Kid Happenings

So here are some random pics of what the kids have been up to lately. Notice I say KIDS... the past couple of weeks have been full of shuttling kids off to wherever they need to be lately. I take Lexi to school and pick her up every day. And dance class has started back up again. And of course there's our Rooney Time (which has been crazy with library days, park days, playdates, etc.). But this is what we signed up for when we had children, right? I suppose it will be even busier when they get older...


This is Lexi on her way to the primary activity... she wanted to be Samuel the Lamanite

On the rides at San Genaro Feast

Ava on her Barbie bigwheels

Lexi on her bike

Rooney Time...

When Lexi is gone at school, I think Ava gets a little bored. And I am not always the best playmate... I'm just now realizing that I haven't been doing everything I did with Ava that I'd done with Lexi when she was this age. When I have to run errands and do stuff around the house, Rooney gets a little neglected. But I actually think Ava likes running errands with me. When we've dropped Lexi off, she asks if we're going shopping now. :) I do take her to the library for storytime, which she totally hates... but she LOVES books! Anyway, I think I've gotten better at "Rooney time." She loves singing songs, doing puzzles and watercolors. Last week we had a tea party (and Dora had to come, of course). And this week all she's wanted to do was play dress-up (which her and Lexi do ALL THE TIME). Yeah, I could only wear the jewelry... but I did get to be the Queen- Ava referred to me as "your Highness." So Ava, here's to lots more Rooney Time!! :)

Labor Day Weekend...

Cousins: Dima, Lexi, and Daniil

Rain Forest Cafe

This weekend Benj's sister, Roselle and her family came for a fun visit. The kids always have a great time playing together, so they were excited to see each other. Saturday, after Roselle and I hit the scrapbook store, we all went down to the strip for some lunch and some fun. We took the kids to Rain Forest Cafe where they were quite entertained by our goofy waiter and of course the balloon animal guy. Then it was off to M&M World! Later that night, Benj and his brother-in-law Mike went to the UNLV/USU game. We are all USU alumni and were secretly hoping to see them win one. Needless to say, USU still doesn't have the greatest football team and they lost. But we had a great time this weekend! Thank you Harney family for coming to see us! And Lexi and Ava miss their cousins already!

Today Benj and I took the girls hiking up Red Rock... but this time we did a different hike. It was a little more difficult for the kids, but they were real troopers and seemed to be having a good time. We had stopped at the store to get Lexi a new pair of tennis shoes (her ones from last year were too small... I swear, the kid has BIG feet for a 5 year old girl!), so she was very excited about that and jumping off all the rocks. And Ava wanted to do it all on her own. I kept hearing, "NO! Don't hold my hand!" Or, "NO! Don't carry me!" But by the time we were almost to the end of the hike, both girls were whining and crying (so much that you could hear it through the whole canyon from the echo!). We figure all together we did about 2 miles or so. Great job girlies!

First day of Kindergarten!

I can't believe it, my little girl is going to school! Today was Lexi's first day of Kindergarten. She was nervous all morning and kept saying she was scared. But she went into class just fine and said she had fun and made new friends. She had been bugging me all weekend about wearing her new skort and I kept telling her, ON MONDAY. So, she finally got to wear it for her first day at school! Well, it must have worn her out because she's asleep on the couch right now. :)

Our fun weekend with family...

Me and my "little" brothers

Lexi playing with Natalia and Abigail

My mom with all her grandkids :)

With me and my two brothers all living in Vegas, my parents get to come visit more. :) And this weekend my mom flew in for a fun visit. We started the weekend with shopping! We got Lexi a really good start on school clothes (she starts school TOMORROW!!!!). And the rest of the weekend was filled with family dinners, more shopping and don't forget the Red Rock Buffet (we all LOVE that place, lol). Thanks mom for a great time, it was great to see you!!

Our attempt at pictures...

This weekend my mom came to visit. We had decided to try to get Ava's picture taken (since she screamed her head off in April when we took her in to get a 2-yr. old pic). Her one year picture... it's a little outdated. Then we thought hey, let's go up to the temple (because lets face it, they have the best scenery) and take our own pics and see what we come up with. So we got the girls dressed up and they just had to wear their new shoes we found the day before. So this is what came off my camera. I am sooooooo not a photographer, that's for sure! But hey, I didn't have to deal with the embarassement (again) of my kid screaming bloody murder at the photography studio.

Potty Training Ava

Well I am officially potty training Ava this week. She used to scream her head off when you mentioned the word "potty." But all the sudden this week, she is totally into it. So I'm taking advantage. It's so hard though because now I HAVE to be consistent. But so far, so good! She is doing very well with it. She keeps asking Lexi, "Do you have panties? I do!" And she lifts up her shirt to show us all. So wish me luck as I'm stuck in the house for days doing the potty training thing!! ;)