Concert

Avery's dinner time concert for all of her loving and adoring fans. Singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone"... enjoy!

Happy Father's Day!

Avery is a Daddy's girl. I get lots of love during the day when Erich is at work, but the minute she hears the garage door go up, she runs to the door and greets her Daddy with hugs, kisses, and smiles and he is all she wants from then on. Erich throws her up in the air, chases her around the house, and gives her piggy back rides... all while she squeals with delight and says, "Again!". When she puts on a new outfit she immediately runs to Erich to show him. When she's getting ready for bed and puts on a princess nightgown, she only wants to do her "princess dance" if her Daddy is watching. He delights in her and she soaks it up like a sponge. There is no man on earth better suited to be Avery's dad than Erich Piland. He shows her love by doting on her, and sometimes he shows her love by discipling her. Whether she realizes it now or not, when Avery looks at her Daddy she sees the love of Jesus. Her earthly dad gives her an incredible, yet tiny glimpse of the love her Heavenly Father has for her. We are both blessed beyond belief to have him in our lives.

Our Little Helper

With summertime upon us, there has been much work to do outside the house. This is our first spring/summer in this home (we moved at the end of July last year, hard to believe it's been almost a year!) so we had some work to do with landscaping and gardening. Also, after a long winter Erich wanted to scrub down the deck. Avery jumped at the chance to help with both of these projects and loved every minute of it. She loves to be outdoors and especially likes all of the flowers. She helps me water the flowerbeds every morning and stops to smell each plant. I love watching her soak it all in... what a great reminder to stop and appreciate the beauty around us! (click to enlarge the pictures and see that cute little face!)

Helping Daddy dig the holes

And helping Grandma plant the flowers (We are so grateful that you came up to help Grandma!)

Avery and Daddy scrubbing the deck

It was a messy job, but she loved it.

Avery is such a sweet girl with a kind heart. She is always eager to help in any way she can. Whether it's working outside, throwing something in the trash, or picking something up off the floor so I don't have to bend over to do it, she genuinely is happy to be our sidekick. She has been practicing taking care of her doll baby getting ready for the arrival of her little sister. I can only imagine all the "help" we'll be getting come October!

Baby update!

On May 25th, Erich and I went to our 20 week anatomy scan to get a glimpse of the baby we are so excited to meet. Our first priority was making sure that all was healthy and well. Once we knew that all the pieces and parts were measuring right on track and there were no concerns about the baby's health, our attention turned to the excitement of finding out the gender. Erich and I had talked a lot about it and both agreed that there were so many perks and benefits either way, that we genuinely, honestly, had no preference when it came to this baby being a boy or a girl. We would love to have a son, but we adore having a daughter and another girl would only add to our joy. So there was nothing but happy anticipation as we waited to find out who we would be welcoming into our family in October. Rather than find out on the spot, we decided to change things up a little. We asked the ultrasound tech to write the gender on a card and seal it in an envelope (along with an ultrasound photo for proof!). Our 4th wedding anniversary was that week and we had a big date night planned for Saturday night. We decided to hold onto the envelope and open it together on our special anniversary date. I'm a curious person by nature, so that 3 days of waiting were a bit difficult for me. Erich hid the envelope to help me avoid temptation (funny story... he hid the envelope so well that when it came time for us to leave for our date HE COULDN'T FIND IT. No joke. I was freaking out! Thankfully he did finally remember where he put it and all was well). We enjoyed a wonderful dinner out and after we finished our meal came the big reveal...

We were thrilled when we opened that envelope and saw the word GIRL. We love Avery so much and I get teary-eyed every time I think about the fact that she will have a baby sister. My relationship with my sister is one that I cherish with all of my heart and it means so much to me that Avery and this little one will get to experience that bond. Above all, we are thankful for a healthy baby. Having another daughter is just the icing on the cake. I'm currently almost 24 weeks pregnant and we've begun the fun of picking a name (to be revealed soon! We are still finalizing). I'm feeling much more movement (it had been sparse due to an anterior placenta) and enjoying the pregnancy as much as I can between appointments with a chiropractor, massage therapist, my OB, and water aerobics... all to address the back and hip pain that have been making it a little hard to embrace the beauty of carrying this child. I love her much and she's worth every ache and pain, but I won't lie... October can hurry up and get here! We can't wait to meet this little girl.