Happy 4th of July!

The July 4th holiday with my side of the family always means lots of food, lots of swimming, lots of fireworks, and lots of fun.  Independence Day 2012 was no exception.  

Ava got some fun new sunglasses from her honorary "Aunt" Rette.

She relaxed on the porch with Jess

and posed with her cousins Lawson and Addison.

We spent all afternoon in the pool

and then took a break to have a delicious dinner.

Ava obviously enjoyed a green cupcake

and playing with her cousins.

Then it was back in the pool for our little fish.

Kevin entertained the little ones with pool toys

while four generations looked on.

Then he and Ava had lots of fun in the pool.

Once it got dark, it was time for fireworks.  The kids enjoyed poppers, sparklers,

and their glow bracelets.

Kevin and Ava shot off roman candles

and the kids enjoyed prime seating throughout the rest of the show.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!  Thank you to all the men and women who have served and are currently serving.  We could not have enjoyed this wonderful holiday if it weren't for you!

Ava's Week at Art Camp

Last week, Ava went to an art camp with the art teacher I worked with at Arlington Elementary.  The week long camp was held at the teacher's home and Ava had a blast!!  She went last year as well but I think this year she enjoyed it a little more since she is older.  Here is a picture of Ava with her teacher Meredith and her sweet daughter, Carly.  I took this picture last year and forgot to get a new one this year.

The theme of the camp was Animals and there was a little bit of Nature mixed in there, too.  Ava worked really hard on her different projects each day.  When we got home after camp, we took a picture of her with her work.  I must say that she has to get her artistic talent from Kevin.  I would call myself crafty, but definitely not artsy.  I can't draw worth a flip, but fortunately for Ava, Kevin is a great artist.  So here are some of the first works from the potentially famous Ava R. Daniel. :)

 Love what she wrote all over the back of her butterfly!  That's our sweet girl!

She had a wonderful time and told me she can't wait to go again next summer!

Memorial Day 2012

This year, we had a very low-key Memorial Day.  Kevin spent most of the day playing golf.  He usually takes Ava to the golf course with him--sometimes Uncle Ty comes along and they all have fun!

But Kevin was playing in a tournament so it was just us girls for the day.  We spent a lazy day hanging around the house.  Ava played outside on her water slide for a couple of hours while I sat on the porch swing and read on my Kindle.  We did decide to venture out late that afternoon/early evening when Kevin got home.  Ava wanted to go the Woodland Discovery Playground at Shelby Farms.  She says it is her "best park" which means her very favorite. :)  She LOVES climbing the ropes course.  Possibly she will be a mountain climber?  What other things are excelling at ropes courses good for?   Hmmm...don't know.  Anyway, she pushes herself to climb further and faster each time we go.  Here are some pictures of our little monkey having fun.

After Shelby Farms, we had all worked up an appetite so we decided to try the new Five Guys Burgers in Bartlett.  Oh, my.  Yum!  Until that meal, my favorite burger place has been Off the Hoof in Arlington.  However, I think Five Guys has now tied with them for the top spot and Huey's has become a distant second place.  

Our goal for the next Memorial Day (or maybe the next) is to be in a new house with a great backyard and a pool.  Then I foresee many a Memorial Day cookouts at the Daniel's!

Last Day of 4K

Another year of preschool come and gone.  Sigh.  Ava has really enjoyed her time in 4K and is excited to begin "big kid" school.  I'm sure she will handle it much better than I will.  Ava's preschool was celebrating their last day with a musical program, handing out of certificates, and refreshments for the families.  That meant anyone in our family who was not working (and some that should have been) would be there.  And we wouldn't have it any other way. :)  The night before the program, Ava worked very hard to write thank you notes to both of her teachers.  She told me what she wanted to say, I wrote it down for her, and then she copied it herself.

We also wrapped up the gifts we got for her teachers.  For summer break, I like to give a gift that can be enjoyed over vacation so we picked up some cute summery dishes at Target.  Hopefully, they can enjoy their new dishes during a relaxing backyard cookout.

When we got to school the next day, Ava's teachers gave us a scrapbook that they made of her year. It was full of pictures they had taken of Ava doing different things throughout the year, work that she had done, and special poems and stories about raising children.  It is a very special keepsake.

We met up with our family and went to get seated in the chapel for the program.  Ava has never been shy about performing and she got up there and sang her heart out.  

She received her graduation certificate and we are so proud of our big girl!

We went to the gym to enjoy the refreshments and let Ava play with her friends one last time.  

Ava and her best friend at school, Scarlett

And with her teachers, Mrs. Levesque and Mrs. Grimm

As we were leaving, we stopped to take some family pictures.  Poor Ava didn't have her sunglasses but she tried as hard as she could not to squint.

Ava with both her grandmothers and her great-grandparents

Our little family (Kevin and I are all squinty too--I see where she gets it!)

Kevin and I wanted to take everyone out to lunch to celebrate Ava's graduation.  Since it was her day, we let her decide where to eat.  She chose Swanky's and we had a nice meal together.  It was a great day to wrap up the school year.  Kindergarten, here we come!