all about the avras...

Princess Austyn Turns ONE!

2012-01-10T11:41:00.009-06:00

Our princess, Austyn Claire, turned one on April 15, 2011. We had a small party for her at our house. Here are some pics from the big day! They were taken by my amazing friend Ashley Linam over at Ashley's Avenue. If you don't read her blog, YOU MUST START NOW!!! Make a wish

Opening presents with my pal Avery
Yummy Cake

Mommy posing at the table after all the hard work was finished

I love CAKE

Presents

Refreshment table

Yum

My very own smash cake

Thanks for coming to my party

More favors

Diamonds are a girl's best friend

Yup I'm a princess

Party Invitation

Etsy cupcake toppers

My bday set up

Cake is good

First time having sweets

Birthday hat and shirt

Where's the cake?

Birthday tutu

CAKE?

Me with Lolly

Good thing this party was such a hit, because who knows what will happen this year with her little brother's arrival. Only 3 more months till my baby girl is 2! Where has the time gone???

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaack!!

2012-01-09T22:10:00.003-06:00

Here are some things you've missed in the past 10 months...

Austyn's first haircut

Austyn's first birthday!! I'll do a separate post for this one.
Austyn's first trip to the beach for Uncle Nate and Aunt Betsy's wedding.

Spencer's Graduation from Navy Bootcamp

Beckett Rollins Avra 21 weeks

Well, well, well...it only took 10 months for me to update the blog. Bad Mommy! I've been put on bed rest for the time being, so I have some extra time. Extra time, you say, what's that?! Yeah precisely why I haven't been updating the blog lately. I have been super busy chasing around Austyn, who is almost 21 months old, working like crazy, and baking this baby boy. There is way too much to post about what has taken place in the last several months, so I will start fresh.

I'm 25 weeks and 6 days pregnant with our son, Beckett Rollins. He's due to make his world premier April 18, 2012, just 3 days after his big sister turns 2!! He's been causing quite the commotion the past few days. Friday around 9pm I started having contractions, and they got to be between 2-3 minutes apart, so I went to the Labor & Delivery ER. After a couple bags of fluids, a steroid shot, pain meds, and another shot, the contractions stopped. I was there for about 5 hours, and it was the scariest 5 hours of my life. They wanted me to come back in the next night for a second steroid shot to boost Beck's lung development. Well around 9pm Saturday I started having contractions again. They stopped on their own, and I was released after about an hour. I've still been having a couple of contractions an hour since then, but I finally got to see my OB today, and he said cervix is still long and closed, praise the LORD! Since I'm still having contractions, I need to be on bed rest, though. OMG bed rest with an almost 2 year old?!?! Yeah ok. Let's just say, it's extremely hard, and it's only been 3 days. All prayers and thoughts are very much appreciated.

Austyn's Baptism

2011-03-06T20:39:00.008-06:00

Saturday, March 5, 2011 our princess, Austyn Claire, was baptized at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Fayetteville. It was the most blessed and amazing day, complete with a surprise visit from my Grandparents all the way from Kansas City!! We took some family pics before we left to meet everyone for lunch at La Huerta, YUM.

Daddy and his sweet girl

Mom and Em

La Huerta!!

So excited to be here!

Hi Mommy!

Sweet gifts from sweet friends and family

Changing Austyn in and out of her Gown with help from Gpa Wiederkehr & Uncle Spencer

Nakey Baby in CHURCH!

With Grampa

With YaYa

With Lolly

With Uncle/Godfather Spencer

She was so excited that she kep clapping for herself, ha!

With Aunt/Godmother Kiki

Austyn with her Godparents

I need your earrings Aunt Kiki

Still clappin

Our family

Yay for me!

Parents, Godparents, Austyn, and Fr. Ravi

It's official!

Catholics are all about the paperwork

Her Certificate and her Baptismal Candle

Austyn's precious giftsWe are so very blessed to have such an amazing group of family and friends. We had to do this on very short notice, so I cannot tell you all how much it meant for each of you to be there to help us celebrate our baby girl being being baptized in Jesus' name!!!!

Finally, We are HOME!

2011-02-25T22:27:00.013-06:00

We are finally feeling settled in our new home. We still have a few things to do, but I can finally come home from work and sit on the couch without feeling like I have a million things to do to get the house finished. Here are some before and after pics. ENJOY!!

Living Room
Master Bath

Master BedroomAustyn's room

Austyn's bathroom

Austyn's Room

Could not be more proud of the pink walls!

Still waiting on the blinds

Master Bedroom

From the doorway to our room

Our new dresser and mirror complete with our engagement photo by Judi Liggett

Excuse the lack of pillows on our bed, I had already unmade it and was about to get in bed...I did NOT want to remake it!

See my pillows in the corner, ha!

LOVE LOVE LOVE the letters we found at Hobby

Master Bath

Entry (with our temporary makeshift entry table aka dining room table bench)

Temporary mantle setup, still trying to find the perfect print & pick out curtains

Our kitchen from the bar

Eat in kitchen, new table (MISSING 2 CHAIRS...STUPID HANK'S)

View of the kitchen entry from living room

Side table

Other side table with view into Austyn's hallway That center piece is going on another wall

We still have some things to hang and some things left to buy, but it's beginning to look like HOME for the Avra's. Sidenote: I forgot to take pics of the guest bedroom. Will post them soon.

10 Months Old (are you kidding me?!)

2011-02-25T22:14:00.004-06:00

Our little princess is already 10 months old!!! I cannot believe it. This was definitely the most bi-polar and difficult of your monthly photo shoots. Some of these WILL BE FRAMED. You are 18lbs 10oz and you are in Size 3 diapers. You still wear some 6-9 mos clothes, but mostly you are in 9mos and 12mos. You are such a happy and smiley baby (as I sit here and listen to you fuss and cry ha!) You eat 4-5 6oz bottles a day and a mixture of baby food and grown up food. You love to eat just like your Mommy and Daddy, and we love introducing you to new foods. Real food that you have tried is cheese, chicken, pancakes, zucchini, squash, potatoes, french fries, cheese dip, guacamole, and spaghetti. You've loved it all. Your absolute favorite time of the day is bath time. You splash and play like a wild woman. Mommy needs a swim suit on just to wash and supervise you. You have started jabbering like crazy (seriously all the time) and last week you said your first real word, "HI". You love to go to school and play with your friends. You are a social butterfly. If you see someone who is not looking at you, you will screech and make a commotion, so they have to notice you. Everyone LOVES you, but no one as much as Mommy & Daddy. You are our everything, and we love you more than we could ever tell you!!!!

I don't wanna smile!!! Unhappy...

Happy...

I'm so tired and ready for bed time!

Sweet smiley baby

What's Daddy doing over there?

Aw sweet girl

Pouty McPouter-Puss
Let me out!

I want back in the bath tub

Priceless!!

I'm outta here Mommy!!!!!

No babies were harmed in the taking of these photos.

Happy Love Day

2011-02-14T22:26:00.001-06:00

Austyn LOVES Valentine's Day!!!

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3/4 of a Year Old ALREADY!!!!!!!!

2011-01-16T15:37:00.005-06:00

WELL, lots has happened in the last month with our, not so little, Austyn Claire. The biggest milestone was Austyn standing/pulling herself up. Santa brought her a music table and she absolutely loved it. We kept the legs on it, so we could teach her how to stand and play. Um, it took all of about a day for her to figure out how to get up to it all on her own. The next day I got a picture from her teacher at daycare of her standing in her crib. Yesterday, I put her in the crib for her photo shoot and went to get the camera. When I came back in, this is what I found...

Hi Mommy!! I'm so proud of myself!!

WHY DOES THAT KEEP FLASHING?!

You are still such a happy baby, though you have been known to throw a little tantrum when we don't let you get into things that you want to, ahem, the dog food?? You are 17.15 lbs and about 24 inches tall. You wear 6-9mos, 6-12mos, 9 month clothing and size 3 diapers. We have really been trying to introduce foods to you. You really like your new snack, PUFFS!! Your favorite are the strawberry apple. You still love applesauce, bananas, and pears. You recently have eaten spaghetti, and chicken noodle baby dinners for the first time. You LOVED the spaghetti and liked the chicken noodle ok. You talk up a storm, although it is still in your own language, so we have zero clue what you are talking about.

You laugh ALL THE TIME...even at NOTHING!! It is the sweetest sound in the world.

Your hair is growing so much, and I think you are teeting again.

You LOVE playing with your toys and like to bang your hand and toys on things.

You are still sooooo curious and don't like to spend time in one place. You have got things to do and people to see. You are always the most social baby in the room and love to flirt with and smile at everyone.

Um, yeah, enough of this sitting in one place, I'm out.

I need to stretch my legs Mommy.

I see you!!

Dang it. I left my toy down there.

HA! Success, I got it!!!

Ok Mommy, enough with the pics, I need my beauty sleep.

Worst Blogger of the Year Award Goes to...

2011-01-16T15:04:00.006-06:00

ME, of course...I cannot believe I have fallen so behind. We really haven't even been that busy, other than chasing around after Austyn, working, trying to finalize everything with the house, and keeping up our social appearances, ha! Yesterday, as I was taking Austyn's 9 month pictures, I realized that I totally forgot to post her 8 month pics!! YIKES, bad blogging momma. Better late than never huh?! I hope you enjoy these.

Had to give her the elephant to keep her occupied...for a few seconds at least.

Huh?

What can I get into?

A couple of rogue bath time pics...she LOVES bath time and her rubber ducky you're the one.
I love this pic with her hair in the mohawk, hehehe.

BAHAHAHA...hmmmm, am I pooping or plotting? It's a toss up at this point.

Total concentration. I think I'm gonna....

Grab this ring and start looking away from the camera, every time mommy says, "Austyn, look at me."

Mom, I'm trying to play here.

Dang, she's persistent with that flashing thing...I'm out.

No more posing for this girl.

Hmmm, what's over there?

Ok, I am very interested in this ring...

Other than everything mentioned above, I have started a diet. I am trying really hard to count calories and eat better. I started it December 28th and am doing really well so far. As of yesterday, I had lost 7 pounds!! It has been such a challenge to lose that last little bit of baby weight, and I want to get back in shape for my 10 year reunion this summer!!! JB Hunt is doing a Biggest Loser competition and we got a team together (The Fat Blasters, HA!) and we are so gonna WIN!! Wish us luck. I hope y'all are having a FABULOUS new year!!!

Go Hogs!!!

2011-01-04T17:12:00.001-06:00

Woooooooo Pig Sooie!!! Beat those Buckeyes!!!!!

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Austyn's First Christmas!!

2011-01-03T20:20:00.007-06:00

This post is just pictures from Christmas weekend. We went to Conway, Memphis, and Blytheville for all of the gatherings and took lots of pics along the way...ENJOY!

Austyn with her great Grandmommy at Christmas Eve breakfast

Posing for the camera FINALLY!

Austyn with her great Nana Way more interested in the ribbon

Posing on the presents at Lolly & Pop's

Can I have them now?

Another bow!

Santa CAME!

Back to the bows.

Look at the sparkling present!!!

All these, just for me? Pretty much...

My 1st Christmas at great Meema's, just woke up from a nap with my Daddy.

My cousin Allie was picking on Josh

Me with my great Meema!!!

God's Plan

2010-12-18T12:52:00.006-06:00

As you know, we made an offer on a house at the first of December. We finally got a reply on Thursday. They came back at $18,000 MORE than the list price. Needless to say, we said no thank you (not those exact words, but I'm keeping it PG). Well God sure knows what He's doing, because we made an offer that same night on a foreclosure right down the street from the first house. I LOVE this house! Being a foreclosure, it has a few cosmetic issues, but the house is FABULOUS!!!! I got a call last night (less than 24 hours after we made the offer) and they ACCEPTED! We signed the contract and the ball is rolling. We will be home owners in 45 days or less. I cannot begin to tell y'all how relieved, thankful, and utterly blessed I feel to be in this exact place in our life. We are surrounded by the best group of family and friends, and I truly feel and see God working through every one of them. Thank you to all of you. We love you more than words can describe. Speaking of love, here are some pics of our new house...ENJOY!

The back patio

As I mentioned above, there are a few cosmetic things that we need to fix. Here they are, then we'll get to the good stuff, hehehe. The back door had a doggy door that was removed, so they put a board over the hole, ie Lucy is getting a new doggy door. We will also need to replace the deadboltPart of the transition piece on the floor between the living room and kitchen needs to be fixed. Those 2 things, along with painting 2 rooms (ours and Austyn's) and touching up the paint in the kitchen and living room are the only repairs that we have to do to this amazing house!!!

Now, here is everything that I LOVE...the list is long :)
This is the chandelier in the eat in kitchen...LOVE

Light fixture in the living room = GORG! The picture does not do it justice!!

Fixture in the entry way

My jacuzzi tub (so freakin excited about this)

My closet and tub from the doorway

View from the living room the entry is on the left and the hall closet, next the garage door (you can't see) then the laundry room straight ahead, and our room is to the right of the laundry.

View from living room to the guest bedroom. To the left is Austyn's room and the 2nd bathroom. To the right is the entry (split floor plan).

My FAB laundry room!!

Our room

Hall closet between Austyn's room and the bathroom

Austyn's bathroom (see the floor to ceiling cabinets to the left - YES!)

View from the door of Austyn's bathroom

Austyn's walk-in closet

Austyn's (soon to be painted anything but blue) room

Guest bedroom

Walk-in closet in the guest bedroom

There ya have it! I hope you enjoyed the tour of our new home!!! Please keep praying that everything goes smoothly during this exciting time.

Our House is a Very Very Very Fine House...

2010-12-12T18:43:00.005-06:00

We put an offer in on a house that is PERFECT for us on December 1st, but we still haven't heard back from the bank. The house is a short sale, so even though the seller has accepted our offer, the bank that holds the mortgage has to approve it too.
There was a previous offer put in and it took the bank 2 weeks to respond. This Wednesday will be 2 weeks, so keep your fingers crossed :)

We are patiently (ok not really) waiting to hear from the bank. We have already been preapproved for our loan, so we are just WAITING. I know that it must be God's will for us to wait, but it is still not easy. We have lived in this tiny apartment for almost a year and a half now. It really wasn't bad until we had Austyn (and all that goes along with her). Then about 2 months ago, we began having other problems with the property. I won't go into detail, but let me assure you, none of you would consider the living conditions acceptable. Thankfully, that part has gotten a little better, but we are still very eager to be in a house that we can call our own. We appreciate every one's support and kind words and ask that you all please keep praying for us :) THANKS A MILLION!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

2010-12-12T15:57:00.004-06:00

I LOVE Christmas, and it seems there is so much more to be excited about this year. I can't help, but think about Mary and the story of Christ's birth. How excited and scared she must have been to meet her son, not to mention, that He was the son of GOD. It really makes me reflect on it a lot more this year now that I'm a mother. We don't have a mantle to hang our stockings on this year, so I had to hang them on the wall :( if you look closely, you can see that they misspelled Austyn's name.

I have completed all of my shopping and wrapping this year. It feels good to just sit back and really enjoy the season. I definitely plan on doing this every year. Key word, PLAN, ha!!

We have had a problem keeping the little munchkin out of the presents. This is right after I said, Austyn no, that's Ya Ya's. She looked up at me and then went right back to doing this.

Sorry Ya Ya, you're present has a corner missing :( She likes to bang on the boxes and tries to eat them.

And here is Lucy all cuddled up in the snowman blanket trying to avoid the one kid wrecking crew, lol. I hope you all are having a wonderful and blessed holiday season. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!

7 Months!!!!!

2010-12-12T15:49:00.006-06:00

My precious angel is 7 months old! I can hardly believe it. Not much has changed in the last month, except, you got teeth!! You got your right incisor and your bottom left tooth on the same day. Then, in another week and a half, you got your left incisor, both top middle teeth, and your right bottom tooth. That is SIX teeth in TWO WEEKS!!!!!!!!! You weigh about 17 lbs and wear a size 3 diaper. You're mostly in 6 month clothing.

You are still the happiest and best baby in the WORLD! You are hardly ever upset (as I hear you crying in your crib at the moment, ha!) And you smile and talk all the time. You don't say words, but you are constantly making sounds and attempting to tell us all about everything.

You still suck your right middle and index fingers when you are tired. You sleep from about 8pm - 7am every night and take about 2, 1 hour naps everyday. You eat 2 jars of baby food per day and about 5, 6oz bottles of formula.

You LOVE Mrs. Beary. When you wake up in the morning, one of the first things that you do is make her start playing her music. It's what Mommy wakes up to through the monitor.

You have started pulling on your bumper = bumper being removed very shortly.

You are way too busy exploring to sit still. Look at the tongue sticking out, pure determination.

Your laugh is my favorite thing in the world!!

Hi Mommy!!

Are we done yet?

SERIOUSLY?!

LET ME OUT!

A Very Avra Thanksgiving...

2010-12-12T15:36:00.006-06:00

We Avra's always have a busy holiday season. All of our family lives out of town, so holidays = lots of travel for us. It is always so much fun visiting with all of our family and friends, but it is totally exhausting. This year was especially fun (and exhausting) with Austyn :) The Sunday before Thanksgiving was the Avra Family's celebration in Conway. We left Friday night after work and got to Conway around 9:30. In case you don't know, we are HUGE Harry Potter fans and the second to last movie came out the Friday before Thanksgiving. Brian's parents were so fabulous and kept Austyn on Saturday afternoon so Brian and I could go see it!!!! This is what we came home to, ha! She must have had a blast with Lolly and Pop.

Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of the actual dinner, but let me just say, it was fabulous! We stuffed our faces full of DELICIOUS food (probably why there are no pics). We were only missing 4 people from the entire Avra family!!

Here is Austyn in one of her cute new winter coats. Every time I put it on her, she cries and it makes me laugh because she looks like the little boy from A Christmas Story. Poor baby. Our next stop was my hometown, Fort Smith. The White family was so amazing and invited Brian, Austyn, mom, and I to join them for Thanksgiving Day. Ironically, it's the one day that we didn't have plans. We headed down to the Fort after work on Wednesday and immediately dropped Austyn off with my Mom, got ready, and headed out for a fun night with our best friends we never get to see. We picked up Christy and Justin and met Lauren, JR, Jeremy, and Christina for dinner at Bravo. It was delish, and just what we needed before a night out downtown. We headed to Papa's and visited with old friends. It was a BLAST. Again no pics :( this time I think I was too busy talking to take pictures.

This is the AMAZING food that everyone prepared for us. We had the most amazing hosts and everything was fabulous!

I love all of these people!!!

Look at precious Evie Kate with her Uncle Brandon. She is so cute, I just wanna eat her up :)

This is the Fall outfit that Terra had made for Evie. It says her name on the front and has a little Razorback on the back of her leg. It was so cute!!!

Austyn LOVED Aunt Christy and Uncle Justin (getting some good practice). This was the first time they had gotten to meet her. I hate that we live so far away. Christy and I have been best friends since we were 10. They live in San Antonio now, so we only get to see them once or twice a year :( Christy is such a natural with Austyn and Evie. They both love her so much. We can't wait to see you soon!!!! Thanks again for inviting us to spend Thanksgiving with y'all...it was PERFECT!

Brian and I both had to work on Friday, so we had to leave after Thanksgiving dinner and head back to Fayetteville. Austyn's daycare was closed, so Brian's parents picked up Austyn and kept her OVERNIGHT. I cried a little, ok a lot, but it would have been a LOT more if I wouldn't have passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow. After work on Friday, we loaded up the car again and headed to pick up Austyn in Conway and went to my Aunt's house in Memphis. Brian thankfully got off work a little early, so we ended up getting to Memphis about 9:30. We hung out and visited for a little bit and then hit the hay. We got up early to get ready to go to Meema's!!! It's about an hour away from Memphis and we got there about 1:00. First on the agenda was the 5 generation McDonald women picture.

This is 2 of the 3 five generation families we have on my Mom's side. I can't believe how big Allie is. She looks so grown up!

Austyn was playing with my great grandmother's (Mother Mac) necklace. Mother Mac will be 100 on Christmas Day!!! She still lives by herself at her own house with a garden...WOW!

Here is my cousin Corey's 5 generation picture.

We watched Arkansas beat the crap out of LSU after we ate, and then headed back to LuAnn's for Tomlinson family game night. It is one of my favorite parts of the holidays!!! The next morning, we got up, packed up the car AGAIN, and headed back home (with a quick stop in Conway to get Lucy). Thank goodness Brian and I took Monday off to recuperate, because we really needed it. Man, I'm tired just typing this, whew. It really was a lot of fun, but this will be the last year that we run all over...it's just too hard and it almost takes away from the joy of the holiday!! I hope you all had as FABULOUS of a Thanksgiving as we Avra's did!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Halloween Y'all!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-10-31T21:03:00.009-05:00

We have been busy busy bees these last few days. I have uploaded a lot of pics, but they are all scrambled and out of order (stupid Picasa). First of all, we had dress up day for Halloween at work on Friday. As you may know, I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan. Fan doesn't really cut it, more like FAN-ATIC!!!!!!! So my little red-headed pod pal (Audra) and I, dressed up as Harry & Ron. YES! Totally awesome, I know. I brought Austyn up to work to visit everyone, and she loved it. Ok, maybe we loved it, and she played along, either way...TOO CUTE! Friday evening we went over to Christa and Tommy's house for yummy chili and pumpkin carving. We had a BLAST, but the evening was cut short, due to a very tired little girl. Saturday we cheered on the Hogs to a butt whooping of Vanderbilt. This morning we got up early, because we have a 6 month old and sleeping in no longer exists (still wouldn't trade it for anything in the world though) and went to eat at the Cracker Barrel. That place is nothing short of DELICIOUS! Then, this evening, we went over to our friends the Linam's house for pizza and TRICK or TREATING!!!!! We had so much fun, but once again, had to cut the evening short due to a very tired girl. No wonder, with all that she's been doing. Our pumpkins from the pumpkin carving contest...mine's on the far left. Not too shabby eh?

Poor little Z, they put the hollowed out pumpkin on his head...it was hysterical!!!

Hollowing out my punkin...he was a stinker, shew!

The punkin carvin king working hard on his masterpiece. He swears that he didn't sway the judges....RIIIIIIIIGHT Bankers!

Snooki & The Situation

All of the dresser-uppers on Team 18's Wild Wild West

Harry & Nurse Tiffers...stupid static on my robe :(

Audra and a big beaver

Nurse Tiffers and her patient with his specimen...the doctor must've really screwed something up, because his heart is on the wrong side and on the outside of his chest!!

Don't mess with Harry Potter & Ron Weasley!

OH MY GOODNESS! What a cutie patootie little piggy!!!

Austyn and her friend Katy, the Chick fil A cow

Mommy and her little porker ;)

Visiting with Aunt Sassy at her desk

Sweet cousins, Avery and Stella, being pulled by Uncle Aaron in the wagon trick or treating.

Austyn did NOT like the trick or treating. This little piggy went wahhh wahhh wahhh ALL THE WAY HOME! Not jokin', she literally cried the entire walk back to the car and the entire drive home. She was not happy that she couldn't get candy like the bigger girls, HA!

Austyn wouldn't wear her piggy head, so I did ;)

What a sweet daddy (cowboy) and his little moo cow

The sweet sweet Linam family. LOVE Y'ALL!! We had a blast. THANKS!!

Austyn lovin on her Aunt Sassy

Avery & Austyn lovin on each other

Family Pic before trick or treating

Cuddling the sweetest cow and piggy EVER! (look at Pickle in the background, ha!)

Life just doesn't get much better than this. Hope y'all had as FABULOUS of a Halloween weekend as we did and GOOOOOOO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big Girl Breakfast

2010-10-31T09:26:00.001-05:00

Brian and I decided to go to Cracker Barrel for breakfast this morning and Austyn wanted to be in a big girl chair :) no more baby slings for this little girl!!!

Sitting at the table eating my keys...

Hangin out with my daddy...

Gearin Up for Halloween

2010-10-27T21:50:00.001-05:00

I absolutely LOVE Halloween! I finally have mine and Austyn's costumes all ready to go. Austyn is going to be a precious pink squiggly pig and you'll have to stay tuned for mine ;) I went to go get my nails done tonight. I wanted something festive so I did this...

AND in case you didn't know, the San Francisco Giants are in the World Series, so after Halloween I can still keep them this color!!! It's a win win...wahoo and Go Giants!!!!

xoxo
Em

Happy Birthday to YOU...

2010-10-23T15:53:00.006-05:00

October 15th was not only Austyn's half birthday, but it was also Brian's 34th!!!! I love birthdays and I choose to celebrate mine for at least a month. We got Brian a few little things and they were wrapped and waiting on him when he got home from work. The pink bag was from Austyn :) Brian's mom was so sweet to come up and watch Austyn, so we could go out for a nice adults only date night!!! We started out at dinner at Mister B's in Rogers. If you haven't been, GO! It is the BEST steak that I have ever had in my life, and I've had a lot of steak. After dinner, we went for drinks at Aloft. It is such a great atmosphere, and we so much fun just being able to hang out and talk. It felt like we hadn't been out, just the two of us, in FOREVER!!! This is the only picture I took of us, because I forgot my camera :(

Happy Birthday to the love of my life and the best hubby and father a girl could ask for! I love you baby!

Wiederkehr Winefest Baby!

2010-10-23T11:55:00.005-05:00

The weekend of October 9th, some friends and I piled in 3 cars, and headed to Wiederkehr Village for the 47th Annual Winefest! Austyn, Chris, Tiffany, Audra, Garrett, and I were in my car. Amy and Ashley in Amy's car and Eric, Tucker, and Kiki were in Tucker's car. I told ya we had a crew. We pulled in to the Wiederkehr Swiss Family Bistro at about 12:30 to taste and buy some wine. Then onward to the festivities.

Tucker and Kiki working up courage to ride the camel, ha!

Oh yeah lovin the humps.

Tiff and Ash competed in the grape stomp, which is a very big deal, haha. They got 2nd place, wahoo!!!

Spencer showing Tiff how to work the valve...not like she needed instruction, ha! We had a great time!

More 6 Month Pics

2010-10-23T11:48:00.002-05:00

Let's crawl!!! I'm so close...
Can I put Mrs. Beary's foot in my mouth?

What's that?

Whatchu lookin at Beary?

What's over there?

Austyn Claire is 6 Months!

2010-10-23T10:35:00.008-05:00

You are 6 months old! I cannot believe how big you're getting. I know I say this all the time, but it seems like just yesterday we brought you home from the hospital. It's hard to imagine life before we were blessed with you! You went to the doctor for your six month check up and shots yesterday. You just love Dr. Payton and he loves you. He always calls you bright eyes. You are 16.4 lbs and 26 1/2 inches long. You are in the 50th percentile for both height and weight, which means you are PERFECT (but we already knew that didn't we). You are still wearing some 3 months clothes (pants) but you are mainly in 3-6 and 6 month clothes. You are wearing size 3 diapers and you LOVE LOVE LOVE to get your diaper changed. Your favorite thing to do on your changing table is to eat your feet, but a close second is grabbing all of the diapers and putting them in your mouth, fabulous for the person trying to wrangle you to change your diaper.
You are such a happy baby, and you bring such joy to all those around you. It is so easy for people to just look at you and smile, because you always have a HUGE grin on your face. You are really discovering your voice and love to shriek. It scares the crap out of Lucy and she's your favorite thing/person/sister/friend/dog to shriek at, so it's hysterical (not so funny when in the middle of a restaurant.)

They tell me all the time at daycare that you are the most active and curious baby in your class. Most of the others just eat, sleep, poop, and swing. You are always wanting to play and explore, which I love. You are going to be soooooo smart, just like your mommy, ha! We are transitioning you from breast milk to formula right now and you are doing pretty good. Mommy cried and cried when you switched. It was forced upon me, so don't think that I just decided to quit. You did not have any formula until one week before your half birthday. You are still nursing when you wake up in the morning (about 7am) for about 20 minutes. Then you will have about 4 - 5oz bottles, and a 6oz bottle of formula right before bed. You eat 1 or 2 jars of baby food per day. Your favorite fruits are applesauce, pears, and bananas. Your favorite veggies are sweet peas and sweet potatoes. You probably don't want to know this or for me to post it, but I have to. Your poop is now becoming solid and smelly, HAHAHAHA! When I changed your diaper this morning, I almost passed out. It shocked me so much. As a parent, so much of your life is dealing with and examining poop (glamorous I know) so this morning I was really taken aback. You are still trying to cut those darn 2 bottom teeth. They have been on the verge of popping through for a month now. You constantly clench jaw and grind your gums to try to get some relief...see picture above. A big milestone that you have finally reached is that you are now officially a sitter on your owner with no support (and yes that is the medical term). You still get excited and tip over, but who doesn't, ha! Now here are some pics from your very professional 6 month photo shoot.

Seriously mommy

I wanna play, what's that thing in your hand?

Foot, why are you down there? You are supposed to be in my mouth!

Do you have a belly button too?

Coming Attractions

2010-10-22T20:57:00.001-05:00

Austyn's six month post
Brian's birthday post

I hope to catch up soon. Here's a little somethin to tide you over till then...

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Divas and Diamonds

2010-10-02T14:47:00.004-05:00

Well, I have been sick AGAIN, hence the lack of posts, but much to my delightful surprise, I woke up this morning feeling GREAT!!! It seems like I have been sick every other week in the last 2 months, so here's to hoping that it is gone for good :) In celebration of my feeling better, I called Tiff aka Aunt Sassy, to see if she wanted to go to lunch. We met up at PF Chang's and Kim and Melissa came too! It was a great time with sweet friends. The weather was gorgeous and we had a ball. I mistakenly told the hostess that we had 4 adults and 1 child with a highchair. We got such a kick out of how funny Austyn looked in that HUGE seat...not quite ready for that yet, but not too much longer :( so we got a sling for her car seat instead.

What are you talking about? I'm a big girl!!
Ok fine, I guess I can hang out like this...

Tiff with A and Melissa. She is the most precious and smart 13 year old I have ever met. Austyn just LOVED her. She is going to be a FABULOUS big sister someday.

After lunch, we went down to Rogers Jewelers at the Promenade to have some fun and get our rings cleaned. We had a BLAST trying on all of the gorgeous rings they have!!!!

Here's Tiff modeling a ring that looks almost identical to hers. It was CRAZY!!! Aaron had hers made and designed it himself...this one was Tacori, and it was amazing all of the similarities. Tiff's is of course prettier than that one, but WOW, how weird. GOOD JOB BANKERS!!! We had such a great day, chatting over good food and playing in diamonds. What a PERFECT girls' day out! Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

2010-09-25T16:46:00.001-05:00

Hanging at the house watching the game...can you tell that it's intense? :)

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New App

2010-09-24T20:15:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to test out my new nifty app! Testing 123 :) just watchin Austyn play before bed time.

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5 Months

2010-09-21T20:17:00.005-05:00

My darling angel, Austyn Claire, is now 5 MONTHS OLD! I cannot believe how quickly the time has passed. You are almost 16 lbs and are 24 1/2 inches long. You wear size 2 Pampers Swaddlers, but you are just about to transition to size 3. You are getting to be quite the screecher these days. We have had to leave restaurants because you just keep screaming at the top of your lungs. You LOVE to hear your own voice. You are screaming in delight, but it's still not very pleasant to hear. Your sister Lucy hates it, and you love to screech at her the most ha!
Last week we started you on solid foods. You don't quite know what you are doing yet, which is ok, because we don't either :) Your first food was green beans, you didn't really like them, but you sure tried. We moved on to carrots next, and you liked them a lot better. I think you're gonna be a great eater once you get it down. After all, you know how much your parents like to eat, ha!

You are still working on cutting your first tooth and you love to stick any and everything in your mouth. You drool constantly, and you always suck on your index and middle fingers when you are tired. It is the cutest thing ever, but I have yet to get a picture.

You are pretty much sitting up by yourself. You tip over, but you try and try again. I don't think you'll be sitting still for long. You are already working hard to start moving around. You also love your jumperoo so much and really enjoy playing with your toys and doing tummy time.

Here are some pics from your 5 month "photo shoot"

This picture cracks me up. You were in the process of tipping over and I took the picture. I call it your supermodel pose. P.S. The letters are straight, the camera was crooked, just had to mention that, because of my OCD-ness

You have the sweetest demeanor. You are always happy, and a PLEASURE to be around. You only get fussy or upset when you need something. It is hysterical when you fake cry in order to get attention. I cannot help but laugh.

You are REALLY close to sleeping through the night. Most nights you go to sleep between 8-9 and wake up around 7, when I wake you up to eat. You normally wake up around 4am, but most of the time you will go back to sleep without having to be consoled.

I can't wait to see you grow and change, but I miss everyday that passes, because I know you will never be the same age again. We love you more than words could ever express!! Love Mommy and Daddy.

Dogs Taste Good

2010-09-18T16:34:00.003-05:00

Today I had to be in Fayetteville for an appointment at 9, so we had to get up early. We had some time after my appointment and before the game, so we stopped by to visit daddy at work.

Woooooooooo PIG SOOIE!
I love my daddy sooooooo much!!!

Austyn had on her adorable game day outfit today. Aunt Kiki made it ALL! And speaking of Aunt Kiki, thanks for having us over to cheer those Hogs on to VICTORY. Today we beat the Georgia Bulldogs in THEIR HOUSE...mmmm feels good. 2010 Razorback Football is in full swing. 3-0 baby! Woooo Pig Sooie!!!!!!!!!! Now guys start workin on takin down number 1, Bama, next week. YOU CAN DO IT!

Ahhhhhhh it just gives me chills!

RYAN MALLETT FOR HEISMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mmm mmm good maybe...

2010-09-17T20:10:00.002-05:00

So now that Austyn is 5 months old (post coming soon), we have decided to take a stab at starting solid foods. About a month ago, we attempted the rice cereal. Um, the princess no likey, so I just said, whatev, we'll just keep at it with mommy's milk and try again later. Later is now, and I went to walmart yesterday and bought pretty much every kind of baby food they had to offer. I was warned not to start her off with something sweet, in order to avoid her only wanting the sweet stuff, so we started with green beans. They just looked so delish (insert sarcasm here) and B and I both LOVE green beans. Here are a few pics from the attempt...and I state it that way, because it really wasn't all that successful. She was sort of ok with it, but made a several awful faces and shivered a few times, which of course made me die laughing. ENJOY and bon apetit!!!

Hmmm, what's that you have there in your hand mommy?
I'm not so sure about this, but why don't you just let me have it?

It feels weird in my mouth and it's green!

Not quite sure how I feel about this, I'm just gonna eat some and spit out some.

Ok, mommy, we need to talk. I like the milk better. Can I have some of that?

Woooooo PIG SOOIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-09-17T13:04:00.003-05:00

Hit that line, hit that line, keep on going and take that ball right down the field. Give a cheer, GO HOGS, never fear, GO HOGS, Arkansas will never yield. On your toes Razorbacks to the finish and carry on with all your might!!!! For it's A-A-R, K-A-N, S-A-S for Arkansas, fight, fight, FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just wanted to say, GO HOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BEAT THOSE DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friends & Fundraising

2010-09-15T22:00:00.006-05:00

Last Saturday was one of my oldest and dearest friend's birthday. We had a surprise dinner for Taylor at Wasabi on Dickson. It was a gorgeous night so we sat outside and it felt AMAZING. After dinner we went to a bar called Kingfish. My mom came in town to see the baby and celebrate with us and we stayed out until almost 1am!!!! Needless to say, I was so tired the next day. It's a whole different story having to wake up after no sleep when you have to take care of a baby, haha. Here is a pic of Taylor with the bday cake that her friend had made for her. It was supposed to look like her, but as you can see, it didn't quite turn out. We called it a Picasso.
I am a very proud member of a wonderful organization called the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas. We are a group of women dedicated to raising awareness and money for worthy causes in Northwest Arkansas. Please visit our website for more info www.juniorleaguenwa.org. This league year my placement is the HUGS Coordinator and Transfer Liaison. I was so excited when the Nominating and Placement Committee approached me about taking on this position. As you all know, I LOVE to meet new people and introduce friends to other friends, so the transfer liaison part of the placement fits me to a "t". I also LOVE to sing worthy people's praises, which is the other part of the job. I get to send congrats cards, etc to people when they get married, have a baby, get a new job, just to name a few. One of my favorite causes that we support is the Children's House in Fayetteville www.childrenshousenwa.org. It is a wonderful organization and I cannot say enough about the wonderful men and women who run and support this amazing cause. At our first general meeting of the 2010-2011 league year, JLNWA presented 2 Children's House representatives with a check for $10,000. See how amazing this group of women is!!!!!!!!!

Shoes...and so it begins!!

2010-09-10T22:02:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note about another first in the Avra house...tonight Austyn wore shoes for the first time!!!! I'm not sure why I haven't put shoes on her yet, but I honestly didn't see the need for it since she's not walking so I always have her in socks. I bought her these cute little white sandals when I was pregnant and I was so excited to see her in them. Look how cute her little tooter toes look!!!! Awwww daddy we're in trouble now...2 girls with shoe obsessions, ut oh!!!

Look at those chubby little legs....ah, I just wanna eat them up like chicken legs, lol!

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-06T15:39:00.004-05:00

We Avras have had a fun filled busy Labor Day Weekend. Austyn and I got up and did our chores Saturday morning while Daddy was at work. After we finished our to do list, we took a stroll around a local consignment store and went to the Promenade. It was such a nice day, we couldn't spend it inside the house. Brian's parents (Lolly & Pop) came up from Conway to visit and babysit so we could go to the Razorback game. They brought Austyn a present...a Jumperoo!! She LOVES the one at school and this one is exactly like it. She has spent so much time standing, bouncing, jumping, and playing. She is one happy girl about her new toy and so is mommy!

Just checkin everyone out...

As I mentioned above, Saturday was game day! The first Razorback game of the season....ahhh nothing like watching my beloved Hogs. Brian and I were supposed to go to the game, but at the last minute, our tickets fell through. We ended up going to a local hangout to watch the game with Tiff and we had a blast. Hogs won 44-3 WOOOOOO PIG SOOOIE!!!!!!!!!!! Austyn was ready to call those hogs too.

Here she is saying wooooooooooooooooo PIG SOOIE!

Aunt Kiki made my bow and I love it!! Go Hogs!

On Sunday, it was still so pretty out, so we went to our friends' new putt putt place in Rogers called Green Mountain. They just opened a couple of weeks ago and were having free hot dogs, cookies and drinks. It is 36 holes and super nice! Austyn loved being outside and watching all of the people. We didn't play, but we are definitely going back soon!

Hey Mommy, what's up?!

After putt putt, we went to Borders at the Promenade. I noticed on Saturday that they were having a tent sale, so we went to browse. Brian and I both love to read and I can't wait until Austyn understands what we're reading to her. I got her several books that I loved as a kid, and I can't wait to read them to her.

Tonight we are going over to Aunt Kiki's for some hot dogs and hamburgers. I feel like we haven't hung out with them in forever, so it's gonna be nice to catch up. All in all, I would say we have definitely taken full advantage of our holiday weekend. I hope you all had a blast too!!!

Austyn Claire 20 weeks Old

2010-09-06T15:07:00.004-05:00

I love you and my bear from Grandmommy this much!!!

20 weeks ago my life was forever changed when you came into the world. It is already so hard for me to imagine what life was like without you in it. 20 weeks ago, our miracle from God arrived. On April 15, 2010 at 16:39 we were the luckiest people in the world. You were 6lbs 12oz, 20 inches long, and you were PERFECT in every way! At your 4 and a half month check up you saw Dr. Payton and he said you looked right on track for your age. You weighed 15lbs and 6oz (75th percentile) and measured 24.17 inches tall (35th percentile). Mommy's milk must be working :) We have started to introduce rice cereal, but you are not a fan. You eat betwen 4-6oz of my milk at each feeding and you eat about 7 times a day. You are still in size 2 diapers, but we are getting close to transitioning to size 3. You wear 3 months or 3-6 months clothes. You are now officially sleeping through the night in your crib. You go to sleep around 9 and wake up around 8. You are such a happy baby, unless you don't feel good. You REALLY want to get places and are getting so frustrated that you can't do it on your own. You LOVE to stand up with us holding onto your hands, and hate to just lay around. We love you more than words could ever begin to express and we thank God each and every day for blessing us with such an amazing little girl!!! It is so hard for me to describe how much you have changed, so I will let the pictures do the talking.

Just about an hour old with YaYa.
Your sweet smile and laughs make life worth living. You love tummy time, especially the crinkle flower and the mirror on your play mat.

You constantly have your hands (or someone elses) in your mouth. You love to see everything that's going on around you, and just like mommy and daddy, you love to watch tv.

You are so close to sitting up by yourself, and you get frustrated when you tip over. We look forward to continuing to watch you grow and learn and you amaze us everyday. We love you our darling angel Austyn Claire!!!!

Love,

Mommy

Sicky Poo & Surgery

2010-08-29T16:24:00.007-05:00

A lot has been going on in the Avra household lately...and by a lot, I mean a lot of yucky sickness! As you may remember, earlier this month Austyn had her first fever and ear infection. Well, it didn't take long for it to happen again. I woke up last Sunday feeling like I was coming down with something...uh oh is right. Austyn has had a runny nose and a cold all month pretty much, but when she woke up Thursday morning screaming in pain and burning up, mommy wasn't quite able to take care of herself, much less my poor sick punkin!! Well, when you have a child, what do you do? You put yourself on the back burner and you take care of that baby!!! We went to the dr and yup, 2 more ear infections! It just breaks my heart to see her in so much pain. We both had 100 degree fevers, something that I do not wish on anyone :( PS I almost passed out at the dr's office from my own sickness (insert feeling sorry for me here, haha). Thank goodness daddy came home early and took care of his girls. He made grilled cheese and tomato soup, which is my favorite food when I don't feel good. Here is the poor little punky below with cotton in her ears after getting her medicine.Friday morning, my good friend Tiffany had surgery. This past February Tiff fell while mopping and broke her hip in 4 places!!!! Yikes! She had to have a rod and screw put in to hold it all together. For the past couple of months the screw has been giving her trouble, so the dr wanted to go in and remove it. She did great and look what they removed!!! The entire thing!
Yeah that is my hand next to it! Can you believe that was in her leg?!?!?! I didn't get to see her after her surgery, since it was outpatient, so Austyn and I went out to see her yesterday. It was a great way for us girls to get to lay around and talk since none of us felt up to snuff. Austyn and Aunt Sassy (Tiff) had a great time snuggling.

Austyn got to take advantage of some of Avery's toys and she had a blast on her "playpad" we created for her.

She especially loved playing with/eating the mirrored toy that crinkled.

We sat on the swing and talked. She loved being outside!

This was our view while we were chatting...not too shabby eh?

Ashley (http://ashleylinam.blogspot.com/) and Chad dropped Avery off at Susie and Rick's while they went out for game night with some friends. It was so nice to see them for a few minutes, but we wish we could've visited longer. Avery is 15 months old and it was so fun to see her and know what is just around the corner for Aussie. They were sooooo sweet and cute together. They loved looking at each other. And laughing at each other....

And hugging and kissing each other...future bff's!!!

It was the best sick/lazy fun filled Saturday with great friends and family and I didn't even mention the DELISH burgers that Aaron grilled and the SCRUMPTIOUS fixins that Susie and Lisa made. YUMMY!!! We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends. We love y'all Jolliff, Smith, and Linam families!!!!!!!!!

Patience Please :)

2010-08-27T16:17:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to let y'all know that I'm working on a couple of posts right now, but we've had a lot of sickness going around the house, so I have had no time for blogging :( I'll be posting a 20 week Austyn update instead of a 4 month, since she is 4 and a half months now. Ok, no more hate mail please, haha!

You Tube

2010-08-07T21:36:00.001-05:00

To anyone who cares...I have created a youtube channel and am starting to upload all of the videos that I have of Austyn. www.youtube.com/user/emilyw513

A Week of Firsts

2010-08-07T14:58:00.003-05:00

This has been a verrrrrry long week for the Avra family, filled with lots of firsts...some good, and some not so good. As I mentioned in my last post, Austyn has been a little snotty lately, well it got worse. Tuesday night was as normal as any other night except A was a little fussy, and she's a very good baby, so I knew she wasn't up to par. Fast forward to midnight...OMG! She woke up screaming and was inconsolable. There was nothing I could do to calm or quiet her. She continued to scream hysterically until about 8am (with 2 short 30 min naps in between). At around 6am, I was sure that she was in mortal peril and decided to call the Urgent Care number for our pediatrician. The nurse assured me that her fever was not too high and that we should save our money and not go to the ER. Sooooo I waited 2 grueling hours for the clinic to open and they said be there at 9:10 and boy was I! I was so scared. This was her first fever and illness. It turned out to just be a cold and an ear infection and once we gave her the ear drops, the crying got much more minimal (say that 5 times fast, ha). Then, the antibiotics hurt her stomach, so there was LOTS of poop in the diaper, on her, me, and everything else ick! Now onto the good firsts...Austyn is now a roll over-er. She is rolling all over the place. She tries to roll off her playmat, but gets stopped by the arches. She is trying to scoot and wants to discover EVERYTHING! She is becoming a very curious little girl. And finally, drumroll please...Austyn is not so keen on sleeping in her crib. In fact, this is what her crib has always looked like....EMPTY.
I am really wanting to break the co-sleeping arrangement that we have going on right now, so I thought, "Let's try to put her down for her nap in her crib" hmmmmmm......

VOILA!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sleeping baby in her CRIB!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has now been an hour and she is still in there ASLEEP! Pray that this continues, and that she sleeps in there tonight. I would really like some bed freedom, lol. And being the good mommy/housewife that I am, before I began typing this post, I cleaned up the house. I know, I know, hold your applause...just know that I am patting myself on the back right now. Gotta go put the sheets in the dryer. xoxo

SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-08-01T16:40:00.003-05:00

We Avra's have had a busy weekend, filled with visitors!! As I mentioned in my last post, my Mom came to stay the night on Friday and she spent the day with us yesterday while Brian was at work. Well today we got a wonderful surprise! My grandparents from KC were in Altus this weekend for a wedding and decided to stop by today on their way back home. We had not seen them since the last time they surprised us when Austyn was born. We always enjoy our visits with them and every time it reminds me how lucky we are to have such wonderful family. I wish we all lived closer, because our visits are always way too short. We are hoping to make it up to KC this fall for a Chiefs game...keeping our fingers crossed!! As you can see from the pics below, it was a great visit! Brian and Austyn taking a cat nap together...too much excitement. I'm sure they'll be doing this a lot tomorrow. Brian is off on Mondays so he gets a lot of father/daughter alone time on those days :)

The cutie patootie outfit that Grandma & Grandpa brought for the punkin!

Look at the precious butterfly on the booty, hehe.

Grandpa Bernie and Austyn cuddling

She was having so much fun with him!

She was so enamoured with Grandma and Grandpa's shirts...she loves to look at the contrast between light and dark colors.

Austyn playin with Grandma & Grandpa while Grandpa makes sure to get some good pics to take back to KC.

Having the best time with her Great Grandma Emily!

"Hey lady! I love your shirt! Can I get one in my size?"

YaYa's Visit

2010-07-31T16:08:00.006-05:00

YaYa, my Mom, came for a visit this weekend!! Austyn was sooooo excited to see her (of course we were too). They laid on Austyn's play pad and had the best time talking and playing. Austyn has had a little cold and her nose has been all runny :( thanks daycare kids! She is still not sleeping for more than 3 hours at a time. We fed her some rice cereal in a bottle and she sucked it down, but nothing changed and she still woke up for her 3 feedings. She was all smiles this morning though, after a ROUGH and snotty night. Here are some pics of her watching Mom and I getting ready to go to lunch. I cannot believe how big she's getting.

Let's go eat!!!

YaYa and Aussie at Las Fajitas!

Passed out at the table after too many margaritas, hahaha, I kid!

When we got home from a yummy lunch, we watched Taken. Mom still hadn't seen it, and I HAD to change that, since it is such a great movie! Sadly, she just left to go back home...we all miss her bunches already.

Better Late than Never

2010-07-28T22:20:00.005-05:00

I kind of took a small sabatical from blogging while I was pregnant, and I deeply regret it. I so wish that I had thought to document everything that I was feeling/eating while I was with child. I did this in a baby book of course, but it would be neat for my family and friends to have seen it also. Anyway, I thought that I would share my baby bump pictures. Ahhh, I can't wait to do it again :) in a year...

15 weeks at Chantelle and Josh's Wedding

16 weeks

17 weeks

21 Weeks

26 Weeks

28 Weeks

30 Weeks

Brian's baby bump at 31 weeks

31 Weeks

33 Weeks

Big Momma 36 Weeks

Whoa Nelly 39 Weeks (2 days before Austyn was born)

All the way from Charlotte NC

2010-07-28T21:02:00.005-05:00

So this past weekend 2 of my favorite people came in town. Meepers & Peepers (Sharon & Keith White, Christin's parents) paid their fans a visit. They moved to Charlotte a while back and we are still mourning the loss of their Arkansas citizenship. Anywhoo, we had not seen them since our wedding, so needless to say, we had a lot to discuss, or maybe just one person in particular. These pics are from our dinner at Catfish Hole with them (and Christin, Andrew, Kayla, and Brandon).

Here is the Princess waiting on our table at Catfish Hole with Aunt Kiki.

Our little family ready to eat :) sorry you can't see Austyn

Sharon LOVED singing and dancing with Austyn, who coincidentally LOVED it too

Thanks for a fun filled Saturday afternoon Meeps & Peeps! We can't wait to see you soon.

Need Advice Please!!

2010-07-21T12:00:00.002-05:00

For all of you been there, done that mommies out there, I have a question. Austyn is still waking up 3 times every night to nurse. When did you start rice cereal? Is 3 months too early? The doctor told me to start it at 4 months, but I am DYING for a good night's sleep. Any advice that you could offer would be GREAT!

Austyn's First Overnight Trip

2010-07-19T21:26:00.007-05:00

Brian, Ausytn, Lucy, and I went to Conway this past weekend for Brian's cousin's wedding. The wedding was absolutely gorgeous and so much fun! Congrats to the new Mr & Mrs Jim and Ashley Clark. We had such a great time with all of the family, and Austyn got to meet and spend time with a LOT of people who love her soooo much. Austyn loved every minute of it, except the car ride huh Ya Ya. Here are some highlights...

Austyn smiling at her Ya Ya aka my mom Lindee

Austyn with her Lolly aka Brian's mom Debbie

And another with Lolly :)

The family before the wedding (Aussie stayed home with Lolly)

Austyn with her great grandmother "Nana"

Austyn with her great grandmother "Grandmommy"

Austyn with her Daddy

Austyn with her great grandparents "Gammy & Poppy"

The princess in her tutu looking at her sister Lucy

Austyn with her Pop aka Brian's dad Donnie

Doing her favorite thing sucking/chewing on her fingers

Austyn Claire Avra 3 Months Old

2010-07-19T20:24:00.003-05:00

On Thursday July 15th, my darling angel turned 3 months old. I cannot believe how fast these last 3 months have flown by. It seems like yesterday that I found out I was pregnant!! Here are some facts about Austyn Claire at age 3 months.

You are in size 2 Pampers Swaddlers and wear 3 months and some 0-3 months clothes. You eat about 3 oz of Mommy's milk every 2-3 hours. I come by your daycare everyday at 1:15 on my lunch break to feed you and spend some quality Mommy Austyn time. This is more for my benefit, I don't think that I could stand to spend an entire work day away from you. You aren't quite sleeping through the night, but you're getting better. You go to sleep around 9pm and wake up around 2, 4, 6 and you're up for good around 8 when I wake you up for the day. You normally take 2 good naps per day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. You weigh about 14 lbs and are about 23 inches long. You are getting so incredibly vocal, and we cannot get enough of hearing your sweet voice. You have been "standing up" for about a month now, and you LOVE it. You are starting to teeth also, so you constantly have your fingers in your mouth, and it is precious! We didn't think it could be possible to love you more than the day you were born, but with each day, we love you more than the one before.

I love my tongue....I stick it out all the time.

I love sitting and standing, but I need a little help.

Two Guys Two Girls Two Margs & a Baby

2010-07-14T14:16:00.004-05:00

So last night Brian, Austyn, and I met up with one of our favorite couples, Christin and Andrew, at La Huerta. We always have so much fun when we all get together and it really makes me happy that they LOVE Austyn sooooo much. They are going to be fabulous parents someday ;)

Two for Tuesdays at La Huerta is 2 for 1 Margaritas and has been a tradition that I have been taking part in for a LONG time. Let's just say I wasn't 21 when I began partaking in the festivities...whoops! It's great food, drinks, and friends...who could ask for more?! Here's a pic of the little chunkette with her godmother, Aunt Kiki. She was so good, and actually let me (thanks Brian and Kiki) eat while my food was hot!!!!!

The Sweetest Sound Ever Heard

2010-07-12T19:53:00.002-05:00

So last night we decided to do something a little different at Austyn's bathtime. We've been just bathing her in the sink, but I figured it was time to try out the tub that Lolly and Pop (Brian's parents) gave us. I'm not sure why we hadn't done this sooner, but man I wish we had. Austyn absolutely LOVED her bath last night, and she just laughed and laughed. I couldn't wait to give her her bath tonight, but it was sadly uneventful :(

Javier

2010-07-10T19:41:00.005-05:00

We welcomed a new member to the Avra Family this week and his name is Javier. Recently, we have been shopping for a new family vehicle to replace my Acura TSX. My car was getting too small really fast with all of the accessories that go along with a new baby girl. We knew that we needed something bigger and we decided to think long term. Brian and I know that we want to have at least one more child, and that it won't be too far off in the future (about a year), so we decided to look for a vehicle with a third row seat/extra cargo space.

I drove several other vehicles before finally falling in love with Javier. I love his spacious interior and comfy seats. He drives like a dream. Even though I am driving an SUV, I still feel in control and can maneuver/park with no problem.

View from the rear...

Profile...

And the headshot...isn't he a beaut?!

Please welcome Javier to the Avra Family. He is a 2011 Honda Pilot, and we love him very much. We can't wait to take him on the first family trip to Conway for Ashley's wedding next weekend!!!

Disclaimer: I have always named my cars, hence the name Javier. I don't know how or why that's his name, but it is, and I think it fits him perfectly!!!!

Pictures from Austyn's Arrival

2010-07-02T23:25:00.002-05:00

And we're back...

2010-07-02T22:55:00.005-05:00

Seriously, has is really almost been a year??? My how time flies when you're pregnant and a new Mommy! Our lives have changed so much in the last year it is going to be impossible to sum it all up, but I shall try...

First and foremost, we became parents to the most wonderful angel of a daughter, Austyn Claire Avra, on Thursday, April 15th at 4:39pm. She weighed 6lbs 12oz and was 20in long. She was absolutely the most perfect baby ever to be born, but I could be slightly biased, hehe. I had the most wonderful labor and delivery experience ever, and I cannot wait to have another baby (don't freak parents, we're waiting about another year.)

Another major change in the Avra Family was Brian's job. Last September, Brian resigned as the General Manager of Fayetteville Country Club in order to pursue other opportunities. Our lives changed quite a bit after moving away from the country club. Brian began selling cars at Honda of Fayetteville and proved to be quite the salesman. He really enjoyed meeting new people and selling cars. Just this week, however, a new career opportunity presented itself and we felt as a family that it would be a great decision to pursue it. Brian started as a service advisor for Honda of Fayetteville yesterday! He works reasonable (family friendly) hours and still will be able to be around new people. I cannot tell you how excited I am about my Hubby being home for dinner with the family EVERY night! I am sooooo incredibly proud of him, and I could not be happier about it.

We are all adjusting to our new little family, including Lucy Belle, our Papillon. She LOVES her baby sister and is very protective. She loves to smell and lick her, so I have to keep her away from the hands and face.

I went back to work on June 14th after being home since April 5th. Let me just tell you, dropping my baby girl off at daycare that day was the absolute hardest thing that I have EVER had to do. I was a wreck. I prayed a LOT that week and thankfully, we have a wonderful group of teachers at A's daycare and they have really made us feel very comfortable there. We are getting the hang of things, and though it is still tough to leave her there everyday, it is getting easier and I am very glad to be back at work.

We have a lot to be thankful for and we look forward to sharing all of the fun with you along the way. I promise to keep up better in the future, and as soon as my good friend and blogging extraordinaire, Ashley Linam, shows me how to jazz this thing up, and I will post pics and such.

Have a Happy and Safe Fourth of July Weekend!!!!!!!!!!

xoxo Emily

GUESS WHAT!?

2009-08-14T12:10:00.002-05:00

I AM FINALLY PREGO!!!!

Brian and I found out this week that we are going to have a baby!!! I cannot tell y'all how excited I am. My estimated due date is April 20th! I go for my first appointment on Wednesday. I will meet the "financial lady" and the OB nurse to discuss the pregnancy. They will do bloodwork again and check all of my hormone levels, and if everything is normal, they will send me home until I am 11 weeks. At 11 weeks, I will see the dr and hear the heartbeat. I am so extremely excited that I cannot even put it into words!!!

I have been feeling really shitty lately, but I'll take sick and prego over not sick and not prego any day!!! I am sooooo tired and sooooo nauseous!! I feel like I am either nauseous or hungry all the time. Whoever came up with the phrase "morning sickness" should be shot. It is not morning sickness, it's ALL FREAKIN DAY SICKNESS!!! Mine gets worse at night. It seems like my body is saying "go to bed or I'll make you feel increasingly worse until you do!!"

Ok, so just thought that I would share the news. I hope that y'all have a FABULOUS weekend!!! Hopefully, I won't wait so long to write next time :)

Hello!!!

2009-08-05T18:20:00.002-05:00

Not much to report, but just wanted to let you all know that I am NOT pregnant yet!! Just in case you were wondering.

I have my Junior League New Member Retreat this weekend, and I am looking very forward to jumping in and getting involved.

Told ya I didn't have much to report...pretty boring around here. I have had strep throat and a stomach virus in the last month, so the social life has been pretty slow...I shall write again when we have some exciting news to report. Keep your fingers crossed!!!!!!!

It's A Girl!!!

2009-07-08T21:27:00.002-05:00

Just thought that I would drop in and let y'all know that Ko is having a GIRL!!!! Her name is Birdie Lou!! I cannot wait to start planning the non-shower, and buy all sorts of pink. Now it's my turn to get knocked up. I think we're getting the hang of this though, and if I am not prego this month (I don't think I am), I am totally confident that I will be next!!!!!!!! Keep everything crossed and keep us in your prayers please! Talk to y'all later.

xoxo Em

Two For Tuesdays!!

2009-07-07T17:35:00.002-05:00

Ok, I am so excited!!!!!! I am about to go meet Kiki for 2 for 1 margs at La Huerta. As I am still not prego, I am able to enjoy Fayetteville's little perks, such as buy one get one free margaritas!! Just a little tid bit of info for a visual, I will be going to meet her in a totally wrinkly old KD t-shirt and jeans. Do I care, NO! All I care about is seeing my long lost bff and enjoying some awesome food and even awesomer margs. Can you tell I'm excited about the margs?

Oh also did I mention, Kymiko finds out the sex of the babooshka tomorow!? I cannot tell you how excited I am to find out, so that I can plan the coolest "non-baby" shower EVER!!

Gotta go,
xoxo Em

Oh how I have missed you!

2009-06-29T17:15:00.002-05:00

Well all, I am so sorry to have kept you on the edge of your seats waiting for my next post for so long. But I'm baaaaaaack! Just gonna go through and hit on some high points.

On Wednesday, July 17th, I flew to San Antonio to spend some much needed quality time with my BFF Christy. We ate good food drank good wine (too much) and chit chatted about girl stuff. On Thursday we drove down to Port Aransas and with Christy's mom and mother in law in tow, we began our Girls' Trip 2009! We just did a whole lotta nothing (eating, drinking, shopping, laying out). Mmmmmm, my kinda vacay! Shout out to the Little's for providing so much hospitality!

I got back in town on Sunday the 21st at about 9:30pm, kissed my hubby, and went to bed. I started my new job on Monday the 22nd and now have to wake up at 5:30am!!! That should be illegal! I must admit though, I LOVE getting off work at 4 everyday. I am really excited about my job, although I feel like a total moron. There is soooo much to learn, but I know I'm gonna kick some ass once I am good and trained.

Anywho, this past Saturday we had a very lovely wedding to attend. It was absolutely fabulous! We had such a great time, and the bride and groom were so amazingly gorgeous! We proceeded to go out on Dickson after the wedding and got a little intoxicated (we took a cab don't worry).

Still no news to report on the baby front, except that I am not prego right now :( I shall keep you all posted and I hope that your lives are as happy as mine is right now. Did I mention how much I LOVE my hubby?!?!? He is just the bestest hubs ever! Talk to y'all later. It's been real!

The Baby Psychic

2009-06-15T18:12:00.002-05:00

Ok, just to clarify, I do believe in psychics, but I am also not stupid.

Now that that's out of the way, here are the results from my baby psychic reading. FYI a bfp is a big fat positive pregnancy test. Let me know if any of y'all have any sneaking suspicions as to how things are going to play out.

I see a conceive or find out with a bfp between June and Aug this year. I see a girl. I see a conceive or find out with a bfp between Jan and Feb of 2012 and a girl. I see a conceive or find out with a bfp or give birth in Dec. So either conceive or find out with a bfp in Dec of 2015 or give birth in Dec of 2016. I see a boy.

I would just be pleased as punch if this actually was what the future has in store. Brian kinda turned a little green at the thought of having 3 kids, and especially fighting off boys with 2 daughters, bahahaha.

WARNING: I will be talking about my boobs...

2009-06-14T16:36:00.002-05:00

So how has everyone been? It has been forever since I have written, because I have had so much going on, so this could be long...

Let's just go through last week shall we?

Not gonna lie, I totally thought that I was going to have GREAT and exciting baby news to report, but as it turns out, I do not. I had every early symptom in the book, but it's a NO. Anywho, when the breast pain continued after the negative (blood) pregnancy test, I got a little concerned. I have never had pain like that there before. I did a self exam and located a golf ball size lump in my right unit on Monday night. I called the dr Tuesday and was on his table at 2:30 that afternoon. He felt the lump too so he referred me to THE boob guy, Dr. Cross (shout out to Dr. Cross the best boob doc ever). I had an appointment with him on Thursday, and I am not dying. Although I am still in pain, because there is nothing that they can do for me, I am going to be fine. The lump was just glandular tissue clumped near the surface and that was not the cause of the pain. The pain is being caused by swollen breast ducts...whatever the hell that means. Dr. Cross said that it is caused by an overproduction of estrogen. I could not help but shout out, "so I could be pregnant?" He was all, blood tests don't lie, so the bubble burst again, and no I am not pregnant dammit!

So the whole time this is all happening, I am supposed to be studying for my real estate exam...yeah ya think I got much studyin done? That's a big N-O! So I had to cram my butanks off on Friday night. I didn't go to bed till like 3am then I couldn't sleep because I was so nervous about the exam. I got up at 6:30 (exhausted) and got to the exam at 7:30. I booked a massage and a pedi for after the test to either reward or comfort myself based on the outcome. Well it was a reward, because I passed it baby! So, I will be a licensed real estate agent just as soon as I pay my dues. Anyone who needs an agent, call me 713-9125! LOL!!!

Saturday, in between proving how smart I am and my spa appointment, I went out to the golf course and followed Brian and the boys around for 4 holes. B's partner hit a HOLE-IN-ONE!!!! It was AWESOME!!!!!!! After being pampered and acing the test, I came home and watched the HOGS beat the poo out of #2 Cal State Fullerton in the College World Series. WOOOOO PIG SOOIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Took a nap...woke up and got ready for dinner and drinks with Brandon and Amanda Nichols. It was a celebration and we all proceeded to drink waaaaaay too much. Congratulatory shout out to the Nichols for 10 years of marriage....woot! Proceeded to go to Dickson after dinner and met up with Taylor at Z330. More drinks (don't worry, we took cabs) and more loud talking and yada yada. Went home with Taylor and more drinks. We shared the master bed and made J sleep on the couch, sorry J. Came home and found B on the couch (where he slept) and proceeded to drag him to Grub's for lunch. Did y'all know Grub's is now open on Sunday??? I didn't but you can bet that a greasy cheeseburger and pizza dip was JUST what the hangover doctor ordered.

Anywho, now I'm laying in bed (not doing laundry that needs to be done) and listening to my Hubs snore (he denies that he snores). I'm craving some bbq...odd I don't like bbq. Toodles people, have a Fab-tastic week!

P.S. I am going to San Antone on Weds to hang with Christy (aka "my B", not to be confused with "B" as in Brian). We are heading to the coast (Port Aransas) on Thursday for some r&r on the beach. Damn I love girls' trips...

It's Been A While

2009-06-06T18:26:00.002-05:00

Hello All!!

Sorry so long since my last post, but I have been super busy lately! I finally got my Certificate of Eligibility from the Arkansas Real Estate Commission, so I signed up to take my Exam next Saturday. I have been studying and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I pass on the first try. I have really good news also...I GOT MY PROMOTION and I start in the Marketing Department on the 22nd. No definite news in the baby area, but hopefully will be able to report something soon.

I studied out by the pool today, and I cheered the Razorbacks on to their victory over Florida State. Needless to say, I am exhausted! Waiting for my Hubby to get home so that he can take me out to dinner. I'll post again soon when I have more news to report. Keep your fingers crossed!

Ahhh almost Friday!

2009-05-28T20:11:00.002-05:00

Well, hello friends! Long time no chat...Let's get this party started, shall we?

So, Memorial Day weekend started out with a BANG and ended with a BLAH...

Friday I got off work early (insert jealousy here) and came home to a gorgeous day at the country club. My friend Kymiko came up to hang out so we got ready and headed to the Calcutta night of the Member Guest Tourney at FCC. Friday of Member Guest has got to be my favorite night of all tourney nights. Ok, yes, it probably does have something to do with the fact that I get to sing in front of everyone. Once at the club, I proceeded to drink wine, which turned in to going to mi casa, staying up and talking to Ko until the sun came up. Ahh it's so nice having girl talk, even if we could hear my fab hubby sawing logs in the next room.

Saturday, Ko and I got up about noon and headed to Sonic and freakin spent $21 for the 2 of us...after getting Brian's credit card of course! Fast forward 30 minutes to the phone call to Brian asking if he wanted the rest of the 25 pounds of food that wasn't eaten. After stuffing our faces, we did the only logical thing to do on the Saturday of Memorial weekend, NAP TIME! We proceeded to sleep until 5:30! Yeah not smart considering that Saturday afternoon was the only pool worthy day all weekend. I think that this is also the only appropriate time to mention that I did not drag myself out of bed to go to the Saturday night festivities, which was DUELING PIANOS (my freakin fave and probably a missed singin opp)!

So Sunday, woke up about 10 and heard it raining. Once I discovered that this was not going to be a fun in the sun poolside day, I went back to sleep. Not gonna tell you what time I actually got up. But, I will tell you that I did take a shower at about 6:30 in order to get ready for our friend Britton's 30th birthday party, which by the way, was sooo much fun! Need to send a shout out to Molly for lending us her hubby's vocal prowess for the evening! Damn Coy, you got some pipes in that compact body! Well, a few RB&V's later, this responsible old girl took a cab home (my exhausted hubby left a couple hours earlier to get some shut eye).

Ahhh Memorial Day...it was spent like all holidays should be (minus the pool), in bed watching movies and cuddlin with my hubby and my furry girls. What a day....

Now comes the SICKNESS!!! Of course I woke up on Tuesday morning coughing and with my throat on FIRE! Not a good way to start the week. It only proceeded to get worse on Wednesday...ok boring, which brings us to...

Today! I am feeling mucho better, thank God, because I had another interview this morning at 9:30. It was extremely enjoyable and very informative. The recruiter said that "I'm very impressed with you" and that she doesn't think that she is going to have a problem finding a position for me in her department. Yay for good news, but I'm not gonna get my hopes up, since that is what was said after the last interview. Tomorrow I am going to cross train in her department to see how things work, and hopefully, when a position becomes available, I will get good news. Wish me luck! I hope that I have some exciting news to report sometime soon. Oh yeah and hopefully next weekend I will have other "little" exciting news to announce to all of my faithful readers.

Wishing you all a relaxing and prosperous weekend. TTFN!

No Bueno!

2009-05-26T19:56:00.002-05:00

Ok, so to my loyal (4) readers, I just wanted to let y'all know that I am not feeling well. I didn't want to keep you in suspense as to what the heck I was up to, since I promised to write today. But FYI...scratchy throat, cough cough cough. No Bueno!! I am about to drink a bottle of NyQuil and go night night. I promise to fill you in on all of this past weekend's sordid details as soon as I feel like making a clever statement.

Ok I feel so stupid...

2009-05-21T18:26:00.003-05:00

I feel so stupid writing this blog when there are only 2 people (and I do thank you) following our updates! Oh well, the show must go on...

As I write, I am sitting outside with my 2 babies (Lucy Belle - papillon & Daisy - lab) enjoying the view of the golf course on this wonderfully mild May evening. AND I just want everyone to know that I am sick of hearing that "Adam should have won American Idol"! Get over it! He's NOT COMMERCIAL & KRIS IS!! I do think that Adam would be a great front man for a band like Queen and is extremely entertaining & talented, however, I will not buy his album. I will buy Kris', Matt's, Allison's, and Danny's. Ok thanks for letting me get that out!

I just wanted to let the 2 fab chicas, that may or may not be reading my posts, that I will not be writing this weekend. The hubs needs the laptop for the tournament this weekend...this is me sulking. I told him that I need one of my own, for situations like this, and he said NO! Ugh, not nice. Well, when I get really rich at my future J-O-B then I will just buy my own.

I have another interview next week. I am extremely excited about it, and I am just putting it to God and trusting that whatever happens is His will. I am confident that everything will work out in the end, BUT I am not good at taking rejection. Huh, maybe that's His lesson, that I gain this experience and learn to take rejection like a big girl...Food for thought.

Ok peace, I'm getting eaten like crazy by these dang mosquitoes!!! See ya Tuesday, unless I steal the laptop back...

Another day in the life & times of Emily Avra

2009-05-20T19:50:00.003-05:00

Well today was an exciting day for the Avra Fam! I went to my pre-preggo consultation with my doctor, and I am happy to report that I got the green light to start to try and turn our parents into grandparents!! Now the waiting and praying and hard part begins. I will keep y'all posted, but don't worry, I will not share too much info, so feel free to keep reading our posts.

On a different note, Brian and I have been really busy (get your mind out of the gutter) trying to prepare for this weekend. Ok, so I have been laying in bed with wine watching Idol and he has been working his (non-existent) booty off! This weekend is the second biggest golf tournament of the year at Fayetteville Country Club, Member Guest. The festivities kick off on Friday night and continue throughout the entire Memorial Day Weekend. I have large plans...wine, food, dancing, margaritas, lounging by the pool, singing with the dude on the patio, and following the golfers around in a golf cart. Man, I get exhausted just thinking about it!!!!

Also, before I go, to cheer on Brian's hometown boy on Idol, I need to give a quick shout out to my good friend Kymiko! Things haven't been easy for my main chick lately, but she's handling things like a champ. Sorry you didn't get to find out the sex of the babooshka today Ko. Another 8 weeks of waiting for them to finally tell us that it's gonna be a William Paul Jasper Newton versus an un-named chica is a pain in the bootay yo!

Ok seriously gotta go, Jason Mraz is on idol. He was my second choice of husband, but I turned him down to marry my faboosh hubby B!

What A Day

2009-05-18T18:02:00.002-05:00

I hope that this does not come across as a total gripe fest, but today pretty much sucked!

I started the day in a bad mood due to another restless night. Now, this wouldn't be unlike any other day for me except that my fabulous husband and I recently purchased a very expensive new bed in the hopes of ridding me of these sleepless nights...well, it ain't workin! Apparently this bed does not have enough lower back support for me and I keep tossing and turning all night long. Next stop, the mattress store to trade.

My day only got better after lunch when I found out that I did not get offered the job that I interviewed for!! Not only did I not get the job, but they kept me on the hook for almost 2 weeks waiting to hear. Anywho, then I get home to the dogs and little precious Lucy Belle had puked all over her kennel! And here comes the real kicker...

NO FREAKIN WINE!!!!! One should at least be entitled to a nice cold glass of vino at the end of what will now be called SUCK FEST 2009!

Ahhh the light at the end of the tunnel...my fabulous, most amazing, loving husband will be home shortly with a nice, big, chilled bottle of Sauvignon Blanc just for moi!!

Oh how I do hope that I have not sucked you into the blackhole that is Suck Fest 2009, and I do so hope that your day was mucho better than mine. Oh and one more thing, I made an appointment for our pre-preggo visit with my OB/GYN. Hopefully I will be big and preggo fat in no time! Wow, I never thought that being fat would cheer me up...who knew!

Welcome to our blog

2009-05-17T20:09:00.002-05:00

Hello and welcome to the Avra Family Blog!! I'm not sure what to write about so I'll just start by going through our past week...

Last Wednesday was my 26th birthday. Not gonna lie, it was NOT easy for me! Brian made it so much better by surprising me with dinner at Bordino's, a pedicure and massage from Pink Papaya, and some money for our trip to the casino on Friday night. My little brother, Spencer, turned 21 on Thursday...we are finally able to enjoy adult fun (ok that sounds dirty, but is not what what I meant) as a family! Apparently he had a really fun night! I had to forgo his night out due to my "celebration" on my own bday the night before. Yes, we are 5 years and one day apart...my parents like August I guess.

Mom and Dad came up from Altus to help celebrate my birthday weekend at the casino. Well, let's put it this way, I was the biggest loser. And not in the, I lost a ton of weight kind of good way. I lost a butt load of money. At one point, I was stealing chips from my Dad's stack while he was in the bathroom. Later as we were leaving the table, some chick busted me out! Ugh the nerve of that woman!!!

On Saturday night, Brian had to work so I stayed in and watched Lifetime movies. Wow, we are so freakin wild!!! No, seriously, get back, we are terrible influences!! You might get really excited about going to Mexico Viejo for a big night out on two for one margs (one a piece). LAME!

I interviewed for a new job at JB Hunt in the Marketing Department, and I am anxiously awaiting the news...it will have been 2 weeks on Wednesday! Really, what do you have to think about, you know you want me so just offer me the dang job already. I am really getting tired of their denial!

Well, I guess I will keep you "posted" on our upcoming events. Hope y'all have a wonderful week!!!!