Life with The Winkelmans

Kate's First Birthday

2010-04-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

Happy First Birthday Kate!!

We were so fortunate to be able to celebrate Kate's birthday with family and friends a couple weeks ago. Here are some pictures from the fun day:

Yummy cupcakes (no I did not bake them, but I did make the little ladybug decors on top!):

Girls at the party - Aunt Missy, Jennifer, Aunt Becky and Grandma Danek

Cousins CJ and April:

Kate has to have a birthday signed frame like her sister!

Birthday girl in her swing:

Sweet cousin Madison (or "Maymay" in Avery speak):

Kate's first birthday song:

The cupcakes got the official stamp of approval from Avery:

I think Kate liked them too:

Party favors - guests got to plant their own seeds in a special commemorative ladybug pot:

As usual, Kate was more interested in the paper than the presents (but she got lots of really great gifts and a ton of new clothes!):

Sweet baby girl is just growing up too fast. Happy birthday to my little ladybug.

Fun in the Sun

2010-02-09T14:26:00.000-08:00

Well, now that I've been back from our wonderful Caribbean cruise for like 3 weeks, I guess it's time I posted some pictures. I have to brag on Kate - she was such a great baby on the trip. Super easy and stole the hearts of everyone on board. Apparently they weren't used to seeing a baby on the ship, so she was the center of attention (and the youngest passenger by three quarters of a century!).

After waking up at 4am, and by the time we made it through the airport, on the plane, back through the airport in Ft. Lauderdale, through registration at the port and on to the boat, we were soooo ready for a drink! It was just about lunch time, but it was well deserved! Here we are after just getting on the boat, but it hadn't set sail yet.

Our first stop was in the Bahamas. There was a great little beach and an outdoor barbecue lunch. Kate didn't know what to think of the sand yet.

She loved wearing her cute sunglasses:

This backpack is the best thing ever invented. Kate loved being in it and it is so much easier on your back than the Baby Bjorn! Love it!!

My dear granny made it off the boat for a little sunshine:

This was the view from our balcony. We had the partition removed between my and my mom's room and my granny's and aunt's room so we could sit out side together and easily get to each other's room.

This is me in St. Maarten. It rained the entire time off and on, but we found ponchos, so the shopping continued! This is where I stocked up on diapers so I would have enough for the entire trip. St. Maarten is also known for selling electronics cheap, so I bought a new zoom lens for my camera and an external flash. I can't wait to figure out how to use them!

This was by far my favorite stop - St. Barts. The water was beautiful, the sand so soft and there was the best of both worlds - beautiful beaches and nice shopping. It is a French island, so everything was very expensive and we kind of felt like it was a little snooty, but it was absolutely gorgeous. I definitely want to go back for an adult trip sometime (Lee, do you even read this blog?).

Shopping in St. Barts:

This is the only picture we have of the whole group. It was taken after the long day at St. Barts. We even all made it into a taxi that took us to the other side of the island for lunch and the beautiful beach.

Here is a picture of one of the tenders we had to ride to get to shore when we couldn't dock at the port. The whole trip was such an adventure! :-)

Kate at the swimming pool on deck. She got to try all kinds of great new food on the trip, but the best part was our butler bringing her these little boxes of Cheerios - so perfect!

Another gorgeous island - Cayo Leventado off the coast of the Dominican Republic. We were a little worried about our stop here since it's kind of close to Haiti, but it was another one of my favorite stops. It was very hot but there was a great breeze blowing from off the water and we got to hang out at this exclusive beach resort for the day.

Kate still doesn't know what to think....

Our boat was the Seven Seas Navigator - it holds about 400 people which is pretty small compared to some of the Carnival boats that were docked next to us.

Mom and I went on a dune buggy safari in Grand Turk, which is part of the Turks and Caicos islands. There really isn't much on that island other than beautiful scenery. I think the Caicos islands must have more for visitors.

View from the top of a cliff overlooking the ocean:

And on the last day at sea we celebrated my aunt's and granny's birthdays with a cocktail party in our suite. The butler brought in this hilarious carved watermelon and we joked all night about what/who he looked like.

It was such a great trip! Thanks mom, aunt jerry and granny for such an amazing time - I will never forget it!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-29T18:58:00.000-08:00

Since I'm so far behind, I'm just going to post some of my favorite pics from Christmas (yes, I know, it's almost February...):

November update

2009-12-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I have a lot to catch you up on. What can I say, it's been another busy month!

Here's just a cute picture of my sweet angel Kate:

Here Kate is eating her very first teething biscuit. I think she likes it:

Things were really busy at the beginning of the month with my brother's wedding. Here he is with Jennifer at the rehearsal dinner (which mom did an awesome job of planning!):

My brother clowning around with the girls:

And this is what we were left with by the end of the night:

The next day, the wedding was beautiful (at this point we were an open buffet for the mosquitos, but we sure look nice :-)

The flower girls did an awesome job!

Aunt Jerry and Granny looked so pretty!

For Thanksgiving we spent the weekend in Franklin. Kate loves playing with Jennifer (and I love having someone to help entertain her!).

Avery and Madison spent the entire day on the trampoline. Avery has actually gotten pretty good at doing a "seat drop".

October Fun

2009-11-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

Wow, October was a busy month! Here's what the Winkelman girls have been up to:

The month started with Avery's 3rd birthday party at Pump-it-Up (of course it was a co-party with her best friend, Graham).

Avery and Graham braving the enormous slide:

Yummy....pizza!

The birthday couple about to make a wish:

Avery with cousin CJ:

And then there was the Princess FJ Cruiser (from G.G.):

Avery also had her first playdate with her friends from school. Here she is climbing with her friend Camryn.

She loves to make me nervous by climbing up the rock wall "all by myself!!"

Even baby Kate found a playmate at the park (Major, Maddox's little brother):

Next was our annual visit to the pumpkin patch. I thought it would be such a great photo opp to have both the girls and all those pumpkins! Here are the girls when we first arrived:

And here are what the rest of my pictures look like from that day. Needless to say, it wasn't quite the experience I had in mind.

Then, there are these random times when they're all playing together that make such cute pictures! I think Coco's even smiling!

Sweet Kate was smiling so big in her princess longhorn shirt (was Avery's) I had to get a picture:

And how quickly things go sour!

Just in case I wasn't really sure she was unhappy, she started the arched-back maneuver:

Kate was a cute little candy corn for Halloween:

And Avery was Cinderella (of course!). We went trick-or-treating with Graham, the ghost:

And just when I've given up on getting the girls to look at the camera and smile AT THE SAME TIME....they give me the biggest reason of all to smile: pure sweetness.

November will be full of exciting updates, too. Uncle Chad's wedding is this weekend and Avery is a flower girl! Check back for more pictures soon!

Avery is almost 3, going on 13

2009-09-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

I forgot these images were on my cell phone. All of a sudden, my first born is acting like a teenager!

At the library, she wouldn't sit at the table with Kate and me to read books, she had to lounge on the beanbags like all the other "big kids".

One day after StrollerFit, a woman from Sweet & Sassy came around asking if any of our kids would like a free pedicure (they were training a new cosmotologist, who couldn't have been more than 16 years old). Of course we took her up on it, so here's Avery getting her first pedicure:

NO, she's not getting her toes done on a regular basis! But she does tell everyone now how she's Sweet and Sassy!

And her best friend Graham is nice enough to go along with all this crazy girl stuff. Look, they're each other's lobster!

Fabulous Fall

2009-09-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

We have so many fun things to share with you from this month!

First, Kate had her first bites of real food (well, okay I wouldn't call it real, but she loved it!). Of course big sister had to get in on the action:

It's great because now the kids can eat dinner together (yes, that's my angel saying her blessing before she eats!). Good girl!

And Kate took a ride in her new baby swing:

Is that a happy baby, or what?

Then, there was the first football game of the season (you can tell Kate's having a blast):

And then, there was Kate's baptism. She was baptised at The Woodlands United Methodist Church in the chapel where Lee and I were married on September 6th. We were so fortunate to have so many friends and family come celebrate her special day with us.

The dress:

The shoes:

The proud parents:

Grandpappy and Kate:

Grandma Danek and Kate:

The delicious cake (of course I made it!):

And then there was the day when I downloaded my pictures from my camera and found these hilarious photos. The sneaky little devil isn't good at hiding her evidence:

So long summer!

2009-08-27T11:51:00.000-07:00

I honestly can't say that I'm sad to see summer go. We've had enough of being cooped up in the house because it's too hot to go outside and do anything! And, Avery is definitely ready to be back in school (me too!). Here are some pictures of our last days of summer.

Kate's cute little crooked smile:

Graham thought he had won the lottery when he found a frog in our backyard. I think his mom spent the next two weeks scrubbing his hands after his adventure with the toad that he and Avery named "Abba."

The sweet lovebirds at it again:

Avery and I took "the babies" to the park to feed the ducks:

The ducks at Northshore are vicious! I had to put Avery up on the wall so they'd stop nipping at her hand!

Kate didn't know what she was missing:

One lazy pajama morning:

Avery's such a good big sister.

We're still working on a good photo of Kate in her longhorn gear to be published in the Alcalde. Lee said this one wasn't good enough. Humph!

And, with summer comes another birthday for me. But Lee turns a year older just 19 days after my birthday, so he can't give me too hard of a time. This was the ice cream cake I picked out for myself at TCBY. Yummy!

And I'll close with this adorable photo of Kate modeling her new pink outfit and hair bow. :-)

July Fun

2009-07-31T12:59:00.001-07:00

Can you tell Kate is a happy baby? She is especially giddy during her baths...and she loves getting a little baby massage afterwards.

I thought that photo looked very familiar, so I found this picture of Avery at almost exactly the same age (almost 4 months):

Of course during July, we celebrated Independence Day at G.G. and Grandpappy's house. It was Kate's first time in the pool:

And here's GG and Grandpappy with the girls:

You can imagine how much fun Avery had with the sparklers. And thanks to my darling husband, Avery mantra for the day was, "Let's light these bad boys!"

This month we've enjoyed our evenings with the Taylors, and I'm thankful to have someone else to hold Kate for a while :-)

Avery and Kate are already vying for boys' attention...looks like Avery's boyfriend, Graham, is already moving in on the little sister.

My girls with their polka-dot pajamas (they're so adorable!):

We were extremely adventurous and took the kids to the butterfly museum one day after Avery's school. Let's just say that Avery posed for this picture just before I pretended not to know her due to a fit of hysteria outside the ladie's bathroom.

Avery insisted on helping Lee mow the lawn, so we got her the bubble lawn mower, which she followed Lee's every step with (no matter how hot and sweaty she got).

Here Avery is giving herself a "thumbs up" and saying "I do a good job!"

And my sweet baby sleeps through it all!

As much as I wanted Kate to look like me, I think she's looking more and more like her sister! Just look at the resemblence (well, at least they're both bald as can be):

My Girls

2009-06-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

I'll start this post with some pictures of my sweet angels:

This picture was taken just before a complete meltdown on the way to church:

Avery and Madison at Madison's dance recital:

Avery's end-of-year ice cream party at school:

And here was one of Kate's first smiles (about 6 weeks old)

Let's see...what's new with us? Well, Avery started her "new school" on June 9th (Children of The Woodlands doesn't offer a summer program, so she's going to Interfaith on Tuesdays and Thursdays), but she's already missed two days of school because she had a horrible cold that developed into pneumonia. Who knew you could even get pneumonia in June?!? Anyway, after 6 days of a fever, a terrible hack, and a round of antibiotics, she's finally doing much better. I, on the other hand, could very possible have a nervous breakdown if I have to watch one more episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Kate is growing and changing every day. At her two month checkup she weighed 10 pounds, 7 ounces, and was 22 3/4 inches long! She's definitely developing her own little personality - she likes to be held (preferably rocked) and has made very good friends with the ceiling fans in our house. She becomes a bottomless pit for feedings in the late afternoons, but she practically sleeps through the night (we usually both wake up around 3 am for a quick feeding and then right back to sleep!). She's getting used to being pushed in the stroller and will hopefully become a better sport during my StrollerFit workouts. She's usually very content riding in the car (unlike her sister, who always screamed the entire time we were in the car), and boy, does she love to smile at her daddy.

Avery has been such an incredible big sister...helping with diapers, bottles and she loves to give Kate her pacifiers. I can see such a beautiful sisterly friendship developing between them (sniff, sniff). Avery is constantly asking me to take her picture with Kate (which is why I have a ton of photos like this):

Oh, Lee and I are fine, too...but we know you really just want to know about the cute kids! :-)

Fun days....

2009-05-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

I had to start with this cute picture of Avery in my mom's pool on Mother's Day. She thought she was something else in her little swimsuit and sunglasses! Is she really only two?!?

We are so excited that Kate is gaining weight! She weighed in at 9.0 pounds yesterday, so she gained 12 ounces in a week! Yes, this is what excites us these days. But I am glad that she seems to be thriving on breastmilk alone and hopefully will be able to sleep through the night soon.

Here she is sleeping on the couch...we couldn't believe she stayed asleep there for over an hour!

This is the only place she will normally sleep (or just lay and be happy) during the day: on the bathroom floor while the shower is running. For some reason the sound just soothes her right to sleep. Whatever it takes to get my daily shower, right?

We had a great visit from Aunt B mother's day weekend. She got to meet Kate, and Avery and Harrison had a blast in the playroom upstairs.

In other news, Avery had her first "MUD" day at school yesterday. They played with water, bubbles and shaving cream on the playground. Lee went with her and took these pictures before her "accident":

Avery "washing" her car:

Here she is about to go down the slide with shaving cream (I can't believe she actually did it...she can be such a wuss!):

WOOSH! And here she is landing on her back at the bottom of the slide (Lee says that took a few minutes of recovery time afterwards):

After the kids' playtime outside, they went inside for ice cream and to change clothes. Apparently Avery was running to get in line for ice cream, tripped and fell, hitting her chin pretty hard on the giant carpeted steps in one of the rooms. Her mouth was bleeding quite a bit, and we were worried that she cracked a tooth because she couldn't take a bite of anything without screaming. But, since this morning, she managed to down pancakes, grilled cheese, apples, and graham crackers just fine, so we think she probably bit her tongue and it's in the process of heeling. She does have a nice rug burn to show for it, though.

And finally, another one of my favorites: my two girls bonding like only sisters can!

What day is it?

2009-04-27T12:28:00.000-07:00

So life with two little ones is just as crazy as I was afraid it would be. Life with a newborn, period, is exhausting, but combined with a two-year old, it's enough to make me pull my hair out. Luckily, I've watched many before me go down this road, and they've managed to keep everyone alive and relatively happy, so I know I can do it too.

Kate is an angel. She sleeps A LOT - which is good, except for the fact that waking her up to nurse has become a major challenge. In fact, she falls asleep so much during feedings that she has not yet reached her birth weight - which the pediatrician was expecting by her two-week checkup. So, we are supplementing nursing with bottle feedings...which means I am doing some form of feeding her every hour and a half. But it seems to be working because in the last six days she's gained 7 ounces (yay!). Just 5 more ounces until she reaches her birth weight, and 9 more ounces until we can stop waking her up at night to feed (double-yay!).

Apart from the lack of sleep and sheer exhaustion, I'm feeling great! I'm anxious to get back into some form of workout routine (doctor says I can resume full activities after 6 weeks) and back into pre-pregnancy clothes (although I sure have come to love the elastic wastebands).

Avery has been a great big sister. She has been giving Kate all of her toys and books and always wants to know where Kate is and what she's doing. She only gets a little jealous when Lee holds Kate. Lee and Avery have gotten to be especially close since Lee has been helping out so much with her (bathtime, bedtime, taking her to school in the morning, etc.). So far, Avery has been really good about having a baby in the house, she's just been more challenging about everything else ("I don't want chicken for dinner"..."I don't want to take a bath!"..."I don't want to sit on the potty!"...you get the idea). Very much standard two-year-old stuff, but it certainly makes life much more difficult for the sleep-deprived padres.

All of that being said, we have been so blessed to have family and friends around us during this special time. Thank you to everyone who has brought meals for us...it has been such an incredible help not having to worry about cooking dinner every night. And everything has been so delicious...although it's probably not helping me get back into my old jeans :-)

I haven't been nearly as good about taking pictures of Kate like I was of Avery. I already forgot to take one of her first bath, and there are only so many I can take of her curled up and sleeping in her swing. But we did get some amazing photos of her at her newborn photo session (Misty Green was the photographer, http://www.photographybymg.com/). They are pictures I will treasure forever. So I will try to take more pictures and post them here when I can.

Thanks again for everyone's thoughts and prayers...they mean the world to us!

Announcing Baby Kate!

2009-04-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

Kate is finally here!

She arrived at 3:41pm on Tuesday, April 7th, weighing 7 pounds, 12 ounces and measuring 19 3/4 inches long.

Everyone is doing great, and Avery is very happy to have her little sister here. More pictures and updates to follow soon!

She's Almost Here!!!

2009-03-26T11:56:00.001-07:00

We are so excited that Kate is on her way! Just two weeks away...April 10th can't come soon enough!

My doctor's appointment on Monday was pretty uneventful, but Dr. Reed guestimated that Kate weighs somewhere in the 6.5 to 7 pound range right now. It seems I'm destined to have big babies (Avery was 7 lbs 13 ounces and she was 3 weeks early!). Other than feeling huge and not sleeping at night, and miserable heartburn, I'm actually feeling okay. At least I haven't gotten the enormous swollen ankles like I did with Avery (not yet, anyway).

My c-section is scheduled for 8:30am on the 10th (Good Friday) at Memorial Hermann Hospital here in The Woodlands. Of course, if she wants to come a few days early, that would be fine with me! We'll probably be in the hospital through the weekend, but I'm hoping to come home sometime on Easter Sunday.

I've had some requests to see pictures of Kate's room, so here are a few I took this morning. Of course the pictures don't do it justice, but you get the idea.

We used Avery's old furniture, but a new pink/brown color scheme:

And here is the Elfa shelving Lee and I installed in Kates closet LOVE it:

So here's my funny pick of the week. I think Avery is going to be a chef when she grows up because she loves to "help" me cook in the kitchen. This day we made rice krispie treats and she just couldn't keep her hands (or toungue) off the mixing bowl.

Avery is so excited about being a big sister and talks about all the things she's going to share with Kate when she's here. We'll see if she remembers all those promises in a couple weeks.

The girls from my old office at The Woodlands Township were so sweet and hosted a dinner to celebrate Kate's upcoming arrival. Here we are after chowing down on chips and jalepeno ranch dressing at Chuy's. I told them I didn't need any gifts, so they all brought diapers...which I will definitely be able to use soon. We are well-stocked now! Do you think I can get any bigger?

Jan/Feb Highlights

2009-02-28T11:51:00.000-08:00

So, I haven't been taking very many pictures lately, but here are some pictures showing the highlights of our Jan/Feb 2009:

Avery at her new gymnastics class:

Avery with her "boyfriend" Graham (one day during StrollerFit, we turned around and they were doing this all on their own!) So sweet!

With the weather being so nice, we've spent lots of time at the park. Here's Avery with her friends Natalie and Isabella (which, until recently have been collectively called "NatBell"). They are the daughters of my friend and my former Lead Teacher at C.O.W, Marcia.

And Avery and Graham on another date at the park:

Avery was thrilled with her special Valentines Day breakfast:

And, of course, there was Lee's marathon in Austin. Here he is before the race began:

Here's Avery and me waiting for Dad at the 6 mile marker:

Avery cheering on the runners at the finish line:

And Lee with friends Zach and Amanda after the race. Way to go Lee!

A trip to Austin is not complete without a visit to Bevo at the Co-op:

And, here's a picture of Avery at the Houston Zoo recently. She loved the petting zoo and the elephants!

We miss you Pa-Pa

2009-02-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, this past week has been a very difficult one for my family. We lost a loving grandpa and father, a caring husband, and an all-around incredible man, my Pa-Pa. Below is a slideshow of photos (click on the preview below to see the full show) that capture my memories of him. We love you, Pa-Pa!

William H. (Bill) Buerger
WILLIAM H. (BILL) BUERGER, affectionately known as "Pa-Pa" passed away February 2, 2009 after suffering a stroke while doing what he loved most, running.

Born September 10, 1927 in Brenham, Texas, Bill was an avid golfer and Senior Olympian. He lived a very active life including traveling, gardening, cycling, skiing and keeping up with his grandchildren. He was a member of First United Methodist Church of Conroe's Beacon Sunday School class and an officer of the April Sound Men's Club.

A graduate of Brenham High School in 1944, Bill entered the United States Navy during World War II and was honorably discharged from service on August 8, 1946. He then attended the University of Houston. On May 28, 1952 Bill married the love of his life, Dorothy Jean Newton, at First United Methodist Church of Houston. They were members of the Adelphi Sunday School class for 50 years and Bill served on the Administrative Board for the church. He worked for Reed Roller Bit for 24 years, then retired from Southmark Industries, Inc. where he served as Executive Vice President.

Bill Buerger was preceded in death by his mother Hattie Buerger, father Willie Buerger, and brothers Robert, Lonnie and Walter. He is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Dorothy; daughter, Deborah Ann Sigmon and husband Tom of Austin; son, Terry Wayne Buerger of Houston; daughter, Kimberly Kay Wilkinson and husband Michael of Montgomery; brother, Charlie Buerger of Brenham; sisters, Anita Oberhoff of Brenham and Helen Jacob of Houston; and sister-in-law, Jerry Ann Newton of Houston. Bill was a loving grandfather to six grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

Avery Rocks!

2009-01-09T12:11:00.000-08:00

So I had to post several pictures I took of Avery over the last several weeks that carry a theme. Ever since Kolton's birthday party (where Lee played a ukalale to entertain the kids), all Avery asked for was a guitar. So here are some cute pictures of her rocking to her own tune:

Avery had so much fun playing Rock Band with Lee and his friends Zach and Bunker after Christmas. She thought she was one of the guys!

Now Avery has an entire music set, complete with a guitar, drums, a tamborine, harmonica and maracas. She loves making music!

Oh, I also thought this picture was so sweet. Avery knows baby Kate is in mommy's tummy and she talks about her all the time. She is going to be the best big sister!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-30T12:07:00.000-08:00

We have had such a busy holiday this year - and a ton of pictures to prove it!

It started with Avery's Christmas program at Children of The Woodlands:

Here is Avery with her very favorite teacher, Ms. Fran.

The Minnow class anxiously awaiting Christmas carols...

Avery trying to catch snow on her toungue...

I was able to leave my class for a while - Avery was so excited to see us there.

Then there was our 4th Annual Cookie Baking event with Madison, Avery, G.G. and I. Every year we make gingerbread cookies to take to our various get-togethers. They are sooo yummy!
Here are the bakers, hard at work:

My two cutie pies. Oh yes, this year we all had matching monogrammed aprons. Even Kate has one ready for her for next year :-)

I don't even want to know how much cookie dough this one ate...

Oh, yes...then there was Santa. This was the closest I could get Avery to Santa this year (yes, that's him in the blurry background...far, far away). She talked about him a ton, but when it came time to see him....oh no. She didn't want to be anywhere near him.

So we had Christmas with my Dad at Aunt Missy's house. Avery with her cousin CJ:

Santa made a visit there, too. But Avery still wanted nothing to do with him:

But mom had lots to tell Santa:

And the traditional group shot of the fam:

We also had our Christmas celebration with the Whites and Brackendorffs. Here is Avery with her Grandpappy...

Avery's giving Uncle Chad a lesson in using the Poingo pen.

We had a fun family night the day before Christmas Eve. We went to dinner and then to see Despero at the movies! Avery had a blast. We walked by the Fountains at Waterway Square to see the holiday water and lights. Now you see Avery talking a big game about old Santa!

Avery was in heaven with her cup of popcorn.

Avery and her doll, Brie, had matching dresses for Christmas Eve:

Avery and Madison on Christmas Eve:

Christmas morning, Avery found the trampoline Santa left for her.

As you can imagine, Avery got a ton of great gifts and clothes this year. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family to share the season with. Hope you enjoyed seeing some of the photos that made our Christmas such a memorable one.

Happy New Year!

Avery's Thanksgiving Feast

2008-11-18T11:58:00.000-08:00

Avery's class had a Thanksgiving Feast on Monday - it was so cute! Luckily I was able to leave my classroom and be there for a little while. They all sat at a little table (they made the centerpieces at school the week before) and prayed and had a yummy lunch with their friends.

Here are some pictures from the big day:

The class walking into the room - Avery was so surprised to see me standing in there.

Here they are praying before the meal.

And chowing down on chicken nuggets and fruit salad!

The two other girls in Avery's class - twins Lily and Sara

Avery's friend Caleb and his big brother.

Avery's going to have a little...

2008-11-17T14:01:00.001-08:00

Well, you couldn't tell it from the ultrasound, but we found out last week that we are having another little girl!

Face (yes a little alien-like right now)

Little leg

Avery will be so excited to have a little sister...I can see the fights over clothes and makeup now.

Everything else seems to be great. My sequential screening (which checks for brith defects and Down Syndrome) came back normal with very low odds. And baby is measuring just a few days older than my doctor's dates (but due date is still April 18th).

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. We're looking forward to our new addition next spring!

Fall Fun!

2008-11-04T12:32:00.000-08:00

We have already been off to a busy fall season!

Last month we went to San Antonio to celebrate my dad's wedding. He and his wife, Nancy, had a private ceremony at their church in Castroville, then hosted an incredible party/reception at their house. It was so much fun and so nice to see all the family members together. I'm sure they are still recovering from a busy wedding planning season! We are so happy for both of them and wish them many years of love and happiness!

The kids threw rose petals at the altar before the ceremony began

The happy couple!

Nancy and Grandma Danek

What a happy groom!

Perfect weather made for a beautiful reception

The church had a great pumpkin patch for the kids to play in

Later, we visited the Christ Church pumpkin patch....

and Avery had a ton of fun at our playgroup's Halloween party (we could only get two of the kiddos on the hay for a picture)...

and she had a blast trick-or-treating on Halloween night. She would just barely mumble "trick-or-treat", but then her face lit up when she saw the bowl of candy to choose from.

In other news....

My pregnancy is progressing along great. I'm finally starting to have more energy and the nausea seems to be just about gone. I have told my school director that December 19th will be my last day of work so that I can concentrate on getting ready for the baby and spending time with Avery before her little brother or sister arrives.

I was able to talk my doctor into doing my "anatomy screen" at 17 and-a-half weeks (November 11) instead of the usual 20 weeks (which would have been the first of December!). So, we should know the sex of the baby very soon! I just can't wait to find out what it is.

Thanks for checking in and hearing about our fun fall activities! Stay tuned for more info....

-Jenny

Avery's Second Birthday

2008-10-07T07:12:00.001-07:00

Avery had such a great time at her 2nd birthday party. It's hard to believe that's she's already two years old. Everyone warned me how fast the time would fly, but I had no idea just how quickly the years would race by!

Avery's friends came to Gymboree to celebrate her birthday along with Graham's. There was lots of climbing, sliding, a visit from Jimbo the clown, and cupcakes!

Wheee!!

Mom, I can do it by myself!

Piper

Hudson

Peek-a-boo!

Wow...bubbles!

So much fun!

Graham had a great time, too!

Say cheese!

Yummy cupcakes

Here is Avery with her cake at home. She really got into singing "Happy Birthday" to herself by the end of the weekend.

The messier, the better!

Exciting Times!

2008-09-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

Well, we have officially recovered from Hurricane Ike and are finally back in our house and getting back into our "normal routine". We were very fortunate not to have any damage to our home and are so glad to have power back!

We are so blessed to have so many great friends and family members and we want to keep in touch with all of you. So, we thought this forum would be a great way to keep everyone updated on how we're doing.

As you can see from the picture, Avery has some exciting news to announce...

she's going to be a big sister!

She's not quite sure what that means just yet, but I'm sure she'll get the idea real soon. Baby Winkelman's estimated due date is April 18!

So far everything is going great and mom is feeling pretty good (after having a nasty stomach bug, morning sickness is nothing!). We're so excited about adding another member to our family and know we are so incredibly blessed. G.G. has had a hard time keeping this one quiet, but now she can finally blab away!

In addition to our exciting news, Avery started preschool and absolutely adores her teacher Ms. Fran. She has two birds in her classroom named Pete and Tweet that she talks about nonstop. Unfortunately, Avery has already missed two days of school because she keeps getting sick. I think she's being exposed to supergerms that preschools are famous for...and she's nice enough to share them with all of us!

I started teaching 4 year-olds at her school (part time) and it's so much fun! It's great to be right down the hall from her and know that she's having a blast. I have already learned so much about early childhood education and it's just amazing to watch these young minds grow and discover different things about life.

Lee's work has gotten super busy again, so we all have pretty hectic schedules. He is completely consumed with UT football on the weekends and has already gone to two games in Austin! Grandpappy (which Mike secretly loves to be called) has been nice enough to share his tickets with us.

We are also excited about Avery's upcoming birthday... she'll be two on October 6th! She's having a little party with a few of her friends at Gymboree...an indoor playground for toddlers where she takes classes each week. She's having a "co-party" with her best friend, Graham (their birthdays are two days apart and they've been friends since they were about 4 months old)! I think she'll also have a little celebration with her friends at school since her birthday is on a class day.

More to come shortly...thanks for visiting and learning about our family!

Love, Jenny