Evan - 8 and a little bit..

I can't believe it's time for another post! Evan is now 8 and growing up way too fast. :) He is still our sweet boy, but is definitely becoming more grown up and independent each day. 

All about Evan at 8...

- Evan and Doug have become "board game geeks". (I like to play as well.) The games that they play are mostly complex strategy games. Evan has a great attention span and is very good! (He wins at least half the time. :))

- The ipad has quickly become Evan's favorite free time activity. He would pick that any day over TV or Wii. His favorite apps are Minecraft, Dragonvale and he loved facetiming with his friends. 

- Evan still loves Cub Scouts and it's been keeping him busy. This fall, he sold lots of popcorn, made a Rain Gutter Regatta boat (which won his den), participated in the Fishing Derby, had fun camping in the rain with Doug, and just recently completed his second Pinewood Derby. (He came in 5th in the pack.) Most of all, he has a great group of boys that he gets to spend time with! 

- Evan played soccer again in the fall and plans to keep playing in the spring as well. He got to play with one of this best friends, and had a blast. He also starting taking archery, which he also loves! 

- We are continuing eschooling and doing co-op for second grade. (Evan wanted to keep doing this, so we did!) He loves math (already in 4th grade) and science, but is also really progressing in Language Arts. He's even doing gifted and talented Language Arts, which has been awesome for him. He gets to write and discuss books with his classmates once a week. He also loves doing science each week with Poppy, which is a great way for him to learn from someone else.

-Evan and I recently finished reading Harry Potter, which we both really enjoyed. Now, Doug and Evan are reading through the Chronicles or Narnia, which he is loving as well! It's been great to have that special time reading with him, especially as he gets more independent reading on his own. 

- He has his two best friends, who he loves to play with. He loves to play with other kids as well and pretty much gets along with everyone. He has also really come out of his shell and is quick to make friends in any situation. Of course, he is the best big brother! He is really patient with Ainsley and is loving and inclusive. He is also the sweetest big cousin and such a caring boy. 

- We celebrated Evan's birthday with a sleepover/outing to Skyzone with his two best friends, as well as family dodge ball birthday party at home. 

We love you Evan! We hope 8 is great!!

Ainsley - 4 and 3/4th

Ainsley has really come into her own these past few months and we've had the pleasure of watching her grow up before our eyes. She's always had a shy disposition around new people and situations, but she's becoming more comfortable and more willing to try out new things. Of course, at home, it's a different story. If she don't want to do something, it's really hard to convince her otherwise. :) She's still easy most of the time, and is always making up smile with those big dimples. 

- She LOVES dancing and dress-up! Those are her two favorite things. Anything girly and fancy, and she's game.  

- Ainsley besties are Mya and Angel. The girls love to play dress up (of course) and have tea parties. There is such a difference with boys and girls playing. 

- Ainsley and Evan also still play so nicely together. We love to see their brother/sister relationship so strong. They have their moments, but they are always game for running around in the bounce house or being silly together. 

- We tried out soccer this year. Doug coached Ainsley and we thought that she'd really like it. She was excited going in, but it turns out that her favorite part of soccer is waving to her fans. :) It was cute to watch, and she did get to play with 3 of our neighbors, which was great. We may try again ... in a few years.

-She's back at preschool this year, now 4 days a week. She really likes to take her time and do a good job, and loves to go with Mya. She is learning so much and she loves to spell things out. ("Mom, how do you spell ...") Her printing is really improving and she also loves to pretend to read. 

                                             

- Over the summer, Ainsley become quite the swimmer and was very brave - going down the huge waterslide at KI!

- I took Ainsley to see Annie Jr and the Nutcracker. I think she's going to be my theater buddy!! She loved both, and loves to sing along to the songs. Speaking of singing along, our favorite movie/songs are from Frozen!! Ainsley loved the movie, and loves the songs!! It's been fun to see her so into something. Of course, Ariel is still her favorite princess. 

- We have found one activity that Ainsley loves.. no surprise, it's dance class. She is taking ballet and tap, and is loving every minute of it! Her favorite part is free dance, where she gets to dance around and show off her moves!

We love you Miss A!!

Pretty Perfect Christmas Evening

Evan and Ainsley - I don't want to forget tonight. The snow was coming down all day, and the outside of our house looked magical. Doug got off work early, and we were all snug at home. We had pancakes for dinner, which turned into lots of fun as we made crazy shapes and added chocolate chips. We decorated the tree. Everyone helped, we listened to music and talked about what the ornaments meant to us. We snuggled up to watch the Polar Express with popcorn. Our little family, all cozy on the couch. I loved watching both of your faces watch the movie. Ainsley, covering your eyes at the loud and scary parts, and snuggling in my arms the whole time. Watching Evan entranced with the story. I am so blessed. Thank you God for my amazing family and making memories that I hope I remember forever.

Summer Bucket List

At the beginning of the year, our family made a bucket list of things we wanted to do this summer. We didn't get to them all, added a few not on the list, and had a fantastic summer!

Here's what we did check off the list:
- Putt-putt

- Going to the lake

- Tuckers for ice cream

- Tried banana splits

- Young's Dairy

- Roasted marshmallows
- Coney Island

-
- Ohio State Fair
- Luminations (downtown at Washington Park/Music Hall)
- COSI - MythBusters
- Rootbeer Stand
- Bike Ride at the Loveland bike trail

Of course, we had lots of trips to KI (the rides mostly this year - cooler weather and Evan now rides the big rides). Lots of playing outside, and we had the little backyard pool up for a bit. We even played in a rainstorm!


In case you're interested, the ones we didn't get to were: KI movie in the wave pool (too cold), family raft ride at KI, put out our travel bug, sleep in tent in our backyard, drive in movie, reds game, creeking, and find a waterfall. We might cross a few off in the fall. :)

All and all - another AMAZING summer!

Evan - 7 and 3/4th

 Evan at almost 8.. A few things about our big kid..

- Evan finished up 1st grade and his first year homeschooling. It went way better than expected. He learned a lot, progressing like crazy in math. (He finished up half way through 3rd grade math.) He did great in his other subjects as well and has become quite a good reader. His least favorite subject is writing, but we're working on it.  It was also great to see him grow throughout the year. He was able to do lots of extras (museums, science experiments with Poppy). He also really enjoyed Learning Tree co-op, making lots of new friends and learning new things. (And thank goodness I didn't have to teach Art!)

- Evan played soccer in the fall and basketball (Upward) in the winter, and we took a break off in the spring. It was nice for us all to have a break, having free nights all spring long!

- Evan continues to do, and love, Cub Scouts. He is in a den with his two best friend, and he has a blast. He built his first Pinewood Derby car (with lots of help from Dad) and ended up placing 6th out of his whole pack. He has also gone camping, built a boat for the regatta, and done lots of go-see-its (bank, museum, fire house).

  

- We have a new kid at Kings Island! As of the beginning of the year, Evan hadn't even rode the Beastie. He will now ride everything - the Racer, Stunt Coaster, even the Beast! It's been a blast riding the big kid rides with him.

 

- Evan's been losing his teeth! He lost the first wrestling with Poppy, he pulled the second and third ones himself, and the 4th one popped out on the boat at Norris Lake.

- Evan continues to be the best big brother (and big cousin). He his so kind and patient.

- We've had a busy summer so far, with Evan going to Nature Camp, MAD camp, and Cub Scout Camp. He has a few more to go too. Of course, we're trying to squeeze swimming in as much as possible. 

Evan continues to be our sweet, inquisitive, full of life boy.. and we are loving every minute of it!

Ainsley - 4 (and a 1/4th)

 

Ainsley is 4.. it's pretty unbelievable. We both look at her and are so amazing by how she's grown, her beauty inside and out, and the little girl she is becoming.

- Ainsley finished up her first year of preschool in May. She loved school and her teachers and friends (especially Mya). She also attended Learning Tree this year with Evan and me, and made lots of new friends there. From her teachers, I hear that she really likes to concentrate on her work and complete it entirely. She also wants to always write her own name.

- Some of Ainsley's favorite things to play are dress up, her play kitchen and her tea set. She has also recently become interested in make-up (oh boy). She will play independently for awhile, but also loves to play with Evan, following whatever he's doing. Another favorite thing for Ainsley is to sing and dance and put on a performance for us all. Of course, she has developed a love for princesses, with Ariel being her favorite. She also loves to pick out her own outfits.

- Ainsley and Evan have a wonderful brother/sister bond. They play together great most days. Ainsley does things Evan would never do at that age (ride big rides and KI, watch movies, play ipod), because they just love to play together. 

 

- Ainsley's best friend is still her cousin Mya. They are inseparable!  It's been fun to watch them play. Now, when they have a playdate, they will disappear into their room and not come out for hours. They are too busy playing babies, princesses, doctor, or rescue. She has also started having playdates with other her other friends and it's fun to watch her turn into a "big kid" hosting her friends.

- At A's 4 year check up, she was right on track. She is 39" (tall enough for some of the bigger rides at KI) and 36 pounds.

- Ainsley is still a water bug and loves to swim. She also loves to ride her bike and swing on the swingset. Another favorite is finding bugs and taking care of them. 

- I would say that Ainsley is 90% easy and 10% opinionated. :) Most of the time, she is go with the flow, will follow along with Evan's activies or places, and is just easy. I would say 10% of the time, she has an opinion, and there is no changing it! You just have to let her decide, and that's the only way. She is also shy in most new situations, but will usually warm up in 15 minutes or so.

Ainsley is really such a joy! She still makes us laugh with her crazy faces and funny comments. We love our Ainsley!

With her new baby cousin, Abigail. She loves her!!!