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...

Ava loves Fun Dip. I used to love it when I was the one eating it, but now I see it as messy and just pure sugar that gets everywhere. Yuck. But, Ava got a color-changing packet for Valentine's Day, so she had it for a treat last weekend. The powder was blue, but when it got wet, it turned the prettiest shade of green! And then G thought it was fun to be sticking his tongue out, too, so he wanted me to get a pic of his very normal colored tongue. He's big into pictures now...always wanting to take them! No tongues, he just wanted a pic with Mom! Ava's been busy practicing for her music program, which is later this week. The theme is America, which I find to be timely, all political things considered. Ava volunteered to have a speaking part, so she's going to kick off one of the songs!  We've been practicing a lot recently...can't wait to see how things go! G is super excited because this afternoon, he is going to his first birthday party for a l...

February is all about reading at Ava's school. She has a monthly challenge to read at least 400 minutes a month, but in February, she's aiming for 1000 minutes! She's doing a fantastic job so far...I have the feeling that she'll be meeting her goal!  We also submitted a pic to the school of her reading Harry Potter to G...not sure that G really appreciated the story! We also had a lovely Valentine's Day this week...both kids passed out valentines in their classes, and of course they came home with a mountain of candy. I just found candy from G's party last year! I guess it's a good thing that they don't burn through candy that fast...but we really, really don't need extra candy for any holiday, ever again! Getting ready to head to school on Heart Day! Scott made the kids an early dinner on Valentine's Day and then we sent them off to bed a little early so we could enjoy a dinner for just the two of us. After the crazy times I'...

I think the end of winter may be in sight.  I know we'll have a some more snow storms, and there will definitely be more chilly days, but, it seems that perhaps, we have passed the point of a deep freeze.  I just checked the weather, and it looks like we will be up into the 50s next weekend.  The 50s!!  In February!  In Minnesota!  Say what you will, but I'm pretty sure climate change is a real thing. In any case, we have gotten over the post-holiday slump, and have been taking advantage of the nicer days (and appreciating the longer hours of sunshine) to get outside and focus on fun.  Last weekend, Ava worked on her decorating her Valentine's box and also writing out her class Valentine's (it's just easier to do them right away, rather than waiting until the last minute and feeling rushed and stressed out.) Since it was such a nice day, some of her little neighborhood friends came over to see if she could play outside with them.  When she was d...

When G plays with his Superman toy, or watches a TV show with superheroes in it, I usually remember to ask, "Are you a good guy or a bad guy?"  And, without fail, he always says that he's a good guy. Good answer, G!   When Ava was little and big into the Princesses and Fairies, there was a brief time where she seemed to like the villains a little bit more.  I won't lie, that concerned me for a bit.  But now it's clear to see that she is a good person, with a sweet heart, and would never, ever do something to hurt someone intentionally.  Yesterday, she was playing in Minecraft, and was telling me about the Creepers (aka suicide bombers...that was a fun one to explain) and just other creatures in general.  She showed me this amazing house that she built, and I asked her if she would invite anyone inside of her house.  Her only rule was that they had to be nice and not say mean things.  Atta girl! It makes my heart happy to know that our children...