Addendum to "Back to School...."

I thought I had prepared Ava for everything....but, I forgot to tell her about being picked up. She is used to me parking and coming to her room to get her each day. At her new school, there is a carpool line and all the younger kids that get out at that time go to a hallway with their teachers and sit together to wait for their names to be called and to be walked out to their car. On her first day, we were the 3rd car in the carpool lane (kind of anxious to see how her day went and ready to get her. I'm not used to having to wait to pick up my kids....I just normally go get them when I am ready to get them!) The teacher standing outside saw my car (very common among Mommies) and yelled for a little boy to come out and get into my car. Then the teacher saw ME holding up a sign with Ava's name on it and yelled to the one bringing the little boy, "WRONG KID, WRONG KID, WRONG KID!!!!" Then they brought Ava out to my car. She looked like a deer in headlights. She didn't have a CLUE what was going on or where they were taking her or anything! I felt terrible that I hadn't told her about the pick up routine.

The next morning I reminded her that after nap time, she and her friends would go wait with their teachers in that hallway again and they would bring her out to my car. And she replied (with a straight face), "So when they yell "WRONG KID!!", that's when I go, right?"

Brad and I lost it! We told her no, she will always be the RIGHT KID to us!

School days...

Ava's first day at "Big Girl School"! She has been talking about it for weeks! We had really built it up so that her first day wouldn't be scary. She has been in daycare her whole life, but was always at the same one until now so it was all very familiar to her. We visited the school several times and saw her room and met her teacher ahead of time. She is very excited about roller skating in the halls. This is a tradition at her new school and she can't wait! During registration she kept going over to the skate lockers outside the cafeteria and trying them all on. (Can't keep the girl from shoe shopping everywhere we go!) Speaking of shoes.... she is only allowed to wear closed-toe, closed-heel shoes to school now. This caught us off-guard as she has 10 million pair of sandals in every color of the rainbow and chooses her shoes, earrings, etc. to match her outfit each day. They don't wear uniforms so she still gets to pick out her clothes, but now she has to either wear sneakers or flats (or boots in winter) with her clothes. She is trying to get used to this....she misses her sandals! BUT, she loves her new classmates and talks about them each day when I pick her up. She is also upset that they don't have swings on the playground (her favorite), but she will survive! She started taking Spanish, music and art this week and will start gymnastics next week. She is going to be a very busy girl!

Her new teacher is Miss Jaimie. Her teacher was supposed to be Miss. Janet, but she is on maternity leave until December. She has a total of 9 kids in her class and one of them is her best girlfriend, Nadia, from her dance class. We have met several of the kids in her class and they are sweet.

She really likes the dollhouse in her room and when Ms. Jaimie found out how much Ava loves Sleeping Beauty, she brought some princess figurines, including Sleeping Beauty for her play with! So sweet!!

Ava with her Daddy on her first day!

Ava with her Mommy on her first day. She did great! Kissed us bye and went to play with her friends. I teared up and had to fight back actually sobbing. Couldn't stop thinking about holding her in the hospital for the first time and how that seemed like yesterday. (tear)

This is the kids birthday gift to Brad this year (it is actually in a frame now). I got the idea from Pinterest, my new addiction! Below are some of the other pictures I took of the kids when I was getting the photos of them (wearing their Daddy's shoes) for the gift.

Miles kills me with his skinny little legs in his Daddy's big 'ole shoes! (I feed them, I swear! They eat like little truck drivers! And good food too, not junk...I don't get it! Maybe I should give them some junk food to fatten them up! HA!!)

She is getting so big and so grown up!

Can you believe that this skirt is an 18-24 month!!! And she will be 4 in a few months!! She DOES need a 4T for length, but her little waist is still 18-24 month!

God love him!! He LOVES to walk around in his Daddy's shoes ALL the time, but when I NEED him to..... He would NOT stay in them. Naturally.

Our little munchkins! We love them SO much!!

Siblings Visit and Summer Dance Recital

Ava and her cousin Hayden at her summer dance recital. Hayden kept insisting that he was going to be dancing WITH Ava at the recital. We had to explain that he would actually be cheering her on from the front row while she was on stage. And he took this job quite seriously. As Ava took the stage with her group, Hayden yelled for all to hear, "HERE I AM AVA!!!" Ava did wave to him. I am going to try to post the video on here. Too cute! Miles and Olivia did very well sitting in the audience during the recital, but Ava's group was the second one to go so they didn't have to be good for long.

A rare shot of Miles with his popper. He isn't allowed to have one at school and at home he can only use them when sleeping or in the car. However, for the hour we were there prior to the recital, Miles was HORRIBLE.....which warranted a popper as far as we (and the rest of the audience) was concerned. Miles will be losing the popper when he is 2 like Ava if all goes well. I am hopeful, but have heard boys are a bit slower on the uptake.

Ava waving at her adoring family! Grandmother Blair, Nana & Pito, Meema and Papa, Mommy & Daddy, Amber, Hayden, Olivia and Miles were all on the front row. She loves the stage! I wasn't sure if she realized it was just a recital and not a concert. She sang through the entire thing!

Hayden and Olivia waiting for the recital to start! They were SO good!

Ava and a few of the girls checking to see if they were on their "marks".

She was so proud of herself and we were extremely proud of her!

OK, so they all appear to being doing different things. We have to give them a little break. Summer dance camp is only 8 lessons in 4 weeks and many of the girls missed some (Ava missed 4 due to vacations). They were still cute as can be!

Ava with her cute little girlfriend, Nadia who will be going to "big girl school" with her in the Fall.

Taking her bow. A little blurry, but I had to post it!

Each summer we get together with one of Ava's half siblings, Maddie Rae. She lives in California, but has family here. They also have a new half sibling who lives in NWA, Chase. We got the three of them together for a day of fun and it was so precious watching them play together!

Chase, Miles, Maddie Rae and Ava.

Playing on the waterslide on SUCH a hot day!

The girls decided to take the Jeep out for a spin and even took turns without any drama!

Sisters! How cute are they!!??

Wouldn't you just give anything to hear what they are thinking/saying to one another here?

Swinging once the sun set enough to cool off the swingset.

I think Chase had had it! That heat was zapping the energy out of all of us! Just think, next year he will be on that swingset with them. They grow up way too fast.

Maddie Rae with her Mom, Lisa. (Note: Maddie Rae was NOT happy to be leaving. God love her. Ava wanted them all to stay too!)

Chase with his Mom, Kristin. He was pooped! What a wonderful day!