Young Life pre-Halloween party

Last night we had a pre-halloween party with our Young Life kids and Avery got to dress up in her very first Halloween costume! We love our little pumpkin! We were going to wait until tonight to take pics of her but she was just too cute and the YL kids couldn't get enough of her. This outfit was a hand-me-down from someone and we're so grateful to be able to use it. We actually put it on her 3 weeks ago when my mom was visiting (so she wouldn't miss a thing!) and it fit fine. Today the bottom snaps don't close :-) Our girl is definitely growing!

My daddy went shopping and all I got was....

This AWESOME hat!! How cute am I? It turns out that daddy has really good taste in baby clothes. He always picks the cutest outfits for Avery and recently he saw this hat (with matching gloves) and brought it home. We both cracked up when we put it on her, so adorable. Now every day Guy says to me- "is it cold enough outside for the hat??" Too bad it's been in the mid-70's still here :-) I swear he'd have her wearing it with shorts if he could! It will be cold soon enough and you'll be seeing more pictures of the hat...

Avery's first visit to the Pumpkin Patch!

We've had Guy's parents in town this weekend and it's been a lot of fun. Avery loves bonding with her Nana and Papa Valenzona- she's been all smiles and coos. Saturday was a big adventure as we headed out to a pumpkin patch near our house. I think we all were more excited for the outing- Avery was probably wondering what all the fuss was about as we busted out our camera and videos. Nana and Papa found some great pumpkins to add to our front doorstep and Christie and Nana had fun acting like kids in the pumpkin patch! Check out our Pumpkin fun...

Avery's first dedication

Last Sunday we had an opportunity to have Avery dedicated in front of our community of friends at the church in San Francisco where Guy and I met and had attended for many years. It was a special time with friends coming together who have been part of our lives for the many years we were both in the City- friends from church, work, triathlon, and even some SF and Marin Young Life kids. Making the time even more special was that dear friends, Tom and Jen Kindle, happened to be in town and were able to be at the dedication. Jen, Tom and I were in Bible study together for 4 years and Tom introduced both Jen and I to Young life. Jen blessed us by reading from Psalm 139- words we hope will become an encouragement to Avery as she grows. We are also excited to be heading home in the days before Thanksgiving to have another special dedication for Avery before all of our extended family. Our baby girl is so special to us- double dedication!

Hurley baby...

As Avery continues to grow like a weed, we're trying to keep up with getting her in all the cute outfits we've been given. The other day we put on the adorable Hurley Baby outfit she got from my cousin Melissa. Avery seemed to get into character a bit- check out that face!! Kind of a "what's up with you?" look. Ha! Then she just put her head down and gave me that sweet look. Too cute! The other outfit we put on is a darling long-sleeve with matching hat, covered in roses. She loves that too! As you can see, Avery still loves her tummy time, but seems to get bored easily on her tummy and now wants to crawl. She is starting to scoot her tummy and bottom around, trying to figure out how to get moving. Guy and I are cherishing every moment we have before she's really mobile :-) It won't be long now...

I'm Five Months Old!!

It's hard for us to believe that Avery is 5 months old already! Actually, by the time mommy got around to posting on the blog, she's now 5.5 months. Where has the time gone? Avery has her month birthdays on the 3rd of every month so my mom was in town for the October 3rd 5 month milestone and we had fun dressing her up for the photo shoot. Many people know I'm not a huge bow person but my mom encouraged me to put it on her with a matching outfit and I do think it's pretty adorable. Avery was a good sport letting us take her pic in all kinds of places. She's FULL of personality, growing more alert and excited each day. We love her laughs and giggles and can't wait to see what will happen next. Happy 5 month birthday, Avery Grace!

Nana's Recent Visit

My mom came to town last Thursday for her monthly visit to help with Avery and left today. It was another great week spending time with her and having her amazing help with Avery. She is a proud Nana and did a great job watching Avery while I had work meetings, Young life club and put on our fall fundraiser. Nana definitely has the hang of things around the house- she knows all of Avery's favorite toys and what now makes her laugh. It's funny how we'll do all sorts of weird things to make Avery giggle. My mom and I were making funny faces all week long. The weather has gotten cooler here at night and our house stays cold in the mornings so my mom found some great hats for Avery to wear to keep her warm. We couldn't resist taking some pictures. Here are some pictures from Nana and Avery's week together!