It's been a very busy couple of weeks.  School started for me last Wednesday and I had the kids for the first time today which meant that Emily began First Grade today.


Here is a picture with Emily and her teacher, Mrs. Miramontez..  We caught her in the hall as I was walking Emily to Before School Care.  She was gracious enough to let me take a picture of her with Emily.  When I picked Emily up this afternoon she said that she had a great day and that she really liked her teacher.

This weekend the girls and I went to a Christian Music concert featuring my cousin Kelly's band.  Kelly's sister Kari made the trip in from Nashville for the concert so I was able to spend time with both of them.  Even though the time was short, I enjoyed it.  I'll take whatever I can get!  The concert was good.  I think I'm getting old because I couldn't understand the words but the music was great. 

From left to right: BreAnn, Kelly, and Bryan

While we were there, the girls played on some playground equipment.  Ava really enjoyed herself.


Here Ava is climbing up the ladder to go down the slide.  I showed the picture to Kari and she said that the picture encompassed Ava's personality.  I would have to agree with her.

Kevin has been trying to get his tomatoes to change from green to red this summer.  July was rather cool so needless to say we haven't had many ripe tomatoes.  The other day he looked at the plants and saw what he thought were three ripe tomatoes.  After closer inspection, he discovered that there was actually only one huge tomato that was ripe.  I took some pictures so show the enormous nature of this tomato. 

It wasn't super red but Kevin wanted to pick it before the squirrels decided to eat it.


I thought a size comparison was necessary.  I suppose I could have measured the circumference of the tomatoes but I do have two kids who keep me busy.  I felt lucky enough to just get a picture.  The tomato was very tasty and we enjoyed it on our BLT's.

One final note.  I was up by 5:00 a.m. this morning and in effort to beat the rain, I ran 20 minutes straight without stopping.  My first time doing that!  I'll have to see if I can repeat it again on Wednesday.

After enduring many long days and hectic schedules, Kevin and I were able to sneak away to Puerto Rico for a few days to celebrate our 10th anniversary and to also enjoy some rest and relaxation.  We began our trip flying into San Juan, renting a car, and driving to the east coast of the island to explore El Yunque, the rainforest.  Upon arrival in San Juan, we discovered that one of our bags did not complete the trip with us.  Of course, it was the bag with the majority of our clothes in it.  Luckily, I had packed a change of clothes in another bag, but needless to say, the lost bag put a damper on our trip.  By the next day when our bag had still not arrived, we drove to the local Wal-mart and picked up some new clothes, including new swimsuits.  By the time we got back to the hotel, we were in the middle of a horrible downpour so we never made it to the rainforest.


The view from our room.

On Monday, we packed our few belongings, and took a ferry to the island of Vieques.

The view of Vieques from the docks when we arrived.

Vieques is considered a part of Puerto Rico and it was once occupied by the U.S. Navy.  In 1941, the Navy sealed off the island and used the island for munition storage and target practice.  The islanders were moved to the center of the island and over the next 60 years there were constant protests to the Navy's presence there.  In 2003, the Navy withdrew from the island, but they continue to occupy about 100 acres of land for their radar system.  Driving around the island, there are constant reminders of the Navy's presence, including bunkers built during their time on the island.

Look closely and you can see three bunkers among the overgrown brush.

Today, the island is a friendly place to visit with some magnificent beaches, however the unemplyment rate is over 60% so it is very underdeveloped.  Many foreigners have come to the island, developing small guesthouses, restuarants, and stores which helps to promote tourism on the island.  We stayed at a beautiful guesthouse run by a very nice Canadian.  It was a two-bedroom, two bathroom condo with a small kitchen in which we cooked all but two meals.  It had a pool, overlooked the ocean, and it had a walking beach right outside the gate.

Looking at the picture, our condo was in the building to the left on the lower level.

In addition to the wonderful accomodations, we had the extra added feature of the owners dog, Mia, who would frequently visit us especially when we were cooking, eating, or returning from a trip.  She would always greet us with a wagging tail and a huge leaf in her mouth.


We spent the next 5 days, exploring the island, visiting beaches, snorkeling, and relaxing.




As we drove around the island, we always commented on the numerous cats, dogs, and horses roaming the streets and beaches.  We learned the since many people did not have the money to buy food for their pets, they allowed them to roam free to find their own food.  Then when the owners are ready to play with them or ride them, they find their animal or take one that is close by.  We were most intrigued by the horses.  Every house is gated so that the horses do not wander near the house.  The horses even rumage through the trash to find food.  It was amazing to drive down the road and share it with wild horses.  As you can imagine, accidents do happen and horses are killed by passing cars.  We saw one similar accident when returning to our condo from dinner one, dark evening.  They are beautiful creatures though!


We saw many other animals as well, including sand crabs and lizards.


While there, we took a tour of a bioluminescent bay.  Millions of microscopic dinoflagellates live in this bay and when distrubed, they release a chemical that reacts to oxygen which gives off light.  The tour is at night and we were able to swim in the bay illuminated by this dinoflagellates.  I wish we could have taken a picture to show you.  It was an amazing experience!  On our last night on Vieques we enjoyed a delightful dinner at a local resturant.

No, we did not plan our outfits.  These were the nicest clothes we had after losing our luggage.

On Saturday, we took the ferry back to Puerto Rico and spent the late afternoon and evening in Old San Juan.  We were able to see the Castillo San Felipe del Morro, which is the famous fortress overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.  It was built by the Spanish to defend the island and the U.S. used it as well when they inherited Puerto Rico after the Spanish-American War.  It is a beautiful and massive fortress.

Lookout towers


Lighthouse

We also explored the streets and stores of Old San Juan.  We found that it had a very European feel to it and reminded both of us of Italy.


On Sunday we flew home and were greeted by a very quiet house.  Within 30 minutes, the girls and Grammy and Gramps had returned from a birthday dinner for Great Papa.  We were not surprised to not find our missing bag waiting for us at home.  We are in the process of filing another claim, hopefully with postive results.  We are happy to be home but still long for the tranquility of Vieques.

After looking back over the last few blog entries, I realized that Emily got a lot of coverage.  Due to that discovery, I decided that this entry would be dedicated to Ava.

A few weeks ago, Ava had a haircut.  Before leaving for this trip, Kevin asked Ava if she was going to get a mohawk.  She giggled, said no, and we went on our way.  Of course, when we got to the hair salon, I relayed this story to Lisa, our hair stylist, and she took matters into her own hands.  When we left the salon, Ava had a ponytail mohawk just for Dad.


side view

back view

front view

Kevin laughed when he saw it and Ava enjoyed it so much, so wore it to school the next day.  I suppose this is just a sneak peak as to what we can expect from Ava in the years to come.

During that same week, Ava had an open gym session for gymnastics which allowed parents to come on the floor and take pictures.  I realize that their are many pictures, but the pure joy on Ava's face is priceless.

Ava jumping on the trampoline.

Ava walking the balance beam.  Notice how the tongue seems to help her keep her balance.

Ava on the bar.  At this point she needed help turning over but now she can do it herself.

The gym also has slides that the kids can play on during the last five minutes of lessons.  She loves the slides because they go super fast.

Ava resting after her hard work.

Ava has thoroughly enjoyed gymnastics and I'm so glad we decided to have her begin an activity even if it has meant that our Saturdays are more hectic. Seeing the girls participate in activities that they really enjoy makes those rough times just a little bit easier.

Yes, finally a new blog entry!  As with most of you, we've been extremely busy.  I've spoken to many people who said that I didn't even need to write as long as I posted some new pictures of the girls.  Here you go!  (Of course there will need to be some commentary with the pictures)


Our January began with Girl Scout cookie delivery.  Emily's Daisy troop did very well for their first year.  I'm strongly encouraging no booth sales next year.  What a headache that could be!

Emily dancing in her new dance outfit.  Nice attitude!

Ava working on her "homework".  She was writing little "o's" on her paper.

We celebrated Kevin's birthday with a Tippin's Dixie pie.

At Crown Center there is a childrens exhibit on the Wizard of Oz.  What the girls would look like as munchkins.

On President's Day, we became tourists and visited our local Bass Pro Shop.  It is a great place to visit because there is nothing there that the girls want us to buy for them!

We celebrated Ava's birthday this past Thursday.  She is excited to be three.  Her favorite gift was a new backpack.  Friday morning she loaded it for school and lined it up with the other bags when she came down for breakfast.  She not only celebrated at home, but also at school.

To wrap up our winter, Kevin has been installing new computers in his office as well as other offices around the country.  He was in Denver this weekend.  We all missed him, especially Jasper who felt it necessary to sleep in Kevin's closet.

We are headed into Spring Break in one week.  All of us are ready for a break and some much needed R and R.  We will head down to the Lake of the Ozarks to get away for a few days.  Maybe I'll be able to update then.  If not, it may be awhile again.  Emily begins soccer in a few weeks, Kevin will be coaching, and hopefully, Ava will be in gymnastics.  Until next time!

December brought much activity for the Price family.  We began the holiday season with Emily dancing in the Lenexa Tree Lightening Ceremony on Friday, December 5.  She danced to "Frosty the Snowman".  The girls did a super job.  There are only five girls in her class so it was a little overwhelming for some who had not preformed before.

The following morning was Breakfast with Santa at my school.  For the first time, both girls greeted Santa with big smiles and eagerness.  On Sunday, after church, Emily and I joined friends to watch the Nutcracker.  It began with a tea which included punch, finger sandwiches, cookies, and assorted breads.  Then we watched an abbreviated version of the Nutcracker.  While we enjoyed our tea, dancers walked around greeting the audience and had their pictures taken with the little girls.

Sunday evening we joined Kevin's parents, sister and her family, aunt and uncle, and cousins for dinner.  This has become an annual tradition and we thoroughly enjoy getting together with them and visiting.

We kept busy during the week as well.  On Thursday Emily participated in Caroling at a local Senior Living establishment.  She sang with other Daisy and Brownie scouts.  It was humorous to see the Kindergartners sing because half way through the performance, they began to yawn and rub their eyes. 

The following weekend was another busy one.  We began the weekend enjoying lunch with Grandma and Grandpa at their Sunday School Luncheon.  We departed early to attend the KU vs. U Mass game at the Sprint Center.  It was a good game even though they lost.  There was a lot of sloppy playing on the part of  KU, however they were able to keep the score close in the second half.  On Sunday, we attended church in the morning and was back again in the evening to participate in the Nativity Pageant.  Both girls sang and Kevin was a Wise Man.  Kevin's dad asked why I wasn't in the pageant and I told him that the only way I could participate was if I had a baby so that I could be Mary and having a baby wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

 

Ava as an angel.  She does look very angelic in this picture.

Emily and friends singing.

Doesn't he look regal?

The week continued with a 3 inch snow storm on Tuesday, the day of Emily's Mexican Fiesta.  After taking 45 minutes to make a 12 minute drive, I decided not to get back out for the Fiesta, however Kevin, who gave up trying to drive into work only to have to turn back around to attend Emily's Fiesta, stayed home and he and Ava attended the Fiesta.  The kids sang and danced, ate tacos, and played with a pinta.  Kevin said that they kids did a great job.  Later in the week, Ava's class had an impromptu performance of "Up on the Housetop" which Kevin attended and said was very cute.

By the time the weekend arrived, we were ready to just relax.  Somehow, our weekend that included only attending church Sunday morning and lighting the Advent candles, ended up filled with activities.  Saturday was Emily's dance class, running errands, and working on laundry.  Sunday, we attended church.  Our family was asked to light the 4th Advent candle at the 8:30 service.  We looked over our material Sat. morning to discover that the scripture we were to read actually didn't exist.  We called our Associate Pastor and teased her that she was testing us on our Bible knowledge.  She gave us the correct passage and on Sunday we read our parts and lighted the candles without any problems.  Right after church, Emily attended a birthday party at the local skating rink.  Kevin took Emily to the party and both ended up out on the rink skating.  After a few falls for both, they had a good time rolling around the rink.  Sunday afternoon we drove to Union Station and met Betty, Doug, Beth, Doug, and Cole to see the trains and walk around Crown Center.  We had an enjoyable time with them.  We saw the Kansas City Southern Holiday Express which is a holiday train that travels around the midwest that has Santa, an elves workshop, and model trains.  We walked through, visited Santa, and enjoyed the rest of the train.

We had dinner at the Crayola Cafe, walked around Crown Center and Union Station, and enjoyed the lights.

Monday brought a day of wrapping presents and finishing my handmade ornaments while Emily spent the day with Grandma Price.  Tuesday included errand running, haircuts, and visiting with Mom and Dad.  We then headed to the airport in the late afternoon to pick up Chris and Tawn who arrived from San Francisco.  They arrived safely, and the girls were very excited to see them.  Wednesday morning brought about 1/2 inch of snow, which was just enough to take Tawn and Chris sledding.

Living in Thailand for 3 years has proven that Chris has forgotten how to sled.

Tawn and Ava enjoy a snowball fight.

After playing in the snow, everyone went inside and the girls put together their gingerbread houses and enjoyed eating a few treats along the way.

While the girls napped, Chris began preparing Christmas Eve dinner.  We enjoyed a nice dinner with Grandma, Grandpa, Ken, Mom, Dad, Chris, and Tawn.  We had a fabulous dinner, opened presents, and enjoyed dessert.  We finished the night attending the 7:30 Christmas Eve service.  To see more about our evening, visit Chris' blog.  He has nice pictures and videos of dinner and the present opening.  As always, we enjoyed being with family, especially on such a special night.