HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY AVERY!!

I can't believe my baby is 1! It seems just like yesterday I brought her home from the hospital. Avery truly is our little miracle baby. It wasn't easy getting her here (concieving & pregnancy) but we don't know where we would be without her. She is such an amazing little baby and we love her with all our hearts. She has brought so much joy and happiness into our lives and I truly know she was meant for our family. I hope one day to have more children just like her, but if I never did I feel so incredibly lucky that our Heavenly Father chose me to be her mom. I feel so privelegded to call myself "Avery's Mommy". It hasn't always been easy with the endless poopy diapers, sleepless nights, and crying but I wouldn't change it for the world. I hope she never forgets how much her dad and I love her. Happy Birthday Avery, we love you so much!!



We had Avery's party the day after her birthday and she had so much fun...well until the cake part (scroll down to see what I'm talking about). She had so much fun playing with her grandpas, grandmas, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Obviously we had a princess party because she is our little princess and what little girl doesn't pretend to be a princess at one time or another in there life, so we made her princess for the day (really it's everyday). We had family and friends over for dinner and then cake and ice cream. My parents and sister even came from Utah to be here for this special occasion. My family is amazing, but they LOVE to spoil her!! Here she is showing off her lion walker and jewlery case.

In her new wagon Grandma and Grandpa Meenderink gave her.

Showing off the princess cake with her cousin Kayli.

Deciding if she wants to dig in or not.

Guess she didn't like it after all. She is definetly my girl if she doesn't like to get dirty. But she also had a ton of people in her face, which she wasn't really fond of.

Happy Birthday Honey!!

Today Kyle celebrated his 32nd Birthday and Avery and I just wanted to wish him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! And in honor of his birthday I am posting pictures of Avery in his favorite "outfit" on her, the Aggie hat. We all know how much he loves his Utah State Aggies even after they got there butts kicked by Boise State in Basketball. He's a die hard fan, through and through. We love him very much and hope he has a fabulous birthday!When she can't get the aggie hat off her head.......and when she can!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

New Job

I have decided to go back to work part time, we need a little extra cash as Kyle was laid off in October, but also because it is a great opportunity and they are paying me quite well. I will be working as a Social Worker for a Transitional Home in Nampa. It's only 20-25 hours a week with half the hours being on site and in the office and the other half in the comfort of my home on my laptop doing paperwork. It's also not a set schedule either, I set the schedule with the clients so it's really flexible. My husbands friend is the controller for the company and I guess he thought I would be great for the job, so here I am going back into the work field.
Kyle has been doing mortgage loans from home and keeps looking for a job (but what bank is hiring right now for a Constuction Loan Officer!) and so he will stay with Avery when I am working. The job is temporary right now as it is program that runs off of a grant from the State which is renewed every June, so then I find out if I will continue to work or not. But for now I am at least working until the end of May and I am super excited. Although I will miss being home with my little girl I know she is in good hands with her dad and maybe it will give him an idea of what I do everyday.
So wish me luck on my new adventure!

Happy Valentines Day!!

We hope everyone had a Happy Valentines Day, we sure did! We actually celebrated it the night before since the big game (USU vs. BSU, basketball) was on Saturday night. We went over to a friends house and had our annual heart shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's, but I forgot to take my camera over there. We just ate our "elegant" dinner and hung out while the kids played, it was actually very nice! Below are some pictures of Avery with her gift from her dad and my gift from him too. Avery wasn't really in to posing, so I just snapped some as quick as I could. Here she is with her gift from her dad. He got her a cute little stuffed animal. She loves to play with her dogs, the live and fake ones.Here is another one of Avery with her gift and mine. I love rose bushes. In fact when we moved to our new house I was so sad I had to leave my yellow rose bush behind (it doesn't look like this one I'm just trying to explain) , it was given to me on my 1st mothers day from my mother in-law and it was so beautiful in the spring and summer. So this is my new "rose bush". Let's see how long I can keep it alive.

And here is just a picture of Avery's cute Valentine shoes. A friend gave those to Avery and they are just so adorable.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!