Halloween 2010

Tonight we have..... Cowboy Drew, Cowgirl Amelia, Mermaid Ariel Ava, & Meooooww Jenna.
Tonight is chilly, but not too bad. We've been busy this weekend. Drew had trick or treating and a dance at school on Friday. Amelia had a Daisy dance on Friday night. We had Trunk or Treat on Saturday night, stopped by to see Grandma & Grandpa today and tonight's the "big" night. Happy Halloween!

Today....

was International Children's Day at Ava's school.

Ava beautifully represented French Polynesia. There she is with her tropical gown, her shell bead necklaces, her flowers in her hair and her pareo.

Why??

SHE FOUND THE SPICES!!!! There are rooms and rooms of toys in this house!

The Perfect Pumpkin

There it is.... "THE Perfect Pumpkin" as deemed so by Ava.

We searched high and low for that one....... Well not really.....We did make a trip to the super duper highly talked about Summer's Farm (the giant pillow, train, slides, extensive corn maze, and much more....), but we had no energy to actually venture out on the hay ride to the actual pumpkin patch. So....we returned to "our" patch - Jumbos. Our annual family tradition. Just the basics (hayride & pumpkins).....Jumbos in Middletown.

Busy....Busy....Busy...

We've been busy this week....(Here's a recap in photos :)

-Drew & Jenna - Go SKINS!

-Ava's millionith dance recital

-Ava's best halloween attire for her class halloween party

-Jenna's last day of "Hello School"

-Amelia's 9 mile journey down the Monacacy River with her dad

-Amelia's Daisy Troop field trip to the apple orchard (2 weekends ago)

They're BACK!!!!!!!!!!!

with Dave's new back - Drew's favorite activity returns - walks around our neighborhood. Drew's wide-eyes check out the trees, people, animals and all the scenes; even his happy talk can be heard around the block!

Beautiful.....

tonight during dinner....

TODAY....

MY SECOND SON WOULD HAVE BEEN NINE YEARS OLD...

and

THANKFULLY DAVE IS HOME FROM BACK SURGERY FEELING REALLY GOOD.

This Week.....So Far...

The newest member of Girl Scouts Daisy Troop 81100..... Amelia had her first meeting on Monday night. She'll be participating in her first Daisy Troop Field Trip on Sunday - Apple Picking!

Ava & Jenna had their well visits today. Ava weighs 35lbs and is 42 inches tall. Jenna at 18 months weighs 22lbs and is 33 1/2 inches tall. Both girls got shots and Amelia joined in on the fun at the last minute for her flu vaccine too. The girls are HEALTHY!!!

Happy thoughts and many prayers needed for tomorrow..... An already important day for our family.....plus Dave is undergoing back surgery for the second time in 5 years. We told the kids tonight at dinner that Dave would be at the hospital getting his back fixed. Amelia said she hoped that dad could now walk further then before, and Ava said she hoped daddy will be okay and feel better. We are all hoping that this surgery will bring Dave the relief he needs.

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY AVA!!

Ava is 5 today!

Ava woke up to find presents from us. We went to Adventure Park for her party at noon. Ava's classmates and family all came to celebrate. A very tired Ava came home late this afternoon to open all of her presents. She loved it all - her clothes, her games, and all her barbies!

Happy Birthday to Ava!

EIGHTEEN MONTHS!!

Jenna is 1 1/2 years old today! WOW! The time has flown by. Seeing my brother's tiny new baby yesterday brought back a lot of memories of our tiny Jenna and her birth. Unfortunately, she's not a tiny little baby anymore. She's an on the go toddler who doesn't stop and has us on our toes to say the least! Seems like I've been saying this for awhile now (over a year), but Jenna rarely stops! Just this morning, we were all (except Jenna) out back giving Drew his first home haircut when right in front of our eyes Jenna flipped the sliding door lock and there we were locked out by our 18 month old! Jenna's obsession with spices continues. She loves to take them all out of the cabinet and rearrange them on window sills. She'll carry them back and forth all through the house. The spices were taken from her permanently this past week because she now can open spices. This was discovered after I returned home to a nice smelling home wondering who was cooking with garlic. Well, Jenna dumped granulated garlic all over the kitchen! Jenna likes to push the kitchen stool over to the computer, climb on it and type away on the computer. Jenna can climb out of her playpen and climb back in. Jenna still loves to climb the stairs, but can't come down alone which is a great issue in this house.... On school days, Jenna knows when Drew's bus comes and beats us to the door to get out there too, she will bring the girls their shoes and backpacks and put everybody's elses shoes but her own on her feet. She loves dancing to Barney songs, and loves to play along and shout hooray to "If You're Happy and You Know it" (as seen in the picture above). She is still trying to say a lot of what you say. We love to ask her to say her brother and sister's names - Drew, Millie, & Ava. Jenna's appetite changes daily. Some days she will eat a lot and others barely anything at all. She's very good at feeding herself - spearing the food and all. The biggest change for Jenna is she gets to go to her "school" now every Wednesday. Jenna and I take a class called Funfit (a.k.a. - Hello School). She's getting the class routine down after just three weeks. Lots and lots of action here!!!

TODAY IS POST #200!

Today

Ava celebrated her birthday with her class. She walked around the sun for every year of her life while her teacher read the story of her life to date. We made and decorated a brownie for the class.

AND....

my brother Josh and his wife Jaclyn welcomed their third child today (10/01/10)....Savannah Rain..... Welcome Baby Savannah!!