Good Ole Rocky Top

Saturday morning we got up at the crack of dawn and set out for Knoxville. We took Avery to her first tailgate then to the Vol Walk and Salute to the Hill. She had a blast! She got her picture made with Smokey the mascot and Smokey the dog as well as a cheerleader. She loved the real Smokey but was a little frightened of the mascot. I think her favorite part though was the Vol Walk. We were in the very front of the crowd to watch the players walk by on the way to the stadium. She held her little hand out the whole time trying to get as many high fives as she could. A couple of the guys were really sweet and took the time to stop and say hi to her. Then she and Mimi headed to the UC to hang out while the rest of us went to the game. Avery ended up falling asleep for most of the first half. She didn't miss much. UT got killed for anyone who missed the game. But Avery woke up just in time to watch everyone leaving the stadium, waving bye-bye with both hands to anyone who walked by.

Avery the Explorer

Who needs Dora when you have your very own little explorer? Avery is now not only crawling but pulling to stand, cruising and attempting to climb everything in sight. She is becoming quite brave. Sometimes a little too brave for her own good, resulting in lots of bumps and bruises. Nevertheless, she has been putting her newly acquired skills to good use this week checking out every nook and cranny of our house. So this afternoon, I followed her with the camera. We crawled through the coffee table, on top of the keyboard, up the stairs and then back to the coffee table for a little cruising. Then we checked out her basket of toys before dragging one of the bar stools across the kitchen floor and making a mad dash for Tucker's water bowl. It was quite the adventure!

All I Want for Christmas...

...Is Avery's two front teeth. Avery has been drooling and chewing on everything in sight for months now but still no teeth. Then Saturday we spied the first glimmer of not one, but two bottom teeth! Poor little girl! I know it has to hurt. But thanks to Baby Orajel, ice cubes and lots of teething tablets she is hanging in there. So far I haven't been able to get a picture of her new pearly whites but I'll keep trying so check back soon!

More Cowbell

We met the Hunters in Starkville last weekend to visit with Ben's parents and take in a football game. We all even pretended to be State fans :) The guys, of course, couldn't wait to get to the golf course. Meanwhile, Victoria and I spent most of the day Saturday searching in vain for the perfect gameday outfits for the little girls. We ended up with a polo for Avery and a t-shirt for Anna Grace. I velcroed a bow to the top of Avery's head so people would stop mistaking her for a boy. The game was lots of fun. We discovered that Avery loves to eat cowbells but she isn't especially fond of the noise that comes from an entire stadium of cowbells. So we spent most of the second half inside the club level watching the game on TV.

I Heart My Grandparents

Avery has had a grandparent-filled couple of weeks. Last weekend, my parents came to visit. They watched Avery on Friday night while Ben and I went to a Sunday School social. Mom and Dad said they didn't mind a bit if we left them at home while we went to the party as long as we weren't taking Avery with us. We spent the rest of the weekend just hanging out and of course got a little shopping in as well. Then we went to Starkville over Labor Day weekend to see Ben's parents. Ben and his dad got in a few rounds of golf. We watched the first Mississippi State game on TV Saturday night then took Avery swimming on Sunday. We had a great visit with everyone. Avery is looking forward to seeing her Grandpa and Missy again next weekend for the State home opener and then her Mimi and Granddad the next weekend for the UT home opener.

Go Vols

Fall is one of our favorite times here at the Hopper house. Primarily, because with Fall comes football! While we are thrilled that football is finally here, we were not so thrilled with the outcome of the first game. However, we did get some cute pictures of Avery and Tucker in their gameday attire. It's amazing how much she has changed since the bowl game last year!! As for football, we are hoping our Vols can turn things around in time to play UAB in two weeks.

Eight Months Old

It's hard to believe Avery is already another month older. She is growing so fast! This month she weighs 16 pounds 11 ounces and is 27 inches long. Although it occurs to me that maybe I should say "tall" now instead of "long" since she is spending so much time standing up. She will be walking before we know it! We had to cut the photo shoot a little short this month after Avery decided she was done taking pictures.