Avery is 1!

   Avery turned one on March 14, 2015. I can't believe how fast this last year has gone! Our baby is hardly a baby anymore!
   We were slightly delayed in celebrating her birthday because both her and Owen were sick and not in the partying mode.  Poor babies! But the rescheduled party was a success! Almost everyone was still able to make it and it was a fun time! I really struggled to come up with a theme for her party but finally settled on a "This Little Piggy" party. Everything was pink and she really loves you playing "this little piggy" with her toes so it was decided.  I think she had a good time and really liked her cake. She didn't nap well that day so ended up being overwhelmed and melted down and going to bed early but I still think she had a good time! Owen was his usually ham-my self and was very helpful opening presents. (He loves the doll stroller Avery received more than she does!) It is always great to have friends and family come into our home, share a meal and create memories! I am so grateful to all the family we have close that can share in our family's milestones! Thanks to all who came to the party and those who sent cards or birthday wishes! We love you all!
   Avery is one...wow! She is adorable and a little spitfire! She lets you know what she wants and, even more, what she doesn't want! She has some of her namesake in her. She is walking and has been for almost a month. She is obsessed with her shoes and hat and often gets her shoes from beside the door and brings them to me grunting, which means "Put these on me now! (And if we can go outside that would be great too!)" So she is almost always wearing her shoes! I will be interested to see what happens when the weather gets nice because she thinks she has to wear a hat to go outside! I guess she will learn! :) She loves the swing and would probably do that all day long if I would let her.  She often assumes we are going to swing when we get her shoes and coat on but when I go to load her in the car she throws a fit because she realizes she doesn't get to swing. She just has to let me know she isn't happy but is perfectly fine after I get her buckled in!
   Avery has started talking a little too! She does grunt for most of her communicating but can say some words.  Obviously "mama" and "dada" and "Budd-a" (Buddy). She says "Bible" at the end of the B-I-B-L-E song. She can say "off", "hot potato" and "bye-bye." It's not as long of a list as I had thought but it's an awesome start for a one-year old! She can also point to her belly button, her nose, her hands and her feet/toes.
   We are so blessed to be Avery's parents. It is so fun to watch her learn and grow daily. Her personality is blossoming too and it's a joy to learn more about her and who she is going to be. God has blessed us with an amazing little girl and we thank Him everyday for our sweet baby girl!

Lucky parents

Fun! Presents!

She is so sweet!

Yum!!

  

Owen loves me

I love my big boy!

Wow! Creepy...

"Why does she make me do this??"

Avery is walking!

This little lady is walking and she is pretty excited about it! Since she's started walking, she hasn't stopped and has continued to perfect it! She can now get up all by herself without having to pull up on anything and she can walk in shoes too. In fact, she almost prefers it.  She is obsessed with her shoes and hat. She would wear them all the time if I would let her! She's a spunky little girl and is even happier now that she can get around on her two little feet!

Diapers and Boots

Owen's thought bubble..."What? Not everyone reads books in a diaper and cowboy boots?"

Avery's thought bubble..."Personally I think he's pulling it off!!"

Ahhhh! Love these kiddos!

Owen's "squeezy" hug that Avery is, obviously, a big fan of!

I could just eat her!

Handsome boy!

The camera loves him!

Avery says "Good Morning!"

Owen turned 2!

     Our sweet baby boy isn't a baby anymore! He turned two on January 20th. I can't believe how fast these last two years have gone! I know I'm biased but he seems to be the sweetest, smartest little two year old I know!
     What has Owen been up to lately? He is chatty. He has the sweetest little voice and likes to use it. He can count to 13 consistently (he likes to jump to 16 after that!) He can sing the alphabet. Actually, he loves to sing. Some of his favorite songs are "Praise Him", "Old MacDonald", "Good Morning, God" and "Elmo's World." He finally has a good grasp on his shapes. He struggled with them for awhile but has them down now!
     I'm not sure if it's because we are stuck inside with the snow and cold and there is little variety in activities, but Owen has really started to develop his creative side. We have a closet full of fun, artistic bins. He especially likes coloring with markers and insists on taking the lids off as well as putting them on. He is obsessed with Play-doh. Right now all he wants to do is make a basketball and hoop and "shoot baskets" with each and every color of Play-doh. (Owen is very particular and we tend to do things the same way EVERY single time. He likes routine and consistency!)
     Owen loves his sister and always wants to give her the big, "squeezy" hugs he gives Tyler and I but we have to encourage him that Avery likes gentle hugs. They love playing together (most of the time) and usually know how to make each other laugh. I'm so looking forward to watching these two grow up together...I think they will be the best of friends but only time will tell!
     We celebrated Owen's birthday a few days before he actually turned 2. We had a house full of family to help us celebrate. Owen loved the attention and hammed it up for everyone! Owen requested pizza and Elmo. Luckily both of those were pretty easy to accomplish. He had a Sesame Street party with an Elmo cake and Cookie Monster cupcakes! The party was so fun and the most important part was that Owen loved it!

Aunt Jordan was trying to win Avery over all night! I think she did by the end!

I'm Sorry!

Please accept my apology for ignoring my role as a blogger. I promise to do better in the future! Once Christmas came and went and I hadn't blogged, I just kept getting further and further behind. Then I felt overwhelmed because I thought I needed to blog in chronological order, but I've since decided I'm going to just start where I'm at! So, again, I'm sorry for the lapse and the lack of information on what's been going on with the Frederiksen family! Stay tuned because new blogs will be posted!