Impromptu day of fishing!

A few weeks ago, on a gorgeous Saturday morning, Mommy drove the kids to NJ to see their cousin Ben play in his soccer game (while Uncle Todd coached). Those little tots were so cute running around the field kicking a soccer ball! And Ben did great!

Since it was so nice out, we stuck around and went to the park, had a little cookout and even went fishing!

 Believe it or not, Mommy caught the first fish of the day!

 Little Giuliana walked up to Avery holding a worm in her hand...

 and the next thing I knew, Avery (the girl who is scared of bugs!) was holding a worm too! Thanks G for showing Avery how to be brave!

 This is the life!

 I just love these kids!

It was such a great, unexpected day!

Grayson's First Day of Preschool

Grayson finally had his first day of Preschool a few weeks after Avery started school. He goes twice a week and has the same wonderful teachers that Avery had two years ago! Now, Mommy has two hours to herself on Friday mornings while both kids are in school and it is pretty amazing!

It's hard to get this boy to give me a nice, normal smile...but I've come to love his silliness and it shows in these pictures!

 Showing his muscles...

He is doing great in school so far! Much better than I thought he would! I warned his teachers that he has a very different personality than Avery, but they insist he is nothing but sweet and well-behaved! At least, I'm glad he is a good boy there and saves his naughtiness for when he gets home! 

Like Grayson, Like Uncle Brett

One day, I found Grayson lying around in his underwear and cowboy boots.  I couldn't help but think how similar this scene looked compared to the classic picture we have of Brett doing the same (He just had a hat on instead of sweatbands!)

Gray is on the top. Uncle Brett is on the bottom.

Too funny! 

MomMom is always telling us how similar Grayson and Uncle Brett's personalities are!

Back on the dance floor

Avery is back at it for year #3 of dance! Whenever we ask her if she wants to at least just try another sport or activity to see if she likes it, we get a quick "no!" I think this girl was born to dance and we are happy to support Miss Jeanne's School of Dance Arts!

This is her before her first night back for the combo class (jazz, tap and ballet)...

Via Kids Race and Apple Days

Mommy has run the relay race in the Via Marathon for the past few years, so it has been somewhat of a tradition for the kids to run in the kids races the day before the marathon. It was a HOT morning in Bethlehem, but we went to SteelStacks to get some exercise!

We were happy that Grayson participated this year! 

(He got too nervous last year at the last minute)

But he was simply exhausted afterwards...

Of course, Avery rocked it!

She was pumped up afterwards!

We even met the B104 bee from our local radio station..

and a shoe?!? from Aardvark, a local running store.

My hospital is a sponsor of the race and they gave out these cool super hero capes for the kids!

From there, we headed to a new festival called Apple Days at the Burnside Plantation. 

The kids painted pots, planted apple seeds, and learned all about apples.

Even though we were literally dripping in sweat, Avery agreed to try on some traditional Moravian garb from "the olden days" as she says. 

She loves playing dress up, regardless of the temperature. But, I am quite happy that it is socially acceptable for women to wear shorts and tank tops on hot days like this one.

The Great Allentown Fair

One of the best parts about 1/2 day kindergarten is that I still get to spend the rest of the day with Avery! So during that first week of school, at the suggestion of Nonna, we picked Avery up from the bus and headed to the Great Allentown Fair. I have to say, I have never gone there before....

and it was quite fun! 

 The kids loved looking at all of the animals, while Mommy and Nonna loved looking at the names of them. Who would have thought to name this fine looking cow Grayson?...

 This is the closest they got to an Avery...

(funny because this is one of Daddy's many nicknames for her!)

 We all rode the ferris wheel...

 and the kids rode ponies

 while Grayson showed off his farmers tan!

It was a 90+ degree day and I was exhausted after a few hours of this fun. 

I guess this is why Nonna stays so young and fit! 

Avery's First Day of Kindergarten

That dreaded Sunday night came...the one right before the first day of school. Daddy was gone for a work trip, leaving Mommy at home alone with the kids along with the knot in her belly thinking about what the next day would be like.

Avery had her new outfit set out along with the perfect book...this girl was ready (and has been ready for months!)

 Once Avery was asleep, Mommy snuck out to do some artwork on the driveway.

Seriously, Class of 2027....no joke!

She got ready like any other 5 year old girl would...they all curl their lashes, right?

 She had a special pancake breakfast and was happily surprised by Mommy's artwork when we opened the garage door!

 I wonder when she is going to change her mind about her future profession.

For now, I find it quite flattering!

 The walk down the street to the bus stop...

 and we were surprised and happy to see cousin Madi there! 

(Her bus stop is on the other side of the neighborhood, but she came to ours so she could sit with Avery on the bus! *Love* that girl!)

 Here is what Avery is saying under her breath as she pats me on the shoulder...

"Mom, you're not gonna cry, right? Please don't cry."

 She's fitting in along just fine with the bigger kids at the bus stop.

 She got on the darn bus so fast, I could barely snap a picture of her. She gave me a hug and kiss and didn't turn back!

 And a huge piece of my heart rode away on school bus #11 just like that...

<<tears>>

 12:09 could not have come sooner. Mommy was so anxious to see her girl and to hear about her day.

 She was all smiles when she got off the bus and her entourage of family was waiting for her! 

Her #1 favorite part of the day: the bus ride ("It was bumpy, so I'll have to get used to that. But it was awesome!')

#2 favorite part: meeting her new friend who "has diabetes and a pink insulin pump." 

#3 favorite part: "I didn't even get homework!"

 We took this later that night to show off her school pride! Maybe by the time she is in 5th grade, this shirt will actually fit.

 I am writing this now that Avery is more than a month into the school year and I have to say, she has transitioned beautifully! She is confident and has no hesitation (unlike Mommy). She is happy to go each day and looks forward to the weekly "specialty" (art, music, gym, etc.) We can already tell she is learning so much.  She comes home and she tells us all about the things she did and the conversations she had and how great her teacher is. She does get homework every so often, but it is usually pretty fun to do! Mommy and Daddy couldn't be more proud of their young lady (who is growing up way too fast!)