3 Banks

We're trying to teach Avery the value of money early (that's what you get when your Dad's an accountant). So we made Avery 3 banks (Savings/School, Spending, and Tithing). Everyday she earns 5 cents for every diaper she takes outside and puts in the trash...this probably adds up to a whole $1.50 a week or so. This all started when she saw a My Little Pony that she really wanted at the Dollar Store. And since I'd already gotten her the purple one (now she wanted the BLUE one), we thought she should earn it. So she worked for a week and earned it. She was SO HAPPY with that pony and so excited when she got to pay for it with her money. Greg took her to the store on Saturday and she got to hand her money to the cashier and everything.

Now she's working on saving up for the Aladdin, Jasamine, and Magic Carpet Little People set she saw in Target. (It's a lot more expensive than a dollar so its going to take some time, but she's just as diligent.) :)

First Day of School

Avery had her first day of school a while ago but I needed to post the pictures. She was so excited, it was all she could talk about for days. She was however a little disappointed that ole mom had to take her to school and she didn't get to ride the bus. I have a feeling she's going to be sorely disappointed when she finds out the school buses aren't at all like the Magic School bus.

We spent A LOT of time looking for just the right backpack and she finally found this one that she loved.

September

September was filled with trips to the library, playing outside, and having fun at various parks. This little guy enjoyed every second of it, as did his big sister.

Harry Potter has entered Avery's world. I swear that girl LOVES her movies. She gets SO into them. This was when she was watching the first one, and they're playing quidditch. She loved it.

4 Months Old

So four months have gone by in a jiffy. Seriously summer is OVER...how did that happen. So  much to catch up on. Avery and Bridger continue to just love each other to pieces. And I love that when they see each other they both just light up. Bridger especially loves whenever his sister sits with him and makes him laugh.

Bridger keeps getting cuter. He looks a lot like his Dad, which Greg is totally loving. I love that Bridger's smile (much like Avery's) takes over his whole face and you can't help but smile back.

 

And so I thought it was time to take some 4 month pictures of the cute little guy. Here he is in all his cuteness.

Penny Carnival

On Friday night we took Bridger and Avery to a local penny carnival. Having never been to it before, we didn't know what to expect. Avery had a lot of fun playing the cute little games and then climbing all over the huge playground. She met up with her cousins, Lincoln and Tyson, and her friends, Hazel and Kaitlyn. Those kids had a blast. And Bridger cried for a bit because he was too little to play the games and then slept ;).

After the carnival we came home and had family movie night. I made peanut butter cookies and we watched Harry Potter. Avery loved it, she was positively glued to the TV the whole time. She now walks around the house saying "wingardium leviosa!"

His Laugh

Bridger's been laughing for a while now, but I finally got it on camera. It's pretty easy to get him going nowadays, that or we're just extremely entertaining people over here.

Park Day

We decided to visit the park this week and invited the cousins to join us. Avery loved running around and playing in the sand. Lincoln and Tyson had a great time too. Bridger was totally chill the whole time. Man, I love that baby boy. 

Here's the little man before we left, all smiles.

Here he is at the park. Ready for the sun.

Storytime at the Farm

There's a fun little farm that stays true to the 1890's. People dress up in period clothing and sell homemade treats, and our favorite thing, they have a fun storytime. So we've been going every Tuesday and inviting our friends to join us. Avery has loved every second of it. She feeds the animals, plays on the swing, and listens to the fun books they read.

Bridger isn't as impressed, but he never cries about it. He usually just hangs out in his stroller and falls asleep. (Good boy Bridger!)

Celebrating the 4th of July

Avery decided to start celebrating the 4th a little early. On the 3rd she tagged along with me to YW and got to swim with the "big kids." She jumped in and swam around for 2 hours straight. By the end of the night she was WIPED OUT and so cold but she still did not want to go home...I practically had to drag her out of the pool with promises for more exciting things the next day.

On the 4th we woke up early in the morning for a ward breakfast. There were yummy pancakes and sausage, a fun bike parade, and a flag raising ceremony celebrating the land we call home.  Avery decorated her bike with red, white, and blue stars and sparkles. And then she biked around the chapel building about 5 times.

We went over to the Bennions to celebrate the 4th with fireworks and sparklers. Avery loved "writing" with the sparklers and had a great time. Bridger just chilled like usual.

We went to lake Minnetonka and swam around some, and when we were done we got to ride the "train" back to the cars.

We explained to Bridger what was in hotdogs...and this is the face he gave us. ;)

On Saturday we had some fun over at Sidse's house. Avery got to splash around in the pool and sprinklers while the adults played games and chatted. Bridger pretty much slept through the whole thing.