The Clark Blog

We wanted to make good use of the backyard, so we brought home a swing set for Avery’s first birthday. In total, this ended up being a 4 beer job – which was about 2 beers over budget. The instructions were less than clear, but in the end there were no parts left on the table!

When the guys brought the box out of Toys R Us, all we could do was laugh. Fortunately, we didn’t need to bring the box home with us!

I was able to put about 90% of the swing set together by myself, but as the sun started to get low on the horizon, the cavalry arrived…

Mommy helped for a bit…

Then Mamaw and Chloe helped for a bit…

 And Avery helped by testing out her slide. She reeeeealy liked it!

Here’s the final product… and a family pic!

Baby Avery, Family

Avery’s friend Christopher had his first birthday party at the Houston Zoo. This was Avery’s first trip to see all the animals, and it for sure won’t be our last. Avery had so much fun at the petting zoo, we almost had to take a goat home with us.

Avery and Christopher pose for a party pic!

The cake and cupcakes looked like little zoo critters. Very nicely done!

Of course, the cupcakes didn’t stand a chance with Aves around…

After the party we had full access to the zoo. Our first stop was the animal carousel and Avery had some concerns…

But it only took a few rounds before we made friends with Mr Cheetah!

Afterwards, Aves got serious and asked if the stroller was really necessary…

But it’s hard for Aves to keep a straight face!

Later we went to the petting zoo. I’m not sure if the cage was meant to keep the animals in or the people out.

Here’s the goat we almost took home…

And here’s the pig we almost took home…

And here’s the BIG kitty cat we almost took home…

We never got lost thanks to my onboard GPS…

Avery really likes maps…

I believe this was a type of antelope. You can see by the size of Avery’s finger, it’s a very tiny animal!

Aves makes her monkey face at the giraffe exhibit… funny girl.

And one last stop at the gift shop before leaving the zoo!

We all had a great time and can’t wait to go back!

Baby Avery, Family, Friends

Avery’s Great Grandmother (and Shelley’s Grandmother), Dororthy Jean Anderson passed away peacefully on Feb. 27, 2010 in Duncanville, Texas at the age of 86. Great Mamaw was truly a great woman and she will be missed dearly. We traveled to Duncanville to be with the rest of our family, and wanted to post a few pics to celebrate Great Mamaw’s life. I was fortunate enough to know Mamaw for the last 15 years, and loved her like one of my own grandmothers.

This was a sweet pic with Avery’s Great Grandfather Del. It had been a very long and emotional long day, but Aves was a trooper and didn’t get cranky until late in the evening. Here’s one of her better moments…

Great Mamaw’s sister Kay was not able to travel to Duncanville, so the Anderson Family posed with Avery and sat around a beautiful boquet of flowers Kay sent for the occasion. No one realized it at the time, but Avery was quietly eating the boquet.

Before we left for Houston, Uncle Doug showed Avery all the places Mamaw and Bebop traveled as well as their collection of US Presidents. Avery loves her Uncle Doug!

We will all miss you dearly Mamaw. May you rest in eternal loving peace.

Click HERE for Mamaw’s official obituary.

Baby Avery, Family

Hi everyone! Lots has been going on since Christmas last year and I truly apologize about the length of time since our last post. Avery is now 11 months old and doing new things every day. Not long ago we signed her up at The Little Gym of Bellaire for a semester of gymnastics and hand-eye coordination. We are only 3 weeks into it, but Avery is already climbing stairs by herself and on the verge of walking… she can take a few “unstable” steps on her own before falling over. During her first class, Avery had 5 minor meltdowns. At her second class she only cried 2 times. At her last class there were no tears and made everyone laugh as she (very excitedly) chased the boys around the gym. Our little bug is developing a happy little personality. Below are some pics taken over the last few gym sessions.

It took her a while, but Avery finally decided crawling through tunnels is cool.

Here’s a pic from our first day at the gym.
Avery wasn’t sure what to think about all the equipment!

We practice climbing stairs…

Hanging on bars…

Walking on the balance beam…

Forward rolls…

Obstacle courses…

Wheelbarrows…

And reverse whoopdie-doos… Go Aves!!!!

Goooooooooo MAMAW!!!!

And while she’s having a bunch of fun, Avery is making lots of new friends too!

Every class ends with bubble time… and I think that’s Avery’s favorite part!!

Signing Aves up for the Little Gym is one of the best decisions we’ve made.
Not to mention how much energy it takes to do all the fun stuff!

Baby Avery

The last time Great Aunt Debbie visited town was for Shelley’s baby shower. Avery wasn’t born yet and our new home was still just a bunch of sticks. This year she and Great Uncle Ed were able to swing by our place last weekend. We took a few GREAT pics and can’t wait to see everyone again!

This one really turned out… yup… GREAT!

As did this one…

There was however a bit of drama during the visit… No one knew what was going on at first, but Avery and Aunt Debbie had a very intense stand-off.

Aunt Debbie begged and pleaded with Avery to come back… “I said I was SORRRRYYYY!!!”

Avery later told us she was angry at Debbie for getting in her crib. It really crossed a line and she wasn’t sure if Aunt Debbie could ever be forgiven. The proof Avery said, was on the baby monitor. Baaaad Aunt Debbie!!!

In the end, Aunt Debbie gave Aves a bottle and all was forgiven. Avery loves her GREAT Aunt and Uncle!

PS… Don’t tell Avery, but Debbie stole one of her bows for the family pic!!!

Baby Avery, Family