Spring Break 2010

I took the week off of work while the girls had Spring Break and we had a great week together.  It really made me miss being home with  the girls.  Not only did we go to the aquarium, Rain Forest Cafe, hair cuts, dentist, pictures and out with grandmas I also managed to weed the backyard and clean out a couple of closets.  It was wonderful! 

At the Dallas World Aquarium, we got there right after it open and had a great time going from exhibit to exhibit.  It was good we got there early because when we left, the line to get in was insane.  One of Ava’s favorite things was the jaguar.  He did not seem happy at all – pacing back and forth – but Ava thought it was fun to run back and forth with him. 

I didn’t realize this when I took the picture, but now looking back at it I am pretty sure the alligator peed just before I took the picture.  I guess that does make me think he was real because he didn’t move at all while we were watching him.

There were several huge manatees.  The girls thought they were pretty cool.

Then we went on to the Rain Forest Cafe.  While we were waiting for a table, the girls when on a little train ride.

Another fun activity was pillow forts.  This normally consisted of Anna and McKenna getting every pillow in the house and Ava would sit in the middle of all of them saying ‘I’m a Princess’ – this could go on for hours :-) and yes, Ava is wearing a green shirt and purple pants – It was St. Patrick’s day and once she had these pants on she didn’t want to change so we just went with it.

And what is March without one more snow storm

This time, Ava really wanted to go outside and she was willing to dress warmly.  Anna, McKenna and Patrick played as usual.

Everything had melted by the next day, so it was actually really nice.

Easter is on the way, and here are our 3 little bunnies:

I just found Windows Live Writer and it makes blogging SOOO much easier, so maybe you will see more posts from me in the future.

Happy 2nd Birthday Ava!!!

Today Ava turned 2. She is a beautiful, strong-willed, precious, sometimes selfish (as we saw today!), perfect little Ava :)

We scheduled her party during her naptime, which wasn't as much a plan as it was really the only time we could have it. She did really well and was having a ball playing with her friends and eating cake. Then we opened presents, which, as you can see below, was a Dora extraveganza! What ensued was a very vocal child telling everyone, 'My Dora' - even though there were are least 4 Dora's to choose from. She finally did share, but only the one that she didn't want at the time. I guess that is something we will be working on with her.

If you can't tell, Ava REALLY likes Dora. I was surprised when she picked out the cake that had Dora, Boots and Diego instead of the one with Dora, Boots and Swiper. We had half chocolate and half vanilla, and while the cake wasn't great, it wasn't bad and it looked cute.

Ava really enjoyed everyone singing to her.

And she really likes blowing out candles!

Sisters before the party! Anna and McKenna made 'streamers' by cutting strips of construction paper and hanging them all over the house. It was pretty sweet, and they had a lot of fun decorating. You can see some of their handywork in the background.

How many Dora's does one girl need - ALOT :)

Way-Way and Gavin

How do you open presents in less than 5 minutes? Let all the kids help! I have seriously never seen presents opened so fast. Thankfully, Susan was writing everything down (not to mention if I just say thanks for the Dora playset, I pretty much have everyone covered!).

Claire showing Sitto how dance!

It was a great birthday party and we look forward to many more!

Long Overdue Update

So, here it is March, and I haven't updated since Christmas, so obviously I am a little behind. There has been lots going on - record snowfalls, birthdays and soccer season has started. The girls have also started softball, but our first game isn't for a few weeks.

Let's start off with the snow - we had 12 inches of snow, IN TEXAS!!! Anna and McKenna loved it. Ava did not like it at all. She was fine if I was carrying her, but she did not want to touch it or walk in it.


This was after the first day of snow, we got another 5-6 inches that night!

We made a beautiful snowgirl that lost her head overnight, but we didn't care because we had so much fun building her. The girls were very impressed with my abilities to use leaves and twigs to make the face and arms!

Once again, Patrick took Anna and McKenna to the Frisco Daddy Daughter Dance. There was a photo shoot before the dance where all the girls got to ohh and ahh over their fancy dresses. Anna's dress was a little too long, but she wouldn't wear anything else. The dress didn't really make it through the dance, unfortunately. She was having so much fun dancing and jumping that she tore the skirt - oh well, she didn't care and had a great time! Next year, Patrick may end up with all 3 girls at the dance :)

We also celebrated Patrick's dad's 60th birthday. McKenna and grandpa had a nice tickle match - I think McKenna laughed for at least 20 minutes straight! As always, the best part of the birthday, getting to sit in someones lap and help blow out candles.

Linda and I flew to Orange County for the weekend to attend Nicole's bridal shower. It was a great weekend, and we got to meet most of Nicole's family - at least the female side of it :) We ate at some fabulous restaurants and walked along the beach. Jackie and Nicole came up from San Diego for the shower as well, and it was great to see them for a few hours as well. It was a very quick, but really fun weekend. Thanks Mike and Nicole for having us out!

We are in the 2nd week of soccer games. McKenna is still playing on the Pixies, and Anna is on the same team, but they have changed their name to the Runnin' Horns. While this goes against our A&M roots, we are looking for a sweatband or something for her to wear during the games :)

And lastly, Patrick celebrated his 33rd birthday! More cake and candles :) The girls and I made the cake which they thought was a lot of fun, nothing fancy but they liked it. This weekend is Ava's 2nd birthday! Hopefully I will get the pictures up more quickly then this last update!

I will blame my lack of updates on the sickness that has been running rampant through our household. After a couple of weeks of passing the bug back and forth, I think we are all over it. With the weather warming up, we have been able to go outside and open windows to air out the house. The girls are going to start riding bikes again soon, and hopefully we will have pictures of them riding solo with no training wheels soon.