January 2009 (and Avery's First Birthday...early)

January was somewhat slow. After the traveling for football season, Thanksgiving and Christmas, we didn't have too much planned for January, thankfully.

Here is Avery and Dixie looking outside on a cold, icy day.

Avery having fun in her bath. She loves baths and just graduated from the blue tub to the big people tub.

Such a diva with the pink fur coat....I'm in trouble.

For Avery's birthday (which was at the end of January), both sides of the family came into town. Day 1 had the crew at the World Aquarium in downtown Dallas. This is my brother Phillip, his wife Stefanie and their daughter Danielle.

Nothing like the leash when traveling around manatees.

Grandpa Poteet and Grandpa Pearson with Avery and Lizzie (the dog, the Pearsons, not mine)

As usual, Kristi put together a big spread for the guests. The coolers were on the porch.

Avery and her 2 first cousins Hunter and Danielle.

Avery and Danielle figuring out the basketball goal. This was a gift from the Poteet's and the sign on top states "Midland High, just like Mom", since Kristi was quite the ball player in the day.


Presenting Avery with her 3 foot long stuffed Black Bass. She loves it.

Both sets of grandparents with Avery.

She apparently has a sweet tooth. Definitely got that from Daddy.

Hunter and Avery in the bounce house. Notice the hair raising due to the static electricity.


Avery getting pushed by Dad in her new little Aggie car. This is for both the neighborhood and tailgating trips / football trips. The sticker on the back says "Aggie Girl".

Danielle and some static from the balloons. Someday we will convince her to get rid of the Tech passifier.

Grandmother Poteet (Gigi) feeding both grandkids, Avery and Danielle.

December 2008 (Christmas and such)

Christmas was kind of like Thanksgiving but backwards. Before our travels, we started with a Saturday Christmas at Kristi's sister's house in Fort Worth. This was with just her immediate family. Then we traveled first to her grandparents in Tulia followed by a couple of days down in Lubbock. It was warmer than usual (typically snowy and very cold). This was all Avery's first Christmas.

Here is Kristi showing Avery her new "bunny" for her crib. She seems to like it.

Here is Kristi's dad hanging out with both grandkids, ours (Avery) and Kristi's sister's (Hunter).

Here is Avery hanging out with the Pearson grandparents.

This is just part of the family at the Tulia, Pearson Christmas. I believe there were something like 28 adults and 10 or so kids. We did the gift exchange and it was mayhem.

Avery received her walker and still loves to follow it around the house.

We had a chance to go pheasant hunting one morning and here is Avery with dad prior to the hunt.


This is the take from the morning. 4 pheasants. I only shot one of them, but brought all 4 home. The rest of the family can hunt them anytime they want.

Here is Avery working a puzzle with here "Nana" Pearson.

Here is Avery with cousin Hunter in the big chair.

Here is Avery with her parents.

Aunt Kim and Avery.

Here is a sampling of the kids at the Pearson Christmas in Tulia. Getting this many to stay still long enough in one spot took talent and luck.

This is the Poteet Christmas in Lubbock.

Danielle instructing Avery on how to open gifts and what to do with the tissue paper.

Danielle and her "Texas Tech" passifier....yuck

Here is Danielle and her Great-Grandmother De La Garza.

Here is Mom showing her grandaughter (Danielle) how to place Jesus in the manger.

Dad and Phillip showing off their remote controls designed to control a wife. I'm sure that there is some sort of guarantee on the thing.

Danielle loving on her new / first sock monkey toy

Kristi and Avery

Daddy and Avery.

Here are my parents on Christmas morning.

Phillip was engulfed by one of his big gifts.

Here is Grandma "Gigi" with little Avery.

Finally, this is a buck that my cousin shot at our family's ranch near Abilene. He shot it on the last night of the season.

November 2008

Well, November started out much like September and October. Weekends at A&M for football season. Good thing that the gas prices had begun to drop since we were filling up my truck and a 36' motor home (which stays in College Station). Thanksgiving involved our 800 mile, 2 family / town stop through West Texas. It was fun as usual and the truck shocks were a little more challenged on the way home. 2 days following Thanksgiving, I went on a 5 day deer hunt in Kansas with my brother in law. He is from around Topeka and his family has farm land near there with some monster bucks. Unfortunately we didn't bring anything back but some empty coolers and a cold, but we saw some trophy's on the game cams each night about 3 am. Pictures of that hunt to be published.....





This is at the Oklahoma game. No win but great weather and good friends. This was our "adult" weekend since Kristi's mom stayed in Dallas with Avery. We spent the weekend with the usual suspects.... This picture is from the ramp at the stadium looking back towards the MSC and across campus.









This was our RV set up for OU. We created a "U" with a courtyard in the middle. The Beaver is on the far side, the Worley's on the near side and one of Chris Halpins buddies pop up in the middle. It worked out very well. This is the night prior to the game.






Here is Kevin and I slicing up dove breasts for the grill on game day.

This is a look at Kyle Field after the game.

Another of Kyle Field. I thought the lights were pretty neat.

This is us walking by Albritton Tower back towards the RV parking lot.

Yes, November means hunting season is in full effect. I was fortunate enough to shoot this buck on our family's ranch just South of Abilene.

Here is Phillip's daughter Danielle at my parent's home in Lubbock during Thanksgiving.

Here is my dad, "Papa Bill" holding Avery during Thanksgiving.

Two brothers, two dads, two first cousins....

Krsiti exchanging pleasantries with Phillip's pooch "Tank".

Avery getting into the toy box. This was my dad's toy box when he was a kid and we used it at my grandmother's house while we were growing up. Now it gets used by the 3rd generation.

This is Avery bundled up for the cold up at Kristi's grandparent's house in Tulia. The weather is quite a bit colder up there.

Here are the Poteet's out at Cagle's Steakhouse in Lubbock.

Danielle and Avery in matching jumpsuits.

This is back in Dallas. Avery and Preston (Jimbo and Kelli's son) arguing over who gets the book.

Since both cousins ended up with the same Halloween costume (one in El Paso and one in Dallas), we had to take the chance to have a picture with both of them. Here are the bumblebees.

And here they are moving around the house.