Addy Grace goes to Preschool!

Doesn't that sound like a title of a book? Ha!

We are back to work and school. Addy started preschool yesterday and did wonderful!

No tears for either one of us! I was prepared but she was a rock star! I got this picture of her eating lunch from her teacher. She was pretty excited for the cheeseburger!

Day 2 was a little more rough. She knew I was leaving and sobbed! I felt so bad. I called to check on her and she had calmed right down. Of course she did! I love getting picture updates throughout the day. 

Everyday will get easier!

Houghtaling Happenings

As we round up our time off from work and school, I thought I would catch you up the stuff…

Addy is doing really well. We had our 30 day post placement visit and she kept saying how well Addy is doing and how happy she seems! We couldn't agree more. Ava and Addy are doing well. They are truly developing a relationship. They play well together! And love to play dress up!

We took Addy in for her follow up Dr. appointment. She blood work came back and everything was normal. Even though she got to play with Dr. Tracy's stethoscope, she still walked out crying because she had 3 shots!

I'm still in a cast, but only for a few more days. I had a little situation with my original cast. It was really bothering my foot. I couldn't take it anymore so I called the Dr and they had me come in. It turns out the resident who put on my cast did it at the wrong angle and that is why it was digging into my foot. So, I got a new cast. And I got to pick the color this time!

Stay tuned! We have a fun week ahead!

Trial Run at Pre-School

We took Addy into school a couple of days this week for a trial run. Why? Because we go back to work/school on Monday. I was nervous on how she would do and there were no reasons to worry! She did great!

She sang the songs, did the hand motions, did an art project, and played with toys. I have no doubt she will rock this!

Her first art project!

And we even took cookies into Ava Kate's class for her birthday! And she received one more round of Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Ava Kate!!! Part 2 and 3

The next day was Ava's actual birthday! Her daddy made her an amazing breakfast! And she got to open the gifts from Mommy and Daddy! And Addy, too! She was pretty stoked with her Elsa dress! Thanks, KT for the help on that!

After getting cleaned up and dressed, we headed to our traditional birthday lunch at Chuck E. Cheese. We seem to go every year on the the Monday after her birthday but this year, it fell on the actual day! 

Ava was into riding the motorcycle and Addy was completely content being a passenger. 

This little ride had a screen that we could watch them. It was so funny to watch!

After more games and rides and pizza, we headed home. 

We had to get ready for the next party. Whew…I'm already tired again. But, man did I have the surprise of Ava's young life planned! 

We had family over for cake and ice cream. Can I just say how amazing these cakes turned out. No!! I didn't make them. I found someone who has way more talent than I, for sure. 

After everyone got settled in, we started to see someone peeking through the windows. And then Ava noticed and ran back to door! Like sprinted! Because who was there?????

Her hero and love of her life…Spiderman!!! 

He brought her a gift!

And she couldn't get her Spiderman costume on quick enough!

It was so nice of Peter Parker to take the time off from fighting bad guys to take pictures with everyone!! Even Grandma!

And then it was time to say goodbye! But not before one more sign of affection

It was time for cake and presents!

Another amazing birthday in the books! Our friends and family are amazing!! Thank you to everyone for making this day so special! We ended this amazing day with a swim with our friends!

Happy Birthday, Ava Kate!!! Part 1

My dear little Ava,
How is it possible we are celebrating your sixth birthday? Didn't you just come to our family? Ava, everyday with you is a breath of fresh air. I wake up to your blinking, sleepy eyes in the morning and my heart stops for a minute. You.are.amazing. Never forget that. You, my child, are the reason I was put on this earth. To be your mommy. I know that with everything that I am. One night when we were cuddled up watching our show, The Little Couple, they were celebrating Will's birthday. At the zoo. So, of course, you wanted your birthday party at the zoo this year. And not one to tell you no (I need to work on that!), I called and booked the zoo for your birthday! Since Addy just came home and we missed her April birthday, we decided to throw in a birthday cake for her, too!! Of course, not one to miss an opportunity for matching outfits, I ordered some super cute shirts from Etsy for you and Addy! We decided to make this a friend party and celebrate with family the next day with cake and ice cream. So off to the zoo we went! It was a very fun, action packed time! You got to color, had lunch, met some animals (none of which I touched), a visit with a mascot, rode the carousel, opened presents, and had cake and ice cream!!

A big thank you to all of our friends who came out to celebrate! 

After the party was over, we decided to stay at the zoo and take in the animals. Well, or so I thought. We rode the train (and that's where the pictures stop)

Because, you my silly Ava, decided you would rather play on the playground than take in the zoo. So we played on the playground until closing time. Oh the joys of little ones! Later that night, I asked you what your favorite part of the day was. Your response? "The playground" Nice. 

We had Jordyn with us and her mommy and daddy were going out to dinner so we decided to drop her off and finish our day off, too. The waitress asked what was the special occasion and we told her your birthday! So this was what you got! The crew singing Happy Birthday and ice cream with chocolate sauce! 

 And Addy, too! 

Oh, my little girl! The best part? This isn't even close to over!! 

I love you to the moon and back. And then back again.