Verbal Explosion

This week I've been hanging out with my Great Nanny and enjoying some playgroup fun! I've kept Mommy busy with my verbal explosion, which is both really exciting AND really tiring all at once!

One major benefit from my new found verbal skills (I'm saying more and realizing I can express whole thoughts!) is that I am MUCH less aggressive with my friends, because I know I can call for Mommy and she'll get me my toy back or help me wait my turn. It's so much fun not to spend half of my playtime in time out!

I've also used my new expressiveness to give Mommy and Daddy a chuckle once in a while. Below are Mommy's three favorite anecdotal moments regarding my verbal-linguistic skills...

1. When pulling through Starbucks, I started clapping my hands and yelling, "chicken, french fries!" It seems Mommy mistreated the Chick-fil-A run during her first trimester...
2. I wasn't ready to go downstairs when it was time for us to go, so I didn't get to be carried down. When I was finally ready, Mommy was downstairs waiting for me and I couldn't convince her to carry me, so I had to throw a fit. Mommy waited it out, and when I was ready to climb downstairs by myself, I headed down, hanging my head and saying pitifully, "Mommy, sad. Sad. Avery sad."
3. I fell and hurt my rear-end the other day and needed a little comforting. Daddy was sitting on the floor, so I backed my (naked) self up to him and said, "Kiss, hurt." Daddy was sure I didn't mean my toosh, but I wouldn't drop it until he (quite literally) kissed my bottom!

What week would be complete without pictures??? (CLICK HERE)

I'm looking forward to leaving tomorrow morning for LA to see my Uncle Trey, Aunt Erin (and of course the rest of the Wales family), and to visit Disneyland, Hollywood, and CA beaches!

Love,
Avery "Silent? What's that?" McClinton

We have a NAME!

Dear family,

My mommy's tummy has been growing and growing the last few months, and the baby inside is getting ready to come join our family. Mommy and Daddy finally sat down and really talked about Baby Sister's name (especially because I can't say "sister"), and have decided on one we all love! When mommy and daddy named me, it was a perfect, heaven-sent name. My name honors important people in my life and also is modern, but not over-used. Mommy and daddy wanted baby sister to have just as special of a name, that fit all of their criteria beautifully. Well, they found the perfect name.... Kate Elizabeth McClinton!

Kate is derived from my Great-Nanny's name, Kathryn, and Elizabeth is from my Great-Mimi (My Mommy's grandmothers). Just as I will grow up knowing how important I am because of who I am named for, so will Kate. Some of my mommy's best memories are from spending time with these two amazing ladies, and as Kate grows up, she will get to spend time with them and hear stories about them. She'll know just how important she is as she learns how precious they are! Mommy and daddy couldn't be more excited about the name, and on the first day they decided on it, they taught it to me. I've been walking around ever since calling my baby dolls "Kate-Kate" and telling everyone who asks me that the baby's name is "Kate-Kate". I love kissing Kate-Kate and laying on Mommy's bump to cuddle.

As you can imagine, this week hasn't been only about Baby Kate-Kate. I'm also getting a big girl room, slowly but surely. Weeks ago, Daddy painted the room and moved my furniture in, and since then Mommy added my quilt and 2 shams. There is plenty left to be purchased (curtains, more shams, bookshelves, bulletin boards), but Mommy and Daddy are all about the slow and steady approach to room decorating. :) The very best and most important part of my room, though, is coming together better than I could've dreamed! Being a librarian, Mommy decided to do my room in storybook characters. Daddy is painting the canvases in purple, pink, and green, and then Granddaddy is painting favorite characters on the canvases. It's a LOT of work, but you'll never hear Daddy or Granddaddy complain about doing something for me! :) Mommy chose 14 of our favorite characters, and we're about half-way through with them. We need them all to be able to hang them (so we get spacing right), but that fits perfectly into the name of the game - Slow and Steady. :)

Click here for a few pictures of the room, the canvases, and Mommy's big bump.

(And YES, those paintings are all hand-done, not scanned images! You're not going to believe how good they look!)

Love you!

Big Sister Avery

Sea World

This week, I took a trip to Sea World with my friends Summer, Alyssa, and Drew. We stayed with our parents at their Memaw's country home outside of Austin and drove to Sea World for the day on Friday. I loved it, but I did call out for Oscky and Doh-ee at the end of the day. Mommy says she was a little surprised to hear how much I missed them!

Here are a few highlights from the trip:
*Holding hands with Drew and walking all over Bucee's during a potty break on the way, and holding hands with the big girls all over Sea World
*Swimming in the pool and jumping in over and over again at the country home
*Seeing the penguins (pinkens), sharks (said correctly!), dolphins (dolpeens), Shamoo (fishies), and sea lions (sea night-nights)
*Jumping off of the curb repeatedly while waiting for Summer to ride a roller coaster (yes, there were a trillion other things to do at Sea World, but it made me SO happy!)
*Riding in the wagon all day with Summer and Alyssa, and especially riding in the double stroller at the end of the day when I was SO tired
*Seeing Shamoo jump-jump so high!
*Watching a show called "Waggin' Tales" with rescued animals and trying to figure out why Oscar was at Sea World performing
*Having such a special day with my Daddy (He took really good care of me all day so Mommy could just worry about being pregnant in the heat)
*Learning big girl games like hide and go seek and Mommy and Baby from Summer and Alyssa (I call them "Summah" and "Aih-sigh")
*Seeing my cousins Sarah and Jenna at naptime on Friday
*Coming home and realizing how many wonderful toys I have here that I missed!

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES

Love,
Avery, Marine Biologist Extrodinaire

Fourth of July

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July weekend!
I spent the day celebrating with my friend Tyler at my Nana and Granddaddy's house.
And, when he had to go home for naptime, my Aunt Amanda and Uncle David showed up! How exciting! (No fireworks again this year...maybe next year I'll be ready for a sparkler.)
Mommy has been battling some yucky blood-sugar pregnancy issues (Baby Sister will be worth it, I'm sure!), which didn't bother me at all. It just meant more time with my Daddy, Nana, Granddaddy, Amanda, and David!
On Saturday and Sunday, Mommy got a nice (and needed!) break and I spent the weekend swimming, helping in the kitchen (a real favorite), practicing my most recent skill (jumping), dancing, and all around having a blast at Nana and Granddaddy's house. I even got to go to their special (extra big) church with them on Sunday and sing and dance to the music there.
Love,
Avery

CLICK HERE FOR A FEW PICS OF THE WEEKEND