Lucky #6

Even though the state of Minnesota might float away in the next few days, we've managed to squeeze out some fun times!  And, we even saw the sun for several hours, so we might dry out at some point...

Monday night Ava started her baton twirling class...we weren't able to watch, but could hear everything.  My favorite line was, "We don't throw things in this class.  Like batons.  And certainly not at the mirror!"  It makes me wonder how many times a baton has been sent through the air, like a little arrow, shattering whatever is in its path.  Fortunately, her class was accident free.  And now we need to decide if we're going to invest in a flashy pink-tipped baton, or if this is a short-lived interest.  In any case...it's a unique one - just like Ava!

At 1:59a.m. on Wednesday, our little peanut turned 6!  Of course, we were all sleeping at that time, so the party didn't start until several hours later.  She had a great day at daycare with cupcakes and pedis, and then that night, our family (plus both sets of grandparents) headed out to Chuck E Cheese to eat pizza, play games, and be kids.  I'm honestly not sure who got the most tickets from the games...Ava, or her dad and grandpas...!

Normally I wouldn't talk about a cake, but with this one...I have to.  I bought a watermelon cake mix to make for Ava. It's pink with black "seeds", and the frosting is green.  All watermelon flavored...and I thought I was going to throw up while making it.  I despise artificial watermelon flavor.  But, I love my daughter...

And in the end, it tasted way better than it smelled! :)

Make a wish!

 Stubborn candles!

Surprisingly good...and half gone!

And then yesterday was filled from top-to-bottom with all sorts of fun activities.  Scott worked all day (boo!) so Ava, G and I kept ourselves busy.  I was re-potting some plants in the morning, and our neighbors (who are moving...sad...) were outside loading some belongings to be moved.  To keep the kids busy, Mary suggested that they have a lemonade stand.  It kept them occupied for hours!  And they made $15 - not too shabby!

 Once G got up from his nap, we all headed over to our pool...I'm really impressed with how nice and clean everything is.  There were a ton of people there, and we had a great time!  We met another neighbor whose youngest daughter is six, and will be in 1st grade at Red Pine...just like Ava!  I also learned that there is a strip of houses, down the street from us, that all have daughters around Ava's age.  Looks like we need to take a walk around the block to meet them!

Ready to swim!

Zonked out from his day in the water...

Last night, we met up with our very dear friends, the Winfields, for a late dinner.  My parents joined us for a bit, as they hadn't seen Darren, Tiff and the girls for several years.  I wanted a picture of me and Tiffany, and their daughter Evy jumped in at the last minute...hence the open-mouth expressions in this one!  Every time we see them, I wish they hadn't moved away - we love hanging out with all of them!!

Today will be a busy day...it's Ava's little friends party this afternoon.  Should be fun!