Observation Night at Dance Class

Avery has been taking a Creative Movement dance class for 3 1/2 and 4 year olds since August.   She loves the class and her teacher, Ms. Janet, but since parents aren't aloud to watch we really have no idea what she's learned!    Finally, last week, observation night came and we got to sit in on the class.   The little girls were really adorable - see for yourself!

 L-R:   Lila, Avery, Aubrey, Vanessa, Haley

I said they were adorable, not synchronized!

"Meme Doesn't Have Rules"

While Greg was away hunting with his buddies in South Dakota, I decided to take a little trip myself, to Amsterdam!  I secured a partner in crime, my sister-in-law, Sara, and booked Meme for a few days.   Avery enjoyed a lawless household while Sara and I explored a beautiful city with a lot of history and culture to offer.   Here are a few of my favorite photos from the trip.  We'll save my rules for another time.

 

The Westerkerk Church from the Prinsengracht Canal.   Anne Frank's "Secret Annex" is just a few blocks from the church.

 The Museumplein

 Sara and Megan shopping for Dutch chocolate

Enjoying a cold draft at the Heineken experience

 The fishing town of Volendam

Canal along the flower market

December Already?

How is it December already?   This year has really flown by.  We spent the first weekend of December decorating for Christmas, visiting Santa, and the big highlight:  participating in our local Christmas Parade.   Avery's school sponsered a Polar Express themed float.   You can see how much she enjoyed the experience of being in a parade by the photos.  

  
Avery also brought home a holiday-themed assignment to decorate a gingerbread person with a parent's help.   We decided to make ours a gingerbread girl and gave her a red felt dress trimmed with buttons and ric-rack.   We completed our girl with long blonde braids.  I'm pretty sure we're going to kick the rest of the classes' ass!

Turkey Trot and Leaves of Plenty

This Thanksgiving, we gave thanks for perfect running weather and piles and piles of leaves!   Thanksgiving morning, the runners in the family participated in Charlotte's Turkey Trot 8k and 26.2 yard dash.   Avery was very pleased to earn her first medal while Luke added to his already established collection.

Since 26.2 yards didn't tire the kiddos out, we spend the afternoon jumping in the leaves that Pa raked.  All this activity certainly worked up our appetite for a big turkey dinner!

After a great holiday, we called it a night, in holiday pjs, of course!    We had a great Thanksgiving and hope you did, too!

Sharing Is For Suckers

Not only has she claimed my dog as her own, but she's also taken over my new iphone 5.    Good thing she's cute!

Scooby Mania

If it's possible, Avery has become even more obsessed with Scooby Doo since she dressed up as Scooby for Halloween.   We had the following conversation in the car this morning after watching her new Scooby DVD before school:

A:   Mommy, Fred's job is the traps.
Me:   Yes, he does like to set the traps.
A:   And Velma's job is the computer.
Me:   Yes, she's very smart.
A:   And Daphne is good at looking at things with her flashlight.
Me:  Okay.
A:  Shaggy and Scooby's job is to eat the sandwiches.
Me:   Right.  And what is your job?
A:   My job is dancing, dresser-uping, and playing.   Those are my jobs, Mommy.

And with all those exciting career paths, I'm still stuck making money and boogers at the bank.  Boring!

Halloween Dress Rehearsal etc.

 Last weekend, we took advantage of a beautiful fall day and a visit from Meme and Pa by spending the afternoon at Gibb's Gardens.  

 We enjoyed all the fall color and the photo ops, plus Avery made a new friend and Pa went home with two new trees!

We've spent most of our month getting ready for Halloween, a holiday I've loved ever since celebrating it as an "adult" on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill.  Avery has been especially excited about Halloween this year and, after much indecisiveness, decided to dress as Scooby Doo.    Obviously this was my Halloween dream come true, so I couldn't resist joining in on the fun!   We had an opportunity to show off our costumes at Canton's Great Pumpkin Festival Saturday afternoon.   Avery got lots of attention as Scooby Doo and can't wait to wear her costume again on the 31st to trick-or-treat!   Happy Halloween!

 

American Idol

Avery had a blast making videos this afternoon to showcase her singing and songwriting skills.  Listen closely for my favorite lyrics about Daddy going hunting and having white cheese for breakfast.   What a goof!   

It's Fall Ya'll!

In celebration of October, my most favorite month of the year, we put some fall fun on our weekend agenda and hit Yahoo Farms.   After picking out pumpkins,  Avery enjoyed a pony ride and the bouncy house, but for another year, wanted nothing to do with the hayride.   I have no idea what she has against hay!

As for me, I liked seeing how much she'd grown since last year.   Check out this link:  Fall 2011

To keep with the fall theme, we decided to make some Halloween cut-out cookies, too.   I'm getting better at this cut-out cookie process and this time, about half of the bats, witches, and pumpkins turned out.  Avery had just as much fun decorating the blobs as she did the shapes.   As you can see, she's really only in it for the sprinkles application!

I can't wait for next weekend for more fall fun!

Bribes

Here are some recent examples of how I use bribes in my parenting "repertoire."   In these situations, I offered up rewards to encourage Avery to eat healthy foods and dress appropriately for the weather.   Am I proud?   No.   Did Avery try asparagus, broccoli, tomato, apples, and guacamole in order to earn enough stickers on her rewards chart to earn a prize?   Yes.   Did I spend $30 at the Disney store on a sweatshirt swathed with princesses to prompt Avery to ditch her summer dresses and dress warmly for fall?   Guilty as charged.   Bribes aren't all bad, and Avery does look pretty darn cute in that sweatshirt!

Euphoria 2012

 Last weekend, Heather and I headed to Greenville to enjoy a much needed girls' weekend and attend the Euphoria Food and Wine Festival.

 We had a fun and relaxing weekend, complete with a hot stone massage and cupcakes for breakfast and lunch.   We enjoyed eating (and drinking) our way around Greenville so much that we've marked our calendars for Euphoria 2013!

County Fair

We've seen the County Fair come and go for several years and never thought much about it, but this year, Avery saw the rides and games from a distance and expressed an interest.   So, we decided to check it out Saturday afternoon.

 Avery liked the little kid rides but wasn't brave enough to try the Ferris wheel.   She said the carousel was her favorite, and she especially likes the horse that was spotted just like Maggey.

I checked out the canning entries.   Too bad I didn't enter - I might have earned my first canning blue ribbon!

Overall, the fair was pretty sparse, but that made it just right for exploring with a 3 year old.  And since we couldn't find any ice cream among the food vendors, we just had to make a special stop on the way home for Bruesters.  Avery was too busy for a photo, but I am used to that!

Afternoon in Roswell

It's finally cooled off in Atlanta!   Today, Avery and I took advantage of a beautiful sunny afternoon in the 80s and hit a patio and the park.  After a tasty lunch at Diesel Pizza and Pub with Beth and Bosco, we headed over to Riverside Park to burn off a little energy.  

 Avery loved both the sprayground and the playground and has already asked to go back next weekend.   With all the cute shops and restaurants in historic Roswell, I might just agree to that plan!

Labor Day 2012

Our Labor Day weekend begun a bit early in Lexington, KY as we arrived there mid-week for my grandmother's funeral.  During our downtime, we kept Avery busy with activities to burn off some of her boundless energy.   She enjoyed swimming in the hotel's indoor pool, playing on the playground and feeding the ducks at Jacobson Park, and exploring the University of Kentucky Arboretum.  

 We arrived home Saturday and spent Sunday catching up on chores.   Monday, we decided to take advantage of the holiday by spending our afternoon at Marietta's Art in the Park Festival. 

Highlights for Avery included making sand art, puppets and a bookmark in the children's art alley, and getting her face painted.

In Marietta Square, Avery threw a few pennies in the fountain and then exhibited her (lack of) hula hooping skills.   Miss KC needs to come visit and teach Avery a few of her tricks!

What festival experience isn't complete without a little indulgence?   We enjoyed ice cream and milkshakes at Sweet Treats just off the square.

 Before heading home, we checked out Art Car Alley where Avery showed off her dance moves in front of the mermaid car.

After an enjoyable afternoon, we arrived home with two watercolor art prints and plans to mark our calendar for Art in the Park 2013!