Mixed Messages

Amelia is a very big helper.  She loves to do any tasks we ask.  Tonight it was a rainy night, not well suited for playing outside.  Amelia cleaned all the garbage out of the junk drawer and then swept our floor while I cooked dinner (this - it was delish!). I turned around and she said, "look mama, I'm the cleaning witch!  I'm the sweeping witch!"  Cute, yes, but witchy, no!

9

It is hard to believe that our sweet Ava is nine years old today.  I am such a cliche. It seems like moments ago she was a newborn and I was a new mom.  The two of us figuring this out together. There are so many things I love about Ava, but I think my favorite is the joy and enthusiasm that greet each day for her. She is loving and kind, empathetic yet still strong willed. She's an old lady and a nine year old all at once and I just adore that girl.

Ava woke up at 6am so excited to be 9!  She asked John to make her birthday crepes and of course he obliged. While the bater rested John headed out for a run.  Naturally the girls were very, very hungry....  So in a special birthday treat they had some lemon-blueberry cake from last night's dinner and watched a movie while they waited for dad to get home and make the crepes.....

This afternoon Ava had some friends from the neighborhood over to swim in Papa and Grandma's pool.  Perhaps the most excited birthday girl ever!

Swimming....

Planning a synchronized jump with her friends!

Miss Amelia, touching bottom for the first time this year!

Ready? Set!  Go! Jumping with Selena....

Ava typically wears two watches, one set on Iowa time, one set on Rehoboth Beach time.  Her Papa bought her a watch set to Paris time, Bill and Annie bought her a slap watch that is now set on the time in the Black Hills, this summer's vacation destination....

Rosy cheeked girl with all her watches....

We did do things other than celebrate the birthday girl.  Here Orbit greets Meghan like the annoying little brother he is....  nearly every time she sits down at our computer he hops up behind her.

John and Bill, happy and sweaty after an afternoon bike ride....

Pierced Ears!

Ava has been asking to get her ears pierced for awhile.  I had pretty much told her she could have it done whenever she liked, but didn't press her.  I figured when she was really ready she would start bugging me about it.  Sometime in the last couple of months she decided that she wanted to get her ears pierced for her 9th birthday and that sounded just perfect to me.  John was skeptical that she would go through with it....

Since tomorrow is kind of a busy day of celebrating the birthday girl this morning I suggested we head to the mall to pierce those ears.  Ava was all in!  So Grandma Marilyn, Amelia, Ava and I set off for Clare's.

The excited soon to be 9 year old in her before picture....

A nosy and worried little sister watching the process unfold....

Ava was very brave.  There was only one person in the store, so she had to get her ears pierced one at a time.  The first she held my hand and startled a little bit.  But the second she weathered like a pro.  Here's my beautiful girl with her new birthstone (emerald) earrings....  She is so excited.

Plus a random cute picture of Orbit, having conquered his favorite toy - a stuffed Simba lion.

Good, Good Life

We have a lot to be grateful for.  Sometimes that shows itself to me in big ways, other times it comes in smaller ways, the quiet days that remind me how very fortunate we are.  Yesterday morning I met some friends for an early morning run on the trail from Indianola to Carlisle. One of my friends, Corissa, is an adventurous and creative mom who is currently hatching chickens and ducks in an incubator at her house.  And has a tadpole aquarium.  And has an indoor caterpillar farm.  She invited me to bring the girls over to see the recently hatched chickens before they move to their permanent home in the country.

Here's Amelia holding Fluffy, the first chick hatched from a brown egg.  

Ava holding Goldie.

The girls loved seeing the chicks, the incubator, the brooder and all the fun things Corissa is doing with her boys at their house.  They were a little bit (ok, a lot) envious!

Then last night the girls got to go to a wedding, the daughter of good friends of John's (and mine).  The wedding was at our church, the reception at a local golf club. The bride was lovely, beautiful and calm and the wedding had a very loving, comfortable feeling about it.  And then the dancing began and my girls are dancing fools.  It was just so much fun to watch them busting out their moves on the dance floor and even more fun to dance with them.

John and Amelia take a spin on the dance floor...

The party animals show us how it's done!

These happy faces just make me feel so unbelievably fortunate.

Ava's Intercession

Ava's school is on a year round calendar, so her last day of school isn't until June 19th.  Approximately every other month during the school year she has a week long intercession to balance the calendar.  This week is her last intercession before the last days of third grade   It is funny to me how our whole house shifted almost instantly into summer mode this week when Ava's school start time wasn't a factor in our morning routine.  The girls have been sleeping late and we've been taking our time getting to work in the mornings.  It's been really nice, actually....

Tuesday and Wednesday Ava went on a little road trip to Minnesota with my mom and my Grandma Jane.  They went to knit at Lila and Claudine's in Stillwater....

They stayed with my Aunt Janet and Ava got to talk to us on their old fashioned phone!

But most importantly of all they went to visit Baby Alivia, my new niece, a feisty little bird who arrived early, but is still quite mighty....

Ava had a massive growth spurt this year and has completely outgrown her bike. This weekend we bought her a new bicycle- the smallest women's size bike that is made that should last her for awhile.  The bike looks so big, but honestly so does she.

 And in case you are worried, Amelia is still VERY good at riding her bike.

Mothering

Yesterday we celebrated Mother's Day with a lovely day.  Meghan brought me peonies, which smell divine, perfuming the whole kitchen.  The little girls shared their gifts, lovingly made at school/child care and a small bouquet of carnations. 

John made sausage and potato breakfast casserole, my absolute favorite breakfast and I went for a run. John got me this lovely ring from Leona Ruby - (Orbit wouldn't get out of my way while I was trying to take a picture of it!)

For dinner my parents, Grandma Jane and my aunt Janet came to feast on a fantastic Mexican inspired meal.  Here with my mom and my grandma on Mother's Day.

It was nice to have a day set aside to celebrate and be celebrated - to feel appreciated.  I would like to say I don't need that, but maybe I do....  Being a mother and step mother is by far the most important thing to me, about me.  And my favorite part of all of it is knowing really wonderful people like Meghan, Lane, Ava and Amelia.

Aaaahhhhhh Saturday.....

The weekend is finally here!  The weather is supposed to be gorgeous, we don't have a lot planned and we are loving Saturday morning.  Here's Amelia with a whole bunch of breakfast (waffles with Nutella, yogurt, a piece of bacon and some chocolate milk) and the weather of course!

I am making Hummingbird Cupcakes and deviled eggs, my contribution to our Mother's Day dinner at my parent's house tonight.  I got my winter/summer clothes swapped out (finally) and John is mowing the lawn in between shuttling the girls to dance class. Now the question - to go for a run or to take a a nap?!

Book Character Day

Ava's school does not celebrate Halloween, but during Children's Book Week they do celebrate book character day where the students are allowed to dress up as their favorite book character.  Since Ava's great aunties got her started on the Little House on the Prairie books this year at Christmas there was absolutely no doubt who Ava would be for book character day... Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Right down to the braids....  but minus the uncomfortable shoes, of course!

With her bonnet...

Amelia was beside herself with envy and declared that for Halloween this year she was going to be Mary and that she and Ava would trick or treat together.  And if Ava has braids, Amelia has braids.  And if Ava's getting her picture taken then Amelia will be getting her picture taken.  A modern day Mary to Ava's Laura, for sure...

It is hard to believe how quickly time is passing, how much my sweet girls are growing up.  Here's Ava's book character from first grade - "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie."  Sigh....  I think I need to put a brick on her head to keep her from growing up so fast!

Spa Week

Wednesday afternoon Amelia and I headed North to pay an early visit to the Minnesota Moorlach's and await the arrival of my niece (and their cousin) baby Alivia.  Baby Alivia made her appearance Friday afternoon at 3:22pm, weighing in at a bruising 4 lbs, 2 oz.  Amelia and I enjoyed a very relaxing couple of days together in Minnesota.  

Miss Amelia - goofing with the silly glasses....

Thursday and Friday I had the chance to cook dinner for everyone.  Such an indulgence to have the time to shop, plan and prepare a meal for people I love.  Chicken enchiladas, black bean salad and tres leeches cake one night.  Spring risotto and chicken the next.  Amelia and her cousin Adam polishing off their second piece of Tres Leches cake.

Friday morning Amelia helped me prep a Moorlach favorite - the Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls.  Every time I make this recipe it gets yummier and easier. I loved sharing the process with my sweet girl.

While I was there Hilary signed up for her first full marathon, Labor Day weekend.  In all my encouraging (pestering) her about how I knew she could do it I got to thinking maybe I should do it too.... we'll see.  Here's Hilary - hitting the enter button.  I am so excited for her!

John, Meghan and Amelia arrived Friday night and Saturday the kids set up a spa.  Relaxation, manicures and pedicures.  Ava, Amelia and Mattie getting things all set up.....

John participating in the relaxation part (note Hilary's stock pot being repurposed for everyone's feet - yum!) getting a massage from Adam and a foot rub from Ava.

This morning Brian, Hilary, John, Holly and I ran the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon.  All weekend the weather channel was predicting an 80% chance of thunderstorms. Overnight the severe weather sirens sounded while a terrible storm blew threw.  But somehow we stayed dry while the sky stayed overcast and we all turned in great personal best performances on a challenging course. Perhaps the best kind of week....

Unintentionally Dark

John took our camera cord on one of his many trips out of town last month and he accidentally left it in a hotel room somewhere.  Wouldn't your know it's been the hardest project EVER to replace it.  

But here are some pictures that are actually a couple of weeks old to update until I can get back in the swing of things.

Ava and Amelia doing their current favorite outside activity - sidewalk chalk.  Or, as Amelia says, SHALK!

Sweet Ava....

Sweet Amelia....

Back to sweet Ava who had a major spill on her scooter causing some major road rash.  She's actually kind of proud of her battle wounds.

I took a picture of this dinner because at the time it totally cracked me up.  Amelia was giving me instruction that I didn't feel was quite aligned with a five year old girl.  "Mom, I want just a little bit of chicken on the side, lots of spinach, lots of tomatoes and just a little bit of noodles."  So here's Amelia's dinner....