Amazing Avery is FOUR

Avery turned four this month!  She is bright, clever, and just loves to be silly and laugh.  Some of her favorite things are "shows and treats" and hearing stories.  She loves to play with her unicorns, make the dog "soup" out of dirt and bits of everything, and jump on the tramp.  She'll lay under my bed with Smacker the cat for hours.  She loves to be snuggled and crawls into bed with us every morning before facing the day.  She loves preschool, dislikes going to daycare, and begs to see her Grandma Pinnell and cousin Tommy regularly.  She is an excellent swimmer and good with puzzles, letters and numbers.

Halloween themed birthday party.  Cutest witch on the block.

We painted pumpkins for her birthday party

Her best buddy in the neighborhood Jane.

We went to Lagoon for her bday.

And Rylie slept over!  What a special birthday for Avery.

Being a 4 year old, she says a lot of funny things.  Her 4 year old cousin has diabetes, and we talked about it last Summer when we spent some time with him.  She asked me the following day, "why does that boy have dia-boobies?"  And later when he fell and started crying she asked "Did he hurt his dia-boobies?"  lol

Then last week she asked me about "that boy who has diarrhea."  Meaning diabetes.

Today she asked me, "Who makes air? What is inside clouds?  What is inside water?"
Her inquisitive mind is so fun to observe, and I'm always very honest with her.  I tried explaining what hydrogen and oxygen atoms are.

The Summer's End

Here are some pics from Summer to early Fall.  2016 has been full of fun!

No one loves this dog more than Lydia

Avery's 4 year old haircut

 We got to visit a fire station

Avery's preschool (above) Huelas y Sonrisas is a Spanish immersion program.

I'm still plugging away on a horse.  It's been slow going because riding a horse correctly is hard!

 

Little Miss Sunshine

I thought I knew what love was when I started dating Todd.  I thought I knew what love was when we got married.  I thought I knew what love was when Todd and I together left the Mormon church.  I was sure I knew what it was when we were wandering lost through a blizzard on top of the Half Dome in Yosemite, not sure if we'd see the light of another day.

And then Avery was born.

Oh.

I see.

Now I get it.

She is the sunshine that wakes me up and keeps me going.  She is truly the love of my life!  

And because she is my child, she is only mine for 16 more years, and then I have to let her go. :(

 I feel like I never really understood love until she came into my life.

And I know that Todd feels the same, and that makes me happy. 

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Avery is so smart.  A week after she turned two, she knew the entire alphabet.  Not just the song, she could identify and say each letter.  She can sing a dozen songs and hold conversations I didn't expect to have for years.  (Ever explain to a two year old why she doesn't need a bra but her mom does?)

She is so happy that she has to dance from room to room instead of walk.  She is very independent and has to dress herself and blow her own nose and choose all her outfits.  She puts on makeup which I sneakily wipe off before we leave the house.  She can use the remote control and the computer mouse.

She is amazing and I am so in love with her!

Halloween 2014

Happy Halloween!  Avery was a Nay like her best beloved favorite special nasty stuffed unicorn she carries around. :)

Her buddy Ruby dressed up too.  Unicorns unite!

F.A.L.L.

This is the feeling of FALL.

I simply love this season.  And it's genetic. :)

 We watched my sister's dog for a few days. Avery and I fell in love with her!  Todd and the cat on the other hand... Well they tolerated her.

What a smiley dog!

Daisy wasn't too thrilled about having leaves dumped on her all afternoon but Avery sure had fun.

Avery's Second Birthday in Hollywood

Avery turned two!

We decided to celebrate in real Hammond style by going on a trip.  Todd had to be in LA to record an album with his band the Statuettes, so we decided to go early and make it a family birthday trip!

On our way down we stopped in Zion so I could trail run up Angel's Landing.  What an intense run!  It was more like a fast hike :) 

Todd and Avery hiked up together (my stomach was in my throat seeing Todd climb up the chains with cliffs on either side of him and Avery in his backpack!)  I backtracked a bit to be at the top with them, then backtracked at the end of the hike to meet up with Todd and Avery on their way down.  It was a fabulous but very slow seven mile run. 

We drove to Vegas and stayed in a gross hotel for the night. The next day we made it to the beach!!! I was hoping to get some surfing in, but, um, it was a little crowded in the water.   

 

And this beach was too rocky to swim. And Avery was a little overwhelmed by everything.

So we enjoyed the views for a while and later found another beach for a sunset dinner. Dinner turned out to be one of the most incredible dining experiences of my life! We were in a restaurant on a pier that rocked as the massive waves crashed below us. It was cold and brisk but heat lamps made it perfect. Best sunset of the entire trip!

Before dinner we walked along the pier and watched the surfers and paddle boarders catch big waves. 

What a lovely evening.

The following day we drove to Malibu Beach and met up with the Dartons, our long time friends we don't get to see very often!  We spend the next 2 days at the beach swimming, surfing, and boogie boarding.

The Dartons plus Avery:

After Avery watched Evelyn run around and play she got much more comfortable with the beach.

  

 

Wetsuits with swim suits rolled up underneath are so hot right now. ha.

  

Avery napped in her stroller (thank goodness!!!)

 

Avery just loved Evelyn and really took to her right away.  These girls had a blast together.

For Avery's birthday party we celebrated in style on a Hollywood rooftop.  See the Hollywood sign? 

We bbq'd and sang happy birthday with cupcakes. 

Then we had a glow-stick dance party with live music!

The girls ran around and danced the night away together.  It was adorable.

For our last day of the trip we went to the science museum. We got to see a space shuttle!

Here's a picture of it before it was launched.  At the museum it was humongous and in a warehouse to see.  My camera could only get a picture of the front window, it was so big!

 The ice wall

And then it was time to say goodbye...  Avery has been asking for Evelyn since we left. I hope the Dartons move back to Utah soon. :)