Back To Blogging!!!!

Hello friends!!! Ok, so because of all the social pressure :), and a lot of admiration I have for all my blogger friends out there, I am once again attempting to keep a blog, and to keep it a bit up to date. Again, if you are the type to look at blogs twice a day to see what new posts there are, you will be sorely disappointed with mine, but hopefully I will get a few posts in on occasion.

We are just living in our little Howell Heaven. Ethan has been hugely into soccer and tells me daily that he and his soccer friends are having a "real soccer game" today and everyone is going to be there- All the moms and all the neighbors. I hate to let his little ego be smashed because I know that outside our little haven, NO ONE is going to show- not even the team. So we may attempt to put something together for some of you with four year old kids. He has been delightful lately. It is fun to watch him grow, to write his name and just seeing all that he is learning and how sweet he is to me.

Ava is... well, let's put it this way... everyone told me that girls were so much easier than boys in regards to their activity level. Ethan was always eating rocks, pulling the dirt out of plant pots, getting into grandma's laundry detergent... but Ava makes Ethan look tame. Ok, I am in the one year old stage, and I know everyone has been through it and just laughs, but I tell you, I don't remember it this way!!! Within the last week Ava has turned on the tub and filled it with 7 inches of water (where was her mom you may ask??? Washing the tupperware she put all over the floor) and through Ethans remote to his new tarantula in it. She has put his sippy cup of vanilla milk in the toilet, played in the toilet (I have way too much potty talk on this blog- I will try to clean that up) at the worst times, turned on the tub at least 75 times, emptied the dishwashing soap (thank goodness for individual packets) at least 17 times, eaten crayon of multiple colors, broken 3 ornaments, knocked down the Christmas tree, she plays in the garbage any time she can get to it ... but I have to say she is also as sweet as any little girl can be. She makes all of us feel like we are her favorite, and is so funny when she is being mischevious, that you can't even get mad at the little rascal.

Sorry this post is so long, it has been a while since I have written. I am also going to include a few pictures from what we have been up to to last - wow, 5 months. Ethan and Ava have each had birthdays, Halloween has come and gone as has Thanksgiving. Welcome to our crazy lives!!! Dave is still is still as active and busy busy busy- whether it is building snowmen with Ethan, being flattered by Ava's admiration of him, meetings, work, fixing things around the house playing soccer, he never seems to get tired. The other day I ran by him on the treadmill and was shocked by his average c 8.5-9.0 mile per hour pace- yikes!!! It made me tired just watching him. Well, here we are!!