Memorial Day Weekend, Part 1

WOW - what an event filled weekend we have had! We started the 3-day weekend with our first trip trip of the season to our favorite sprinkler park and dinner at Buca with my mom and dad.

The next morning, we made a trip to a local park with a walking trail and playground. Ava rode her bike the entire 1.5 mile trek and Aidan sprinted for about a mile of it.

Mommy and her favorite little guy taking a break (one of the very few times he actually stopped):
Little Miss demonstrating her safe riding skills:

About the only shot of Aidan at the playground where he let me take his picture:

The crew (good thing Daddy wore his workout clothes):

Few things are cuter - in my opinion - than a Dad carrying a kiddo on his shoulders:

Ava's End of Year Program

It so crazy to think that Ava's first year of preschool is coming to an end. One of her preschools has a special program at the end of the year where the classes get together and sing a collection of songs.

In true Ava form, she looked all around for us as she was walking in, then her little face lit up when she saw us and gave us a huge wave. As outgoing as she is, she can sometimes be shy - I think she was tired tonight, because she sang, but not as animated as she was at home practicing.

I love this picture because the little boy next to her kept getting all up in her grill and she was just staring him up and down like, "What are you doing son?"
Mommy and her little songbird:

The happy couple. Although Ian is in an older class, his class was in the same program as Ava's. It was so cute because Ava was trying to move in to give Ian a kiss on his cheek, and he kept backing away from her. He eventually turned his head and gave her a kiss on the lips. Apparently, a kiss on the cheek wasn't enough for him. Doesn't this look like a picture you'd see at their wedding reception?

Ava - you continue to amaze us every day with how quickly you are growing. Before we know it, you'll be batting those super-model eyelashes at us asking to borrow the car keys :) We love you princess!!

Public Restroom Etiquette Rant

I feel like I have been a big complainer and judgmental of others lately - so I'd like to begin this post with my sincere apologies, but I just have to get this off my chest.

What phone call or which person is so damn important that you have to USE YOUR CELL PHONE IN THE RESTROOM???? This has been a topic of conversation with my friends in the office, and we are all in agreement that it is inappropriate (to say the VERY least).

Why can't you say, "Hey, can I call you back?" Or, just don't answer your phone while you're going OR just don't even take your phone in the stall with you!!!!

I sometimes feel like I am interrupting and I am rude when I have to flush the toilet or wash my hands. But then I think, "Why do I care? I'm doing what you're supposed to do in here!"

LET THIS BE KNOWN: no conversation is so important that you must continue it while doing your business - whether on a cell phone or with the person you walked into the restroom with. All conversing SHOULD CEASE when things like that are taking place. And if they don't, then I don't care...I will continue doing what I need to do :)

Afternoon Tea

One of the very special gifts Great-Grandma LeHunt has given Ava is a real glass tea set. She had purchased the set about 26 years ago when Memaw was pregnant with Ross (wishful thinking that it would be a girl, and not the third Kimble boy).

Hoping there would be a Kimble girl somewhere down the line, Great-Grandma LeHunt held onto the tea set, and gave it to Ava when she was born. Talk about a special gift! Up until recently, we didn't want Ava to play with it for fear she would break it. She's old enough and gentle enough now to play with it, and she uses it all the time.

On this particular day, I snuck up on Daddy joining in the fun with her dolls (notice he is fiddling with his Blackberry - a Daddy's work is never done):

"Do you want me to read this to you, Aidan?"

These days, Aidan's book of choice is The Monster at the End of This Book. We usually read it to him no less than 3 times back-to-back-to-back. When Mommy and Daddy aren't there to read it, big sister comes to the rescue!

While Ava can't actually read the words just yet, she has it memorized and knows just about every word on each page (where does she get that memory from?).

Aidan just laughs and laughs and listens intently and watches Ava with admiration as she reads him his favorite story. And Mommy and Daddy love to sit back and take it all in:

Happy Mother's Day

I hope all my mommy friends and family had a wonderful day. It's nice there is a special day set aside to honor us, but we should all know we are appreciated and honored every day!

We had planned my usual Mother's Day: Sean cooking me breakfast, doing all the diaper changes, a box of chocolates from the kids, Mommy gets a few cat naps and immunity from having to deal with uncooperative kids, and dinner as a family - complete with dessert.

You would think that dessert was the sweetest part of the day, but the sweet treat came before we even left for dinner. Ava walked up to me, change jar in hand and said, "Mommy, I want to go get ice cream after dinner, and I want to use this money, because it's Mother's Day". I truly almost cried - how proud I was of her!

The change jar, pre-emptying:
Mommy and her little angels:

Mommy's ham:

Eating our yummy cookie sandwiches - the perfect ending to a perfect day: