All the Cool Kids go to Kinder...

We survived the first day of Kindergarten!  The night before, we picked out her 'first day' outfit, packed her lunch and back back, and read the Bernstein Bear's 'back to shool' book before bed.  She was ready. I on the other hand, had a teensy little bit of anxiety.  The kind that made it impossible to sleep.  The kind that kept me up until 3:30 a.m., until i finally got in Ava's bed and fell right to sleep.

I was anxious for nothing. Our baby big girl was SO excited for the day!  We had healthy yummy waffles for breakfast.  She got herself dressed and I fixed her hair (she got to choose the bow).  We were finally ready to head out the door, but not before taking a few photos of our girl on her big day!

Love her j.crew pants --- found them at a kids resale shop about a month ago!

She's pretty excited about her lunch box:-)

The mandatory photo with Dad.

And the mandatory photo with Mom.

The rest of the photos were taken with my iPhone--and we were on the move -- so i apologize that some are a little fuzzy!

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This next picture is by far my favorite of the day.  Sweet girl and her daddy on their way inside ((this was the only time I got misty eyed!))

Mrs. Sanderson was waiting for us when we got to her class.  Ava quickly learned the morning routine.  First, we put up our lunch boxes.

Then she finds her cubby and puts her snack inside.

And finally, she gets to go to her locker (her favorite thing about Kindergarten so far) and put away her back back.

She had a great first day, and couldn't wait to go back this morning. It was her groups day to use the computers :)  She also informed us that she didn't need us to walk her to class this morning, that we could just drop her off out front.  Daddy said she walked in SO proud this morning as he watched from the car. 

We are so proud our our independent kindergartner, and so excited to see what this year has in store for her!

The Night before Kindergarten ((Interview))...

My little isn't so little...

Ava is getting SO big. She's super independent. She can get dressed all by herself. She gets her own breakfast. She ties her own shoes. And as of this morning, she can assemble a puzzle without assistance.















Yes, it's true, my little's not so little.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

boOk woRm...

confession:  i am a total book worm.  i'd read all day and night if i could.  turns out i have a little thing called a job that fills the day, and a little thing called a family that takes up much of my night.  Then there is always laundry, house cleaning, and an occasional tv show that takes up all the space in between.  Oh how i miss reading -- the days when i would curl up on the couch on a saturday morning, and not stop reading until the very last page. (for reals, i would read from beginning to end).  i love the crisp pages, the new smell. 

i definately don't get to read like i used to, but i still read a book or so a month.  i have a few favorites.

AmaZing book by Lee Martin.  Seriously.  i have read this book several times, and it is definately one of my favorites!

Anything by James Patterson is giong to grab my attention., i fell in love  with him when iI read this book.  iI have read almost every book he has written.

i read this book in my creative writing class my senior year of high school. LOVE.

i just finished this book.  it took me a little bit to get into it, but man, it was worth it!  i can't wait to read the next two!

i also have these on my future reading list...

i feel much better now that you all know what a nerd i am!  haha!  do you read? if so, what am i missing?

aLways.SoMetiMes.neVer.

thank you aNnaLee for a cute blog idea!

i ALWAYS...
tuck my hair behind my ears.
sleep on my stomach.
read magazines back to front.
pop my knuckles.
know really useless trivia.
kiss my baby goodnight.
count steps.
flip my pillow to the 'cool' side.
look for the big dipper on a clear night.
talk with my hands.
eat my least favorite food first, and my favorite food last on my plate.

i SOMETIMES...

get homesick.

pretend to be listening to my ipod on the train so i don't have to talk.

laugh so hard i cry.

wish i had a creative job like being a photographer.or painter.

get nervous in group settings.

am stubborn.

talk to my bestie multiple times in one day.

talk too much.

sing in the car at the top of my lungs to britney spears.

go to bed angry.

i NEVER...

eat veggies.

go outside without shoes on.

tire of reality tv.

forget a story or name.

give up an argument.

go outside in the summertime without sunscreen.

get tired of talking on the phone.

what do you ALWAYS.SOMETIMES.NEVER do?

its ALL in the DETAILS...

On Saturday Morning, we celebrated the Princess's birthday with a

donut/kolache/pj party with her friends from school!

I was up way to early for a Saturday and at the donut shoppe at 6 am to get all the goodies while little miss and daddy where still asleep.  I was able to construct the birthday 'cake' before Ava woke up, and she was so excited when she saw it!

the cake turned out alright for my first try!  There is nothing that a Styrofoam cube, 120 toothpicks, and about 11 dozen donut holes can't do ;)

After I finished the cake, it was time to getting ready to head to Sissy's for the party!  We hosted it at her house because I was afraid our apartment would be too small (we invited all of her class --18 kids-- and ended up with 6) but at least I didn't have to clean and setup.  All in all, I'm glad we chose to have it there!

At about 8:45 we I started getting the table and decor all ready!  I made a little banner.

And organized the table.

Then it was time for the guests to arrive!

They all LOVED the party hats, especially this little guy!

The kiddos posed for a few photos

and then they got to decorate their party favors: pillowcases!

(in hind-sight, this was a VERY bad  idea.  I was stressed the whole time that paint was going to be everywhere! At least we got some cute photos!)

After pillowcases, it was time to open a few fun presents!

The kids were all excited about Ava's new back pack & lunch box from Mom & Dad :)

After presents, it was time for cake!

We sang Happy Birthday cha cha cha and Priss made a wish.

After cake, we headed outside to take a swing at Buzz.

We even managed to sneak a few family photos into the mix!

And Sarah and I got a photo with each of our kiddos ;)

_________________________________________________
I'm so glad Ava talked me into the party. It was the perfect party for her to celebrate with her friends ;)

my, oh my, can you really be FIVE?...

Where has the time gone?

If feels like just yesterday I was staring down at you nestled in my arms.

My sweet, beautiful baby girl.

And now, we are celebrating your FiFth Birthday!

At five years old, you are:

You are smart.

You are funny.  You seriously make me laugh so hard I cry.

You are senstive. 

You still LOVE you some Spiderman.

You are stubborn.

You love the colors black, green, purple, and blue.

You are obsessed with Buzz Lightyear.

You say all the time that you wish that you were a boy.  Most days you come straight home from school, throw on a hoodie and your baseball cap, and want us to call you "Aaron".

You are a Daddy's girl.  You always go to him when you want something.

You have a boyfriend, Carson Garcia.  You try and kiss him on the playground, but he runs away.

You want a sibling--specificly, a baby brother.

You are a snuggle bug.

You think your Aunt Sarah and Uncle B hung the moon.  You always say you wish you could live with them.

You are in gymnastics.

Your favorite place to visit is OHIO.  You asked if you could go there and stay with Nana and Papa by yourself for 10 billion days.

Your a Momma's girl.  You ask to sleep in my bed with me every night --pouring on the charm with back rubs and cuddles.

You are getting ready for Kindergarten -- you will be a Schell Coyote :)

You are independent. 

When you grow up, you want to be a Mommy/teacher/hairdresser/RockStar. 

You are an Awesome big cousin.  P loves you just as much as you love him!

You are anything you want to be.

You are special.

You are a princess.

You are the coolest five year old I know!

Happy Fifth Birthday Baby Girl!