Easter 2013

 

For the basket hunt this year we had a scavenger hunt using pictures from a microscope.  Each clue was a picture of something they would have to go find.  Alia is holding up a picture of toilet paper and then the piece of toilet paper the next clue was on.  Avery is holding up a picture of a toothbrush that was attached to Alia's toilet paper.  They kept asking why the pictures looked so funny.  Until they found this..... 

a microscope!  We bought one you could hook up to the tv so we could all enjoy the show.

We took a walk to gather things to look at under the microscope.  The ant and roly poly bug we found were the neatest to look at magnified.  We also collected pond water, rocks, leaves, bark and flowers.

 The best part of the basket hunt is finding the silly string can for our fight! 

 Scott is being blasted with string!

Our eggs....I asked Alia to pose with the eggs and she set this whole pose up.  We used kool-aid, glitter and tattoos this year on our eggs. 

6 month Picture Update

 Alia 4 years

 
 Avery 6 1/2 years

Happy Birthday Alia

 Alia and Banana 4 years old

Alia and Banana 3 years old

She wanted a helium balloon for her birthday.

We made this fruit cake for Alia's school birthday.  It was a hit!  














She wanted a frog cake for her birthday this year.  We made a healthier version of a chocolate cake using quinoa flour and dark chocolate.  We also used spinach and avocados to make green food coloring for the frosting.  It worked great and didn't really taste like either of those things. 

 This is what Alia chose for her birthday:
1.  Watch a movie
2.  Eat pancakes for breakfast
3.  Play
4.  Have me do all of her chores as well as Avery's
5.  Eat ice cream for dinner- that really is all she ate.  Avery played a joke on us and put plastic worms in the salad.  Alia has a very weak stomach and wouldn't eat her food once she thought there were worms in the salad.
6.  Bake cookies
7.  Eat candy
8.  Skip quiet time

I asked her the yearly questions and this is what she came up with:

1.  What is your favorite holiday?  The weekend
2.  When I grow up I want to be a mommy.
3.  What is your favorite thing to do in school?  Cut out squares.
4.  What is your least favorite thing about school?  When kids say "poopy".
5.  If you could buy anything what would it be?  A car
6.  What is your favorite memory this year?  Playing together as a family.
7.  What would you change about this year?  I won't jump on the couches now that I'm 4.
8.  Who is your best friend?  Reese
9.  What is your biggest accomplishment this year?  Playing nicely with Avery.
10.  What do you like most about yourself?  I like being Alia. 

Now you see it, now you don't

Avery recently spent his commission money to buy a magicians kit and then he put on a show for us.  He bought the kit and then spent some time watching the video and teaching himself how to do the tricks.  It was a special time for Scott and I because it was the first time Avery took initiative to learn something on his own and then show us.  He really is growing up!  We were both very proud of him.  He even took one of the tricks to school for show and tell to mesmerize his class.  Enjoy the video, it's a long one : ).

Give Thanks

A little over a year ago I read the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  In the book Ann challenges the reader to keep a list of all of the things he/she is thankful for each day.  It's a chance to change our focus from the things we constantly want, to the blessings we already have in our lives.  I really enjoyed the book and began making my own list.  It really did open my eyes to all of the blessings around me big and small that I often over looked or took for granted.  I enjoyed making the list so much that I wanted it to be a daily extension of my life and my family's.  It's a great mind set to have because it's hard to complain when you see your list of constant blessings.  I had Scott make me a chalkboard and the list has begun!  It's been amazing to already see the transformation in the house. 


 I love watching them stand side by side and write and draw what they are thankful for!  I am thankful they are able to stand side by side without fighting : )

 
 Here is the list:
Alia
gum
bunnies
watermellon
pineapple
Avery
A mommy cat and a baby cat
fire

Avery
sun
Alia
clowd (cloud)
ples ofsr (police officer)
wind
dog
wotr (water)
gras (grass)
zoo
ligting (lightning)
nija (ninjas)

Christmas in Platteville

 Before heading to Platteville for Christmas we were able to watch Avery perform at the mid-year piano recital.  He has graduated into the next book and is learning how to play different notes on both hands at the same time.  I'm sure there is a name for that, but I was never very musical.

 We were also able to watch Alia in her first Christmas program for Preschool.  She did a great job singing! 

 We pulled into Platteville just as the annual Wunderlin cookie bake started!  Avery and Alia are creating gingerbread houses.  The cookie bake is always one of our favorite Christmas time traditions. 

 Avery tried snowboarding this year.  He did a great job balancing and actually made it down the hill several times without falling. 

 Sledding down Grandpa Wunderlin's driveway. 

 Waiting to open the presents under Bama's tree.

 Alia got the snow she asked for for Christmas!  Cuba City was hit with several inches of snow a few days before we arrived.  Here Papa is flying down one of the snow banks while Alia and Zoe watch. 

 She loved playing in the snow!

 Avery built a fort at the top with a comfy seat.

 The gang playing on the snow bank. 

 Another snow tradition in Platteville......getting stuck in Grandpa's driveway!  It took us 45 minutes to get the van out!

 This year Kelly, Sarah, and I met and took the kids sledding!  It was great to see them and catch up as well as race down the hill screaming, right Kelly?!

Our kids:  Diego, Layna, Isaac, Alia and Avery

Christmas at home

This year we started the Christmas season with an Advent activity.  We chose to do the Jesse Tree advent.  Starting December 1st we opened one gift a night.  Each night is a new ornament that has a bible story to go along with it.  It goes through the Bible starting with the creation of the world and ending with Jesus's birth.  It has been awesome to tell the story from the begining and show Avery and Alia how it all ties in from the Old Testament to the New Testament.  We have The Advent Jesse Tree book and like it.  It is a few simple paragraphs to go with the ornament and then gives a Bible verse from the Old and New Testaments. 

After Thanksgiving we headed to our annual tree farm and found what we thought would be the perfect tree.  It was a Blue Ice, cute right?  It looked amazing outside and was perfectly formed, however, when we brought it home and put ornaments on it it acted more like a shrub!  All of the branches are connected at the base and when you put an ornament on any of the branches they all stuck straight out.  Scott had to use the Christmas lights to wrap the tree to keep it from looking too crazy. 

This year we made a wreath with a hula hoop.  When we moved into this house I always thought that the space over the garage would be the perfect place for a large wreath but I was never willing to put the money into a large wreath.  When the kids were playing in the basement a few weeks ago with a hula hoop the light bulb came on!  It made the perfect base for a wreath. 

 It's a perfect fit!

Once the tree was decorated I asked the kids to stand in front of it for a "nice" picture.  I guess we had a different idea of what nice looks like!

Nice!

 
These Plasma cars were by far the best gift this year.  They are strong enough for adults and go pretty fast.  Our house has been a race track all weekend!  The most memorable moment was when Scott and Avery were on one car and Alia and I were on the other.  We were chasing each other around and pinging each other with foam balls. 

This was our birthday cake this year for Jesus.  It was a chocolate cake filled with chocolate mousse.  Alia had fun baking it using the cooking utensils that Grandpa and Grandma Davis gave her for Christmas. 

Probably a bit heavy on the mousse, but no one seemed to care.  It was chocolatey and delicious.

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

 Grandpa and Grandma Davis and Aunt Laura and Uncle Tony were able to spend Thanksgiving with us this year. 

 Avery loved the leg. 

 The weather was perfect while they were all here and we spent so much time outside.  Avery loved jumping from rock to rock at Line Creek.

 Alia wanted to try rock skipping too.

 We were even able to find some geocaches at Cochran Mills.  Alia loved the treasure hunt. 

 We found the perfect tree to climb.

 We spent an entire afternoon at an elementary school enjoying the sun and playing on the equipment. 

 We even played kick ball!  Once both kids got the hang of it, they loved playing.  Alia loved kicking and running around the bases but didn't like the outfield.  Avery loved pitching the ball and kicking and running the bases.

We even found time to look through a science book and make a wind gauge.