Sisterly Love

Addison LOVES to lay on the floor next to Avery and talk and sing to her. She will hold her hand and tell her it's okay if she starts to cry. Avery will turn and look at Addison and start to wiggle to the sound of her voice. Addison likes to give Avery her dolls and make sure she has lots of binkys around as well. We're working on not shoving lots of them into her mouth at once:) Someday these girls will be best friends!

Grammie Quilt

Grammie made Avery a beautiful bright ruffly quilt! When I was home in the spring I helped pick out the pattern and we chose the fabric together. I love the way it turned out and I know Avery will appreciate it some day. It is the perfect size to cuddle up with! Thank you Grammie for putting countless hours and time into making something special for Avery!

Happy Blessing Day!

Avery Mae Michael was blessed on October 13th, 2013 in Buffalo, New York. David gave a beautiful blessing with Papa Fajen, Grandpa Michael, Bishop Lahti and Joe Quinn in the circle. She was able to wear the dress that Grammie Fajen made from my wedding dress. Grammie gave her a pretty little pearl bracelet to wear. A friend in my ward knitted the sweetest booties for her that fit perfect! My friend Bethany gave me three pearl bracelets for all the girls to wear. It was very nice and Addison loved wearing it! Avery's was too big so we'll save it for when she's a little bigger. We had a nice lunch of chicken broccoli braid and fruit salad. We had a banana cake and ice cream for dessert. It was a wonderful day to reflect on the arrival of such a sweet and special little girl into our family. Dave and I both feel very blessed to welcome another girl into home!

Grandma And Grandpa Come!

We have been lucky to have lots of visitors come to celebrate and meet Avery. Dave's parents got in late Friday evening and Scott was able to stay through the weekend. Sharon was nice enough to stay an extra week to help out. We got up on Saturday and went to Brown's Berry Patch to pick a pumpkin and enjoy some of the fall activities they have there. We went out to the apple orchard and picked the biggest apples I've ever seen! Most of us did a lot of taste testing to make sure the apples were good enough to pick:) We ate lunch and got some yummy cider topped off with ice cream. Addison picked a big pumpkin that we'll carve right before Halloween. Avery was a champ and hung out in her stroller sleeping away and enjoying some warm weather. Dave and I took Addison into the Adventure zone and played around for a while. They have a giant jumping pillow, tall slide, ropes maze, goats and ride toys that we ran around doing. Addison was very brave climbing up the ropes to get to the top of the slide all by herself. I am terrified of heights so I was a little nervous when she kept saying that she could do it herself. She has gotten over her fear of goats and actually went near than this  year without screaming. Dave played with her on the jumping pillow and they had fun messing around on it. We ran into our friends the Quinn's there which was nice since we haven't been out much with Avery. We all came home exhausted, but it was a nice day to be outside! We were able to bless Avery the next day which was nice to have Scott there to be in the circle. Monday we went downtown to Fowler's Chocolate and took a tour of their factory. You get a whole bunch of samples and get to see how it's all made. Addison didn't want to wear the hair net so I waited outside with her until she was ready to put it on...which took an hour! She was bribed with sprite to put it on. Oh man I hope she gets over that fear by the time winter hat season comes! Scott took us out to a Mexican restaurant that evening and then had to catch and early flight the next morning. Sharon has been busy dancing and playing tea party with Addison everyday. She is full of so much energy and is really into make believe play lately. I have been able to go to several appointments while she is here to watch Addison. One day we made Halloween cookies and decorated them to take over to Rochester to give to Dave. Addison did a lot of licking of the frosting and sprinkles! She made Avery a really soft purple blanket that she likes to lay on. She also brought Addison some little ponies that she likes to carry everywhere! Thanks for coming to visit Grandma and Grandpa Michael!

Papa Comes!

Papa finished up his work schedule and came on up to meet Miss Avery Mae. He of course brought a #11 with him that I ate for lunch and dinner the first day:) Papa and Addison had some good bonding him while I tried to catch up on some sleep. He kept her happy with fancy breakfasts, McDonald happy meals outings, going to the park, building towers and even a bike ride around the neighborhood. He enjoyed snuggling and rocking Avery when ever he got a chance. He even babysat one afternoon so my mom and I could go to a nice lady lunch. We were so grateful he made the long drive to come help us out and meet the new little lady

Sweet Baby

How can I be upset at this little face when she wakes me up at 12, 2, 4 and then 6am?!

Outings

Somehow we have managed to make it out a few times each week. We may not leave before 11 or noon, but we get out the door with both kids and the car keys! Play group was at the airport watching air planes take off. Addison really liked waving and clapping saying that, "Grandpa fly planes!" We brought a picnic and enjoyed the sunshine before it gets too cold! We also went to The Great Pumpkin Farm on Friday. We got there and started to look at the pumpkins and it poured rain on us. We ran into the barn and got some snacks to help pass the time. Good thing we wore our rain boots! Addison liked seeing the animals and running around on the train and playground. Although, Addison refused to look at the camera all afternoon we still had a good time dancing in the rain. Little Miss Avery slept like a sweet bundle as I carried her in a sling.

Bonding

Addison LOVES to hold Avery. She is learning to hold Avery's head with her arm and doing a great job at it. We're all (mostly me) still sleep deprived around here. Avery seems to think that eating every two hours is acceptable! I moved her out of our room and into a cradle in her room. I don't seem to hear all the squeaks and snorts, but I am exhausted! I feel like I just fall back asleep and she's crying for her next feeding. I don't know what I'm going to do when my mom leaves and I have to get up with Addison at 7. This is the last week that she's here and then we bless Avery this weekend with Dave's parents!