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!

First Steps

Apparently all it took was for Scott to go out of town for work for Ava to take her first steps. On Monday, Ava walked. As Mo(m) said, it took a second to register that Ava had in fact walked without holding onto something. By the time Scott was back, she was definitely getting more bold – letting go of things to stand and to take a few steps – even managing to hold onto her toys (usually in her mouth) as she took a few quick steps.

Here’s a video of her (briefly) walking.

From AvaHighlights

Ava has also decided that she likes to do pullups. Here she is (with some light assistance) on the pullup bar.

Ava does love her books. Here she is reading one of her (and Dad’s) favorites on trains.

Ava is also getting more proficient at signing. She now does the sign for “milk” and for “more” – below is the “more” sign. 

Stay tuned for “more” of Ava and her walking escapades….

Fun with Fish

Thursday was a low key day – we spent some time around La Jolla, doing a picnic on the cliffs overlooking the beach, and enjoying the great weather.

Dad made us pancakes to started the day. Obviously Ava liked them as she smacks her lips…

After breakfast we did a little shopping to get the picnic lunch. Here are the two girls looking stylin’ in their shades…

After the picnic, some naps, and more fun around town, we were all sacked out for a good night sleep.

On Friday we took Chase to the dog beach where he entertained Ava for an hour while swimming and chasing his toys. Afterwards, we decided to head to Scripps’ Birch Aquarium. Ava was mesmerized by the fish, sharks, eels, and rays. It was definitely worthwhile just to see her light up at the colorful fish.

Here’s Ava making faces at some other kids near the outdoor tidepool.

Ava of course did not understand why she wasn’t allowed to go swimming with the fish.

Ava and Dad posed with downtown La Jolla in the background.

Ava loves to stand so much that she decided to stand up for a drink – in her stroller no less.

After some lunch and a nap for Ava, we took a walk around La Jolla village. Ava and Mom posed overlooking the cliffs above the Pacific…

Then we took a family photo.

This was a different view than what we had a year ago (Sept 2009) when Ava was a wee bit smaller…

Finally we capped the day off with a drink at George’s overlooking the water… 

The downside of it being Friday is that the week is quickly coming to a close. So we’ll make the most of the few more days we have here…

More West Coast Fun

We’ve all been enjoying our time here – being able to have windows open, to go for walks at any time, and the awesome ocean breezes and waves have been perfect.

On Tuesday we decided to venture out a bit more. First Ava had some breakfast – with Chase diligently making sure that Ava eats her veggies while letting her know that he is there for any spillage.

After Ava was all fueled up, we went to Mission Beach. While a bit too touristy for us, we did walk the boardwalk for a bit – they had everything from surf school to junior lifeguarding camps going on. 

After a good nap, we headed out for dinner at a restaurant with a nice ocean view in Del Mar. Unfortunately someone’s bedtime was before sunset, so no chance of seeing the sun setting…

On Wednesday we went to Huntington Beach to see Mo’s Aunt and Uncle, Loma and Simon, her cousin Amelia and Greg with their kids Declan and Vivian, and her cousin Ryan.

Before we got in the car, we had to make sure that Ava was all set with her video player…

After the drive, Ava was thrilled to play with her second cousins…

And to go through the toy basket to find new toys….

She loved the pretty girl in the mirror…

Declan on the other hand wasn’t about to read to her just yet…

We did manage to get Ava and Vivian together for a quick photo – however Ava decided that she needed some props to go with it.

We had a great time seeing the Dwyer clan…

Stay tuned for more adventures from Southern California.

Greetings from San Diego

Saturday was the start of our vacation – a much needed week of relaxation and escape from the heat of Arizona. While we were packing up the truck, we let Ava entertain herself with a container of snacks. She is definitely trying all that she can to open it!
First try use your hands.

Next up, try to bite it off (or maybe see if you can get Chase to help).
Thankfully that kept her occupied for a little while as we packed up. Once we were loaded up, it was time to start the 6 hour drive to San Diego. This time we decided to try the northern route – something a little different than driving through Yuma. We also chose it so we could stop in the wine country of Temecula, about 1/2 way between LA and San Diego.

We had a tasting and a stretching of legs at Baily Winery. The grass was perfect for all of us to just relax for a bit.
  
Of course Ava wowed everyone that walked by. 
Sunday started off with taking Chase to the dog beach, followed by a nice walk around downtown La Jolla, and a picnic in Del Mar. We’re all enjoying the great weather – being able to go outside for a walk in the afternoon is such a great joy, and Ava loves chatting and smiling at everyone that walks by. More to come later in the week...