Dancing Avery and more snow!

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Meet our newest family member

To be that is....I know it looks more alien like than baby like, but I am sure he/she will be as beautiful as their big sister! We'll be meeting this little bean on or around August 9th! We're very excited!

Avery's favorite word and a Momma's night out!

Ok, so this is a 2 part post. First, just a couple cute videos of my favorite girl. The first part is her favorite word. No, it's not flower anymore, although she still likes that one. Take a listen...and the second part is just her being her cute self!

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And obviously it doesn't always make sense because, she LOVES bananas, Nana, Papa, Daddy, Sydney and Momma....and also Barack Obama....she is crazy:-)



I have devoted a post before to my love for the Twilight series, so naturally Tiffany and I treked out to see Twilight the movie on its opening night. I made us special shirts and everything!


Tiff and I both thought the movie didn't hold a candle to the book and there were some really good scenes that didn't make the movie, but none the less, the movie was entertaining, captured the basic story pretty well. Do not read further if you haven't read the book and want to!


So, the actress that played Bella was so so....not quite fiery and spirited (quoting Gigi) as the character in the book. Edward was very well cast....very hot, but some things about him in the movie bothered me. Ok, the scene in Biology where Bella comes to sit next to him for the first time.....isn't her blood supposed to smell SO GOOD to him that he can hardly stand it?? Well in the movie, they go for a laugh and make it out like she smells bad...I thought that was dumb. Also, Edward can read minds, and they talk about it, but I was hoping to see in the movie, like him sitting there hearing everyone's endless chatter. Also some of the scenes where Edward and Bella get to know each other were left out...like the talk on the way back from Port Angeles was cut short and changed a bit and also no scene from the blood typing day in Biology where Edward and Bella get much more friendly. Another scene I missed was from when Alice and Jasper take Bella to the hotel in AZ. In the book, you get to know a lot more about the characters of Alice and Jasper, but the movie doesn't really develop that relationship. Anyway, it sounds like I hated it, but I really didn't. I don't know a movie based off of a book that was EVER better than the book anyway. I can't wait for the next movie to come out...until then I am back to Twilight withdrawl!!

Hi, My name is Melissa and I am a Twilight-aholic!

Its been 3 days since my last book in the Twilight saga! I was really hesitant to read these books. Tiffany was reading them and I noticed while in Borders that they were in the young adult section which completely turned me off, but Tiffany convinced me to give them a shot and now I have to admit...I am a 27 year old reader of Young Adult fiction!!! I finished Twilight in 3 days and wanted more. Tiffany made me wait a whole day for New Moon, this book was so frustrating (in a good way) to me...it made me want to hurry up and keep going, just having to believe that the best was yet to come. It definitely was....Eclipse did not disappoint one bit. However, I enjoyed Breaking Dawn far and away the best. I could have done with some more description in certain parts....people who have read it will know what I mean;-)It's somehow strangely possible to fall in love with a fictional 17 year old vampire...sick as it sounds:-) I finished all 4 books in the series in just over a week. Now I feel like I am going through withdrawl, Edward (the perfect man) withdrawl...and there aren't going to be any more books in the series....booo! Tiff and I are discussing plans to go see the movie in 2 weeks...I am sure we'll be surrounded by tons of teenage girls, but oh well. I encourage everyone to read these books!!
The gorgeous vampire Edward!!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!!!!!!!!!!

One year ago my life became more wonderful than I could have possibly imagined. On September 26, 2007 at 7:37AM I gave birth to my beautiful baby girl. I can't help but think about the terrible labor I endured, but within a second of laying eyes on that beautiful cherub I knew it was all worth it. Avery is a joy. She has such a sweet personality, she is so smart and she is so beautiful. I know her Dad and I both feel priviledged to have her in our lives. We could not ask for more......

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Happy Birthday Sofia and Goodbye Summer!

Today we celebrated Sofia's first birthday. I can hardly believe how fast these girls are growing up! Sofia is walking now and its so cute! She was kind enough to let Avery share her new toys and sit in the car and wagon. We'll make sure Avery does the same in a few weeks when it is her turn!

So that also means my beautiful little cherub is almost one as well! We're planning a ladybug party for her since I gave her the nickname "ladybug" when she was in my belly. It seems like just a few months ago that's where she was and now she is starting to look less and less like my little baby girl! No walking yet, but she surfs and crawls around at warp speed, so her Daddy and I are in no hurry for walking:-)
One of Avery's favorite things to do now is crawl over to the piano and climb up to reach the keys! Here she is in action:-)


So Summer is just about over here. Kind of a bummer, but we love fall and have lots of activities planned soon. We have Avery's birthday, Apple Picking, the Fryeburg Fair...oh and a big party at Gretchen's next week that should be fun. Ok, end of blog, I have a baby who keeps wanting to type!

The Newest Engelhardt

There is not a single picture I have seen yet that accurately shows just how cute Petros is! I have been so lucky to get to see him every day since he has been home and I am impressed each time at how smart he is. Dan and Tiffany wrote about when Avery was born and said that they knew that they would love her, but nothing prepared them for how they felt when they saw her. I feel the same way about Petros. Not that I didn't know this before, but more than ever I realize that biology does not create a family, love does....and we certainly have plenty of that! Ok, I am getting a bit corny now, I know, so I will just stop there!

Beautiful Boy

I want to introduce you to my nephew, Bennett Petros Bekele Engelhardt!!! He will be coming home to Maine in a little more than 2 weeks! We are so excited:-) Check out Dan and Tiffs blog for more info. This little boy has already brought so much joy to our family, I can't even imagine how wonderful it will be to squeeze him!! Gavin and I really lucked out in planning our vacation this summer for the second week of August because it will give Petros some time to settle in with his Mom and Dad and then he can hang out with his Auntie, Uncle and Cousin Avery!! Avery already waves "hi" to his pictures and grins, I can't wait for them to meet in person!

Gray Animal Farm

2 weekends ago, Lisa, Gavin and I took the girls for their first trip to Gray Animal Farm. We hadn't been there since we were little kids, but not much has changed. It was really warm that day, but I thought the girls did pretty well. Sofia called every animal a dog or a cat which was pretty cute. We tried to get some animal pics as well, but they don't come out too good with a cage between you, although I am pretty glad the cages were there because some of those animals would probably have loved to get ahold of Avery or Sofia....luckily for Avery I think they would find Sofia to be a more suitable meal!:-)

Loves to ride on Daddy's shoulders. Sofia got a turn too and loved it
The cutest bears you have ever seen, huh?:-)

Sunny Sunday

Ask and you shall receive.....

Funny I should mention Marin/ Bennett in my blog today. Well that name can now be shortened to Bennett! I am an Auntie to a BEAUTIFUL (yes, boys can be beautiful!) 3 year old boy. I cannot wait to meet you Bennett! We've been waiting for you!! You are already so loved little boy:-) Congratulations to my awesome, wonderful big brother and my best friend sister in law! You and Bennett will be so lucky to have eachother!

8 months!!

My little baby is 8 months old now. I can hardly believe it has been that long since she arrived! She is the happiest baby I have ever seen and I am not just saying that because she is mine. She has a very easy going personality and only cries when she needs something(food, nap, diaper). She loves to sit up and play with her toys now. She isn't crawling yet, but is working on it. She feeds herself puffs now(even with no teeth!) Have I mentioned how gorgeous she is? She could be a little baby model! She just gets prettier (and smarter!) every day. She is such a joy. I love her so much....I feel privledged to be her Mom!

We're still anxiously awaiting news on Marin/Bennett. Every time my cell phone rings during the day, I think it is "the call" where Dan or Tiff is going to tell me I am an Auntie! We're all on pins and needles waiting for you Marin/Bennett! Especially your Mommy and Daddy. If you only knew how much you are loved (and spoiled!) already and we don't even know you. I cannot wait to see your beautiful (and smart!) face and squeeze you! All this wait will be so worth it for us all in the end, I know but it doesn't make it easier!

Life is Good

Are you a Swinger, Baby????

Oh, come on...I didn't mean it like that!! Avery got to experience the playground for the first time last weekend at Deering Oaks. I think in future we will frequent a different playground. There were people camped out, smoking 3 feet away from the baby swings and unattended children getting into our stuff! Anyway, Avery still enjoyed the swing...I think she liked me sounding foolish and saying "WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" every time I pushed her!

100 Things about me

Ok, I got tagged by Tiff a while ago and am now just getting to it. This may be a waste of time since I don't think that many people even read my blog, but here I go!

1. Being a Mom is the best job I have ever had

2. I'm going to be 27 in 3 weeks

3. This will be my first birthday that I am starting to feel old!

4. My middle name used to be Marie, but now it is Engelhardt

5. I like to tell everyone I am 5'5" but I am really only 5'4 3/4"

6. I am a control freak

7. I'm afraid of not being a good Mom to my daughter

8. I like my job, but I wish I could be a stay at home Mom

9. I like tall and goofy guys

10. I married a tall and goofy guy

11. I wish I didn't have to constantly worry about weight

12. I would rather be plump and pretty than have a great figure and be plain

13. I feel frumpy since having a baby

14. Other than my husband, my Mom is my best friend

15. My sister in law is my other best friend

16. I worry way too much about what everyone else thinks of me

17. I regret not going to college

18. I cannot go under water without plugging my nose

19. I cannot wait to meet my niece or nephew Marin/ Bennett!

20. I get teary eyed thinking about the moment my brother and sister in law will finally become parents.

21. I am bossy

22. I could watch Dirty Dancing over and over again

23. I love reality television

24. High school was the most miserable part of my life

25. Giving birth to Avery was the best day of my life

26. Getting married to my husband was the second best day of my life

27. I saved my positive pregnancy tests in my night stand

28. I think that I am hilarious, even if no one else does....

29. I think my brother and I are closer than most siblings

30. I am proud that my brother and I are closer than most siblings

31. I love to garden, but don't know the names of most of the stuff in my garden!

32. I have no athletic ability what so ever

33. I wish I could flip houses like on those TLC shows

34. I think Gavin and I would be great at flipping houses on those TLC shows

35. I love to go to the beach

36. I don't love to wear a bathing suit at the beach

37. I admit that I can be kinda materialistic

38. I love my dog Sydney

39. I haven't been as good of a Mom to her since Avery came and that makes me sad

40. I hate to vaccuum up all of Sydney's dog hair

41. My favorite store to shop in is Ann Taylor Loft

42. I despise going to the grocery store

43. I hope that my daughter will be a stronger and more confident woman than I am

44. I'm afraid I will pass some of my hang ups onto her

45. I think swearing sounds so unintelligent

46. I am guilty of swearing:-(

47. If it weren't for missing our family, Gavin and I would like to move to Europe

48. I think that we should have Universal Healthcare in this country

49. I love Michael Moore movies

50. I prefer Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama, but will vote for whichever one gets the democratic seat

51. My least favorite part of having a baby is having to clip her fingernails!

52. My favorite part of having a baby is watching her grow and learn and smile

53. I wish my husband didn't work so much

54. I have a husband that likes to constantly be busy and cannot sit still!

55. I love to wear skirts and dresses

56. I wish I had more chances to get dressed up

57. I love to dance

58. I worry that I am not a good dancer and people are looking at me funny!

59. I want to travel to Italy and Greece with my husband

60. I want to go on a big family Disney trip with my family in a few years

61. I wish I didn't have to worry about money

62. My favorite TV show is Grey's Anatomy

63. I hate my hair

64. I love most flavors of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream(more than I should)

65. I love Sunday dinners with my family

66. I think my daughter is the most beautiful child in the world!

67. I am excited for her to start swimming lessons in a couple of weeks

68. I am so thankful for her

69. I wish we went to Church more often

70. I love to read gossipy magazines like People and US Weekly

71. I worry too much

72. I pride myself on being a good speller

73. I love to read, but don't do it often enough

74. I have a crush on Avery's pediatrician

75. I don't really understand why I have a crush on him

76. I miss my baby right now

77. I hate cigarette smoke

78. The last time I threw up from drinking, I was 21

79. I feel so blessed to have the life I do

80. I can't wait to go see Sex and the City with Tiffany and Lisa next month!

81. I want a sapphire ring for my Birthday/Mothers Day/ Anniversary

82. I will probably not get one! (too much $$)

83. I need to get a pedicure

84. I love to wear sandals and flip flops

85. I get a 3 day weekend this weekend

86. My next vacation isn't until August and my baby will be 10 months old!!

87. I feel like I am coming up with some random things, but its hard to come up with 100 things!

88. I love to watch Gavin be a Dad to Avery

89. I love to watch my parents with Avery

90. I can't wait to go visit my friend Kim's twin girls soon

91. I want to take Avery to Gray Animal Farm this summer

92. I love Diet Pepsi

93. One of the first things I notice about a person is whether they have straight teeth

94. I hate my dog begging for food

95. I am very guilty of giving her my food

96. I haven't slept past 8am in the last 6 months

97. I don't think I could sleep past 8am if I had the chance!

98. It is now lunchtime and I have no idea what I am going to have

99. I am having trouble thinking of 2 more things

100. This was hard!!

SKUNK!

This past Wednesday morning started off as usual. Gavin awoke to go deal with all the snow in the driveway before leaving for work, but something interrupted his shovelling. Our lovely dog, Sydney came around the corner, sneezing and rubbing her face in the snow. Then the smell came, skunk, very close by. Gavin quickly put Sydney in the garage so she wouldn't get sprayed, but when he went to check on her a few minutes later, he learned it was too late. The garage reaked of skunk! He came in and woke me up to tell me that Sydney had been skunked! We both ended up calling out of work to bathe her. We bathed her twice in a recipe I found online. What a mess! Our clothes stunk, towels stunk, the whole house smelled so bad. Luckily our little angel, Avery stayed asleep through part of this fiasco! Sydney and the house still smell a little skunky, but hopefully it will fade with time. Hopefully Sydney has learned her lesson, but something tells me probably not!

Avery is 5 months old!

I cannot believe Avery is already 5 months old. It has gone by so quickly, but on the other hand I feel like she has been with us forever. We certainly cannot imagine life without her. She laughs outloud all the time now, rolls over occasionally and is very chatty. I took her swimming for the first time last weekend with Lisa and Sofia and she really loved it. She is really going to enjoy her Nana and Papa's pool this summer.

It's been way too long!

People keep saying that we need to post another blog, but it has been hard to find time lately! I think my last post was early November, so I should back track a bit. We had a great holiday season this year. Having Avery made it even more fun and although I am in no hurry to have her grow up, I think each year will get more and more fun for us.

Lisa and Felipe got married at the end of the year in a very non-traditional, but creative and fun ceremony at Dunkin Donuts. They decided to get married there because it is where they met and got engaged, so it seemed like a natural spot to get married in. Felipe's coworkers really did a good job putting together the store for a wedding, they closed the lobby and had flowers and a cake for everyone. We're really happy to have Felipe in our family now, he fits in quite well!

An unhappy part to the end of the year was my return to work:-( I came back on January 2. Luckily I really like my job and the people I work with, so that made it a bit easier, but I had really adjusted to being a stay at home Mom over those 3 months with Avery. We're fortunate enough to have Gavin be home with Avery a few days a week and he seems to really enjoy his one on one time with her. On the other days, she goes with Auntie Gretchen or Uncle Mike who she seems to have warmed up to quite well.

As always we have had house projects going on. Since oil prices have sky rocketed, we decided now would be an opportune time to replace the windows and the furnace in our house. We have certainly noticed a big difference in the warmth of the house. Now we're excited to see how much more efficiently our house is functioning the next time the oil delivery man pays us a visit. Gavin is also in the process of putting up drywall in the basement in preparation for our Billiards room. My parents decided to turn their basement into a master suite, so we were lucky enough to inherit their pool table. This whole downstairs transformation will probably take a while, but will be a nice addition to our home.

This past weekend was very busy. On Saturday Avery went to her first wedding. She was so well behaved. She really seems to enjoy music and dancing already. On Sunday, our little Avery Grace got Christened at Cathedral. She wore the baptism gown that all of her Aunts and Uncles(Stone side) and several of her cousins have worn. It is almost 40 years old. She looked so adorable and was surprisingly well behaved in church! When they poured the water over her head, she seemed to like it and even smiled a little bit. We were so lucky to have a large amount of our family there to witness it. We had everyone over for a nice lunch after and Avery got some great little gifts(lucky girl!).

More about Avery: She is 4.5 months old now. My oh my how time has flown! It seems like just a couple weeks ago that I had her and now she is babbling and laughing outloud and blowing raspberries! She is such a wonderful, beautiful, happy, and easy to please baby. We're very lucky! She even sleeps through the night for us. We love this baby so much!

We're getting so anxious to have our Niece/Nephew Marin/Bennett come home! I think my Mom already said in her blog how weird it is to think that this baby has already been born and is not with us yet. I cannot wait until Dan and Tiffany get their referral and we can welcome Marin/Bennett to our family. Not that I didn't know it already, but seeing them with Avery I know more than ever that they're going to be such good parents!

Anyway, thats plenty for now, hopefully I will start blogging more often so I don't have to put so much into one!

Cousins

We wen't to Gigi's house a few Friday's ago to celebrate Victoria's 15th birthday and Avery was very popular with the little girls, they all wanted a chance to hold her and play with her. It was very cute! Some of the pics I took of the girls attached:

Avery is almost 8 weeks old!

Sometimes I look at my baby and I think she is so beautiful, it makes me teary eyed, I know I sound queer, but I think most parents have experienced this with their babies. I love her so so much! Ditto for Gavin, we can't imagine our life without her!

She is quite a little ham now too! Lots of smiles and talking(cooing). She is very alert! We like to say she is nosy and needs to look around and know whats going on, I wonder where she gets that from?:-) She will be 2 months old on 11/26, we have her Dr appointment that week to get her first shots, yikes!