Almost Eight Months

Well, it’s been another crazy month. Avery and I traveled to Houston, Texas to visit Alisha for a long weekend. It was nice to get away! As much as I love the mountains, I absolutely loved having some warmer weather. We went on walks almost every day or night, and the moisture and heat was well needed. Despite incredibly long, delayed flights, Avery is a really good traveler! She had so much fun playing with Alisha and her puppies, and I thoroughly enjoyed having a mini vacation. Between dinners, swimming, and just hanging out, we made the most of our days together. We can’t wait to see Alisha again, as she and Sam will be welcoming a baby into their family late August/early September.

Avery is growing so fast! She is now crawling, waving “bye bye”, constantly clapping her hands, repeating “mama mama mama” a million times when she is upset, and developing more of a personality by the minute. She weighs 14 pounds11 ounces, and is in the 3rd percentile for her weight. The doctor’s wonder if she is eating enough, but we feed her ALL THE TIME! Her round cheeks are evidence of her healthy diet. Avery is growing more comfortable with strangers, but still is pretty clingy when it comes to Justin or I holding her. She seems to enjoy her sitter, who she sees twice a week, but loves being watched by Grandma or Grandpa whenever possible. Here are some fun pictures.

Justin and I are doing well, but I’m really feeling burnt out with teaching right now! This is a very intense, pressured time before CSAP this spring, and I’m constantly feeling mentally exhausted at work. I have a conference coming up this weekend, and hopefully that will rejuvenate me (it has in past years) as my colleagues and I begin teaching several intense writing workshops with struggling writers the next several weeks. I’m sure Justin is feeling the same about school, and we are both in need of spring break already!

Justin received a new calling at church as the ward financial clerk. He will do very well at this calling, as he enjoys working with numbers. We were both truly saddened at the passing of President Hinckley, and as we watched the funeral on Saturday, we were brought back to a remembrance of how important families are. We admired President Hinckley, and were amazed by all of the contributions he made to the lives of so many around world. His passing has brought us a more inspired diligence to live up to the commitments we have made, and to “stand a little taller” as he often encouraged people to do. We are comforted by the fact that he is now with his beloved wife, whom he mourned for these past several years.