Carter

Not cool spring.  Not cool at all.

Carter told me "Mom at school today I saw Reagan eat paper.  I asked her why are you doing that?  She told me she was an alien.  Then I googled Are aliens real yes or no.  Then I saw a video on you tube of an alien and I got scared and ran down here.  But don't worry I didn't actually watch the video I just saw the alien."  And wouldn't you know that now my easily frightened little boy is now having nightmares about aliens.

Carter has also started entering important dates into the calender on his tablet.  He put in a special date and then a thumbs up sign.  Mike and I were laughing because he has now surpassed me in technology ( I still keep a paper calender.)

He is such a funny little goofball.  Mike made it home and we were starting to get dinner on the table.  Then Carter made a little announcement "Mom, I just had to wait until Dad got home because I wanted to tell both of you at once.  I made a poster at school about the Magna Carta's birthday and it got picked!  It's being made into a professional poster!"  Pretty cool!  It just cracked me up that he was so excited about his little secret but he managed to keep it quiet for over two hours until Mike got home.  By the way, it's also the 800th Birthday of the Magna Carta.  I had no idea!!

  

Ava

Recently Ava told me "Mom there is something I want more than anything else in the world."  I replied "Oh really, what is it?"  She warmed my heart by saying "I want to be a great reader.  I want to know all the words.  But I don't yet."

Boy, does she ever love to read.  Earlier in the week I hurt my back and I was spending a little time on the heating pad.  After school Ava laid next to me on the floor and read book after book to me.  Right now her favorite is Are you my mother? by P.D. Eastman.  I've heard it over and over!  She also likes a lot of the Dr. Seuss early readers like Hop on Pop and Ten Apples Up on Top.

It amazes me that she comes home from long day at kindergarten and wants to continue working.  She sits down at the table to color, write, read and even picks up math workbooks.  All of her own choosing.  

She is still having difficulty going to school.  Earlier in the week I bought her a little stuffed kitten that meows.  She carries it to school and then puts it in her backpack when she gets to school.  It seems to be helping, but I'm also worried about how spring break will affect her when we return.  Only seven and a half more weeks of school left!!  

Dawson

His newest obsession: Paw Patrol.  This morning to watch the show he went and put on his paw patrol hat and shirt, then brought his Paw Patrol book and stuffed Marshall.  It was quite the viewing party.

This week Dawson was feeling a little mischievous.  He got Daddy's grabber and was chasing the dog around the house.  The poor thing was so scared she was trembling between my legs.  Then he found an empty pull up box and started beating it with a stick.  I jokingly said to him "You are being a holy terror."  Fast forward six hours later till dinner.  Dawson decided to pound his fist on the table and yell "I'M A HOLY TERROR!"

He is also convinced he can read the dog's mind.  He will tell me "when Shadow looks like this and sticks out her tongue it means yes and when she looks up it means no."  I guess we have our very own Dr. Dolittle in the house!

The Boys

I have to say that Shadow is such a sweet dog with the kids.  Today Dawson harnessed himself to the dog and spent a good half an hour yanking the dog all around the house.  He also enjoyed drinking water out of the dog's bowl!  Building up his immune system, right?

MOST EXPENSIVE CAKE EVER!!

I spent way too much time this weekend making a cake for the Cub Scout Cake Bake.  It went for $50 at the auction!  We bought it of course, because we wanted to make sure we had a peanut free cake.  Then after eating a slice I realized this is a TON of cake.  So we played neighborhood cake fairy and delivered cake to four different neighbors.  It was so sweet to watch Ava with a big smile on her face, ringing doorbells and giving cake to her friends.  I love her loving, generous spirit.

Carter was the proud recipient of five different belt loops: hockey, ice skating, flag football, basketball and good manners. 

This is how Dawson, Shadow and I have been spending our afternoons.  Dawson impresses me with his stamina every time.  One afternoon he biked for 2.25 miles!  Not bad little one!

Spring, is that you?

We have been loving this weather!  

Carter adores being outside, and I'm happy to oblige.  We walked down to a pond in our neighborhood.  Despite a string of days in the 40's and 50's the pond was still frozen solid enough to walk on.

Carter's first baseball practice of the season will be tomorrow.  He has improved so much since last year!  He loves practicing with Mike and I so I'm looking forward to a fun season!  We Love you funny Carter boy!

Trials and Tribulations of Growing Up

Look at this sweet little face.  I've made a promise to myself to get out my good camera on a daily basis to take a pictures.  I take plenty of pictures on my cell phone, but they just can't compare!

I'm excited and also a little worried because you are going to be starting a girls softball league in a week.  I offered you the option of playing and you seemed very excited.  I'm nervous because you just don't really like to practice, and boy could you ever use it.

I guess now is the time to try new things and you'll never know if you like it unless we give it a go!  

Morning is still hard.  You still don't want to go to school.  I've been bribing you with art supplies so that you will hold it together enough to get on the bus.  Not the best situation, but I'm kind of at a loss.  I guess I should take it as a compliment that you love me so much.  These full days are hard on little five year olds!

I love you my little Avaroo!!

Just Cracking up

Dawson loves pistachios.

Typically, I buy the pistachios with the shells removed.  But for whatever reason this particular day, I didn't.

He was cracking me up with his little faces!

Eventually I ended up cracking most of the bowl for him.

Because really, who wouldn't do just about anything for this little grin!!

St. Patrick's Day

My Three Irish Cuties

We had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day!  The kids enjoyed setting traps, and were even more excited when the leprechaun delivered with stationary sets for everyone (notebooks, pencils, erasers, stickers and pencil holders) and a little candy.  The biggest hit of the day was the calculator (which Dawson is holding up in this picture.)  The leprechauns got everyone a different set, so there was plenty of bickering over the calculator.

The kiddos enjoyed dressing up for the special day.  Carter's shirt cracked me up: Irish I was a Ninja.  Topped off with a suspenders he was very handsome!  Ava's hair bow was adorable and she loves any shirt with plenty of glitter (so does Mike, especially when he goes to work with glitter on his shirts).  Dawson on the other hand really wanted nothing to do with his St. Patrick's Day shirt.  I had him wear it for a little and then he took it off in favor of a green John Deere shirt.  Erin Go Braugh!

Little Memories

Another day, another snow storm.  This was march 1st, and it was one of our biggest snowstorms this winter!  Now I'm crossing my fingers, it will be our last snowstorm with a large amount of snow!

Fierce Nerf Soldier

Ya'll this boy knows how to do winter.  He decided to sit on the heating vent to keep him warm.

This picture just warms my heart.  Dawson has recently decided that instead of coming into our room when he is scared to climb into bed with Ava.  I found them this way sound asleep in the middle of the night.  While I love it that they are comforting each other, I just worry about one of them falling off the top bunk.  I told them I didn't want them to sleep on the top bunk together anymore, but that they were more than welcome to sleep on the queen bed together in Ava's room.  So far they haven't taken me up on the offer, but who knows where they will be sleeping next week!  

Seven and a Half (only about two weeks late)

Well, Carter boy now you are seven and a half.  You have grown to be such an awesome little boy.  You are doing very well in school and I hear compliment after compliment from your teachers.  They tell me you are very well behaved, kind and trustworthy.  

Mother/Son Bowling event

You have so many different interests.  This winter you got really excited about ice skating and ice hockey.  You have enjoyed different sports leagues: flag football, baseball and basketball.  You enjoy reading about history, most recently we have been reading many biographies of Abraham Lincoln.  We also do a lot of reading about "How to survive."  Which leads me to one of your favorite play schemes right now: survival.  You have not one but two back packs that you fill with survival gear such as first aid kits, nerf guns, your wallet, snacks, water bottles, night vision goggles, paracord bracelets and a compass.  We walk down to the neighbors house and you all "survive" on the trail, which is really a walking path next to a neighborhood pond.

We've been giving you more responsibility lately.  Today I asked you to take Shadow on a walk, by yourself.  I was outside with Dawson, who didn't want to stop playing in the snow and Ava was inside the house because she didn't like the cold and rain.  So you took Shadow on a walk around the cul-de-sac next to our house.  You did great, and I could tell you were really proud of your new found freedom.  

And because there are not nearly enough baby pictures of you on the blog, here you are at six months.  Seven years ago!!

Recently you had me laughing so hard.  It was the first forty degree day and we were going to play outside with friends for the first time in a VERY long time.  You told me "Mom, I just feel awesome today.  This is great that we can get outside.  That winter lasted a million, trillion, gazillion decades!"

You are so right Carter, it's amazing how a forty degree sunny day can make us all feel amazing!

I have enjoyed every minute of being your Mama!  I love it because even at seven, you still call me Mama from time to time.  Now that you are back into your own room we can cuddle a little bit before you go to sleep.  It's such a special time, and I know that you aren't going to want to cuddle your mama forever.  I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!  

My sweet girl

Boy, all this time off has really thrown this little girl for a loop.  I think this has been one of the few five day weeks since school resumed in January.  She has had a really hard time with separating from me.  She has been crying in the morning getting on the bus because she wants to stay home with me.  I've tried asking her if everything is ok at school and she said she just dosen't want to leave me.  One day to ease her fears I told her I would eat lunch with her.  When it was time to go back to her teacher she burst into tears at school.  I had a conversation with her teacher and she said that everything has been fine at school.  She also cried when I had to leave her at home with Mike one night to go to a meeting.  So, I'm just trying to spend lots of time loving and snuggling her and playing with her every possible chance that I get.  We also talk about all the fun things that she gets to do at school, and how much she likes to see friends.  I'm sure this is just a phase and it will pass quickly, but please go away soon!  Mommy's heart can't take much more!! 

Full Moon

Wow! Today was a crazy, crazy day!  In the morning Dawson and I ran some errands.  Lunch time was approaching but I gave him a snack in the car and I needed to make one more stop at the gas station to get gas and pump up the air in the tires of the minivan.  After I pumped the air the sensor in the valve stem broke off and all the air in the tire quickly whooshed out.  NOOOO!!!!  Completely flat tire, on the rim with no hope of going anywhere.  So we had a tow truck pick up up and take us to the Goodyear Store.  While we were waiting at the gas station I had to pick him up something to eat, he was excited for a lunchable and bug juice!!  We got to ride in the tow truck to the tire store and a neighbor picked us up (and our perishable groceries) and took us home.

(I just realized that this headache for me was Dawson's BEST DAY EVER!!)

In the afternoon Ava got off the bus crying and yelling because she couldn't get her new diary from the book fair to open.  We had friends over to play and she cried and clung to me for at least half an hour.  Dawson and Carter got into fight after fight after fight.  Dawson started crying because he didn't want to go to college without mom and dad.  (What a funny thing to be so worried about!!!!)

I warned Mike on his way home that he was coming home to three grumpy tigers.

While driving to the tire repair store we looked up and saw a big beautiful full moon.  That explains it all!!