Go, Go, Goers!

With Ava, I'm past the point of picking out her outfits in the morning. I give her some guidance, based on the forecast, and 99% of the time, her chosen outfit will pass. Every once in a while, I have to to put my foot down, but usually, she's presentable. On picture days, though, I make the choice! Last week, I was in her room, checking in on her before-school progress, and I happened to notice that her outfit had stripes, polka dots, and leopard prints...all at the same time. I thought it was interesting enough that I put it on Facebook...and it turns out that my friends with little girls see the same thing in their house, too! I love the creativity and the lack of concern about what other people will think about her. I hope she maintains that as she's transitioning into the next phase of her life. G, on the other hand is very concerned about matching. He always wants to make sure his socks have at least one color in them that is on his shirt. Unless his Toy Story ...

I have always struggled with planning for Ava's birthday each year.  I get very, very anxious while planning it...What if no one shows up?  What if there isn't enough to do?  What if the kids all hate it?  (So strange, because I couldn't really give two hoots about what people think,,,,but for some reason, when it comes to Ava's birthday party, it's a massive concern for me.  She certainly is never this worried about it!) In any case, we've gone the "go-somewhere-and-pay-for-a-space-and-activities" route.  Last year, we hosted the party at our house...and it was chaos.  She's already started thinking about what she wants to do this year.  I've had to reign her back in a bit - such grandiose plans! Ava's attended several parties for one of her little friends, and I've always been impressed with how they manage to keep things fun and entertaining, and don't visually stress out about it.  Haha.  So, a few weeks ago, I RSVPd yes for...

The theme of Ava's third-grade music program on Thursday night was a timely one. It was all about America and what it means to be an American. Ava opened the music program with the first spoken line, "This is America and we are Americans."  They sang ten songs about America and kept the show fun with waving flags, zippy kazoos, and creative dance routines. And, as my dad pointed out, the kids are now old enough that you can actually understand the words they are singing! I am so proud of Ava for volunteering to speak in front of the crowd...she did a great job! Ava is in a red shirt, right in the middle of the picture G had fun at his first friends birthday party last weekend. It was at a fitness facility in Lakeville. We had a hard time finding the building, and G could see that I was getting a bit frustrated with the directions. He kept saying that it was okay, and that we didn't need to go in, and that we could just go home. Having my little man try to c...