Oh-Bla-Di

Ok.  So timeliness in reporting has not been my strong suit this summer.  However, that’s only because we’ve been so busy having a good time!  Before the sun starts to set early again, here’s a little bit about our third annual 4th of July party.

As all of our parties do, this one started the day before with a massive cooking session.  This year, I had an audience.

But, that audience had to work for the next day’s supper.

And, just like in years previous, dessert was a crafty adventure.

After all that work, we got to enjoy just a little taste of the fun to come the next day (in the rain!!)

So, on the 4th, we got into our Star Spangled best and got ready to party!

Matt started cooking early in the day and spent a lot of time going back and forth to the grill.  All the effort was worth it, though, because that brisket was awesome.

By the time afternoon naps were over, Noah was ready to get the party started and wanted to go hang outside with Daddy.

We were so fortunate to have a fun group of friends join us for food, swimming and sparklers.  Are these some cute kiddos, or what?

As always, the fireworks were the highlight of the night.  Ava particularly loved the sparklers and the thrill of running away from lit fireworks when Mr. Dave let her help him.

By the end of the night, America had been thoroughly celebrated.  Although our fireworks were small, we enjoyed the neighbors’ larger light shows and Matt & I stayed up late to watch the shows in Washington, DC, and in NYC.  And since it needs to be said in August as often as it is said in July, God Bless America.

“An old military tradition is that true friends who have not seen each other for long periods of time never question their friendship. These friends resume at the same time they left off regardless of distance and time between them. We call these friends ‘Family’.”

A month (!!) ago, we took off on a spur of the moment trip to Chicago to meet up with the Caspers clan. With less than 24 hours between ticket purchase and take-off, we really had to speed up our planning/list-making. But, the rush was worth it because we had a great weekend and got to see Uncle Michael before he deploys later this month!

We took off on Noah’s five month birthday, and got to Chicago in time to have dinner with Grama Peg & Grampa Clete before checking into the hotel and hitting the sack.  We were up bright and early on Saturday morning and picked up some Dunkin’ Donuts before meeting Sue, Steve, Michael, Whitney & Maureen at the house.

It had been two years since we’d visited Chicago, so we had to update this picture from our first visit.  Same kid, same snack, two years later.

Of course, on this trip, we had a new baby to shop around too, so we got several photos like this one…

…and these.

We had a great time with lots of playing in the snow…

…and Ava even found a good ride.

Of course, there was plenty of other good fun while we were inside during the weekend.

Since it’s a rarity that the whole Caspers clan can get together, we made sure to document the occasion to its fullest.  We’ve got some video of the paparazzi for these next few shots and it’s amazing the amount of noise and the number of camera shutters clicking in the background.

And, finally, the whole Caspers clan (minus Sarah & Carl).

Great trip!  See you next time!

That’s what Ava said when she walked into the front room at the end of her birthday party and saw this sitting there.  I think I might forever kick myself that I didn’t get it on video.    Matt did a fabulous job turning our crummy, Craigslist, purple princess bike frame into a shiny, red piece of wonderful that is perfect for our girl.  When you work on something like this for your kiddo, this is exactly how you want them to react.

Although we had been a little concerned over how well the bike would be sized for her and how she’d take to it, there was really no need.  Whoozers climbed right up, rang the bell, and rode that bike right down the hallway.

Ava went to bed that night asking to go ride her bike first thing in the morning and we did just that.  With an entourage of six (four adults, a baby and a dog), she pedaled up and down our street like she’d been doing it for months.  She rode in a mostly straight line pretty well, but we practiced steering quite a bit too.  Mommy, Daddy or Noah were the targets and she followed us from one side of the street to the other.  Once she learned to trust the training wheels, she did a pretty good job.  Also, if she’s not busy being nosy and telling other people what to do or where to go, she remembers to watch where she’s going.  

I think we’re going to put a lot of miles on this bike and we’re so glad she loves it.  Happy Birthday, dearest girl!

It’s her birthday!

Ava had a fun filled week of birthday celebrations, beginning with her birthday party at school on Thursday.  The kids made her cake during their morning activity and then got to eat it for snack time.  Such a great way for her to get to celebrate with her school buddies.

At the end of the week, we started gearing up for her big pizza party on Sunday night.

We made Renfro’s pizza and had lots of friends and family here to celebrate with us.  Grandma & Grandpa Caspers were here, along with the Hoffmans, Baldizans, Nicole, Tim, Cray Cray & Amber.  Grammie & Grandpa even Skype’d in for the candle blowing and present opening.

For weeks in advance, we’d been querying Ava about her cake preferences.  She kept wavering between pink and purple for her cake color so, in the end, she got both.

As she has for each of her birthdays, Ava soaked up all the attention.  She loved having her guests sing “Happy Birthday” and blowing out her candles.

After cake and homemade strawberry ice cream, it was time for opening presents.  Whoozers is a slow present opener, as she prefers to open each item and play with it for a while before moving on to the next one.  We finally opened the last of her gifts on Wednesday morning.  Our girl received such sweet and thoughtful gifts from her friends and family…people obviously know her very well.  Grammie and Grandpa sent a “Belle” dress and stereo that, along with the bug catcher and magnifying glass from Grandma & Grandpa, has kept her occupied for hours since the big day.

The helmet goes to her other “big” gift from Mommy & Daddy…a bike!  More on that coming soon…

All in all, I think Ava had a great time celebrating turning three.  Matt and I are so very proud of our girl and amazed at how quickly the years have gone.  Looking forward to seeing her grow and change between now and her next birthday…maybe by then she’ll have really learned to iron.