Family Pictures

Our family pictures are in!  These are the first family pictures we've had taken by someone other than a tripod since Carter was a baby.  Although the temperature was very nice that day, it was a little windy.

Ava and Pirate Pete's Big Day

 On Saturday Ava finally had her long anticipated date.  In the morning Carter's football game was cancelled so we all went to Home Depot for the Kid's create workshop.   This month they made fire trucks.

Now that we have done a couple of these workshops, Ava and Dawson have gotten much better with the hammer.  Carter just goes to town without any help!

Hard at work

Then I took Ava for her date:  her very first build a bear experience.  She has just gotten wind from other kids at school that build a bear even exist.  So off we went!  It was pretty fun to pick out the bear and outfit.  They have so many cool accessories too, she was eyeing the sleeping bag and camo tent for her bear.  She also got a really cute backpack to carry the bear.

I love these individual moments with each child, it really helps me to focus on one child at a time and get into deeper conversations.  Not that every date has to be so elaborate or expensive, but just time spent together.  Love my little Avaroo!!  Thanks for the fun time!

Little Stories from this Week

Ava is very excited because she has Pirate Pete this week from school.  Each child gets a weekend with Pirate Pete and then writes about their adventures with him.  Ava took him to gymnastics tonight, but the exciting part about that is her coach reported she did her first cartwheel!  She hasn't been able to duplicate it at home, but we will keep practicing.

Now a funny Dawson drawing.  He has been very interested in Harry Potter and he drew a picture on the bottom of a Quidditch field.  In the middle he drew a picture of Harry Potter's scar.  On the top he wrote his name, but he turned the S into the lightning bolt scar.  Love it!

Finally, kids will be kids.  They love imaginary play, and here they are being spies.  They had gotten into some plastic cutlery in the basement and are using them as weapons.  Everyone has a couple strapped on their body.  Love the blue spy goggles, Carter!

Bowling Date with my Littlest Boy

Mike was out of town this week, which is a rarity for our family.  The kids saw him Monday morning before school, and he was home Wednesday night at dinner time.  Dawson had a really hard time with Daddy being gone.  He cried so hard when Mike left, and I could tell all day long that he was off.  He cried very easily and it was so hard to put him to bed Monday night.  He ended up sleeping with me.  So I decided to do something special and fun with him Tuesday afternoon.  Carter had a special date on Sunday so Doc will have one too!  (Ava and I will do something special soon, too!)

Anyways, I offered him lots of options but he insisted on bowling.  We had just gone two days prior, but he had apparently really enjoyed it.  It was so funny to go bowling with him, I had to take a video to capture it.  You can see his patented bowling on his butt move and then he just stops and drops to do a little spin.  Thankfully our special time together cheered him up and we made it through to Wednesday night.

Plus a little ice cream never hurts!

I'm so thankful for all the time I have with my sweeties.

Go Browns!! (say Mike and Carter)

On Sunday Mike got the opportunity to take Carter to a Browns game.  He was so excited when Mike told him, he started a countdown, asked daily when he was going and told everyone he knew.

Ha ha, I just had to laugh at this one, Mike looks so confused about how to take a selfie.

Carter had a great time.  He was so excited because Mike bought him a "really expensive" hat.  He loved getting shirley temples and pizza.

It looks like the boys had a great time!

At one point during this day I told Dawson the Browns were losing.  He said under his breath "the Browns are the worst!"  I looked at him smiling and he said "I almost said that!"  

Bowling Party Fun!

This weekend I took Ava and Dawson to a bowling party, while Carter went with Mike to the Browns Game.  For some reason I always forget how much fun they have bowling, I'm going to have to remember it when we are all feeling the cabin fever that we will inevitably be feeling.

Ava is a surprisingly good little bowler.  She enjoys it too!  

Dawson invented his own technique:  sit down on the floor and roll the ball as hard as you can.  When you get a little bigger and stronger we will teach you an easier way!

Dawson won a prize with Meme's FUN money.  She gives me quarters for horsey money, gumball machines and game machines.  Thank you so much!

Crazy Week

Well, it's been a crazy week as we all know.  I'm so thankful for my little guys, they have helped me to smile and have fun in spite of everything else going on.  Here are some of these little moments that have brought a smile to my face. 

Recently I had gotten out of the shower and put on a little perfume.  I was cuddling this silly little face and he told me, "Mommy, you smell really good today.  You must have used soap today in the shower."  Ha!   Point of fact: I do use soap during every shower.

He is holding a helicopter lego toy that he recently picked out in this picture.  Then he told me that I made his dreams come true.  Glad I could make your dreams come true!

We finally had family pictures taken.  I haven't paid someone to take pictures of our family since Carter was a baby, we've just taken pictures on a tripod.  I'm so excited to see how they come out.

We stopped by a state park where the boy scouts will be camping in a few weeks.  It was beautiful and the kids had fun exploring the grounds.  

Ava wrote this during church this morning, so sweet.

This cracked me up, Ava wrote at the bottom: Help others that need it!  Then the man with his hands up is saying:  Help!  I'm poor!

Yet another Ava note that made me chuckle.  She was brushing her teeth and Dawson wanted to put his toothbrush away in the cup.  She elbowed him as he moved between her and the wall.  I had a talk with her and this is the note she wrote to him:  I am sorry for wut I bun.  I love you Dawson!  I am mor srey!  

And to be filed under things I never thought I'd say until I became a mother:

Why is there underwear on the chandelier again?

(The kids throw their laundry over the balcony for me to wash and every couple of months it seems like a pair of underwear ends up on the chandelier.)