Gingerbread Houses

In the last few years, we have started a new family tradition.  We love to make gingerbread houses during the Holiday season.  This year, Jaden and I worked on them with mommy separately.  We loved the one on one attention and it was so much fun doing it together!

Jaden's house:

 

 

My house:

 

Holiday Traditions

This has been one busy week.  Gingerbread houses, Santa, workshops, cookies and more!

We have been asking to make Christmas cookies.  Jaden loves to bake so mommy decided to try it Friday.  Jaden and I were a big help.  Avery, Koda and Maggie...not so much.  The cookies are done though :)

We have our yearly tradition of going to the Festival of Lights.  Jaden and I were super excited and Jaden kept saying that he was going to sit on Santa's lap.  Well, he did!  He even told Santa his name and what he would like for Christmas. 
We do not go out to eat very often as a family since Avery is quite the handful.  She does not sit still for anything.  Tonight we decided to try it before we went to the Festival of Lights.  Daddy is a great entertainer :)

 I had a school Holiday party this weekend also.  I love going to these events since I see a lot of my friends from school!  We get to run around and play together!  The best part was the gym area where there were a bunch of games set up.  Avery insisted on playing with us even though she was knocked around a bit by the bigger kids.  She is one tough little cookie!

 

Another tradition is donating items to the SPCA.  Each year we buy some stuff on black Friday and then drive it out to the SPCA sometime during the holiday season.  We visit the animals while there too!  Mommy and daddy say "no more animal in our house" but someday we will bring another home.  We like to give to the animals in other ways than bringing anymore to our house for now!

Updates-November

 

Avery turned 18 months!  She has such a little personality.  Her favorite things to do now are play with dolls, dance and climb.  She likes to get a reaction from everyone around her!  She has become a very picky eater but her go to food for several months was Wendy's hamburgers.  In fact, she would eat 2 at one sitting.  Mommy and daddy were at Wendy's so much that the workers now know them!  Avery has recently slowed  down and is getting sick of them.  She has now moved on to mandarin oranges and plain noodles.

 

Big girl bed.  Like I mentioned, Avery is in the process of switching into a big bed.  The mattress comes tomorrow but she has been sleeping in my bed for a couple weeks now.

Solop family visit.  We had a family get together to celebrate Tyler and Kalyn's birthdays.  We play so nice together even with only seeing eachother a few times each year.  Avery, little D and Kalyn are all about the same size eventhough Avery is the oldest of the trio by 5 months!

Hockey.  Jaden loves hockey.  He really wanted a hockey helmet like daddy's so mommy told him that when he learned to write his name, he could get one.  He practiced and practiced for weeks and finally earned his helmet!  He is very excited and wears it for ice-skating.

 My "newborn" doll.  Much like Jaden, I have been asking for a newborn doll since May.  Mommy kept telling me that I needed to practice reading and when I could read a book, they would look at which doll to get.  I loved spending time with mommy looking online for which one I really wanted.  I have named her Ava Brown Christie.  I take her everywhere and treat her like a real baby.  This is the only doll that Avery can't touch.

Updates and catching up from October

It has been a very long time since we updated our blog.  Mommy knew that it would be difficult to stay up to date once school started.  We are hoping to have a couple more updates before the end of the year, end of the blog.  It has been a fun run but it is time to make one last book for safe memory keepings.

I love school.  I have made lots of friends, have had several play dates and the birthday party invitations have begun.  I'm also in Daisy's, swim lessons and Spanish class.  I have learned how to read and worked hard to earn my "newborn" baby doll.

Jaden is also doing awesome.  He loves school which has pleasantly surprised us all!  He can now write his name and knows all his letters.  He has made friends and is really coming out of his shell.  He has grown up so much in the last 6 months.  Mommy chuckles with some of the "big" words he uses in sentences now.  He is just finishing floor hockey.  He is also taking swim lessons and ice-skating lessons.  He really wants to play ice hockey so he is very motivated to learn to skate.  He has taken a huge interest in the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills.  He knows many of the players on the Sabres team and loves to watch some of the games with daddy.

Avery is such a little person now.  She has moved up to the toddler room at daycare and she now goes an extra day.  She can say many words and knows so many things.  She is into everything!  As soon as she isn't getting direct attention, she is getting into trouble.  She most enjoys dumping the dog water, unrolling the toilet paper and dumping all the puzzles.  She climbs anything and everything.  Her hair is growing in too!!  There is even enough to put a little tiny pony but she refuses to have anything in her hair.  She is also transitioning into a big girl bed.  We were having lots of night issues with Avery so mommy and daddy got desperate.  They let her sleep with me and she has done really well so her room is being set up with her full bed.  Our little Avery is outgoing, happy and loves music.

Here are some highlights from the last couple months:

Apple Picking.  Avery loves apples..whole and with the skin.  Daycare staff thought mommy was kidding when she brought in an apple for Avery's lunch and told them to leave the skin on.

Doctor Appointments.  While not a highlight, they have consumed a lot of time in the last couple months. 

Jaden had his 1st full dental cleaning and did awesome!

 

 My regular appointments with the eye doctor.

Avery has had many many doctor appointments lately but most involve her crying so we didn't include those photos :)  She does not enjoy waiting or being poked and prodded so doctor offices and Avery typically don't mix very well.

Our yearly Memory Walk for our dear friend Emery.

Family Photos.

 Halloween Festivities.

Pumpkin Carving

 

Trick-or-Treating.  We went with a few of our neighbors this year and had a blast.  Jaden preferred to stay home where there was less crowds so grandma ended up walking him back.

 

 

My school Monster Bash.  I had an absolute fantastic time while Jaden and Avery went home early with daddy.