(while Avery was ever so carefully trying to open her left eye and touch it)

Me: Avery...what are you doing?

Avery: trying to touch my eye, for the VERY first time!

(okay then...proceed...)

On Sunday, after church, we headed out to celebrate Avery's 5th birthday at our favorite restaurant...G's! It was very yummy, of course! Avery got very scared when the waiters came over and started singing to her...

Ha ha ha...she even hid her face!
Here is Avery's cake. Every year I am trying a new cake in hopes that someday she'll actually eat it. Her 1st birthday was a soy cake...didn't eat it. Her 2nd birthday was a cake with substitutes for milk, wheat, eggs, and soy...didn't eat it. Her 3rd birthday was a jello cake...didn't eat it. So, this year, we flipped an Easter hat inside out, stuffed it with newspaper and frosted the outside of it and added skittles. I am pleased to say, last night, Avery licked a skittle off of it....
Our family - Avery looks like mommy, Livvie looks like daddy!
Avery with all her goodies!
Aunt Holly, Uncle Jon, Uncle DJ and soon-to-be-Aunt Rachelle sent with these gifts for Avery!
She sure thought the princess accessories were AWESOME!
My baby and me...
Princess Avery and her cake!
blowing out the candles!
Next, we went outside for some pinata fun! Avery hit it SO good, but still needed some help from the rest of us!
Nana Judy and I couldn't break it!

Liv just laughed and laughed her big belly laugh! Wish I would have caught that on tap!

Nana Dianne and Bapa Ron took a hit!

And then Daddy finished it off!

Out flew starbursts and fruit snacks! YIPPIE!
And, here is Avery with her funny card from her crazy Aunts and Uncles!

We had a very fun day celebrating our little girls' birthday! We look forward to what this next year will bring for her! WE LOVE YOU AVERY JOY!

What a FUN Avery day we had! Here is the birthday girl! Can you believe she's 5?

There were SOOOOO many different kinds of butterflies there! Did you know that they only live for a few weeks? Neither did I. We learned it from watching an informational movie!
It was very hot and humid inside the butterfly garden. Both Nana and my hair were frizzy afterwards! AND, you couldn't bring in a stroller, so we carried Livvie around!
Avery loved going over this bridge!
3 butterfly eggs
After the butterfly house, we went for Avery's birthday lunch at Culvers! She LOVES LOVES LOVES Culvers! She had the typical hot dog and french fries! But, she is wearing a new butterfly necklace from Nana (you just can't see it)

Next on the list....the ZOO! The rain cleared up, and it was a nice 75 degree day!
I took this photo because for the life of me I can't figure out why this Camel had a hoof-looking thing growing out of his belly. I guess it's for when they sit down, but man....that's something I never knew!
Mommy and her girls!
At the petting zoo...Liv loved the chance to be out of her stroller (the navy one in the background)
Ooo Ooo...posing with Nana and the gorilla!

This is Avery's friend "Giblert the goat". She talked to him like he was her best friend. She told him it was her special day, and that she was 5! We did have to come back a second time to see him. She told him that she would be back to visit when she is 6...
Avery had to introduce Nana and Livvie to her new goat friend
She just loves these carousels! Mommy got a little motion-sickness from this. Pitiful, I know. I used to go on the Gravitron and the Tilt-a-Wirl and not feel a thing...
Aren't giraffe's beautiful? Avery was very interested in them because we had just seen a momma giraffe give birth (standing up) on Animal Planet the other day.
Avery still had a token to use, and the guy who drove the Zoo train was on lunch break, so Nana took her on the carousel again. This time she picked a zebra, and named it Sally.
After the Zoo, we went shopping, and then drove over to Famous Dave's for their brownie desert! Avery wouldn't eat the potato wedge french fries they have, so I had to walk next door to Culver's and get her some fries...hey....it was her birthday after all...:)
We stopped at Toys R Us before we left. Liv LOVED being out of the cart and gave us a such a funny laugh when she was put in this race car...
This will be a fun picture to look back on when they are actually able to drive on their own...

2 years old

3 years old

I wonder what today will bring!

So, just going about my daily "stuff", when I heard a knock at the door. I'm in my pajamas, of course, and wasn't going to answer it...but I did. Guess who was there? MY MOM! Yup, my mommy came a day early and surprised me and the girls! How fun is that?

We're going to BIG TOWN tomorrow to the Zoo and the Butterfly house, so it will be a fun day! I'm sure we'll convince Avery and Liv to let us do some shopping....after all, it's what us ladies LOVE to do, right?!

Avery acutally ASKED me to take some pictures of her today!

Can you believe it?

Here are 3 of my favorites...

still can't believe my little girl will be 5 tomorrow...