September

Ok, I am going to try to put the entire month of September into one post, but I am not sure I can do it...

September happened to be the month we celebrated our 5th anniversary and my 29th birthday.

For our 5th anniversary we went low key this year. After days and days of stressing and planning, we went the responsible route and did not splurge on something more expensive than we could afford (we felt very grown up about that). Instead, we left Avery with Kevin's Aunt Lisa in Topeka. This was my first night away from Avery ever! It was tough, but not overly so. Then we went out to the Outback with a gift card we received, splurged on ice cream from Baskin Robbins, stayed out past a certain 1 year old's bedtime, came home and played a board game with small pieces in the living room on the floor. As you can see, we lived it up with our temporary freedom. We were so giddy with the freedom, that we forgot to take any pictures. So you will have to imagine the smiles and celebration. Instead you can look at our wedding picture at the beginning of this post and remember that day 5 years ago with fondness...we sure do.

Early in September, my friend Jenise (who works for Southwest Airlines) and her parents flew to Kansas City for some BBQ. Being so close, they drove over on Sunday to attend church with us and have lunch. It was great to see them all and introduce Avery to her parents. Here we are after enjoying some yummy Sheridans ice cream.

Here are a couple shots of Avery from September. Here she is helping me get ready to go to the grocery store. She gets very excited at the prospect of going "Bye-Bye" and does whatever she can to help speed up the process.

If you look closely at this picture you can see that Avery is singing along in her own "microphone" as Andrea Bocelli sings on the TV. She also claps with Vanna White, so she is a lady of many talents.

This is Avery's 15 month photo. Yes, that is a scratch on her chin, but apparently it was not terribly traumatic, because I can't even remember how she got it.

Last but not least... my birthday celebration. For those of you who don't know, Disney is giving away a free admission ticket this year on your birthday. Well, guess what, I just happen to have a birthday this year! I also happen to have a sister who works at DisneyWorld and a sister who works for Southwest Airlines. As I learned it in grade school, 1+1+1 = DisneyWorld! And that is where my sisters and I spent my birthday this year! But you will have to wait for another post for that because Avery just awoke from her nap and is demanding some attention.

Later...

August

In August we celebrated Kevin's big 3-0!

Many of you already know this because you were a part of it! For his birthday I contacted several people from Kevin's present and past and invited them all to send birthday cards to him. We were so impressed by the turnout! Kevin received almost 50 cards from all over the country from very special family and friends. (Moyers-I owe you a special thank you for your help in spreading the news of this request!) Kevin was so touched by the show of caring and love he received. Thank you all who participated!

We also threw a birthday party which Kevin grilled for. Apparently the word has gotten out about his grilling because our house was filled to overflowing! We exceeded all previous records of how many people could be in our house at the same time. Of course contributing to that was the rain, requiring everyone to stay in our living room! What fun chaos!

And of course as time marches on, Avery just keeps growing and growing... She was really into blocks for awhile. Setting them up was great, but knocking them down was even better! Her patience and carefulness to set them up surprised even us.

These are her not-so-staged 14 month old photos. As you can see I dressed her for the photos, but then forgot to take them until the end of the day as she is watching us play the Wii and trying to figure out how to get involved.

Last is a photo of a common sight in our house, Daddy causing Avery to be at the very height of joy. She always looks forward to him coming home because it often means chases and tickles and a playmate in ways Mommy just can't match. It is a very special relationship to witness.



That is all for now, Tonya

Still Catching Up

Yes, I am still catching up from the summer! Yikes! September was a very busy month for us, so let's go back to July...

The photo above is a of a dress from Avery's Aunt Amber. She bought it in Costa Rica long before Avery was even born and she just now fits into it.

Here we are at the end of July just back from our reunion. Avery had just picked up on walking full time and here she is enjoying the space and freedom of being home.




With her newfound mobility, one of Avery's favorite things to do is climb in and out of her carseat when it is in the house. On this day though, she found this pillow and softened her seat first. :) This picture is also her 13 month old photo.


In early August we had our first official "Family Fun Day". The three of us went to the wading pool on the last Saturday it was open. Kevin hadn't been to the wading pool before and we all had a fabulous time. Especially Avery.

After the wading pool, we had a picnic in the park. Avery liked the strawberries best.

That's all for today! Next time we will cover Kevin's birthday and the busy month of September.

Family Reunion

Ok, so it is finally time to finish posting about this trip so we can move on to current events!

After leaving Lubbock, we made the final journey on to Ruidoso, NM. Once there, we stayed in a vacation lodge with Kevin's parents and sister and neice and nephew. The rest of the clan stayed at a campground with cabins. So most of the activities of the week took place at that campground. Here is Avery checking out her new surroundings.

This reunion was for Kevin's dad's side of the family. Here are some family shots.

These are the first generation of the family. There were 12 brothers and sisters total, here are the 5 that were present at the reunion. Kevin's grandma, Doris, is the first on the left, then Ted, Freida, Jack, and Joyce.

Kevin's great aunt Joyce, Kevin, and Avery

Avery and her Grandpa sporting the same fashion sense. Diapers outside of the pants and socks with the sandals. Priceless. Reunion memories at their best.

The oldest and youngest at the reunion. Great-Aunt Frieda 89 1/2 years old, Avery, 1 year old.

Those of the Dodd clan represented at the reunion.

One evening we went to a great chuckwagon buffet/singing performance. It was a great show and good food, but unfortunately my camera batteries were dead. The only photo I got while we were there was this one on my phone. I wanted a photo of this though, because it closely represented all the places I have spent time in my life. Topeka, KS (near Lawrence) 765 miles, Austin 588 miles, Tombstone, AZ (near Tucson) 373 miles, Disneyland 812 miles, DisneyWorld 1661 miles.

One evening, the clan put on a talent show. Here are Amy and Brad dressed and in character for their stellar performance as a hillbilly couple crashing the wrong family reunion. They were hilarious and very popular!

Avery did very well with all the new people and places. Here she is trying and loving watermelon for the first time.

This is a bear that we saw in a tree near the campground. It was a mama bear and 3 cubs all in the one tree. You can see the mama's head in the center of this photo. Amazing, and a little bit scary.

Finally, after much visiting and laughing (there was a lot of laughing at this reunion). We headed home. This was much of what Avery did. We drove home over the course of 2 days with Grandma Doris in the car (brave woman). But it went well and survived the trip home.

It was a fabulous trip and wonderful to see all the family and friends that we saw, but it was also great to get home. Now it is time for more current blog posts!