Quick Update

Ava- could not be more excited for her birthday in 4 days!!!! She doesn't miss telling anyone about the two goals she scored in one game this season in soccer. She is happy and crazy and an angel, but has an awful hard time keeping her little paws off her baby brother. She is taking gymnastics and loves doing back bends. She loves carrying around her Hello Kitty purse full of all her treasures.



Aidan is as fantastic as can be except his eating issues. The last couple of days he refuses to eat anything that is not sweet. He shuts his mouth, smells things, and turns his head. Guess it is time to go sugar free until his birthday. He is as sweet as he could possibly be- gives head bonks (softly most of the time) and is pulling himself up on everything. He finally has changed from army crawling to regular crawling and is happy 99% of the time. He is a snuggler, has tooth number 8 coming in, and loves everyone.



Ethan lost his front tooth tonight! We were driving home and he screamed for about 5 seconds (drama runs through the Howell blood in him) and then when we got home, he touched it and it came out! He has read three Jack and Annie books in the last three days, is loving soccer and excited for Junior Jazz to start. He is loving first grade and all he is doing but just wants to add violin lessons and foreign language class after school...ya, sorry bud.

A word...or two... about Minnesota

In August we went to Minnesota to visit my in-laws, and anyone who has talked to me in the previous 4 months knows I had some concerns about the Boundary Waters experience we were going to have- canoeing, portaging all of our gear (children, food, tents, sleeping bags, clothes, porta-crib, etc.), camping with our three children, and having no access to civilization in case of an emergency. Well, we went and had a FABULOUS time on the trip- Boundary water, Canada, Minneapolis, Blue Fin Bay, staying on Lake Superior, and just being together. But just to prove (ya, I am that kind of pathetic) that my concerns were not totally irrational...

My in-laws took David's brother and sister and their families to boundary waters this past week. During the second night, they heard a bear outside of their tents in their camp - my bro-in-law was banging pots and pans, screaming, and doing all he could to scare it away (He has a three year old and baby just older than Aidan). It came back two more times that night- clawed through all of their water bottles, egg container, and ruined a bunch of other things. They were all wide awake at 5 am and packed up to go home... smart decision.

Good bye summer and hello fall!!!

Quotables

Ava was being babysat a couple of weeks ago. My sister and her kids had been here for the last few weeks from London and apparently she was trying to imitate the English accent, talking like a Brit as Ethan likes to call it. He asked her what she was doing and she responded, "I'm talking like an English Muffin."

The other day I was taking Ethan to school and he told me that this boy at his school was really fat. I told him that is not really a polite thing to say and he said, "I know, a nicer way is to call him puffy."

SUMMER!!!!!

Summer has been awesome to say the least! I was so worried we were going to be bored and unproductive- honestly the way I kind of remember summers as a kid (sorry Mom), but we have been staying more than busy and having a blast! I love summer and having my kids at home. I made job charts for my kids, and if I would have known how much mileage I would have gotten out of them, wow, I would have done them a LONG time ago. I guess I have done them before, but slacked after Aidan was born, and I am back!

I took my storm door off our front door and let me say, I feel empowered! Ya, I realize it doesn't take much. It was on it's last leg, scratching the cement every time you open the door, and I was always self conscious about knocking little kids off our tiny cement square atop our steps. It feels more inviting now... yes, I am easy to please, and I did it myself!

Also, I got a great desk from my sis-in-law which was supposed to be for Ethan and Ava, but the only place it will fit is in our bedroom, so... I may just have to use it for myself! Again, put it up myself and am proud! Now it is time to start some real projects!

We have also been having a blast this summer! Today we went to Park City and rode the Alpine Slide, Alpine Coaster and the kids did the mega tramp thing. It was awesome! We have been boating, hiking, played with friends, painting, playing soccer, reading, learning bits of Spanish, and loving the summer!

I hope these are not the best days of my life, because I don't want to think that it goes down hill from this point. But I have to say, it has been a fantastic summer. I am sure I will be wallowing before long, but today the outlook is good! Have a great summer!

Ava about Aidan

The other day I had been cleaning out Aidan's clothes... you know, putting away the ones that are too small and getting out the new size. Ava was looking at them and asked why I was packing them up.

Me: They are too small for Aidan. Don't you think we should put them in the basement or should we just leave them here just in case we have another baby.

Ava (completely serious): Leave them here. I think we should take Aidan back to the hospital and trade him for a girl baby.

Me: WHAT?? You want to give Aidan back? We love Aidan!

Ava (looking like she knew she did something wrong): I want a girl baby! Or we can keep him and have two babies.

Glad she feels like she is making the decisions... too bad she is not. Hmmm...maybe she is not as attached as she leads us to believe.

Mother's Day 2010

All weekend David kept telling me that he had not had time to get me anything and was really worried. He said one thing, really really small, to which I said, "You always say that and you are always lying" to which he gave me a really bugged look... what if this time he was serious? I didn't want him to feel too bad... (ok I totally would actually, but he actually did great so no worries).

Well, I heard David and Ethan making breakfast early Sunday morning, and because of the rough night sleep, I just hid under the blanket and fell back asleep. I was not in the mood... then I remembered last years Mother's Day. I was grumpy... and bugged. I had expectations... some were met and some were not. The day started out ok, and went south in the afternoon. And here I was grumpy again because I was so tired. And then I remembered- I am a Mother.

I had a friend last week say, "Is it so bad that the one thing I want for Mother's Day to to be away from the people who call me Mother?". Another and I were talking about our favorite time of day being at night when they all are asleep. Motherhood is tiring. Monotonous. A constant battle for me... listen to the whole story, even if it is 22 minutes long; don't yell, don't yell, don't yell... they are almost in bed; don't sweat the small stuff, people are more important; I am so sorry I ________!!!;

Yet nothing is so wonderful, so satisfying, so heart melting, so slobbery, so fulfilling and motivating and hopeful as being a Mother. I love it! I am thankful every day multiple times that I have the opportunity to be ... a mother! Being a wife and mother are by far the two roles I hold dearest, and the ones that make me happiest. I am stretched and beaten down countless times, but I would not get up and try try again (HELP ME!!!!), if it were not for these I hold dearest.

This year Mother's Day was wonderful... even though I was the only one awake at my house by 7:30 pm. (Dave did wake back up a bit before nine). I thought about being a mother, and read about being a mother. I want to be deliberate, to help them find and create their dreams, to be so busy living and loving, that I don't have time to get mad (until tomorrow when they won't clean their room after I have asked 76 times). To be focused on the blessing of being a mother. I love it. My expectations were not high this year, and they were more than met.

We also went and saw my angel mother. She is amazing to me. I don't have her temperment. I wish I did. I don't have here patience, her listening ear, her calm nature, her controlled tongue- I wish I had all these qualities. I never remember her getting mad at me in my entire life. She tells me it is selective memory. I think of her often as I am mothering our children. Do-bi-do bi- doo she hums still as she goes about her daily tasks. I am thankful for her, and have high hopes of developing part of one of her qualities I mentioned above. Do-bi-do-bi-dooo. Just need to start humming. Happy Mother's Day!!!

April 1st- the best day of the year and that is no joke!

April 1st is an amazing day here at the Howell Residence. Not only is is April Fool's Day (always fun), spring is in the air, summer clothes fill our closets (from the boxes down stairs, not the stores) but we have our DAD/HUSBAND back!!!!! And this year to top it all off, we went to the happiest place on earth... it was awesome!!!!!













Princesses, Jedi's, roller coasters, treats, Splash Mountain, Pirates, Mickey and everything else that comes with Disneyland. We have never been on a real family vaca before... I mean a couple of small things here and there, but this was so much fun. We worried about the lines being spring break and all, but the rain kept many away the first day and after that...we used fast passes and parent swaps and had a blast! Disneyland for two days and Legoland for one. We were within walking distance to Disneyland and our kids did great! I think we started a new tradition- having a trip planned and BOOKED the week after busy season is over!!!