Avery? A-ve-ry... AVERY? AVERY!!!

You wanna know how to get Avery's attention? Don't call for him like you would anyone else. Say, "Avery! CATCH!!!" He'll drop whatever he's doing and fly around the corner ready for whatever you have to throw his way. I'm not kidding.

marching to the beat of his own drum

Avery's always, always, ALWAYS tapping his toes on the floor or thumping his hands on the table. The kid loves a beat. Here's a little clip of Brent and Avery just riffing along. It's not the best I've heard, but it's at least a sample. I need to get him lessons...but drums??? Do I really want a drummer in the house?? I think I've already got one.

it's moments like this...

...I'm grateful they are seven years apart.

Avery is 8-yrs-old (but, please don't tell him!)

Each of my kids is my favorite. I've told you most about Miles because he's the most bloggable. You've seen mostly pictures of Jillian because she's the baby and she hasn't started losing any teeth. But, what about the tall kid with floppy hair and the most responsibilities? What about him?

Avery kinda stays under the radar. He's introverted. He doesn't like to use words much. He has but few requests: food (half the time I say yes), t.v. (rarely do I say yes), and playing ball with the neighbors (sure, go for it!).

But, here's something about him you'd only know if you lived here...
He's an early bird. He's oftentimes the first one up. He doesn't make a ruckus. He likes to have a quiet morning to himself. Many mornings, he'll get up, get dressed, make his bed and get himself a bowl of cereal. Is this normal eight-year-old boy behavior? It gets better. When I was in my first trimester and dealing with insomnia, battling unbearable fatigue, he was so helpful. At the first squawk from Jillian, he'd be at my side asking, "Can I go get Jillian from her crib for you?" What a blessing!!! Even now, tears well in my eyes as I consider the help my son has been to me.

In an effort to honor my oldest son, I'll be doing a mini-series of posts for and about him.

confession # ?? - shhhh...don't tell the kids

I just drank a juice box. By myself. With that tiny straw. Mmmm...Tasty.

buttermint

Am I the only one who thinks Lifesavers destroyed themselves when they discontinued the Buttermint flavor? My mouth is watering remembering such goodness and I haven't had one for 20 years. I think I'm upset. Do any of you even remember Buttermint? Anyone???

going, going, gone.

ah. behold the power of facial hair. it makes one feel...like a man.




but, it is annoying to the wife, so it must go...slowly...




First, we gotta be K-Fed:






Then, we gotta be Jeff Foxworthy:




Never tried this look before:




Baby-Fed...wait. That doesn't sound right.

oh no!!!

okay. i just updated the sewing blog.

It's all about the price change in nursing covers. Y'all have two weeks left at the current prices. Click on the picture to get to that other blog for more deets!

10 random things

1. Jillian just handed me my planner saying, "Bible, Bible!". huh.

2. I'm convinced my hair is not growing on the sides. I haven't had a trim since December and I can't get a decent ponytail up. I kinda look like Heath Ledger in The Patriot. Not cool.

3. I wish I could tell you everything going on, but I just can't and that sucks. My comfort level is "full disclosure" and "total transparency". Can't always do that on a blog. How do you bloggers deal with that?

4. I really, really want to do a little mini-series of posts about Avery. I don't talk about him as much as the other two, but he's really cool and he'd quietly notice if I gave him some bloglove.

5. I am super excited about doing the envelope system for budgeting. I don't like spending cash, so already it's making me a more careful spender. (Full disclosure: I'm on day two. Of course, I'm still excited...and a more careful spender.)

6. Jillian just put garbage (from the garbage can) in her mouth. One of the hazards of blogging life lessons for toddlers. (It was some coffee grounds. No biggie.)

7. My sewing blog has totally gotten the shaft, but it will come back. As sure as the economy, it might will come back. How about I let you know here if/when it gets updated. I just made some chick costumes for a school play...maybe they'll be the thing that gets me back on that horse.

8. If I could have one earthly, non-altruistic wish, it would be free flights. Hey Brent, any airlines you wanna work for? No? Happy working at one of the strongest banks in America? That's cool. I'll let it go.

9. What do you think about dreams? Do you think they sometimes make you understand your heart better than just sitting there and consciously contemplating them? Most times, my dreams are whacked, but other times, it seems like I should take them seriously. And I just think the inconsistency is interesting, too. I'm not interested enough to check out a book on this right now. Just thinkin'...

10. Did I loan my More with Less cookbook to anyone? I cannot find it. And does anyone who uses it have recipes to recommend for when I do find it? It's great, but no inspiring pictures!

the tempo of the song doesn't exactly fit my mood, but i'll post it with hopes that it matches yours

Thank you, Ched, for bringing this to my attention. You might be shocked to learn that I was not familiar with this band or song...

another reason to love birthdays

A friend of ours always sends a "personalized" youtube clip for birthdays. Now he has a blog with the growing collection of the hilarious videos. Maybe a new tradition for you and yours??? Probably one of my favorites is the one for Tiffany. Enjoy!

Mental Soundtrack

My mental soundtrack today is a loop of Abide with Me and What a Friend We Have in Jesus. (I'll update if anything else starts looping.)

What's yours?

"we" = "you"

So, lately, I've noticed that I've gotten really passive-assertive with Brent. I think it's part of that first trimester entitlement exhaustion. "We" should really nip these kind of dishonest statements in the bud, before it becomes any more of a habit!!!

"We should really check the locks on the doors."
"We should give Jillian some tylenol."
"We should go rent a movie tonight."
"We should get me a glass of water."
"We should give a back massage."

the line is busy...

...for only 95 cents, Qwest will keep trying and immediately call you back when the line is free.

Has anyone ever used this? I haven't for approximately a million reasons. One, I have a redial button. Two, I have email, Facebook, Twitter, texting and instant messaging. Three, I don't have 95 cents...not for that anyway.