Words

Being the youngest of 4, Avery hears her fair share of words that I'm certain the others did not hear let alone use at her age. Also, being as vocal as she is, she has started to try them out. Her favorites are mostly potty words like butt, poop and pee, but she has also added shut up and stupid to her repertoire. She lights up with delight knowing these are taboo and loves to get a rise out of me and Stewart. On Friday she tried them out at school. Her teacher calmly and gently asked her not to use those words and gave her suggestions for other words instead. End of story.

Fast forward our drive home from school. We stop by the grocery store and are in the check out line. A woman gets in line behind us and Avery exclaims and points "mommy, her butt is big!" I try to ignore her, hoping the woman hasn't heard her. I pull her closer to me hoping she will just stop. She says it again, "look how big her butt is!" At this point I am certain the cashier and the lady have heard her. I bend down and gently remind her that we don't use those words. She looks at me very seriously and says, "but mommy, her butt is huge!" I am dying. First from embarrassment. Second, because she was defending herself, implying that she wasn't merely using potty words to be silly but that the woman's butt was really huge. Third, she was right! Sometimes there is just no arguing with a 3 year old. The art of tact will be our next lesson.

Tic Tac

All of our kids love orange tic tacs. They are the treat they get when they come with me somewhere and behave really well. Avery was eating some the other day and came over to me saying "ouch". She looked fine. She then pointed to her nose and said "tic tac." Sure enough, she had lodged an orange tic tac far beyond reach. Just far enough that I could see it but not far enough that it would go down into her throat. Her nose starts running orange. I calmly had her blow her nose several times. Nothing. Tried a few more times. Nothing. Called the neighbor who is a paramedic and asked him for advice. He suggested I call the pediatrician. I'm on the phone with the medical assistant sounding like a complete idiot when it finally dissolves enough to dislodge. Seriously, what is up with my kids sticking things in their noses??

One of a Kind

Avery turned 3 on February 16. She has changed so much this last year. So incredibly independent. Little miss Sassafras is what I call her.

Completely potty trained. Absolutely loves school and would go every single day if I'd let her. She's our adventure girl. Every morning she asks "what are we going to do today mommy?" I'm trying my darnedest to keep her occupied and she's trying equally as hard to keep me on my toes! As challenging as she can be, she is absolutely one of the most wonderful gifts we have been given. Avery Parker is one of a kind.

Announcing ???

On February 14th at 2:14 am, my sister gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Following in Laufer tradition, he has a beautiful head of golden brown hair. Also in Laufer tradition, he has yet to be named. Geez people, you only had 9 months to think about it!!!

I could barely wait to get my hands on him so I loaded Avery in the van and headed for Kansas! We spent the night and got plenty of baby watching and holding in while we were there. He smells so good and makes lots of lovely grunts and noises. Hoping to make a trip with the whole crew soon!! We love you baby Laufer, even if you are a JayHawk.

Announcing Brooke Ellis Parker!

It is with great pleasure that I announce the arrival of our first Parker cousin! Steve and Lori had Brooke Ellis Parker on February 9, 2010! We couldn't be more excited for them! We were able to make a quick trip to Murray to meet her. Although our trip was short, we were able to let her know in no uncertain terms that she was born in Kentucky and bleeds blue!!! Sorry Aunt Lori, no Tennessee orange for this little munchkin!! Not if her cousins have anything to say about it!