Ave...18 Months!

This is a picture in Avery's favorite boots! She can barely walk in them but always wants to wear them anyway! 

Yesterday, we took Ave to her 18 month checkup and she was great! She is extremely healthy and at the top of the charts in language and social development! It is so exciting to see how she is developing so quickly. She weighed 26 lbs and was 32 inches tall. 

She has so many new words we have lost track. She is repeating everything, good and bad! :) Some of her new words are 'keys', 'monkey', 'snack', 'cookie', 'Harley', 'Papa', 'bowl', 'spoon', 'fork', and 'truck'. There are too many to list but each new word is so exciting!

Air Force Ball 2008

            If your wondering why Mario's leaning to the left...look at all those medals!!!

On Saturday night Ben and I went to the AF Ball. Military events are always interesting and highly entertaining. But it is great for us to get dressed up and have a nice dinner, which rarely happens with out Ketchup in your hair and sticky fingers marking up the back of your shirt! :) We went with Mario and Jen and had a great time!

These Days...

Avery has so many new words these days and so many funny new things. She loves animals and knows what they all say and do. She's definitely our little monkey and you can see she is quite the climber. I snapped this picture before she got in trouble for standing on her toy chest! Ave is getting so big and getting an even bigger personality. She thinks everything she does is so cute and SO funny! 

She's Quite the Chef!

A couple of weeks ago we got Ave a kitchen set. I have never seen her use her imagination quite like she does when she is "cooking". It has been so amazing to watch her because you don't always realize that she is watching everything. She will salt things or blow on the food and say 'hot'. It is so hilarious to just sit and watch how she interprets the things we do everyday. 

The Carousel

Enjoying Daddy's ice cream...

Ben & Avery and Mario & Ben

Getting ready to go!

   Everytime we went around, she would wave at everyone.

On our way back from Fairmont we stopped in Helena and took Avery to the Carousel. She was so cute, absolutely couldn't believe we got to ride on the animals! When the ride was over, she waved to the horse and gave it a big kiss. She is so precious! 

And Ben's dad (Dada) would be thrilled to know that her favorite part was the ice cream!

Fairmont Hot Springs

     Ben & Avery coming down the waterslide

Priceless smiles! 

Sure is Sunny!

              Ben and Avery having a serious conversation...I always wonder what they have to say that is so important?

Over Labor Day weekend we went to Fairmont Hot Springs with the Kuhns to enjoy the last of our summer. We had so much fun swimming, more swimming and really, we did a lot of swimming! It was so much fun to see how much Ave enjoyed it. Her very first vacation was there when she was three months old, so it was incredible to see the differences in her over the past year. 

Holter Lake

                  Ben and Mario...aren't they cute?

  This is when Ave got a face full of sand! :) 

Last weekend we went to Holter Lake and spent the day with some friends. The cold weather seems to be coming early this year so we have been trying to enjoy every bit of nice weather we can get! We had a great time boating, building a campfire, and roasting hotdogs and smores. 

We met Jeremy Camp!!!

               Getting autographs!!!
                 Amanda and I ... Jeremy right behind us!

      

So this is quite the big deal, if you haven't heard. Jeremy Camp was in Great Falls during Downpour this weekend. I have been in love with his music and what he stands for since the beginning. So of course we went to the concert on Saturday night, but at the end Ben and I and our friends, Mike and Amanda, got to meet him. He gave us an autograph, shook hands, talked, it was one of those "pinch me" moments! 

Biker Babe

Every time we go to Nana and Papa's house, the first thing Avery wants to do is go see the motorcycles with Papa. He lets her sit on them and she always try to make the sounds. She loves when Papa turns it on so she can honk the horn! Loving motorcycles is pretty much a MUST in our family! 

All Tuckered Out!

Today, we went to the Base Picnic with Mario and Jen. The kids had a great time playing and running around. One the way back to our house, Avery and Ben were both so tired they fell asleep! They were so well behaved and so adorable! 

Play Dough

Now that Ave is getting older, we are able to start doing crafts and projects which she enjoys tremendously! We do a lot of sidewalk chalk and coloring, but yesterday we broke out the play dough. What she didn't try to eat we had a great time with! 

Puppy Love

Avery has found her new best friend, a dog named Buddy. Buddy is our friends, Mike and Amanda's dog. They brought him over on Saturday night and they followed each other around all night. He is two hundred pounds of pure snuggles! So cute...maybe she'll be a veterinarian! 

Avery Updates

Avery is growing and changing so fast, it is hard to keep up. Everyday she experiences new things. It is a wonderful chance for me live all over again. Things I take for granted, she recognizes. She is also starting to say so many new things. Some of her most recent words are apple, thank you, more, please, bye, hello, juice, milk and boat. I am so grateful for the joy she brings into each and every day!

The State Fair

Last Saturday night, we went to the Montana State Fair with our friends Mario and Jen, and their little boy, Ben. We had a great time for about an hour until absolute downpour! However, the kids found it quite amusing seeing their parents run like crazy to get out of the rain!

Avery's first Girl Trip

On Sunday, my sisters, Amanda and Melissa, Avery and I went to Kalispell for a couple of days. We went to see our Montana grandparents, Bill and Judy. Avery said "boat" for the first time and thought it was hilarious to see Mommy get dumped off the tube! 

Ben and Papa's Birthday

Ben, Uncle Garrett, Dada, Papa and Ave!
Nana Diana, Nana K, Nanny, Aunt Amanda & Melissa, Ave & me

On Monday night, my whole family and Ben's mom and dad had a barbeque for Ben's birthday and my dad's birthday. Everyone had a great time. And of course, Avery found her enjoyment in the smallest thing, the watering can. She was soaked by the time we left! Happy 27th Birthday, Ben!

Swan Lake

Last week, Avery was able to see Swan Lake for the first time. She had so much fun swimming and enjoying the running around the beach. It was especially exciting for me to take her there because most of my greatest memories as a child were spent at Swan Lake. It is my favorite place to be so I was very excited to share it with my daughter. 

Time with Dada and Nana

Avery had a wonderful time getting to spend time with Nana and Dada. It was the first time she really understood who they were. We took a few days and visited the Flathead area, seeing Glacier and enjoying as many Flathead cherries as we could possibly eat! We also went rafting and shopping in Big Fork. We hated to see them go!