Belle has a birthday

Since Belle's birthday is Christmas Eve, a concerted effort is made to keep it separate from Christmas. It usually turns into a month long event. This year we decided to change it up a bit and celebrated on her birthday.

After thinking about it for .005 seconds, she decided on Hananoki for her birthday lunch. The place was deserted, so no diners were annoyed by all the picture taking.

Luke ponders his options.

The onion volcano was a dud. Luckily the food was delicioso.

After lunch, we went to Aunt May's for more presents.

And cake. We learned our lesson with that huge Cold Stone cake of 2008. This year, we got a very normal sized red velvet cake with sweet cream ice cream mixed with oreos and a ganache frosting. Super yummy, if a bit rich.

Success!

It's December?

Guess I wasn't quite as refreshed as I thought I was back in August. We've managed to get the girls to school on time every single day. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Too bad there's not a fancy prize for that. Oh, yeah. The prize is not going to court. Guess I'll take that.

So, here's a quick photo recap of what I haven't blogged about.

Luke started preschool. He wants to go more.

We dressed up

Sadie (my sister) added a member to the family.

We made a few messes.


And some goofy faces

I feel refreshed

After a much needed blogging break (I mean, that once or twice a month posting was a bit overwhelming), I'm back.

Our summer was simultaneously eventful and uneventful. We had too much fun with our west coast (and fellow nonblogging) friends. My parents crossed the country and landed at our house for a few days. And somehow, I'm pretty sure the Newport Aquarium, King's Island and the Louisville Zoo won't be the same after our visits. In between all the fun, there were way too many days that weren't pool worthy, way too many fights that needed reffing and insanity to be had by all.

The girls started school this past Wednesday. So far, Belle has only caused one fight between boys vying for her attention. Soon she'll be able to woo and be wooed en español, as she's in the spanish immersion program. Ava hit the ground running and can't wait for her first homework packet.

Here are the obligatory first day of school pictures. Check out how much Ava has grown since first grade!

Luke starts preschool on the 31st. In preparation for preschool, he had to ditch his nasty habit of diaper wearing. He'll be going two days a week, giving each parent a couple hours of alone time. As sad as it is, I haven't had two and a half hours of scheduled alone time in years. With that, I'm looking forward to reacquainting myself with some higher level of sanity than I've known over the past few months.

Birthday boy

Luke-a-duke turned three today. Time for a trip down memory lane photo style.

I'm a horrible human being

Belle, Luke and I ventured into Evil*Mart today. It's one of those places I don't shop. In fact, it's been so long since we've shopped there that Belle didn't know what store it was. An affordable fabric (as in not plastic) shower curtain liner lured me in.

With the fabric liner and a few other "necessities" in hand, we made our way to the endless checkout lines (another loathsome aspect of Evil*Mart). There were only a few people in front of us, but it was the guy directly in front of us that is making me question my humanity right now. He had a cute little girl - maybe around 18 months old - and was buying the smallest packages of wipes and diapers known to parentkind. After trying a couple cards that were both promptly declined, he left.

At that point, I should have told the cashier to add them to my order and taken him the bag. But I didn't. And now I feel horrible.

Rainy Day

It's no secret that I'm anti-umbrella. Because of that, I've put Belle's multiple requests for an umbrella on the super way back burner. Fortunately for her, we happened upon a 50% off sale - that included fun kid umbrellas - at Lands End. The kid knows a sale when she sees one. She also knows that mom has a tough time saying no to a sale. Even if an umbrella is involved.

The umbrellas found their way to our home on Friday and Saturday (after a trip back to grab one for Ava). Saturday was one of the most glorious days of 2009. The goofballs refused to come out and play, thus making it possible for me to get some much needed yard work done (if you look at the right side of the photo you'll see how far two bags of mulch made it - not very) in a relatively short period of time.

Along came Sunday. And with it, lots and lots of rain and fifty five measly degrees. The girls cheered when they saw the rain. Cheered! They were outside faster than I could pour my first cup of coffee.

Meanwhile, Luke spent some quality time with his second favorite play thing. Play dough. He's been known to play with the dough for three hours at a time. He goes through so much that it's easier to make a fresh batch each time. I'm a fan of this recipe.

Easter 2009

Dying eggs was a success. Only one broken egg that Ava promptly ate. Luke didn't get to participate because he decided to go to bed at 6:45pm.

The Easter Bunny left a bit of candy, some plastic animals and plants for the girls.

Luke got tons of bubble making accessories. The kid loves his bubbles.

Hunting for eggs at Grandma and Grandpa's. The wind was a bit chilly, but it was still warm enough for short sleeves. Belle's choice of clothes is never a good indicator of the temp. She wore that outfit during the ice storm.

Ava checking out the contents of her eggs.

Silly goose.

Torturing the kids by having them sit directly in the sun.

Found a better spot to sit. Wade had to work all day, so he didn't get to participate in the fun. He did get a plate of leftovers, so that kinda sorta makes up for it.

Future PETA Activist

It was around Belle's second birthday that I knew we had a future animal rights activist on our hands. The kid treats strays better than humans most days.

I knew the moment was coming. It was just a matter of time before Belle decided to go veg. And it finally happened a couple nights ago over a dinner of incredibly delish grilled burgers. While chowing down on a plate of fries and potato chips (what can I say? we love our fried potatoes), she announced that she was no longer eating meat. Honestly, it could've happened sooner. Answering the, "Are we eating this chicken because it was bad?" questions as I gnawed a chicken leg wasn't exactly appetizing.

After the big announcement, the following convo took place.

Ava: Hey, Belle. Bacon is meat.
Belle: Oh. (ponders a moment)
Ava: And sausage.
Belle: What animal is that again?
Ava: Pig.
Belle: I'm okay with that.

If we were really mean, we could show her this commercial. But, we're not and we like bacon too.

Off to see if this shirt comes in a 5T.

The break is over

We had a few plans for spring break this year. The first of which was a trip to Dino World. Unfortunately, due to my bursitised knee (and, no, my knee does not look as freaky as the elbow photo on the link), we had to postpone this adventure. Instead, we hit a matinee (thankfully, since I can't fathom the cost of an evening show) viewing of Monsters vs Aliens 3d.

The weather cooperated for the most part and the kids were able to spend a healthy amount of time outside. The girls had a sleepover with the grandparentals on Thursday night. Luke and I met them at The Dollhouse Museum the following day. And the girls capped off the week with a birthday party.

It was so nice not having to get Ava to school at the crack of dawn. Speaking of which, tomorrow is the last meeting of the school year for being late too often. Can you believe that we've managed to get her to school on time every day since November? Pretty amazing. Though, there were actually a few really close calls involving me not stopping completely, opening the van door and pushing her out while screaming, "Run, Ava, run!"

Long time, no post

Since last post, Ava had a birthday, Belle is officially enrolled for kindergarten, Luke learned how to blow bubbles and it went from 70* and beautiful to snow in less than a week.

In honor of Ava's birthday, here's a little blurb about my ever so opinionated eight year old.

Ava's personality developed fast and furiously and hasn't changed much. She argues every point and calls us on every infraction. She's still petite (25th percentile for height & weight since age 2) and very picky about what she'll stuff down her pie hole. She outgrew her Britax Regent just before her 8th birthday. Being the car seat nazi that I am, that's one milestone that has me all torn up.

She's particularly fond of the Ipod Shuffle and roller skates she received as gifts and can often be found rolling around while rocking out to Flight of the Conchords.

Age 2

Age 3

Age 4

Age 5

Age 6

Age 7

Tiny Bubbles

When Luke started (occasionally) blowing these tiny bubbles yesterday, it was instantly evident that he would benefit from Sponge Bob's bubble blowing class.



Bubbles from Autumn Hutt on Vimeo.

Ice Storm

I'm a crazy weather watcher, so I knew this was on the way. And having been through the 2003 ice storm, I knew what to expect. On Monday, the kids and I shopped for food and snacks to last through the week.

Tuesday morning I wasn't expecting to go to work. Fortunately, my driver (aka my boss) was able to fetch me. Who am I kidding? I was a little disappointed since I had planned on lounging in my sweats while finishing Breaking Dawn. But who can argue with money and a little adventure? Our trip home Wednesday night took us over a tree that was on top of a van and power lines.

Luckily we haven't lost power. But as you'll see on this crappy little video, I'm not sure we're totally safe yet. The video doesn't quite capture the eerie feeling of the trees swaying in the wind under the weight of all the creaking ice.

I keep venturing out in my tank top and flip flops (don't worry, Belle yelled at me for not wearing a coat) to marvel at the beauty and destruction. It's absolutely amazing.

How Strange

This dog had somewhere to be and was not the least bit amused by our pointing and laughing.

Happy 2009!

I hope everyone has a super 2009! If you're a resolution maker, good luck with those!