We held Taylor's 3rd birthday party on Sunday 10/21. We had 29 people total! 20 adults and 9 kiddos. The theme was Dora and it all turned out perfectly! We had beautiful weather (about 65 and sunny) which allowed all the kids to go outside and play for a little bit.
The menu was a nacho bar, complete with all the fixin's and taquitos and empanadas too. Ian made his guacamole (which Zack is obsessed with). The Dora cake was a hit! As were the margaritas :)
We had a great time! Taylor loved all her new presents (I don't think we need another plastic doll...ever!) and was so polite thanking everyone for their gift.
The a-maz-ing outfit was made by the fabulous Sheila Richardson (sheilarichardson.blogspot.com)! She kept calling it her "Dora dress that Mommy's friend made her". She looked ridiculously cute in it! Ahh!
I kicked in some creative talent (haha!) with the Dora banner and backpack gift bags.
What a great day celebrating our beautiful little 3 year old :)
The Northfield Twp. library had a cool little fall festival a few weeks ago, complete with pony rides! Taylor loved riding this pony and asked if she could go around again. Funny enough, the pony's name was....Jackie...HA!
Had to post this cute picture of T! We had to cut down the pine tree in the front yard because it had totally died. The stump is still there. One day while outside with Zack, she jumped up on it and said "I'm the Lorax!". So cute!
5 Years! Time flies when you're having fun!
The traditional anniversary gift for 5 years is wood. Zack had the most thoughtful and creative spin on wood. This rose wreath is made of wood shavings. It is so beautiful and unique.
We celebrated with a matinee movie (Taken 2) and a delightful dinner at Stillwater, complete with free (giant!) anniversary dessert. Yumm-o!
On Wednesday, October 10th, I accompanied Taylor on her very first field trip. The theme was "From Preschool to College" and we went on a tour of my old stomping grounds, EMU! We visited the football field, library, student center and science building, including million year old rock from Michigan. The kids got a kick out of climbing on the rocks.
Taylor had a great time and enjoyed her very first school bus ride. I must say, the harnesses they make those poor preschoolers wear are ridiculous! As you can see from the pictures, they couldn't move!
Little Ava Bean is officially a walker! On Saturday, 9/15, Zack was in the living room and I was in the kitchen. He said, "uh....I think Ava just took a few steps". We decided we would wait and see if she did it again before we officially marked it down in the baby book as first steps :)
Well, low and behold, she did it again. So we officially counted it as the first steps -- September 15, 2012 -- just 6 days before her 10 month milestone. A 9 month walker -- are you kidding me?!
I must admit -- I couldn't wait for Taylor to be old enough to partake in a dance class! Finally, that day has come! We enrolled her in a Baby Ballet & Tap class for 2 1/2 - 3 year olds at The Studio in South Lyon. The first half of the class is ballet, then they switch to tap. She has to wear a little leotard and tights and looks so freaking adorable! God bless the teachers who have the patience to teach these littles ones. They are getting better week by week, but it is pretty comical! Ms. Angela is so great with them and really puts things into terms they understand. When they put their hands over their heads, they are "making a balloon", etc. Taylor loves it and gets so excited when it is her turn to head into the classroom.
We just found out last night that there is a Christmas recital the 1st week in December. Can't freaking wait!!!!!!
Quick post about little Miss Ava Bean and her progress @ 10 months old!
- Still crawling everywhere and anywhere! This child has no fear! She will climb over anything that stands in her way, she is not afraid!
- She is definitely getting more steady with her walking skills and is starting to prefer it to crawling -- except when she wants to get somewhere FAST!
- 4 teeth - all on the bottom! Nothing up top yet!
- She loves, loves, loves to eat! If you are near her, with food, she is in your face. She loves to share Cheerios with Mommy/Daddy & Taylor in the mornings.
- Still on 3 bottles a day along with a lunch and a dinner.
- She is pretty much in 18 month clothes....growing too big! She will fit in some of her 12 month stuff still, but definitely for PJ's its 18 months.
- Still sleeping great at night with 1-2 naps a day. Usually she will want to go down around 9:30 - 10 for a short 45 minute nap. Then she will usually nap for 1.5 hours after lunch when Taylor goes down. It sure is nice that they will nap at the same time :)
I knew our kids would be different, but it still amazes me to see it first hand. Taylor was always so laid back, never got into anything -- heck, we never really even had to child proof. Ava on the other hand gets into EVERYTHING! She recently learned how to climb the stairs and if that baby gate is not by the stairs, she is over there every chance she gets. We have to instantly put the gate up when we are upstairs, or she will dart right over there. If there is anything in her way, she finds a way around, under or over it. This one will give us a run for our money, but we couldn't love her anymore :)
Here she is....always on the move...so much so that a good picture is near impossible!
I couldn't wait to make our annual pilgrimage to Three Cedars Farm! Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year and a trip to the Cider Mill pretty much defines fall to me.
The weather was great - high 60's and sunny! The girls had so much fun looking at the animals, playing in the corn box, and going on the hayride to pick out pumpkins. We still can't get Taylor to eat a donut -- she must not be my daughter.
And of course we purchased their fall special - half bale of hay, corn stalk, pumpkin and a mum, all for $13! Our porch looks great :)
Man, I LOVE Three Cedars!
As per usual, I'm super behind :(
Taylor started a 3 year old preschool program at WLECC this fall. She was really excited to be starting school! Her first day was on September 13th, which was basically an orientation day. Zack and I (and Ava!) went with her, took her to the classroom, then went into a Parent Orientation session. We got to make a Taylor paper doll that is displayed outside of her classroom in the hallway.
She did pretty well for the first day - she only peed her pants and then stole something :) We discovered once we got home that she had snagged some fake coins from a cash register and stuck them in the pocket of her shirt. haha!
She is absolutely loving school! There are only 7 kids in her class, which I think is great! She goes Tuesday - Thursday from 9:15 - 11:45, which seems to be a perfect length. She has been doing great going potty all by herself, which was the biggest thing that worried me. She has made lots of new friends, but "Abby" seems to be the one she talks about the most.
I'm so, so happy she is adjusting well, socializing, learning lots and having fun!
