Trip Advisor

First ride on a carousel in The Woodlands, TX

One of the advantages of being a part of the Air Force is being able to see many interesting, exotic places.  Well we have been based in less than glamorous locations, however, we get to visit friends and family who are fortunate.  Avery Beth and I are super lucky.  We have friends and family everywhere....it seems all over the United States.  When Ryan is deployed we do whatever it takes to help pass the time which inludes a good bit of traveling.  Since Ryan left we drove to Georgia to spend time with my family and friends, flew to Houston to visit Ryan's family, flew to Pensacola to visit our friends the Jacksons (and our friend Lindsay Clinton who met us in ATL for the flight) and we are traveling this weekend to the Georgia coast to visit with my "godparents."  Beyond that is Vegas and potentially Charleston with a final stop back in Little Rock.  Fun, yes.  Exhausting, yes.  Expensive, yes.  Worth it all, yes.  

All the ladies in Pensacola

This Trip Advisor Recommends...

• Purchase the best carseat on the market but keep in mind how heavy that *&^% thing will be when you drag it through the airport.
• Cover your carseat with a plastic bag if you want to check it.  The agent was happy to tell me that my uncovered carseat would be dragged through rat feces on the underground conveyor belt.  Neat.
• Check all your bags.  Bring your husbands deployment orders and 50% of the time your check in agent will slide them in for free.  
• Pack sacks full of Oreo's and Nutter Butters to entertain your child during the flight.  All the "rules" about cookies and desserts get thrown out the window when you pass through that security line.
• Train your little one to scream, "help me!"  "help me!" throughout the entire flight.  We were very popular on that leg of the trip.  
• Accept all offers of help from strangers.  As long as they can't take off with your kid NEVER turn down an offer to unfold a stroller.
• Talk a friend or family member into traveling with you.  An extra pair of hands can mean a bathroom break, someone to pick up the dirty binky off the floor and a new person for Avery to poke in the eye and say "EYES!"        
• Let's keep this simple.  Do not fly with a 19 month old.  Just don't do it.

One tired little traveler!

Bless Her Heart!

I LOVE that my seeds were planted in Georgia and I grew roots in the South. My husband feels just the same way about Texas. Ryan will never forgive me for not delivering Avery Beth somewhere over the Texas border. He said when I was pregnant, that when "the time" came we would all head to Texas so his child could be a true Texan. Well....that did not happen. So even though our little girl loves spicy food and will own her fair share of cowgirl boots, he has a house full of Southern Belles and I love it!

Avery having a "nana" just the way she likes it!

How do I know Avery Beth is a true Southerner? Avery says, "HI!" to everyone we meet and even waves at all the boats on the lake. She may not have been born in Clayton, Georgia but she certainly acts like a local. Southerners like calling people by two names...Bobby Joe, Mary Helen, Avery Beth. She is a good eater and loves fried chicken legs, green beans (with lots of flavor), fried okra, bananas straight out of the peeling as well as walking around in just a diaper, smelling flowers, and begs for more time outside. She has good Southern girl manners with please and thank you and she often calls my mom, "Mammie" (instead of Bebe) just like Scarlett called her favor servant. My mom is not her servant but she certainly bosses her around enough to be one! She loves it when I pretend to be Britney Spears (a true Southern girl at heart) and sit in my lap and help me drive. Southern girls know how to handle things on their own....Avery Beth can use a screw driver to make repairs around the house! The best thing about being a Southern girl is we are raised to be independent and strong -there will be many blog posts in my future about that. The girl was made to be a Southern Belle.

We are having a GREAT time in Georgia!

Waiting On The World To Change

When Ryan is gone it is really easy to wish my life away.  Everything is so much happier, sweeter and fun when he is around.  That is why I love him and married that hairy man.  There is still lots of fun to be had when Avery Beth is around and we certainly are making the most of our time together.  We are happy to be in Georgia and visiting with lots of people we love!  Since we arrived we have been very, very busy! 

We walked for TSC and our friend Kallan Windham in Marietta, GA

We have been to visit "Goats on the Roof" with Bebe

Avery is learning how to do hair

Avery learned how to eat like a good Southern lady...fried chicken, green beans and fried okra.

We got to meet our new friend Marlon Pruitt

And we started the summer off right with some naked baby pool time.

We have done much, much more and I will add those soon!  Happy summer ya'll!

Headlines

My hometown newspaper wrote a feature article about our March of Dimes superstars, "Avery's Aviators."  It is wonderfully written!  You cannot see the picture that ran in the actual paper online but you can see it below. 

Read the article here:  http://www.theclaytontribune.com/articles/2010/05/13/news/news03.txt

I love that I grew up in a small town called Clayton, Georgia.  I love that I have "roots."  I love where I came from and wish I could give my daughter the same steady, happy, small town upbringing.  I cannot give her that because of our military way of life, however, I can give her stabillity within our family, love and expose her to opportunities that were limited in a small town.  Enjoy the read!       

Mother's Day

Everyday is Mother's Day at my house but May 9th was super special.  Luckily my mom was able to be with Avery and I and we could share our special day together.  I kept thinking, "I wish Ryan was here."  However, I know there is nothing better than TLC from my mom!  She knows how to spoil...take a look at me and then my daughter too!  Ryan was very thoughtful and ordered a charm for a necklace that I have wanted for quite some time!  It has a charm with our anniversary date, a cross, Avery Beth's name, my dog's initials and my initial.  I had a "vision" of what I wanted my necklace to look like and here it is! 

I received breakfast in bed and Avery delivered (threw at me) roses from the yard.  We spent the day getting ready for our long drive to Georgia followed by a trip to the mall to buy Miss Avery Beth some new shoes.  Strangely enough buying new shoes for Avery is all I wanted to do on Mother's Day!  Her new shoes are in the first picture.

"Picnic N Playhouse"

Avery has a new outdoor playset from her grandparents and nothing else could have brought her so much joy!  I moved it onto our porch for now; we have had TERRIBLE weather the last couple of days!  When it clears up and our yard dries out it will go back in the grass for her enjoyment! You will notice she has two hairbows instead of one. Now when I put one in she immediately asks for "one more!" Funny girl!

Daddy on a Stick

Ryan and I looked long and hard for homes when we decided to move out of the Little Rock Air Force Base Housing. We really disliked our living situation on base and resented the Air Force taking our entire housing allowance ($1000) for a tiny, 800 sq ft duplex. We did not know how good we had it; if we found a bug we called the housing office and they came and sprayed, when the AC was out someone came and worked on it for free, we had a tiny yard to mow, a fenced in yard for the dogs (in fact our new puppy at the time, Hondo, ate a hole in the side of the house and no one said a word) and we had lots of family time while there because Ryan was able to come home during the day. We are so thankful for our home in Sherwood, AR. We really like the neighborhood, we love the location (a Wal-Mart is literally across the street and the base is 10 minutes away), the size is just right and there is amazing storage space. However, there are some really negative sides to our first house. Our bath room layout is poor and the bathtub/shower were not installed properly, our bedroom is way too small for our furniture, the insulation is average - you get the point. The worst part of our home is the yard. We bought on a hill which didn't seem like a big deal at the time but now that we have a child it has become very clear how yucky it is! If you want to see the problems with the yard check out my submission to DIY's "America's Most Desperate Landscape." I hope they pick us! We could really use some help! 
http://my.diynetwork.com/amdl-2010/South/Erosion-Explosion/detail.esi?oid=16115344