Camp Out...

Brad and Ava had a "camp-out" in our backyard over the weekend.  Ava couldn't have been more excited!  We resurrected our old tent which Brad put up without a problem.  We put Owen to bed and then the three of us had a campfire complete with s'mores.  I went in to sleep in the house with Owen and Ava and Daddy slept out on the air mattresses in the tent, but not before they watched some TV on the Ipad using Netflix.  What would camping be without technology? Ava had to bring her PJ's out to the tent so she could change out there like she was really camping I guess.  Brad said it went well and they both slept fine until about 7:00am this morning.  Needless to say, our little camper had a nap this afternoon after being up until 10:30pm! She is very lucky to have a dad who does fun things with her like this!

Labor Day Weekend at Arnolds Park

 The first ride on the boats (looks like they are really hating it!)

 Slightly different sitting arrangement but ride #2

 Carousel

 Owen loved the horses!

 Ice cream break!

 Yes, that's my husband and daughter up high on that scary ride that goes upside down that I wouldn't get anywhere near!  Ava loved it and they went a second time!  Crazy!!

 Bumper cars!

 The fish!

 I think they went about 3x on this ride!

 The dragons - another 3x!

 The kiddie coaster- the only ride Owen didn't like.  

At 5:00 pm after a couple meltdowns, he finally fell asleep after being in the stroller about 15 seconds while Daddy & Ava were in the tipsy house.

Brad had the great idea of taking the kids down to Spirit Lake on Saturday.  We haven't been there yet this summer, and we really like Arnolds Park for the kids because it never seems to be overly busy.  There were a few more people there than when we go on an off weekend, but it wasn't bad.  No lines for most rides. The kids really seemed to enjoy it this year!  Ava & Owen rode all the kiddie rides many, many times.  We usually had to pull Owen off crying when it was time to get off and move to another ride.  He really liked the boats, fish, and carousel.  Ava loved every ride!  She wasn't scared of anything.  She rode all the kiddie rides with Owen and was a wonderful sport when Owen wanted to ride many times in a row (and she was ready to get off).  She also rode nearly every other ride including the big ferris wheel and the ferris wheel like thing with the cages that goes upside down.  She went on the log ride several times.  I bought one ride and went on the log ride with her, otherwise Brad had a day pass and did all the riding. It was a very fun day filled with ice cream, smiles, and fun!  We even hit the Taco House for supper with our very tired kids.  Owen learned a new word on this trip "boat" which he says very plainly.  He had many boats to look at and point at!  Overall, Owen was a good sport through his nap until the very end before he finally sacked out!  We were glad he got a little nap, but he was a bear when he woke up!  The joys of traveling with toddlers!!  All in all, a fun day!!  

Joe's 22nd Birthday.....

 Joe & Ava

 All the "kids"

 Owen trying out Joe's old pedal tractor

 Ava on Joe's old tricycle

Ava even got a ride on the 4 wheeler

We were invited out to Gary & Joyce's to celebrate Joe's birthday.  The kids hadn't been to the farm in a while so they were excited.  It was a warm day, but at least the evening was nice.  The kids had all kinds of fun playing with Joe's old toys.  Of course, throwing in a birthday cake doesn't hurt either!  Hard to believe "little" Joe is 22 already!

Owen at 22 months....

 Owen playing in the water (the way we occupy him when trying to get something done in the kitchen)

 Owen often disappears into his room to sit in the chair and look at books

 Silly face!

Owen doesn't often cooperate for pictures lately, so I was happy he wasn't running away in these!  Owen is still our very busy toddler.  He loves to run, jump, hide, and play outside.  He can spend hours and hours playing in his car where you will hear him saying "beep, beep, beep" as he backs up.  He loves to ride the big   wheels although he doesn't pedal yet.  I don't know why he would learn because he is lightning fast just using his feet to push himself.  It won't be long though as he has pedaled a single turn every now again for the past month or so.  Owen continues to be a good eater although meat seems to be his least favorite right now.  Usually, the fruit is first to go on his plate followed by the vegetable and then he will start saying "out, out" without eating anything else.  Owen loves trail mix (peanuts & raisins) and continues to baffle us with his lack of a sweet tooth.  We've went out for ice cream several times this last month and he refuses to eat anything.  He's also passed up birthday cake!  Speech for Owen is progressing slowly.  He will not say any two word sentences yet, but he has about 10 words he uses a lot and that seems to be growing a little bit all the time.  His favorite words right now are "hi" (which he will say to any stranger who will listen and continue to repeat until they respond), "bye,bye", "nigh, nigh", "out", "Da, Da", "Mom", "nana" (banana and Hannah :), "apple", "side" (outside), "eye" (and can point to his), and "no" (his fave!).  He continues to keep our lives interesting.

Ava's 1st Day of Preschool at Discovery Time....

 Owen refused to be in a photo so I had to catch him riding his trike

 Ava in her classroom

 Ava in front of the school

Overall, the start of preschool this year was uneventful.  Ava really thought it was no big deal (wasn't scared at all) and was excited to have something on her social calendar again.  We switched preschools and tried out Discovery Time this year.  It's a little different than Little Lambs and not quite as laid back, but Ava seems to like it.  Her teacher is Mrs. Angie.  The highlight of Mrs. Angie is that she "has a baby in her tummy and it's coming out in January" as Ava puts it.  Ava also seems to really like snack time and play time.  She knows a few more names of kids in her class right away this year.  Last year, it took until March before she really could name more than 2-3 kids so this is a big step up.  Of course, everyone she talks about is girls and I've asked her if she knows or plays with any boys to which she replies, "No, Mom, I don't play with the boys!".  Ava goes to preschool Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings from 8:30-11:00 am.  Let another year begin!

Reese Katherine

Ava was so excited to meet Reese!

 My first time holding Reese

 As you can see, Ava's smile really never faded

 Cute little Reese with her chubby cheeks!

 Sam & Addie getting to see their new baby sister for the first time

 A look at all her hair!

 Jason, Shelly & Reese

 My kids were pretty focused on exactly what Reese was up to...

Ava, Addie (almost 6), Sam (7), and Reese

We were beginning to wonder if my sister Shelly was ever going to have the baby we had all been so excited about!  Reese Katherine made her debut into the world 8 days late on 8-17-12.  She weighed in at 9 lbs 9 oz and 22 inches long.  She was the exact same weight as Owen and just a little longer.  It was very exciting to get to go to the hospital the day she was born as I've never gotten to do that with either of my sisters when their babies were born because they lived too far away.  The kids and I made our third trip to Sioux City in less than 2 weeks (we had come to stay twice previously when Shelly was going to go into labor "any day" ha, ha).  Ava couldn't have been more excited to see Reese.  She just loves babies and anything that has to do with babies.  She held Reese for a long time and really didn't want anyone to take her.  Owen even seemed pretty enamored with her.  Owen got a little crazy in the hospital room but luckily Grandma Chris was there to take the kids out for walks around the hospital for a couple breaks.  It was fun to get to see Sam and Addie when they got to see Reese for the first time.  It seems the new family of 5 is adjusting well to life with a new baby again.  I'm getting anxious to see her again and see how much she has changed already!