Easter

A walk after dinner

Danielle, myself and Angela

Danielle and Angela...such beautiful girls

Avery and I before going to church

The Dorr family Easter morning

We had a really nice Easter Sunday, spent with close friends. Of course we missed being able to spend the day with family, but we're so blessed to have friends in our lives who feel like family to us!

The day started out with going to church at Waters Edge, (a friend of mine from work came for the first time, which was cool) and the service was great! It was a very touching message...which of course never fails to make me tear up a bit! We then had friends over in the afternoon for dinner, who stayed for a few hours, and we ended the night watching America's Funniest Home Videos on the couch...a perfect day! Avery was a trooper, and did great the whole day!

Doesn't get better!

Me and Claire

Me and Lindsay

John and I on the new deck

Me and Avery with Katey and Piper

John and Avery, Matt and Rae, Katey and Piper

Spring seems to bring out the best...

Smiles, outdoor eating, fresh cut grass, time on the deck, early evening walks, BBQs and much, much more! It doesn't get much better than the people pictures above in the pictures. I am so blessed!

6 months!!

Avery turned 6 months old today, and so weird...she was born on a Thursday as well! She's sitting up now, rolling over, an has cut two teeth! She's a happy girl (as you can tell from the pictures), and growing like a weed! Her appointment is next week, and I'm anxious to see how much she weighs...her carseat is so heavy to lug around! I cannot believe she's been in our lives for 6 months...in some ways it's gone by so fast, and in other ways it feels like she's always been a part of our lives! We love you sweet girl!

Thanks to these people...

Thanks to these people pictured above, John and I have great examples in our lives of loving, sacraficial, devoted parents to look up to! John and I were both blessed to grow up in Christian homes, with parents who set an amazing example for us. I feel John and I will be much better parents because of the parent's God has blessed us with.

Never gets old...

It never gets old seeing Avery with my NY friends and family!

Since we see our VA friends all the time, it makes me appreciate even more the time our long-distance family and friends get to spend with Avery. I love watching people with her; trying to figure out who she looks like, enjoying her smiles and giggles, and seeing her 'firsts' (such as eating solids, rolling over, and being playful). I've been taking my camera everywhere, making sure to take pictures of her with different family members, and old friends! Here are a few pictures from the week I've been in NY.

Avery with her Uncle Jonathan and Auntie Nikki, and cousins Sam and Stella

Avery with her Papa and Great Grandma Dorr Avery with her Auntie Rebecca

Avery and I with my best friend from 1st grade- Wendy

Avery with Jen and her birthday buddy (1 yr apart), Evan

Dedication, Thankfulness, and Celebration

Dedication...Thankfulness...and Celebration was what we wanted Sunday to be all about!

One of the big reasons we made the trip to NY was because we wanted to have Avery dedicated with family surrounding us. Since family does not live near us, there are a lot of things they will miss out on: birthdays, recitals, school awards assemblies, and other things. But Avery being dedicated is something they didn't have to miss, because we purposely waited to do it until a time both families could be there. And it was so special!

The man who dedicated Avery is my families long time friend, and basically my second dad growing up. My parents have been best friends with Al and Lorraine for about 25 years, and we grew up with their three children. When I asked Al to do the dedication, he was honored, and I was so glad it was him who'd be doing it! I asked him to base it around the scripture verse that is on the wall above her crib...'I prayed for this child, and the Lord has answered by prayer.' ~ 1 Samuel 1:27. He also read a few other verses, and asked the witnesses at the dedication to hold John and I accountable for raising Avery in a Christian household, teaching her the gospel, and being an example of God's love to her as she grown up. John and I also asked both our fathers to read a verse that they thought would be applicable to raising a child, or being thankful for a child. It was so touching- and I couldn't hold it together...I cried!

We had both families there, and close friends...about 20-25 people came and it was just right! We did miss having our VA friends there, but I am so glad we did it with both families present!

Avery was a trooper, and and did great! I was a little worried that the dedication would interfere with nap time, but she handled it really well without much fussing!

5 months old

Avery turned 5 months old on Monday, and boy is she a fun little girl! I took these two different pictures on Monday, and although they were taken only a few hours apart, I feel like she looks way younger in the bottom picture! Weird, huh?


Here are a few things she's been doing...

* rolling over from belly to back (she hasn't mastered back to belly yet)
* almost sitting up by herself
* started one feeding a day of rice cereal
* making all sorts of sounds and playing with the different pitches of her voice
* starting the teething process
* bringing her feet to her mouth
* weighs 18.5 oz