The Van Dorens

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July weekend! It was actually nice out (warm and sunny) and we got to spend time with a variety of friends. On Sunday we went to a bbq on Whidbey Island where Avery got to experience her first sparkler and fireworks. She was a little unsure of it all and not a big fan of all the loud noises, although all of the little boys at the bbq loved them! On the 4th we went to a parade with some friends and Avery and her friend Della got to collect loads of candy, which she loved. Della also introduced Avery to Pop-Its so we of course had to go buy some for the evening along with some colorful, quiet fireworks. Avery had a great 4th of July and is already looking forward to next year!

5 months old and sweet potatoes

2011-07-16T10:19:00.001-07:00

Now that Hunter is 5 months old I have slowly been introducing some solids. He was not a fan of the rice cereal, so here are some pictures of our first attempt with sweet potatoes. As you can see from his face, he's not a big fan of those either.

S'mores

2011-07-16T10:18:00.000-07:00

We have all enjoyed the fire pit we gave Matty for Father's Day. Nothing says summer like a s'more on a summer night! Avery has enjoyed roasting marshmallows, but really prefers to eat the chocolate and the marshmallows "raw"!

Father's Day!

2011-07-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

For Father's Day we went bowling. It was Avery's first time and she loved doing "bowling ball" as she called it. I thought that we would have our highest scores ever since we were bowling with bumpers but that was not the case...the scores are too embarrassing to mention! We had dinner at Diamond Knot Pizza and Brewery in Mulkilteo and came home to enjoy Matt's Father's Day present....a fire pit for the backyard.

June Happenings

2011-06-14T15:06:00.001-07:00

Hunter Joel is now 4 1/2 months old. He is a very happy baby and is full of smiles these days. He is his daddy's "Mini Me" as you can see! His sister is definitely one of his most favorite people and usually brings the biggest smile to his face!

Last weekend, Avery had her first dance recital. She has been taking a creative dance class all year with her friend Olivia. Her big performance was a choreographed number to "Who Let the Dogs Out?". All the girls knew the choreography but performed all different parts of the dance at the same time. It was adorable and entertaining! Avery loved being on stage and is already asking when she gets to do a dance performance again!

Turning 4 and Last Day of Preschool

2011-06-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Avery's 4th birthday on May 12. We had a fabulous ice cream sundae party with Avery's friends at a park. We then celebrated the next night with family and everyone LOVED Nonnie's mud pie for dessert. It was a great birthday and we can't believe that our little girl is 4!

At the end of the month, Avery had her last day of preschool and her closing performance. Avery has had a wonderful year at preschool and we are so thankful for her teachers and school.

I've seen this face before....

2011-03-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

Hunter Joel 7 weeks old

Avery Parker 7 weeks old

7 Weeks Old

2011-03-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

Hunter is now 7 weeks old and growing like a weed! He is a pretty smiley guy but I never seem to have my camera with me to capture the really big ones. We get the biggest smiles when he is naked and getting changed! He is spending more and more time awake and most of that time is happy. Night times are fluctuating between waking up once or twice in the night to eat. I love my sleep, so I am so thankful for the nights that he only wakes up once!

One Month Old!

2011-03-01T16:03:00.001-08:00

Hunter is now one month old! He weighs a whopping 11 pounds 6 ounces (90%), so apparently all the spitting up he is doing is not affecting his weight gain. He is a solid little guy and overall pretty easy, although I am wishing he was a little easier at night. I'm hoping that any day now he will start sleeping longer stretches at night so I can start feeling a little more like myself again. We are starting to get some occasional smiles and I even was able to capture one in the last picture!

Bedtime at the Van Doren's

2011-02-15T15:39:00.000-08:00

Here's a peek at our nightly bedtime routine. After getting into jammies (Avery loves wearing her new Big Sister jammies) we read books together in the living room. So far Hunter has had a hard time staying awake for all of the stories but I'm sure that won't last for long!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-15T15:25:00.000-08:00

This was my attempt at a Valentine's Day photo shoot! Avery was pretty cooperative but Hunter wasn't into it. Hunter is now three weeks old. He continues to eat and sleep like a champ. At 11 days old he was 9lbs 8oz so I'm thinking he may be around 10 lbs now. Avery continues to LOVE her baby brother! She is very helpful and loves showering Hunter with hugs and kisses.

And Hunter Makes Four!

2011-01-28T09:01:00.000-08:00

Hunter Joel Van Doren was born at 8:33 am on Monday, January 24, 2011. He was a "big boy" (as the nurses dubbed him), weighing in at 8 lbs 14.2 oz and measuring 20 1/4" in length. Matt announced the sex just as he had done with Avery, only this time saying "Oh my gosh, it's a boy!" My guess was that this baby was a boy but Matt was convinced it was going to be a girl. We are overjoyed at Hunter's arrival and feel like our family is now perfectly complete. Hunter is a great baby and seems to be more relaxed than his big sister (so far). We are quickly adjusting to life at home and balancing parenting two kids. Here are some pictures of his first couple of days!

Bath Time!

A New Year and a soon to be New Addition!

2011-01-18T22:09:00.000-08:00

I'm embarrassed to admit that it has been over a year since my last post, but I guess the proof is posted below! So with this new year, I am resolving to be a better blogger. Plus I have some motivation....in just about 5 days a new addition will be joining our family! We are all so excited to find out whether the very active baby that has taken over my body for the last 9 months is a he or she! Avery has been counting the days until she gets to be a big sister and I'm equally anxious and excited to start living life as a family of four.

In the meantime, here are some recent pictures of the three of us!

Cutting down the Christmas tree!

2009-12-10T22:36:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we braved the freezing temperatures (literally) to hunt for the perfect Christmas tree. We had a hard time deciding but ended up with a great one! The promise of a candy cane helped Avery tolerate the indecisiveness of her parents! Another plus was that Avery's new snowboots kept her toes toasty warm as we walked through rows and rows of trees. Here are a few pictures of our adventure!

Under Construction and a trip to Redhook...

2009-07-20T23:08:00.001-07:00

Now that I have a couple of days of freedom before my next class I thought I would give our blog a makeover...but it's late and I want to go to bed, so for right now it will just have to remain a work in progress! In the meantime here are a few pictures from our recent bike ride to Redhook. It was a gorgeous day only made better by a great lunch out on the patio, oreos and a smiley two year old!

Jason and Jessica's Wedding

2009-06-28T21:57:00.001-07:00

In April, we flew to Sacramento for my brother Jason's wedding to Jessica. We had a great weekend spending time with family and celebrating the happy event! Here are a few highlight pics from our weekend...hanging out at an outdoor mall in downtown Sacramento, eating at the rehearsal dinner and the big party! I was lucky enough to be a bridesmaid in the beautiful wedding and we was so honored to be a part of their special day! Avery loves her Uncle Jason and Aunt Jessica and was excited to wear her fancy dress and spend some time with them. We had a wonderful time and can't believe that two months have already passed since that day!

Avery is 2!

2009-06-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

Avery turned 2 on May 12th (I'm a bit late on my postings...I've been a little busy, so better late than never!). Avery had quite the week long celebration. Her birthday festivities began with her first trip to Chuck E. Cheese with Grandma and Grandpa. Avery loved riding the rides, eating pizza and watching the characters sing the latest pop songs. I don't remember it being like that when I was kid, but I was probably too busy playing skee ball to listen to what Chuck E. and friends were singing! For Avery's birthday dinner, she wanted to go to Red Robin to have mac and cheese. We had a great dinner and Avery enjoyed her ice cream sundae with sprinkles after bravely enduring the Red Robin rendition of "Happy Birthday". You would think that would be more than enough for a two year old, but we still weren't done. We ended Avery's birthday festivities with a BBQ and party with family and friends. The weather was gorgeous, the kids had a great time playing outside and it was fun to catch up with all of our family and friends. Thanks for making Avery's birthday so special! Here are a few pictures from the birthday festivities...

Growing Up...

2009-03-28T15:43:00.002-07:00

Avery is 22 months and has become such a big girl! She is talking non-stop (big surprise in our family) and putting lots of words together in sentences. The first few pictures are from our recent visit to the Children's Museum where Avery got to visit with one of her favorites, Curious George. The rest of the pictures are of Avery's current interests: dress up and getting in to everything! Avery loves to dress up in her tutu, flower headband and beads and exclaims "Married!" whenever she puts this ensemble on! Avery has also been working on her smile for the camera as you can see throughout all of the pictures.

Videos of Avery

2009-03-28T15:43:00.001-07:00

Avery recently learned her last name and she thinks that saying "Van Doren" sounds hilarious. We posted two videos because they are equally funny! FYI in the first video when Avery says "Yashi" she is referring to Scout, our dog (I know...Scout=Yashi???) Anyways, Avery is constantly making us laugh and these videos are a little example of her crazy personality!

Avery video #1

2009-03-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

Avery video #2

2009-03-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Trip

2009-03-10T14:15:00.001-07:00

Avery, Grandma and I spent the first weekend in March in San Francisco visiting Jason and Jessica. We were able to be a part of Jessica's bridal shower and take in some local sights. Avery took her first cable car ride and seemed to enjoy it although whenever the car stopped to let someone on or off, Avery would say "All done!" We also took Avery down to Fisherman's Wharf where she really enjoyed some clam chowder. We had a wonderful weekend spending time with Uncle Jason and Aunt Jessica and are looking forward to their wedding in April!

Catching Up!

2009-01-31T14:11:00.001-08:00

Here are a few pics of Avery from Christmas time...better late than never! We had a great (snowy) Christmas and Avery loved opening all of her gifts. Her big gift from Santa was a bike and she loves putting on her helmet by herself and riding around the house (being pushed by mom or dad). She is gaining more words every day and continues to make us laugh with all of her funny expressions!

White Christmas

2008-12-21T22:12:00.000-08:00

We kicked off the Christmas season with a trip to the tree farm to cut down the perfect tree and a morning downtown where Avery got to ride her first carousel! Good thing we got out and about when we did because snow was headed our way...

December has been full of snow and unfortunately Avery is not a big fan! She certainly looks cute in her snowsuit, though! These first pictures are round one of our "Arctic Blast"...little did we know this snow was nothing compared to what came later in the week.

Round two of our "Arctic Blast"...Avery preferred to enjoy the snow from the comfort of her stroller or the backpack!

Even though we have been stuck inside Avery has found many ways to stay busy...Trying on mommy's Uggs and reading to her dog, Honey.

Round three of our "Arctic Blast"...The large mound on the deck is Avery's sandbox.

Video of Scout in the snow

2008-12-21T21:58:00.000-08:00

18 Months Old

2008-11-24T21:28:00.000-08:00

Avery turned 18 months old earlier this month. Grandma and Grandpa thought that the occasion called for an ice cream cake and of course we couldn't argue with that! Avery loved it as you can see. The other pictures are just a little snapshot of Avery's crazy personality!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-03T20:21:00.001-08:00

Avery was a lion for Halloween. It is one of her favorite animals and she loves to roar like a lion, so we thought that would be a perfect fit! We started off our evening by trick or treating at an outdoor shopping center near our house. Even though Avery didn't get to eat any of the candy she enjoyed choosing pieces out of the bowl! We ate dinner at our favorite mexican restaurant conveniently located at the shopping center and then headed to the carnival at our church. Most of the games were too old for Avery but she loved playing in the bounce house and going for a train ride in the church parking lot. We had a great Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

Our pumpkin carving took place over two evenings. The first evening Matt cut the top off and cleaned out Avery's pumpkin. Avery was quite disgusted by the "guts" of the pumpkin but she was interested in the seeds! The first picture is what Avery does when you say "Cheese!" She is a very silly girl! The next night, I carved a bat on Avery's pumpkin. I was inspired by Avery's Halloween card from Uncle Jason and Jessica, that Avery loves to carry around. The last group of pictures is our attempt to take a posed shot of the final product. Avery was not too cooperative but we managed to get a few shots that seem to capture her personality!

Fall in Seattle

2008-10-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we enjoyed some typical fall activities with Nonnie and Boppie (Matt's parents) who were in town visiting from Oregon. On Saturday we took Avery to her first football game at Husky Stadium. The Huskies didn't do so well against the Beavers(which made the Oregonians in the family happy!), but Avery enjoyed eating her way through the game and you can't beat the view! On Sunday we went to the pumpkin patch with Avery's cousins. Avery enjoyed riding in the wagon, picking out a pumpkin and playing with her cousins. She tried very hard to pick up her pumpkin, with little success, as you can see from some of the pictures! We had a great weekend with Nonnie and Boppie!

The final days of summer...

2008-09-13T21:14:00.001-07:00

Even though school has started and it's fall in my mind, it is still technically summer and we've been having beautiful weather to back it up! Avery and I went to the zoo last week and saw all of her favorite animals...elephants, giraffes, lions and birds. The first set of pictures is from one of Avery's favorite parts of the zoo...Zoomazium, the indoor play area geared towards little kids. She loves to explore and play with the instruments and toys. The second set of pictures is from our trip to a park that has farm animals. Avery loved watching the sheep eat grass, the pig snorting in the mud, the rooster saying "cock-a-doodle-do" and the goats eating bark off the tree. Avery ended the trip in the best way possible...soaring in the air on the swings!

Avery's funny faces

2008-09-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

Avery is so hard to take a picture of these days because she is constantly in motion. We have managed to capture some of Avery's "classic" faces...

Now if we could only capture her natural smile...

Maui

2008-09-03T20:47:00.000-07:00

We spent our final 9 days of summer in Maui and we had a great time! Avery was a fabulous traveler and she enjoyed splashing in the ocean, finding seashells in the sand, hanging out in her inflatable ladybug in the pool and eating some of the local fresh cuisine. Here are a few pictures of the highlights of our trip.

Oregon Coast Trip

2008-07-21T21:35:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we spent time with Nonnie and Boppie (Matt's parents) on the Oregon Coast. Avery had a great time playing at the beach, sitting in the sand and watching Scout run and dig. Avery also got to feed ducks for the first time and had lots of fun playing with all of the toys at Nonnie and Boppie's house.

Dinnertime with Avery

2008-07-15T21:21:00.001-07:00

The weather has been beautiful lately so we have been eating lots of meals outside. Avery provides us with plenty of entertainment as you can see below...

The spaghetti is great mom! Can I have dessert now?

Where are my cookies!!!

MMM...I love cookies!

Here Scout, I am full. Want the rest of my cookie?

That tickles!

Summer Fun

2008-06-27T21:29:00.001-07:00

Summer is finally here! School is out and the sun is shining. We have spent a lot of time playing outside. This past week we have been dog sitting and Avery has loved having two dogs to play with. We made a trip to the park where Avery enjoyed watching the dogs run after the ball and crawling in the grass. Today was especially nice, so we got out the pool. Avery had a ball crawling in and out of the pool and splashing around. I tried to get Avery and Scout in the pool at the same time, but every time Scout started to get in, Avery started to crawl out (see last two photos)!

Father's Day

2008-06-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

We had a great Father's Day! We went out to breakfast in the morning and the weather was beautiful so we played outside a lot of the day. Avery and daddy had fun playing together and Avery gave him something special to hang up in his office. Thanks Avery!

Avery's first Mariners game!

2008-05-31T17:04:00.000-07:00

Today we took Avery to Safeco Field to see her first Mariners game. She enjoyed watching all the people and she ate part of a hot dog, some fries and some of Grandma's Dippin' Dots for dessert. She even got to meet the Mariner Moose! The Mariners actually won the game, and that made it all the more special.

Birthday dinner, the Zoo and more!

2008-05-29T11:07:00.001-07:00

Over the last couple of weeks we have celebrated a birthday, we took Avery to the Zoo for the first time and have been playing in the back yard. She loves our back yard and all she wants to do is be outside.

Avery's Birthday Party

2008-05-12T21:06:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Avery's first birthday with a party and BBQ on Saturday. The weather wasn't perfect but at least it didn't rain! We had lots of family over and Avery loved her party! She was in a great mood all day and especially enjoyed her first chocolate cupcake. We took lots of pictures (as you can see) to try to capture all of the important parts of the day. Thanks to everyone for coming and being a part of Avery's special day!

Spring Break!

2008-04-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

Last week was Allison's spring break, so we visited a park that is close to our new house, Avery played on her favorite kitchen appliance and had some fun in the bath tub.

Pool Party

2008-04-02T16:36:00.000-07:00

We finally took Avery swimming for the first time on Matty's birthday. She loved the water although she was a little apprehensive at first. She enjoyed patting/slapping the water, holding the pool toys (especially the blue boat) and "swimming" with mom and dad. We will definitely be visiting the pool again (especially because Avery took a LONG nap afterwards!)

Happy Easter!

2008-03-24T20:03:00.000-07:00

Avery had a great first Easter! We started the day at church and then headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's for lunch. Avery enjoyed her first Easter basket...she especially liked the paper grass and spread it all over the room.

Bath Time!

2008-03-20T10:26:00.001-07:00

Bath time is by far Avery's favorite activity, and for that reason we have now moved her into the "big girl" bathtub.

BFF!!! (Best Friends Forever)

2008-03-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

Avery has started to become more cuddly with Scout, and Scout puts up with it most of the time. I don't think Scout has any idea how bad it's going to get when Avery gets bigger.....

Avery IS a girl!

2008-03-06T21:21:00.000-08:00

Here are a few fun pictures of our "girly" girl, Avery! I know it is our own fault for giving Avery a gender neutral name and not dressing her in frilly girly clothes, but I was getting tired of people commenting on what a cute little boy! So, Grandma made Avery bows in every color and now there is no mistake that Avery is a girl! Plus, I think she looks pretty adorable in them! Avery will be 10 months next week and is busy, busy, busy. She loves to cuddle with Scout, explore the house and wishes she could walk. She is such a joy to us and a ton of fun to be around!

Two States in One Week!

2008-02-26T11:12:00.000-08:00

We spent last weekend in San Diego for a friend's wedding. We stayed at the brand new Hard Rock Hotel, which was really nice but not really a family setting (Avery had to take a bath in the sink because there wasn't a bath tub!) We had a great week of traveling but we are happy to finally be home!

We spent President's Day weekend at Schweitzer Mountain in Idaho with friends from college. Matty had a great couple of days snowboarding. Avery did not enjoy wearing her snowsuit in the snow but did had fun playing with the other kids there!

Hanging out at home

2008-02-05T09:22:00.001-08:00

Here are a few pictures of Avery making the rounds to her favorite spots at home...her music table, Scout's bed and the toybox. She is now pulling herself up to standing but hasn't quite figured out how to get back down, which has led to a couple of falls!

Crawling like crazy!

2008-01-23T20:34:00.000-08:00

Avery started crawling at the beginning of the month and she has loved exploring the house. Her favorite things to explore are all of the "no touch" things in the house...the fireplace, dog bowls, telephone cords and especially Scout's dog toys. One of her favorite things to do is kneel at Scout's dog toy crate. She is just starting to pull herself up to standing but seems pretty content to kneel for right now. We can't believe how fast she is changing and growing!

Crazy Hair!

2008-01-05T10:15:00.000-08:00

Avery woke up from a nap the other day with this crazy hair! It made us laugh so of course we had to take some pictures of it! Thanks for the onesie, Jessica! We love it!

Avery's First Christmas

2007-12-29T17:04:00.000-08:00

Avery has loved all of the Christmas decorations! She loved making her way under the tree and checking out the presents and ornaments. She also loved to look at her stocking hanging above the fireplace.

We had Christmas Eve dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Avery got to open a couple of presents and this gift bag (not what was inside it) was one of her favorite things!

Avery had lots of fun opening her gifts Christmas morning...she seemed to enjoy the bows, tissue paper and boxes more than the gifts! She got lots of fun toys and books that she has been enjoying ever since.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2007-12-13T20:45:00.000-08:00

One of Avery's favorite things to do has been standing at the Christmas bins and crinkling the newspaper and jingling the bells on the stockings.

Last Saturday, we went to a tree farm to cut down our Christmas tree. Avery liked looking at the trees and touching their prickly branches. Matty did such a good job cutting down the tree, they were ready to hire him on the spot!

Avery hanging out with Scout by the tree!

Here are a few samples of our attempts to take Christmas card pictures!

Avery's First Snow!

2007-12-01T15:47:00.001-08:00

December 1st brought us the first snowfall of the season. Avery loved the snow and especially loved watching Scout frolic in it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-26T09:31:00.000-08:00

Avery had a great first Thanksgiving! No turkey yet, just sweet potatoes and oatmeal. She loved spending time with Nonnie and Boppie, her grandparents from Oregon and spent much of the weekend talking, giggling and squealing!

Lil Miss May

2007-11-17T18:29:00.001-08:00

Avery, our "Lil Miss May" is 6 months old! We had to do a mini photo shoot in her adorable outfit from our friend Steve. We can't believe how big she is! If you look closely at the second picture you can see Avery's two new additions...teeth!

Play time!

2007-11-08T18:31:00.001-08:00

Avery is getting more active and mobile every day. She enjoys sitting up, rocking on her hands and knees and scooting around backwards while on her tummy.

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-01T19:17:00.000-07:00

Avery was a monkey for her first Halloween! She enjoyed her costume...Scout was a little less excited about hers!

Avery's First Pumpkin

2007-10-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

First trip to the Pumpkin Farm!

2007-10-29T17:05:00.001-07:00

Avery had her first trip to the Pumpkin Farm on Sunday. After the long car ride and tractor ride, Avery snoozed at the the pumpkin patch but after lunch she perked up and enjoyed the sights. Avery especially enjoyed her first experience with hay!

5 months old!!!

2007-10-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

Avery is 5 months old! She now loves to smile for the camera which makes taking pictures much easier! Grandma and Grandpa thought that an ice cream cake was in order. Avery didn't get to enjoy it but all of the adults did!

Happy Girl!

2007-10-09T21:47:00.000-07:00

Avery is such a happy girl! She is changing everyday...she now enjoys "tummy time" and is working on pushing herself up with her arms and rotating around on her tummy. She loves to stick out her tongue, smile and giggle.

I'm a big girl now!

2007-09-21T19:04:00.001-07:00

Avery loves rice cereal! Not much of it goes down, and we think she likes the spoon more than the cereal.

Reading already...So advanced!

4 months old!

2007-09-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

Avery is now 4 months old. She just had her check up and weighed in at 13 lbs 9 oz and was 24 1/2 inches long. She loves to talk and giggle and stick out her tongue. We love watching her change every day!

Fun in the exersaucer...Avery loves to "stand up" and see what's going on!

Best Friends!

"Super Baby" with Dad!

Tummy time on the play mat...not one of Avery's favorite positions, but she's learning to like it!

Avery found her thumb!

2007-08-31T20:28:00.000-07:00

Goodbye pacifier, hello thumb! Avery has found her thumb, specifically her left one, and uses it daily to comfort herself or help her sleep.

3 Months Old!

2007-08-14T14:06:00.001-07:00

Avery is such a happy girl! She loves to smile at her mom and dad and Scout. We can't believe she is already 3 months old!

Oregon Coast Vacation

2007-08-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

Avery is now 12 weeks old! We spent last weekend in Oregon with all of Matty's family. Everyone had a great time hanging out, fishing, digging and visiting with family!

Little Miss Sunshine

2007-07-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

Avery is now 10 1/2 weeks old. She is getting bigger by the minute! Avery enjoys visiting with her "friends" on her playmat, listening to songs and stories, sucking on her hands, getting "kisses" from Scout and being held! She had a great time hanging out with her Grandma last weekend.

2 months old

2007-07-16T20:12:00.001-07:00

Avery is now 2 months old! She weights 11 lbs., 15 1/2 oz. and is 22 3/4 in. long. She continues to charm us with her smile and loves to spend time on her play mat.

First Vacation

2007-07-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

We spent the week in California with Allison's family. Avery had a great time playing with Grandma & Grandpa, meeting Uncle Jason and Jessica, and taking her first trip to the beach.

We spent the weekend with our friends Pep and Lyndi and their 11 week old son, Gavin. We had a great time playing with the babies and taking pictures of the new friends!

7 weeks old!

2007-07-02T11:12:00.001-07:00

We are loving Avery's smile and constantly taking pictures trying to capture it!

Hanging out with Scout

2007-07-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

6 weeks old!

2007-06-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

Avery is now smiling and "laughing" at us. We get the biggest smiles when she is being changed, so now we look forward to those dirty diapers!

5 weeks old!

2007-06-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

Happy First Father's Day!

Getting bigger by the minute!

Tired, already?

Matty's girls...

Our little rocker!

Daddy's Little Girl

2007-06-11T20:04:00.001-07:00

Avery's First Friends

2007-06-11T19:54:00.001-07:00

Olivia and Avery

Twin day!

Olivia, Noah and Avery

4 weeks old!

2007-06-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

3 weeks old...

2007-06-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

...and getting bigger every day!

Two weeks old

2007-05-29T19:59:00.001-07:00

Avery is over 9lbs and still growing!

First bath in the bathtub

2007-05-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

One week old

2007-05-19T16:31:00.001-07:00

We can't believe it has already been a week! Avery is changing every day and is truly a blessing! We love watching her grow!

Scout and Avery

2007-05-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

Scout LOVES her new baby sister and even manages to sneak in a lick whenever she can!

Life at home

2007-05-19T16:10:00.000-07:00

Our happy family!

2007-05-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

Avery's first trip to the salon...

2007-05-14T19:50:00.000-07:00

Check out the awesome faux-hawk!

Happy Mother's Day (and New Dad's Day too!)

2007-05-14T19:43:00.000-07:00

Avery with her proud papa!

Allison's first Mother's Day! What a gift!

Grandma's best gift yet!

Happy Birthday Avery!

2007-05-14T18:16:00.000-07:00

Avery Parker VanDoren was born by c-section (after several failed attempts to induce) at 8:25 pm on Saturday May 12th. She weighed 8 lbs 9 oz and was 21 inches long.

The nursery...phase one!

2007-05-02T16:23:00.000-07:00

Scout in her new favorite room!

Crib with gender neutral bedding (we're waiting to personalize it) and glider.

Changing table/dresser and shadowboxes.

37 weeks

2007-04-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

April 2007 - 3 weeks to go!

Shower for Baby VD

2007-04-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

My excellent hosts: Annette, Jen and Kara!

31 weeks

2007-04-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

March 2007 Allison with proud big sister Scout

25 weeks

2007-04-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

January 2007

And baby makes four...

2007-04-15T17:26:00.000-07:00

Baby Van Doren, due May 5th, 2007.