Ava's 5th

My little girl turned 5 in August and I can't believe it. I know I say this every year but it's true! It goes by so fast! My babies are growing up! We had a pretty low-key celebration this year. Since Ava's birthday fell on a Sunday, we went out for pizza on Friday (her choice) and then on Sunday, she got to decide what we had for dinner (pizza, again). Afterwards, we had ice cream cake and Ava got to open her presents.

Ava is a really sweet girl who will talk to anyone and everyone. She is very inquisitive and is usually asking a question of who, what, where, why, how about pretty much everything. She loves animals, coloring, playing outside, swimming, riding her bike, playing dress-up, and helping others. Ava is a wonderful little girl and I'm so blessed to have her!

Some of Ava's favorite things:
Color: Pink and purple
Animal: Horses
Song: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (I kid you not)
Food: Pizza, hard boiled eggs, blueberries
Disney princess: Sleeping Beauty


Time for cake and presents!

Canada: Part 2

About 3 weeks after we got back from our first trip to Canada, we went back. My uncle and his family were there visiting from Hong Kong and since we hadn't seen them in 3 years, we made another trip out to Canada. My uncle has 2 boys, Max and Markus, ages 11 and 8, and all the kids got along and had a great time together. We were really busy during our week long stay. We picked some more blueberries, had a bonfire, roasted marshmallows and made some s'mores. The kids had a camp out in the backyard. We went to Montreal and saw the Lion King. We visited the Insectarium and saw ginormous bugs, went hiking, rode some ponies, celebrated Ava's birthday, and went to the waterpark. It was a wonderful trip and I'm so glad that Alex and Ava were able to spend time with their cousins.

Canada: Part 1

Right after my New York trip, I came back and the kids and I moved into our new house. My mom and step-dad came down to help and after that we all drove back to Canada. Since it was a long drive, we stopped overnight in Niagara Falls. The kids loved it and as it was also the 4th of July, we got to see fireworks over the Falls. After we made it to my mom's, we got season passes to the waterpark there. I think that was the kids' favorite thing we did during our visit. Alex, Ava and I went 4 times and had a lot of fun each time. We also managed to go blueberry picking and went to the Science Center in Montreal and saw the Indiana Jones exhibit.


Niagara Falls.



Alex and his Indiana Jones whip.


Goofing off in Montreal.

Picking blueberries.

At the waterpark.

I heart NY

I grew up in Connecticut, about an hour outside of NYC so I've been there countless times. However, I've never gone with my 3 good friends-Melanie, Monica, and Cristina, until this June. We've been friends since college and were all at a friend's wedding last summer when we decided to get together every few years. New York was the city of choice and honestly, it was one of the best trips ever. So what did the four of us do? Eat and shop, of course! We ate at some pretty fantastic places and shopped in Greenwich Village and Soho. We also managed to see a couple of Broadway plays and visit the Guggenheim. It was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to our next trip! Also, I was having so much fun that I never got a picture of the four of us. Maybe next time. : )

FYI

Just in case you didn't know-Shane and I are getting a divorce. I realize only a handful of people read my blog (and I'm cool with that) but I'm not one of those people who lay out all their issues on their facebook page. I'm doing it here because my blog is partly a journal for me so I don't have to write in an actual journal. Anyway, Shane and I have been separated since January, our house has been sold and the kids and I moved into an absolutely craptacular apartment for 6 months while I decided what to do. I felt like the best thing was to stay in Indiana and we have moved into a great house. We are all settled in and school has started for Alex and I start working part-time in September and plan to find a full-time job next year when Ava starts kindergarten. So, while this definitely hasn't been the best year, the decision was definitely for the best.

Graduation! (Well, sort of)

So Ava graduated preschool this past May. She had a great year, wonderful teachers and learned a lot. However, since she misses the kindergarten cut-off by 3 weeks, she will have another year of preschool. At least it will be everyday. Anyway, the graduation ceremony was very cute. There were no gowns, just handmade caps (white cardstock and paper bowl). The kids sang some songs and then the diplomas were handed out. I was only able to get a fuzzy picture of Ava receiving her diploma which is okay since she will be graduating again next year.


Ava with her teacher, Mrs. Gottlieb.


Ava with her other teacher, Mrs. Fagg.




Diploma!

Baptism

About a week and half after he turned 8, Alex was baptized. It was a very special day and as Alex said, it was the "most important day of his life" (thus far). My mom and stepdad came down for the occasion and a number of Alex's friends attended the baptism. The third times the charm as it took that many times to get Alex all the way under the water! I think Alex recognized the importance of being baptized and was really looking forward to it. He had a wonderful day and couldn't stop smiling. I am very proud of him and the decision he made to be baptized.




Ready to be baptized!


Some of Alex's friends who came.