Easter 2011

We did most of our Easter celebration this year on Saturday thanks to my work schedule. :)

We started out at Oma and Opa's in the morning...






Then we went over to Grandma and Grandpa's, where we played, napped and had a big dinner with both sides of the family. Oh, and Ava ended the day by leading a dance party to her favorite Kids Bop songs! :)


I was able to go into work a little later than usual on Sunday, so I got to see the kids wake up and find their Easter baskets and eggs.


The HUGE mountain of candy that we accumulated, which I was sure would last til Halloween, was gone within a week...strange how that happened, since the kids only had a couple of pieces per day...hmmmm...

MOA

We had a free Saturday a couple of weeks ago, so we took the kids to Nickelodeon Universe at MOA. Ava is getting more and more daring on the rides - she went on the roller coaster with Joe this time & she still loves that terrifying log ride, which you will NEVER catch me on! Charlie loved the rides, too.

Here we are on the "big rigs:"


Ava waiting for the swings to start


Blue's Clues


The Swiper Sweeper bus, or whatever they call it


And, a ride for all ages...




Ava - still going strong on the way home...


Charlie...not so much!

February 15

I decided to take a bunch of random pictures of the little moments that make up our day, and this is what I ended up with!

Who wouldn't want to wake up to this face?! This is our routine - Charlie wakes up, and I blearily retrieve him from his crib and bring him to our bed to snuggle and read before we officially get up.


Then Ava joins us (she always gets dressed before she comes out of her room!) This morning, she brought along her diary (a new gift from Valentine's Day, so you'll see it a couple of times in this post).


What do you know? Back in bed after breakfast (at least it's made this time). This is where they hang out while I shower & get ready for the day.


Okay, apparently things took a turn for the worse...I don't remember what caused this particular display, but mostly I see this face when he wants me to pick him up, and I don't. :)


Checking out Ava's dollhouse & enjoying his nuk, which he's allowed to have when we're upstairs, and believe me, he takes full advantage. (It should be lots of fun when we limit it to his crib in a few months...)


Ava at her desk with that diary again (so far she's read me everything that she's written in it - if only this stage could last forever...)


Evening play date!


Bath time shenanigans


Just about time to tuck these guys in - what a life, huh?

Ava's Christmas Programs

Here is a sampling of Ava's Christmas programs from preschool and dance class.

Christmas photo shoot

Our wonderful neighbor, who is honing her photography skills, was kind enough to come and take some pictures of our family for our Christmas card. Here are a few of my favorite shots:

Tiny Tim

Once upon a Sunday morning, Ava and Charlie were having a great time playing in the sun room - they had taken the cushions and pillows from the sofas and laid them on the floor to play on. Joe heard a cry from Charlie and wasn't sure what had happened. He thinks Charlie must have stepped on or off of a pillow or cushion and somehow twisted his ankle. He recovered quickly but wouldn't put any weight on his right foot the rest of the day. By the time I came home from work and Charlie was up from his nap, he still wouldn't put weight on the foot, so we called the nurse who said we should bring him into the ER. And, after lots of waiting, a quick exam and a couple of x-rays, the pediatrician told us that he did, indeed, have a fracture. The break was near the bottom of his tibia, and is aptly called a "toddler fracture." It's a type of spiral fracture that occurs most often in kids 0-4 and is usually caused by an awkward fall or tripping on an object (just like Charlie).
Although it was heart-breaking rocking him to sleep that first night, knowing that he was injured, I can honestly say, that in the two weeks since it occurred, he hasn't shown any sign of pain or discomfort. So, while the cast is awkward and his mobility is severely impaired, I'm just thankful that he's not uncomfortable or upset by the situation. I think his age is a blessing - he doesn't seem to have any concept of what has happened - he just scoots around or crawls as if he knows walking isn't an option.

Charlie in the ER after the pediatrician put a temporary splint on:


Home after getting his official cast - green for Christmas, per Ava's request; she was the first to sign it, too! He got the cast two days after the splint, and he'll have it on for three weeks.


Here is proof that Charlie is still our happy-go-lucky little guy... :)

The First Thanksgiving (at our house, anyway)

With smaller turnouts for the Walkers and Reiters in Eau Claire, we decided this might be our chance to host Thanksgiving dinner at our house. Ava was excited to have everyone come to us, and even though we missed some of our favorite peeps (Grandma Lois, Grandma Reiter, Ben and Katie especially), it was a fun day. There was the small issue of our cable fading in and out all day long - if you know Joe, he's not much for panicking, but when Thanksgiving day football is at stake, let's just say he was on the phone with Comcast fast (not that it helped - it didn't really get better til Sunday...) Anyway, it feels good to have a Thanksgiving meal under my belt (I actually meant that figuratively, but I guess it's kind of a pun, huh?), although I had LOTS of help from Joe, my mom and Cheryl. Still, I think we can all agree that I'm officially a grown-up now!

Here are a few pictures:

The place card (lovingly made by Ava) says "Michael," not "Millie." Good try, though.


Time to eat!


Ava and her insatiable desire to play Skip-Bo (I don't know where she gets it!)


Playing games after dinner (I think Kate called her her "human blanket." :)