Orange Belt

Ava is now on her second belt -- the orange belt.  I like the orange.  It matches her hair.  Each belt is becoming a bit harder and harder to earn, but she loves it.  Sparring, which she used to hate, is fastly moving up to her favorite part.  Especially if she is paired against a certain nemesis boy in her class.  They are equals on every skill level -- which makes competition between them so exciting.  Boy vs. girl and neither wants to lose.

It's a Cake Walk

 Claire and Paige offered to help out with the elementary school cake walk for the fccla (formerly FHA) group.  Well, when your bff neighbor is the head teacher in charge of fccla and the cake supply is short . . .

Your kitchen becomes a crazy cake factory.  Our kitchen and van smelled like vanilla from storing and transporting all the goodies to the cake walk.  It was a hit though -- not a single treat left at the end of the night.

Hobbit Hole

Ike and Ava spent most of December reading The Hobbit.  Pretty wordy stuff for third grade.  This is what Hillsboro does in front of their theater for major premieres.  They decorate full force.  The Hobbit hole actually opened and everything. 

Good Clean Fun

This is what happens when you put Ivory soap in the microwave.  There is a sciencey reason to do with air bubbles trapped in the creamy bar of soap, heat, blah, blah, blah.  All I know is it is a completely awesome sauce way to spend a quarter and two minutes in front of the microwave.  Much more impressive than watching the popcorn bag expand.

Paige and Ava's Feast

 Feast season again.  We missed the Christmas break mark, so feasts were postponed until January.  Paige and Ava choose to do a "Pitch Perfect" theme.  I'm not proud to say that this movie has been played over 20 times in our house.  Paige and Claire heart this movie.  They can quote every line.  It takes me back to my days of "Sixteen Candles". 

There was music and plenty of quotes from the movie.  Everything was in a purple and yellow color scheme.  We feasted on burritoes (the Fat Amy drive-by food of choice) and French fries (because don't French fries go perfectly with burritoes?).

Family Picture Attempt

 I had a dream of these awesome, snowy family pictures for my front room.  I had planned this for over a year, but no snow last year left me crazed for a phot shoot this year.  I don't want to name names, but some goober kept ruining the shots.  Hint - she's the dork in the middle with her neck craned in this impossibly weird position.

 Claire and Paige looking way too old.  Don't they almost look like women, almost.  I can see what they may look like in a few more years and it breaks my heart. 

 Ava and Ike.  Forever my little guys.  Ike tried to be so cool during the photo shoot.  too pose-y, but ever so handsome.  Ava, the skinny bones of the family, was having a hard time smiling through the cold. 

I just think it was a bad hair day for me.  I wish it would snow again, so we could have another shot at this.

Happy Birthday, Ike and Ava!

 Ava and Ike turned 9!  Ava choose to make her own flavor of homemade ice cream -- "Peppermint Hot Cocoa".  Creamy vanilla with hot cocoa mix and peppermint mini marshmallows.  Super yummy.  Ike choose to make chocolate chip cookies with Mom.  Melt my heart, little man.  I started to make the cookies, and he quickly came in and said, "I wanted to make chocolate chip cookies for my birthday."  I explained that I was.  Then he shook his head and said, "No. I want to make chocolate chip cookies with you for my birthday."  Gosh, I love that kid.

Lego Helms Deep showed up for Ike.  He thought there had been a misunderstanding with Santa.  Ava received a crazy cool scooter and rode it all afternoon.  Nine is too close to double digits.  Yikes.