These are the lines Avery quoted from Nemo this morning!!! She was so excited for school! It was just yesterday that she learned she was going in the morning instead of the afternoon. So the fact that we got out the door on time- and took pictures- is pretty impressive! We're not a morning kind of family, so it was new for us to be somewhere by 8:30. Well, here are the pics of Avery all ready to go!
I made her uncock her head. And she said, "ok, but in the next one, can I do my head sideways because its cuter." Turns out I do like this one better!
This was her "first day of school" leap...
With her teacher, Miss Heather.
And with her other teacher, Miss Dierdre.
All ready for some learnin'!
Well, she loved it. She said her favorite part was walking around the whole school and taking a tour. She asked if I was going to get her a surprise for after school. Huh. Do you think I've conditioned her for some high expectations? Well, I couldn't disappoint... and since its Oliver's birthday this week he's going to be getting lots of presents and attention... I figured I'd spoil her a bit. And really, let's be honest... I've been waiting for the excuse to indulge for a while now.... so here's the deal... I'm a sucker for my daughter and I'm a sucker for some serious movie cheeziness.... so she may have received the High School Musical series!!!
I'll wrap things up with some Oliver silliness...
Avery's had some good stuff going on lately, so I thought I'd update y'all! The pictures are all sort of random, so I'll just write out some stuff...
She finally passed a level in swim lessons! This is the first time she's actually advanced a level. She took a few rounds of swim lessons last year but we stopped due to lack of progress/a certain someone's extreme stubborn-ness. So, we started this summer and again, she just won't do something unless she knows all of the possible outcomes. It's quite impressive really- her resolve to stay safe. Anyway, after we got back from Arizona (where we swam every day) something clicked and she was a swimming all-star! So she actually got to move up a level!
She had her first sleepover! Her little buddy came over last weekend and they had so much fun giggling until the wee hours! They were up until 11:45!! I can't imagine how late she'll stay up when she's a teenager!
She has been so good at playing independently lately! It's so fun to listen to the worlds she creates! She has not historically been good- AT ALL- at playing by herself. But I think the addition of some hand-me-down Barbies has changed her world! I love it! It's hard to catch her in these worlds because she always wants to ham it up for the camera. But the video below is one where she didn't know I was taping her! I think she's acting out the audition scene from High School Musical with her own, original, "princessy", musical number!
Finally, she started soccer again! This time its outdoor- which means she gets to wear cleats!!! They've got a pink swoosh! Here are some pictures! I love this first one! I think she looks like a total bad a--!!! 
The only explanation I can offer for this one is that the first time she put on her soccer stuff she said, "I feel like a cool girl!!" and then struck this pose! This is the second week and she's still feelin' like a cool girl, apparently!!!
Ok, here are some pictures of Avery being...Avery!!! So she said she was going to look for something in the garage. I heard this banging around and she was gone for a while. I peeked in and this is what she was doing. I think we had been watching softball on tv recently... so she said she was doing her hitting (in her pj's and flip-flops). Note the batting helmet she put on..."because that's what the softball girls do"!
Around the same time (of softball watching) she found this visor from when she was a baby. I think its a 12 month size! But she really wanted to wear it to be like the softball girls- and since my heart was doing leaps and twirls on the inside- I couldn't deny her a visor!!!
Yeah- so here she is washing her playhouse dishes, in the baby pool, while wearing her helmet, a sparkly dress-up top, and a tutu. Enough said.
Making a silly face at dinner...
And still lovin' on her baby brother!!!
Oliver is really walking far now! He's truckin' all around the cul-de-sac with his walking toy and crossing large rooms while walking! Here's a little sample!
Well, there are a few things to get you all caught up on!! Adam and Stacey were here for a visit... that blog is coming soon... the kids and I went to Arizona... that blog is coming soon... but- the big news is that our little guy has been taking steps!!! Here's a video of some of his very first ones!
During Adam and Stacey's visit, Jack started taking steps (click on the links in this sentence for better pictures of their visit and for Jack's walking! Except watch Jack's video on mute, because I'm ANNOYING on his video). Apparently Oliver learns by example and the day after they left- July 27, for posterity's sake- he started walking! He's still crawling for his main mode of locomotion, but he's getting braver and braver every day! By the way... check out the new Smith family carpet in the video... it's Heavenly!!!!
I made her uncock her head. And she said, "ok, but in the next one, can I do my head sideways because its cuter." Turns out I do like this one better!
This was her "first day of school" leap...
With her teacher, Miss Heather.
And with her other teacher, Miss Dierdre.
All ready for some learnin'!
Well, she loved it. She said her favorite part was walking around the whole school and taking a tour. She asked if I was going to get her a surprise for after school. Huh. Do you think I've conditioned her for some high expectations? Well, I couldn't disappoint... and since its Oliver's birthday this week he's going to be getting lots of presents and attention... I figured I'd spoil her a bit. And really, let's be honest... I've been waiting for the excuse to indulge for a while now.... so here's the deal... I'm a sucker for my daughter and I'm a sucker for some serious movie cheeziness.... so she may have received the High School Musical series!!! 
