Arboretum, Baby Shower & A New Bike

Our busy weekend started on Thursday.  Jeff was able to take a day off and we headed to see the pumpkins & sculptures at the Dallas Arboretum.  Ava remembered it from last year once we walked in and she was so excited.  The weather was not great but it was cool and breezy (and a bit rainy at times) and the kids had a great time running around. 

It was great to get a decent family photo since it's been about six months!

Ava took her camera and enjoyed taking lots of pictures too.  I think she took a picture of every Chihuly sculpture that was there and she actually caught several great pics of us too.  We uploaded them today and I thought I would post a few that she is quite proud of.....

Keegan and I headed to Keller for a very special baby shower on Saturday.  My best friend from college is expecting her first baby in November.  I had not seen Shelly in over a year and it was great to get to celebrate the soon arrival of sweet baby Nolan with her!  She & Justin were in the waiting room the day Ava was born and she still sends Ava books from time to time...In fact, pinkalicious and ladybug girl were both products of Shelly and I don't think Ava could imagine a world without either of those favorites :-)  We can't wait to head to Houston to meet sweet Nolan!

And lastly, Ava retired the tricycle this weekend.  She's had her eye on this pinkalicious bike for about a month and finally decided she wasn't afraid of a 'big girl bike.'  She says she will try to learn how to ride without the training wheels when she's five. Ha!  She looks so big on her new bike! She enjoyed it so much this weekend.

 

Fall Fun

Monday was such a perfect pumpkin patch day!  It was sunny but very cool and we met up with sweet friends Abigail & Preston to share lots of fun pumpkin picking, hay riding, maze running and bounce-house bouncing. 

I teased the girls at lunch about going to the 'watermelon patch' but they called my bluff and sweet Preston had us cracking up all day with his excitement over all of the orange "apples" everywhere.  There was no changing his mind that they were pumpkins!  Here are some pics of our fun afternoon.......

Life With a 4 Year Old

Ava has been four for only a couple of months but I think one word perfectly describes this age - Silly!  She is so goofy lately and jokes about everything.  And yes, bathroom humor is occasionally present although I'm working diligently against it!  She makes us laugh so much these days.

She started this thing a couple of weeks ago where she spins and points her fingers in the air, making the funniest face, and she calls it 'The Ava Dance.'  Keegan was quick to pick it up.  Randomly around the house or in the car we will hear them giggling and ooohing while they do this silly little dance.

She asks questions ALL DAY LONG.  And most of the time my answers get questioned too!  She wants to know what every word is in Spanish.  And she gets the biggest kick out of hard to say or funny-sounding words.  She came home after church on Sunday talking about the tower of Babel which was perfect timing because she's been trying to wrap her head around why there are different languages.

She needs everything to make sense.  Here's a glimpse of a conversation in the car with Ava:

Ava: Was that a school over there?

Me: Yep.  That's a middle school.

Ava: Why doesn't it have a playground?

Me: Because big kids don't play on the playground.

Ava: I'm a big kid and I like to play on the playground.

Me: You are a big kid but those kids are even bigger.

Ava: What if they want to play on the playground?

Me: Then they can go to the park after school!

And on and on and on and on........ 

There is seriously not a dull moment with this girl.  You never know what she is going to say or do and it's so much fun.  I miss her like crazy while she's at school but I love picking her up and hearing all about her day.  The car pool lane makes life so much easier in the mornings and afternoons but I'm still that mom that pulls over in the side lot to watch her and her little backpack bounce all the way up the sidewalk and into the building.  Not because I don't think that the 5 teachers outside don't direct incredibly well, but because I'm still totally in awe of this little person.  So amazed by and so in love with this little person that I get to call mine!

First Soccer Game

The cooler weather came just in time for Ava's first soccer game Saturday morning.  Her team was precious and it wasn't as chaotic or funny as we thought it might be.  They played four on four and had the best time.  Ava was one of only two girls on the field this week and we were so proud of her.  She got knocked around a couple of times but shook it off pretty quickly and even scored her first goal!  I'm not a fan of doing much at 8am in the morning but I am already looking forward to this Saturday!  Here are some pics from game day...



So excited to score a goal!

 

Out for donuts



So proud of Sissy!



18 Months

Keegan is 18 months old today!  And as I'm posting these pictures I'm realizing how much my baby looks like a little boy now.  He is growing up so fast!

I'm loving my time with him on Tuesdays and Thursdays while Ava is at school.  We joined a 'little brother' playgroup on Tuesdays and we started music story time on Thursdays this week.   He always enjoys the music and motions to the songs. 

He loves to play outside and I'm pretty sure he would be perfectly content just living in the back yard.  He starts begging to go out from his high chair before he even finishes breakfast.  I know he is going to love this fall so we can be out every day. 

He is such a ball of energy and on the move all day long unless he finds a book.  He will bring us book after book in the evenings and loves to sit in my lap and turn the pages.  He still lets me rock him before I lay him down at night, although if he's really tired he will point to his bed after a few minutes to tell me he's done.  He talks very little but he always says "Night, Night" when I lay him down. 

He thinks he is so grown up lately and loves to play with the big kids during play dates.  He has become quite a little ham and cracks us up all the time.  He loves to make us laugh!  There is so much joy in this sweet little boy.  I'm so proud and so thankful to be his Mommy!  I know that 2 is right around the corner but he will be my baby forever. 

We love you sweet Keegan!

Sweet Little Friends

Ava & Keegan have been playing together and laughing together a lot more lately.  That doesn't mean that there aren't times Ava would love to lock him outside so that he can't tear down her lego building or run off with her favorite doll.  But for the most part their days are spent enjoying each other and I don't think there is anything that makes a mommy's heart happier!

I asked him today where Ava was and he looked at me like I was crazy.  But he pointed to her when I said "Where's Sissy?"  She is only 'Sissy' to him which I'm sure caught on because that's what we always say.  He runs around saying "Sssss" when he's looking for her or trying to show her something. 

I love to watch them play together.  Keegan will do pretty much anything Ava says.  When they play with their cameras he will say "cheese" for her.  When they play doctor he will open up and say "Ahhhh" for her.  If only I could get that kind of obedience!

Ava can be so sweet with him.  She does things for him like help him on and off step stools and take his shoes and socks off for him when we come in from outside.

 Every night after a bath they head to the sink together to brush their teeth.  It's seriously Keegan's favorite thing to do right now.  He throws a fit every night when it's time to be done. 

He is still missing her on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  A couple of times a day he will run into every room in the house and point and whine.  And at 2:00 when I say "Let's go get Sissy", he runs as fast as he can to the garage!  I love how much he loves her and I love that she loves him back :-)