Fall in Minnesota

Ava and I decided to take advantage of some frequent flier mileage to see Pops and Neenee for a long weekend in Minnesota. Ava’s mobility, and the new puppy, have made it fun to keep up with all of the activity. Although trying to get a decent photo of a quick 14 month old and a 4 month old puppy is nearly impossible…
Ava loves the railing to help her cruise around the upstairs…. although from some perspectives it looks like she is in “baby jail”.  Check out the “baby proofing boards along the balcony.

Here’s Ava on center stage in the kitchen, relieving a little teething soreness…

Ava also loves Pops’ sheepskin rug – soft and fuzzy, what’s not to love?
Perfect for rolling around in…
With the cooler temperatures, Ava loves being able to play outside on the deck. She’s even learning how to do “yard work”. Here she is practicing with the lawnmower…

And of course she did have to show some home team spirit for the football game.

Cutest Viking fan ever!?!?

Mo’s Birthday Surprise

Mo reminded me that I forgot a post about her birthday. This is the big one – you know, the big 4-0.  She started to expect a surprise, so that made it even harder to pull off. I enlisted the help of some of our friends to pull it off.
We planned a night out (without the kids) for our friend Mike’s birthday (which happens to really be a week before Mo’s). When we got to the sushi restaurant, we had to entice Mo out back, where she was surprised by about 10 of our friends. Let’s just say that Mo didn’t think I could pull of a surprise – but that she was happy that we managed to!
Here’s the crew all lined up…

Mo with her “fab at 40” gear.

With Renee.
With fellow planner, Sarah.
Chilling with sushi.
Happy birthday Mo!

Having a Ball on Labor Day Weekend

When she’s not busy walking or jabbering away, Ava is filling her day with having fun. She loves to sit on the office chairs and spin around…with a ball of course…

Here she is in the play room (the room formerly known as the living room) pulling all her books off the shelf.

 

She loves the farm animals and always asks to hear more of the “Old MacDonald” song.

She loves playing with her house – especially now that she is taller and more is at her eye level.

And when she starts to get tired, she climbs into her little green chair to take a rest.

All that playing works up an appetite. Luckily we had some homemade yogurt popsicles for her. Which she loves!

Last night we went to John and Renee’s for a Labor Day BBQ. Ava loved showing off her walking and her new dress… 

For the last day of the long weekend, we took Ava to the nearby aquatic center. She loved the lazy river, but was too small for the water slide. We managed to get these photos of her on the splash pad…

  

 

Next year she’ll have even more fun at the aquatic center when she can splash even more!