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

Holidays... Holidays... Holidays...

Wow! Where did 2010 go? It seems like only yesterday that I was planning the Love Bugs first birthday, and now I am fast at work planning her second birthday. But before I can even think about all of that, Casa de Conner needed to get through the 2010 holiday season. I know that I haven't posted a blog since Halloween, so I thought that I would do a Holidays 2010 blog post to encompass Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We changed things up a little this year, and decided to take a road trip to Santa Fe for Thanksgiving. John Lee's grandma lives there and he hadn't spent any sort of holiday with her since he was a kid, so we thought that it would be a good change of pace. Plus, I always welcome a reason to do some Black Friday shopping in a different town other than Las Cruces. I was put in charge of making the pies, which I love because I prefer baking over cooking any day. I decided to make a pumpkin pie, apple pie and a Coco Pie (a pie that my Oma was famous for). I think the day that I was making them, I must have told Avery at least 20 times, that I was making pies and that the kitchen was "hot" so stay out.

Our trip was so wonderful and Avery enjoyed every minute with "Mita" (Avery's version of Gramita) and Gramita loved every minute of her "Hita". I got to do some serious Black Friday shopping, and we even made it back home on Saturday with enough time to catch the last Aggie football game of the season. I can't remember a Thanksgiving that I have enjoyed so much. Maybe it was the childlike wonder that has so often accompanied the holidays with Avery in our life? Maybe it was the "getaway" part of it? I'm not too sure. I am sure, though, that I can't wait to do it again.

That brings me to the best holiday of them all - Christmas. No words can describe this year's Christmas, except MAGICAL! Decorating was a real adventure with a toddler following my every move and "unpacking" boxes. The first day of having a fully decorated house, came with a lot of "don't touch that Avery!", but after about 30 times, she finally got the hint and did great throughout the remainder of the month. The Love Bug was also a great gift wrapper. Most presents under our tree were full of miscellaneous tape put on by the Love Bug herself. I thought it was a great touch though.

One night, a couple of weeks before Christmas, we decided to go look at Christmas lights. There is one house, not too far from our home, that goes all out in their decorating - music and all. We slowly made our way by the house, lights dimmed, windows down (one benefit of 70* weather in December), listening to the music. Avery's face lit up and a big smile spread from ear to ear. She loved "Christmas!" As we were driving off, she yelled from the backseat, "No STOP! More Christmas." Then as we were driving off to see more lights, she noticed other houses with lights, and said, with relief, "Oh, there's Christmas!" - like we had taken it away from her before.

Christmas Eve really came quickly this year - or so it seemed - because before I knew it, I was in a mad rush to get everything in order for the big two day event. Presents wrapped, pictures taken, holiday cards sent, groceries bought, house cleaned, cookies made and every other chore that comes with the undertaking of hosting Christmas at your house.

This was the first year that we didn't spend Christmas Eve in Alamogordo - it just didn't work out like years past. And even though my dad joined us in Las Cruces and took us to dinner, which was great, it still wasn't the same. Christmas Eve was my Oma's holiday, and since she passed in 2007 no one really has taken over her "duties" - so it was a day of really missing her, and her holiday traditions. But it also gave me the opportunity to reflect that I only hope to one day represent some of those same traditions revamped for my family. Okay, enough of that! During my dad's visit, Avery got to open her gifts from him and my step-mom, and she was truly spoiled. She got a really cool art easel and a mini-power quad. Of course, my smarty-pants Love Bug, loved the easel and the magnetic letters that came with it, but it took her a little bit to not be scared of the power quad - what can I say, she is my daughter, and with that comes a very timid temperament.

Once my dad left, we started a new tradition of putting the cookies out for Santa and then reading "A Night Before Christmas" Followed by our family all getting on our new jammies we got for Christmas. This year was kind of the in between period for Avery. She was old enough to know something was different, and that she should be excited, but too young to truly "get" the why behind the whole thing. Regardless, though, having a child look at the events of Christmas with the utmost of wonderment, truly takes the holiday to a totally different level. I thought I loved Christmas before she came into my life, but now I know what it means to REALLY L.O.V.E. Christmas.

Christmas morning couldn't come fast enough for me. Again, Avery had no clue what was awaiting her under our Christmas tree. I was up first and did my job of waking the other two Conners up to see what Santa brought us all. As soon as Avery got into the living room, her face lit up to see the new play kitchen set up and ready to go. She loved it so much that she didn't want to open any more presents. I had to make her. After all was said and done, Santa truly blessed the Love Bug with more than she needs.

The best part of the morning was Avery "cooking" as I was preparing the turkey and getting ready to go to church. When asked what she was making, her answer was "pies" - I wonder where she got that from - crazy kid!

Next came the part of Christmas that is often over looked and forgotten, but the true reason from the season. Christ. We made our way to church, where Avery did great (that hasn't always been the case in the months past). At the end of the congregation singing "Joy to the World", Avery clapped and yelled "yay" as loud as she could. So unexpected in a Catholic church, but so refreshing at the same time, that the entire parish laughed and turned to look at her. I was just a proud mom of the sweetest little girl in the whole world at that moment.

The rest of Christmas day came and went with a total blur. Avery was so blessed (or spoiled, if you will) by so many people who love her. She got Mr. and Mrs. Potato Heads from John Lee's brother, Abe, a Mobigo from my sister, Cyndi, and some gorgeous Bitty Baby doll clothes, from my brother, Jake, as well as a backpack from my sister, Tara and from John Lee's aunt and uncle. She also got the extras for her kitchen (dishes, food, etc.) from my mom and step-dad. From John Lee's mom, she got a chest full of dress up clothes, perfect for our girlie-girl. And one of the coolest gifts ever, John Lee's dad refurbished John Lee's tricycle he used when he was Avery's age. They truly don't make em' like they used to.

I think that's all, but if I forgot to mention something, I am sorry. Allow me though to take this opportunity to thank everyone who gave anyone in our family a gift. We are so grateful to have you all in our lives! So thank you!

Overall, our holidays were full of love, blessings, family togetherness, and just sending it all up to the Lord, for He is the reason that we celebrate. A Child is Born!

Here's to an even better 2011.

Lots of love!
Emily

In order to be a blogger, you must write blogs...

Or so this is what I am told. I know, you've nailed me, I am not up to date on my blogging. Hold your horses everyone, I will get to it, after I have done the laundry, picked-up the toy box I call my house and feed the cows (If I only had cows). I guess what I am saying is that I am busy - super busy. But I will admit, my husband is right, people want to know what is going on in Casa de Conner, so I will take a moment now, and catch you all up.

Fall 2010 has been nothing short of amazing. Our sweet Love Bug (and of course John Lee and I) have had so many great experiences that I can't even write about them all in this post. Let's just say, we have tailgated, cheered for the Aggies, attended a Raiders game (just John Lee and I), went to the Southern New Mexico State Fair and the Mesilla Valley Corn Maze, drove to Cloudcroft for their Fall Festival and rounded out October with a great trick-or-treating adventure.

I guess for the purpose of this post, I will concentrate on one of our adventures - trick or treating. I L.O.V.E. me some trick or treating. This year for Halloween, my wonderfully talented mother-in-law worked her sewing machine magic and made the Love Bug the cutest Candy Corn Princess costume ever! I got the idea from a costume I saw in a magazine, but I have to admit that her interpretation and final product was 10 times better than anything we could have purchased. I know we are extremely lucky to have a grandma that will make a costume - this is really evident when all you see lately are the store bought costumes roaming the streets Halloween night. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the store bought attire (I would have killed for a store bought costume as a kid), but Avery's costume was just on a another level and it ooozed with homemade love.


We set out on our adventure at about 6:00 p.m. and roamed the streets surrounding our neighborhood in hot pursuit of some serious candy... Okay, Avery is only 21 months old and there is no way she can even eat most of that candy herself. So what, if it was really for John Lee and I - don't judge - I saw many of parents posting status updates on Facebook Halloween night referring to pillaging through their children's candy bucket as they sleep to the get the "good" candy. I have a couple more years before I have pillage - something that I am very grateful for.

Back to the topic at hand - Avery was the hit of the trick or treating circuit.  With her sweet voice, she went from house to house, saying trick or treat, and thanks. One lady even commented on how pretty she was, to which Avery responded "thanks" and did a spontaneous twirl, just to make sure that the lady saw every bit of her costume. On the other hand, she really disliked anything "spooky" - her words. "No momma, no spooky" was what she repeated a number of times. So there were houses that we avoided and dogs that she watched from a distance. But overall, it was such a wonderful night.

I love our family of three and I wouldn't change any of our little adventures for the world. I know that the Love Bug won't remember this night when she is older, but I took plenty of pictures and this scrapbooking mom, will do her best to preserve the memories that way. 

Next on our list of adventures is a trip to Minnesota. The Love Bug, the Muncs and I are boarding an Airplane Thursday, and leaving daddy to watch the house. Can't wait!

Lots of Love!
Emily "Mother of a Love Bug"

 At the Cloudcroft Fall Fesitval

 Too sassy for her own good...

 Carving the family pumpkin...

 Didn't it turn out so cute...

 Getting ready for some major trick or treating!

 Wings or no wings - Avery says "no wings"

 Wished I had my own wagon to catch a ride in...

 Her first house...

No wrong turns in Albuquerque...

Okay, maybe the title is a little bit wrong - but I will get there in a minute.

It was that time of year again. Every year, for probably the past 6 or 7 years, John Lee and I have made the three hour drive to Albuquerque to watch our beloved NM triple A baseball  team (affiliate to the Dodgers), the Albuquerque Isotopes, play ball. The stadium is beautiful and the atmosphere rivals that of a professional ball park.

Last year when we went, Avery was all of 4 months old. So we were really looking forward to sharing this experience with her on "an able to respond to us" level - if that makes any sense. Another exciting factor to this game was the fact that it was the NMSU Aggie Alumni picnic. So we packed our bags, put on our Aggie shirts and made our way to Albuquerque.

Avery for the most part does great in the car. In what I wouldn't consider my proudest mom moments, I start the portable DVD player and she watches Disney's Alice in Wonderland until she is so tired that she falls asleep. It makes trips more bearable and the entire family a little happier, so I won't apologize for the lack in response to the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation of not allowing TV time for children under two. All the pediatricians in that study should take a three hour (or longer) car trip with my Love Bug without a distraction, and they would change that ruling right away :0)!

Once in Albuquerque, we set off to find our hotel (this is where the wrong turn comes in). We trusted the GPS on Google maps to get us there and it took us completely off course - we ended up on a dirt road on the other side of the UNM campus, but we eventually found our way.

We then got to visit some old college friends (who also joined us at the game), Rob, Monique and their sons Ashton and Caden. It was great to see them and Avery of course loved playing at their house with all the "new to her" toys and her new friends (I can't begin to tell you how much that little girl loves other kids).


Then it was off to the game. Avery loved the atmosphere. She continuously looked for the ball and liked to watch the mascot, Orbit, from afar (of course there was no getting close to him if she had anything to say about it). She danced to the music they played and ran around acting like a queen in her castle. Somewhere around the 8th inning she fell asleep in my arms and didn't wake up until the 10th inning (the game started as a blow-out, but the Isotopes rallied back to tie it up in the 9th), when they played the Sponge Bob them song, and she didn't go back to sleep until we were snuggled in safely at our hotel. Overall, the experience was wonderful and we can't wait to do it again next year.

Day two of our trip started with the continental breakfast at the hotel - Avery ate her weight in bananas, cereal, eggs and a buttermilk biscuit. Then we were off to visit the Albuquerque Aquarium with some more old friends, Sam (one of John Lee's best friends since childhood), Ella (Sam's daughter who will be one in September), Betty (Sam's mom), and Rick (Sam's dad).

Of course, Avery was in her element. She LOVES "sish" as she likes to call them. Though she wasn't sure about the eel, every thing else was one "wow" after another. She looked like such a big girl. At one point, I even thought to myself that she was growing up way TOO FAST on me.

All in all, Avery loved seeing her friends and so did we. Albuquerque is a great place to seem like we had a little vacation without really having to go too far. The Love Bug likes to get out of the house and take new adventures, and John Lee and I love seeing her experience all of the firsts and "not so firsts" in her life. We feel so blessed that we are able to do that, and we can't wait to do it again.

Lots of love!
Emily 

The relationship between a girl and her "Muncle"

I have to start this blog post by saying that my daughter is one lucky girl. Not many girls can say that they have all the men in her life completely wrapped around her finger - but Avery can.

Today, her Muncle Matt (my cousin and John Lee's BFF) returned from a three week summer trip to Ohio to visit his family. Sure we Skyped a couple of times during the trip, but I don't think anything could prepare the Super Muncle for how much his Averyponomousrex changed in just a short period of time.

As he walked in to the Love Bug's room after her nap to greet her, she wasn't sure - was he actually here in person? Yes, that is my Muncle! Then the proper greetings ensued, along with what Avery deemed a necessary tour of her house - like he had never been here before - getting out all the of the dirty laundry, showing him her toy pile, performing all of her new tricks, and talking up a storm.

She is in love with her Muncle, and I know I am so grateful to have him close by - though, I also know it may not be for too much longer that he can just stop by and hang out, or be our #1 babysitter (he is in his last year of college getting his Masters in Accounting, so who knows after that), but this time she spends with him has quality written all over it and for that, I, as her mom, couldn't ask for more (okay, maybe some of her other family to be a little closer than Minnesota and San Antonio, but I can't have it all, right?!).

So, here's to the Super Muncs and all his love, support and help that he has given the Love Bug, John Lee and me in the last couple of years. My Love Bug is a better person because he is in her life!

Lots of Love!
Emily