Tropical Storm Bill might keep us inside, but it’s not keeping us from a little daddy-daughter fun! Who’s raining on whose parade now, Bill? I thought it was funny, except that there’s no parade…..*sigh*
In lieu of spending time writing out a blog post, I thought it would be fun to record Avery and her Daddy (that’s me) running around the house and me flipping her on a pallet I made in the living room. She gets high and sometimes I let her land a little too hard, but she keeps coming back for more.
I figured slowing down some of the flipping action would make for a fun video to watch for everyone. Make sure you have your audio on as that should make for a good laugh.
If you’re wondering, yes, I will do sound effects for your audio or video project. I know, it’s just a gift. đ
But seriously, is it just programmed in everyone’s head to make sound effects when playing with kids? I can’t think of a time I don’t make stupid noises when chasing/throwing/tickling Avery, or any kid really.
Hope you enjoy the video as much as I did making it. For the record, this helped wear her out for a much better nap time than the day before…..
We actually had her monthly photo session on the day she turned another month older! The past few months have taken a few days, but we’re back on track and even did it early instead of right before bedtime.
We started with the same setup as all of our sessions, sitting her in the rocking chair with her favorite bear. Whoa, unplanned rhyming is the best!
It looked like she just might cooperate for the pictures at first, but then….
…off with the bow clip! Okay, that’s normal, maybe she’d enjoy reading a book instead.
Hey, look at that, she’s calm and reading! This might turn out to be the best session we’ve had in a lo…
Whoops, spoke too soon. But the bear is still there and he’s usually the first to go.
Oh, okay, solved that…errrr, problem? How can you get upset with that angel face though? Not possible. After a few rejections of the bear, we thought maybe her big bunny would have better luck at staying on the chair.
One look at the plush gray bunny was all it took before he went the way of the bow, book, and bear.
“Uh oh” is a word she’s been saying a lot lately, and it was used frequently throughout our 10 minute photo shoot. That made four things that start with “B” that she rejected; her bow, book, bear, and bunny. Maybe we should try a different letter next time. In an effort to get some pictures of her smiling, we tried the “catch the fly” game she’s been loving lately and got one pretty good shot.
After that, she seemed a little bored of our multiple attempts.
So she wandered around her room for a minute. Almost looks like Beavis acting as Cornholio. If you’re in your 30’s like me, you should get this reference.
But then it was time to climb back on the chair, with a little help from Dad.
After trying to stand on her head….
I thought she seemed happy enough to bring the bear back for one last try.
Her look made it apparent the plush animal would meet the floor within seconds. Sure enough…
…Rejected again! We asked if she’d ever cooperate for her monthly photo session, but all we got was a nonchalant finger gesture.
Whether that was an “I’ll think about it.” or an “F you!” gesture, I’m not sure, but guess we’ll find out a month from now!
Do you get caught up with the gazillion things on your to-do list and forget to just kick back and relax every now and then? We do, and it ends up consuming our weekend to where it’s Monday and the past two days are just a blur. This happens all too often, but this past weekend actually turned out to be a fun family weekend.
Every Friday, we kick off the weekend with a chocolate green smoothie. It used to be just for Kelley and I, but now Avery demands a daily green smoothie to be like Mommy and Daddy. How can I refuse when she’s begging for a drink that is full of healthy, whole foods?
Phew, now I’m out of breath. Maybe I shouldn’t talk out loud when typing…..
Anyway, not all of those go in at once, that’s just the typical list of things we keep around and I will use. Back to Friday and chocolate smoothies; Avery quickly and happily downed hers as a pre-dinner drink and then went to bug Going Mom as she wash her face and got comfortable before dinner.
While she was behaving being a toddler in the bathroom, Avery got into the cabinets where we keep the toilet paper and proceeded to take all of the rolls out. This is nothing new, and that’s all we keep in the cabinet just to give her something to keep “occupied”. But, afterward, when Kelley was picking up the rolls, she spotted something…..
Green smoothie bite marks. I guess the smoothie didn’t have enough fiber for her, so she found a way to supplement. At least she didn’t unravel the whole thing all over the house. Silver lining?
I made the usual grocery store trips to Costco and Sprouts on Saturday while Kelley and Avery stayed home. While out, I had a couple free birthday coffee offers to use, so I got a black iced coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts (the only time I’d ever go there) and a Trenta iced Americano with 8 shots of espresso at Starbucks.
I’m just now finishing the Americano, and even what’s left is hitting me with a good buzz. I couldn’t imagine if I drank it all in one day!
Later in the day, we took Avery to the neighborhood pool and had a blast playing with her. We started with her in the floating canopy she has, but eventually took her out to hold her.
Yeah, I’m ready for you to take me out now.
We threw her in the air a few times, but she keeps a tight grip on our thumbs so it makes it very difficult to get her airborne. Then she found a new activity, kicking her feet and making big splashes.
No pictures or videos of her in action, but Going Mom and I took turns holding her in front of us with her legs out and kicking as fast as they could go. I’m pretty sure her goal was to splash water into her mouth since she kept it open the entire time. Whatever the case, Kelley and I both had the same thing in mind…..naptime success!!
And she slept pretty well as we figured hoped. Which led us to the obvious choice of doing the same thing on Sunday.
We started Sunday with coffee, as usual, but it was with a new French Press we ordered since the other one broke. Love the new press and know it was a great investment in our morning happiness!
Kelley spent most of the morning reading and playing with Avery as I prepped a few meals for the week ahead and our dinner that night; taco chili!! She spent a good amount of time with Avery on her training potty while reading almost every book we own until she pooped or peed. Finally, she peed, and we praised her for the tinkle. This is where the experience of owning a pet before kids pays off!
We eventually made it down to the pool for another kicking and splashing session, but Avery didn’t get into as much as the day before. She still kicked and splashed around, just not with as much vigor. Either because it was no longer new, or she was just tired from all of that potty training, but it was another fun family time at the pool regardless.
The rest of Sunday was spent flipping Avery on the pillow and blanket pallet I made in the living room along with doing a few household chores. Avery relaxed next to the pallet with a book and leftover green smoothie as we finished up.
I should go eat some more toilet paper.
This past weekend ended up being an awesome time spent as a family and I look forward to many more as Avery gets older. Not that I’d ever rush her growing up, she’s done enough of that already!
Have you ever had an “eating toilet paper” experience?
Do your kids love or hate the pool?
An at-home dad on a mission to keep it real when it comes to food, fun, and raising a healthy, happy family.
