Fun with Family

Last week, Dave's sister, Mara, and our two nieces were in town and stayed with us for a week!  It was so much fun and Avery really loved playing with her cousins.  Last year, she wasn't really aware of them being here, nor was she very much fun to play with!  We took many pictures because we know that it will be another year before we see them again.  


The girls loved playing outside in the sprinkler.  I think that we ended up outside and soaked every night!  

They also played hide and seek...Avery is really good at this game!

And of course, when family is in town, there is always time for treats!  The girls helped me make a banana cake and they licked their plate clean...literally!!

While Mara was here, we went up to visit more family in Ottawa.  Dave's aunt and uncle were nice enough to let us crash their house and pool!!

Grandpa and his girls!!  I love this picture!!

We also took a trip to a local dairy farm.  They make all their own cheeses and you can pet the animals.  Avery loves going here because she can pet the baby cows!  :)

Mara was here over the 4th of July so we had some of our friends over to celebrate.  We even had a slip and slide!  The girls helped us make red, white and blue cupcakes which were a huge hit!

Then it was off to the fireworks-

Trevor had had enough with the fireworks- too bad the girls weren't finished with him!

Of course we couldn't pass up the opportunity to get some great pictures of the girls while they were here!  I love how these turned out!!!

Thanks for visiting Barr family!  We can't wait to see you again!!

Happy Father's Day

Yesterday was a great day for Avery and her daddy!  We made sure that Father's Day was going to be all about Dave and his little girl spending lots of time together.  Our morning started with making daddy breakfast and waking him up with some monkey bread right out of the oven.  Then, we headed out to the Lake Bloomington area. 

 Avery was very excited about everything she saw around her.  Including snakes...

the fish...

some bugs...I think this piece of wood looks like an alligator!

I tried to get their picture out on the dock, but Avery only wanted to make silly faces!

After the lake, we visited the local dairy farm to say hi to the goats, baby cows and get some cheese.  After we got cheese, Avery had to run back to the baby cows to say thank you for the cheese and blow them some kisses.


After a nap, it was time for presents!  Avery tried to carry this out to daddy, but instead just stood and pointed to it.  

Then, Ga and Papa came over to celebrate with us.  We had bought this pool for Avery a couple weekends ago and she was not a fan of it.  Leave it to Papa to get her soaked and loving the pool!  It didn't hurt that daddy bought Avery a water gun of sorts to play with.  As soon as she realized what it did, she was in heaven!

Then she convinced daddy to get in the pool.

Then she convinced Papa to get in the pool too.

After another outfit change and dinner, Avery also got Papa to lay down on her pull out couch with her.  It is a great combination with Avery's sweet personality and Papa's inability to say no to her!  :)

Once they were done resting, it was back to the pool.  Of course, not alone though.  This time, it was daddy and Ga's turn!  (Does removing the shirt constitute another outfit change?)

After some ice cream pie it was time for bed.  What is that face??

Avery is such a lucky little girl to have Dave as her daddy.  He is the most energetic, patient, caring, loving, nurturing father and I am so lucky to have him as an equal partner in raising Avery.  She is a total daddy's girl and I wouldn't want it any other way.  Happy Father's Day honey and thank you for being such a great dad!

Water, Water and More Water

This week has been all about playing in water, finding hidden water, and boating in the water.  We recently bought a small pool for Avery to play in during the week and decided to add her slide to make it a bit more fun.  She was a bit hesitant to go down the slide at first.

Then she went...

Needless to say, she never sat down again in the water.  Instead, she just let her toys go down the slide over and over again.

Then this week we discovered this mysterious hole in the back corner of our yard.  Inside is water, a bunch of mud, old mulch and about 15 slugs.  Now, I am not a fan of slugs at all.  Dave and Avery on the other hand think they are fun to "play" with.  Avery liked using the sticks to make them roll.

Being off in the summer sure has it's perks.  Today we were able to go up and spend the day with Gigi and Aunt Donna and cousin Tim.  This was an exciting day because it was Avery's first time on a boat.  She was very excited!  (We took lots of pictures today!)

All ready to go!

She was so interested in the tube behind the boat.  Maybe in a few years we can let her try that out!

She thought she was queen of the boat!

She kept telling cousin Tim to go faster and then she would squeal and wave her hands.

Avery loved walking around on the boat and sometimes her legs wouldn't quite cooperate.  She thought this was the funniest part of the boat ride.  Every time she'd lose her balance and fall, she would just giggle like crazy!

While on the boat, Avery had a snack and like a good little girl, she chose to share her pretzels.  After a few fell on the floor, Aunt Donna fed them to the fishes.  Avery thought this was a great idea and gave away about the next 20 pretzels!

Thanks Aunt Donna and Tim for the boat ride!!  We can't wait to do it again!