It was just Halloween yesterday,.. right?

So I am a little behind but I figured I better post pictures of the kids at Halloween.  Shelby had finally decided a couple months before Halloween that she wanted to be a cowgirl.  I thought that makes B's costume easy...He would just be a cowboy.  WRONG!  I did not take into consideration my son's personality.  He wanted nothing to do with the cute little vest with fringe, the chaps, the black cowboy boots or the hat.  So instead he wore the same little mechanics outfit that he wore last year plus his fireman's rain jacket because it is just that time of year in Washington.  No one could really tell what he was but it didn't matter...Both kids had a great Halloween and didn't get too much candy.

And of course no Halloween is complete without carving pumpkins.  Shelby's choice was the skeleton and Bradan's was the tractor. 

What we have been up to...

Kindergarten

We can't believe the day is here...Shelby is a Kindergartener. 

She has been excited for weeks for this day.  Her friends and her drove their daycare lady crazy this morning with anticipation.  She told mommy that she didn't need her to walk her to school...that she would be walking with the big kids.  Daddy and I showed up anyway.  And tonight she is going to bed early because she is exhausted. 

We know that she is going to love school.  She has a great teacher, Mrs.Bray, that will take good care of our child her first year of school. 

It is going to be an exciting year...

Key West

Stuart and I headed down to Key West for a good friend's wedding.  It was a great chance for us to get away while leaving the kids in Kansas with grandparents.  Stu has been to Florida/Key West before but this was my first time.  We flew into Fort Lauderdale Wednesday afternoon and stayed at the Hard Rock Casino that night.  The next morning, after picking up Michael from the airport, we made the four hour trip down and through the Keys in our rented bright orange Camaro convertible.

It was the first time Stu had gotten together with his three good buds since our wedding.  As I mentioned, we picked up Michael from the airport where he flew in from San Francisco.  Kevin, who was the one who got married, lives in Massachussets with his wife Robin.  They meet in Key West when both of them were living there.  Ben stills lives in Key West with his wonderful girlfriend, Libby. 

It was a great time.  We had wedding stuff to do but we had plenty of time to sightsee, drink, go snorkeling, eat, hang out at the pool, laugh with old and new friends and of course, more drinking.  We stayed through the weekend and left Monday afternoon from Fort Lauderdale.

Stu and I at the famous Mile 0 sign.

Ben and Libby.  We got the opportunity to watch Ben sing and play guitar at Fat Tony's while we were there.

The Four Muskateers at the wedding.

Holding the bride up. 

Stu and I at the wedding.

They got married at Fort Zachary close to the spot were the Gulf meets the Atlantic.

They were dying in the heat.  Luckily the wedding only last about 15 minutes.

We went out on a sunset snorkeling trip.  Which meant we stopped to snorkel twice and then drank beer while we slowly made our way to land while watching the sunset.

Kansas - Part 2

Stu arrived in Bern early afternoon on Monday the 11th.  He dropped off the Mach 1 for my dad and then him and the kids headed to Wakefield.  I stayed in Bern so I could go shopping with my sister on Tuesday and then headed to Wakefield.  Wednesday, Stu and I boarded a plane to head to a good friend's wedding in Key West (more of that in a later post) for six days.  So there is not a lot of pictures of the time in Wakefield but here are some of the highlights.

Shelby took swimming lessons at the Clay Center swimming pool for 2 weeks.  It is amazing her transformation in that amount of time.  She is a little fish that feels more comfortable in the water and will even jump off the side of the pool all by herself. 

One evening we headed to Clay Center for a band concert in the park.  Bradan apparently thought it was a little to loud because he had his "ear muffs" on for a good part of the performance.  Cracked us all up - Silly kid.

Also at this park was a new giant playground that the kids enjoyed.  It is nice when small towns have great play areas for kids to enjoy.

The kids also got to spend some time with Aunt Rachell and her dogs while their parents were away.  She made the trip from Colorado to help out.  Both kids have gotten use to the dogs and even look forward to seeing them. 

It was terribly hot during the last week of Kansas (every day above 100) so a lot more day was spent indoors but the kids kept busy playing, helping Grandma bake and cook and watching movies. 

And of course, no trip to Kansas is complete without a big gathering of friends and family at the Avery household.  We had good smoked brisket and ribs and grilled sweet corn.  Shelby had a great time playing with some of Stu's cousins kids and then watching a firework show put on by her daddy.  Bradan, as always, flirted with the ladies and then hid in his mommy's shoulders while the fireworks were going.

We had a great time in Kansas but were definitely ready to make the trip back to Washington.  Before we left, we headed to Bern for one last night with my parents.  There we stocked up on some good sweet corn and meat before we took off the next morning.  The drive went great until we hit Washington.  Due to a car accident, I-5 was a mess of back-ups so we arrived home 2 hours later then expected.  But we made it and the kids happily slept in their own beds that night.

Kansas - Part 1

We are back from our 3 1/2 week visit to Kansas.  The first part of the trip was spent in Bern and second half in Wakefield.  We had a great time and survived the heat.

Here are some pictures of some of the highlights of our time in Bern.

B being cool in his sunglasses.

One of many tractor rides with Grandpa.  He even got to ride a round in the combine along with Shelb and Mommy.  The kids also got to see the piggies and calves.  They always enjoy spending time on the farm.

We got to love on this little cute girl lots.  Taylah even got to stay a couple of days without her mommy and daddy. 

The weekend of the 4th was spent with family.  Craig and Jessica even made the trip from Memphis.  It was a weekend of playing outside when it was not hot, roasting s'mores, bbqing,  and going to Bern's annual celebration. 

The potty training was started without much success. 

Bern's Volunteer Fire department sponsored a Splash Day in the city park.  Shelby had a great time getting soaked, playing in the bubbles and splashing around in the pool.  Bradan held on tight to Grandma the whole time.