Book Train

Avery constructed this all by himself. It was fun to watch him create his idea.

First Bike

Well, this milestone experience didn't quite go as we had dreamed it would. You know, the kind of story you dream about with rose colored glasses when your child is first born. However, Avery put his own twist on it, as he usually does and gave us a laugh.

Since the weather was beautiful, and Avery seemed to be coordinated enough, our grand idea was to introduce Avery's first bike. We surprised him with it one afternoon outside in our driveway. There was even a red helmet (which Avery named "The Lightning McQueen helmet" to go with it.

Clint excitedly introduced it and encouraged Avery to take a look at it and hop on (it had sturdy training wheels which would allow Avery to get on it all by himself if he wanted to). Avery was reluctant. We kept encouraging him just confident that once he figured out he could pedal it and move, he would take off! What American boy doesn't love a bike? In our minds, this was a perfect gift for an energetic child that loved being active outside.

Avery whined. Avery protested. He said he wanted his "motorcyle" instead (his three wheeler trike inside). He didn't try to pedal much. We failed to remember that Avery bucks at change and can be very set in his ways. He is not comfortable with new things and is very loyal to what he already has.

Since we didn't want the bike to be a symbol of torture, we just let it go. This wasn't something to make a battle of. Avery will probably be interested in it later when he had the opportunity to choose for himself whether or not he wanted to like the bike. He needed to warm up to it on his own terms.

So there we were, on the driveway with our stubborn child and a perfectly fun little bike, laughing at the irony of the situation.

Uninhibited Personality

- Avery certainly gets attached to things and really dislikes change. Our washer broke and we replaced it with another one. Avery said he wanted the old washer back so he could fix it - and even named it "Avery's washer".

- "Look Mama! Stripes!" Avery was referring to the skin fold lines on his knuckles.

- "Look Mama! Camouflage!" Avery referring to the bark (?) on an unripened pineapple.

- We noticed that there is a hole in the knees in almost every pair of Avery's jeans. We've gone through a couple pairs of shoes in the last year due to excessive use.

- #1 game Avery wants to play - race cars

- "Dada! Whoop up on me!!" Avery taunts his dad until he tackles him with tickles.

- I was wearing cream soda flavored lip gloss one morning. I kissed Avery on the cheek. Avery exclaimed, "Momma! Wash it off Mama! It STINKS!"

- Avery now wipes off any kisses he receives with his hands.

- Our picky eater will no longer eat blueberries because he dislikes the stain it leaves on his hands.

- Our son has found a way to collect all the laundry baskets and plastic crates in the house, assemble them in the kitchen, and play demo derby with his "hotwheel cars". The red one is the strongest and fastest of course. Somehow, there gets a door mat thrown into the mix who also plays the character of the "boat"?

- Avery wanted his mother to build a "big hotwheels car" in the kitchen "with a hammer". I humored him and pretended to build a car. Avery, obviously bothered, insisted that he wanted a "real car" and not a pretend one. Then, I said that I "needed wood, and I don't have any." Avery suggested that I "go into the woods and get some and come back." I said that I'm not strong enough to carry the wood all by myself. Then, Avery retorted "Mama, you're a big girl. I think you can do it."

spaghetti noodle art
Easter lily hand craft
discovering horses from our backyard

Three Year Old Theme Song

Avery's favorite song. Can you guess why? We have the CD in our car and he makes a request almost daily and says "Momma, play it LOUD!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvsmRuRp4cM

"Life Is A Highway" - Rascal Flatts Official Music Video

Dandelion Feathers

Avery noticed a sign of spring in our yard - dandelions. His dad, who takes care of our lawn, was happy that Avery wanted to pick them. Avery wanted to go "dandelion hunting", so we armed ourselves with tupperware and hiked to the backyard jungle. Avery noticed that dandelions have "feffers" (feathers). He enjoyed painting with them (as long as we used red paint of course).

Lightning McQueen blankie

Avery has a beloved "bwoo bwankie" since he was a baby. He sleeps with it every night. We have even had a hotel in Lichtfield IL have to ship it back to us when we accidentally left it there last summer. The poor blanket now is very worn and comfortable and has huge gaping holes in which Avery likes to use to hang it on things or stretch his feet through. It sort of reminds us of the gross blue blanket that Linus drug around in the Snoopy cartoon. If a babysitter comes to visit, we always introduce the infamous blanket as Avery is very attached to it.

Lately, Avery has been sort of obsessed with things being the color red. He realized his blue blanket, although precious in every way, is not, in fact, RED. So, he found an old red dish towel in a drawer and claimed it as another blanket to carry around. The red towel makes up for the fact that his blanket is not red, but it solves the problem of becoming detached from his old faithful friend.

So, now we have TWO "bwankies" for bed and naptimes.