Go, Go, Goers!

There are some weeks that are bright and colorful and then there are some that are grey. This was a grey week. I'm not sure where the beautiful sunshine went from last week, but it was definitely hiding from us.  It's interesting how the grey skies can have an effect on the mood, though...I felt a bit down and sluggish all week, except for Friday when the sunshine poked through for a bit. G threw up at daycare 20 minutes after I dropped him off that morning, and the sunshine gave me a little extra boost to get some things done around the house, while I was hanging out with him at home. We think he just had a little bug, as he seems to be getting back to normal now. Scott just informed me that it's going to rain today and snow tonight...gross! Looks like we're going to delay another week to put the garden in. Ava brought home a Red Pine sapling, so we wanted to plant that in the yard this week...but.... So, what makes for a good pick-me-up? How about buying a new car...

We had a great Easter last weekend! The kids woke up to sunshiney day, an egg hunt, and a yummy brunch. By some crazy luck, both Ava and G found the same number of eggs (13)! Ava is such a good big sister...there were two golden eggs, and Ava found them both, but she pointed out the second one to G so he could have a golden egg, too. Even though she gets irritated with G at times, she really watches out for him...I love that!   After our fun morning, we headed over to Scott's uncle's house for Easter dinner with the family. It was a lovely day, so we spent most of it outside, enjoying the sun and watching the kids play in the yard. Surprisingly, they both enjoyed playing bat & ball the best. We asked Ava if she wanted to try playing softball and she said no...but, I think we'll keep working on that with her. On Wednesday night, I attended a gardening class with some neighbors. Now we're super excited to start designing and planting our gardens. L...

I can't believe it's already Easter. This year is flying by, and I'm happy to say the last few months have been significantly better than the first few of 2017. Thank goodness! Ava was helping me with some yard work yesterday, and she proclaimed that spring is the time of rebirth! Baby animals are born, and the plants start coming back to life! It was such a great moment to watch her make those realizations...that's why I have always loved spring! We've been getting ready for Easter at our house...we dyed some eggs yesterday (this was G's first time) and we've been watching a lot of Peppa Pig Easter/Spring specials. One day we'll need to dig into the true meaning of Easter with the kids, but right now, we're focusing on the egg hunts, family time, and the love of the fuzzy bunnies. Not the bunny poop, though. We found some of that in our front yard yesterday...stay away from my plants, bunny friend! Just waiting for the kids... Thi...

I took last weekend off from writing a blog post...because I had no time! I needed a vacation from my weekend. Grandma Deb picked up Ava and G on Saturday morning, which allowed me to get a ton of stuff done around the house, and then meet up with Scott for a late lunch out. A few hours later, a group of friends and I had a fun ladies night, starting with a good dinner, and ending with an interesting few hours at a bar with a band. But I couldn't stay out too late, oh no! Scott and I left on Sunday morning at 7:45am to have a quiet breakfast out. Right after that, I drove up to Grandma Deb's to attend a Norwex party, and then bring Ava and G home. After a quick stop off at our house, and settling the kids in there, I picked up my mom and we headed to the big craft fair in Shakopee. We walked/shopped for several hours, then hit up Target on the way home. Phew! I was exhausted by dinner time last Sunday. Monday didn't get much better, as G was fighting a fever. I kept him...

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...