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!

Fall

With the start of school comes the start of after school activities.  I try not to get the kids involved in too many things because well, it can get a little crazy driving them everywhere and these activities cost money.  This year, I started Ava in horseback riding.  If you know her, you know that she loves horses.  This is not just some passing fancy, the girl has been crazy about them for 2 years.  Ava has been in lessons for a little over a month and she loves it and has learned quite a bit.  I also started her in dance class once a week.  She takes an hour-long class which is 1/2 hour tap and 1/2 hour ballet.  She likes the class but prefers gymnastics, so we'll probably be switching back when dance is over.
Alex is continuing his martial arts and has recently earned his green belt!  He really enjoys it and it helps that he really has to pay attention in order to learn the moves.  Alex is also continuing in his piano lessons and is really improving.  He is still involved in scouts and is working on his bear badge.  And if that wasn't enough, the kids are enrolled in an after school art class once a week.  Whew!  Actually, it's pretty manageable (of course, I only have 2 kids) and we are busy Monday-Thursday but the weekends are free which is really nice.

My little equestrian with her pony, Lucy.

Green belt!

On her way to dance class.

6!

Well, my baby is now 6.  Crazy!  Her birthday was a few weeks ago and as long as we live in NW Indiana, it will always fall on the first week of school.  This year her birthday was on the second day of school but we still managed to make it a fun day.  At school she got to wear a special birthday crown, I brought in Subway for lunch (her request) and we all went out to CiCi's for dinner (her choice again).  Afterwards, we came home opened presents and had some ice cream cake.  Not too shabby for turning 6!
Fun facts about Ava:  She is very much a girly-girl-she is often wearing a skirt or dress but at the same time, she loves to play outside and doesn't mind getting dirty.  She absolutely loves horses.  She cannot get enough of them!  She loves pink and purple, playing with friends, riding her bike, pizza, blueberries, strawberries, cheesesticks, legos, swimming, and just about every animal.  Ava is such a joy to have around. She is friendly, inquisitive, helpful, and clever.  Happy birthday to my sweet girl!

Blowing out the candles.

Money!  Thanks Pau Pau and Goong Goong!

Horse books!

Ava was so excited to see that she got this:  Barbie and a walking horse.