Birthdays and Summer!

This is probably going to be a long post...just to warn you...

Since my last post a lot has happened!  First off, the girls and I had a birthday!  When people hear that we share a birthday they usually give me some look of sympathy but I actually love it.  I don't like being the center of attention so it's nice that I can make things really fun for my girls on our birthday because that's what really makes me happy!  We had a fun party with my family at the park by our house and then a small party with just our family on the actual day.  

 

Ava Jane:

• This girl is a party!  I can always tell where she is because she's usually squealing with delight at whatever is going on.  When I look back at pictures of her I can just hear her belly laugh.  She also prances everywhere because it's way more fun than just walking.
• Loves her Daddy.  Still.  She likes to be harassed and he likes to harass her.  They have quite the bond.
• Has such pretty curly hair.  I'm trying to figure out the best way to care for it so that it stays nice and tame, but that is so difficult for a toddler that takes naps and rides in a carseat and loves to hide under blankets so her hair gets all frizzy, but I'm trying!
• Probably my best sleeper.  She takes great naps and falls asleep pretty fast.  She gets really grumpy if she doesn't get enough sleep.  She is usually happy all of the time unless she hasn't had enough sleep.
• Loves to be in the middle of everything.  She never wants to be left out of a part and will often try to join in on whatever Asher is doing.  I don't think Asher minds, he likes having a buddy.
• She's very good a physical things.  She loves to climb and run and picked up on riding a tricycle really fast.  I may have to get them bikes for their next birthday!
• Still has a hard time with strangers/people she doesn't see very often.  It's getting better but she definitely sticks right by our side when we go anywhere.   
• She is a Mitchell at heart.  She loves her drinks and a lot of times all I have to do to put her in a good mood is give her a drink of milk and she perks right up!
• She will talk your ear off and you will have no idea what she's saying.  She has such a conversational jabber and it sounds like it's so important!  Someday we'll know what she's saying!
• Loves to color.  It's one of her favorite things to do and will spend an hour making scribbles on a page.  Mia will sometimes join in, but that is the best way to keep Ava content.  When we take long car rides I'll give her a little notebook and a pencil and that keeps her happy for most of the ride.

 

Mia Elizabeth:

•  More of an introvert than Ava.  When we're in public she's very quiet and wants to be right next to me.  But when we're at home she can be just as loud and crazy as Ava!  
• Although she's a little quieter, she does say more words than Ava and a lot more sentences.  Her favorite word right now is "naughty".  She usually says it when I'm getting mad at someone else.  Like if I'm telling Ava not to do something, Mia will say "Sissy naughty".  It kind of makes me laugh every time!  She is also getting very good at saying which thing belongs to who.  She'll point to Asher's cereal bowl and say "it's Asher" or she'll point to my phone and say "it's Mama".  
• Still is a girly girl and loves all things pretty.  She especially loves flowers and will always pick the clothing item that has flowers on it.  It makes it easier for me to get her dressed because I point out that whatever she's wearing has something pretty or has flowers and she really wants me to put it on her!  She also loves having me paint her toenails.  She does NOT like it when I do her hair though.  I am probably going to get her hair cut short because it's so hard to keep it looking nice.
• Mama's girl all the way.
• She tends to be more willing to try new things and be around people she doesn't know.  She doesn't love being around new people, but she has an easier time than Ava.
• Loves animals!  She gets so excited when we watch my brother's dog because she thinks it's amazing when she throws the ball and the dog brings it back.  She will also point out any animal we see around town.
• My best eater.  I hardly ever have to convince her to eat meals and she always eats a lot.  I am so grateful for this because Asher is just the pickiest eater ever and it exhausts me to feed him.
• Loves water.  She always wants to drink water and will regularly steal my mug of water.

More pictures from our park party!

Ava wants to hang out wherever David is.

2 years old!

2 years old!

Asher has been very helpful with the girls.  He loves to play with them and read them books.  When we read books before bed he will pick out the book and about half the time he'll try reading it to them.

He will also sometimes help brush their teeth.  And help buckle them into their carseats.  He is also often times the reason they are crying, but that's what big brothers are for, right?

I don't know why but I love this picture of her!  She is always wearing some weird component like boots or a hat.  And she loves carrying her snacks all around the house.

I love having a backyard!  I can send the kids back there and not be worried they're going to run into the street or anything like that.  This is one of the girls' favorite things to do: use sidewalk chalk on the fence.  It comes off when it rains and they have a lot of fun doing it!

They were snuggling and David fell asleep.  Ava layed on him for 20 minutes just like this.

Asher finished Kindergarten!  He loved school and can't wait to go back for 1st grade.  He had a great teacher and had a lot of friends in his class that are also in our ward.  We found out next year he has a different teacher from his best friend Tucker, but they'll still ride on the same bus, have the same lunch, and see each other at church so I think he'll be ok (Tucker is in the solid blue shirt next to Asher in the picture below).  Asher got the "Rockin' Reader" award because he loves reading!  He can read much better than I could at his age.  He is also really good at math and numbers.  I was worried about him starting school because he's a lot younger than the other kids in his class (his birthday is August 5th) but that hasn't seemed to be an issue!  They had a super cute Kindergarten Graduation to finish off the year.  It's going to be weird when he's at school all day but I think he'll like it.  He loves being with friends and learning new things!

Mrs. West!  She was great for Asher and I'm sad she won't be his teacher forever.

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A couple weeks after school ended our family got hit with some amazingly awful sickness.  Ava got it first, then Asher, then David and Mia.  I never got it (thank goodness!) and I don't know how we would've survived if I had!  I don't think I've ever had to clean up that much puke or do that much laundry in one week.  I washed my hands about 50 times a day and disinfected everything I could.  The picture below shows how pathetic we were.  Ava was watching TV (on the tail end of it), Asher with a puke bucket in front of him, and Mia falling asleep on the floor because she spent the entire previous night throwing up.  No fun for us.

David and I played in a quartet for a wedding at the beginning of June.  It was snowing.  None of us could feel our fingers.  Amazingly right before the ceremony started it stopped snowing and the sun came out!  I'm sure the bride was very relieved.

Another reason I love having a backyard!  We set up a small pool and they played in it for a good hour.

This girl has always known how to relax!  Also, I can hear her belly laugh just by looking at this picture!

My mom gave me this chair hammock for my birthday.  I have been able to sit in it about twice because either this girl or Asher is in it!  But if they're happy then I'm happy.

Asher started swimming lessons!  He loved his teacher (he said she was even nicer than me...) and he did so great.  If there was a sport I could see Asher being good at, it would be swimming!  He has such long limbs and is super skinny and is a little fish out there.  I was a little late getting him into swimming lessons because of the girls being born 2 summers ago and us moving last summer, so I'm glad we're finally doing it now!

I remember playing on this when I was a kid.

Making cookies!  I try to do this with the kids a couple times a month.  They all get really excited when I pull the mixer out!

4th of July!  Ava with her bear she has become really attached to and had to bring with us.  It's actually David's old bear from when he was little.

They were both pointing at the horses.  That was by far their favorite part of the parade!

I try to take a picture every year at the parade!  Up till this point it has just been Asher and I so it was fun that the girls are old enough to enjoy the parade.  They did enjoy it even though they look super serious in these pictures.

Seriously, like 15 minutes after I took this Ava was jumping around dancing to the music.  It just took them a little while to get used to it!

My buddy!  I have about 5 pictures of us at the 4th of July parade, even when we lived on an Indian Reservation!

We went with my Sister-In-Law and her kids.  It was a lot of fun!

Getting all three of them to smile was very difficult.  This is the best I could get.  Happy Independence Day!

My kids love going to see Grandma's chickens.

Setting off fireworks at our house!

At the party at my parents house!  Almost everyone was able to be there minus one brother who was in Wyoming working and one brother and his family who live in Florida.

David grilled the meat for the occasion.

Setting off fireworks at Grandma's house!