It's been a while!

We have had quite the eventful summer as you can tell, it's hard to believe that we have not posted on here since June! Avery is now 14 months and running, climbing stairs both up and down, and working hard on her vocabulary. She can say short phrases like "nite nite" and "bye bye", but nothing too long yet.

We constantly think we hear something come out of her and by the end of that week, she is usually saying exactly what we think we hear. A cute little example of this. The other day I said "Daddy loves you Avery" and she looked up from her book and said back "I know". It just about melted me where I stood. She seems to catch on to new words and short phrases extremely quick.

We have had a few trips back to Iowa this summer to see family and friends. Avery is getting much better at car rides, but she still has her moments where she just wants to be out. She hardly ever sits still when she is awake so being in the carseat for 5 hours is pretty difficult for her. None the less, she has done extremely well on the last few trips and we don't even have a DVD player.

Today we went for a nice long bike ride and had her in the buggy. She loves being outside and is very content to sit in the buggy and catch the wind and absorb nature. Wonder where she gets that from?

We will try to do a better job this fall of posting and keeping the blog up to date. This little girl is so busy....it's hard to keep up!

Avery turns 1!!

Wow, I can't believe it has been so long since we updated the blog...our apologies. Avery started walking and I don't think we've sat down since. She is becoming quite the little toddler. At the age of one she is 21 lbs 8oz and 29 3/4 inches long. She is walking and has six teeth that have broken through (three on the top and three on the bottom). The 7th tooth (top) is within sight and the pediatrician said her molars wouldn't be far behind! We cannot believe how quick the year has gone and how much she has changed, grown and become her own little person. She is truly a bundle of joy. She loves books, jabbering (if only we knew what she was trying to tell us) and hamming it up for the camera!

We celebrated her first birthday with friends and family at a Lowenstein Park in Lee's Summit. We had a great time grilling out, taking turns chasing Avery all over and enjoyed watching her devour her first cake! We know there is a lot of distance between many of you and us, so please take a few moments to see her first birthday highlight reel...tp://www.abundantmoments.com/Avery

And she's off!!!

It's official folks, Avery is now walking...well at least in short bursts that is. She started taking her first steps last Wednesday and she has been nonstop ever since. She has been so frustrated lately and now we know why....she wants to walk like Mommy and Daddy!!! We hope you all enjoy this short video!

Avery's 1st Easter

We survived Avery's first Easter and what an Easter it was! This Easter we embarked on another long car ride to visit the Huls crew - Great-Grandma and Grandpa Huls plus 10 Great-Aunts/Uncles and 25 cousins/spouses. Avery had a great time! On Saturday the great-grandkids all took part in searching for some 200 eggs scattered throughout the yard. It was comical watching the kids run around the yard so excited that they would run right past eggs lying in plain sight in search of others hidden in the trees, bushes, flower beds, etc. Avery (with mom and dad's help) found quite a few eggs, although she seemed more interested discovering the grass than the eggs. After exerting all that effort the entire family met up at the Community Center for a pizza party!

Sunday was another great day! Avery started her Easter morning with a bunny beany baby from Grandma and Grandpa Gavin, then we were off to church and baby Konnor's (the 9th and newest great-grandchild) baptism. It didn't take long before the entire family was back together around the table (ok, several tables) for our Easter feast.

We shared a lot of laughs, made a lot of memories and had a great time with our family.


Look, an egg!


We're on the hunt!


So intrigued by the grass, she didn't even care about the egg...


Now she wants the eggs...


An Easter Bunny!


All dressed up.

Busy, busy busy..........

...that is how we describe our little girl! She never sits still or stops chattering and she is in full on "I want to walk" mode! She cannot manage this on her own yet, but she is off and running with the aid of a favorite push toy or anyone willing to hold her hands and keep up with her. She will actually get upset if you don't let her try and walk and we can see her independence has already developed extensively. Couple that with the frustrations of not being able to speak, well English that is, and cutting more teeth....ooofda! Here is a short video clip of her with her push toy....so cute!!!

I just cannot believe it

Within a month of learning to crawl Avery has started pulling herself up, attempted to climb the stairs and now stands up to play with her toys! She is really enjoying her freedom and can often be found at one of her favorite spots...sitting at the back door (looking outside), hanging out under the kitchen table or under her high chair. She is very inquisitive and studies how everything is put together.



At her 9 month check-up the doctor said she was doing great! She weighed in at 18 lbs 4 ounces and was 28.5 inches long. Dr. Yanette advised us she would soon be walking and more teeth were on their way. (To get everyone caught up, her second tooth broke through last week.) Nick and I feel so lucky to have such a healthy and happy little girl.

As some of you may know, I made one New Year's resolution - TAKE MORE PICTURES! Life changes so fast and I wanted to capture as many of these moments as I could. In a short four months I have given the camera a workout and all for a good cause. Here are a few of my favorites...

It's official....Avery can crawl!!!

She took her first plunge into the crawling life two days ago. This morning we managed to capture it on a short video! She is really enjoying her new freedom. Any guesses on how long it takes to her start walking? Enjoy!