Preschool Graduation

Where does the time go? It seemed like only yesterday that Alex was beginning his first day of preschool. Now, after 2 years of learning letters and numbers and a whole bunch of other stuff, Alex graduated from preschool and received his diploma. I can't believe it. I actually can't believe that there is a preschool graduation but the ceremony was really sweet and Alex looked cute wearing his cap. Anyway, next up for Alex is a summer full of swimming lessons, soccer, and playing outside before he begins the rigors of kindergarten in the fall.
Here is Alex receiving his diploma.

Alex with his teachers, Mrs. Gottlieb and Mrs. Fagg.

Mmmmm, Donuts!

Alex and Ava love donuts. A lot. They get very excited when it's donut day and they get to have donuts for breakfast. They are particular to chocolate but on this day we just had the powdered kind and they didn't seem to mind. In fact, I don't think that bag of donuts lasted a full day (ok, ok, I ate some, too).

Ava Still Thinks It's Winter

Ok, Ava really doesn't think it's still winter. In fact, I doubt she is aware of the seasonal changes. Anyway, she really likes this hat. It had been in the car during the winter and she would put it on whenever we went somewhere. Now that it is warmer, I took the hat out of the car and Ava found it and of course, put it on her head.
Ava is crazy about these boots, too. She always wants to wear them and I usually don't let her. However, this particular day she really wanted to wear these boots and Shane convinced me to let her. After I put them on I had to laugh because Ava looked so silly (but very cute) running around with shorts and winter boots. But she was happy, which is all that matters.

Happy Birthday Alex!!!

Alex turned 5 on May 5th and we had a little celebration that day where we had a cake and Alex opened his presents. That following Saturday we had some friends over for a barbecue or as Alex likes to call any get together, a "hot dog party" (if any of you are familiar with the pigeon books). And yes, we did have hot dogs.

Hong Kong

Yes, we took a family trip to Hong Kong in April and in case you're wondering, it's a 15-hour flight (direct) from Chicago. The reason was to celebrate my grandmother's 80th birthday and for a family reunion. My grandmother has 8 children and when you include their spouses and their children, the number of people gets pretty high. Almost everyone was able to make it. We had a traditional Chinese banquet to celebrate her birthday and I really enjoyed seeing family I hadn't seen in years, including 2 cousins who were born in the 11 years since I'd been there last.

I think the trip was a good experience for the kids. It took them a little while to get used to their new surroundings and Ava was able to eat some Chinese cuisine. Alex, however, did not eat one bite of Chinese food. Not one. Fortunately, we usually wound up eating at American restaurants so Alex did not starve. Food issues aside, the kids had a fun time visiting Disneyland, Ocean Park, Victoria's Peak, and swimming in the hotel pool. I have to thank my uncles Alfie and Henry and their wives Colleen and Mandy for taking us around the city. I know Ava won't remember a thing but hopefully, Alex will remember a few snippets of the vacation.

For pictures of our trip, just click on the play button.

Make a Smilebox photobook

Happy Easter

We had a nice Easter, celebrating it with Shane's parents at their country club. The club brought in some farm animals for the children to see. The kids loved the animals, especially Ava, who has grown to be quite the animal lover. The Easter Bunny also made an appearance and while Alex was excited to see him, Ava was a little nervous at first. Once she realized that the Easter Bunny gave out candy, she was very happy to see him.
Ava loves cupcakes. Actually, she loves the frosting on the cupcakes. She pretty much abandoned this cupcake once the frosting was gone.

Alex's Christmas Program

Alex took part in his preschool's Christmas program and it was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen. The pictures aren't so great as I was sitting in one of the middle rows, so if you can't tell, Alex is dressed up as a sheep.

Christmas 2007

I love Christmas, it's one of my favorite times of the year. I think it's especially fun when you have little kids. Alex is really into Santa, reindeer, and of course, presents. However, he is also learning why we celebrate Christmas which is the most important point. Ava is still a little young to understand everything but she did enjoy decorating the tree. We had a wonderful holiday and the kids were thoroughly spoiled by Shane's parents. : ) Somehow Alex and Ava's playroom seems to get smaller and smaller...

Brrrrrr!

Since it is now May, I can actually look at these pictures without shivering. We had the coldest winter ever and I hate cold weather. Unfortunately, my children do not seem to mind and Alex has a particular fondness for snow. So, whenever the weather was "nice" (at least 30 degress), I would bundle them up and take them outside.

Welcome to Our Blog!

Ok, I was supposed to have started this blog months ago but I got busy (well, not really, I was just lazy). I love reading my friends' blogs and thought it would be fun to start one of my own. Anyway, I'm excited about our family blog and hope that you all will enjoy it, too.