Canada

Well, we made what is starting to be our annual trip to Canada to visit my mom and step-dad. They had a bunch of fun things planned for the kids. We went to the zoo, train museum, parc safari, and the water park. Alex and Ava had a great time and enjoyed their stay with "Pau Pau and Goong Goong."

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Swim Time!

For the month of June I had the kids enrolled in swimming lessons. This was Ava's first year and since she wasn't yet 3, I had to take the class with her. We had a lot of fun together and she and Alex absolutely love being in the water. Alex did great in his swimming class as well. He was able to swim the whole length of the pool on his own and advanced to the next level!

A Trip to the Zoo

Alex and Ava love animals. Maybe it's because they act like a couple of monkeys themselves. Anyway, we went up to Chicago last week and visited the Lincoln Park Zoo. Actually, Alex had to see an allergist that day and since he gets a little nervous going to the doctor's, I thought a trip to the zoo afterward would be a fun thing for him to look forward to. It also helped that both places were only 5 minutes away from each other.
I last took Alex to this zoo 5 years earlier, for his first birthday. On that visit we didn't see many animals as he was more interested in chasing the pigeons. This time, however, we saw just about every animal there. The kids had a great time, though Ava was a little sad that she couldn't pet the giraffe. : )

If a tree could talk...

This was the name of Alex's school play and appropriately enough, he played a tree. It was a cute little play not only about trees but about the environment in general. Although he was nervous a few days before the play, Alex did a great job and nailed his line.

If a tree could talk what would it say?

"Don't chop me down, just walk away!"

I know karates

I have been seriously slacking in my blog duties and am only now posting about Alex's birthday, which was on the 5th. It is hard to believe that Alex is already 6! He is a great kid and Shane and I are so blessed to be his parents. He is kind and thoughtful and loves to help out around the house. He is a wonderful big brother to Ava and is always looking out for her. Alex loves those As-seen-on-tv products and is always telling me that we "need" them ("Mommy look," he points to the tv, "we need that!"). Alex is also quite persistent and succeeded this year in wearing me down to consent to a birthday party (he only had been talking about one for 6 months).

We had the party at a karate place and invited friends from school and Alex's primary class. The kids had a blast as the instructor had them running around playing games and teaching them some karate moves. Alex even got to cut his cake with a sword. It was a fun day and a great birthday for our little guy! Happy Birthday, Alex!

Egg Hunt

Easter is right around the corner so I thought it would be fun to take Alex and Ava down to Fair Oaks Farm for an Easter egg hunt. I think every other parent in Indiana had the same idea because the place was crowded but the kids had a great time. Ava's egg hunt lasted 10 seconds, literally. Alex's was about 20 seconds. However, there was other stuff to do and we even got to see a baby calf being born.

"You mean the egg hunt is over already?"

Waiting for the hunt to begin...

Going for a ride on the train.

Driving a tractor.

R.I.P. Chia-Pet

Well, we gave it our best shot but we knew this day was coming. The chia-pet is no more. After 3 failed attempts, I chucked the thing into the trash. It is currently in the garbage bin at the end of our driveway waiting for tomorrow's garbage pickup. We followed the directions and at first, little sprouts began to appear as it did the other 2 times we tried. Afterward, though, it just stopped growing. How disappointing! However, this has not dampened Alex's enthusiasm for As-Seen-on-TV products. : )