Dear Avery:

My precious Love Bug, tomorrow is your second birthday, and with that brings a lot of joy, as well as some sadness, for your momma.

I am little sad, because another year and has come and gone so very fast. It seems like just yesterday, we brought you home from the hospital, and now you are becoming a person, full of spirit and sass, all rolled in to one.

With that said, I am so very happy that you are in my life. Every day I am blessed to see you grow hour by hour, day by day. There is nothing that I miss and for that, both you and I should be so very grateful to your daddy. He works hard so we can spend this time together. I know that I am forever grateful for that, and one day, you will be too.

They say that children learn the most in the first five years of life, and now, I can say that I truly believe that statistic. You are one smart cookie. You say words and put together sentences that even at two are too big for you. Your understanding of concepts and  your memory do nothing but amaze me every day. You are also extremely timid - having to assess the world around you before you will commit to anything - even something as little as riding a carousel. You are so loving and compassionate. If anyone (including a television character) is sad, you sense that right away, and are extremely concerned. You give those you love random kisses and make sure that we know that you love us. You are a picky eater. You are messy - which you are quick to let me know regularly. You are a selective listener. You are so funny - not just in what you do, but the jokes that you tell. Your laugh is contagious. You are stubborn beyond words, hell bent in knowing what you want so early in life. And above all, you are loved.

These traits only crack the surface on the person your are becoming. As we approach your second birthday tomorrow, remember that your daddy and I are so very proud of you. We love you more than anything, and we truly know that we weren't a family until you came in to our lives.

Thank you for loving us unconditionally. I look forward to spending the rest of my life in awe of the person that together your daddy and I created.

Happy Birthday!

Love you!

Momma

The Love Bug's first dinner party...

This morning, like most mornings, when it's time to get dressed, Avery was desperately vying to dress like a "princess". Well, there are two things in her closet that she deems "princess" worthy, and they were both in the dirty laundry. When this has happened in the past, I usually take some feature of the outfit I choose to put on her and make it "princess" worthy - i.e. see that holly on the reindeer's antler, that makes the reindeer a princess. More often than not, that usually suffices, but not today.Then I remembered the big box of dress up clothes that Momo (John Lee's mom) gave her for Christmas. So I dressed her in regular clothes then let her pick which ever princess dress from there that she wanted to wear. I now must admit that I think that this action will ultimately bite me in my rear-end, but I am not feeling too well today, so I was in no position to think to the future.

She chose the "Dorothy" dress. Though it isn't technically a princess dress, in the mind of an almost two-year-old, it was super cool. Also for Christmas she received a dish set and fake food. So she sat on her kid table set up in her room and said, "lunch". I then thought, let's have a dinner party... so I got out the place settings for her and myself. But really, I just wanted to take pictures, so she wasn't too happy with her dinner guest. Then I saw her big stuffed Pooh Bear on her bed, and he took over my duties as dinner guest. She also set up her dolls high-chair, gave her her pretend sippy-cup, then wanted Tigger to join the party and asked me to move her rocking chair over to complete her table of four. Of course, momma then needed to set the table to accommodate the new dinner guests, but once it was complete, she just sat there, then fed everyone else, and pretended to be in charge of the entire situation. It had to be one of the cutest things ever, and it definetely made this momma's heart happy.

Of course in the middle of the action, I ran to get my camera, because let's face it, this is a perfect scrapbooking opportunity. But, to my dismay, the battery was dead. So, I improvised and got some shots on my phone (though not the best quality, at least I got something). I also got the video camera out and recorded all of the action.

As Avery's first dinner party came to an end, Grandma (my mom) came over and joined in the fun. What resulted was a great morning of uninhibited girlie fun. It's very reasons like this that I am so grateful to get to stay home with the Love Bug. I mean, who wants to miss tickets to hottest dinner party in town?!

Lots of love!
Emily

Welcome 2011!

During the past month, all of us at Casa de Conner were so preoccupied by Christmas, that it seems like 2011 just crept up on us. But we are truly ready for what this new year has in store for our family - Avery's second birthday, a trip to Disneyland, a visit from our family in Minnesota, setting up and using our new pool, using our camper trailer a little more - the list goes on.

Our New Year's Eve was one of the best in recent memory. John Lee and I went to the Sun Bowl and watched Notre Dame beat the University of Miami. It was sooooo cold! The weather was truly uncharacteristic of El Paso, as it didn't get above 33 degrees the entire game, with snow flurries off and on. Nevertheless, we had a lot of fun with friends and family and were ready to come home to our Love Bug.

We went out to dinner then came home to watch movies and have a serious snugglefest with Avery. She absolutely loves to snuggle. Every night, the three of us try to have our snuggle time on the living room floor - taking the pillows off the couch, getting some blankets out of the closet, reading books and watching TV. Avery tells us when it is time to snuggle and we obediently oblige her request. It has turned into such a great opportunity for the three of us to spend quality time with each other, and it is my hope that it will never end.

Our New Year's Eve ended around 10 p.m. We let Avery stay up as long as she could make it, but she was really ready to go to bed at that time, and I wasn't very far behind her. John Lee woke me up at midnight to watch the ball drop and give me a New Year's kiss, then my head hit the pillow and I was down for the count. 

On Thursday (Dec. 30) we switched her crib to a toddler bed. Let me just say that the Love Bug doesn't always respond well to change in general (I won't even start with how much of a failure our first attempt at potty training was). So, when John Lee and I were cleaning out her room for the new year, making room for all of her new toys she received for Christmas, I thought, why not?! I had John Lee there to help me, and let's just start fresh all the way around. Well, the first nap didn't go so well. She kept getting out of bed, knocking on the door, yelling "knock-knock". We patiently put her back in her bed and the third time was a charm. She took a nice long nap and was instantly used to her new bed - even calling it her "big girl" bed and showing it off to anyone who would look. The first night went great too. I even woke up in the morning to check on her and she was headed down the hallway, blanket over the shoulder and Mickey in hand, with the intention of climbing in bed with mommy and daddy. Well, early this morning, around 5 a.m., I awoke to the Love Bug standing next to my side of the bed, yelling "momma". All I wanted to do is put her in the middle of John Lee and I, and fall back asleep, but I thought it better to take her back to her bed and set a precedence as to how we are going to handle this new found freedom.   It worked, and she slept another two full hours. Then about 7 a.m. I woke up coughing, and from across the house I hear my little Love Bug's sweet voice, say "Bless You Momma!" It made my heart happy.

Let me end this post with some resolution talk. After all, what would New Years be without resolving to do something. With 2011 upon us, I'm reflecting on our life at Casa de Conner and I feel truly blessed. God is good. As far as resolutions, I personally resolve to freak out less, and look to God more. Lately, I have been trying to take everything in my own hands and not trusting in Him to guide me. That has to change with this new year. John Lee and I are going to stop going to Church just because we "have to", and start going to Church with actual intent. If that weren't enough, I also resolve to be more organized, procrastinate less, scrapbook more and live with a content heart. That is a big menu to order up, but with the help of those I love, and of course, our God, I am determined to see it through. I also realize that I can't do this all by January 2nd, rather I will take it one step at a time, one bite at a time, if you will.

Also, say a little prayer for John Lee and I; after all, we will be parents of a very independent, strong-willed, two-year-old, and any parent of a two-year-old could use all the prayers they can get. Am I wrong?

Here's to another blessed year at Casa de Conner.

Lots of love!
Emily