Baby 3 - Avery Lynn DeVries

Hello world... I'm Avery!

Life is Full of Discovery

Discovering Marshmallows

 Discovering a Water Pump

 Discovering Ninja Skills

 Discovering the Floor

 Discovering the Park

 Discovering the Climbing Wall

 Discovering Deep Thoughts

 Discovering Beat Boxing

 Discovering the Great Outdoors

God Bless America - July 4th

We had an awesome 4th of July. A parade with epic amounts of candy in the morning, a bbq with good friends in the afternoon, and fireworks in the evening with glow sticks. Sweet memories.

Suitcase boys

Mike told me to come quick one day and then asked me to push the suitcase around. I knew something was up when I felt squiggling in the suitcase. They thought they were hi.lar.ious. 

My Super Men

Having two boys, my days mainly consists of watching these two superheroes play and fight. It's the best. 

 (this is my favorite of them. Finley really does believe that Benson is superman)

(and this is what Benson did after I asked him to pose like Superman would)

EASTER...and other things

Here are a few random going ons of our family over the past few months. It's been crazy people. 

The boys with the Easter bunny. They finally both got over their fear of old men dressed up in scary suits and there was no crying this year. Score! 

The above two pictures were taken at the annual "Riddle Bunny Bash" with our good friends from the ward. We had an awesome time playing baseball with peeps, dying Easter eggs, and having an Easter egg hunt. The baseball with peeps was especially fun, as you got extra points for trying to catch the peep with your mouth. Crazy. 

Mike's family came down for a whirlwind trip to see us for Easter. They were so kind to do this because we couldn't go down to see them (I was taking the boys on a two week long trip a week after that and didn't want to overdo them on trips). We had a great time quizzing each other on our special drink concotions at Noodles and Co, creating yummy frozen yogurt desserts at Yumz, giving Benson multiple Easter egg hunts, and a yummy Texas Easter dinner. We always love visits from Nannie and Papa!

Mikey D. had a birthday! My main man turned 27 in April. we had a great time spending the day together eating yummy food and playing around. I am so happy Mike was born. Our boys idolize him and want to be around him every second (me too).  He makes me want to be the very best version of myself all the time, and he helps me to be that best version. We love you Daddy!

My Gorgeous Wife and Kids

I am a very blessed man.

-Mike-

Leprechaun Day!

The night before St. Patrick's Day we made a Leprechaun trap to see if we couldn't catch a leprechaun and get some gold!

The next day we woke up and saw that we did catch a leprechaun but that he escaped, and he was upset that we caught him so he left a mess...but he also left us some treasure...Benson thought that it was fun, but kept on calling it "Leprechaun Day" because we had so much fun with the pretend Leprechaun.

Then we had a green dinner with the Riddles and the Quinn's whom we love. It was a wonderful wonderful day.

Finley - Like a Boss

Some day, when Finley is someone's boss, he'll reach across the table and give his team this face...

Mug Shots

Our boys were feeling extra Gangster today - Mug Shots

We're Not Dead

Actually, we're quite alive, and doing very well. We're still having a great time in the Greater Chicago area with our two boys, livin' it up in the snow covered wonderland. Mike is doing really well with his job at Topco (he no longer works at Sears, got an offer elsewhere and took it). He travels a bit more than before, but not too much where it is crazy. I am having a great time being a momma and spending time with my friends in the ward. The boys are growing up so fast. Benson is convinced that he is a super hero, but the tough thing is guessing which one...if you get it wrong he is quick to correct, "No Mom, I'm Spiderman!" Finley is our monster baby. He is on the cusp of walking and is constantly pointing at things he wants to see and saying, "dat, dat." They're so much fun. Well, more than anything I just wanted you all to know that we are doing well and enjoying life to the fullest. We feel so blessed to be an eternal family.

Love

Happy Valentines Day World!

 

Goodbye Paci!

Within a few months of each other we put Benson in a big boy bed, potty trained him and got rid of his paci. It was a big couple of months for Benson but he handled it like a champ! We threw him a "Paci Party" where we sang a "Goody bye paci" song, taped up his old pacis in a box and "mailed" them to grandma. We told him he could trade his paci's for a new present and he was all for it! We gave him a small Buzz Lightyear toy and he never looked back. I don't think he has asked for his paci once since then! Ha ha, this boy is really motivated by "new" things. Anywho, we are so grateful that it went so smoothly. We love this easy going little man of ours!

Halloween

Halloween was so, so fun. We enjoyed making caramel apples as a family, carving pumpkins, the ward party, trick or treating for the first time, and our traditional "spooky" Halloween dinner the night of Halloween. We went as the Toy Story gang, mainly because Benson is obssessed with Buzz Lightyear. I didn't have time to round up a Jesse costume because I was too concerned about how everybody else looked (I'm a total mom) but I think everyone still turned out cute! Finn was supposed to be bullseye but it was really just an old horse costume we had laying around. Pleas ignore Finn's blank/mad faces in the pictures. He was a sicky boy during halloween and was NOT in the picture taking mood. To top October all off, we had a great time at our friend's the Quinn's murder mystery dinner. It was a night full of good friends, food and intrigue! Makes me want to do that again sometime.

Whole 'Lotta Us

I haven't updated the blog in forever, so here are a few quick updates! Starting with our Fall get away with the DeVries...in October! Mike and I decided it would be lots of fun to enjoy the fall with his family so we loaded up the kids and spent the weekend up there. It has been so fun to live so close to them, especially while we have young kids and don't have to worry about missing school or anything like that. It has been a little tender mercy! Benson LOVES his Nonnie and Papa's house and just runs wild the whole time. With a basement full of toys, a pantry full of treats, 5 adults who would give him anything he wanted without blinking an eye and a river and a pond in the backyard, what's not to love? The following pictures are, in no particular order, of canoeing in the pond, visitng Kapnick;s orchard and drinking the BEST apple cider I've ever had, hands down, taking a hayride, playing Uncle Drew's trumpet, snuggle time with mom and lots of others. Words cannot express how grateful and happy I am that I married into this family. I hear so many people complaining about their in-laws and it shocks me because I have not a thing to complain about. I love them and I love visiting them! I am one lucky gal!

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