Straight Hair
Ava talked me into straightening her hair one evening. It killed me to straighten her beautiful curls but she convinced me to try. She definitely looked even more grown up with straight hair and she loved her straight hair. It took a long time to do so I doubt we will do it often but she was so happy with it that I am sure we will give it a go again sometime.
Ava’s First Days of School
A little trip down memory lane to all of Ava’s first days of school…
Ava’s First Day of Middle School
This school year is a big year of transitions for Ava. She started a week after Zoe because not only is she no longer in elementary school, but she is in a completely different school all together. We decided to take her out of the public school system and put her in a private, Christian school. She began 6th grade at Bob Jones Academy Middle School. This has been the best decision we could have made for her. She absolutely loves Bob Jones and is making great friends already. She’s not crazy about the uniforms but it is nice to not have to worry about fitting in with clothing choices. Her teachers are all great. The school has been amazing at welcoming her and the other new kids. They connected us with another girl in 6th grade who we met over the summer. That girl made sure Ava was never left alone the first week of school. They also had a special welcome night for all the new families before school started where they had an older middle schooler walk the schedule with each family and Ava got to set up her locker (and practice the lock) without the chaos of the whole middle school being there. Then, she went back for the full back to school night and got to do it all again. We are so thankful for how well Bob Jones is taking care of her and how happy she is there! We are so excited for this new adventure in her life.
DJ’s Birthday
DJ’s birthday fell the day before Ava started back to school. So, we had a little celebration by riding up to Skytop just for the apple cider donuts (and apple cider slush for me since I can no longer eat the donuts).
Zoe’s 1st day of 1st Grade
I cannot believe Zoe is already a 1st grader! She started school on August 8th this year. We are excited about her teacher, Mrs. G as she is known, because we’ve heard nothing but amazing things about her. Zoe already likes her a lot. Unfortunately, Zoe’s best friend from last year is not in her class but she gets to play with her at recess every day. There are only 16 kids in her class and I remember that small class being such a sweet year for Ava as well. Zoe is already making sweet friends and we cannot wait to see what this year holds for her!
Back to School Treat
The day before Zoe’s first day of school, we took the girls to Clare’s Creamery for a fun back to school treat (and a treat for Zoe letting me fix her hair for school). It was a fun way to end summer break.
Zoe’s First Day of Dance Fall 2023
Zoe began her 4th year at Dance Without Limits with a new dance class this fall. After a 6 week summer class in Acro, Zoe fell in love with that and was even able to move up to Acro 2 for the fall semester. The acro class is basically floor gymnastics with some dance components added. Zoe has been asking to do gymnastics but there isn’t a great gym near us so we thought this might be a good compromise for her. She is already learning so much and practices her skills all the time at home. She’s determined to figure out a handstand now and I don’t think it will take her too long before she masters it. It is fun to watch her do something that fits her so well.
The Girl Gang at the Zoo
Zoe and I had so much fun meeting up with my cousins and their girls at the Atlanta Zoo. We did miss Elizabeth and her girls but we understood traveling with a baby who does not like the car is just not fun at all. It was so fun to see the girl gang cousins (as Elizabeth coined them) all having fun together at the zoo. My cousins and I were so close growing up so we love seeing our girls together and we hope they always have a sweet relationship. We are all excited for Lauren and Caleb to welcome the first boy to the family in January after 7 little girls!
Sleepover Fun
Since we didn’t have an official party for Ava’s birthday, we decided to invite her best friends from church over for her very first sleepover. The two girls are sisters and it was such a fun girly night with all kinds of snacks and movies. They had fun in our new above ground pool as well. These girls are such sweet friends and we are so thankful for them!
