Spring Break

Last week was spring break and I was really looking forward to it. Why? Well, for several reasons, 1. No school bus to catch (meaning I can sleep in). 2. No homework. 3. Lots of fun things planned. We had a fun-packed week spent with friends and just ourselves. We started our break with a visit to Liberty Zone and lunch at Pizza Hut with my friend Amy and her boys, Ian, Luke, and Mason. The next day I took Alex and Ava to Bellaboo's, which is an indoor play area-very fun. The kids enjoyed painting, making pizza's, grocery shopping, and making their own "mud pies".

Can you find Ava?



My construction workers.




Eating their mud pies.




Wednesday was a trip to Chicago for a yearly allergy checkup for Alex and lunch at the Rainforest Cafe afterwards.


The next day we went to the Curious Kid's Museum in Michigan with my friend Amy and her 3 boys again. The kids had fun exploring and playing around with the different exhibits.


Ian, Alex, Ava, and Luke-ready to have some fun!




Bubble boy.

Bubble girl.

Getting ready for blast off.

Reporting the news.


Ava getting checked out by Luke.


Alex and Ian-disc jockeys.



On Friday our friends came over for some video gaming and the boys had a good time playing Lego Star Wars, Super Mario, and Mario Kart. We ended the week with an Easter egg hunt on Saturday at our subdivision park. Alex and Ava had fun collecting eggs and now have a nice little stash of candy.

Getting ready for the big hunt.




Lots of eggs=lots of candy!

It was a great week but I am glad to be back to our normal daily routine. :)

Too cute not to post

This is what I found when I peeked in Ava's room tonight...

Typical Ava

Black Eyed Peas

After 2 years of blogging, I think this is the first post that isn't about the kids and is just about me (can you tell I don't get out much?). I love the Black Eyed Peas, they were coming to Chicago, and thanks to my father-in-law, I got tickets to see them. I took my friend, Brandi, and all I can say is that it was an awesome concert!


Posing with the BEP


We had really good seats!


Fergie.


It was a bit crowded...

Preschool...again

Well, Ava started a new preschool at the beginning of the year. It's the same one that Alex attended and I am so glad that Ava is able to go there as well. She even has the same teachers Alex had. Ava is adjusting well to her new school. She is learning tons, making new friends, and is always excited to go. : )

Christmas

Christmas came way too fast this year. Or maybe I just waited too long to do all of my holiday shopping. In any case, I felt like it just snuck up on me and that I didn't have enough time to do all the things I needed to do. Fortunately, everything got done on time and we headed up to Shane's dad's on Christmas Eve to spend the night there. Alex and Ava were sure to leave out cookies for Santa and were very excited for him to come, so falling asleep and staying asleep was a bit of a challenge that night.
The next morning the kids showed great will power by having breakfast first and then opening their presents. Alex got the Wii he had asked for (it was by far his favorite present, followed by the Uno cards.) Ava's favorite presents were the animal books, Little People tree house, and the talking/roaring dinosaur (she's really into dinosaurs).
We had a nice holiday spending time with family, opening presents and eating a yummy Christmas breakfast, made by me (why, yes, I can cook!).


Opening presents at granddaddy's house.


Alex's reaction when he got the Wii.


What luck! Santa came to our house as well! Alex loves his Star Wars stuff and Ava loves her Little People.


Even Sam got a few presents.

Let it snow!

I guess I shouldn't complain that it is nearly Christmas and this is the first snow of the season. I'm all for snow at Christmastime as long as it disappears soon afterward. Alex and Ava are of a different opinion and were super excited about the snow and wanted to go play in it even though it barely covered the grass. So we got their snow gear on and they played around in the yard. They had a lot of fun sledding down the little hill in our front yard, throwing snowballs at mommy and daddy and building a snowman. While I would be quite happy if it didn't snow anymore this season, I'm sure that Alex and Ava can't wait for more to come.

Thanksgiving

I know I've said it before, but I love Thanksgiving. To be more specific, I love the food at Thanksgiving, probably because I never have to cook it. This year was no different as we traveled up to Illinois to spend the holiday with Shane's dad. However, the day was also marked with sadness as it is the first holiday without Shane's mom, who passed away last month. We miss her greatly and know that the holidays will not be the same without her.

As I talked with Alex and Ava about what they were thankful for, they mentioned their family and named specific people. I think this year especially, I am thankful for my family and grateful for the time we have shared together.