School Boy

Blogger was acting a little crazy for a while so I wasn't able to post anything.  I'm back.  

Here are some pictures of my time as helper-Mom in Linc's class a little while back...

(this is his "cheese" face)

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!

naP

Couple things...

(1) Lincoln likes to accentuate the "p" sound on the end of words. (i.e. "naP", "chiP", "yuP") Sometimes there's even some spitting involved.

(2) My kids are the cutest in the history and future of all time.

Now that we got that out of the way, check this out...

A lot of the time Ava complains about having a brother. It's sad but it's the truth. He gets on her nerves. He's always up in her business and he's very demanding of her time. He looks up to her. He can't help himself. But there are moments when Ava is very thankful to have a full-time buddy and I like to think that bit of thankfulness makes up for the other larger bit of ungratefulness... At any rate, she has discovered a new role for her big sister self and it comes in the form of nap time. She likes to put Linc down for his nap and he's all over that. They don't really need me...she holds his hand up the stairs, reads a book to him and tucks him into bed. She even rubs his back and makes sure he has his baby. They're amazing.

Fun with Food

A while back Ava declared that she no longer eats red meat. Actually, it was more of a whisper. It was as if she was afraid that her decision wouldn't be accepted. Whatever! It wasn't a surprise to us, we've seen it coming for some time. I explained to her that if she's going to cut red meat out of her diet that she'll need to find other sources of iron and protein. She agreed to keep her picky eating habits at bay. I checked out a book at the library about feeding self-proclaimed vegetarian children and it's wonderful! It's like a breath of fresh air! I've been re-inspired! It's amazing how quickly I fall into kid-approved meal ruts; I don't care to make another batch of macaroni and cheese or chicken nuggets for a while. Also, I believe that it's important to introduce children to a variety of foods and flavors from a young age. I think I've been fairly successful with the palate development thing by encouraging the kids to try whatever it is that Chris and I are eating. They're both usually willing and anxious to try new food. Anyway, I've enjoyed the new cook book and the kids have been excited to try new variations of grilled cheese and new meal ideas altogether like lettuce wraps. Both kids love to help in the kitchen (which can sometimes be stressful) so I welcome their company and do my best to find age appropriate jobs for them. Today, while preparing the ingredients for their lettuce wrap lunch I decided to bring the meal-making experience to them. It was so much fun! We set up a "make your own lettuce wrap" buffet. It was a huge hit and they both willingly chowed down on lettuce wraps until they were about to burst. Sometimes these ideas play out better in my head so I'm beyond thrilled when they actually work as planned!

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!

Snapshots

It's already been a super fun family weekend!

Nice enough weather for a bike ride...

And a walk downtown...

Such a gentleman...

Candy Land!

This was funny. We were in Target and I asked Lincoln (and Ava) to help me pick out a St. Patrick's Day card. He brought the one on the left over to Chris and said, "Ewww!"

Unfortunately, I didn't move fast enough to photograph him staring at the cover of Sports Illustrated and asking, "What's that?" True story.

Oh yeah, and he likes to stand just like Daddy...

Have I mentioned how nice it is to have Chris present on the weekends again? Hooray, again, for being done with his MBA! Phew...