Photo Shoot

Well I am finally getting around to update my blog. There are a ton of pictures on here so you will have to go back to the older posts if you want to check them out. These were some pictures I took of Avery and her cousin Zina. We went to Utah with my mom and my grandma to go visit my brother Jared and his family. They just had a new addition to their family little Elsie. It was so much fun and Elsie is the perfect baby....not to mention adorable. While she was getting her newborn pictures taken I took the girls outside to have their own photo shoot.
Little Elsie. While I was there I made her some cute little headbands.....no little girl should be without:)
The girls loved having Great Grandma Butler read to them.

It was all fun and games till Zina said " Avery hold still so I can cut your head off." After that I thought she still might be holding a grudge from when Avery stole her red sword.


This didn't come in clear but it cracks me up. The girls were screaming at every car that went by.

Photo shoot

More Pics

This was one of those moments where you either laugh and grab you camera of beat the crap out of your kid and send her to her room. Lucky for Avery I did the first. That was sun screen she got all over her and that is my new couch. But again luckily for me and Avery I had put that blanket over the couch while she watched her movie.
The Family at Whitney's Wedding.

Avery and Papa Great.

Monterey

Another cool Jelly fish.
Ahhh a shark! While we were in Monterey my dad, Jared, Jon and I went scuba diving. My dad is addicted to scuba diving and he and my brother Jon set up a trip for us to go out diving. I was a little nervous about it and asked my dad if their are sharks in the area. I guess you could say I am a little scared of sharks and being ripped apart....maybe it was from watching the movie Jaws as a kid or maybe my fear comes from watching the National Geographic special on sharks, and watching them rip apart a seal....I am not sure but either way they are a little scary. So my dad said that their were sharks in the area but probably not where we will be diving at. At that moment I was releived until he said "well if I do see a shark I will just get out my knife." At this point I felt a little safer knowing my dad would be the hero and try to fight a shark until he said,"I'll just cut the guy next to me and swim away." Knowing that I would probably be the one next to him didn't help calm my nerves, even though I knew he was kidding...at least I think he was.
Besides the scuba diving the next best thing was eating!!!!! We had the best food there!
This was such a great trip. It was so awesome to have almost all of our family there, except for Jenni who had just started filming so she could not come...and Kurt of course. The highlight was the scuba diving. The water was so scold and we had to wear thick wet suits. As I would descend I would get this big headache it felt like a brain freeze....I am pretty sure it was from the freezing cold water. But once we were down at the bottom it was awesome. It is a whole another world. My brother Jon is an experienced diver and well educated in aquatic life and he was a great guide. It was such a great experience and I can't wait till our next trip. Now we have to get the rest of the family certified so we can do these trips every year. Jon also had a awesome camera that he took pictures on so once he sends me those I will post them...they should be pretty cool.

Monterey California

Some cool Jelly fish.....




This picture makes me laugh....I think I will use it when the time comes and Avery asks me the question most parents dread...."where do babies come from?" I will just pull out the picture and tell her...."Clams...babies come from gaint clams in the sea."

After our family reunion we drove down to Monterey and it was like going on a vaction to a different state. It was about 68 degrees which seemed a little cold coming from Redding which was over 100 degrees.
We took the kids to the Aquarium and they loved it. It was the biggest aquarium I have been in and there was so much to see. This is actualley a fish..in a bottle....I thought it was cool. Avery called all the fish Nemo....she would say "look momma Nemo!"

More Reunion Pics

Jared, Lizza and Zina sporting their 70's look. Lizza was such a trooper during this vacation. Not only was she 7 months pregnant but it was over a 100's outside and because of the fires it was extremley smokey. But I was so glad to have her there......she has been such a wonderful addition to our family....
Groovy Chic's!!


Even my dad got in on the fun....yes he sang karoake with the girls. He was Lara's back up singer.

Summer Vacation...Finally Posted

This July we were able to go to California to the Nelson Family Reunion. It was such a blast. Avery loved playing with all the different cousins. Our theme was the 70's so naturally we tie dyed shirts and did some groovy face painting. To top it all off there was a karaoke machine which played some terrific tunes from the 70's. This is when I realized Avery's love for singing, dancing and the spotlight. My Uncle Steve helped her with the microphone and when her turn was up and it was time to retire the microphone she threw a fit like a true Diva. She did not want to give the mic away.


The cutest little hippies I have ever seen.
Aunt Sharon was definitely the most spirited. She really got into the theme and made the whole experience a blast.

More face painting and tie dye.....aren't these girl the cutest!