Happy Birthday, Avery!

To My baby boy on his 5th birthday:

 

Wow.  Are you really five?  No seriously.....are you five years old for REAL???  It feels like just a few short months since I heard you cry for the very first time and thought, "Woah.  I have heard that cry before.  I know that cry.  That's Avery."  I am so utterly blessed to know you and, better yet, to claim you as my own.  You are such a sweet, gentle, and inquisitive little boy.  You have a sensitive soul that allows you to empathize with people at such a young age.  You see the best in people and go out of your way to talk to everyone (and I mean everyone).  Your smile is infectious and your genuineness is palpable.  I am so proud to call you my son.

Rockin' It Out

Kayla got a microphone from MawMaw and PopPop for her birthday.  All four members of the Jean Team fight over this one pink microphone.

The kids and I listen to the soundtrack from "Frozen" often in the car.  The kids know most of the words and have been inspired to sing it on many occasions, such as....

....when using the restroom (Kayla singing "Let It Go")...

....or during a jam session (Avery & Kayla singing the Reindeer song)...

...(Avery singing "Summer").

This isn't a song from Frozen, but I still thought the video was cute.

Random March Photos

Our makeshift sandbox, made out of flour and baby oil.

 The kids had a babysitter one night.  When I checked on the kids after we came home, I found Kayla wearing Avery's Spiderman glove in bed.

 Naptime has become a thing of the past in the Jean household.  Not sure where she found these stickers.

 Avery was exhausted after one of our birthday parties.  I took advantage of his overstimulation and sugar crash to sneak in some cuddles.

 Nice. Moustache.

 Reading a Georgia Tech magazine on the commode.

 My three year old.  What a big girl!!

 True story: we had a repair man over one day, fixing our elliptical machine in our bedroom.  Kayla put on a pair of bunny ears, grabbed my Kindle, and laid down on my bed.  The she told the repair guy that he could lie down next to her and watch her play her games.  Ummm...we quickly left the room after that.

 Running around the track at Dick's Sporting Goods.

 Dancing and singing to herself in the mirror at Dick's Sporting Goods.

 Hint, hint, Daddy.  Kay's Jewelers.  ;)

 Kayla getting possessive about "my Avery Tucker" at Tumble Gym.

A video of Kayla standing by her man.

Kayla somersaulting at Tumble Gym.

 An Avery picking up another Avery.  Mine's the skinny one in the air.

 It's my kids in a box!

 Kayla put herself to sleep at 6 o'clock one night (she doesn't like to nap anymore).  Haley joined her on the couch.

 This picture totally wasn't staged (j/k).

 It's a pirate's life for the Jean Team.

Soccer Season

Soccer season is upon us once again!  Both of the kids were really excited to start playing this spring.

 

This was Avery's first practice of the season (and the only one so far, thanks to Mother Nature).  He has the same coach from last year and three of his friends are on the same team.

This was Kayla's first practice.  It did not go well.  These are the only pictures of her participating (a span of about three minutes), and she only started playing because Avery was allowed to join her.

 

 And this is where Kayla spent the other 42 minutes of practice...on a completely different soccer field.

This was Avery's first game (again, the only one so far this season, thanks to the rainy, cold weather).

It brought tears to my eyes to realize how much taller Avery looked on the soccer field compared to last year.  *tear*

This was Kayla's first game of the season.  These pictures are actually from Avery's game.  She refused to go to her own game afterwards.  So glad I made that donation to the local Y....

A Month of Birthdays (continued)

The kids' friends, Jamie & Colin, are Scottish twins who were born on St. Patrick's Day (as my friend says, God has a sense of humor).  This year, their birthday had a superhero theme.  And as usual, their party rocked.  I wish I was this creative!  I took a ton of pictures because it was such a colorful, fun birthday party.