Shawn, Candace, and Avery

Finger Paint Fun!

2008-11-16T20:54:00.002-05:00

Lindsay always has the good ideas and she did this with Anderson. I thought Avery might like it, too. It actually took her a while to get into it. The first move was straight to the mouth. She thought it was pretty fun to put it on her daddy's nose!

Monroe County goes to Windy Gap

2008-11-01T21:22:00.000-04:00

Monroe County went to Windy Gap this weekend...one of my favorite places. We had warm, sunny weather. God was in it all! I had a cabin of six girls plus my leader friend, Emily! It was a great weekend. Here are some of my favorite moments...

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T20:40:00.000-04:00

My friend, Emily, and I took Avery to the Trunk 'N' Treat in downtown Tellico. Avery found her new love for candy corn. She wasn't really into getting her picture taken, but she was the cutest little stinker you've ever seen! We went and saw Shawn at basketball practice after getting our treats. I'm telling you, he lit up!!

Avery turns 16 months!

2008-10-26T14:56:00.003-04:00

I took these pictures of Avery playing outside just to capture her growing up! I love her more every day. Some of my new favorite things:
She LOVES sitting in my lap. She turns around with her back to me and walks in reverse until she can plop down between my legs.
She loves hats and looks super cute in them.
She attempts to imitate almost everything we can say. She's a talker.
She hides her eyes with her hands and I say, "Where's Avery?" She responds with, "There she is!"

C-N Homecoming 2008

2008-10-18T21:54:00.000-04:00

Shawn, Avery, and I went to my old stomping ground for homecoming. We got to see Krystal and Kayla Beth...yay!! We also got to spend a few minutes with Julia and meet her niece, Lilly Kate, who is Avery's age. We attempted to go to the game, but you'll never guess who didn't want to sit and watch it.

My First Peach!

2008-10-14T14:28:00.000-04:00

Grandpa gave Avery her first real peach today...pretty funny!!

Family Visit

2008-10-13T14:27:00.001-04:00

Mimi, Poppi, Tyler, and Chad came to see us this weekend. We took them on their first Tellico Beach experience and then hit the Coker Creek Gold Festival. Mom and Dad kept Avery for us Saturday night while Shawn and I went to the mall and out to dinner. It was a late anniversary date, I guess. It's nice to get out once and a while and it's really nice to see our family. I miss them!

Me and Granddaddy

2008-10-08T23:24:00.004-04:00

My Aunt Debbie sent me a picture of my Granddady today. It's the only one I have! It was taken in 1982. I would have been two. I've also posted the last picture I have of me and my Grandma. It is taken at her 90th birthday. I miss her. She's been gone for a year and a half now.

Race for the Cure

2008-09-28T23:30:00.007-04:00

Sharon (my sister-in-law) and I ran in the Race for the Cure today in Chattanooga. Shawn, Jeff (Sharon's husband) and Avery came to support us! It was a fun, but tiring day. Two o'clock is hot!! I did finish, it took me 27:30 to do it. That placed me at 1,634th place. Just kidding...I have no idea.

The Many Ways to Wear a Backpack

2008-09-27T21:00:00.001-04:00

Avery's recently gotten into Dora the Explorer..."backpack, backpack" as most of you know. She loves to fill her backpack, usually with puzzle pieces, and then wear it. She never puts it on the same way twice!!BubbleShare: Share photos - Create and Share Crafts

Avery's Silly Mistake

2008-09-16T20:44:00.004-04:00

Avery has started getting in this tin tub. Unfortunately, she can't get out. The rapid progression is rather humerous. She hasn't felt well today. She has her first real runny nose. We were outside today and she said, "bubble." I wasn't sure what she was talking about until I looked at her and saw the big snot bubble coming out of her nose. I have a feeling this could be a long night.

I heard Avery clopping through the kitchen tonight. When I found her she kept saying "shoe, shoe" and had Shawn's shoes on and carrying my cell phone. What a nut!!

Silly girl

2008-09-14T17:04:00.003-04:00

Avery dumped her cheerios and decided she would lay down in them. When she got up she tried to push them under the rug!!

She got this new riding toy from some friends of ours in Tellico, Charlie and Sally Jenkins. She really likes it, except when she tries to stand in the seat!

Avery loves to wear her daddy's hat. She's pretty cute in it if you ask me. And have you noticed how pretty her hair is?! haha

Wow, one year old girls are busy, busy, busy!! Sorry I've not been very good at keeping posts coming. She is talking up a storm and at least attempts to mimic almost everything we say. The church nursery ladies told us she was a "climber, and always on the go." I guess that's a nice way to say, "We can't contain your child!!"

Taco night!

2008-08-19T11:05:00.003-04:00

One year olds are picky eaters, but taco night was a hit! Black beans are definitely a keeper, both as food and finger paint. I made her this ground beef/cheese quesadilla, which she gobbled up. I'm noticing lately, as Avery becomes quicker and quicker, that a lot of my pictures are coming from the high chair!!

On the go!

2008-08-17T10:53:00.001-04:00

Needless to say, Avery is always on the go!! She goes to the door and begs to go outside. She walks around picking up "balls" (aka hickory nuts). We usually take a walk to Granny and "Paws" house which takes FOREVER at her clover picking, easily distracted pace! Playing inside usually consists of, well, mess-making. Her favorite toy is my cell phone, which she calls "call". She's also starting to love her ark full of animals that Mimi got her. She carries it around either empty or with one animal. The turtle is her favorite!

Silly, silly girl

2008-08-13T11:42:00.003-04:00

I'm telling you what, if you haven't been around Avery lately, you need to. She's pretty funny...and saying a lot. We went outside the other day and she started yelling for Patch at the top of her lungs,and Patch did come running. Then, when we walked past the tractor shed, she squatted down, put her hands on her knees and yelled, "PAW!" She thought Grandpa was out working on his tractor. And you missed her the other day doing squats in a workout video. Oh, yes, aerobics princess!! I guess every mother thinks her kid is the smartest, but I don't have to think, I know!! :) She can tell us the sounds a duck, owl, cow, sheep, snake, dog, pig (sometimes), and bee makes. A cat still goes "KIKIKI"??? Here are some pictures I took the other day of her lounging in her high chair!

Avery's First Haircut

2008-08-09T21:10:00.000-04:00

Avery, are you in there?

Angie, help! This has got to go!!

My baby's growing up and the mullet had to go! My good friend, Angie, gave Avery her first haircut. Needless to say...it was not easy! Holding still is, well, impossible. We did get the back cleaned up and got a few bangs, though! Thank you, Angie!!

Ean turns 9!

2008-07-25T10:53:00.001-04:00

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Avery loves her cousin, Ean! He had his 9th birhtday at our house with his friends from school. They swam and had cupcakes. I've decided I don't know if I could ever handle a boy...just watching them play, man, they are rough! It turned out good, though, and I think Ean had a good time.

Learning to walk, but preferring to crawl

2008-07-07T10:45:00.000-04:00

Avery started really walking a couple days after hir birthday. It's funny how they just take off. Grass is hard to do, though! It trips her. So, she still opts for crawling through it!

Aquarium Adventure

2008-06-28T21:28:00.002-04:00

Shawn and I took Avery to the Chattanooga Aquarium today...what fun! None of us had ever been. It's really nice. Avery was really scared at first. She wanted to look and be really close, especially to the penguins, but she wouldn't let go! She did not want to be put down. Once she loosened up, she really enjoyed it. It's funny how so many fish go "quack, quack" according to Avery. She got pretty sleepy before we finished it all, but was a trooper! We'll definitely be back.

1st Birthday

2008-06-23T21:32:00.003-04:00

Miss Hollywood with her giraffe from Brandon and Emily

So, this is cake! I love it!!

My Momma is hilarious!!

Crawling through the grass is where it's at!!

My little baby turned one yesterday; I can not believe it! We had a cookout/pool party. The pool part didn't exactly work out. The water was too cold for her! Both our families came plus Amber and her daughter, Gabriella. I made chocolate cupcakes and Avery was in heaven. I didn't tell her they weren't even that good. She started off real serious, trying to figure it all out. She's definitely her momma, though...born with a sweet tooth!! She got some really fun toys and some precious clothes. The most fun for her was crawling in the grass, though. It's the little things!!! You can see some more of her party pics on my brother's website. The link is on bottom right of blog (The Pritchards).

Avery's New Shades

2008-06-16T12:00:00.002-04:00

By the way, momma's sock smells like flowers!

Avery and I ran some errands this morning, hanging some flyers for Daddy. While we were in CVS, we found these cool Minnie Mouse sunglasses. She loves them!!

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T22:19:00.002-04:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

I am so lucky to have, not only the best Dad growing up, but the best father to my daughter I could ever ask for. Shawn is completely selfless and has shown it time and time again as I watch him be a dad to Avery. He is always so patient and calm with Avery. He talks softly to her like she's a little person. Her little face lights up every time he walks into the room. She loves to call his name and see him respond to her call. I never imagined he would be so good at this "dad" thing. I just pray that Avery will grow up to know just how lucky she is.

SharpTop Cove 2008

2008-06-13T21:58:00.002-04:00

God is so amazing! I spent all of last week with my Young Life girls in Jasper, Georgia at SharpTop cove. It was such a hard decision for me, seeing as how I've never spent more than one night away from Avery, and had only done that once. I knew God wanted me with those girls, but leaving her was one of the hardest things I have ever done. The amazing thing is how God showered his grace on me and allowed me to focus on my high school friends and have an amazing week!! (Plus Shawn and Avery came to visit Tuesday, which helped! I have such an awesome husband!!) The week was so full that I couldn't begin to tell you all we did. I will tell you that watching those girls laugh, cry, struggle through challenging situations, love on each other, and get to know their Savior a little better was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. Here is a slide show of some of my favorite pics from the week. Kayla Beth and Krystal have graduated and will be leaving for Carson-Newman in the fall. Knowing them and growing with them has been a joy!! I will miss you girls so much!

My Favorite Things

2008-05-30T22:13:00.001-04:00

Self-Portrait

2008-05-29T22:08:00.000-04:00

Every time Avery sees me brushing my teeth she wants to "brush" hers. It's fun watching her chew on her tooth brush. She absolutely will not let me do it for her...little miss independent!

"All Done"

2008-05-26T21:35:00.003-04:00

Avery has not felt well the past couple days. She knocked the ear infection, but she has had so much nasal and chest congestion. Her cough sounds icky. Due to all this, she has not had much of an appetite. I guess food doesn't taste very good. So, dinner today consisted of Avery rubbing mac-n-cheese in her hair and signing "all done" over and over. She likes to sign it above her head. I think that's because this book we read a lot has a little girl that throws her hands above her head when she's "all done" putting her blocks away. Rather humerous, but I do wish she felt better. She can't breathe well, and therefore, can't sleep well.

11 months old, playing in the grass

2008-05-21T15:12:00.000-04:00

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Avery is getting so fun, and so funny! She loves being outside and she loves eating grass! She shakes her head real fast in a "no" fashion. We can't figure out why she does it, but it's quite comical. She is talking all the time...not sure what she's saying, but she's a jabber box. She is obsessed with her books, and doesn't want to quit reading in order to take her nap. As soon as I pick one up, she lies back on me and settles in for her story. When it's over, she pops up and reaches for another one. "More" she keeps saying in sign language, in reference to pretty much anything she wants. It's almost time to start planning her 1st birthday...I can not believe it.

My First Mother's Day

2008-05-11T16:32:00.003-04:00

I am so blessed! Today was a special, special day for me. Sometimes I still can't believe I'm a mom. Avery gave me a card that she "signed" with her handprint. I think her and her daddy got ink everywhere, but it made me feel so special. God must really love me to allow me to have such a precious little girl!! Here are some pics taken after church.

No way! Ten Months, already!!

2008-05-08T14:02:00.002-04:00

Well, Avery is 10 months old! We dropped a nap and a bottle today...two more bottles to go and she'll be straight sippy cup. We'll see how it goes. Avery and I went to Mimi and Poppi's this weekend to spend some time with the fam and see Chad since his birthday was yesterday. She has so much fun up there. She's started saying her "P" sound and Poppi is sure she's saying his name. Hmm...

2008-04-22T13:20:00.001-04:00

I haven't updated lately on Avery. She's been a handful lately! She's such a fast crawler. I assume they all are at this age, but boy can she get. She's saying momma, dada, baby, hi, and uh-oh. Here's some pictuers of one of her favorite snacks, a messy biter biscuit. Oh, she'll share with you! She also loves mandarin oranges, pears, and string cheese. We're still working on the sippy cup. She's getting better, but just isn't a big drinker. I have to force her the liquids.

Avery's Ponytail

2008-04-17T23:23:00.003-04:00

Thought you might want to see the cutest ponytail ever!!! Avery's hair is getting just long enough that it gets in her eyes. She's always on the go...always! She is waving bye bye and has finally learned "all done" in sign language. They look a lot alike! She claps all the time and likes to "pat" mommy's face...if you can call it patting. Monday was a big day for Avery. We didn't realize at the time, but she swallowed a piece of plastic. It resulted in some serious gagging and spitting up followed by a fun trip to UT Hospital. I guess we'll learn. Don't worry...it came out the next morning!

9 month Doctor visit

2008-03-24T13:26:00.002-04:00

Avery went for her 9 month visit today. Everything went well and Dr. White gave us the "go" on yogurt, cheese, meats, etc. Just about any food is coming her way! Still no Peanut butter!! She's shrinking on the growth chart, though! She's dropped to 35th percentile on weight and height. She weighs 17 lb. 12 oz. and is 27 inches long...only an inch more than at 6 months! Basketball may be out of our future!!

Happy 1st Easter!

2008-03-23T15:50:00.003-04:00

Today was such a pretty day, a little chilly, but the sun was shining. Avery was presented a Bible at church, which made her first Easter really special. We, as always, went to Granny's for lunch. Sundays are a hard day because Avery's morning nap is either cut short or, like today, non-existent. She got pretty tired while eating her lunch and, as you can see, began rubbing her eyes and spreading baby food all over her face!! The Easter bunny brought her some shape-sorter blocks. She likes them, but she'll probably be 2 before she knows which shape goes through which slot!

9 months old!

2008-03-22T23:15:00.004-04:00

Can you believe it? Avery is 9 months old today! It absolutely blows my mind every time I think about it. We went to Brandon and Emily's house tonight for dinner and here are some of the pics Brandon took of Avery. She kept trying to eat this flower, but it was pretty cute. We've actually had a rough week with her. For some reason she has chosen to wake up at 3:00 in the morning half of the nights this week. Not fun seeing as how she has been such a good sleeper since about 9 weeks old. Too good to last, I guess. She did better last night. So, we'll see. She's growing so fast.

Standing

2008-03-11T22:00:00.000-04:00

Avery is getting pretty good at pulling up and standing. She'll get up on the coffee table and stand there all day, partly because she likes standing and partly because she can't get down yet!

Puffs!

2008-03-06T16:03:00.001-05:00

Avery is a new fan for "Puffs," this fun little snack that dissolves in your mouth. She's getting pretty good at picking them up. At first she'd pick up a fist full and cram them all in at once, but she's mastering one at a time. While she loves Puffs, her momma loves her hair! She wakes up with this wonderful mohawk hair quite often!

Playing in the bathtub

2008-03-04T13:52:00.000-05:00

I went to put laundry away and came back to find Avery had crawled into her bathtub. I have no idea how she got into it without tipping it over, but she thought she was the stuff. She crawls around with this little duck squirter in her mouth all the time. She gets more and more fun every day!!

Avery's new toy box

2008-03-03T08:46:00.001-05:00

My good friend, Jason Moore, made Avery the most beautiful toy box! We finally got it painted this weekend. It's nice to have such a big space to put all her toys. Thank you Jason and Hank!

Daddy's credit cards

2008-03-01T21:24:00.000-05:00

It took Avery 8 months, but she's finally gotten smart! She found Daddy's wallet and pulled out his credit cards. Can me and mommy go shopping now?

My two front teeth!

2008-03-01T09:32:00.000-05:00

If you look really closely, you'll see that I have two teeth on the bottom now!

Into Everything!!!

2008-02-28T08:51:00.002-05:00

Avery has spent the last few afternoons playing with her Daddy. Here's just a few of the things they've gotten into...her carseat, Daddy's bag, and crawling through the coffee table. She's learned how to make her giraffe play music by pushing the button on top of his head. As you can see, Avery thinks she's the stuff!!! She also crawls around with this wrist rattle hanging out of her mouth by it's antennas.

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Turning 8 months old!

2008-02-26T11:35:00.002-05:00

Can you believe Avery is 8 months old!? We got to go visit Mimi and Poppi this weekend. It's always so good to see them. Avery loves Tyler's cat, Cashew. It's unfortunate the feeling is not mutual. Avery is getting up on her knees a lot more and trying to pull up on things. She likes to climb up my leg!

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2008-02-16T23:19:00.001-05:00

Well, our basketball season has come to an end. We, unfortunately, lost our district game to Tyner...a team we had already beaten twice in regular season. I guess that's the way it goes sometimes. We finished our season with a record of 19-9. The boys were sad to see it end, but it was still a pretty fun season! Maybe Shawn can get a little rest now.

Avery's First Valentines' Day

2008-02-16T22:35:00.000-05:00

Avery was definitely a sweet valentine! Shawn brought this ladybug home the night before...I thought it was for me. I guess I forgot about the new love in his life! She had fun with it. She has a new face as you can see. I love it!!! She squints her eyes up and then laughs...does it a lot when she's eating her baby food. Unfortunately, right after we took these pics, she fell off of her ladybug and nailed her head on the edge of the changing table. What a horrible mother!! She survived it, but it did scare us pretty good. That's one of many head bangings we've already had. I assume that's pretty normal.

2008-02-10T13:53:00.000-05:00

2008-02-10T02:56:00.001-05:00

Here's a video clip of Avery "crawling" and sitting up...two very big feats!! Her crawl is a little unorthodox; she's kind of one sided. She's pretty fast, though!

New Tooth!!!

2008-02-09T21:16:00.000-05:00

Well...Avery finally got her first tooth on Wednesday...just barely, but it's there! Tellico won last night against Tyner by 10. That puts us third going into the district tournament on Friday. One win in the tourney puts us in the regional tournament. Wish us luck!!

The Bears!

2008-02-06T12:08:00.000-05:00

Shawn and the Bears won against Rhea County last night bringing us to a record of 18-8. We've got one district game left...trying to beat Tyner and finish third heading into the district tournament.

2008-02-05T18:00:00.000-05:00

I just had to take these pics after Avery's nap...her hair just looked too good!!

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Avery's favorite toys

2008-01-28T00:30:00.000-05:00

Avery is "loving to love" anything that isn't actually hers...plastic bottles, the rug, daddy's shoes, the diaper bag, lotion bottles, and of course, outlets. Her newest favorite word is "boom,boom,boom." She sounds kinda' like a car. It's funny. She also loves looking at herself in the mirror...she's her momma's girl! We're working on drinking from a sippy cup. She usually just plays with it. We also wanted you to know that Shawn and his bears beat Brainerd Friday night...HUGE!!! Brainerd was undefeated in our district and ranked 3rd in the state! We won 57-55. The biggest win of Shawn's career!

Young Life Doug Richesin Concert

2008-01-20T12:49:00.000-05:00

Doug Richesin put on a concert last night in Sweetwater as a Young Life benefit. It turned out to be an awesome experience. He is incredibly talented. Two of my Young Life girls, Kayla Beth and Amanda, came to help out with seating. Cam, Derek, and Daiquan were stuck doing parking...it was freezing!!

Avery's first Tellico basketball game

2008-01-18T23:10:00.000-05:00

Avery got to go to the JV girls basketball game today. She helped her daddy keep the clock. She got pretty into it! People always ask why I don't bring her more. Probably because Momma's a wimp and it wears me out!

Saying Momma!

2008-01-18T01:14:00.000-05:00

Okay, so maybe Avery has no idea what she's saying. But, she did start saying, "mamamama" yesterday. Her extensive vocabulary also includes "dadada" and "bababa." However, "Momma" WILL be her first real word. She also got up on her hands and knees for the first time. She didn't last long. She would rather combat crawl...it's pretty awesome.

Tellico Bears

2008-01-12T21:28:00.000-05:00

Shawn and his team are 13-5 for the first half of this season. We are seeded around 5th in our district right now and hoping for a good finish. He's been working really hard and has some good boys this year. Wish us luck as we begin the second half of the season!

1.9.2008

2008-01-12T21:04:00.000-05:00

Playing in my room

2008-01-12T21:02:00.000-05:00

This was the first time Avery sat by herself for any extended period (3 minutes!). We got her this giraffe for Christmas. She's starting to figure him out. She'd rather put the balls in her mouth instead of his!

12.26.2007

2008-01-03T21:06:00.000-05:00

The Most Wondeful Time of the Year

2008-01-01T21:15:00.000-05:00

Christmas was wonderful! We spent the weekend at Mimi and Poppi's, and Avery had a blast opening all her gifts. Her favorite part was eating the ribbons and paper, of course. She was a ton of fun!

New blog...thanks again, Lindsay!

2008-01-01T20:28:00.000-05:00

I always get the websites from Lindsay on how to post pics...can't do anything on my own! :) Anyway, here is our new blog to see pictures of Avery as she grows. She's six months and getting bigger (and smarter, and prettier!) every day. She was 15 lbs. 10 oz. (50th percentile) and 26 inches long (55th percentile) at her six month appointment. Shawn got me a new camera for Christmas. So, I'm trying to learn how to use it. Hopefully, her pics will get better and better.