paddleboating adventures

This week we had a couple of sunny and warm, gorgeous days so the kids and I took the paddle boat out and took it through a channel they have wanted to explore for a long time. 

It goes under the highway into another lake. 

They wanted to swim even though the water is still super cold. Well, really just the girls wanted to swim.  Thomas just posed for the picture to make his mother happy.  :)

This girl is the adventurous one in the family!

And swim, they did!

She even found a flower to pick for me.  She's keeping me in a steady supply of flower bouquets this spring.  Love it!  Did you see Elle in the background of that picture?  :)

 Eventually, we talked Thomas into getting in.

 The lake is so clear.

Heading home.  This channel leads to the little lake we live on.  It was a good day.

bragging rights for-ev-er

Elle jumped in the lake tonight....on March 31st!  Crazy!  It just thawed this week but usually is still frozen at this time of year so the chance to set the record for jumping in this early was just something she couldn't pass up.  Ava was quick to want to join in as soon as she saw her sister do it.  They can now share the family record together and be pretty confident that it will never be broken!

notice anything different?

Braces!!  We had to do a little photoshoot!

broken

First broken bone in the family goes to Thomas.  He broke his wrist snowboarding last Friday.  Broken was hard news since it means no snowboarding, hockey or guitar for 6 weeks.  His three favorite things.  There is most definitely a cast off countdown happening here!

just resting her eyes

Ava doesn't have a nap everyday anymore.  She just takes little cat naps as needed.  She denies it though and says she's just resting her eyes.  For fun I started taking pictures of her now and then to show her that it sure looks like she's asleep.  The vehicle pictures are my favorites. 

No sheets required on the bed for her to sneak a little cuddle with puppy and a quick snooze.

Last week on the way home from the beach.  That sun really wears a girl out!

tap dancing on the driveway

This morning Ava came downstairs dressed up in a dance costume and tap shoes with huge socks.  I grabbed my camera and followed her outside for a tap show on the driveway. 

curly girly

I love this perfect curl.  I love that I can put Ava's hair in piggy tails, twist them around my fingers and end up with these perfect, big curls.

I love that cute little crooked smile too.  How is it that my baby is going to be 5 in a just a couple of weeks?  I'm soaking up these last few days of having a 4 year old.  Five just seems so big.

I can't believe that I was toting this girl around in a Baby Bjorn  when I started this blog!  As was Elle.  (You have to click that link!)  I don't know what made me think of that picture today but I love that Elle is wearing piggy tails in it too.  Ok, I need to go grab a Kleenex. 

naptime prayer

Ava's prayer at naptime today -

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for this beautiful day.  Thank you that I got to have one piece of candy.  Teach me how to like olives. 

Amen

Lunch today was leftover hamburger and black olive pizza.  I was a mean mom and said everyone had to eat the olives if they wanted Halloween candy for dessert, even the two kids who think they don't like them.  I smiled at her prayer after lunch.

the many faces of ava

This afternoon it was almost 70 degrees.  So nice.  I laid a blanket on the porch with some pillows to soak up some sunshine with the girls.  Ava wanted her picture taken so these are a few of her little photoshoot.  This is her sweet face. 

This is her serious face.  The scar on her chin is from jamming out to Justin Bieber.  She's got Bieber Fever.  She was really getting into her dance moves.  She did a big spin, fell and hit her chin on the window trim. Poor girl!

Crazy face.  Crazy Hair.  Crazy Girl!

Love her!

we're going on a bear hunt

We're Going on a Bear Hunt is one of Ava's favorite books.  She has it mostly memorized and loves to make all the fun sounds. 

As soon as we get to the page where the family gets to the cave she always stops me to tell me that there is a bear in there.  And her reaction is always the same after they tiptoe into the cave and find the bear.  She yells 'It's a Bear!' and puts her hand over her mouth like she can't believe it.  So sweet.

girly girl

Ava got her ears pierced for her birthday.  She's been wanting to wear earrings for a long time, especially since Elle wears them.  Specifically she wants cupcake earrings but for now she picked out flowers, in pink of course.  I think these are the cupcake earrings she's dreaming of.  So cute! 

She was very brave.  She didn't really know what was coming or I don't think she would have gone through with it.  Thankfully there were two girls working at Claire's so both ears could be pierced at the same time otherwise I am sure that we would've came home with only one ear pierced.  A few tears were shed but they quickly stopped after a hug and a lollipop.

She loves them and thinks they are so sparkly.  I think they look so sweet on those little ears, framing that precious face!

my baby turned 4 yesterday

And it was a happy day!  There was lots of bubble blowing, sandbox playing, bike riding on the big girl bike....the two wheeler with training wheels!  Elle made up a little carnival for her and she loved that.  She chose a 'chocolate cake with brown frosting and a lot of decorations' for her birthday cake.  After her favorite dinner of sageppi (spaghetti) she fell asleep on the couch watching Toy Story completely worn out from all of the fun.

random update

It has been so beautiful here.  I'm pretty sure this is the best spring we've ever had in the twelve years that we've lived here.  The ice went out on the lake on April 1st.  Almost three weeks earlier than last year!  Thomas is fishing almost everyday again.

Ava cut her hair.  It was only a matter of time with that girl!  Her hair is usually so wild that we didn't even realize she did it until we found her little scissors and a pile of curls by the sink at bedtime when we went to brush her teeth.  Thankfully she didn't give herself super short bangs or anything like that.  It just looks like she has a bunch of new growth coming in and it no longer can all be pulled back into a ponytail.  Never a dull moment.

We have about a month left of school.  We are all looking forward to summer break!  Elle has loved English this year.  On Fridays she gets to pick a writing assignment from two or three choices.  When she can't decide which one to choose she asks if she can write about each one.  :)  It has been so fun to watch her writing get better and better throughout the year.  She says that she wants to be an author, interior designer or fashion designer when she grows up.

As you can see, Ava has a fun time playing in her room while we do school.  This mess is actually pretty tame.  She has been known to dump out every single bin of toys and play hopscotch with the containers.  I was close to giving away most of the toys on those days!  Today Ava got herself stuck when she climbed into the bottom drawer of one of those rolling bins.  She was calling out for someone to help her and it was pretty funny when we went in there to help her!

Hope you are all having a wonderful spring!

i love these kids

it's beginning to feel a lot like spring

 

It's been warming up and melting around here.  The kids have loved getting outside and playing.  They got their bikes out of the shed and took their first ride around the neighborhood this afternoon, even Ava on her tricycle.  It made me smile.  They will sleep well tonight!

meet dorothy

Ava has been thumb-free for over two weeks!  I can hardly believe it!  Her reward was a new fish.  She named it Dorothy and she absolutely loves it.

She plays with it and gives it kisses.

And big hugs too.  The best part is that she says she's never, ever going to suck her thumb again!