Little Cowgirl

Avery absolutely loves her Daddy and everything he does. She enjoys it when we take her to ride "her" horse Little Buddy in the evenings. She recently got her own saddle that is much smaller than Casey's saddles and of course she is crazy about it. Yesterday, she insisted on wearing her hat along with her boots to ride. I usually lead her horse while Casey walks along side her holding on just to make sure she is safe. She has amazing balance for a 2-year-old but we're not taking any chances. Here are a few pictures.

Sorry this last one is blurry, but it was the only one I got with most of "Little Buddy" in it.

Vacation

We just got home from at week at Casey's parents' house in Grand Junction, Colorado. It was full of rest, golf, swimming, and tons of food! Janice and Danny know how to spoil all 3 of us. I am actually trying to learn and play golf since Casey enjoys it so much... needless to say, it is rather difficult and I appreciated everyone's patience as I whiffed the ball MANY times. Avery had fun tagging along while riding in the golf carts. The golf courses in Colorado were beautiful and we enjoyed the cool weather. It was a perfect trip to end the summer before work starts again this week (yuck)!

Swimming at the country club.
Taking a break to eat a PB&J - yum.

Swimming with Daddy.

Joining in on the street dance (The Hokey Pokey)

Farmer's Market downtown Grand Junction

Avery's first choice was to ride in the "backseat"

Right in the middle of things!

Her favorite place to play each hole was the sand trap

Learning early

Aves and her Dandad

Aves, Popo and dad

Casey and his dad

Success!

It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. Avery was a pro at potty training. She is wearing big girl panties all the time (except bedtime of course). She is usually dry in the mornings, but I just don't feel like risking the wet bed changing of the sheets and bath in the middle of the night yet.... She LOVES her princess and Dora panties and talks to them like real people. When she puts them on she says "I no tee-tee on you Dora," and when she takes them off at night dry she tells me, "Cinderella happy, I no tee-tee her." So sweet. Avery tells me when she needs to use the restroom on her own. On the way to Colorado she rode in panties and we had to stop and tinkle on the side of the rode twice. No big deal for a 2-year-old. We are so incredibly proud of her. I have to say the worst part is taking her to public bathrooms. Who knew trying to keep her hands off nasty toilets, handles, doors, and bathroom floors would be so stressful? Convenient stores are by far the worst... but what do you do if she has to go? You RUN to the closest toilet you can find because who knows how long she has had to go or how long she can hold it. The best part is no more wiping up poo-poo diapers and no more buying them in bulk. Congrats Avery. We love you!

Counting

Avery seems to just be growing so fast. Where has the past year gone? She amazes me at how smart and funny her little personality is. How does she know so much when she has only been around for 2 years! God is amazing. Her newest feats include 2 days in a row of wearing panties all day with no accidents, riding her tricycle using the pedals, saying her own prayer at night, and counting to 10. Sometimes she counts to 12 and other times she stops at 3 or 5. I recorded a quick video of her counting to 10 this evening that I decided to share. Hopefully I can get more footage of her accomplishments soon. Casey was mowing so I hope you can hear well enough. You will have to pause the music at the bottom of the page.

Rodeo Weekend

This weekend, Casey got to participate in a huge Ranch Rodeo in Guthrie, Oklahoma. He was on the Crutch Ranch team with his best friend Hegan and we all had a blast. There were 33 teams in the competition and Casey's team won 3rd place! They did so good. Casey loves competing in rodeos and we love to go watch him. My parents came for the weekend to spend some time with us and we were excited that they got to come with us to the rodeo.

Bubbles with Nona

Sliding with Papa Swimming at the hotel

Helping Dad warm up his horse Bobby Sox

Aves and Mom

Watching the rodeo

Grand Entry - Casey is on the end (unfortunately I don't have good pics of all the action. The events were too fast and not enough light for my little camera)

Flirting with the cowboys (Crutch Ranch team)

So sweet! Her favorite cowboy.