Avery Got Her Ears Pierced!

A couple months ago, Avery and I were at the Mall and I asked her about getting her ears pierced. She said right then and there that she wanted to do it, but I wasn't ready and she didn't seem to mind waiting. So a few weeks later my sister said she wanted to go get Addison's ears pierced when she was around 6 months old. That seemed like a good time because Avery would be turning 4 and I thought maybe we could do it for her birthday.

Fast-Forward to about a week ago, we started looking into it and searching the best places to go. Of course, everyone says a tattoo shop is best, but Addie was too young for them to do hers there and I assume Avery probably is too. So we started researching the different places at the mall. They all had their benefits and disadvantages, but we eventually agreed that we thought Piercing Pagoda was the best option for us.

So after church yesterday, we met at the mall and got the girls' ears pierced. For the last few days I've been asking Avery if she was sure she wanted to do it. I even warned her about the fact that it would hurt and that she might cry. I just wanted her to be sure and to be prepared for what to expect. I was a nervous wreck, but she never budged. She just kept saying she knew she would cry and she was going to be scared but she wanted to do it anyways.

So when we got there, she picked some cute, pink flower earrings and got right up in the chair to go first. She was very brave and wasn't scared at all. Again, I was super nervous for her, but she was just fine. As soon as they pierced them, she had a look like, wow, that hurt, but didn't cry right away. But then we all said yay, Avery and the tears started flowing. It was pitiful and I felt so bad for her that I started to get a little teary-eyed myself. Thankfully, it didn't last long. I gave her a dose of Advil and she was fine after that. We went downstairs to the play-place and she played for a little while there and was perfectly fine and running around.

The initial look on her face right after they were pierced. :-(

Then Addie went next and she did really good too. She cried of course, but only for less than a minute and she was totally fine after that.

I'm so proud of Avery for being so brave and she's so proud of her new earrings. She just loves looking at them in the mirror and showing them off to everyone.

And here's a little close-up I took with my phone of her earrings. They're super cute and of course, pink!!

They each also got this certificate, a lollipop and some stickers afterwards, which is really cute!!

Five On Friday!

Happy Friday!
Today I'm linking up with Christina, April and Natasha for Five on Friday!

One

We are so excited that, as of yesterday, we are one month away from our family vacation to West Palm Beach, FL!! We are headed down there for my cousin's wedding on May 19th and then spending the rest of the week on vacation. We rented this house on Singer Island that is within walking distance to the beach. It has an in-ground pool as well that I'm sure we'll be spending lots of time in. Aside from all of that, we plan to visit Kennedy Space Center, Lion Country Safari and take Jackson Parasailing. My parents are coming along, as well as our nieces Kyleigh and Alexis. (Our nieces are babysitting for us while we're at the wedding.) I can't wait to relax by the pool and at the beach!



Two

I recently started listening to audio books through our local library and I just finished a great book called "What She Knew." You can read the synopsis here. It was a page-turner for sure and I highly recommend it.

Three

We have a crazy busy Saturday morning this weekend. Jackson has his first baseball game of the season tomorrow morning at 9:45 and then he has a soccer game at 11:00. Avery also has her first T-Ball game at 11:15 so we'll have to divide and conquer to get both kids to their games. Thankfully their schedules work out to where there is only one other day that they both have a game at the same time which is pretty good considering Jackson has 11 games this baseball season.

Four
Toms will be releasing these super cute Disney Princess themed shoes this Summer and I might just have to order me a pair for our upcoming Disneyland trip in September. They are so cute!!

Five
Have a great weekend!!

My Dad's 60th Surprise Party

This past Sunday, we threw my Dad a Surprise 60th Birthday Party at Hessler's Pub and Grill near our house. It's my Dad's favorite pizza and they just so happened to have a party room that we could rent for the evening. My mom and I decorated the room earlier in the day while my dad was busy at church.

It was pretty easy to get him there. We just said we were meeting my sister and her family there for a little birthday dinner. He was totally surprised when he walked in and many of his family and friends were there!

It was so cute that the grand-kids ran up and gave him a big group hug after we all yelled, "Surprise!"

Here's a little video of the "Surprise!"



My Dad hugging his Dad. ♥



We had pizza and toaster ravioli for dinner! It was all very good. My sister made my dad's favorite cupcakes... German Chocolate. She also made a few vanilla cupcakes for those who don't like German Chocolate.

It was a great party and everyone had a great time, including the birthday boy!!

These games kept the kids occupied for the whole night. We knew ahead of time to bring quarters along and they raided the candy machine until they had a ton of candy. They had so much fun!

My Great-Grandma holding my niece Addison for the first time! So sweet.

The boys were so excited to see what Papa got for his birthday!

I'm so glad we were able to surprise him!

Our Weekend: Soccer, Playdate, The Ballet and A Suprise Party!!

We had such a great weekend!

It started off with Jackson having a soccer game on Friday evening. It was his second game of the season and he just so happened to get his first ever soccer goal during a game!! Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures or videos of it, but needless to say he was SO excited!! All the boys were high-fiving him and he had the biggest smile on his face. He ran right over to his dad on the side-lines! We were all SO excited!! Afterwards, we went and got pizza at MOD.

After dinner, we went by Target to pick up the movie, "The Greatest Showman" and we also let the kids each pick out a small toy. Jake and I had seen the Greatest Showman in the theaters but the kids hadn't seen it. Jackson absolutely loved it and has since watched it multiple times!

Saturday, we had a playdate at Chick-Fil-A for lunch with some friends from school and then Avery and I went to see a ballet that some of our friends were in. It was "The Snow Queen" and it was really good. Avery did great the first half but got a little restless during the second half. She did enjoy it though and did some dancing of her own by her seat. I wanted to take Avery to see it, so she could get a little taste of what she'll be doing in June. Though hers is a recital and not an actual ballet, I still wanted her to see how they got up on stage and danced in front of everyone so she would kind of know what to expect.

Later that night some of our neighbors came over for a little bonfire in our backyard, which is always fun.

Sunday we got up and went to church. Then that evening we had a surprise 60th birthday party planned for my Dad at his favorite place for pizza. I will do a more detailed post later this week, (I forgot my memory stick at home) but it was a GREAT party and he was completely surprised!

It was a great ending to a great weekend!!

Five on Friday!

Happy Friday!
Today I'm linking up with Christina, April and Natasha for Five on Friday!

One

We signed Avery up for her first season of T-Ball. She had her first practice this past week and has been practicing out in the yard the last couple nights. She's so cute and doing great. She has her first game on the 21st and I can't wait to watch her play!

Two

We have a very busy Spring and Summer ahead of us with Sports and Camps for both of the kids. I just love watching them try new things and do things that they love. Avery is in Dance and preparing for her first recital in June and of course she's also playing T-Ball. Jackson is playing soccer and is also playing on two different baseball teams (one in the Spring and one in the Summer). Jackson had his first soccer game of the season this past Saturday and he has another one tonight!


Three

Jackson had picture day last Friday and he looked so handsome that I had to snap a quick picture before I left for work that morning. I can't wait to see his school picture!

Four

If you have a little girl, then I'm sure you've heard of the LOL Surprise Dolls. Avery has a few and she LOVES them. It's pretty much all she plays with these days. She got a couple new ones for Easter and they all take a bath with her, go everywhere with her and they all have to be in their own little beds at night right on her side table next to her bed. She covers them all up before going to bed. It's so cute!

Five

Last Saturday, Avery had her Grandparents breakfast at her school and she was so excited to have MawMaw, Papa and Grandma come to have pancakes with her! They each got their picture taken with her and they made cute frames for their pictures. So cute!!

Mommy and Me Pony Camp

Yesterday, Avery and I went to a Mommy and Me Pony Camp and it was SO much fun!! While we were at a Summer Camp Fair a month or 2 ago, I saw this camp that I thought would be so much fun for Avery. It was just a 1 day camp and it was only 1 1/2 hours long, so it was perfect for her age. The camp was at Kraus Farms, just about 15 minutes away from our house.

We got there a little early, so while we were waiting, we met Yoda the cat. Such a cute cat!

There were six Mommy/Me groups and we got started with the instructor reading us a story about horses and explaining some of the different breeds of horses. After that she let us do a little craft making a horse puppet. After that she read us another story and then went over the rules for while we were with the ponies. Then the kids each got a helmet to wear and we walked through the horse stables to see some of the horses that are stabled there. (Avery looked so cute in her helmet.) She also showed the kids a saddle and a few other things and then gave them each a bag which had a few different brushes for brushing the ponies.

Then each of the six mommy/me groups got their own mini pony to brush and walk. They were SO cute!! Our pony's name was Nellie. She was really sweet. Avery loved brushing her and walking her. While we were walking her around the indoor corral, Avery said, "this is the Best Day EVER!" That just made my day right there.

The instructor helping Avery with the hoof brush to clean the pony's feet.

And here's a little video of her saying, "This is the best day EVER. I love it here."

After our pony camp, we decided to go grab some Chick-Fil-A and head to the park for a picnic. It was a lovely day outside. One of the first nice days we've had this Spring, so we decided to take full advantage of it. We got some extra bread and fed it to the ducks. After lunch Avery played on the playground for quite a while until it was time to go get Jackson from the bus-stop.

And here's a little video of her feeding the ducks.

We had such a fun day, just the two of us. I love getting to spend one-on-one time with each of my kiddos. It's always such a special time.