Muir Woods

Last weekend we went to the Muir Woods with some of Rich's family. We enjoyed the beautiful redwoods and tried to stay warm as we walked along. The cousins had a great time together and it was nice to watch them enjoy each other. I can't wait until Ava is big enough to run around with them and I hope this will be the first of many cousin outings.

We had a picnic lunch before we walked around the trail.

Nathan and Kobie had fun watching an American Crow and we learned they are as big as a Condor together.

Our family

Jensen family minus Steve who had to work. Steve, maybe we can do a cousin trip to the Jelly Belly factory in 2010.

The Young (Dave) Bowling family

Walking on the trail. I love that Nathan and Kobie are excited to be there...go boys go!

The tree behind them looked like a giant slide.

Ava with Aunt Sherrie.

Dave carrying a tired Bella.

Rachel and Lily. Rachel is the oldest cousins and is great at helping with the younger ones. Thanks Rach!!

Rachel, Lily, Nathan, and Kobie.

Banana Slug

It was so cold you could see your own breath. Ava was my little heater and we kept each other warm.

Ava the dare devil. Hold on!!

Rich, Ava, Dave, and Lily limboing under the tree.

Dave carrying two tired little girls....what a great dad!

The crew trying to warm up with some hot chocolate.

Videos Upon Request

The other day Rich was talking to his dad and he let us know we needed to put some more videos of Ava on the blog. So, Here's Ava...

Ava waving & talking to the water bottle

Unfortunately, we've taught Ava to be loud and she loves to scream.

Ava crawling

Little Italy

When we went to San Diego we walked through Little Italy on India St. We had high hopes, but were sadly disappointed. We kept wondering what we were missing and thought there must be more to it.

We did eat at Pizzeria Luigi which was featured on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives". Again we were disappointed. To be fair to Guy Fieri the location we ate at was not the one he visited, but it is part of the 3 restaurant chain. The pizza was okay, but not the best we've ever had. Rich said it wasn't like the pizza he ate in Italy and we all agreed it is not a must have the next time we visit.
The one good thing that we found on our trip to Little Italy was Pandoro. This is an Italian Christmas cake that you sprinkle with vanilla powder sugar. The morning after our trip to L.I. Rich gave Ava some Pandoro for breakfast. As you can see from the sugar on her face she enjoyed the tasty breakfast treat.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Gelato

Just a few blocks from where we stayed was a gelato parlor. We were pretty excited because it is hard to find good and real gelato. We walked there one afternoon and found the place packed with people. Rich and my dad went inside to get our gelato while Ava and I people watched outside.

I got vanilla bean and Rich got a combination of chocolate and peanut butter cup. It was pretty good, but really messy. It wasn't as firm as it should be and melted all over the place. Ava watched us eat and look eager for a bite. I gave her a taste of mine and she went crazy. She bopped up and down and begged for more. Rich also gave her a try of his chocolate and of course she loved it too.

Playing in the Sand

Even though Ava has been to the ocean before (Monterey), this was her first time playing in the sand. We put her swimsuit on, lathered her in sunscreen, and then covered her up with clothes before heading down to the beach. Ava was interested in the sand and got really dirty. She scratched the sand with her fingers and crawled around too. The only problem was Ava was tired and keep putting her sandy thumb in her mouth.

While Ava took a break with papa & nona Rich & I built a sand castle. We didn't make this one as elaborate or detailed as we usually like because we knew our time was short with a sleepy girl wanting a nap. Ava did help daddy a little at the end and then had fun destroying it.

Before heading back to the hotel we wanted to get in the cold ocean. We took off our layers and nona stood by with a towel for Ava. Rich took Ava out and I was only brave enough to get in up to my legs. Ava did not seem excited and was not happy when Rich dipped her in the cold water. We wrapped her up in a soft towel and she was much happier. Rich was brave enough to get all the way in. He jumped into a couple of waves and then we headed back to the hotel to get warm.

Birch Aquarium

Before going to the tide pools we checked out Birch Aquarium. It is a small aquarium that reminded us of a miniature Monterey Bay Aquarium. We enjoyed the exhibits and got there just in time to see the shark feeding.