Fall

Fall is always a busy time for us.  There's school, homework, and after-school activities.  While I love being in a daily routine, sometimes I do miss the easy going days of summer.  This year Alex and Ava decided to join the running club at school.  I was really excited about this and signed up to be a parent volunteer.  It was really fun running with the kids during their practices and cheering them on in their meets.  Alex also signed up for chess club and is learning to play the game.  Ava is also participating in Girl Scouts (right now she's a Daisy scout) and can't wait to sell cookies.  Both kids are also taking piano lessons.  It does seem like a lot but the good thing is that these activities are all at the school, so it really isn't so bad.  Run club is also a really short season, only 6 weeks so when that finished, Ava started up with gymnastics again and Alex signed up for the school basketball team.  While some days are pretty crazy, it's nice to see the kids exploring their interests and developing their talents.

Race time!  Ava placed 7th out of 38 in her first race and then 6th out of 38 in her second race where she earned a ribbon.

This also happened...2 bottom teeth-gone!

Hanging out at the Lincoln Park Zoo on a day off.

American Girl outing-lunch at AG Place and then shopping!

7!

Can you believe this little girl is 7?  I can't!

Ava turned 7 a couple of days after school started but that did not stop her from planning a fun day out.  First up though, was me bringing her Subway for lunch.  It is her absolute favorite place to eat and she always gets the same thing (ham on wheat with a little mayo).  After school, Ava and I got manicures.  It was Ava's first time and she was so excited.  Next, we met up with my mom, step-dad, and Alex at Chuck-E-Cheese's, where the kids played some games.  After, we went to dinner at CiCi's (Ava's choice, of course) and then it was back home for cake and opening presents.  Happy birthday, Ava!
Here are some fun things about Ava:
Her favorite color is blue.  If she could have breakfast food and snacks for all 3 meals, she probably would.  She loves to dress up but also loves to run around and play outside.  She loves animals-dogs, cats, rabbits, and of course, horses.  She is a great helper and great little sister.  She is pretty independent and will often figure out how to do things on her own (like riding a bike).  She is everybody's friend.  She will talk to and play with any kid and that's one of things I love most about her. 

Getting her nails done.

Winning a bunch of tickets.

Birthday cake.

Presents!

First Day

It seemed like just when summer vacation started, it was time to go back to school.  It is hard to believe that I have a 1st and 5th grader this year!

They only let me take 1 picture.