Spring

We never get much winter around here, so 85+ in March seems like a bummer, but then you get outside and start playing in it, and it's just awesome. Too bad summer will be here in a week.

Avery looks so old here! She braved this topsy-turvy, puke-inducing contraption. Whoever designed this thing needs to be pinched.

She was so brave and did the slides all by herself. 

First trip of the season to Sonic for ice cream

Birthdays and Baby Showers

March has been a busy month for us! We celebrated my little sister's baby-on-the-way with a fun shower sporting a Where the Wild Things Are theme. I think I have all of 2 pics from it. 

Brittany and baby-in-the-belly Ransom

Kelly, my sister's BFF since childhood (seriously, we have some amazing pictures of them from kindergarten or so), and her precious cutie, Hudson. They drove in from Abilene for the shower. Kelly is like another sister to us. 

We went back to Houston the next weekend to celebrate our niece's 1st birthday - can't believe she's 1 already!!! Sophie is just the sweetest thing ever, and the most laid-back baby at a birthday party. My girls both cried at their first birthday party. 

Julie is a master party-planner - she did an amazing job decorating for Sophie's party and my sister's baby shower the weekend before.

Avery kept peeking inside the pinata (she called it a piano)  to see what loot was there. She kept calling dibs on items.

Avery wrote her own name on the bubble. The pic of us is AWFUL because of the bright sun and the wind and having to awkwardly hold her up so she'd be in the pic. 

My brother made this Jenga game (our niece's full name is Sophie Jaye, hence the Jayenga)

Sophie wasted no time diving into her cake. She posed for a couple pics before happily munching on her cake.

Jewelry and candy, all in one!

My brother, with Sophie in his lap. The toy dog they are holding was of special interest to all the kids there, and Sophie was determined to not let it go.

checking out her loot from the pinata

Mom and Grayson

Conversations with Avery (and Eleanor!)

On our way to Bible study on Wednesday, Avery and I had a discussion about sin and Easter and what that means for us. I was trying to define sin for her, and she promptly told me, "I sinned on the floor on the carpet at church." I'm not certain what that meant? Perhaps I need to keep working on this concept. :)

Avery jokes around with us more and more. She had the perfect set-up a few weeks ago:
Avery: "Daddy, did you know that Mommy is so pretty?"
D: "Yes."
A: "Did you know that Mommy is so sweet?" (goes on to include "so nice" and "has nice hair")
D: "Yes."
A: "Did you know that Eleanor is so sweet?"
D: "Yes."
A: "Daddy, did you know that you're a poopy face?"

Hahahaha. Oh man. She really set him up for that one. (And what is it with kids and poop?)

Eleanor, who is a girl of few words these days (she's too busy being mischievous and testing her mobility in new ways), still manages to have funny little conversations with us. She responds with yes and no head nods, says a few words, and communicates remarkably well without actually speaking to us. She'll babble something to us, but it's totally indiscernible at this point.

At lunch today, Eleanor threw her tomatoes on the ground. I looked at her, asked her, "Where should our food go?" (meaning, where should it stay - on the tray), to which she looked right at me, pointed to the ground, and said "Down there." Whoa. Try getting upset at that. Ha.

Wishflowers

February Days at Home

Lots of dancing and days in jammies, time with cousin Grayson, practicing writing, silly games, jumping...