Go, Go, Goers!

Last Sunday we hosted Ava's birthday party for her friends. Over the years, I've learned that it causes me too much stress to host a bunch of kids at our house, so when I suggested bowling to Ava, she jumped on it! We had a recommendation for a great place, somewhat close to home...and it was fun! There were 10 kids there...they ate so much pizza and cake, and had a blast bowling together. G had never been bowling before and he came pretty close to getting the high score for the lane he was on! Ava is also taking summer band, which means I'm working at home a few days a week so I can drive her there/pick her up for her band lessons. She's home with me during those days, and last Tuesday, the weather was fabulous, so she asked if we could take a walk when I was done working. We ended up at the neighborhood park, and it made me so happy to see her playing on the equipment. The kid in her isn't quite all gone yet! Ava also gets

We kicked off the week with a bang...we celebrated father's day on Sunday, and then celebrated Ava's birthday over a few days span (and we're still not done!) My parents joined us for dinner on Sunday, and then Scott's mom and stepdad brought dessert and joined the party a bit later in the evening. It was wonderful to be able to spend time with family, celebrating the dads in our lives. A big hug and love to my dad, Scott's dad, Scott's stepdad, and of course, Scott! Grandma Deb and Grandpa Whitey gained control of the children on Monday night, and lavished them with a fun stay at a hotel, and then a full day's worth of activities....especially having fun at the MoA, checking out the LEGO Store, and the SeaLife aquarium. Fun stuff! Meanwhile, Scott and I enjoyed some silence back at home...I was able to get ready for work in peace, and pondered if this is what's it's like not to be responsible for anyone other than myself in the morning. Amazing!

It was the first week of a full summer schedule, and I think half of the kids in our house had some fun? Ava seemed to enjoy her days at the middle school program, especially the day they packed food at Feed My Starving Children. She had never participated in something like that before, and was really intrigued, and wants to go back as a family. Once G turns six, we can do that! Ava also took her YMCA summer swimming test and is in the highest level, so she can go wherever she wants, at whatever pools they go to this summer. I love watching her swim...she seems to really enjoy it, and loves being in the water. This past Thursday, Scott had to work on a side job after he was done working his main job, so after the kids and I ate dinner, I took them to our neighborhood pool. G is getting more brave and likes to put his head under water, and is very interested in learning to swim. Two of Ava's friends came to the pool that night, so they had fun playing and splashing around, while I

Oh boy, what an emotional week! In the days leading up to Ava's last day of 5th grade, I checked in with her to see how she was feeling about wrapping up her time in elementary school. She was excited and definitely NOT sad. She loved having her yearbook at school and had a great time passing it around. In fact, one day she came home and she had signatures on her legs, instead of the yearbook. I thought that was kind of weird, but what do I know?? With my excellent planning skills, I thought it would be a wise move to schedule Ava's ortho check-in before the school day started. What I didn't realize was that it was on the last day of school. Normally not a big deal, but it kicked off the day with a whole lot of driving around and a much earlier than normal departure time. So, no braces yet, but we assume they're coming in the next two years. She has only lost eight baby teeth, so it's all dependent on how the remaining twelve teeth come in, once they have room. At

The madness is coming to an end! Ava did her final 5th grade presentation this past week, and G graduated from K-Prep on Thursday. It's hard to believe that we are going to be fully done with daycare in a few months, and we'll have an elementary AND middle schooler on our hands. I mentioned to Scott that we're going to have TWO kids with homework next year...argh! G got a lovely, sparkly feather (painted on his arm) and a new horse named Sweetfoot (??) on Tuesday night - I love our Tuesday nights at Carbone's! Ava did a great job for her presentation on "Just One More Time" (a collection of all of the things she wished she could do just one more time at Red Pine before leaving.) She and a classmate also did a presentation on Christopher Columbus. My crazy kid decided to sit on the floor for the 2nd half of the presentation... The 5th graders all paint a tile that is permanently posted at Red Pine. Ava (look at those muscles!) showed me where her