Bubble faces

Buddies

Ava's getting used to being constantly asked, "Do you like school?" I don't have much luck getting info out of her each afternoon so I have to get really specific with my questions. "What did you have for snack?" "Did you play outside?" "Did anyone get a time-out?" That's my personal favorite as it changes each time and usually elicits the most hilarious answers. But there's one question that always gets the same answer. "Who did you play with?"

Landon,

Landon.

Landon.

She informed me after day two, "Mommy, I told Landon that he was going to be my school friend." And after being assured that she did not make this announcement to the rest of the class, I decided it was time to have him over for a play date. Oh, how I wish I could have videotaped the entire hour. I mean he's a great kid but he didn't say a single word while he was here. Here's a little peek into their conversations:

Ava: Landon let's go climb the tree!

Landon: (Blank stare as he follows her outside and watches her climb the tree)

Ava: Landon let's play pirate saves the princess from Esmerelda the wicked witch who has the secret potion we need to save the island!

Landon: (Blank stare as Ava changes into her Cinderella costume and inserts a foam sword into his hand)

And on and on and on. All I could think of was that first scene in the Disney movie Up. Remember this little girl?

Poor Landon, he was so shy that I probably traumatized him by taking this picture, but I couldn't resist documenting the moment.

Here's to an interesting year!

Indian summer

This past week the sun made a surprisingly strong and constant appearance in our days. I continue to be amazed daily by the strawberries growing in the garden and the need for a run through the sprinkler each afternoon. In the spirit of my berry hoarding, I decided to see if our local farm had any u-pick left and sure enough they had thornless blackberries. I had never heard of such a thing but it sounded too good to pass up so we packed up and headed out.

The day couldn't have started out more perfect. We were the only ones out there, the kids could pick, ok eat, to their hearts content and the mountain was practically glowing in the background. After about twenty minutes Ava let out a terrible scream and I quickly figured out that she had been stung by a bee. It was her first so I put her in the stroller and watched her for a few minutes to see if a rash broke out. It didn't, so I did what any loving mother would do and continued picking berries. She would later tell Ben that, "it hurt so bad, I screamed a hundred forty miles." Yep, that pretty much described it. After my bucket was full and before the police would be called for child neglect, we headed back to pay for our berries. Of course Ava refused to leave the stroller, so I had to carry Ian on my shoulders and push Ava the 1/4 mile back to the car, over a potholled dirt road, while Ian covered my eyes with his hands and bounced up and down like he was on a horse. Good times, good times. I do have to say that the homemade blackberry ice cream later that evening made it all worth it. Ok, maybe 75% worth it.

Zoo day!

Last week we took a trip to the zoo for their discount day and it was fantastic. Ava is currently obsessed with birds after seeing the movie Rio and we found a great bird exhibit. You get this nectar and hold it out to the birds and hope they're thirsty. Ava was so intense about it and had this look on her face that was a little scary. It's a good thing one landed on her arm or we might still be there. I can't believe we've been to this zoo so many times and never seen this area. It was definitely the highlight of our trip.

Ian's highlight was driving the tractor

Garden update

I know what you've been thinking. All these kid photos are great but when is she going to post pictures of her favorite plants. No? Well then this might be just for me. A neighbor of my parents gave us this Hasta since they were going to have to get rid of it.

I gave it some much needed tlc but it still wouldn't flower. And then one day it did.

I should have known by the fact that it's almost October and I'm still picking strawberries, that our garden tends to bloom a little late. At first I thought I was accidently growing asparagus

but then it burst out the most beautiful purple flowers. And all was right with the world. Or at least the world that is my four by six cedar enclosed happy place.

Grandpa fun!

Never tell him that you're bored or you might have to put this puzzle together.

And Away We Go...

I'm not sure why everyone who organizes anything in this city decided that this would be the perfect weekend for a kick off, but we got wrangled into no less then four events in a three day period. At least they all got creative with their titles and served free food. First we have the Stafford Stampede, followed by the Soccer Jamboree, then the Home Group Kick-off, and finally the Pearl Church Family Fest. With the exception of two heat related meltdowns and a brief period where Ava went missing in a crowd of two thousand little people all wearing matching uniforms, we have hung in there reasonably well. All this productivity is exhausting but probably a good thing, as just ten days ago Ben was staying up past two am to watch the international beer pong championships. It was not a pretty sight.

While other school districts are cutting programs, Ben's is adding pony rides, bounce houses, Tillamook ice cream, hay rides, and professional DJ's. You know, just the essentials for a successful school year.

Team Photos!

Professional Soccer Model

Big boy

After scoring her first goal, look at that smile...

First day of school!

Our big girl decided it was time to leave home today. She went and got her license, applied for college, rolled her eyes, and then took off. Ok, it wasn't that dramatic, and I shouldn't be the least bit concerned that she'll be leaving anytime soon. Not after she threw these two outfits into the first day of school negotiations.

Alas, we settled on a compromise which kept her from showing her underwear but still included some sparkle. Awwww....isn't she cute?!!

Ian got his backpack too and although he was a little confused about what was going on he happily posed for some pictures. Daddy cut his hair in the backyard this weekend and he's aged about three years. I'm not ready to talk about it...so don't ask!

She waved goodbye happily and set off making friends and being her adorable self. Ian and I looked at each other and then back at the school and then at each other again and then sadly walked to the car. What do we do now? Luckily Willa came by as her Mama was recovering from sending John off to first grade. We drank some chai and played in the sandbox and took a walk. Unfortunately, when they left we still had two hours until it was time to pick up Ava. So we spent a lot of time reading and reading and reading. I think we're going to have to come up with some more activities or this is going to be a long year.

We finally picked up Ava at noon and I immediately interrogated her on her day. All I found out was that a kid named Gunner punched a girl in the face and Ava told the teacher. And they had apple slices and there was no art, and she found the bathroom. All in all, I would call that a successful first day.

the culprit

Turns out Ian has Roseola, which sounds a lot prettier than it is. Poor baby is not a happy camper. His eyes are puffy, his body is splotchy, and he only wants his thumb, his milk and his mama. Between the sleeping, the moodiness, and the red face I think we're getting a glimpse of life with our little man in about 12 years. Let's just hope he gives up his thumb and his bottle by then.

growth spurt?

This is pretty much the view we've had of Ian this week.

He goes to bed at 8, gets up at noon, and naps from 2 until 6. This means I see him for four hours a day. I thought it was odd on Tuesday but he kind of had a fever off and on so I just assumed he was having an off day. But now I think we're on to something. The house is clean, Ava and I are fit and toned,

and there are multiple loaves of bread in the freezer. I'm guessing the streak is going to end but until it does we are enjoying the cozy comforts of home.

The crown prince enjoying his "morning" bottle on the swing