Halloween

Halloween has come and gone and the kids had a blast and got loads of candy.  This year Alex was Batman and Ava was Queen Isabella of Spain (we decided who she was after we got the costume).  Our neighborhood has tons of kids, so trick-or-treating is always a lot of fun.  Alex and Ava made out with a serious pile of candy and I managed to hand out all the candy that I had, which is huge accomplishment!

Angry Birds pumpkins.

Ready to trick or treat.

Success!

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.

Summer

Since it is nearly Halloween, I decided I better post about our summer before I get too far behind.  We really had a lot of fun this summer and it just seemed to fly by.  Alex and Ava spent a lot of time at the new water park, the beach, and playing with their friends.  They also took swimming and tennis lessons which they really enjoyed; Alex went to cub scout camp and Ava spent a couple of days at horseback riding camp.  Ava also got her ears pierced and learned to ride a 2 wheeler (she pretty much taught herself).  We spent 2 weeks in Canada visiting my mom and step-dad and also visited Nauvoo in August.  Before we knew it, school was starting up again and the kids are counting down the days to the next summer vacation.

No more training wheels!

Scout camp.

Sharon, VT

In Canada with their great-grandmother.

At a horse show in Canada.

At the Parc Safari-Canada.

At the beach.

Water park fun!

Nauvoo.

Last day of school!

So the kids' last day of school was June 5th and it really couldn't come fast enough.  I was done.  I was tired of homework and projects and 20 minutes of daily reading and getting up early everyday and I wasn't even the one going to school!  However, I think Alex and Ava would both agree with me.  To be fair, the kids had great teachers which really helped them have a great year at school.  But now it is time for summer!

Ava with her teacher, Mrs. Phelps.

Ava with her friend, Elena.  Ava got the "Love Bug" award
because she was so loving to everyone who came into the class.

Ava with her friends, Gabby and Gwynnie.

Ava and her friend, Isaac-the classroom Casanova.

Ava with her friend, Aydian (who wrote her a love note).

Alex with his teacher, Mrs. Campbell.

10!

Alex turned 10 on May 5 and it's hard to believe that I have been a mom for 10 years!  My mom and step-dad came down to celebrate Alex's birthday.  Since the 5th fell on a Sunday, we went out the day before.  We went to Zao Island and played mini-golf, video games, and rode go-carts.  Alex also got to pick where he wanted to go for dinner and he chose...Burger King.  We also stopped at Cold Stone after for some ice cream.  The next day we celebrated with ice cream cake and presents and all in all it was a fun birthday weekend.  Happy birthday Alex!
Here are 10 fun things about Alex:
1.  He loves to read about Guinness world records and other strange facts.
2.  He loves all the typical kid fare: corn dogs, chicken nuggets, and pizza but thankfully loves fruit, too and will eat some vegetables.
3.  He is a purple belt in karate.
4.  His favorite books are the Wimpy Kid series and Captain Underpants series.
5.  He loves Legos.
6.  He loves playing his 3DS (favorite game at the moment:  Luigi's Mansion).
7.  He is really good at math.
8.  He loves to be swimming in a pool or at the beach.
9.  He still hugs his mom and always tells her he loves her.
10.  He is a good big brother (for the most part).

Playing mini-golf.

Driving the go-cart.

Celebrating the big 1-0!

Present time!

Spring Break

Yes, spring break was over a month ago but at least it's getting posted!  The kids and I had a great spring break.  We went on a cruise again this year, thanks to my mom and step-dad.  We flew into Miami and spent a couple of days there before heading out on our Caribbean cruise.  Alex and Ava loved it as the ship offered a lot of activities for them to do.  We stopped in Great Stirrup Cay, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.  It was fun to get away from the cold Indiana weather and the kids are already planning the next trip!

At the Everglades-airboat tour.

Miami Seaquarium.

Soaking wet after the killer whale and dolphin show.

At Great Stirrup Cay.

 

Jamaica.

Cozumel.

Pinewood Derby

So Pinewood Derby was about a 1 1/2 months ago and I'm finally getting around to posting some pics of it.  This is Alex's second derby and I was a little nervous about the whole thing because I would be the one helping him build his car.  And I'm not handy.  Well Alex designed the car and we both took turns sawing the block of wood.  The sides were a bit uneven but Alex didn't notice and said it looked perfect.  We sanded, he painted and put on the stickers he selected and I put on the wheels (with some complications) and the car was good to go!  The day of the derby came and it really is fun to see all the different designs the boys come up with and to see the races.  Alex did great!  He came in 3rd for Bears which meant he got to advance to the final round where he placed 3rd overall!  Alex got 2 trophies (one for placing in Bears and the other for overall) and couldn't be happier! 

3rd Place trophy for Bears

The winning car and trophies.

Christmas

Christmas was a busy but fun time for us.  My mom, step-dad, grandmother and aunt all came down to spend the holiday with us.  There was lots of eating, shopping, mahjong playing, and present opening.  It was a wonderful Christmas spent with family.  Here are some pics of what we did this holiday season.

Ava's holiday concert.

Alex's holiday concert.

Decorating the gingerbread house.

Christmas Eve presents they get to open.

Finally!  Christmas morning!

The aftermath.

At the Nutcracker performance in Chicago.

Fall Break and Halloween

The end of October brings about 2 things-fall break and Halloween.  Since the kids had a nice 4-day weekend, I thought it would be fun to spend it in Chicago.  However, we first had our ward Trunk-or-Treat activity and Alex and Ava had a lot of fun.  The next day we headed out to Chicago for the kids' yearly allergist appointment.  I was getting Ava tested this year because she was showing signs of allergies this past spring.  Turns out that she only has seasonal allergies and mild allergies to dogs, cats, and horses (of course my horse-loving girl would be allergic!).  After lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, we checked in to our hotel and the kids went swimming in the indoor pool.  They probably could have stayed there all day but I also took them to the Chicago Children's Museum-it was their "Family Free Night" and the kids really liked exploring the museum.  The next day we headed to the Field Museum.  Alex and Ava weren't as excited but I think they were tired of walking around.  Afterwards, I had to drop the kids off at a church for a wedding rehearsal.  Their grandfather was getting married that weekend and Alex was going to be the ring bearer and Ava was the flower girl.  The next day was the wedding.  I loved seeing them dressed up and they did great!  They had a fun time at the reception playing with friends and were thoroughly exhausted when they came home on Sunday.  A few days later was Halloween and as usual, Alex and Ava got a nice haul of candy.  They could not complain as October ended on a sweet note!

Trunk or Treat.

Loved the pool at the hotel!

At the Children's Museum

Field Museum

At their grandfather's wedding.

Halloween-Rapunzel and Darth Maul.

The loot!