another 5 year old? happy birthday to Avery!

year 5 is such a milestone.  five year olds and learning, growing, stretching their imaginations, and gaining independence.  Avery is one inquisitive little girl, and the beach was the perfect place to celebrate this milestone birthday.  

we brought a beautiful dress for her portraits and grandma added a fun floral wreath and we ventured out to the sand and the sunset.  

 Avery was in heaven exploring the sand to find new treasures.

 and turning new treasures into jewelry.

 and then home again.  welcome to age five little A.

Avery's first day of Pre-K

it is with mixed emotions we send Avery off to Pre-Kindergarten.  i know she is so ready, i know she is beyond capable.  but my little sweet baby is just 4 years old, and 5 days a week just seems so long.  none of the other kids have done so much pre-school, and usually i have opted for a home school/joy school type option.  but she is so excited, and the program she is in is supportive of her speech needs, so i know she is going to do great.  here's to an awesome first day of school!

orange crush!

 it's the last day of soccer season, so i took some team pics.  the Orange Crush had a great season!  Avery had so much fun in her first season of soccer.  she was fortunate to have a team with a bunch of great kids.  

and some great coaches!

Avery was thrilled to get her first trophy.  way to go Orange Crush.  

and the soccer lovin' saturdays continue!

so, soccer season is in full swing, and the Orange Crush and Snowflakes are dominating.  

not to mention looking super cute!  

 in years past I have lamented that I never catch goals with my camera, because i am too busy watching the game.  well, this year the girls decided to make it super easy on me and average at least 3 goals a game.  this allowed me the freedom of focusing my lens on the first goal, and then relaxing and enjoying the 2-5 others that were sure to follow.  thanks girls!

 it is a pleasure watching all my girls play sports, and grow and excel in their various activities.  but Avery has been especially fun as she dons a cool-as-a-cucumber persona on the field.  

 Madeline is no slouch out there either.  if you ever oppose Maddie in soccer, a good rule of thumb is: DON'T LEAVE HER UNGUARDED.  she can outrun anyone, and scores almost every time she breaks away.  

 everyone gets a chance to play "patrol" or the defensive position in 4 on 4 soccer.  but this particular game, coach had to pull Maddie back there right away, since the had 3 in the first quarter.  though the girl loves offense, she works just as hard in the back field as well!

 boot it Maddie!

i wasn't the best player when i was a kid, but i sure loved the game.  it is a thrill for me to cheer on my girls each week!  

first swim of the season?

the temperatures are starting to soar, but i'm not sure the pool has caught up yet.  the girls begged and begged to go in, so:

they stayed in there for a while, despite the squealing.  

soccer time!

spring soccer started once again for the Earls.  Anna is playing tennis instead, but Maddie and Ave are both #9, so Anna put on last year's jersey and joined them for opening day!

it's Avery's first season and she was ready to go!  she proudly named her team, Orange Crush, and crush she did with 3 goals!  not bad for a rookie!

 ORANGE CRUSH

 Colin is an enthusiastic fan.  he is dying to be big enough to play!  he has the funniest habbit of shouting the name of whatever sport he's playing.  so, if he's running the football it's, "FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL"  swinging the golf club, "GO:F GOLF."  dribbling the soccer ball, "SOCCER, SOCCER."

 Madeline is on the Snowflakes this year.  she was a little disappointed not to have any goals her first game since she was such a high scorer last year.  but we explained that defense is just as important as offense and that her big kicks were just as useful when they helped stop a goal as when they score one.  

 Jason put the kids in charge of the photos today, and they caught a glimpse of the Dads on the sidelines. 

we look forward to a fun season! 

everybody dance now!

this was Avery's first dance recital.  she was so excited and also a little nervous!

 Madeline and Anna are old pros and were great helpers showing Avery the ropes. 

 the dances were equal parts cute and hilarious.  

the crowd was impressed. 

 all in all a wonderful family night.  

well done girls! off for some celebratory ice cream!

big imaginations!

my kids have big imaginations, and i love it!  

one of the car seats was inside the door and these girls found it and made their own car!  complete with (latch system) shoulder belt.  

little cuties!

fixing rapunzels hair, thank you Pinterest

so, i didn't really take a "before" picture, but this poor dolly has suffered from a serious case of doll hair syndrome.  it kind of defeats the purpose of a Rapunzel doll for her hair to be a disgusting mess.  so, i tried this trick i saw of Pinterest.

we just sprayed a mixture of water and downey and worked through those knots.  now, i wouldn't call this factory condition, but it definitely made it more workable and lovely.  

 and with a pretty braid, we will put off those knots for a while.  

Avery's birthday party!

Avery was so excited for her birthday princess extravaganza!  

 she invited all her friends over in their princess best for a tea party, hair, nails, the works!

 the princes got to watch from the sidelines.  

 Avery went with grandma and grandpa Beardsley to get her birthday party dress, Rapunzel's wedding gown.  complete with veil, bouquet and ring.  (daddy is not a fan)

everyone seemed to have a great time, look at all these happy princesses.  

and no princess party would be complete without the ceremonial bashing the pinata with a bat!

it was pretty fun watching these girls scramble for their candy!