Cheese Face

Avery has become a master of the cheese face.  I ask her to smile nice and the smile just gets even more ridiculous. What can you do?  Looks like we will have lots of photos with Avery looking like she is in pain for the unforeseeable future!

Avery and her cheese face at preschool.  She is spraying snow with colored water.

We had a fantastic visit from my folks.  They came in on Tuesday and left today.  They were able to take A to preschool and gymnastics and we even went to the turf for some rambunctious time.  They took Avery shopping for some early Christmas presents and built a gingerbread house.  They even convinced her to get a real haircut at a salon. She got some hair bling tied in as well as a bribe, but it fell out (her hair is too fine). Sam and I got out most of yesterday leaving the 3 of them up to their own devices.  She apparently told them at bedtime she HAD to sleep with them.  When asked why she said she had to because they were leaving tomorrow :(  She misses all her grandparents!  Today was hard.  She was whiny and misses them.  Even though they spent most of today in town stuck at the airport waiting for their flight to sneak out in between weather! They made it out and lucky they did too because they are calling for 14 inches of snow by tomorrow evening.  I like snow, but I am starting to feel like I am getting snowed in.  Not all parts of Juneau are like this, but because we live within 2 or so miles of the glacier we are just a tad colder and the snow is sticking around.

Cheese face showing off her new hair do and hair bling.  The bling is the pink tinsel.  Her hair just naturally looks highlighted.

 Avery is VERY excited about Christmas.  I was hoping she would sit on Santa's lap this year, but our first attempt was a fail. If I can figure out how to get my scanner to work I will get this years Santa visit attempt up here.  Sam is scheduled to be off so it should be a nice little holiday for us.  Avery's big gift is a little lame, we got her a twin bed and I made her a quilt.  But, she wants a cat really really bad.  Santa will definitely have to work his magic with that wish!

Happy Turkey Day!

First, wow has it really been nearly 2 months since I sat down and blogged?  We have been busy and I have been crafting away, so yeah it has been awhile.  Thanksgiving is tomorrow and we have a lot to be thankful for.  We have a beautiful home in a great small town and we have wonderful family and friends.  We are healthy and happy and have an awesome little girl who is really excited about life and curious as heck about the world around her. We are truly grateful and thankful and very content at the moment.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Have a wonderful weekend :)

Winter is Coming

It really is coming, everything is dying and the rain and winter chill has started. Well, the rain never went anywhere, but it is starting to feel gloomier and our days are shortening.  Avery turned 3 last week.  We had a small party with a few of her friends.  She was thoroughly spoiled and had a blast.  It was a good week.  She also brought cupcakes to preschool and they all sang to her there. 

My inlaws were here for a short visit and Avery loves having company.  She loves her grandparents and had so much fun.  We get to see them again in just a week along with lots of friends as we are heading to CO for a week of fun.  Sam has been busy with work and I have been busy with the house.  Finishing the trim really sucks and tedious and slow work, but slowly the house is coming together.  A fence should be going up in the next week to contain our mutts, this will make life with dogs much less annoying.  Preschool for Avery is fun.  My "job" on the board is a lot more work than I expected, but I am getting to know quite a few people and that is nice.  I left Avery at school for the first time yesterday and it was awful.  She pitched a giant screaming/punching/kicking fit.  I got a phone call 10 minutes later that she calmed down and was playing.  She was totally fine when I picked her up.  I know tomorrow will most likely be the same story.  She has already told me today: "I will cry when you leave me at preschool tomorrow, but one day I will be brave at preschool and I wont cry, but tomorrow I will cry when you leave me at preschool."  She often speaks in run on sentences.

 

Avery's 3 year check up was our best to date.  She actually let her doctor examine her!  This is huge!  She was 26 pounds even, which puts her in the 10th percentile and was 34 3/4 inches tall putting her in the 25th percentile.  Finally, after 2 1/2 years of being at 0 for weight we are on the chart and the doctor is satisfied and happy with our 5 pound weight gain over the past year.

Other than that we are starting to get excited for winter and the holidays!

and we have a preschooler!

So today was Avery's first day at preschool.  She did pretty good considering I had to stay.  I think she is often better behaved when I am not around.  It was just half her class today, the other half went on Tuesday. Next week all 20 kids will be there and from what I heard of the Tuesday class it is going to be rowdy.  There are LOTS of boys! I have to go with Avery until she turns 3 so she is stuck with my through the next 2 weeks, then she can start going on her own.  I hope it will be a smooth transition for both of us.

Avery eating her yummy breakfast!  Cinnamon rolls are her favorite :)

Avery all ready to go!  The first of many 1st day of school photos on our porch!

Avery with Miss Angie at the science center, they were playing with magnets and sand.

Miss Sheila explaining the rules of Duck Duck Goose.  They kind of got it ;)

It was a fun day.  I definitely think Avery will thrive in the environment once she gets her head wrapped around their schedule and way of doing things.

Big Week in the Making

Avery playing dress-up with a new classmate at the open house :)

Avery will be starting preschool!  I can't believe it, but in my heart I know she is ready. Luckily I have chosen a cooperative so I get to be a big part of the process.  I was also talked into a board position so I will get to be really involved. It's going to be fun.  She will start this Thursday and then will go T/TH's for 3 hours.  The preschool has a play-based learning philosophy and we love the teachers, the set up and the school.  We think she is going to have a blast and I can be present as much as she and I need me to be. 

Other than that.  We have just been crazy busy.  I am on a major purge binge.  We have little storage in our new place so things we don't use or need have to go! Sam has been working a lot.  He has been back and forth between Juneau and Haines and Skagway, so he is busy busy busy.  His cousin Courtney was here doing an externship for a couple weeks with Smith Equine and the small animal practice Sam works for.  Avery adored her and definitely wore her out :)

I am still in denial I am going to have a 3 year old here in a couple weeks.  How has it been that long?

August!

It has been a pretty busy couple of weeks for us.  We closed on our house! We are mostly unpacked and need a couple more pieces of furniture, but we are finally feeling settled and comfortable!

We have had quite a bit of company!  First, my FIL, Tony, and his girlfriend, Kit, came for a quick visit. We had to scramble, but we were unpacked for the most part before they arrived.  Avery adored Kit right from the get go just like the last time we saw her and she was a little shy right off with Grandpa, but it didn't take long for her to warm up.

Grandpa Smith reading to Avery!

She had fun playing kitty and wolfy with Kit.  It did take a few days for Avery to come out of her role as a wolf after they left...  It was a great visit and we hope to see them again soon!  

Sam and Tony at Nugget Falls

 

Avery and Kit watching a duck (it went under for a minute).

Next, Avery got to meet her Great Grandma Lil!  Lucky us!  It was a short 3 day trip, but Avery and GG Lil hit it off right away.  It was a wonderful visit and I am so glad that we got to spend some time with her.

"Super me to the rescue!"

"

playing out at the Shrine of Saint Therese

The weather was not great for her visit. We did make it out to the shrine one afternoon :)  It was so cute how they connected! 

Now, Sam's cousin, Courtney, is in town. She is a vet student in Texas that is up here doing an externship with Sam and the practice Sam works for.  They are currently up in Haines, AK doing some horse work.  She is here until the 25th!

Then we have a bit of a break.  Avery will start preschool and then Sam's mother and Rick will be here near Avery's birthday.  I can't believe she will be 3 in just over a month!  It is going WAY too quickly!

a sunny morning on our back deck.

best recipe EVER!

Okay so I don't really consider myself a good cook.  I can follow a recipe really well and I usually succeed with baking.  I have attempted not using a recipe a few times and it has ended in basically feeding the trash.  I made a carrot layer cake for a dinner party the other night and it was flippin' fantastic.  Like better than any carrot cake I have ever had, including Rock Bottom Brewery's carrot cake and Whole Foods' carrot cake.  I have to share this awesome recipe!

Carrot Cake

The cake:

• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 oz can crushed pineapple (drained)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
• 3 cups grated carrots

The frosting:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (make sure it is soft enough)
• 8 oz  cream cheese, softened (make sure it is soft enough)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

 Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans.
2.) In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, sugars, vanilla and pineapple. Mix in flour, baking soda. baking powder, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg. Stir in carrots. Pour into prepared pans.
3.) Bake in the preheated oven about 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let pans cool for 10-15 minutes on a baking rack, the turn and remove cakes from pan and cool on wire racks until completely cool.  Cool them completely!  Don't even make the frosting until they are cooled!

4.) Frosting: combine butter, cheese and vanilla until smooth.  Slowly beat in sugar.  Beat until smooth.  Frost your cake and top with pecans :)

Enjoy and be ready to want to make another!

settling in

It is long story that has way to much to it to explain, but we were able to move into the house before we actually close.  We should be closing in the next week or so!  They still have a few small things and a few larger things to finish before we can do that, but things are getting done.  The last 2 interior doors were put in and remaining trim was finished late this afternoon.  We are still waiting on our actual kitchen counter tops to be installed along with a handful of other things to be done. It is frustrating (as we are now officially 1 week late), but happy to be about 95% unpacked at this point.  Avery is loving her bedroom and going to sleep and sleeping in there all night!  We are on night 3 of this routine and I am in shock at how well she transitioned.  So awesome to have some chill time with Sam for the first time in a long time.

I'll get some pictures up eventually.  Things still aren't done all the way.  But, after pestering GCI 3 days in a row, they finally got it together and got us set up and we got a free month out of the deal since they were being ridiculous and a huge hassle to deal with.

Kowee Creek Trail

  

 Yesterday we decided to head all the way out the road to hike a new trail.  Kowee Creek (pronounced: Cow-ee)  It was around mile 38 of Glacier Hwy and the trail was only about a mile until it ends at a T going one way to dead end at the creek and the other to a massive field of wild flowers that is part of Echo Ranch.  There was a road we walked along boarding the massive wildflower field and we walked that for another mile or so.  Avery can only really tolerate 1 1/2 to 2 hours of hiking so we opted to turn back after 2 miles.

Avery hiking.

 The trail followed a beautiful creek with gorgeous light blue clear water.  There were quite a few people fishing.  We were ready for bears, we saw nothing but a LOT of poop and one foot print. It is July and that means berries are ripening. We got to snack on fresh blueberries along the way.  Avery thought this was VERY cool.  

blueberry bush!

 Wild Iris

Sitka Burnet

We are have been searching for chocolate lilies and unfortunately we still have not found any.  I think we may have missed them this year.  We did find some beautiful flowers.  So many wild iris, fireweed, Alaska cotton, Lupine and so many more.

Wilson in a field of Wild Iris

 We all had a great time.  The drive was a little long because of construction, but it was sunny and beautiful!  The dogs are taking the day off.  They had a busy week and I think poor Wilson is sore.  Getting old sucks sometimes :(

Fishing in the Rain