Labor Day

We had a fun Labor Day weekend because we had some fun company!

Look at this picture.  Can you guess who stayed with us for a few days?

 YEP!  Aspen!  Hooray!

She still does this, btw...

 We kept her pretty busy going for walks, throwing the ball and swimming.

 She's as cute as ever :-)

 And she still does this, too...

 Aspen Hug!

 Ready, set, GO!

 Linc liked throwing the ball for Aspen...

Our favorite Aunt Zsa Zsa also visited!  The two rug rats kept her pretty busy ;-)

4th of July

A day or two after we got home from our two-week vacation we packed the kids in the car and we drove down to NC to spend 4th of July with the Fescoes.  It was a great time, as usual ;-)

Court's dessert creation...

 Who is this kid and when did this happen?

 Little Miss helping Yoda with the dishes...

 Fun with Ninny & Yoda!

 *sigh* The beach :-)

 4th of July project with Aunt Lindsey...

 Tasty 4th of July cake...

 Fun with Chad (they abuse him, he's patient)...

 Zsa Zsa and her Mini Me...

 Fun with Uncle Kyle!

Mother's Day

I like Mother's Day. This year we resurrected the art supplies that had recently been buried in Honey and Papa's attic (that's another blog post for another time). The kids had a lot of fun with this project and I love the way it turned out. I think it was a hit with Ninny and Honey, too.

TA DA!

Aren't they the cutest?

Easter

Here are some pictures of the kids hunting for eggs...

Ava was so sweet and helpful to Lincoln. She's such a good big sister!

Spiderman eggs! The Easter Bunny sure knows what Linc likes!

Linc was happy, I promise! I asked him to smile so he gave me a pout instead. Typical Lincoln!

After the egg hunt the kids enjoyed some good old fashioned outdoor fun while the rest of us worked in the yard. They found a caterpillar and Ava actually picked it up (with some encouragement and support from Papa, again)! Linc wouldn't touch it despite Ava's peer pressure efforts. The kids made a "habitat" (as Ava calls it) for the caterpillar and then they pretty much doted over it the rest of the afternoon.

Doting...

Ava teaching Lincoln how to use the bubble wand (this is why they're both covered in blue bubble formula)...

Ava enjoyed some time in the sprinklers while Lincoln napped...

Happy Easter!

P.S. Notice Ava's hair... Her Easter basket from Ninny and Yoda included a little "Tangled" doll and Ava was playing with it all morning. When it was time to get dressed, Ava asked me to give her a "Rapunzel braid".

Coral Reef

Ava did it!  She raised over $200 to donate to the Coral Reef Alliance for her birthday!  We are so proud of her.  She's so proud of herself!  Thank you, everyone, for your help.  You should be proud, too.

  

Here are some shots from the big moment when Ava clicked the "donate" button...

Daddy's getting it set up...

 "DONATE" 

 Hooray!

Birthday Celebration

Ava's birthday was on Saturday! It was a good day (much less painful than the one five years ago)!

We're tallying her Coral Reef funds and will update soon about how much she raised. I'm so proud of her! Thank you, everyone, for your support.

The fantastically fabulous cake I made for Ava :-)

Birthday dinner...

Home for cake and presents...

A long time ago Zsa Zsa gave Ava the Disney movie, "The Princess and the Frog" and Ava took one look at the DVD cover and decided that the movie looked scary. She refused to watch it and said that she would be brave enough once she turned five. Well, she didn't forget. After her birthday celebrations she snuggled up next to me on the couch to watch the movie. She watched the whole thing and decided that it's not scary...

(note: she had trouble falling asleep that night so...)

Birthday

Let the Birthday celebrations begin!

Ava's birthday is on Saturday!  Today was her birthday celebration at school.  We made vegan cupcakes (dairy allergy in her class) to share with her friends.  She got to stand on the chair while her friends sang "Happy Birthday" and then she got to blow out the candle.  Despite the look on her face in the picture below, she was really excited.  

We also went on a field trip today in her class.  We went to an art museum!  I don't have pictures b/c photography was not allowed.  It was so much fun and our docent was fantastic!  It was the perfect introduction to the world of art museums for these kids.  I can't wait to go back with both kids (& Chris)!  It's funny how Ava hangs onto me when I'm the helper-parent in her classroom.  She sits in my lap during circle time and she holds my hand when she's walking in line with her classmates.  However, when we go on a field trip it's like she forgets I'm there.  She becomes so engrossed in her new surroundings and she's always front and center.  She also asks questions and answers questions!  I can't believe how far she's come.  She used to be SO shy that we were actually worried for her.  I won't be surprised if she digresses when she gets to kindergarten but for now it's wonderful and I'm so happy for her!

Happy Birthday, Papa!

Lincoln called Papa on the morning of his birthday to say, "Happy to youuuu, Papa!" Then he handed the phone over to Ava. Papa asked Ava how old she thinks he is and she guessed forty-five. Silly kids.

I know I've mentioned it before but Ava LOVES birthdays and celebrations in general. She couldn't wait to make Papa's birthday dessert. She wanted to make a bus cake for him because, "he just loves buses so much." We looked on the internet and decided to go with these school bus cupcakes instead.

She enjoys decorating cupcakes...

Focus....

Sugar high...

Ta da!

The finished product...

We went over to Honey & Papa's house for the big birthday dinner. It was an exciting night because this was their first time making Paella at home since their class last month! What fun!

Getting started...

Look at all those pretty colors!

Chris was the (handsome) time keeper...

Everyone helped...

Ta da!

Happy Birthday, Papa!