Ava's Farm Trip

My farm girl went on a school field trip.

This is her best friend.

These are her other best friends- worms.

The bouquet Ava picket for me. My sweet girl.

Barn song and dance.

Besties with the hugs... and it's a boy. Usually Ava won't sit next to a boy.

Crushing corn for the birds.

And petting and holding the baby chicks, the best part of the day.

Ava Preschool- 2nd Year

My Princess started her second year of preschool today. She ran right off and into the school before I could barely kiss her goodbye she was so excited. I was excited for her too. She loves school and Ms. Karen so much. I am so proud of my Ava cakearoonies.

 Armed and ready for school.

 Nothing like getting to school and seeing your best friend.

 Our famous preschool picture. Look at how cute she is...

 Putting up her backpack.

 My Ava. I love this little girl:)

 Ms. Karen meeting her future student.

 School's out and my Ava's ready for lunch.

First day after school we headed to celebrate with a smoothie and some fun.

Ava's school photo. The big preschooler is waiting to go to Kindergarten already. She does all of Olivia's homework as well as her own. It is awesome having kids who love school. Ava can also read 50 words now and is starting to read basic books. Fun times!

Olivia's Preschool Graduation

Last official day of school Olivia chose to bring balloons to share. She was very proud to give them away.

My baby graduated today. It's a scary thought that she will now be headed to school 5 days a week but she is ready to go and can't wait to meet her new friends and teacher.

Here she is being announced to walk out in her cap. Just for reference, it was a swim party and BBQ for the graduation party. That is why all the kids have on swim attire. Their real cap and gown photos were taken on a different day.

Liv's giving me the thumbs up that "She did it!!"

Diplomas received, let's rock!!

Olivia threw her cap right up into the air and was ready to celebrate!!!

Liv with her friend Grace.

Liv with Spencer.

Post graduation lunch because we all know when you graduate, your parents take you out to lunch!

Share Day

Last share day of preschool this year... Ava brought balloons.

Snails

Ava has been in love with snails, ladybugs, worms, Rollie polies, lizards, and pretty much anything considered creepy crawly for awhile. She spends all day every day looking for these guys in the backyard. I took her to the zoo and did she see any animals? No. Her face was looking straight down the entire time trying to find anything that was moving. When we are at karate and she has to sit on the ground and wait her turn to spar is she watching the other kids? No. She is focused on the floor and feverishly searching for bugs which she gracefully hands to her teacher before she spars and promptly wants them back when she's finished. She hasn't quite caught on that he smashes them but whatever.

So today is Ava's show and tell at school. Last night she and her daddy went on a snail hunt before bed in the backyard and neighbor's yard and they found 9 snails. Ava wanted 12 because there are 12 kids in the class. So this morning her awesome daddy went out snail hunting at 3:30AM before leaving for work and found 5 more. How happy was Ava when I told her what he found?? Sooo freakin' happy. So she carted her little friends to school and plopped them down on the table and all the kids came running to look and they surrounded her. If you could have seen her smiling little face. Ava was in full snail heaven. And as the other moms looked at me with the, "oh great snails..." look, I smiled away letting them know there was enough for everyone to take one home. Ha! They looked mortified. It was awesome.

Crazy Too

Yip, she's crazy too.

Just Plain Crazy

Look at this cute kid. She's having crazy hair day at school. I love my Olivia. She is just the cutest, coolest, kid ever.
I think I needed just a little more crazy to add to this weekend.

It started Saturday when my cousin Nicole passed away. She was 37 years old with 4 kids. The 2 older kids are going to be stuck living with their alcoholic grandfather probably until he drinks himself into a coma and the other two kids are now going to be living with Nicole's sister Natalie. Natalie's married and she and her husband can't bear children, they live in a small one bedroom apartment, she is epileptic and has just been allowed to work for the last few months since her seizures are under control. Natalie is 35 years old.

I can't imagine becoming a parent to a 10 and 12 year old literally over night without any help from anyone. Her mom died from breast cancer and her only sibling is now gone. It breaks my heart that she can't even grieve because she has to get a casket, plan a funeral, parent the kids and figure out where and how to get them to school. It's overwhelming and my heart goes out to her.

A few hours after hearing of Nicole's passing, Dave returns from the Redbox with Life As We Know It. Can you sense the irony here? This movie is about a couple with a kid who gets killed in a car wreck and they leave the baby to their best friends who hate each other but have to raise this baby and it changes their whole world. Not good timing on the movie front but I have to give Dave points for trying.

After the movie Dave goes outside and brings in the mail and guess what? Chase is trying to increase our mortgage. We are on a 30 year fixed mortgage and there's a whole back story that I can't even get into but good grief can this paper come at a worse time? And of course it's a Saturday at 5pm so we can't call and straighten things out. All we can do is stew and fume for 2 days.

Today everything did get resolved thankfully and our mortgage is what it was before but for 2 days I just wanted to walk away from this house and let those jerks have it. So that's enough about my pity party. I've moved on and gone forward and now I've decided to paint my bedroom. Ava and I picked up the paint and as soon as crazy hair comes home we will start. It is a new day after all.

Happy 4th Birthday Ava!!!

First sightings of the now 4 year old.
Ava's awake and excited to be 4!!
Share day at school was this snake for the letter "S" and her pink strawberry cupcakes.
Olivia loving her sister on her birthday.
Notice Ava is sitting far from "the boy" who's next to her. She doesn't like boys- they're icky.
Ms. Karen made Ava her special "I'm 4" hat. Her hand was traced and everything!

The party rocked and Ava was free from school. Notice how devastated she is- NOT!
The little Avacakeroonies.
Brunch at our favorite restaurant that we've been taking the kids to every year on their birthday.
And this is why- Look at how good that ice cream is...
And then we partied at C.E.C. It was a total all day kid experience. Everything Ava wanted she got to have.


Crazy drivers. If this is any indication of how these two will drive at sixteen we will have to sell our vehicles.
Some of Ava's loot- pre-party.
And then the magic happened. Cake, friends, and presents. If only to be 4 years old again.
Make your wish sweetiepie!!

Of course someone has to be mad that it's not their birthday.
Woohoo!!
Lick the plate clean Ava- your dad would.
Happy 4th Birthday!!! We love you!!!