Perot Museum

Aidan had President's Day off so I took both kids to the newly-opened Perot Museum of Nature and Science. It was crowded, but super cool!

Pinewood, Pirouettes, Parties, and Pals

Aidan and Daniel worked together to make a car for Aidan's first Pinewood Derby this past weekend. The Batmobile didn't advance past the first round but Aidan won an award for Coolest Design!

Avery had her last ballet class last week. She isn't exactly the Black Swan but loves dance so I think I'll put her back in the dance studio in the fall.

The kids had fun at a birthday party this weekend!

I told Aidan he could invite a friend over for a sleepover and he chose Chase, his good buddy from preschool! His sister Kella is Avery's friend so we invited her too. I'm so glad my kiddos value old friendships as much as new ones. They definitely get that from me :) We saw our old friends the Jacobuses at church this past Sunday! Their three kids are right at our kids' ages and we were so bummed when they moved away a few years ago. Here's a cute "then & now" picture I took!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Avery and I both woke up to lovely roses from Daddy, and I got a new iPad! My computer is getting old so I'm glad to have this as an alternative :) Avery loved her huge card, and Aidan got a secret decoder Phineas and Ferb card. The kids also got cards from Papi, Grammy, and Gigi. I surprised them with heart-shaped sandwiches in their lunches :)

Avery had a party at school (here she is with her class):

So did Aidan:

Then we went to a party after school with some Moms Club friends.

We also got a cousin picture!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Daddy/Daughter Date

This past weekend Daniel and Avery went to Daddy/Daughter Date Night at the local Chick Fil-A. I had made a reservation for them weeks ago...they fill up fast! There were tablecloths, flowers, and a harpist. Aidan and I did our own thing and went to Matt's for some Tex-Mex!

Student of the Week

Last week Aidan was Student of the Week, which meant he made a poster that was displayed in the classroom all week. On Friday I was in charge of snacks, which coincided with the 100th Day of School. Avery and I brought up 100 Grand candy bars and some other things for the kids to enjoy at recess. It's such a cute class and the girls are very sweet to Avery! After that we got to watch Aidan share his "Show & Tell" item with the class (his Star Wars Lego character encyclopedia that was a gift from Grammy).

Kudos

Just had to brag on my kids for their accomplishments this week. Aidan got A's on all seven tests from last week, including his first-ever S+ in handwriting (not his strongest subject). Super proud of him!

And Avery has been working hard at the K4 homeschooling. She doesn't have the steadiest hand so handwriting is a struggle for her as well. But when she stops and concentrates, she does great! I helped her with the "s" in this picture but the "h" and "i" are all her!

In Other News

The kids kicked their sicknesses (and Daniel and I stayed healthy, knock on wood!) and we're back in the swing of things. Here's what's been going on:

This is from January 2nd, when we had our friends Kaelyn, Marina, Ambrielle, Genicey, Cade, and Hailey (and their moms) over to play!

This was taken in Crawford, while Aidan was sick at home with me (obviously before Avery caught the bug a few days later). She has ridden Rusty the horse before, but this was her first time on Toby. Toby is a little wilder than Rusty, so Aunt Kathleen was her co-rider. Avery had so much fun!

Avery and Cousin Sage started a ballet class through the city. Avery is loving it. I think I may have to put her back in dance next fall :)

It's the second year for Aidan to do Upward Basketball! He's on a team with two of his buddies, Ryan and Cade. He had to miss his first game because he was sick, but he got to play in the second game yesterday and scored two baskets!

The Plague

Here's what 2013 has looked like so far:

Aidan caught a stomach bug Friday morning. Daniel had a hunting trip lined up for the weekend (and was going to drop Avery off in Crawford with Grandpa and Nanna), so they went as planned because I figured Aidan would be fine and would bounce back in time for his first basketball game on Saturday afternoon. Wrong! Our mommy/son weekend turned into a sickfest. It was rough not having Daniel around, but really great to have Avery at her grandparents' (she stayed healthy and had a great time!). After several hospital/doctor visits and three missed days of school, Aidan is still too weak to eat, and he got so dehydrated I finally had to take him to Children's Hospital to get an IV of fluids, per his pediatrician's suggestion. I'm sending him to school tomorrow and just having him sit out from recess and P.E. As a bonus, Avery decided to get sick last night so she didn't get to go to school today either. 2013 can only get better from here, right?