Bee Sting

I think that just about every kid, sooner or later will get stung. Today it was Alex's turn. He and Ava were playing in the backyard when she came back into the house crying hysterically, telling Shane that he had to help Alex. Shane, of course, got really worried and was about to go outside when Alex came back in. He was patting at his shirt and when Shane took it off, a wasp flew out. I guess the wasp flew into the sleeve of his t-shirt and couldn't get out. Needless to say, Alex got stung, not just once but 4 times! OUCH! He was very brave about it, only a few tears and I think poor little Ava was more traumatized than he was. I cleaned up the stings and gave Alex some Benadryl, just in case he had an allergic reaction. Shane found the wasp and smushed it and a little while later, I found another wasp flying around our house, so there might have been 2 in his shirt! Yikes! The good news is that Alex is fine, there was no allergic reaction and you can hardly see the stings anymore.

Preschool!

This past week Ava started preschool. I know that I say this all the time about my kids but I can't believe that she is old enough to go! It was something she had been looking forward to all summer. Ava was very excited but when we got there she got a bit nervous (which is normal for her) and wasn't quite ready to go into her classroom. After a couple of minutes, she was fine and when I picked her up 2 hours later she was very happy and told me that they talked about animals (which are one of her favorite things). I'm glad she is enjoying school and learning new things and making new friends.

Ava's New Bed

At last! I had been seriously slacking in getting Ava a bed, mostly because I thought she wouldn't stay in it and would just get out and run around. However, as she is now 3, it's pretty silly to keep her in a crib (considering Alex moved to a bed when he was 2). We got her a toddler bed because the twin seemed too big for her and if she fell out, she would be close to the ground. Needless to say, Ava was very excited to have her own bed and to go to sleep in it.

Ava's 3rd Birthday

Well, Ava celebrated her 3rd birthday on the 21st. Can you believe it? I can't. The past twelve months really flew by and can be summed up in one sentence: "I do it myself, mommy." Yes, Ava is quite an independent little girl. She does almost everything by herself. We are still working on potty training but when she decides to use the toilet, she wants to do it herself.
Ava has grown and learned so much this past year. She loves to run and jump and play and do whatever her big brother is doing. She loves to talk on the phone and try on shoes (what can I say, she is a girl). Ava absolutely loves all kinds of animals but she is particular to cats. Her favorite movies right now include Lion King 1 & 2 and Finding Nemo. She loves yogurt, cheese, hot dogs, and chocolate. Her favorite color is pink (I think) and she says green but I think that's because it's Alex's favorite color. :) Ava has been a joy in our lives and is too cute for words. We love her dearly! Happy Birthday, Peanut!

1st Day of 1st

It is hard to believe that Alex started the first grade this week. The summer has flown by as well as the last 6 years! Alex was excited about going back to school and I'm excited for him as he gets to learn new things and make new friends. However, I did get a little teary eyed as he got on the bus the first morning (I'm predicting this will be a yearly occurrence), feeling sad and happy at the same time...

When he got off the bus that afternoon, Alex reported that he had a great day and I'm glad that the school year is off to a good start!

East Coast Road Trip

Well, we finally did it. After months of talking about it, Shane and I packed up the kids and the car and drove out to the east coast. We stopped in Ohio overnight and the next morning went over to Kirtland and literally took a picture of the temple and left. Maybe next time we will be able to visit there a little longer. We got into Connecticut that night and the next day we met up with our friends Matt and Lora and their 2 girls, Gracie and Lizzie. The guys spent the day playing golf and Lora and I took the kids to Stepping Stones Children's Museum. The kids had a great time playing with all the neat things in the museum and afterwards, we all had dinner at my favorite pizza place...Paradise Pizza. Yum!
A couple days later, Shane and I took the kids to the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium. Alex and Ava loved seeing all the animals and they especially enjoyed petting the sting rays. That evening my step-mother threw a little party for Ava since her birthday was coming up and we got to visit with some family.
We left the next morning and after a quick stop to visit my grandmother in Queens, we were on our way to Maryland/Delaware. What should have been a 4 1/2 hour drive wound up to be a wee bit longer as our GPS took us to the tip of NJ and wanted us to get on a ferry to Delaware! Maybe next time it will take us to the airport and have us get on a plane! Needless to say we were not thrilled at having to drive back around but we made it to Shane's uncle's house.
We spent the next 2 days at the beach and the kids (and Shane) had a blast playing in the water. Alex also got a fishing lesson from his great-uncle Mike and was able to drive his boat. We went to the boardwalk in Ocean City, MD and the kids got to play some games and go on a few rides. When we left for home that Friday, we were all a little pooped out and couldn't wait to sleep in our own beds. However, we had a wonderful trip and enjoyed visiting with family and friends, eating ourselves silly (mmmm, Friendly's), and just spending time with each other.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

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