Piland Pages

All You Need is Love

2012-02-14T17:22:00.009-05:00

I've always been kind of indifferent about Valentine's Day. I didn't love it or hate it, it was just a day. When I was a kid I enjoyed getting a special gift from my dad every year... usually my favorite candy in a tin (right up my alley!). Then in college I would always wait in anticipation for a care package from my mom. I spent my first 22 Valentine's Days without a special someone, and while I was never terribly bothered by that, it still wasn't exactly fun, and my parents knew how to soften the blow by letting me know that I was loved on February 14th, regardless of my relationship status. Then I met my special someone, and Valentine's Day lost it's power. Erich does a fabulous job of showing me how much he cares for me all the time. Neither one of us has ever really put much stock in this one particular day. We do exchange cards every year, but that's about it (I guess Hallmark wins after all). So like I said, I don't hate Valentine's Day but I've never really been crazy about it either. Until this year. Suddenly I see Valentine's Day as a way to love on my kids and teach them to love on others. Avery made a special craft that we sent to the grandparents and yesterday we made cookies to be delivered to a friend of a friend who is in the middle of a lengthy hospital stay (Erich was able to deliver them today because he is a patient at the hospital where Erich works). This morning we also delivered a plate of cookies to the school crossing guard who was standing out in the cold and snow on the corner down the street. I got a couple of small gifts for the girls (just like Dad always did for me) and for the first time ever I decorated for the holiday, making some pink and red decorations to add a little cheer around the house (thank you pinterest!). Avery, Norah, and I all wore pink and red today too. It was a fun day and I definitely felt the love as we celebrated in our own special way. Happy Valentine's Day to you, may you always remember how much you are loved, on February 14th and every day.

Avery working on her heart sun catchers for Grandma and Grandpa and Nana and Papa

Proud to show off the finished product!

My Valentine's girls showing off their pink outfits and their special gifts (heart suckers and a book for Avery, a book for Norah)

Avery insisted on reading Norah's new book to her. She showed her all the pictures and then said, "you better read it mom, these words are too big". That made me chuckle. At 2 years old, Avery can't read any words yet, big or small.

Our little lovebug

Avery opening Valentine's Day cards from Nana and Papa and Grandma and Grandpa.

Sister Love

2012-02-14T17:09:00.003-05:00

Our girls, just hanging around the house. I love watching them together.

Avery joining in the fun on Norah's play gym (Norah's head is actually very small compared to Avery's. Must just be the angle of the picture)

Probably the first of many secrets to be shared between these two sisters

Avery loves to play her Lucky Ducks game. Lately she's been playing it with Norah. She follows all the rules, taking Norah's turn for her. It's pretty cute and Norah of course likes playing with the ducks!

N is for Norah

2012-02-14T12:48:00.005-05:00

Some recent pictures of our sweet baby Norah:

Our baby girl is bursting with personality. She's almost 4 months old and it's hard to believe how fast time is flying by. Now that she's feeling better she has plenty of smiles and giggles to offer. She rolled over once or twice a few weeks ago, but doesn't seem to be in much of a rush to go anywhere and that's just fine with me. She enjoys sitting up in her bumbo seat, is starting to hold and play with her toys, and has her first tooth poking through. She was sleeping through the night, but ever since her hospital stay her sleeping habits have regressed and now she's up no less than 3 or 4 times a night. This makes me very sad (and tired), but I know it won't last forever. Avery can make her laugh more than anyone and we love watching them together. The other day I asked Avery if she remembers life before Norah was in our family and she looked at me with a completely blank stare, clearly she had no idea what I was talking about. I understood exactly how she felt.

Potty Day

2012-02-14T10:28:00.005-05:00

A while back Avery started showing all the signs that she was more than capable of potty training, but whenever we talked to her about it we were met with reluctance and stubbornness. "I will not go in the potty, I just want my diaper!" was the response from our almost 3 year old beauty. Avery thrives on routine and consistency. She does not like change. She wants to do things in the exact same way, eat the exact same foods, put her toys in the exact same places... every single day. We realized that she might never get to the point that she was going to embrace the idea of changing things up in the potty department, so we set a date on the calendar to declare "Potty Day" and decided we were just going to have to step up, be the parents, and let her know that this is how it is going to be. You wear underwear, you pee in the potty, and you don't get a choice anymore. We didn't see any other way to go about it. We braced ourselves for a battle. On Potty Day Eve, we got the house all ready... set up the bathroom, laid towels out over the furniture, got the carpet cleaner and disinfectant spray set out, and hung up a sticker chart for a reward system. The next morning when Avery woke up and I walked into her room happily exclaiming, "It's Potty Day! Are you excited?!". She burst into tears and went on and on about how she doesn't like Potty Day, she doesn't want to use the potty, and she just wants her diapers. I felt for the sweet girl, I really did, but it was too late to turn back now. I had to follow through. So downstairs we went and I wrestled her into her big girl princess underwear, showed her the brand new potty seat, and gave her a cup of juice to drink. Followed by another cup. And another cup. We were going to make this happen! Finally after a couple of hours passed, she gave me that wide eyed "uh oh" look and we RAN to the bathroom... success! That was it. All it took was that one time. Once she got past the initial fear of the unknown and figured out exactly how all this works, she never looked back. By the end of the day she was taking herself to the bathroom without even telling me that she needed to go, just like she'd been doing this for years. No big deal. At the end of the day I packed up the towels and household cleaners... It's been over a week and I haven't needed them yet. When it comes to parenting, I've always viewed potty training as the first really big hurdle... the first true test of your sanity. I feel like I just cheated on the test. It shouldn't have been this easy, but I'm certainly not complaining. Take notes, Norah!!

Showing off her Cinderella undies. I love those cute little bruised up legs! Consider this your sneak peek at her St Patrick's Day outfit. I had her try it on to make sure it fit that morning and then she didn't want to take it off.

We had a sticker chart for Avery. Every time she went to the potty successfully she got a sticker and once she earned 5 stickers she would get a special prize. Based on her attitude leading up to the big day, we honestly expected it to take several days for her to fill her chart. We hoped it would offer a little motivation for her. She had it filled before dinner on the first day. She sure showed us.

Our big girl posing with her big girl present (thanks for supplying the gift Nana! She loves it!). We are so proud of her!

The tough stuff

2012-02-09T22:51:00.006-05:00

This blog originally started as a way to keep our long distance family and friends updated on the happenings in our life as our family grew from 2 to 3, and then to 4 with the addition of Norah. Over time my motivation for updating the blog has changed. While I'm still happy to know that the people we love check in here on a regular basis, I've got to be honest... this isn't really about them anymore. It's a gift for our kids. I haven't filled out baby books for the girls (gasp!) and I'm not a scrapbooker. In fact, I'm embarrassed to say that almost 5 years worth of family photos haven't made it into albums yet (they are in a box... somewhere). This blog has become my way of documenting our life so that someday our children can look back and see our favorite photos, read about our holiday traditions, remember the major milestones along with the candid everyday moments, and most importantly so that they can have a glimpse into my heart as their momma and know all that they mean to me (it goes without saying that Erich's heart is echoed in all of this as well, I just happen to be the one doing the writing).

I would love to keep every memory recorded here light hearted, fun, and happy so that when Avery and Norah (and any other future Piland children) look back on these journal entries, they can remember the beautiful! wonderful! perfect! upbringing they had. That would be great, except for the fact that life isn't always beautiful, wonderful, and perfect. Sometimes hard things happen. And I need to write about those too. While we want our kids to see God in the fun, joy, and laughter that we experience on a regular basis, we hope they can see Him most of all in the rare tough moments that we encounter as a family. We know that our hope is in Christ, on good days and bad. And we are so thankful for that truth.

***********************************************************************

Now, to share about one of those tough moments...

Ever since Christmas it seems like someone in our house has been sick. I got the stomach flu followed by a nasty cold. At the same time, Erich got bronchitis. Norah caught my cold and came down with a double ear infection. Just as Norah was getting better from that, Avery got the sniffles. Within a few days of Avery's cold Norah seemed to get one again. That poor baby was sick in one form or another for most of January. This last cold seemed different though. I took her to the pediatrician's office 3 times in a two week period. Each time the diagnosis was the same... "It's just a common cold. You are going to have to wait it out." She gradually got worse and worse and the stuffy nose turned into a raspy cough. The raspy cough turned into wheezing. And one scary Friday night around 8:30pm the wheezing suddenly turned into respiratory distress. Looking back, it's only by the grace of God that Erich and I stayed as calm as we did. Our 3 month old baby was struggling to breathe and gasping for air. It was the most frightening moment of my entire life. In hindsight, we both agree now that we probably should have called 911, but I think we knew it was an emergency and we just wanted to spring into action and do the quickest thing to get her to the hospital. In our minds that meant driving her there. We agreed that Erich would stay home with Avery (who was already in bed) and I would take Norah to the hospital. We thought that made the most sense because I'm nursing (turned out to be a moot point. The poor girl couldn't eat anything for more than 24 hours because she was so sick).

I have never prayed harder or driven faster than I did that night. Erich told me later that he was on his knees at home the entire time we were in the car. Thank you, Jesus, He kept Norah breathing the whole time and protected us from harm as I drove like a crazy person to get to the hospital quickly. Once we arrived and I ran up to the intake desk in the ER, they could see that Norah was struggling and they moved us ahead of everyone else in line and immediately got her hooked up to oxygen. They deep suctioned her (stuck a tube down her nose and into her lungs to suck out all the junk) and although she hated that (who wouldn't?), it gave her almost instant relief. Seeing her breathe easily again helped ME breathe easily again. After a chest x-ray and a sputum culture, her diagnosis was bronchiolitis and RSV. We were admitted to Toledo Children's Hospital and told we'd most likely be there for a few days. Norah was stable, but she was a sick little girl. That first night was rough... she had to have an IV put in (traumatic!), she had breathing treatments every 4 hours and had to be deep suctioned frequently (every hour or two). Thankfully by Saturday morning she seemed to be doing much better. Erich was able to come join us (thanks for coming up to stay with Avery, Mom!) and Norah was able to sleep off and on all day. By Sunday she was doing so much better that they let us go home! It was much sooner than anyone predicted we'd be leaving and while we were a little nervous, we were mostly grateful to get home. Norah had to continue breathing treatments at home and still had to be suctioned often, but she was breathing easily and smiling again... I missed that smile.

We were welcomed home by Avery who woke up Sunday morning a snotty mess and with almost no voice. Yep, Avery caught RSV from Norah (thankfully it's not nearly as serious in toddlers as it is in babies). We made a trip to the doctor and came home with a prescription for breathing treatments for Avery too. At least we already had the nebulizer! For the next week our house looked like a little mini medical clinic and we basically shut ourselves off from the outside world to keep the girls from spreading their germs or catching anyone else's. It was a crazy, stressful, bumpy ride. Thankfully, as they say, "this too shall pass"... and it has. I think we can finally declare everyone in our house 100% healthy. The nebulizer and humidifier have been packed up and the antibiotics have been finished.

While I never want to experience anything like that again, I can also acknowledge that it could have been much much worse. Friday night was frightening, but once we got to the hospital things turned around quickly and we knew Norah was going to be just fine. We are beyond grateful to have two healthy, happy girls again and we praise God that we felt His tight grasp on our family the entire time. Our marriage has been made stronger than ever and our hearts have been refocused onto what's the most important. And THAT is why I want our kids to hear about the tough moments. In some ways, they are some of the best moments.

Sick baby Norah with a tired but relieved Momma

Cuddles with Daddy

Avery wasn't the hugest fan of the breathing treatments (yes, she's wearing a bathing suit in January. It's our last resort when all of the dress up tutus are in the wash)

She loved the all you can eat popsicles and orange sherbet, though!

Real men wear babies

2012-02-02T19:58:00.004-05:00

I am a HUGE fan of the baby wrap. It's essentially just a really long piece of fabric that you wrap around your torso in a fancy way and it enables you to carry your baby, hands free. I didn't own one with Avery, although I now wish I had (I don't think I knew they existed at that point). I'm thankful to have my Sleepy Wrap (that's the brand name) this time around with Norah. She spends time in it several days a week. If she's fussy, it almost certainly calms her down (it's kind of like being swaddled and held at the same time - two things she loves!). And it makes life much easier while chasing a 2 year old around! It has gotten plenty of use at the library and gymnastics, allowing me to carry Norah and still interact and play with Avery. Plus, it makes me feel like a little bit of a hippie mom and I like that. :) Erich has seen me wear Norah around the house many times and has marveled at the calming power the wrap has on her. He's never considered using it though, as I'm pretty sure he doesn't think it's a very "macho" thing to do. One day I was running out the door for an appointment while Erich stayed home with the girls. Norah was fussy, Avery needed to eat, and in exasperation Erich said, "Okay, put that wrap thing on me!". Before I headed out, I got Daddy and Norah situated with the carrier (which made her a happy girl) and I couldn't help but snap a couple of pictures... since I'll most likely never see this sight again. Thankfully Erich was a good sport and smiled for the camera!

What a difference a year makes

2012-01-25T16:06:00.003-05:00

It's funny how in the day to day living of life, you just don't notice all the changes that are taking place. Kind of like, when you are growing your hair out. From one day to the next, it doesn't look any different. But suddenly you see a photo of yourself from 6 months ago and you can't believe how much it's grown. Or when you are losing weight. You don't see the change as you are dropping one pound at a time, then you wake up one morning and your pants won't stay up. I spend every single day with Avery and Norah and while I love watching them grow and learn new things, I was still somewhat shocked when I looked back through our photos and videos from the past year at how much they both have changed.

Avery in March of 2011...

And in January of 2012

And seriously, reminiscing about our journey through the last year with Norah just amazes me. She went from a prayer in our hearts to a baby in our arms, all in the same calendar year.

Seeing Norah for the first time in March 2011... just a little blob.

Meeting her face to face on October 18, 2011

January 2012 - Forget what a difference a year makes, how about what a difference 3 months makes?

I love being mom to these two beauties, but I'll admit there are times when a day goes by soooo sloooowww. On the days when Avery is being cranky and Norah won't nap and I finish washing my hands after changing one poopy diaper only to realize that the other one needs changed now too. On the days that I find myself glancing at the clock because surely bedtime must be near, just to discover that it's only been 5 minutes since I last looked at the time. On the hard days there is some comfort in reminding myself that this stage won't last forever. But I'll still try to cherish every moment, even the hard ones, because it's true... this stage won't last forever. And I don't want to miss it.

Christmas, Part 3

2012-01-23T09:49:00.006-05:00

After a fun Christmas morning at home, we packed up and headed down to Marysville to celebrate with our Kelley family. The first stop was to visit great Grandma and Grandpa Staley (and many aunts, uncles, and cousins) at the farm. After a wonderful visit with them we headed back to my parents house for dinner and gifts with Uncle Paul and Aunt Kristen, Aunt Shannon and Uncle Travis, and all of Avery and Norah's cousins. It was a blast! What a fun, crazy, chaotic time with all those kids (and adults) ripping into mounds of presents. Grandma and Grandpa were very generous in their gift giving (as always) and the presents were all wonderful, but the real treasure of the evening was fun spent together as a family. In a rare event, we actually got to spend time with everyone two nights in a row! Considering it's only a few times a year that we all get to be under the same roof together, it was a treat to get so much time together with my parents and siblings in one weekend. Shannon and Travis hosted us all for a special dinner at their house. There are 8 grandchildren in the family and Spencer, the oldest, is 10. That means it's been roughly 10 years since the adults have spent time together having normal adult conversation without the background noise and countless interruptions of kids in the house. Now don't get me wrong, we all love our kids to pieces and every family gathering is only made more joyous as more and more little ones enter the picture. But when Shannon had the idea to hire a couple of babysitters to entertain the kids in their finished basement while the grown ups enjoyed a peaceful sit-down dinner upstairs in the dining room we were all for it! What a special time it was for all of us to have a couple of hours to sit, connect, and relax together. The highlight of the evening was listening to mom and dad recount stories and memories from their childhood Christmases. (And the kids all had a grand time together, of course!) Before we knew it, it was time to pack up the car one last time and head back to Perrysburg. We had a great time!

Grandma Staley made this beautiful cross stitch for me to hang in our house every winter. The horse drawn carriage has much significance for me since Erich proposed to me in one.

Grandma with Avery and Norah (and Jessie, who never left Avery's side)

Karly admiring sweet baby Norah

Crazy Erich playing with Spencer's nerf gun and Oliver's riding bull. Always a kid at heart!

Avery was thrilled to receive a Woody doll from Grandma and Grandpa to go with her Jessie doll. She was a happy happy girl!

The best shot we could get of all the grandkids together at Shannon and Travis' house. This was at the end of the evening right before everyone headed home and all the kids were exhausted from playing. Next time we need to remember to snap a photo at the start of the night when they are all still fresh and energized!

Avery learned how to ride a big kid bike (with training wheels) in Grandma and Grandpa's basement, in her Rapunzel dress of course. She was quite proud!

Truth be told, this Christmas season evoked a wide range of emotions for Erich and I. In the midst of cherishing little moments and making memories with our two(!) girls, celebrating the birth of Jesus, opening gifts, and having fun, we also endured the scary and stressful moments of Evan's illness and hospitalization. On top of that, Erich dealt with an extremely tense and terrifying situation at work earlier that same week that left him (and me) shaken for quite some time. Although we aren't afraid to admit that Christmas 2011 will go down in history as one with a mix of "the good, the bad, and the ugly", the common thread that kept us focused and centered on the positive was FAMILY. We are thankful for each and every moment we spent with our loved ones this season, even when we were more in "survival mode" than a spirit of celebration. It was still time spent together with the ones our hearts cherish and THAT was a gift.

Christmas, Part 2

2012-01-01T20:51:00.007-05:00

For the first time in our marriage, we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at home this year. We love the time we get to spend in Marysville and Stow and nothing makes us happier than time spent with family at the holidays, but we decided long ago that once our kids were old enough to really get the whole Christmas thing, we would make every effort to wake up in our own home Christmas morning. Avery is definitely old enough to "get it" this year and we wanted to soak up that time with her and Norah. What a special morning! Erich had to work a 12 hour shift on Christmas Eve (Hug a healthcare worker next time you see one - they sacrifice a lot to take care of your loved ones!), so Avery, Norah, and I spent a quiet day at home watching Christmas movies, preparing some food for a special Christmas morning breakfast, baking cookies, and writing a letter to Santa. It was a fun day, although Daddy was missed. That night after he got home from work and the girls were sleeping, Erich and I sat next to the fire, sipped on eggnog, and exchanged our gifts by the light of the tree. We've made that special time an annual tradition and it's a welcome chance for us to sit, talk, and connect in the midst of a busy holiday traveling schedule. I cherish that quiet break with my husband! Christmas morning we woke up bright and early to the sound of Avery saying "Merry Christmas!" over the baby monitor. She must have been excited because it was 6:30, at least an hour before she usually wakes up. Enjoy some pictures of our family Christmas... pajamas, bed head, and all...

Running downstairs to check it out

Honest to goodness, Avery didn't even seem to notice the enormous lump covered with a sheet. Wonder what could be in there?

First things first... before touching any presents, we sat and read the story of Jesus' birth. Someday we will read this straight out of the Bible, but for now a board book is a little more realistic.

Examining the evidence. Santa was here!

Avery and Norah's stockings have a pocket on the front to leave a letter for Santa. We left a letter for him on Christmas Eve and he wrote one back! What fun!

The one and only thing Avery asked for was a Jessie Doll from Toy Story. Santa came through.

So that's what was under the sheet! A play kitchen for Avery (and Norah when she's big enough). Avery spent the whole morning serving us cup after cup of coffee from her kitchen. She knows what Daddy needs at 6:30am!

Next it was Norah's turn! Such a happy girl, even though she had no clue what was going on.

A ladybug bath towel (to match the girls' new ladybug bathroom) and bath toys.

Our favorite present :-)

We are so happy to have this little angel in our family!

We finished off the morning with an egg casserole breakfast, then we packed back up and hit the road to go spend a couple of days in Marysville with our Kelley side of the family. It was just a short stop home between travels, but it was so special for us to be together with our little family and build memories with the girls. It was a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas, Part 1

2012-01-01T19:57:00.005-05:00

We were looking forward to spending a couple of days in Stow the week before Christmas to celebrate with our Piland family. We were especially excited because Uncle Evan, Aunt Passa, and cousins Cara and Jacob were coming into town from Texas. We only get to see them a couple of times a year and we cherish time with them. Unfortunately, the day before our visit we got a call that Evan had been hospitalized with a bad virus that was causing some pretty scary muscular and neurological problems. Our fun Christmas visit suddenly turned into a family emergency visit! It was a chaotic and stressful 48 hours in Stow, but we still managed to squeeze in a few laughs, smiles, and photos along the way. Erich spent most of his time at the hospital with Evan and Passa trying to carefully balance between his identity as Erich: Evan's brother, and Erich: the neuroICU nurse. He did a great job and I know the entire family felt more at ease knowing that he was there. I spent my time back at Nana and Papa's house trying to help Nana and Aunt Nikki with the kids. It was so fun to watch Avery and Cara play together. They are two peas in a pod... they both love all things pink, princess, dress up, and tutu! We hadn't seen Jacob since he was just a couple months old. He's getting so big and was full of smiles. And sweet little Norah just went along for the ride. As long as she got to eat every 3 hours she was a happy camper (the girl is easy to please!). Thankfully Evan is recovering well and all is fine now. This will be a Christmas Evan and Passa will never forget (although maybe they would like to!). We were thankful for our time with family, even if it didn't turn out as planned. Erich said this was the most time he's been able to spend with his brother in years... too bad it required one of them to be laying in a hospital bed! We walked away from that visit with a greater appreciation for family and the reminder that we should take nothing for granted. We're hugging each other a little tighter these days. Perspective is a beautiful thing. Here are a few snapshots of our time together amidst the craziness:

Nana with her four grandchildren. My, how the family has grown!

Uncle Erich and Jacob

Aunt Nikki with the babies

Aunt Passa, Avery, and Jacob

Avery and Cara exchanging their Christmas gifts. We had to include this photo, as it's the only one with Uncle Evan in it! He was discharged from the hospital, only to have to return a few hours later when complications arose. This photo was taken during the short window of time he got to be home.

Cara and Avery got dress up costumes for Christmas complete with tiaras, dangly earrings, and high heels. What a hoot! Believe it or not, this photo was taken first thing in the morning and that was Avery's "bed head"... not primped or even combed. I'm envious of her curls!

They loved parading around like beauty queens and we all got a good chuckle at our own little "toddlers in tiaras".

Parading around in their tutus, the girls made up a game that required running around the house into the kitchen to hug Papa's legs. I think he liked that game.

Cara, Jacob, Avery, and Norah... we love all these kids. They brought much needed joy and fun to the house. What sweeties.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2011-12-28T22:17:00.004-05:00

Just a few photos of the Christmas happenings around our house this December...

Avery has an obsession with stickers, so window clings are right up her alley. Decorating the sliding glass door with a nativity scene.

Helping Daddy put the star on top of the tree (the tree is really much taller than it looks in this picture. Erich was standing on a step stool)

Avery LOVED putting ornaments on the tree. She hung them all along the bottom branches of the tree, many of them on the same couple of branches. I resisted my urge to redistribute the ornaments evenly and left them just as she had proudly placed them. All month long looking at our tree both drove me crazy and made me happy all at the same time. She'll only be this age once, I choose to embrace it!

"reading" the story of Christmas to her baby Haley. Such a precious girl.

The best Christmas gift of all is having this sweet face to look at every day. I'm feeling kind of guilty that our Christmas photos are mostly of Avery (because Avery can participate in activities like decorating the tree and making a gingerbread house) and not so much of Norah (because Norah sleeps through most of it). She has been very much a part of our Christmas season though. Every time I cuddle her, nurse her, swaddle her, and breathe her in, I think of Mary and how she must have felt welcoming her son, the Savior, into the world all those years ago. Having a newborn of my own during this season makes the heart and meaning of Christmas a little more real to me than ever before.

Santa!... and Santa again (alternately titled, "Mommy needs to let go of her obsessive compulsive need for all Christmas memories to be flawless")

2011-12-28T14:58:00.008-05:00

It's an illness. It really is. I love Christmas. I always have. I get a little obsessed with the decorating and the gift wrapping and the music playing and the need to make every moment a fun memory. I think I see it as my duty as the maker of our home to make sure that Christmas! Is! Wonderful! So when it came time for the obligatory photo with Santa, I had lofty expectations. This was the first year that Avery was old enough to actually talk to Santa and she was so excited to meet him! The girls had matching dresses (thank you Nana!), we made sure to go on a weekday morning when there wouldn't be a long line to avoid a toddler meltdown, and Avery practiced in the car on the way there telling Santa what she wanted for Christmas. It was going to be perfect! And then we got there. There was no line so we just walked right up to the big man in red, eager and ready. He just stared at us. He didn't smile or try to interact with Avery who was being shy. He just stared at us and waited for us to plop the kids on his lap for the picture. Erich prompted him on by saying, "So Avery, why don't you tell Santa what you want for Christmas (hint, hint!)". Santa gruffly said, "Oh yeah, whatdoyawant?". When Avery whispered, "A Jessie doll from Toy Story", Santa shrugged and said, "okay". womp womp. This was not the perfect memory I wanted for my girls! We snapped a quick photo and were on our way. I was crushed. To be fair, Avery giggled and smiled the whole way home about how happy she was to meet Santa Claus. In her two year old mind it was a great experience. So I fully acknowledge that this is all about me and my Christmas OCD. A few weeks passed and I just couldn't let it go. I asked around and found out that "the best Santa in town" was in a little red house at Levis Commons, an outdoor shopping mall just down the road from our house. So, a couple of days before Christmas when Erich was working, I loaded Avery and Norah into the car after Avery's nap for a quick trip to see Santa (again). Avery was ecstatic and didn't seem to question at all why we were seeing him twice, why he was in a different "workshop", or why he looked like a completely different man. This is probably the only year I can get away with something like this. The girls weren't in matching clothes, in fact I don't think I even combed Avery's hair. This wasn't about getting the perfect picture, it was about redeeming the image of who Santa is and what he should act like for my girls (okay, for me). Thankfully, there wasn't a line there either and we got to go straight in to meet the most wonderful Santa I've ever seen. Although the "set" was much more simple than where we had gone the first time, his outfit was beautiful and he was perfectly quiet and gentle and soft spoken. He gave Avery some space as she warmed up to him (she got shy again, even though she was so excited to go) and while he was waiting for Avery to come around he held Norah and doted over what a beautiful baby she was. Once Avery got up the courage to go talk to him, he asked her what she wanted for Christmas. When she said, "A Jessie doll", he engaged her in a long conversation about all of his favorite Toy Story characters and her face lit up. She was too shy to sit on his lap and I wasn't going to force it. Like I said, I wasn't there for the picture. Looking back on both of our Santa visits, I can laugh at myself and my crazy Christmas antics. I know that Santa is not the star of the show and that all of this pales in comparison to the importance of showing my girls that we celebrate because of Jesus. But I'll admit I walked away from Santa's little red house that day feeling a bit like a kid myself, giddy with the excitement and anticipation of December 25th and all that it entails... the birth of the Savior, the time spent with family, and the magic of a man in red who travels the world delivering Christmas cheer to young girls and boys. Am I crazy? yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

Santa, Take 1:

He's a very photogenic Santa and I'm probably being way too critical.

I'm sure he's a nice man.

Santa, Take 2:

Cutie Norah with sweet Santa

Talking about Toy Story

Avery, very excited by this point but still being shy for the picture.

A New Tradition

2011-12-28T14:27:00.004-05:00

December was a fun filled month in the Piland house as we dove head first into Christmas galore... decorating, movies, stories, cookies, and new Christmas traditions. Avery is at a really fun age (and Norah is young enough to contently watch or sleep through most of it) and I wanted to take full advantage of her eagerness to learn what Christmas is all about. We tried to strike a good balance between celebrating the importance of the true meaning - the joy and hope that came in the form of baby Jesus being born in a manger... and celebrating the fun and "magic" of the season - Santa, elves, gifts, making cookies, etc. While there were many hours spent playing with various toy nativities, reading books about baby Jesus, and talking about what all of that means, we also made sure to take some time to be silly, do some crafts and baking, and start a couple new traditions. My favorite thing we did (and I think Avery's favorite too) was build and decorate a gingerbread house. This isn't something that Erich or I did as kids growing up, but we thought it would be a fun and inexpensive family project to tackle each year. It was a blast! Erich assembled the house, I handled the frosting, and then we let Avery go at it with the candy... she did all of the decorating herself with the exception of one or two pieces that Erich and I stuck on there. The look on her face was priceless as she went to town with the candy (and occasionally snuck a piece to munch on). I can't wait to do this again next year (maybe Norah will even be able to participate a little by then). Please note that we did this first thing on a Saturday morning. If Erich and I look like we just rolled out of bed, it's because we did. And Avery has on two different outfits because she changes her clothes at least 3 or 4 times a day. It's fun being two!

Getting ready to start

Helping Daddy with assembly (ps- I don't know why I expected this to be a hard and stressful task. I had visions of the walls falling over and nothing sticking together right. It was so easy! Some may think it's cheating, but buying a kit is definitely the way to go.)

CANDY! The girl couldn't believe her eyes. We don't keep candy in the house, so this was an extra special treat!

Decorating. Avery did 99.9% of this part by herself. What a hoot!

Ta-da! I love every sloppy, imperfect, square inch of that little house because we made such fun memories doing it together.

Avery quotes

2011-12-22T12:54:00.003-05:00

Avery is our silly girl with a great sense of humor who keeps us laughing all day long. I know she's our daughter so we are probably a little biased, but I really do believe that her verbal skills are above par for her age. She's a smart cookie! Every once in a while though, she says something that reminds us that she is indeed a 2 and 1/2 year old girl and some things get a little lost in translation. Here are some cute Avery-isms from the past few weeks...

When Avery asked me where Daddy works, I said, "He works at the hospital. He helps take care of sick people." Avery replied, " Oh, I know. Daddy works at the hospital and helps take care of people when they have a boogie in their nose".

Our Christmas stockings have a pocket on the front that say "Letter to Santa". I told Avery that on Christmas Eve, we would write a letter to Santa and put it in the pocket, and maybe when he came to bring the toys he would write a letter back to her and leave it for her Christmas morning. I said, "Avery, what do you think you would like to write in a letter to Santa?". Avery thought hard and said, "I think he would like the letter A". That was the first time it occurred to me that Avery probably didn't know what a letter was.

Avery has the Little People Nativity and as we were setting it up on the fireplace I was telling her the story of Jesus' birth. I explained that Mary had a baby in her belly (just like Norah used to be in Momma's belly). Mary and Joseph were ready to have the baby and tried to go to the Inn, but there was no room in the Inn. So they went to the stable with all of the animals and that is where Jesus was born. A couple of hours later, I was in the kitchen and heard Avery playing with the nativity. I snuck around the corner to watch and saw Avery take the Mary and Joseph figures and walk them over to the Inn. In a shocked voice, she said, "WHAT? No Room??". Then, very sweetly, she said, "Don't worry Mary, I will make room." With that, she tossed the Innkeeper and his wife to the side and tucked Mary and Joseph safely inside the Inn where they remained the rest of the day. Oh kiddo, if only it were that easy.

There are many more stories like this that I'd eventually like to write down, just so we never forget the sweet moments when her innocent 2 year old logic makes us smile. What a fun age she is at.

What's in a Name

2011-12-22T12:20:00.005-05:00

I've never been big on name "meanings". I'm not sure where they originate from or how valid they are. We don't choose our children's names based off some definition a book or website gives us. This is proven by the fact that we stuck to our guns and gave our first born the name we had both fallen in love with from the start, even after we found out that Avery means "ruler of the elves". Seriously? After that experience, I wasn't even going to bother looking up the meaning of the name Norah. We had already decided on it and nothing was going to change our minds, so it didn't really matter anyway. One day on a whim though I was at the library with Avery and a book caught my eye about name origins and meanings. I flipped through and looked at the name Avery just to see if anyone had realized how silly "ruler of the elves" sounded and changed it to something more fitting. No such luck. Then curiosity got the best of me and I turned the pages to find the name Norah, ready for a good laugh if nothing else. But I didn't laugh.

The name Norah means "ray of shining light, woman of compassion". I rubbed my pregnant belly and smiled. It's just a silly definition that someone somewhere made up a long time ago (really, who decides this stuff?). But, it means a lot to me. After just 9 weeks on earth it's clear that "ray of shining light" fits her well. She is a light in our lives and just a smile or giggle from her can keep me pressing on through a hard day. And without a doubt, my prayer for her is that she'll grow up to be a woman of great compassion with a heart to love and serve others. We would have named her Norah regardless of what I'd read in the book that day. It just suits her so well. But I have to admit that I will always smile when someone asks me her name and I will say it proudly... Norah Elizabeth Piland, our ray of shining light.

Baby Dedication

2011-12-22T10:05:00.007-05:00

On Sunday, November 27th, we were happy to have the opportunity to dedicate Norah to the Lord in the presence of our family, friends, and church congregation. We feel so blessed to be part of a church that is rooted in the truth of the Bible and even more blessed that both Erich and I come from families that raised us to know the importance of a personal relationship with God. We hope that we can encourage Avery and Norah on that same path so that they will someday make that decision for themselves. Participating in Cedar Creek's Baby Dedication was our opportunity to publicly proclaim our intention to raise Norah in a Christ centered home. We are honored that God has trusted us with her precious little life. I often look at both of our girls in awe of the fact that God picked Erich and I to be their parents. We are thankful for both of them always, but on the day of Norah's baby dedication we were especially aware of the blessing that she is to our family. We love you Norah!

Attempting a photo after church. Avery was so excited to have all the family at the house that she couldn't hold still for two seconds.

With Nana and Papa

With Grandma and Grandpa

Grandma and Grandpa got Norah a beautiful gold cross necklace that she wore for the dedication. Unfortunately, when I took it off of her and put it back in the box I got the tiny chain all tangled up in knots. The grandpas were up for the challenge and spent way too long working to try and untangle it with straight pins and a magnifying glass. It was quite the sight and gave us all a good chuckle.

Our beautiful baby girl.

Giving Thanks

2011-12-05T13:53:00.006-05:00

We had much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving... our healthy baby Norah is growing and thriving and bringing us so much joy. When we asked Avery what she was thankful for this year she answered in this order: "My baby sister Norah, Grandma and Grandpa and Nana and Papa, baby Haley (her doll), Daddy, the trees, and Mommy". Thanks baby girl. Glad you could squeeze me in there, right after the trees. We know that everything good comes from God, and we are praising Him for every blessing.

This year we spent Thanksgiving day in Marysville. I was transported back to my childhood as I woke up to the delicious smell of turkey in the oven and spent the morning enjoying the Macy's parade. Avery got a kick out of the dance numbers and the big balloons. Erich had to work on Thanksgiving last year. It was so nice to be together as a family this year! My parents hosted over 30 people in their home... many of them aunts, uncles, and cousins that we only get to see once every year or so. We also had a blast, as always with Shannon, Travis, Paul, Kristen, and all the kids. We cherish any opportunity to be under the same roof with everyone! Mom and Dad were wonderful hosts and the food was wonderful! What a perfect day to give thanks.

Daddy and his little turkey girl in her "My First Thanksgiving" outfit

Grandma, Avery, Norah, and I observing as Grandpa carves the turkey. It was wonderful!

The kids table

The big kids table

Sisters with our youngest.

The only decent family photo we've captured so far. It will probably be a few years before we can get everyone looking at the camera and smiling at the same time. I've got to get used to setting the bar low :)

Great Grandparents

2011-12-05T13:40:00.003-05:00

On a recent trip to Marysville, Norah got to meet her 3 great grandparents. Grandma and Grandpa Staley are in their 90's and Grandma Kelley is in her late 80's. What a blessing for me to watch my children interact with my grandparents. I try not to take any visit with them for granted, as I have many friends whose children never got a chance to meet that generation of their family. Avery and Norah have 5 great grandparents smiling down on them from heaven (my Grandpa Kelley and all 4 of Erich's grandparents) and while we miss their presence in our lives very much, we are all the more grateful that we've seen our children being held in the arms of these 3 very special people:

Grandma Staley

Grandpa Staley

Grandpa rocking a fussy baby

Grandma Kelley (all the great grandkids call her Nana K.)

Meeting the Family

2011-12-05T08:47:00.005-05:00

Norah had a very busy first few weeks of life, meeting many family members and friends who came to get a glimpse of the newest Piland. We were positively overwhelmed by the generosity of our local friends who supplied us with meals for an entire month. Norah was born on October 18th and our last meal was delivered on November 17th. Unbelievable. We are so grateful for all of the people from our current home group, our old home group, MOMentum (the mom's group I'm a part of), and many other friends who loved and served us in the form of meals. Not having to think about food freed our minds and our time so that we could better focus on loving and serving our girls. Not only did we have daily visits from friends, we were also blessed to have family travel from Stow and Columbus to meet their newest granddaughter/niece! We were so excited for Papa to arrive. He was unable to be at the hospital when Norah was born due to his travel schedule, so it was especially meaningful when he came up to Perrysburg to meet her.

Holding his newest grandbaby

Avery was thrilled to have a mid-week visit from Papa. She wore her Abby costume just for him! (actually, she wears it almost everyday, but who's counting)

Aunt Shannon, Spencer, and Karly came up to visit when Norah was less than a week old. Sadly, Oliver was sick so he and Uncle Travis had to stay home (they were missed!) but Avery loved having two of her cousins here to play with and Norah got some good cuddle time in with Shannon. It was a great visit!

We also enjoyed a visit from Uncle Paul, Aunt Kristen, Kate, Will, and Sophia. Somehow we missed getting a picture of Katie and Will (probably because they were busy playing with Avery!). Sweet Sophia had fun checking out the new baby and we loved the chance to visit with Paul and Kris!

Aunt Nikki traveled up from Stow to meet Norah and to spend some one on one time with Avery (who had been feeling the sting of having to share the spotlight with her new sister). We loved having her spend the night and we were especially grateful she was here when Norah came down with her first cold and a fever which required an emergency trip to the doctor's office (apparently they take it quite seriously when a newborn has a temp, but thankfully she was fine- just a crummy cold). Nikki was able to take care of Avery while we tended to Norah and also ran a few errands. Not only that, but she cooked us a delicious meal - homemade mac & cheese... yum! Nikki, thank you for being such a huge help!

Aunt Nikki made cookies with Avery... Avery's first baking experience! She was enamored with the whole process... especially the part where she got to eat the finished product :)

Last but not least, we had to include this picture. This is not actually from Nikki's visit to Perrysburg, but from our recent trip to Stow (where Aunt Nikki was also a huge help in taking care of Avery!). They braved the cold weather to spend some time swinging outside. Nikki gave Avery that adorable hat. We LOVE this photo of two beautiful Piland gals!

Thanks again to all of our family who were able to come visit (and for all the gifts you brought!). We are blessed have such a great support system. We can't wait for Norah to meet Uncle Evan, Aunt Passa, and cousins Cara and Jacob at Christmas!

Sweet Norah

2011-11-05T22:44:00.003-04:00

Just a few of my favorite photos from the past couple of weeks. We are so in love with this beautiful girl.

Erich bought this outfit for Norah and I love it. The hippo hat is my favorite.

A sweet neighbor girl babysits for Avery regularly. Her family brought us dinner and her teenage sister knitted these matching hats for the girls. Adorable! (cute how it looks like Norah is smiling at just a week old. It was just luck).

On her first car ride to get her newborn photos taken.

Having some awake time on the play gym.

Daddy Daughter Date

2011-11-05T20:33:00.005-04:00

Avery has loved having Norah in the house and is constantly giving her love, hugs, and kisses. She hasn't shown any jealousy of the baby and has only been sweet towards her sister. However, there is no denying that this has been a major change for her and we've turned her little two year old world upside down. Although her behavior towards Norah has been 5 star, her behavior in other areas has taken a turn and it's been heartbreaking for me as her mom to watch her act out in ways that she never has before, knowing that even though she "knows better" this isn't really her fault. I know that in time she will adjust and we'll have our sweet girl back (she's still our sweet girl, just with more tantrums and outbursts). In the mean time, we're trying to keep her in line while showing her some extra love. Erich is the best dad our two girls could ever have. He's sensitive and caring, but disciplines firmly when needed. Avery loves spending time with him and looks up to him in a way that I wish every little girl in the world could look up to her Daddy (the way I've always looked up to mine). Erich had the idea to take Avery on a very special "Daddy Daughter Date" and she was SO excited. He planned a morning that was sure to make her feel special, but I'll admit it made me a little nervous. He planned to take her out to breakfast at Cracker Barrel, then go to a salon to get her nails painted by a friend of ours, then out shopping for a special dress that she'll wear to Norah's baby dedication at church in a few weeks. I was nervous for a couple reasons... first of all, while I thought that getting her nails painted was a fun idea in theory, I thought there was no way that a two year old would sit still long enough to have her fingernails painted and then let them dry. I knew for sure she would come home with smudged and smeared nails. The other thing that made me squirm a little was the idea of Erich taking Avery shopping for a dress... that she'll be wearing on a special day up in front of our entire church congregation. I love Erich very much, and he is wonderful at picking out clothes for himself (I love his style), but it's no secret that we've butted heads a bit in the past when it comes to clothes for Avery. I like having a say in her wardrobe and this was definitely an occasion where I had to relinquish control and let him take over for the sake of Daddy and Daughter making special memories on their date.

Wow, did they ever prove me wrong! After a lovely breakfast at Cracker Barrel, Erich said that Avery sat perfectly still for the entire manicure and was enamored by the whole process. Then, they went to Gymboree and picked out the perfect dress. I absolutely love it and I'm so impressed with Erich! When they left that morning, my main instruction to Erich was to take lots of pictures. Here is a play by play of their morning...

Avery picked out her favorite outfit to wear and got all dolled up for her big date. Here she is applying her make-up (pink princess chapstick).

On their way out the door for their special morning.

Out for breakfast

Eating her yummy pancakes (Avery notoriously doesn't do well in restaurants, so the fact that she took about 3 bites of these pancakes is a small victory in our book).

Erich said after breakfast they had some time to kill before her appointment at the salon. He asked Avery what she wanted to do and she said, "Let's go for a walk Daddy". So they spent about 30 minutes walking around the Cracker Barrel parking lot. She loved it. It's the little things.

They also enjoyed sitting in the big rocking chairs and playing checkers.

Next up was Avery's manicure. All week long leading up to the date, Avery talked about getting her nails painted PINK. She was so excited.

Sagan treated our little toddler like the most important client she'd ever had. She took her coat, pulled up a chair for her, talked to her about life, and gave her the full treatment. We expected her just to paint Avery's nails quickly. Instead she did a real manicure with all the many steps involved. Avery was thrilled and did not move an inch.

Picking her pink.

This was Erich's favorite moment of the morning. Sagan offered to get Avery a drink. Since Avery's nails were drying, Sagan fed the water to Avery. Talk about being pampered!

Avery showing off her new duds. A cupcake sweater dress, a new shirt, leggings, and a cute cardigan. She looks precious in it!

Avery came home that morning with flawless pink nails (that she can't stop staring at and showing off to everyone, even days later), a cute new outfit, a huge smile on her face, and a heart that was full of love for her Daddy. She needed the attention and deserved every bit of the love he showed her. These moments are priceless and so is my husband.

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-05T12:27:00.004-04:00

About a month ago, I tried Avery's Halloween costume on her just to make sure it fit and we talked about Halloween and trick or treating. Almost every day since then, Avery has asked "Is it Halloween yet?". She couldn't wait to wear her Abby Cadabby costume and go door to door with Daddy collecting candy. At less than two weeks old, Norah was too tiny to fit into any costume (the smallest size we found was 0-3 months and she would have gotten lost in it) so instead she got to wear a cute little Halloween onesie. While Erich and Avery went trick or treating, Norah got to hang out with me and pass out candy. Growing up in the country, then living in apartments, then living in a house that faced an alleyway... I never got the experience of passing out candy until we moved to our current house. Halloween isn't my favorite holiday by any means, but I love the joy Avery gets from dressing up and I have so much fun passing out candy to the neighborhood kids. It was a great (but cold!) evening.

Avery and Norah in their festive shirts. The ghost on Norah's shirt glowed in the dark... so cute.

The adorable Abby Cadabby and her baby sister

Momma and her girls

Daddy and Avery heading out in the cold to get some candy. They had a great time!

It was a very chilly evening and I felt guilty for taking my newborn baby outside on a cold night. Just to be sure she was nice and toasty warm, I had her in 3 layers of clothes (one was a fleece bodysuit with a warm hood), a hat, in the sleepy wrap (best baby carrier EVER), and zipped up inside my coat. Then we sat on a chair and covered up with a blanket. So in total, there were six layers of fabric between her baby skin and the cold air. She slept like a rock the entire time and I was in heaven with my baby on my chest. No, I'm not normally this lumpy looking... that's the top of Norah's head poking out of my jacket. Most people didn't even know there was a baby in there.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-05T11:41:00.004-04:00

6 years ago, shortly after Erich and I started dating, we gathered with our friends Mandy and Bryan (who were also dating at the time) and had a fun evening relaxing, carving pumpkins, drinking hot chocolate, and watching a movie. This became an annual tradition for the four of us, and over the next few years... through engagements, marriages, pregnancies, etc... we continued to gather for our pumpkin carving night and the biggest stressor of the evening was usually remembering whose turn it was to pick the movie that year. My, how things change! Over the years our numbers have doubled from 4 to 8 (with four of us being age 2 and under). Our time together is double the chaos, double the fun. We had a good laugh this year at how simple things used to be, as our kids ran circles around us and Toy Story played on the tv instead of a scary movie. One thing that hasn't changed and never will, is our love for the Croningers and the special bond we share with them as we've been witness to the milestones in each other's lives over the years. As always, we can't wait to see what next year's pumpkin carving party has in store.

We stripped the toddlers, Avery and Jack, down so they could get all messy in the pumpkin goup, but they wanted nothing to do with it ("It's sticky!"). 11 month old Max, who we didn't think would be too interested, stayed in his clothes and quickly found his way to the pumpkin guts where he happily played for quite some time. He may or may not have ended up wearing pink home due to the mess he made. :-) In all, the women and children were absolutely no help and Erich and Bryan ended up doing every last bit of the prep, carving, and clean up for the pumpkins. Sorry guys!

Avery "helping" Daddy.

The annual group photo. Our "group" gets bigger every year.

Welcome Home

2011-11-05T10:44:00.006-04:00

Just a few (okay, more than a few) photos from our first weeks home with Norah. She's not quite 3 weeks old now and we've enjoyed every moment with her. Other than a couple of rough nights in the beginning (That would by my fault. I sort of forgot that I can't eat spicy food while breastfeeding), Norah has been a happy, easy, sleepy baby. We had Grandma here with us for the first several days. I don't think she'll ever quite be able to comprehend what an enormous help that was for us. She cooked our meals, cleaned the house, and took care of Avery's every need so that Erich and I could focus on taking care of Norah and catching up on sleep. We are so grateful for the time she gave up to be here with us. Once she left, Erich shifted to Avery duty and has been an all star dad... taking care of her every moment of the day and helping with Norah when he's not busy with Avery. Erich goes back to work next week and I will officially be on my own with both girls. I've been spoiled over the past few weeks and although it's going to be a major adjustment for Avery and myself (Norah probably won't notice too much), I'm looking forward to figuring out how to balance the responsibilities and settling into our new normal. I am so thankful for a mom who was able to rearrange her schedule to be here with us and a husband who was able to take 3 weeks(!) off of work to be at home as we adjusted to our new family member. Through the haze and grog of sleepless nights, endless feedings, and two year old meltdowns, I will always look back on our first few weeks at home with Norah and smile at the memories made. Thank you, Lord, for every moment.

Coming home from the hospital! Erich carrying Norah over the threshold of her new home.

Norah's first bath. She wasn't a fan.

When Avery was born, on our first night home from the hospital Erich made sloppy joes and homemade mac&cheese. We propped Avery up on the table in the boppy pillow and stared at her as we ate, in total amazement that this new little human being was in our house. To follow tradition, on our first night home with Norah Erich prepared the exact same meal. We propped Norah up on the same pillow and stared at her with the same wide eyes. What a miracle it is to just suddenly have another Piland here with us.

Our sweet friend and family photographer, Sandy, wanted practice taking newborn shots and asked us if we would mind allowing her to practice on Norah. Would we mind? Are you kidding? We were thrilled and jumped at the chance. Sandy is incredibly gifted and took amazing photos. It was a little stressful, what with the bodily fluids flying every which way, fussy toddler, and somewhat uncooperative infant... But it was also so much fun and we are forever grateful to Sandy for giving us such beautiful photos of our beautiful girls.

Admiring our angel from the sidelines as Sandy was hard at work. I love this photo.

Grandma and Avery got to be buddies for a week. Thank you Grandma!

Avery in her tutu helping wash Norah's hair. Avery loves to help with bath time!

One of the only photos we have of Norah and Grandma (sorry Grandma!).

Visiting Dr Vannuyen, who delivered Norah. Best Doctor Ever. This woman helped make my pregnancy, labor, and delivery experience one of the best I could ever have hoped for. She definitely has a special place in my heart.

Sisters

2011-10-24T22:08:00.004-04:00

What a joy it has been to watch Avery with her baby sister these past few days. Of course, as expected, there have been typical toddler moments of defiance and melt downs. We are trying to find the balance between not letting her get away with too much and showing her grace because we know that although this big life change is exciting, it's also turning her world upside down. While there has been plenty of acting out, there have been far more sweet moments between two little girls. Avery constantly wants to hold Norah. She loves pushing her in the swing and is always ready to come to the rescue with a paci at the first hint of a baby cry. She loves being our little helper and we love watching the bond between two sisters begin to take form, even at this very early stage.

First time meeting Norah

Giving her hugs and kisses at the hospital

A sweet moment... we had just arrived home from the hospital and when Norah was fussy during a diaper change, Avery swooped in with some reassurance. Listen closely to the sweet words from this big sister.

Pushing Norah in the swing

This photo makes my heart explode

At the Hospital

2011-10-24T20:20:00.004-04:00

On Tuesday morning, Avery came to the hospital to meet her baby sister who was just a few hours old. We were so excited for our girls to meet and Avery did not disappoint with her reaction. I was a little concerned that she would be freaked out by the hospital environment, but she didn't seem phased by it. She was so sweet with Norah, held her and gave her lots of kisses. She brought a gift for Norah... a stuffed elephant that she had picked out all by herself and a wubbanub (a special pacifier). We also had a special "big sister" gift waiting for Avery and in typical two year old fashion, the minute she opened her present baby Norah was old news and her attention was completely occupied by the magna-doodle she received. We were also thrilled that Grandma, Grandpa, and Nana were able to be there to meet Norah and witness the sweet moments with Avery. Unfortunately, Papa was away on business and wasn't able to visit. He was missed! I soaked in every moment as I looked around the room from my view in the hospital bed and watched the people who mean the most to us (minus Papa, of course) pass our newest little joy from one set of loving arms to the next. Our hearts overflow.

Avery's first time laying eyes on Norah. Such a sweet moment!

Our first photo as a family of four

Nana meeting her fourth grandchild

Grandma checking out those cute little baby legs and feet

Grandpa saying hello to baby Norah

The proud Grandmas

And the proud parents

Norah Elizabeth Piland

2011-10-21T14:02:00.003-04:00

Sweet baby Norah finally made her appearance into this world on October 18th, 2011 at 2:15am. She is healthy and perfect in every way. 7 pounds, 6 ounces and 20.5 inches long. At 6 days overdue, we headed to the hospital on Monday evening to be induced Tuesday morning, but Norah had other plans. I started having mild contractions on my own on Monday. At the hosptial Monday night I received the first dose of a medication that was meant to help prep my body for the pitocin induction on Tuesday. There were supposed to be 4 doses of this medication overnight, but after the first dose my water broke and things took off! After just a few short hours of labor and only a couple of pushes, we met our baby girl in the wee hours of the morning and our hearts have been forever changed. I knew that I would love her, but I had forgotten just how intense that feeling is the first time you hold your baby in your arms. She is a miracle, as all babies are and we are beyond blessed to have her as our 4th family member.

Savoring my last moments with Norah on the inside...

...and savoring my first moments with her on the outside.

Just after being born. She came out bright pink and screaming!

Proud Daddy (the best there is)

Our first family photo. We are so in love!

An Apple a Day...

2011-09-30T14:44:00.005-04:00

Last fall we made a trip to a nearby apple orchard and had so much fun that we decided to make it an annual family tradition. Avery had a great time last fall, but what a difference a year makes... she was really old enough to get into it this year and loved picking all her own apples (with a little help from Daddy reaching the high ones). With baby Norah due to arrive any time in the next couple of weeks, we are really savoring making memories with Avery while it's just the three of us. I know that adding another little girl to our family is only going to double the love and double the fun and we can't wait for her to get here, but there's also a small amount of mourning that comes with knowing that Avery's days as our one and only are coming to an end. What a blessed time this is for us!

Picking apples with Daddy...

...and Momma

Reaching the "way up high" ones

Not the best picture of me, but for posterity's sake it needs to be seen. 38 weeks pregnant!

Pretty girl in her apple shirt

Showing off the loot!

We have lots of apple dumplings, apple pie... apple everything!... in our future.

Up on the Roof

2011-09-05T21:30:00.002-04:00

Papa Piland is at it again. He recently finished building a large (and beautiful) barn from the ground up and almost immediately jumped head first into another major project... re-roofing the entire house. I don't think I've ever been to the Piland house when he wasn't in the midst of a house project. I'm amazed at all of the things he knows how to do! Here are a few pictures from a recent visit to Stow. Erich and Papa worked on the roof while us girls played in yard below. Avery had a great time dancing, making food in the play kitchen, blowing bubbles with Nana, and reading books. Every few minutes she would stop what she was doing to wave to Daddy and Papa. She loved that they were up so high!

Erich and Papa hard at work. I was nervous watching them up so high, but thankfully everyone stayed safe!

I love this photo of Avery dancing with a string of pearls in the middle of a construction zone. She loved it.

Pretty girl

Blowing bubbles

All smiles while playing with Nana.

(Thanks Aunt Nikki for taking all of these photos! Considering how often we forget to bust out the camera, we are blessed to have a photographer in the family!)

Kelleys Unite!

2011-08-12T20:47:00.004-04:00

It seems like every time the Kelley family is together and snaps a family photo, it's outdated before we can even get it printed out. The family tree keeps getting bigger and bigger as more babies are born. It is so fun to watch Avery interact with all 6 of her cousins whenever we get together. She sincerely loves each and every one of them. With Erich and I being out of town and the demands of busy schedules for all of the adults and older kids' activities, we don't all end up in the same place at the same time as often as we'd like. So every time we do, we make sure to get a photo! I can't imagine two better people to be leading the pack...

Grandma and Grandpa. Every time we go for a weekend visit Avery's requests are to see Grandpa's trains, help water Grandma's flowers, and feed the fish (in my Dad's aquarium). She is never disappointed!

This is probably the best picture we've ever gotten of all 7 grandkids together. It's not often they all sit still long enough for a photo. Pretty soon we'll be adding Norah to the mix!

The whole gang together in Mom and Dad's beautiful backyard. We love each and every face in this photo and are so grateful that they are in our lives!

Summertime Fun

2011-08-12T20:40:00.008-04:00

As I mentioned previously, this has been one of the hottest summers Ohio has on record. Of course, I was fortunate enough to be pregnant through the whole thing! Needless to say, most of our time spent outside was in the water and most of our time spent inside was with the air conditioner blasting (Erich has been very gracious about this... never complaining while he shivered under blankets and had dollar signs flashing in his eyes). Avery took to the water like a fish this summer and whether we were at the city pool, the ymca, the beach, or the baby pool in Nana and Papa's back yard, she was just happy to be swimming and practically had to be dragged out of the water. After the back pain that kept me laid up on the couch for the beginning part of the summer, I was just so so so thankful for every moment that I could spend having fun outside with my girl. Here are a few pictures of our summer fun...

Avery and Cara in Nana and Papa's baby pool.

The Piland ladies soaking up some sun.

Avery and I had a blast at a free local event for kids called "Sandtastic". A local outdoor shopping mall built a huge sandbox (bigger than our living room and kitchen combined I think) in the middle of the street and had it full of toys for the kids to play with along with professional sand sculpture demonstrations, live music, inflatables, and all sorts of other fun. I hope this becomes an annual event!

Unfortunately Daddy had to work and couldn't join us for Sandtastic, but Avery and I made a great little Mommy-Daughter date out of it and after we played in the sand for a bit I took Avery on her first visit to Johnny Rockets. We don't go out to restaurants all that often so it was a special treat for her and she was grinning from ear to ear the entire time. Her favorite part was when the wait staff spontaneously broke into a song and dance routine. Avery was dancing right along with them! When Erich got home from work that night and I tried to tell him about our day I broke down in tears because my heart was overwhelmed with joy that such a fun memory was made. These simple little moments are when my calling as a mother is most fulfilled. I love this job.

Every summer we take advantage of a free program at our city pool called "toddler time". They open the "kiddie" end of the pool from 10am-noon Monday-Friday for kids ages birth to 5 years old and their parents. It has been a huge blessing for us to attend toddler time and avoid the cost of having to buy a pool pass. It's more than enough time for Avery to get her water fix and it doesn't interfere with her nap time... perfect! This summer we went several mornings a week and I sat my big pregnant belly in the middle of the kiddie pool while Avery ran and swam around me. We were both happy campers! We usually meet Avery's little best friend Grace there and Lindsey and I get to talk while the girls entertain each other. This is the 3rd year in a row that we have pictures of Avery and Grace sitting next to each other in these chairs. I can't believe how fast they are growing!

Our friend (and Erich's co-worker), Nadine, has a wonderful in ground pool in her backyard and graciously invited us over for a pool play date. When Avery borrowed a pair of water wings from Nadine's granddaughter (also named Avery), we discovered that she loved the freedom of being able to float around on her own and we loved the freedom of not having to hold onto her every second she was in the water. You better believe I was at Walmart later that same week buying Avery a life jacket to wear at the pool! What a difference it makes! Nadine's pool has a diving board and all it took was Avery watching Erich jump off one time... she just had to try it! I couldn't believe that I was watching our two year old jump off the diving board over and over again and loving every second of it. (of course Daddy was always there to catch her... safety first!) Her sense of adventure is something to marvel at. She definitely doesn't get that from me!

This summer has flown by. I can't believe it's September already and time to start thinking about pumpkins, cool weather, and halloween costumes. (Oh yeah, and a new baby!) I am thankful for every moment that I've had to enjoy Avery and our time together as a family. Like every toddler, she has her moments that make me take a deep breath and pray for patience. But she more than makes up for that with every laugh, smile, and squeal of joy. I can't believe that in a few short weeks I'll be twice blessed and my heart will feel twice this amount of love. Thank you, God.

Texas Bound

2011-08-12T20:23:00.009-04:00

When Evan and Passa had a new baby, Jacob, in May we just knew we had to make trip to Texas to meet our new little nephew! The last time we went to visit them I was barely pregnant with Avery and we were going to meet our new niece, Cara, who is 3 years old now. Time flies! Avery only gets to see her Texas Piland family a couple of times a year, so we were really excited to take her on a trip there to play with her cousins, but I have to admit we were apprehensive about the flight there and back. It was Avery's first plane ride and we had visions of meltdowns, tantrums, and freak outs... Oh my! Thankfully all of our worrying was for not, as overall she did a fantastic job. There were restless moments for sure, but nothing too embarrassing. Her favorite parts of the plane ride were the "big bump" (when the plane landed and the wheels hit the ground) and when we hit some pretty severe turbulence. While Erich and I were gripping our seats and praying for safety, Avery was throwing her arms up in the air and saying "Weeeeeeeee! Faster! Faster!". She's our fearless daredevil girl for sure. We can't wait to take her to Cedar Point someday.

The visit with Evan, Passa, Cara, and Jacob was great, but way too short. We got into town around 4pm on Friday and were leaving to head back to the airport at 4am on Sunday morning. We still managed to fit in quite a bit of fun during our stay though... going out to eat multiple times, getting family pictures taken, and walking down to the lake by Evan and Passa's house where we were nearly attacked by some of the most vicious ducks I've ever seen (it's one of those things we can laugh about now, but wasn't quite so funny in the moment). Jacob was an absolute doll. One of the happiest, calmest babies I've ever seen. Avery and Cara had fun playing together, with the exception of a few little battles here and there (blame it on the age where sharing is a tough concept combined with Avery getting two of her molars while we were in Texas... meltdown city).

We had a great time and were so thankful for Evan and Passa's great hospitality. They made us feel right at home!

Avery's first plane ride. She was entertained with movies on the laptop and a steady supply of fruit snacks and suckers. All star parenting!

The only family photo we got of Evan, Passa, Cara, and Jacob. It was a bit of a hectic weekend.

Proud Uncle Erich with his niece and nephew

Cousins!

Two brothers with their little girls. What a sweet moment it was to watch them all walking hand and hand.

Avery was on paci patrol with Jacob. She always wanted to make sure he had it in his mouth. We have no doubt that Norah will be well taken care of by her big sister!

The Butterfly House

2011-08-12T20:16:00.003-04:00

As we prepare for the arrival of baby Norah, we are trying to soak up our time with Avery (while she's still our one and only) and squeeze in some fun family outings between washing baby clothes, tackling house projects, and crossing things off the to-do list. In July we spent a morning at The Butterfly House, a butterfly habitat in a neighboring town. It was basically a big greenhouse room full of beautiful plants and a couple hundred butterflies fluttering around. A simple concept, but absolutely breathtaking to stand in the midst of. Avery was captivated by the whole scene and kept asking for a butterfly to land on her (which sadly never happened. I think she was too much of a moving target). It was a simple, easy way to spend the morning together and it brought our little girl a lot of joy!

One of Avery's favorite parts of the whole experience was the butterfly stamp we got on our hands at admission. It's the little things.

Admiring the butterflies. She did VERY well with the "no touch" rule. I was impressed!

Posing (with some help from Daddy)

Another fun trip we took in July was a visit to the beach at Maumee Bay State Park. The park has special sentimental value because that's where Erich and I got engaged, but we had never visited the beach there and thought it would be fun for Avery since she's become such a little fish recently (Avery and I spent LOTS of time at the pool during this record hot summer!). Rocky Ohio sand and lake water don't quite have the same effect as the ocean beach (my favorite) but Avery didn't know the difference and she was in heaven as she ran back and forth between the sand and the water. We even got to witness a real life water rescue by the lifeguard... a tense moment, but thankfully it had a happy ending. We packed a picnic lunch and had a great time spending a few hours together on a hot day. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera so we don't have any photos to document it, but it was a fun day none the less!

Concert

2011-06-21T00:11:00.003-04:00

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!

2011-06-20T23:45:00.003-04:00

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

2011-06-20T23:20:00.004-04:00

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!

2011-06-20T22:50:00.005-04:00

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.

Happy Birthday Aunt Nikki!

2011-05-16T00:18:00.004-04:00

Last weekend we traveled to Stow to celebrate Aunt Nikki's birthday. We had a great time relaxing at the Piland house and Avery was happy as could be to get non stop attention from Nana, Papa, and Aunt Nikki. On Saturday afternoon we left Avery with Nana and Papa while Erich, Nikki, and I went to see a movie. The movie was awful, but it was great to spend time with Nikki and we had a fun afternoon. We celebrated that evening with the best chocolate cake on the planet (thanks Nana!) and spent the rest of the night vegging out. The next day was Mother's Day and we all went to church together, then came home and had a big roast beef meal for lunch followed by more chocolate cake. I was stuffed for the rest of the day! Nikki teaches the 3 & 4 year old class at their church and even though Avery is barely two, she got to join Aunt Nikki's class for the day and she had a great time. Thanks for sneaking her in Aunt Nikki!

Two beautiful girls

Loving her time with Nana and Papa

Happy Mother's Day, Nana!

To Nana Piland and Grandma Kelley, thanks for being the best moms and grandmas our family could ever hope for. We are beyond blessed by the love you pour out on all of us. I could never hope for better examples of how to be a mom.

Mother's Day thoughts

2011-05-15T14:17:00.004-04:00

Mother's Day was special for me this year. Knowing that baby #2 was on the way filled me with mixed emotions. There's a unique maternal feeling that thrives when you know there's a life growing inside of you. I'm humbled and excited as I anticipate the opportunity to mother another little one in the coming months. I've never felt more in my element than I do right now, with one on my hip and one in my belly. However, along with the excitement of looking forward to the big change that's about to occur in our family, there is also a part of me that is mourning the loss of how things are right now. Avery has been my one and only for two years and it's hard to imagine having to share the mothering part of my heart and my life with someone else. Erich and I were discussing this with some great friends the other night and Bruce, the father of two grown girls, said something that will always stick with me... "When your circumstances change, so does your capacity to love". I know that the moment I lay eyes on that babe, God will do a wonder in my heart and I will suddenly know the joy of loving two children equally and extravagantly. Until then, I'm soaking in every moment with Avery. Cuddling, reading the same books a hundred times a day, singing every disney princess song, laughing, going on walks... all of the things we've always done, but now I'm paying a little more attention and holding her a little tighter. These thoughts were going through my mind on Mother's Day as I cherished the present and looked forward to the future. I've never felt so sure of God's purpose for me as I do when I'm being Erich's wife and Avery's mother. It's still sinking in that I get the joy of doing this all again with baby Piland. It was a Happy Mother's Day, indeed.

Happy Easter

2011-05-15T13:59:00.006-04:00

This year it was our turn to spend Easter in Marysville. We had fun visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Kelley, making a trip to see great Nana K, and then spending Easter Sunday with our extended family with great Grandma and Grandpa Staley. It was a fast and busy weekend with lots of fun packed in!

It was rainy and wet most of the weekend, so Grandma set up an Easter egg hunt for Avery inside. She loved it! Here she is, very proud with all her loot.

Easter morning with Grandma and Grandpa

Thanks for the great Easter basket G&G!

Avery loved everything in her basket. Especially that plastic egg full of m&m's.

Here is Avery in her beautiful Easter dress. You'll notice she's not wearing it in the photos that we took on Easter day. We were almost through with the 2 hour drive to Marysville when I had a panic moment in the car, "the dress!". In the chaos of getting out the door that morning, I'd left the dress at home. Thanks Grandma for saving the day with a quick trip to the store for another cute dress for Avery. I was sad she didn't get to wear her original dress, but she still looked adorable and nobody knew the difference.

These bunny ears were made for Avery by one of Erich's coworkers. She loved them and wore them around the house for many days.

Since we were going to be out of town for Easter, we hid Avery's basket at home a few days before Easter and had our own holiday at home. After looking all over the house, she was very excited to finally find it in the coat closet.

Being Silly

2011-05-15T13:54:00.008-04:00

Just another day in the life... Here are a few pictures of general silliness and goofing around at the Piland's. Erich and I were just talking yesterday about how we are sure that Avery will be in her high school drama and musicals as she grows up because she is such a performer. It's hard to get it to show through in pictures because she's not the hugest fan of the camera, but at home she is a silly, goofy, laughing, smiling, singing girl. She brings us joy and keeps us cracking up.

On a rare night that she actually ate and enjoyed the "grown up" food that we served for dinner (she usually begs for peanut butter bread or mac and cheese)

Horseback ride with Grandpa. She's lucky to have two grandfathers that aren't afraid to be goofy and have some fun.

Playing the "up and down" game with Papa. She loves being tossed up and down in the air.

Thanks to a local groupon deal, we got a year long family membership to "Imagination Station" (our Toledo version of COSI) for a great price. We took our first trip a couple of weeks ago and Avery loved it. Her favorite part was dressing up like a firefighter and driving the fire truck.

Having fun with Daddy

Avery is obsessed with stickers. Here she is getting sassy.

Horsing around with Aunt Nikki

Gettin Jiggy With It

2011-05-15T13:41:00.008-04:00

Ever since I was little, the Kelley family has celebrated St Patrick's Day in a unique way. It's a tradition that I hope never dies. Toasting Grandpa Kelley (my dad's dad) with green 7up, jigging around the house to an old Ruby Murray record (jigging Kelley style... which means jumping up and down a lot and running circles around the house with a partner), and eating my mom's delicious shamrock sugar cookies. The past couple of years, Erich, Avery, and I have had our own little St Patrick's Day party up in Perrysburg because we were unable to make it to Marysville. This year though, the whole family was able to coordinate schedules and make it possible for all of us get together so the grandkids could all experience the fun with each other. We were very sad that Erich had to work and wasn't able to come, but we've already checked his schedule for next year and we've got it on the calendar so we know for certain he'll be able to be there! Here are a few pictures to give you a glimpse into the lives of the crazy Kelley family.

Our fearless leaders. We love you Grandma and Grandpa!

Will and Uncle Travis

Katie and Uncle Paul

Spencer and Katie

Aunt Shannon and Uncle Travis

Our attempt at a cousin picture. Avery wasn't having it. This is the only shot I got where they were at least all in the frame.

Spencer and Avery. Cousin love!

Grandma, Avery, Aunt Kristen, and Sophia

Karly and Avery

Avery, we hope you always remember that because you have Kelley blood you are an Irish girl at heart... especially on St Patrick's day! I hope someday you look back on your childhood with treasured memories of this holiday, just like your momma does.

Big Girl Bed!

2011-05-15T13:37:00.004-04:00

Shortly after Avery's 2nd birthday, we made the leap and moved her to a new bedroom with a big girl bed. We'd been planning to make the switch for a while, and with the news that the nursery would soon have a new occupant we thought it would be good to go ahead and move Avery so she'd have plenty of time to transition. Avery does not like change and I was bracing myself for a battle. I was envisioning weeks or even months of Erich and I being up in the middle of the night trying to keep her in bed. I anticipated nap time all but disappearing because of the change. Thank you Lord that Avery proved my wrong!! The first night was a little rough. She cried for over two hours and it was a little gut wrenching to hear her saying "I want my crib!" over and over again (told you she doesn't like change). But once she finally fell asleep around 10pm, she slept through the night and that was it. The change was made. From that point on she was excited about her new room and her bed and she never asked for the crib again. She still chooses to sleep in a crib or pack n play when we are at someone else's house (like Grandma and Grandpa's or Nana and Papa's), but she easily transitions right back to her bed when we get home. I think sometimes I don't give the girl enough credit. We're getting ready to tackle potty training in a couple of weeks and I'm having similar apprehensions about how things will go... I'm anticipating a struggle. Let's hope she takes to potty training as easily as she did to this change. I would love to be wrong again!!

The Pilands are Growing!

2011-05-15T13:36:00.005-04:00

Well, this post is about 18 weeks overdue, but that's what morning sickness (all day long), a pinched nerve in the back, and an active toddler will do. We are thrilled to be expecting Piland baby #2 sometime around October 12th, 2011. After several months of hoping and praying, Erich and I were ecstatic to find out we are pregnant on Feb 1st (the day after my birthday). The test was really just confirmation of what we already knew since I had spent several days beforehand experiencing all the textbook symptoms. I've never been so happy to throw up. :) We kept the news to ourselves for a while and then announced to our parents (and called all the siblings by phone) at Avery's birthday party when we were about 10 weeks along. After that we slowly started sharing the news with extended family and friends, so this post is probably no surprise to anyone, but important none the less! We'll find out if baby Piland is a boy or a girl, and most importantly that all is healthy and well, at an ultrasound in a little less than 2 weeks. It will be fun to start talking names and imagining our family of 4 with a little brother or sister. Avery is as excited as a 2 year old can be. She knows there is a baby in my belly and talks about it often. When we ask her if she wants a brother or a sister she says "brother", but when we ask if she wants a boy or a girl she says, "girl". Good to know she won't be disappointed either way! Her best friend Gracie has a 3 week old baby brother, Luke. It has been so fun to watch Avery hug and kiss him and talk about how much she loves him. Let's hope the feelings carry over to her own little sibling!

My pregnancy with Avery was an absolute breeze. I was a little nauseous and tired during the first trimester, but didn't experience anything out of the ordinary the remainder of the pregnancy. Looking back, I wish I had been more appreciative of how smoothly that pregnancy went. So far things have been a little different this time around. The morning sickness was intense (thank you Lord for zofran!) and lasted several weeks longer than I expected. It was quickly followed by lower back, hip, and leg pain that I've been warned will most likely last the remainder of the pregnancy thanks to a pinched nerve. I recently discovered that being in the water really helps so lots of pool time and water aerobics at the Y have been offering some much appreciated relief. I don't want to complain too much though. Every time I feel that little babe moving around and kicking, I'm reminded about the miracle that I get the privilege of being a part of and I thank God for my back ache! Erich has been amazing, as always... taking over many household duties, giving daily back rubs, and making sure he's always nearby to help with Avery when he's not at work. I am a lucky lucky wife!

Here's an outdated ultrasound photo of baby Piland taken at about 9 weeks, looking like a little blob and about 3 cm long. If you look closely you can see the start of arms and legs. If we were to get a glimpse of the baby now, just 10 weeks later, it would look like a fully formed baby... about 6 inches in length. One of God's amazing wonders. We're looking forward to checking in on things at our ultrasound next week and we'll be sure to post updated pictures!

Carousel

2011-05-15T13:19:00.007-04:00

There was a weekend in January that we were scheduled to go visit Nana and Papa in Stow, but I woke up feeling a bit under the weather (more on that later). Not wanting to cancel, Erich offered to take Avery and go ahead with the trip, leaving me at home alone to rest and sleep (Super Dad!). Even though I didn't want to miss out on the fun and especially dreaded the thought of being away from my baby girl, I knew it was the best decision for everybody. Well, miss out on the fun I did! Avery had a GREAT time with Nana and Papa, especially when they took her to a local mall to ride the carousel. She loved it so much that she didn't want to get off. Nana, Papa, and Daddy all took a turn riding it with her... what a loved little girl.

Birthday Girl, Part 2

2011-04-14T07:57:00.009-04:00

Avery's birthday party was pretty low key this year. Just the grandparents and Aunt Nikki up for pizza, cake, and presents. There are a lot of pictures... You can see the joy on Avery's face in every single one. She was THRILLED to have all four of her grandparents in the same place at the same time (and Aunt Nikki too!). She just kept looking back and forth between all of them with a huge grin saying, "Nana! Grandma! Grandpa! Papa!", like it just seemed too good to be true that she was surrounded by all of her favorite people. She was of course spoiled with great gifts that she loves. All of the grandparents graciously contributed items to Avery's new "big girl" room... a cute owl theme. So of course we had to have an owl cake to match, made by Aunt Nikki the cake master. Along with bedroom decor, Avery also received some great toys... like the very loud music set complete with loud cymbals, loud clappers, a loud horn, and a loud drum (thanks for that Mom and Dad. Ahem. Just kidding, she loves it. The headaches are well worth it.) Nana and Papa got her a princess umbrella, something she coveted when cousin Cara received one from Santa at Christmas. She loves it! It was such a great day and a joy to celebrate our daughter with some of the people who love her the most.

opening presents. She got the hang of the cymbals right away and hasn't stopped since :)

cuddles with Grandma

kisses with Nana

showing off the cake with Papa

praying with Grandpa

hugs with Aunt Nikki

pure bliss!

Birthday Girl, Part 1

2011-04-13T22:44:00.004-04:00

This is a much belated update, but important none the less! Our baby turned 2 years old on March 11th. It was a fun day! She started out the morning with a playdate at her little friend Joshua's house. Our friends Matt and Laura were so sweet to have a gift for Avery (a book that has become a beloved favorite in our house) and elmo cupcakes stacked high with red icing... the way straight to Avery's heart! Other than that, we just enjoyed a normal day at home. We had Avery's favorite food for dinner, kraft mac&cheese. After dinner Avery opened a couple of gifts from Erich and I. It was a fun day and I think Avery felt loved. The next day was her birthday party with Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Papa, and Aunt Nikki. That'll be part 2!

It's much easier to clean red frosting off of skin than clothes (although Laura assures me she took all the fun out of it and scraped most of the icing off before letting the kids dig in. Probably a good idea)

Yum!

A cute video of a cute girl. She's talking to Papa on her "phone" (calculator).

Opening gifts with Momma and Daddy. She got the Bambi dvd. She loves it. Someday when she's older she'll figure out it's sad.

Checking out her cool new shades.

A new princess backpack filled with lots of goodies.

Gymnastics

2011-04-13T22:18:00.005-04:00

Once a week, Avery and I go to gymnastics with our friends Lindsey and Grace. I use the term "gymnastics" lightly because it's actually just an open gym time at our local YMCA gymnastics center. There is no formal instruction, they just open the place up for toddlers to run around with parental supervision and explore on all of the equipment. Avery has such a fun time running around with Grace. They love the trampoline, the big pit full of foam blocks for jumping in, the rings, the monkey bars, and rolling around in the "barrel". It's hard to capture any decent pictures because the girls are in constant motion. I apologize that most of these pictures are either blurry or of the back of Avery's head.

Up, Up, and Away

2011-03-23T22:33:00.004-04:00

(I've gotten a little behind on blogging, so forgive me as we backtrack a bit to Valentine's Day.)

On Valentine's Day Avery and I were at the grocery store when she laid eyes on the "pretty balloons!" at the check out. We don't usually indulge in impulse buys at the store, but it was Valentine's Day after all. I couldn't resist the opportunity to show my girl a little love, so she picked a balloon and proudly held it the whole way home. Then she held it all the way through dinner. And diaper time. And as she played. She didn't let go of the balloon for a solid two hours. I finally convinced her that it was time for bed and that the balloon would be waiting for her in the morning. She reluctantly let go of the string and we started to head for the stairs. Within 10 seconds, Nellie the cat ran over to the balloon, took one chomp on the ribbon, and the balloon became detached from the weight, resulting in this:

There floats Avery's balloon at the top of our two story vaulted ceiling. Cue the tears. Avery melted down and screamed "My balloon! Too high! My balloon!" until I finally got her upstairs in her room for bed. She continued to whimper and cry all through the night night routine and for a good 20 minutes after she laid down in her crib. It was so sad! Erich got home from work a little while later, after Avery had finally fallen asleep and he wasted no time getting to work on solving the problem. He had to save the day for his littlest valentine!

A ladder, a long pole, and a piece of tape helped Erich get the balloon safely back to ground level. I couldn't bare the thought of Avery's last sight before bed being her special valentine's day balloon out of reach, so we did what any responsible parents would do... we woke her up.

In a foggy groggy sleepy haze, she came downstairs and lit up when she saw Daddy with balloon in hand. Avery's answer to every problem is, "Daddy will fix it!" and she's usually right. Daddy takes care of his girl. He's her hero. He's mine too.

Dear Avery (the time flies edition)

2011-03-11T17:14:00.000-05:00

Dear Avery,

Two years ago today we saw your sweet face for the first time. Happy Birthday sweet girl! You have given us two years of joy, fun, and laughter. Before you were born everyone told me to "enjoy every moment... they grow up so fast". I didn't understand just how true that would prove to be. Minute by minute, you are changing before our eyes. It feels like every day you are surprising your Daddy and me with new words and skills. I remember how thrilled I was when you could respond to my questions with one word answers. It was such a relief to be able to communicate with you and understand what you needed. Now just a few months later, you are carrying on conversations and speaking in sentences. You don't just tell us what you need, you tell us how you are feeling.

You love to cuddle, take care of your stuffed animals and feed your baby doll her bottle. Sometimes when your toys have been especially naughty, you put them in "time out" (I wonder where you learned that concept). You take great pride in assembling your puzzles and lining toys up on the fireplace. You can count to 13 without assistance, you can sing most of the alphabet with some help and you can identify several letters. You can sing quite a few nursery rhymes and songs... but only when you are in the mood. You know the basic colors and shapes. You love to pray. Your favorite shows are still Sesame Street and Yo Gabba Gabba. You've also gotten into the Disney princesses (I've been waiting for this stage! I love Disney movies!) and your current favorite is Snow White. You would watch that movie all day every day if we let you. You seem to understand the plot and you'll shout out "There's the evil bad guy lady!", "There's Snow White! She's so pretty!". You get a kick out of spinning in circles, jumping all over the house, and getting piggy back rides from Daddy.

Speaking of Daddy, whenever you put on a fancy dress or an outfit you are really proud of, you immediately say "Go show Daddy!" and run to him to twirl, sheepishly smile, and seek his approval. It's amazing how in your own little way at 2 years old, you are already asking the question that is in every woman's heart ... "Am I lovely?" Avery, you are. You are so so lovely. And Daddy makes sure you know it every time.

You aren't a baby anymore. You are our little girl. I'll admit I still miss the "baby". Sometimes I go up and rock you in the middle of the night not because you need me, but because I need you. I secretly love it when you are in a silly mood and want to play "like a baby" where you insist that we carry you like a baby, feed you like a baby, and give you your sippy cup like it's a bottle. I know I shouldn't encourage it, but I just can't resist. You are growing taller and thinner and losing your baby chub. Your hair is finally long enough for pig tails and although it's cute as a button, I don't like to do it all too often because it makes you look a year older. I want to bottle you up and hold on to this little toddler stage as long as possible. I miss your baby days, but I'm enjoying you exactly as you are right now. And I'm looking forward to being a part of your life as you continue to grow and change.

Avery, your Daddy and I love you so so much. We can't imagine life without you. Happy 2nd Birthday baby girl!

Love, Momma

Ouch!

2011-02-20T12:53:00.003-05:00

One of the things I love about being a mom is experiencing all of the "firsts"... first smile, first teeth, first words, first steps... it's so much fun to watch and celebrate as Avery achieves those milestones. A couple of weeks ago I learned that not all the "firsts" are fun. First trip to the Emergency Room and first set of stitches... not my idea of a good time. And definitely not Avery's.

Twice a month Avery and I go to MOPS, a local mom's group that meets at our church. The kids get to play in the church nursery while the mom's enjoy a couple hours of hanging out, hearing a guest speaker, eating great food, and connecting with other women who are in the same stage of life. Shortly after the meeting started, a staff member from the nursery came up and put her arm around me. "Sarah, Avery got hurt." Thinking she just needed her mommy to kiss her boo boo, I calmly got up and headed towards the child care area. I think my response wasn't as urgent as expected, so she said, "No Sarah, she really got hurt. She'll be okay, but she's bleeding a lot.". I picked up the pace and quickly found Avery crying in a volunteer's arms with a big gash on her forehead*. It was clear that we'd be making a trip to the hospital so I called Erich, packed up our stuff, and headed to the ER. Erich wasn't able to join us at the hospital because he was very sick and was actually headed to get a chest x-ray at the same time (thankfully it was clear and he is healthy now!).

Waiting 4 hours in a hospital room with a one year old who is missing lunch and missing her nap isn't my idea of a good time. Avery behaved exceptionally well, all things considered. A steady stream of graham crackers, apple juice, and cartoons on tv made things bearable. The actual part where she got the stitches was horrible. She was terrified and in pain and it was excruciating to watch. Thankfully that whole ordeal lasted less than 5 minutes and then we were on our way! We called Daddy and he said he would meet us at Wendy's for a reward of french fries and chocolate frostys for all. I'd say she earned it!

Happy to be out of the hospital and waiting for her ice cream

Thanking God for her french fries and frosty

*For the record, we love our church nursery staff and volunteers! They take excellent care of Avery and the other kids. She was playing, tripped and fell, and hit her head on the corner of a toy. There's nothing they could have done to prevent it and it could just have easily happened at home. She was happy as a clam to return to the nursery at church that weekend!

Pigtails

2011-02-08T09:06:00.003-05:00

Our pretty girl doesn't like to have her hair touched. She doesn't want me to brush it, comb it, put a bow in it, or style it in any way. Her hair is naturally curly and crazy and a little out of control. That's why she's always walking around looking like she just rolled out of bed. I was so excited a few days ago when she had a sudden change of heart and let me give her pigtails! (after bribing her with promises of cheerios and sesame street if she let me do it) She didn't like the actual process, but seemed proud to tote her new hairdo around and surprisingly left them in for the rest of the morning. We are making progress! We tried to get a picture, but Avery doesn't sit still much these days which makes it difficult to get a photo that isn't blurry or of the back of her head as she's running away. This is the only picture I got with a clear shot of the cuteness. She was sad here, but I promise within seconds she was running around happy and proud.

Pretty Girl

2011-01-25T15:20:00.002-05:00

As I was looking through photos to document our Christmas celebrations, I came across this photo (taken by Aunt Nikki) and got a little teary. I don't know what it is about this picture... she's just so sweet! We love her.

Kelley Christmas

2011-01-24T15:42:00.006-05:00

After our Stow visit we packed up and traveled to Marysville to spend a few days at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We somehow found room in our bellies for more great food, room in our car for more generous gifts, and room in our hearts for more family fun! We arrived the day after Christmas, but thankfully we were able to coordinate getting the whole family together that evening which made it feel like Christmas day all over again to me. Avery adores spending time with her cousins and was in heaven having all of them there together. We all had dinner together and then all of the adults and kids opened gifts at the same time. It was a busy, hectic, loud, wonderful, fun time! (Again, we were too spoiled!) The following day we made visits to great Nana K's house and great Grandma and Grandpa Staley's house. Considering Avery was on day 5 of traveling and had been to numerous houses for family visits, she held up very well and was on her best behavior for all the grandparents. The rest of our time in Marysville was spent relaxing and watching classic Christmas specials (Avery's favorites are Rudolph and Frosty. Momma's favorite is Charlie Brown). We love our life in Perrysburg and we know we are where we are meant to be, but it doesn't mean that being away from our families is easy. We cherish every moment that we are able to spend with the ones we love. I adore the role of being the "mom" at Christmas time. Decorating the house, carefully picking out and wrapping the presents, making sure Jesus is talked about more often than santa, starting new traditions in our little family... I love it all. I thought I would do some mourning as my role changed from child to adult in the Christmas happenings. As it turns out, I think I like this side of things more (if that's even possible). However, there's a little part of my heart that will always be my parent's baby girl and walking into their house at Christmas fills a hole that I often forget needs attention. To all of our parents... Nana, Papa, Grandma, and Grandpa... thanks for opening your homes to us and loving us up every moment that we are there. We are so very blessed and thankful.

Cousins! Oliver was trying to get away and Avery refused to sit down. Regardless, it's probably the best picture I've seen of all of them together.

A great family photo of the Kelleys

A great family photo of the Uptons

A not so great family photo of the Pilands (leave it to us)

All of the grandkids got sing-a-ma-jigs in their stockings (except for Avery who already owned one, but she brought hers along for the fun when she heard a rumor the other kids were getting them). When you press their bellies, they sing in harmony. Fun!

Playing with Karly

A visit to Nana K's

A visit to Grandma and Grandpa Staley

Piland Christmas

2011-01-24T14:44:00.005-05:00

Erich, Avery, and I spent Dec 23rd-28th venturing to Stow and Marysville to celebrate Christmas with our families. Our first stop was Nana and Papa's house where we spent a few days having fun with Nana, Papa, Aunt Nikki, Uncle Evan, Aunt Passa, and Cara. It was a full house which was chaotic at times, but such a treat! We wouldn't want it any other way. We spent most of our time dressing the girls in matching outfits, watching them play together, giving them baths together (they loved that), and eating too much food. We were also able to enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebrations with extended family. There were many intense games of Rook, many gifts opened (we were quite spoiled!), and a lot of laughs and silly times.

My favorite moment of our Stow visit was Christmas morning. Before we all started tearing into our gifts, Erich's parents carried on the annual tradition of reading the Christmas story and taking time to focus the family on Christ. Papa was reading the story of Jesus' birth out loud from the Bible, doing his best to stay on track while Avery and Cara ran around the room all wound up and excited about gifts. It appeared as though they were oblivious to the meaning of the moment and didn't have a clue what was going on. That is, until Papa read, "You will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus". Avery's face lit up and she ran out of the room. She quickly returned clutching the baby Jesus figure from the nativity scene and said, "Here Papa! Jesus!". Her little heart is still too young to grasp the enormity of what that little baby came to earth to do for all of us. But she knows his name and she holds him close to her heart. Thank you Lord for my precious girl.

The Texas Pilands in Perrysburg

2011-01-24T14:26:00.004-05:00

The week before Christmas we were excited to have Uncle Evan, Aunt Passa, and cousin Cara come up for a visit. They traveled from Texas to Ohio for the holidays and we loved having them Perrysburg for a couple days of their visit. Cara is about 9 months older than Avery and they play together very well. Lots of hugs, giggling, and shrieking with the occasional fight (sharing is hard) thrown in. We wish we could see them more often! Here are a few pictures from their visit. The girls kept busy chasing each other around and laughing hysterically. They also found time to play the piano, decorate Christmas cookies, and play in the bath. Such fun!

Christmas Morning

2011-01-13T14:20:00.004-05:00

In our house, Christmas is a day, not a date. Santa won't always come to our house on December 25th. We'll be telling our kids that Santa knows our schedule and he'll come when he's sure we'll be home. With Erich's work schedule and out of town traveling to visit both of our families, we've got to do what works. I was a little sad about this at first, but I've adjusted and now it's exciting. This year we celebrated Christmas at home on Wednesday the 22nd. I had trouble sleeping the night before because I was so full of anticipation. I couldn't wait for the moment when Avery would walk out of her bedroom and look down the stairs to see the tree all lit up and full of presents just for her. Those Christmas morning memories from my childhood are still so vivid for me and I loved that Avery was about to share in that joy for the first time (although last year was her "1st Christmas", this is the first year she has actually been aware enough to get into it. The girl has some major Christmas spirit). I tell you what, she did not disappoint. As soon as we heard her start to stir in her crib that morning, we went upstairs to get her. Still yawning and stretching and rubbing her eyes, she made her way to the top of the stairs...

Such a sweet girl. She was still a bit sleepy and seemed to be in awe of the whole scene. Erich and I want to carry on a tradition from both of our childhoods... reading the Christmas story together as a family before opening gifts. Santa and presents are very exciting, but keeping our focus on the Hope that came from Heaven in the form of that precious baby is a priority for us as a family. We weren't crazy enough to think that an almost 2 year old would sit still for a Bible reading when there were presents begging to be opened right across the room, so we decided to try and do things more on her level this year and read one of her board books that tells the nativity story beautifully. We were soon put in our place when even that proved to be a challenge. Avery was way too wound up by that point. She ended up reading the book to us (pointing to the pictures and saying "baby Jesus!" every time she saw him) and we called that good enough. We'll try again next year.

Avery telling us about Jesus (reading from an upside down book... she's a genius)

Coloring books galore. Jackpot!

The biggest crayon box I've ever seen (I hear santa scored this for free. Even better)

This was Avery's "main" gift. Her first real baby doll, a cabbage patch! I was probably more excited than she was. The doll is called a "surprise newborn". It comes wrapped up in a green "cabbage" suit and you can't tell the gender until you open it up and reveal a pink or blue diaper (it also comes with a cute little outfit to change into). How fun that it was as much a surprise for us as it was for her. The big reveal showed a pink diaper, so Avery is now the proud momma to "baby Haley" (we stuck with the name on the included birth certificate). Avery carries her everywhere, tucks her into bed at night, rocks her, and gives her a bottle. She is such a nurturer!

Tucking baby Haley into bed. This cradle was mine when I was a little girl. It was made by my Grandpa Staley and I loved passing it on to my baby. Many baby dolls have slept in that cradle! Another handmade gift I was excited for Avery to have was the blanket I crocheted to go in the cradle. I've been wanting to learn and I figured a baby doll sized blanket was a great little starter project.

It was a great Christmas morning at the Piland house. I get pretty choked up when I think about it. I am blessed that God designed me to be Erich's wife and Avery's mom and in moments like this I feel my heart exploding from the love. Even though I know it's all going to fly by too quickly, I can't wait for all the Christmases to come as our little family grows and changes. These memories will be cherished.

Santa Baby

2011-01-13T13:51:00.003-05:00

She was not impressed.

Away in a Manger

2010-12-22T15:18:00.002-05:00

Like many people, Christmas is my favorite time of year. I look forward to getting out the decorations, hanging ornaments on the tree, and playing Christmas music 24/7. I especially cherish my nativity scene decorations (I have a lot) because I love the reminder that in the midst of the family gatherings, tv specials, present wrapping, and Christmas cookies, our focus should truly remain on that precious tiny baby who came to save the world. This is a really fun year to enjoy the holiday with Avery. She's at just the right age to grasp the concept of Christmas, santa, presents, and baby Jesus. Baby Jesus has definitely been her focus this month. She has a few different nativity toys of her own and loves to hold the baby from each one, giving him lots of hugs and kisses of course. Here's a video of Avery enjoying her little people nativity. Dancing with gusto, such a sweet sight. (I love that she doesn't notice the camera until the very end)

Thanksgiving

2010-12-22T14:45:00.005-05:00

Erich had to work on Thanksgiving this year, so Avery and I packed up and headed to Stow to celebrate with our Piland family. Although Erich was missed, it was a great visit with Nana, Papa, and Aunt Nikki. On Thursday we enjoyed a wonderful meal with many members of the extended family. Avery had an especially fun time playing with Brandon, Aunt Pam's grandson. They were partners in crime and spent most of the day chasing each other in circles around the house.

Avery and Brandon hiding under the table

Making a Thanksgiving craft with Momma

Aunt Sue, Brandon, and Nana working on their crafts.

Erich had the day off on Friday and we just couldn't stand the thought of him missing out on a turkey dinner! It just so happened that a few of his college friends who live in the area were all going to be in town that day with no plans, so we hosted a Thanksgiving "after party". It was a BLAST! We prepared a turkey and a few appetizers. Our friends all came equipped with their holiday leftovers, desserts, and sides. Josh came over a few hours early and whipped up a couple of delicious turkey pot pies. We had more food than we knew what to do with. It was a full house with all of the bros, their wives, and children. Avery was pleased to have 4 little kids to play with (all of them younger than her. She likes to be the boss), especially newborn baby Amelia (who was just over a week old at the time). After we finished dinner the kids all went to bed and the adults had a great time playing Wii games until midnight. It's difficult sometimes to live away from our families, but nights like this remind us that we have a wonderful community of loved ones here in the Perrysburg area. We have much to be thankful for, indeed.

Avery checking out Daddy's turkey. Eeew

The bros (minus a couple who have moved out of the area). Bryan, Matt, Erich, Ben, and Josh.

Trick or Treat!

2010-12-09T12:02:00.005-05:00

Although last year was Avery's "first" halloween, this was the first year that she was actually aware of what was going on and could get into the fun. She was hesitant about the costume at first, but she soon figured out that people gave her candy when she was wearing it and she was more than happy to oblige. She made a very cute ladybug! We went with some friends to "Little Boo at the Zoo" and downtown Perrysburg's toddler time trick or treat (where the downtown shops and restaurants hand out candy to cutie kids). The highlight was definitely trick or treat in our neighborhood. Not only was it a first for Avery, but it was a first for me! Growing up out in the country we didn't have any kids knocking on the door at Halloween (we had to drive in to town to go trick or treating ourselves), then I spent several years living in dorms and apartments, then I married Erich who owned a house in an alleyway off of a main road... not a prime location for kids seeking treats. I was excited when we moved into this subdivision because it would be my first opportunity to hand out candy to trick or treaters! It was a fun night, but sadly it was also the coldest day of the year so far so we didn't last super long outside. Avery went around to a few of the neighbors houses and yelled "trick or treat" with pride. She then enjoyed sorting through her loot, taking it in and out of her bucket over and over while we handed out candy to the other kids. It was a fun night (which ended with some punk teenages stealing the rest of our candy while we stepped inside to put Avery to bed, but we knew were taking the risk by leaving the bowl unattended).

Avery and her friend Grace at the zoo... always holding hands everywhere they go. Two cute ladybugs!

I'm thankful for my MOPS group because of some of the great friends I've made. 5 of us met up for Little Boo at the Zoo. Here are all the kids lined up in their strollers. Avery is the one with her head buried in the pumpkin bucket.

Pretty girl getting ready for our neighborhood trick or treat

Checking out her candy with Daddy

Heading out to the neighbors' to charm them for some treats

It got really cold so we had to cover up the cute costume with her winter coat. She loved taking the candy in and out of her bucket.

Grandmother's Tea Party

2010-12-09T11:19:00.008-05:00

A few months ago my sister, Shannon, came up with a wonderful idea. She wanted to host a tea party for the ladies of the family and had two special guests in mind... our grandmothers. Shannon went all out and it felt like we were attending a high noon tea fit for a queen! The decor was beautiful, the food delicious, and it was such a special moment to have 4 generations of women sitting around the same table together ranging in age from 3 months to 92 years. Shannon had come up with questions for everyone to take turns answering such as, "What was your favorite outfit as a girl?", "What is one of your favorite things about your mother?", "Where is the farthest place you've traveled to?", "What is a favorite Bible verse or Bible Story?", and many more. It was a special treat to hear all of the answers, especially soaking in what Grandma Staley and Grandma Kelley had to say. Avery had a great time. Although she was a little young to grasp the concept, I will love telling her about this special memory when she is older. Her cousins, Katie and Karly, are the perfect age to enjoy a tea party and were cute as could be answering each of the questions. This was a day that will be cherished in my heart forever.

Cousins Karly, Katie, and Avery enjoying the tea party "pre party". I promise we didn't coordinate their outfits, but they sure looked cute together.

Shannon's beautiful table set up. I envy her party hosting skills.

All of the ladies together

What a fun day!

A New Comfort Zone...

2010-11-09T20:21:00.006-05:00

(from Erich)

I recently returned from La Ceiba, Honduras. I accompanied 17 other team members on a 9 day mission trip. About a third of us had health-care backgrounds and served in the medical clinic. Others served in the children's nutrition clinic or in the local neighborhoods building houses. Such an incredible experience and so humbling to serve amidst such a beautiful culture.

As a nurse I was stretched to serve beyond what I'm accustomed to in the critical care setting. Most of the patients we saw were children. God blessed me with a heart to serve these wonderful people and I quickly got over my hesitancy to work with a population outside my expertise. God filled me up as he showed me the importance of being Christ outside the United States. I made several wonderful friends and I can't say enough about how good God was to our entire team during this lifetime experience.

Apple Orchard

2010-10-25T10:42:00.005-04:00

A couple of weeks ago we took our first family visit to pick apples at MacQueen's Apple Orchard. Avery loved picking tomatoes off the vine in our garden this summer and would often call them "apples" (close enough), so we knew this experience would be right up her alley. What a great time! The smallest amount of apples we had the option of picking was a half bushel. Wow, that's a lot of apples. Avery has been eating apples with almost every meal. We've been enjoying homemade apple pie, apple dumplings, and applesauce. I think I'm done with apples until we return next year, but what a fun day it was! (Please don't mind Avery's crazy hair. She got a haircut shortly after this and is looking cuter than ever!)

26.2x3= A trip to Stow!

2010-10-25T09:11:00.005-04:00

The next adventure for Avery and I while Erich was in Honduras was a visit to Stow. As always, Avery loved visiting with Nana, Papa, and Aunt Nikki, but this trip was extra special because Uncle Evan, Aunt Passa, and cousin Cara were visiting from Houston. They flew in from Texas specifically so that Evan, Nikki, and Uncle Jerry (Avery's great uncle) could achieve their goal of running the Akron Marathon together. Although they don't see each other often, Avery and Cara took to one another right away and became best buds (with the occasional fight thrown in. Sharing is hard). We had a great time being spectators at the race and are so proud of all three of our runners! It was a great visit and once again, we were only sad that Erich had to miss out on the fun. We know he was exactly where God needed him to be.

At the race, the girls started out sitting comfortably in their strollers

Then they got a little restless and occupied themselves with books, stickers, and stamps

Then they got really restless and started climbing like monkeys

Cara checking out her Daddy's medal after the race.

Congrats Uncle Jerry, Nikki, and Evan! They all came in within about 6 minutes of each other and had a great time.

A Stow visit wouldn't be complete without a Nikki cake. I can't get over her talent!

The girls had a great time playing in the bath. Not the best picture of Avery, but the only one I could crop appropriately for public viewing :)

As always, we had a great visit with our Piland family and were especially grateful to spend time with Evan, Passa, and Cara. We can't wait to see them again at Christmas!

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming...

2010-10-24T23:46:00.005-04:00

This is completely random and way out of the chronological order of the other blog posts, but Erich has been asking me to post it for quite some time now and I keep forgetting. Maybe we have a twisted sense of humor and I apologize if you don't find this photo funny at all, but we crack up every time we look at it. Here's the story... several months ago (May?) Avery and I were visiting the zoo with our friends Lindsey and Grace. Avery got bucked by a goat in the petting zoo. I saw it happen... in a split second she got bucked, fell to the ground, looked at me like "what on earth just happened", and then stood right back up and started chasing after another goat to pet. She seriously wasn't affected by it at all. I checked her out when we got home and I was shocked that she didn't have a scratch or a bruise on her because it looked like she got hit really hard. So anyway, when it happened I said, "Lindsey! Did you just see that?? Avery just got rammed by a goat!". Lindsey replied that she had been busy taking a photo of Grace and had missed the whole thing. I completely forgot about it and we went on with our day. That night, Lindsey emails me this photo...

Look closely. You can click on the photo to enlarge it.

It's only funny because nobody got hurt!

Birthday Bash

2010-10-24T18:24:00.006-04:00

Erich recently spent 10 days in Honduras on a mission trip through our church. He has agreed to take over the blogging reigns and write a post about his experience soon. We are so proud of him for stepping out of his comfort zone and serving the people of La Ceiba, but we sure did miss him while he was gone! To pass the time while he was away Avery and I traveled to Marysville and Stow to visit all of her grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. Our first stop was Marysville and we were excited to be able to participate in my Dad's 60th birthday celebration. He decided that for his birthday gift he wanted to get all of his family under one roof and treat us all to dinner. It seems a little backwards that he wanted to take us out to eat for HIS birthday, but we can't complain! Sadly, Erich had to miss out because of his trip, but Mom and Dad were sweet enough to take us out to dinner on a recent visit to Perrysburg to make up for it. (That means Avery and I got to double dip!) Thanks Mom and Dad! It was so fun to watch Avery playing with her cousins. Mom and Dad rented a room at the restaurant so the kids would be free to roam and mom put together a basket full of toys and activities to occupy them while we were waiting for the food. Genius mom! It was a wonderful night complete with a tornado warning and the world's best cream puffs. Happy Birthday Dad, and thanks for a great night!

Avery and Grandma (and Karly peaking in there)

coloring and clutching a new doll makes for a very happy girl

The kids enjoying the activity table

Uncle Paul and Uncle Travis corralling kids

Spencer, Katie, and Karly thought it was hilarious to cover me with rubber spiders. Sophia and I weren't so sure.

Pretty sisters and cutie Sophia

Our best attempt at a photo of all the cousins. Avery was less than cooperative.

Happy Birthday Dad. I would get all sappy and talk about how much we love and appreciate you, but I could never do it justice. There just aren't words. All I can say is, thank you.

Snapshots of Summer (part 2)

2010-10-24T13:47:00.003-04:00

A collection of random cute moments from the last few months that I don't want to forget...

Avery showing off her "princess poncho" that she loves so much. Originally handmade by Aunt Shannon for cousin Karly and then lovingly handed down to us (along with many other clothes. Thanks Aunt Shannon!)

Proud to show off her belly button any chance she gets. She also loves to show off mommy's belly button, especially in public. It's not pretty and it's somewhat difficult to find... I'd like to apologize to the general public at this time.

One of the things we love most about our new home is it's location. We are situated in a beautiful neighborhood with less than a five minute walk to the ymca (where we spend time several days a week), the elementary school that Avery will attend, and a beautiful park with a very impressive playgroud. We have walked to the park almost daily when the weather has been nice and Avery now feels as if she owns the place... often telling the other kids what they can and can't do and what pieces of equipment are HERS... especially the slides. We've been working hard on manners!

After an energetic morning, Avery fell asleep in her highchair at lunch time. You can't see it, but she still has her last bite of food clutched in her hand. We keep attributing it to a growth spurt, but Avery has been sleeping a ton for the past couple months. She usually sleeps 12-14 hours at night and then for 2 or 3 hours in the afternoon. I love to sleep, so she might take after her momma.

Riding the Toledo Zoo carrousel with her friend Grace. Forget the animals, the carrousel has become Avery's favorite zoo attraction (the gorillas and the elephants are a close second).

Ready to work in the garden with Daddy. Thanks to our friend Ethel for her very own gardening gloves and tools!

Avery's first boat ride. She was a little nervous at first but within a few minutes was loving everything about it. Such a fun experience.

channeling her inner Ralphie with her hooded pink bunny towel (please tell me you've seen "A Christmas Story"). I love this picture of Avery and Daddy.

On the nights that Erich is home from work before she goes to bed, Avery and Daddy have a routine of giving eachother "night night kisses" through the slats of the stair railing as she climbs her way up to the bedroom. I love this face. She gives the best kisses.

Home sweet home

2010-10-24T12:21:00.005-04:00

When Erich and I decided to "test the waters" and put our house on the market in the late spring/early summer, we didn't exactly know what to expect. We weren't under any pressure to sell and move, we just knew that interest rates were low and now was as good a time as any to see what would happen. Well, we were a little shocked when we had an accepted offer before the for sale sign even went in the yard. The very first person to come through our home is the one who ended up buying it. Within 10 days we went from "no harm in trying, let's just see if there's any interest" to "holy cow we just sold our house and have nowhere to go". The next month was kind of a blur. There was the stress of endless paperwork, the anticipation of waiting to hear that our buyer's loan got approved (that's a story for another time), and the excitement of going through houses. After much searching, we stepped foot into a house that felt like home. We could picture raising our family there. It was... us. After the roller coaster ride of offers and counter offers and negotiating and "oh wait, did our buyer's loan get approved yet?" and "oh wait, you mean appliances aren't included?", etc, it all worked out. It was almost exactly 6 weeks from the day we put our house up for sale to the day we were sleeping under a new roof. We were overwhelmed during the entire whirlwind experience by how clearly God was showing himself to us. We felt His guidance, His provision, and His protection on our family. This was a major financial decision and looking back over our summer, we are amazed at all of the ways God provided for us. We know that our value is not in our "stuff" and that in the end, the size of our house, the quality of our countertops, and the height of our ceilings don't matter at all. But we are grateful for the home God has put us in and we will do our best to honor Him with it. Even after being here for a few months, Erich and I will still look at each other often and say, "Can you believe we're allowed to live here?".

There is a part of my heart that will always stay at 226 East 3rd. I met my future husband for the first time in that living room. I went from visiting my boyfriend's house to living in my home. It's where we brought our baby home from the hospital and it's the nursery where I rocked her night after night. It was the perfect house for Erich as a single man, the perfect house for us newlyweds, and the perfect house for our small family. Even though we knew it was time to go, that didn't make it easy to leave. But thankfully, after a week or so in the new house we felt right at home. We're still working out the kinks, unpacking the last boxes, and trying to decide where to hang the pictures, but make no mistake... it's home. And it's perfect.

Saying goodbye to 226...

and hello to 1810

Moving day! We were blessed to have the help of friends and family. Thanks guys!

Erich did a great job driving the huge moving truck. Here he is on his way to take all of our belongings to our new home (thankfully, only about 2 miles away)

While my mom and I were unpacking the kitchen Avery kept coming in and out to "help". A little while later we walked into the living room and found her lining everything up on the fireplace. She was very proud that she helped unpack!

the kitchen

our favorite part of the house... the finished basement

The first time I walked into Avery's new room I cried. The walls were painted the same color as her old nursery, so it was familiar, but it was also more than twice the size. Her room at the old house was truthfully more of a large closet than a bedroom. It worked great for our newborn baby, but there was definitely no space for her to do anything besides sleep in that room. We feel so blessed that our new house has room for us to grow our family and space for Avery to grow from a baby to a girl. She's still a little young, but with a bedroom big enough to house toys and with plenty of floor space, I look forward to the day she can play in her room and have a space of her own.

You Can Close Your Eyes

2010-09-10T23:00:00.001-04:00

Dear Avery,

You are an 18 month old bundle of energy these days. Our baby is now a toddler. Talking more and playing harder. You are a rough and tumble girl! You like to run, jump, spin in circles, be thrown high in the air, be tickled, tackle your parents, and the list goes on. I have so much fun with you during our days together. But today I wanted to tell you about my favorite time with you... bedtime. You go to bed every night around 7pm or so. Every once in a while, your Daddy takes on this task to give me a little break, and I share it with him because I know it's good for you both to have that special time together. However, most nights the bedtime routine falls to me and I eat up every single minute of it. We change your diaper and put on your "jammies" then, if Daddy is home from work, you give him lots of night night hugs and kisses. We are very fortunate that 95% of the time you don't put up a fight about going to bed. You almost seem excited about it and very happily say "night night!" to Daddy and all of your toys. Except of course for the toys that go to bed with you and let me tell you, that list is growing. In fact, it's getting a little out of control. You used to take your beloved "Cubbie" (teddy bear) and "blankie" to bed with you. Somehow over the past couple of months the party in your crib has gotten bigger and you will NOT fall asleep until you have Cubbie, Blankie, Elmo, and Dolly. This is where we've drawn the line, although you often try to gather up every single stuffed animal you own in your arms and climb up the stairs to your room. Nice try.

Once we get upstairs we get situated in the rocker with your four little friends. Then comes my favorite part... you lay your head down on my shoulder and softly say, "sing?" and I sing you a song. As soon as it ends, you say, "sing?" and I sing you another song. This would go on for hours if you had your way. I like to think it's because you are so soothed by your momma singing to you, but I know better... I'm certain it's because you know that as soon as the singing stops you have to go in your crib and you'd like to prolong the inevitable. Regardless, we do this for 10 or 15 minutes singing song after song. Our little concerts usually include a variety of Disney songs, Show Tunes, old standards, and hymns/praise songs. Every single night we sing: "Stay Awake" a lullaby from Mary Poppins, "Close Your Eyes" my favorite James Taylor song, and "Jesus (There's just something about that name)" which is my favorite old hymn. Other frequent songs include "Baby Mine", "Someone to Watch Over Me", "My Favorite Things", "Edelweiss", "I See the Moon", "Lavender Blue", "Something Beautiful", "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes"... I could go on. After we finish singing we say a night night prayer. Without prompting you fold your hands and close your eyes and at the end you say "AMEN!" with gusto. Then I lay you in your crib, cover you with your blankie, and say my own little prayer thanking God for the gift of YOU as I walk out of the room.

Any tantrums, defiant moments, and rough spots of the day completely fade away during our 15 minute bedtime routine. That busy toddler who was running circles around me earlier in the day is suddenly a baby in my arms again for a brief moment and I cherish every second of it because I know sooner or later you aren't going to want to to sit on my lap and hear me sing. Soon enough these everyday moments will just be memories. And oh, what wonderful memories they will be.

Love you, Momma

Bedtime with Daddy and all of her required cribmates. Oh, and the gardening glove she refused to take off her hand.

Circles

2010-09-10T17:13:00.003-04:00

Snapshots of Summer

2010-08-21T16:44:00.006-04:00

As I mentioned earlier, this summer has been a whirlwind for us. In the months of June and July we sold our house, bought a new house, packed up and moved across town. I'll cover all of that in another post, but thought I'd share a few random pictures of what Avery has been up to in the midst of all the boxes and chaos. As usual, she has provided us with countless fun memories as we've enjoyed the small things together this summer...

Enjoying popsicles with Grace on a hot day

Those baby tears are the result of mean mommy confiscating the pen that did this damage:

Avery is getting taller by the minute and we don't always remember to accommodate for her ever increasing reach. Note to self, she can now reach the pen on the computer desk if she gets up on her tip toes.

walking in momma's shoes

Avery is learning how to eat with a spoon. She refuses to let us help her and wants to do it all by herself which results in three messy meals each day. She sure is proud of herself!

Our adventurous girl driving a "big kid" toy at a family cookout (with Daddy's help, thank goodness!)

Helping Daddy tend to the garden. She loves picking the "apples" (tomatoes)

Cook Forest

2010-08-19T21:45:00.004-04:00

Over the 4th of July weekend we travelled to Cook Forest State Park in PA for a mini vacation with Nana, Papa, and Aunt Nikki. Summer trips to Cook Forest were a family tradition for the Piland family growing up, so this was a very nostalgic visit for Erich. He enjoyed reminiscing and sharing memories from his childhood visits. It's also a special place for Erich's parents, as Erich's dad grew up spending lots of time there as a boy and it's where they spent their honeymoon. I had a great time being a part of this fun family tradition! And Avery was in heaven with endless attention from family and so many fun things to keep her busy. It was a short visit, but we managed to squeeze in horse back riding, inter-tubing down the Clarion River (my favorite!), going out for a nice dinner, swimming in the hotel pool, hiking, and climbing the fire tower (a very tall, very old, very rickety tower used to keep a look out for forest fires back in the day). I can't wait to go back someday soon to experience more of Cook Forest. What a great trip!

This thing called life

2010-08-19T20:43:00.004-04:00

I logged on to the blog tonight with the overwhelming task of trying to get caught up on the happenings of the Piland household. Is it really possible that the last posting in our little corner of the internet is dated July 13th?? I can't believe it's been over a month since I've shared pictures and updates, and even more than that... I can't believe how much has happened in such a short time. Avery is 17 months old now and has more personality than ever. She is a true daredevil and has yet to show an ounce of fear. She will literally try anything and is happiest if she is jumping off furniture, spinning around on the office chair as fast as possible, or riding down the steep slope of the driveway in her toy car shouting "weeeee" with her hands up in the air. We just know this girl is going to love Cedar Point someday! Along with a sense of adventure, she is also showing a sweet sensitivity. She takes great care of her dolls and stuffed animals, chases Nellie down to love her with hugs and lots of petting, and best of all she is constantly handing out hugs and kisses to her momma and daddy... and we gladly give them back. She is talking more and more, eating almost anything we put in front of her (broccoli and strawberries are the current favorites), and loves playing outside. She is really big into music right now and frequently will stop what she is doing, climb up on my lap, rest her head on my shoulder and say "sing?". That melts my heart into a big puddle on the floor. She is my favorite audience and I'll sing for her anytime she wants! While I get most of the cuddles, right now Daddy is her favorite toy. She loves getting horse back rides, piggy back rides, shoulder rides, and tackling him to the ground. Erich makes her laugh harder than anything I've seen and watching the two of them together is priceless. Although we've been busy, this is a blessed and happy season at the Pilands. Prepare to get blasted with several photo updates as I get us caught up to present time here on Piland Pages!

But first, a little sweetness for your day...