Ava's First Shiner!

Ava woke up today with her eye swollen shut. My first thought was...."Oh no! Pinkeye!", but after the swelling went down a little we realized she had just been injured. She hadn't complained about getting hurt and we didn't notice it the night before because she fell asleep in the car on the way home from our friends' house. When we questioned Ella she said it was "possible" that Ava had been hit in the eye with a stick....twice. I wonder who could have done that??? Anyway she seems fine, but looks like she's been through a battle! Not to mention she fell in our driveway later today leaving a nice bruise on her forehead. Thankfully, preschool doesn't start for 2 more weeks!

A Day of Beauty!

Marshall is away at camp this week so we decided to have an extra-girly day! I took the girls for their back-to-school haircuts! Of course Ella volunteered to go first which was just fine with Ava.

Aren't I cute??

I had to throw in a couple pictures of Sadie Rose! Even though she didn't get a haircut, she had a fun time eating crayons and watching Dora from an airplane!

It's Ava's turn! I think we've turned a corner! This was Ava's first haircut as a willing participant. There were no tears...no bribery...not even a lollipop! She actually enjoyed herself!

A day of beauty wouldn't be complete without manicures!

Ava had a tough time deciding on a color.....pink or pink?? She chose pink!

Showing off the finished product!

We ended our fun day with a train ride around Country Village. The girls laughed as Sadie squealed. They are already asking when we can have another girls-only day!

A Day at the Science Center

We hadn't been to the science center for a long time, so we decided it would be a fun thing to do on one of Matt's last vacation days. The kids had a blast! You know they are having a good time when they are too busy to ask us for stuff or complain of hunger!

While Matt was off doing big kid stuff with the big kids, Ava, Sadie, and I spent time in the toddler area. Sadie loved having some freedom and Ava loved being the "big" sister and showed her all around.

We thought Sadie would be a little unsure of the dinosaur exhibit, but I think it was her favorite part. She wanted out of the stroller to get closer and say HI to each one.

The kids really enjoyed the butterfly exhibit. They spent a lot of time trying to identify the different types.

Sadie just pointed and said, "OOOOH" every time she saw a butterfly.

At the end of our trip Matt took a ride on a high-wire bicycle balanced by weights. There was a moment when he started to lean, but he regained his balance and made it all the way around! Marshall wanted to try....but he didn't quite weigh enough. Can't say I was too disappointed about that!

Silverwood Adventure

This week we took a trip to Coeurd'alene, ID. There is a theme/water park there that we had heard about and wanted to check out. We went with our friends the Vendelins. The trip was lots of fun, but not super relaxing! The kids wanted to see and do everything the park had to offer! Here they all are as we entered the park....not too thrilled that Mom made them sit for a photo! They wanted to get the show on the road!

Some of the kids' favorite rides were the bumper boats and the log ride. The bumper boats were especially fun because they were able to spray each other with water....I opted out at the last minute after seeing everyone get off the ride dripping wet. It wasn't that warm yet!

Super cute girls!!!!

.......and boys!

After napping for most of the swimming time, Sadie enjoyed being in the water with Daddy and crawling around in the toddler area!

Ava loved swimming in the wave pool with Daddy!

Our friends the Gilmores who have moved to Coeurd'alene met us at the park for the day. Here is a picture with 2 of their girls. It was especially fun for Ella to reconnect with a friend from the past!

Here's a picture of Ava as all of the adults were discussing who was going to take her potty....I guess we didn't have time for a discussion. OOPS! We told her to hurry and get back in the water!

Sadie and I spent quite a bit of time waiting while everyone stood in line and went on rides.....it was still fun though. Someday she'll get her turn.

We ended our long day with a ferris wheel ride. I think of all the kids, Ava liked it the most! Who would have thought she was such a little dare-devil! What a fun trip! We will definitely go there again!

The Next Tiger Woods!

Marshall spent this week attending golf camp at Echo Falls with a couple of his buddies from school. He had a lot of fun and said he learned a couple of things as well. He got first place in his age division (9-12 year old) and was quite proud of himself. We are proud of him too! He won the putting competition and also had the longest drive of 159 yards. He has definitely been bitten by the golf bug and can't wait to get back out there and play some more!!