The Bee Movie

Last week, Dusty and I went to a movie {we took full advantage of being kid-free}. They advertised a $2.00 movie on Thursdays at 10 am - including popcorn and a drink! Right then and there I made plans to take Avery Claire. I figured if we only made it for 20 minutes, it'd be worth $2.
We made it at around 9:55, and let me tell you, folks, the opening of the new Batman movie couldn't have been more crowded. We waited in line for 15 minutes. After we both had our popcorn and drink {for $4.00!!!!!!!}, we headed into the theater.
This girl hopped right up into her seat and chowed down on that popcorn like she'd been to 100 movies. It was so funny.

And when the movie started playing, she just lit up. She looked at me about 10 times and said "This is so shun, Mama!!" It tickled my heart and I was so glad we went. We made it about 30 minutes, which was about 3 minutes longer than the little girl sitting beside us. Avery Claire paid attention for about 20 of those minutes and clapped when they clapped on the movie and laughed when everyone in the theater laughed. So cute. And she's told everyone who asked that she went to a movie. AND had POPCORN!! She's a girl after my own heart. Love her to pieces.

Meet Little Bill

Just about every time we lay Avery Claire down lately, we feel like we bribe her with a trip to somewhere or a promise to do something when she wakes up. It usually works, but I hope it's not something we have to do forever!! She is doing much better about laying down and going to sleep - as long as we leave her door open. And that's okay with us!

We told her Sunday that we would take her today to see the fish at the pet store. We casually talked about buying a fish, but really hadn't decided that we would....

Meet Little Bill.

 

Avery Claire talks to him like he knows exactly what she's saying. And if you watch Nickelodeon, you know where she got the name. Yesterday, she started watching "Little Bill" and asked to watch it all day.

Notice the water sloshing - we've had to talk about how to be gentle!

A few things she's said to Little Bill:

"You want to see my _________? {chips, bracelet, etc}"

" You can't sleep in my bed!"

" We'll be right back in a minute!"

"Hey, widdle buddy!"

"You stuck in thay-er!!" {Poor Little Bill}

We moved Little Bill to her room. When we left her room, she wanted him back in the kitchen, where she wanted him to stay when she went to bed. She did not want him in her room! We'll slowly make that move...

 

Back Home

After a stop in Birmingham to visit aunts and play with cousins {and I didn't even get one picture}, we made it home late yesterday afternoon. Avery Claire hadn't seen her Daddy since last Monday, and they were both excited to see one another!

A little time "driving"

 

I guess I'll be bribing my child to go to bed for the rest of my life, but last night we promised new colors if she'd go to bed like a big girl. {By the way, sometimes the bribing works. Sometimes, not so much.}

So, after church, we headed to WalMart for new colors. And a sucker, of course! She was so glad to get new "cowers" because her others were "so bayad!!"
 
Avery Claire got new Nike shorts while she was in Clay County. The girl would sleep, eat, swim, and take a bath in her Nike shorts if I'd let her. See that rainbow in the background?  I didn't even know it was in the picture until Mike commented on it on facebook.
 
Another thing this girl loves: POPS! She knows she's gotta take her shirt off if she's going to have a popsicle and sit nowhere near the rug or the bed. We usually try to eat pops in the bathtub, but sometimes it's just too hot and we need an excuse to get inside!
 

Riding on the Pontoon

Have you heard the Pontoon song? If not, you should have the pleasure of Avery Claire, Nana, and Papa singing it to you!

Avery Claire experienced her first boat ride on the pontoon yesterday. She loved every second of it!

Our trusty captain

 

See her excited face?

  Love this picture!

 

You can't tell much from this picture, but that's Flat Rock. There were a lot of summer days spent on that big rock! Lots of fun memories!

A Trip to CC

Nana came for a visit last weekend, and Avery Claire kept asking to go back to her house. So, when Nana left last Monday, Avery Claire got her things together, loaded up, and left with her. She left her Mama and Daddy a little in shock - we weren't sure she'd really leave us. And after 10, then 20, then 30 minutes had passed and they hadn't shown back up, we realized she'd really gone through with it!

She had tons of fun in Clay County and got even more spoiled {if that was possible}.

 

We missed her like crazy, and it was too quiet around here, but Mama got a much needed break. {and asked myself many times "what did I do before I had her?!!!!"} I had so much time on my hands. This was, no joke, the first time I've been alone at our house for more than 2-3 hours at a time. I did leave her in May, but we weren't at home. I cleaned and washed and cleaned. I felt like if I really worked hard, when she got home, I could devote all of my attention to her and do nothing but enjoy the rest of our summer!

I was sooo happy to see my girl when I went to Clay County Thursday. And the smile on her sweet face when she realized it was me who'd walked through the door...priceless!

 

Papi Update

This is long and probably boring to all of you. But I want to put it here for memory's sake:

Every one has told us "getting rid of the paci will not be as hard as you think it will be." Avery Claire threw her papi to the fish, we loaded up the car, and she fell asleep without a peep on the way home. I was thinking {very prematurely}, "Wow, who knew she could do that so easily and then fall asleep so fast without it?!"

Ha! She woke up as soon as I got her out of the car and screamed her head off when I laid her in her bed. After over an hour of her crying, leaning over the bed trying to get out, and begging for her papi, we gave up on a nap. But we did not give in and give her a paci. Okay....I'll admit that I did give her a paci that I cut the tip off of. She threw it down immediately. After she had thoroughly searched all of the places that she knew we kept pacis, she realized they were really gone. The paci fairy had come while we were gone and left her a little elephant blankie that she can hold on to while she falls asleep. She was so proud of it and so proud that she gave her papis to the pish! And we were seriously dreading bedtime {and praying she'd be so tired from only getting a 15 minute nap that she wouldn't cry for long.

We made a promise that if she went to bed like a big girl and didn't cry, we'd go buy a new baby doll first thing the next morning. She laid her little self in that bed and didn't make a peep. She did wake up right before 6 the next morning and we did sleep in the recliner for a couple of hours after that, but we were proud of that accomplishment!
She was so proud when she realized that she "waked up" and we could go get a new baby {which turned into a stroller and a baby}. If you know her, you know she was 10 times more excited about the stroller than the baby!

 

Wednesday, I held for her two minutes, she fell asleep and I laid her down and she took a great nap. Wednesday night, there were some tears and I stood by her bed while she fell asleep. Thursday morning, she woke up at 5:3? and there was a lot of drama and crying and trying to get her back to sleep for 2 hours. She finally fell asleep standing up with her head and arms propped on her bedrail right as I walked in to just get her up.

We kept talking up how big she was and how proud we were. She was so proud of herself all day long. And then came naptime. OMG. There are no words. It. was. dreadful. I pray to God that's as bad as it gets. Thursday night and Friday went really well. She knows how to stall and ask for one more baby/one more book/ etc, but she went to sleep quickly and easily. Today, there were some tears at naptime {and she slept in her "shop shops"}, but bedtime went great.

I know it's a process and I pray that it gets easier. I can't imagine how we can keep up these bedtime shenanigans. And her little bed cannot hold another baby/book/ball/toy. But I'm so proud of how hard she has tried. She is so proud of herself and when I tell her how proud I am of her, she loves to tell me how "Daddy's proud." And "_________'s proud {and she lists everyone who's proud of her}".

I will never, ever, ever, however, tell someone that getting rid of the paci is easier than you think it will be. It was just as hard as we thought it would be. I know, though, it'll be worth it and we'll look back in a couple of weeks and laugh about how traumatic it was. {dear God, please let us look back in a couple of weeks and laugh about how traumatic it was!!!!!}

Scott Farm - Goodbye Papi

Last Tuesday, we went swimming at the Scott's. We had so much fun spending time with Lorie, Chloe, Kate, and Chambless!
 
These little floatie things, by the way, are awesome. Avery Claire didn't tip over like she does with regular floaties {or balloons, as Mattie taught us}.

We went to see the goats and Avery Claire took her papi(s) so she could give them to the goats. She chickened out and wouldn't give them up - she had a death grip on them.
 
Then she decided she'd give her papis to the "pish" {fish}. She held them up and really wanted to throw them, but just couldn't do it. So we headed back up to the house.
  She kept looking at the pond and I could tell she was really thinking about it. We tried to get a picture of the kiddos and she decided to try out her papi one last time.

 

And then she was ready. We walked back down to the lake and she threw both papis to the fish. We were all shocked. And I was utterly panicked!!
She threw them in, turned around and said "bye papi." "Bye pish." And that was it. She turned around once and looked a little longingly at the water. But she was a big girl. No turning back - for Avery Claire or Mama!
Thanks, Lorie, Chloe, Kate, and Chambless for your encouragement! We couldn't {and probably wouldn't} have done it without you!

Random Pics

Since I am so behind on blogging, I just had a few random pictures that I came across while I was uploading.


Riding the "horsie" in Papa and Nana's pool Nana had a "party" at her house and we got to go! Avery Claire was so excited!

Hanging out with Uncle Matt and Aunt Sarah in the swing
Helping Mama craft for her new office
 
Before spending a day at daycare
  Avery Claire got moved up to the older class at church - her first Sunday school lesson


Figuring out how to ride her trike {in the house}

Is that "the Bear?" No, it's Papa!!

We hit potty training really hard for a couple of days - we stopped. There was entirely too much frustration in our house. We'll just leave it at "we're gonna try again in a few weeks."

 

She often has a "shingernail" that bugs her until she gets it off.

Manning the grill with Daddy

Sometimes Mommy has to resort to letting AC make messes so she can clean up other messes around the house. She loves to "paint" in the tub!