Entertainment Galore

The first week back after Christmas vacation wasn't too bad...both Scott and I are busy at work, so the days flew by this week, and then at night, we've been so busy with Ava, house stuff, etc.  One of the projects we had was to switch our family room and living room TVs around.  I needed to make sure all of the components were connected correctly, so I decided it would be a fine time to play a little XBox.  We're not big into gaming in our house, so we only have a few games to choose from.  Ava helped me with some practice battles in Soul Calibur II - and she actually did well!  Really, I think she just enjoyed pushing the buttons on the controller...

After I realized that perhaps that was a little violent for our toddler, we moved onto Karaoke Revolution.  Boy, give that girl the mic, and you'll never get a chance to sing.  If the music wasn't on, she'd sing and talk into it, but once the music started playing, she just ran around with it, and every once in a while would squeak out a note or two.  After we listed to "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" five times, we decided that a driving game was in order.  So, we pulled out The Simpsons Hit & Run.  I'm horrible at driving games, but Ava sure got a kick out of it when my car kept hitting trees, garages, random people, etc.  I think we need to practice that game just a bit!

We also had our annual friend's holiday party last night - 8 adults, and 5 kids, and very little drama!  The three younger kids did really well playing together (and it was good practice for sharing toys, too.)  Dinner was so good (thanks to all for bringing everything - we left our contribution at home accidentally.  Real nice.)  and after the kids were in bed, we had the chance to play an adult game, and have a modified version of parties in the years' past.  It's so nice that we are all still friends and enjoy each other's company so much.  And our kids seem to like each other, too...whew!

Corinne, our lovely hostess, made each of the kids a really cool gift.  Ava and Isabel each got tutus (Ava's is lime green and pink, while Isabel's is light pink and blue), and Dylan got a really neat cape.  I'm sure that each of these gifts will be used for years to come!  In fact, this morning, I decided that Ava need to wear it while she was playing.  I do have hope for a girly-girl!  She loves her little purse, and she was twirling a little with the tutu. Yeah!

After all the fun and games were over, Scott decided to make the entire family beg for a treat.  Seriously.

This afternoon/evening, we are having a late Christmas gathering with Scott's mom, stepdad and grandma.  We're looking forward to seeing them, as well as their almost-finished remodeled house!  I'm thinking there might be some more cool toys coming Ava's way today...:)