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High Five!

I remember when Ava turned four...one of her gifts was a new bicycle from us.  It was princess-themed, it had a basket in the shape of Cinderella's carriage, and there were shiny, pretty streamers on the handles.  And it had training wheels, of course.  Our sweet daughter was so excited to get on it and start riding! After we had suited her up with all of her protective gear, she took off down the alley, got stuck on a grate in the road, and managed to tip the bike over while at a complete standstill.  I still don't know how that happened.

After that, she wasn't so interested in riding her bike much. I'm not sure she even got on the bike last summer.  So, Scott and I decided that 2016 is the year of change.  Last weekend, he raised the bike seat and took off the training wheels.  And after 15 minutes of Scott walking with her, she managed to ride without assistance!  I'm pretty sure that this bike is too small for her, but we're going to have her practice on it until she has it down, and then she can get a new one.  So proud of our girl!

Scott also thought it would be fun to put G on Ava's old tricycle...and G had a blast! He can't quite get the pedals down, but at least he has a better chance of keeping up with his big sister this way.  One of my coworkers has a Spiderman bike that her son has outgrown so we're going to take it off her hands.   After G got his new Spiderman shoes a few weeks ago, he has decided he's a fan, so this should go over well.



The Tooth Fairy made another stop at our house this week...the last of Ava's top middle teeth came out while she was at school - #5 is out!  I had the chance to talk to her teacher the next day and she mentioned that she convinced Ava to pull it out while in class on Tuesday morning! Ava was so excited to lose her tooth at school as she then got a little treasure chest to keep the tooth safe until she got home (she's been wanting one of those for a looong time.) 

Since we recently had the chat about where the Tooth Fairy was going to pick up the tooth that night, I didn't even get any push back for that evening when we left it outside of her room on the bookshelf.  However, Ava was disappointed that she got a gold coin again...now, she wants quarters. Okee dokee!

I have several friends with Himalayan salt lamps, so I bought one to keep in our office at home. The first time G saw it, he asked me if it was meat (it does look like a ham.)  When I explained it was a lamp and then turned it on, he asked if it was a pumpkin.  Good question, kid.  After further discussion, he is now aware that it's a lamp. Not meat, and not a pumpkin.  And yes, it does taste like salt - both Scott and I tasted it!

Totally looks like ham!


And a lit-up pumpkin...

Yesterday was gorgeous, and Scott had to work all day, so my friend Matt and I planned a play date (his wife works on Saturdays, and he has three young kids.) We were going to go to a really neat play area in Bloomington, but it was super busy, so we ended up at a local park by my work.  It was nice that there was a big play structure, and then a little one for kids aged 2-5...gave G something to do!

After we had exhausted the park features, we headed over to have ice cream treats at a local restaurant. G made a HUGE mess, and it's clear that he is not ready to stop taking naps...he turned into a little monster while we were there.  As soon as we got home, I put him down for a nap, and he was out within minutes. All in all, it was fun to get out on a gorgeous day!



Matt was explaining the finer points of this equipment to his son, Elijah, and G



Wheeeee!  I went down this slide with him many times until I decided I needed to recruit Ava to take over the job.


We ended up having a bonfire last night and made s'mores for the neighborhood kids, plus had a chance to catch up with a neighbor. I hit my wall at 10:30pm and went inside to snooze on the couch. Scott came in shortly thereafter and headed over to another neighbor's fire (I was too pooped to go) and he didn't get home until 1am!  That's the latest he has stayed out in a really long time...I have a feeling he'll be a little tired by the time 7pm rolls around tonight.  Luckily, we have no big plans for the day, and he'll be able to take it easy...which is good because it's gorgeous again outside.  Spring just might be here to stay!

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