Sacramento Zoo

On Saturday the 22nd we went to the Sacramento Zoo as a family. Ava and I went last month with family, but Rich had to work. Last time we didn't make it on the new Conservation Carousel, so Rich took us back so we could have a ride. I was excited to ride on the Sea Turtle with Ava, but was told I could only stand next to her. Rich rode on the Poison Arrow Frog and then took a picture with Ava on the Praying Mantis. This was Ava's first carousel ride. At first she was enjoying the ride, but halfway through she starting crying and I had to hold her until we stopped. Unfortunately she was tired and her tooth was bothering her, so she did not have the best day.

Ava and I pretending to ride together. I was pretty excited about the sea turtle, but was surprised at how small it was.

Me standing next to Ava because I wasn't allowed to ride with her while the carousel was in motion...so sad!

Rich and Ava pretending to ride the praying mantis.

We thought this carousel seat was funny and wonder how many people realize what they are sitting in.

A future zoo keeper??

Rich and Ava rest for a moment after looking at the small cats.

We enjoyed watching the giraffes using their long tongues to eat.

Daddy's shoulders offer a better view of the animals.

We stopped for lunch at the zoo picnic tables.

Ava finally fell asleep at the end of the day.

1st Avocado & Edamame

On 8-23-09 Ava tried avocado at Papa Bruce & Nona Alicia's. She made a few funny faces at first, but had no trouble finishing it off. On 8-26-09 I mixed some pureed edamame with rice cereal. I wasn't sure if Ava would eat it, but she did and even wanted more.

Still Cooking

I know I have been bad about updating my recipe blog, but that doesn't mean I've stopped cooking. I don't always make something new each week now, but I do still enjoy finding and trying new recipes. I kind of go in spurts. Sometimes I make several new recipes one month and then the next month just one new recipe. I still take photos of new things we've tried, so I will post them for you to check out. If anything looks appetizing and you want the recipe leave a comment and I will post it on my food blog.

Crispy Chicken & Buttermilk Biscuits

Beans with Hazelnuts & Bacon

These are crook necked squash from our garden that I made into baby food for Ava. I have enjoyed making all of Ava's food.

Shrimp Salad with Serrano-Basil Vinaigrette- I got the vinaigrette recipe from Bobby Flay and adapted for the shrimp salad. The shrimp are coated with the vinaigrette and sauteed.

Peach Pie- I make this peach pie every year for Rich. He really likes the almond crumble topping.

Pictures at the Sacramento Temple

For Family Home Evening (FHE) this past Monday we reenacted our temple pictures from the sealing. We forgot to take a horizontal picture for a specific frame I already have on the wall and since it was so hot that day in July we didn't take photos around the temple. Monday was the perfect day, so we thought, because the temple was closed and it was cool. When we arrived we realized going to the temple for FHE is a great activity, so many families were there. Luckily we were one of the first to arrive so we got some nice shots without people running around in the background. The only sad thing was Ava has not been in the happiest mood this week so she is not smiling in the photos and was easily distracted by everything around her. When you see the photos of Ava next to the rosemary (I helped plant) and the red flowers you can see the anger and curiousity on her face.

1st Tooth on the Way

Today we felt Ava's first tooth. It is just peeking out on the bottom left side. We are excited and will post pictures once it is fully visible.

1st Cantaloupe, Apricot, and Phish Food

On 8-16-09 Ava had cantaloupe. Of course she loved because it is sweet and delicious.On 8-17-09 Ava had apricots. These apricots were from our tree. We picked them when they were ripe, pureed them, and then froze them because Ava wasn't ready for them until now. She really enjoyed them and definitely prefer fruit.On 8-17-09 Ava tried Ben & Jerry's Phish Food ice cream. This is one of her mommy's favorite treats and I couldn't help giving her a little taste. I always thought Rich would be the bad parent and give Ava things she shouldn't have, but I was wrong...it's me!

Watch out for Ava's hands!

Ava is now grabbing at anything and everything. One of her favorite things to grab and pull is my hair. I usually wear it in a ponytail so she can't get at it so easily, but when I snuggle her she likes to reach her hand around my neck and yank...OOOUCH!!

Lunch with Dad

A couple weeks ago Ava and I were out and about so we called Rich and made a lunch date. We went to Boudin S.F. I was excited to try this restaurant and it lived up to my expectations. I got a delicious tomato soup in a sourdough bread bowl and a side salad. Rich got a turkey avocado sandwich. Ava also got to try a little bit of sourdough and enjoyed it. Before we left we made sure we bought the cutest sourdough turtle which I ate the next day with a bowl of chili.

Photoshop is AWESOME!!

We bought Photoshop Elements 7 a few months ago, but I haven't had much time to mess with it. I would play a little here and a little there, but never got to far into all the fun tools. Tonight I had some time so I started playing around and did some pretty awesome things. I know I'm not the only person that can use photoshop and it is nothing to rave about, but I felt pretty cool after the photos I created. Here are some of the before and after photoshop pictures from Ava's 7 month photo shoot.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

7 month photos

The Thrasher

Ava has many nicknames and the newest is the thrasher. When Ava sleeps she moves all over the place and makes little sounds...it is so cute. When I go into her room in the morning or after a nap I never know how I will find her. I often bring my camera with me because she ends up in crazy positions.

This is when we knew Ava could roll from her back to her belly. I just found her sleeping on her belly one morning and usually that is how I find her now. She rarely rolls from her back to her belly when awake though.

The other day I thought she was waking up so I went to check on her, but found her sound asleep. Half of her body was on either side of her bumper and her feet were sticking out of the crib slats. Ava often likes to cover her face with the bumper or burp rag (hence, her other nickname, cave dweller).

How many people does it take to eat a banana?

In our family it takes one baby, one mommy, one daddy, and one dog.

On August 7th we decided to let Ava try banana. Since she couldn't eat the whole banana by herself I mashed up a little bit for her and then started eating it myself. As many of you know I am a little weird when it comes to food and texture sensitive, so bananas are hard for me to eat. I enjoyed a couple bites and then had to stop before I gagged. Rich then ate the rest and shared a little bit with Luca.

Ava eventually liked the banana. The first bite she made the funniest face and seemed unsure if she really liked what was in her mouth. With the following few bites she seemed to warm up to it and eventually ate a couple tablespoons of banana.