The last time I had a chance to take close-up pictures of Ava napping was back when she was just 6 months old… during her first camping trip on Catalina Island.
Oh those chubby cheeks and hands. Eyelashes still wet from crying.
Fast forward almost two years.
Almost smiling in her sleep.
With her trusted companion.
Hi. I’m Ava and today I am going to do it. I am going to swim alone… with my floaties.
Follow me.
1, 2, 3, jump!
Nice catch, Dada. Don’t be sad because I am growing up too fast. Here I go…
Am I doing it? Am I swimming?
I think I am!
Yeah! I did it!! Thanks Nemo!!!
I’m not sure who Marty Allen is but he scared the crap out of Ava during our trip to Las Vegas. Hehe.
This picture cracks me up. Check out Ava’s hand on her hip… not to mention the sylish glasses. I was going to write how I don’t know who she learned this new trick from… but then I read this blog post.
P.S. The crayon on the wall was already there when we checked into the hotel room.
Hello. Our little lollipop is now 127 weeks old!
Last Friday was our final day of vacation. We checked out of our hotel room but stuck around the pool for a bit longer. Each and every day, Ava needed to build up the courage to get into this Las Vegas pool.
It’s a little too cold for comfort when you first get into it.
But after a few minutes, she walked down the steps and started swimming.
When pool time was over, Ava decided that it was no fun to wear a wet swimsuit so she insisted on stripping down to a clean pair of pull-ups… followed up by a box of juice.
On the car ride home, Ava slept for over 3 hour straight. Damn. Rough day at the pool, I guess. So Dan and I decided to keep driving and we pretty much made it to L.A. before our little lollipop woke up.
The next stop on the itinerary was Nona and Dida’s house. Ava immediately started to feed her dolls there…
… and run around the house like a wild child that just slept 3 hours and had energy to burn. But all those Vegas buffets must had made her grow an inch or two… because before we knew it, she bumped her head on the kitchen counter corner. It was sore for days.
On Saturday, we went to visit Nathan and play with his toys. After lots of running around and screaming at the top of their lungs…
… they wanted me to read them a story. Thanks guys!
We also went to the local ballet store to get Ava an outfit for her upcoming ballet classes. Check out Ava during her very first shoe fitting.
And here she is in her first dressing room… checking herself out. She kept saying ‘It’s not too small.’ No Ava, it’s just right!
We also drove down to Nicole’s to celebrate her birthday and her brother’s high school graduation.
She had a great time playing on the swings with Grace…
… and running away from the scary Dada Monster.
On Sunday, we were finally home. Just in time for Father’s Day. If you have ever been around Ava in the mornings, you know that she doesn’t like to let her Dada sleep in for too long. Dada, wake up! I wonder who she gets that from?
She said ‘Happy Father’s Day‘ and wanted him to open his present right away.
Dan already has a fake jersey from Target but now he has a fake one from the NBA store. Go Lakers! Maybe one day we’ll splurge on a real jersey for 200 bucks. Yeah right!
During Father’s Day breakfast, Ava did something for the first time. She spoke up to the waitress. A complete stranger! Imagine that! I told the waitress that Ava wanted a Mickey Mouse pancake for breakfast… and she immediately spoke up to correct me and said ‘No Mama. Minnie Mouse‘. Hehe.
As a special surprise, the waitress brought a brownie with the check, that was meant for Dada. Ava immediately said that this brownie was for Mama and Ava. And when she got to eat it at the Sprint store while Dada shopped, she took one bite and decided that this brownie was just for her… and so she kept her distance from both of us in order to do just that.
I was a little worried that her transition back to school would have some bumps in the road after a long vacation, but no. She was right back into her normal routine. And with a special gift for Dada, too.
A very serious picture of herself in a puzzle frame with the caption “Dad, I love you to pieces”.
Potty training is still going well. She wears pull-ups to school and underwear at home. When it was time for number two this week, Ava kept asking for a diaper. After lots of insisting that she was a big girl, she got the job done and got to enjoy a special bubble gift.
And this week, Ava officially became a ballerina. She was really concerned that her new pink slippers would get dirty on the grass so we had to take a really quick picture so Dada can continue carrying her to the car.
We were the first to get to the classroom. Ava enjoyed seeing herself spin in the mirror.
Her friend Grace was also in the class with her. Can you tell Ava was more than a little excited?
But when the class started, she was one of the shyest around. The teacher asked all the kids their names. When it was her turn, she whispered ‘Ava Lin‘. Hehe. I guess it’s from being one of two Ava’s in her school her whole life.
I didn’t realize that this was a Mommy and Me class, so I had to sit next to her and do everything the teacher asked us to do. And let me tell you, touching my toes and jumping over ‘rivers full of alligators’ was not an easy task. Ava was really shy during the first half of the class. She didn’t really want to participate. I had to help her out with lots of the activities.
But then it was time to stand up and practice our ballerina stances.
With a little help from these felt hearts.
And then she got into it. Especially when it was time to fly around the room like butterflies.
Check her out on her tippy toes. Too cute.
Good job ladies!
Last night, Dan rushed us out of the house to pick up his new fancy phone. We rushed out of there so fast, I forgot that Ava still had on her underwear and I had no spare clothes with me. Oh oh. I usually put on pull-ups when we are out of the house. Oh oh. But she did great. I made sure to take her to the restroom a lot to prevent any accidents. She actually asked for 2 out of the 3 trips we took. For a second, she squatted on the floor and started farting. I almost died. I immediately told her she needed to go to the restroom to do that. But she just looked at me calmly and said ‘No Mama. I’m just burping!‘. LOL. She cracks me up.
Okay. Time to go. We have cereal bracelets to wear.
And eat. Yum. Bye!!
Look who figured out how to show the world her age.
Yeah, Ava. That’s who!
Okay. Welcome back for Part 2 of 2 of Ava’s 29th Month post.
On Day 6 of our Vegas vacation, we woke up bright and early to hit up the local KOA campground at Circus Circus. They are part of new program that has Airstreams for rent. And we wanted to check them out. Good thing we brought Ava along. She spotted the Airstreams from a mile away.
Since we were there mid-week, the Airstreams did not look occupied. Unless some crazy person was locked in there with no air conditioning in the summer heat. I don’t think so. So we made ourselves at home.
Ava’s favorite part of the campground was the playground. She went down the slide a million times…
…and insisted that we do the same.
Next stop was the Wynn Casino. One my favorite places in town. It took us a long time to find a parking spot for our over-sized van. Dan kindly dropped us off at the casino while he kept looking for a spot. As soon as Ava walked into the Wynn, she was in love. This was her new favorite place in the whole wide world. She loved the trees and the flowers and all the twinkling lights.
And once Dan joined us, she was able to get a little closer to the flowers she was admiring.
But the real reason we went to the Wynn was for their buffet. The best in town. Seriously. And they don’t have that cheap soft serve crap there. They have real ice cream. With a real person that scoops it. As many times as you want. Ava thought life couldn’t get any better…
…until I brought out my dessert plate. Hehe.
The buffet showcases some of my favorite art pieces. This is us in front of one of them…
… and this was us 2 years ago. Where’s your hair, Ava?
The Nemo floaties were making Ava’s arms a little sore so we made a quick stop to Target for plan B. The Dora Floatie. It was a one-piece swim suit with built-in muscles. Hilarious.
The swimsuit was a little awkward at first. If she didn’t keep her arms in front of her, she would flip over onto her back… and stay that way until we flipped her over again. Like a turtle. But once she got the hang of it, she started to swim on her own again.
Next stop, dinner in her ice cream dress. She was more than excited to wear it as you can see.
And on our way out, she danced like Cinderella while Dada was her prince. Her words. Not mine.
As soon as we put her in her stroller, Ava announced that she was going to close her eyes. Nap time. We even made a special trip to the Flamingo for her to check out their penguins. As soon as we got there, we realized that the penguin exhibit was gone… and was our little one. Night night. And when we finally picked a restaurant in Paris, Ava woke up. Pissed. Skipping her normal nap time was a bad idea.
On Day 7 of our trip, we headed across the street to the buffet again. Ava’s appetite had been gone for the past day or two, so we let her pick anything she wanted. It was her choice. And this is what she picked. An apple, peaches, oranges and a slice of white bread. OMG.
And this is what I picked. Yum.
And Dan came back with this. WTF? I think he was officially buffeted out.
Don’t worry. Ava ended eating some breakfast food too. On top of making a ghost out of her slice of bread.
Next stop was the pool of course. The first thing Ava did was reach for Dada’s sunscreen chemicals…
… but luckily only wanted to squirt it on Dada’s booboo and not herself.
Did you know that there were monsters at pool? Yup. Ava saw them and quickly hid in her towel tent. Making sure not to burn her behind on the hot concrete.
New summer dresses equal dancing time for Ava.
Check out these hula moves.
We made it out that night to what is supposed to be the best Thai place in the country, the Lotus of Siam.
While we were waiting for our food, Ava occupied herself with drawing on the place mats. After awhile, she wanted us to help her draw. First she wanted Ava the kitty cat. Next was Grace the doggy. Then Dada the parrot. And Mama the giraffe (nice!). And finally, Yoda the monkey. Silly girl.
Once the food arrived, it did not disappoint. The chicken satay was awesome… and the coconut soup was the best coconut soup in the whole wide world. Yummmm.
After dinner, Dan whisked us away to the Bass Pro Shop again. Much to Ava’s delight.
Because she got to make her first squished penny with a buffalo in on it.
Thanks for visiting our blog. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Bye!!!
