New Haircut

I was told that if I tell everyone I got my haircut that I am to furnish a photo for everyone to see. It's not really styled or anything, but quite a bit shorter than what it was!

It's only been 1 day, but so far, I'm lovin' it!

4 Year Anniversary

I am delayed a week in this post, but better late than never, right? Nathan and I celebrated our 4th anniversary on August 19th. It has been a great 4 years, full of highs and lows. Nathan says it feels like 40 years. I'm sure he means that in the best possible way. Someone once told us when we got married that we were so much alike that it would either be the best thing for us or the worst thing. I think despite some of the rocky moments we've encountered, it has been the best thing for us and the best part is, we both seek the Lord first in our marriage.

We've done a lot of things in the last 4 years. Here are the highlights:
-Moved (twice)
-Bought a house (first time for me)
-Bought a new car together
-Traveled internationally to Jamaica and the Bahamas (once on a cruise ship, again a first for me)
-Went to all 4 Disney parks in one day (not one of our smartest moments)
-Got new jobs (each of us has changed once since getting married)
And the best thing we've ever done in the last 4 years has to be...
-Having the most wonderful, precious little girl, Avery, who is about to be 1 year old already!

I have enjoyed immensely the last 4 years and I hope the Lord blesses us with many more and that He continues on with us through this awesome journey. Enjoy these pictures as a trip down memory lane with me.
Family of three
Celebrating my 10 year high school reunion
Nathan's first time to Topsail Island
Our first winter together and also the first snow
Our cruise to the Bahamas
The SEC basketball tournament in Atlanta (where we also survived a tornado!)


Thanks so much for the last 4 years Nate! I love you!

Avery's Day at the Zoo

My cousins Rebecca, her mom Karen, and her son Ethan, my mom, Avery and I went to the Ft. Wayne Children's Zoo last week. We had an awesome day! Despite it being 99 degrees, we managed to survive and spent a whole day seeing all the animals. The kids were awesome and we all enjoyed it.
Avery got to see what it would be like being a little "joey." I think she would LOVE having her own kangaroo pouch to play in!
The seals were probably her favorite animals. They were swimming around in their tank and she loved to watch them pass by.
We got some dry corn and fed the ducks and geese. Avery thought this was hilarious!
We rode a manatee on the carousel. Avery thought it was so fun and cried when we got off. I'll have to remember to bring a few extra dollars next time so we can ride again. :)
The giraffes were really neat! There was a brand new baby giraffe that was only a few weeks old!
There was a big female lion (you can see her in the back right hand corner) but we didn't get to see the male.
This was a carpuchian monkey. It and its buddies enjoyed putting on a show for us (this is the kind of monkey from "Night at the Museum").

It was such a great day and I'm so glad we got to do this! We are planning a trip to the Memphis Zoo in September and they have lots of different animals that Avery and I didn't get to see in Ft. Wayne. We are checking out library books on the zoo and learning about all kinds of animals. Can't wait for the next trip!

Avery is 10 months old!

Avery's favorite things: Playing with her train, music, Baby Einstein sign language video, swinging, cell phones, snacks, strawberries, sharing yogurt with mommy, talking on the phone, playing with other babies.

New milestones: Takes 3-4 steps without holding on, plays standing up without holding on, helps to "dress" herself (pulls her head/legs/arms out of her clothes), sticks out her tongue when you ask "where is your tongue?".

Dislikes: "Real" peaches, bananas, and melon unless mommy eats it first, loud dog barking, the car wash, bathroom hand dryers, laying down to having her diaper changed.

She is starting to look and act so big! The baby stage is almost over and we are moving on quickly to toddler stage. She is going to be walking and talking full force in a few more weeks. It's almost time to plan her first birthday party. This has been the most awesome year and while I'm so sad to see it pass, I am also so happy to see what kind of things this little sweet girl does in the future. I love you Avery!