decorating some Halloween cupcakes a whirl. I happen to think they were cute enough to eat. What do you think? Am I a hopeless cause? Do I need to run to the nearest Michael's and beg for admittance to their Wilton class? Or should I go on to decorate another day? Or should I just save you a cupcake?

We made it!

Greg got back Saturday with the dogs from two weeks of upland bird hunting in Wisconsin, Michigan and South Dakota. For two weeks, it was just Avery and mommy, with the exception of a weekend visit from Meme and Grandpa! They had recently returned from an Alaskan cruise and brought back some very thoughtful gifts for Avery. Below, she is enjoying her stuffed Husky puppy that Grandpa got for her. She was so tickled with it that she shrieked with delight!

Avery has become so agile in her mobility. She is a very advanced crawler!

Avery is eagerly anticipating Halloween. She can't wait to dress up on Saturday and go to the Great Pumpkin Festival in downtown Canton!

With so many toys that light up, play music, and make interesting noises, Avery sometimes just prefers to play with tupperware. Maybe the appeal is the thrill of her thinking she's doing something she's not supposed to! As you can see below, the tupperware sure tickled her!

Aside from Avery turning into quite the early riser while Daddy was gone, we got along very well. Not so well that Greg will be able to go on another lengthy hunting trip soon, but you get the picture! We'll be back soon with Halloween costume photos!

9 Months Old

It's hard for me to believe that Avery is nine months old! Despite keeping me very busy, Avery is at a very fun age. I took her outside today to enjoy a brief respite of sunshine and to enjoy the fall weather. I staged a "photo session" which was pretty shortlived. I found it too difficult to both snap pictures and keep Avery from eating leaves. As a side note, I spend a good bit of my weekend fishing things from her mouth aside from leaves, including a pebble, thread, and dog hair. The latter, the dog hair, was a casualty. It was down the hatch before I even had a chance. Yum.

I do love these two of her concentrating on the treasure she's found!

Here she is modeling her one-of-a-kind baby hat crocheted by a friend of a friend. She is so stylish!

And though you can't see the evidence in these photos, Avery is indeed getting her first tooth. I can see (and feel!) the pearly white crown of it just cresting over her gum line. Maybe there is hope for Cherrios in her future after all!

Soup Swap!

Sunday afternoon, I hosted my third annual soup swap. Avery loves being underfoot in the kitchen while I'm prepping or cooking, and now she can be just like mommy with this pint sized Calphalon and mixing spoon.

Wrong end of the spoon, silly!

Despite her finicky eating habits, it's my mission to make a foodie out of this baby girl. Can you see this photo gracing the cover of her first cookbook? I dream big.

Danielle got all fancy on us and made us a rainbow soup swap cake. The kids at the party were in awe of her baking talents. Despite not having her Wilton Cake Decorating Class Credentials, we thought this cake was good enough to eat.

My fridge and freezer were stocked at the end of the day. I can't wait to get my fill of potage parmentier, beer cheese chowder, cream of mushroom, veggie chili, Mexican corn chowder, and pumpkin soup. Fall is officially here!

More Oktoberfest Photos

Family photo at the "International Cafe."

Avery sampled traditional German fare!

The real question is, who makes the cuter Alpine couple? Travis and Beth or Greg and Avery? nice decolletage, Trav.

Oktoberfest!

Sunday afternoon, we met our friends Beth and Travis in Alpine Helen for some Oktoberfest fun. We enjoyed some deck-sitting, beer-drinking, and people-watching, which never fails to disappoint. Avery sat with us during lunch and was very interested in my food. I fed her a little bit of German potato salad and some schnitzel, and she gobbled it up like crazy. She hasn't shown much of an interest in table food, so I was pretty excited she liked it. It must be the German influence from her Dad's side of the family!

Avery sure loves cuddling with Auntie B, and licking her arm, too. Uncle Travis sure makes her giggle. He is so much fun!

Auntie B has a few priceless photos I'll be sure to share when she gets them uploaded. Happy October!