What we found on an early morning walk on the beach...

SAND CRABS!

As we walked along the beach (in our P.J.'s) we found hundreds of tiny sand crabs and their holes. Ava enjoyed watching them scurry about and stuck her finger down several holes when they disappeared. Fortunately she did not get pinched by any of the home owners.

As we kept walking we also came across a stream that led into the ocean. It was a nice place for Ava to play because it was calm. She jumped right in and we all ended up getting our pajamas wet. We were happy Ava found this place because it helped her get use to water and get over her fear of the ocean.

Rich Boogie Boarding

On the last day of our vacation Rich went boogie boarding at Brennecke Beach. It is right next to Poi'pu, so while Ava was playing with Nona & Papa we walked over to Brennecke. Rich had a good time and even tried some body surfing. I think he did a pretty good job. I was entertained watching all the people around him. Rich was able to catch several waves, but most of the other tourists were having a hard time.

Boogie Boarding

Body Surfing

Poi'pu Beach x 2 = FUN

On the first and last days of our vacation we went to Poi'pu Beach. We went there because it is a great place for the whole family. There is a nice kiddie area enclosed by a rock wall and a great area for snorkeling for the grown-ups. Ava spent her first day on the beach with Uncle Eric and Nona. She didn't like the water and the waves made her nervous. She even got protective of us as we went out snorkeling, yelling, "No mama no" and "No dada no." It was cute, but she got over it as she played in the sand.


By the end of our vacation and the second time at Poi'pu Ava was feeling more comfortable with the water. This time she played in the sand a little, but spent a good portion of the time in the ocean. She enjoyed splashing and walking around. When we were ready to go Ava didn't want to get out. We practically had to drag her out of the water. What a big difference the week made in her love for the ocean.

First Day Photos

Ava loved playing in the sand and getting really dirty.

Rich brought a Sea Cucumber for Ava to see. She didn't think it was that cool. She looked at it for a second and the dropped it to play in the sand.

Sea Cucumber

Second Day Photos

Ava played in the sand again with Nona.

This is the protected area. Nice and calm. We had a hard time getting Ava to look for the photos because she was having so much fun and didn't want to waste time posing.

Ava had a lot of fun with her Papa & Nona.

Ava & I splashing "like an otter".

Ava & I strolling around the kiddie pool.

Ava with her Papa & Nona.

Flowers & Birds

Two of Ava's favorite things on vacation were picking flowers and chasing birds. There were thousands of little yellow flowers all around our condo that Ava loved to pick. Whenever we went outside she had to have at least one flower per hand and often more. One time Ava went out with her Nona and came back with a cup full of yellow flowers. Ava was so proud of her find.

There were also birds all over the island and especially around the condos. Ava enjoyed greeting the birds in the morning and saying goodbye to them as we left for our adventures. She was the only one that enjoyed all the roosters and didn't complain about their cockle-doodle-dooing in the morning. Ava tried to make friends with them and couldn't figure out why they kept running away from her.

Bob- everytime we saw a rooster we thought of you and were a little more protective of Ava.

What is the first thing we did?

We went to the beach of course!

As soon as we got to our condo we headed out our back door to the beach. We were all pretty tired and hungry, so we only spent 20 minutes checking it out before going to dinner.

Ava fell asleep on the way to dinner and stayed asleep until we were almost done.

On the Plane

We were pretty nervous about taking Ava on the plane since she didn't want anything to do with the mini-train or hay rides. She also doesn't like loud noises and is now easily scared. We got to the airport early to let her run around and also check out the plane before we got on it. To our surprise she was excited and enjoyed looking at the plane while we waited. We didn't even need to resort to bribing Ava with the Cinnabon we bought. She was more interested in the planes than the treat.

Once on the plane she did good too. During the dreaded take-off Ava fell fast asleep. I think she was asleep before we even left the ground. She stayed asleep for a while and then woke up in a pretty good mood. We kept her occupied with food, books, and a couple new toys. We waited to use our secret weapon, Toy Story 2, until the end of the flight. Ava did really well and only lost it at the very end when she bonked her head. We were able to comfort her and she then fell asleep again during the landing.

On the way home Ava did great too. She was exhausted from the week and slept for a little over 2 hours. This time we used food and coloring to entertain her. Toward the end of the flight we put on our secret weapon and Ava snuggled with her daddy. She didn't fuss much until the way down because her ears started to bother her (we can't blame her). We were able to soothe her easily and received compliments from the couple in front of us on how well we all handled the flight.

We were grateful everything went well. Ava really is a good girl and did better than we expected. We didn't enjoy being squished on the plane for over 5 hours, but we were glad Ava made it tolerable.

Kauai

On Thursday, November 4th we flew to Kauai for a week. We met up with my parents and brother. We had a great time and Ava loved being with her family. By the time we left she was really attached to "Nona, Papa, & Uncle" and kept saying their names all the way home.

We had so much fun and ended up taking over 1400 pictures. Over the next week I will try and blog some of the highlights of our trip. Please be patient and keep checking back.

Harvest Festival

On October 30th our ward had its annual Harvest Festival with trunk-or-treat. The young women I work with helped with the face painting and boo pop booths so that is where I spent most of my time. Rich is also on the activities committee so he spent a lot of his time helping the activities chair. Ava being the wonderful little girl that she is was content to go back and forth between the two of us. We made sure she got to do some of the activities and I of course took her trunk-or-treating while Rich passed out candy at our car.

Ava was mostly overwhelmed by the whole thing. She didn't have the greatest nap, so was also very tired. This combination didn't help when she encountered a hammerhead shark monster from Pirates of the Caribbean. I didn't witness it, but Rich said she was terrified and lost it. They had to leave the cake walk because she was so upset. Ava was much happier later in the evening when she found her friends Andrew, Tessa, Ellie and Jill.

It is really hard to get a family photo, but on this day we were blessed. As we were taking pictures in front of our house a lady drove by and saw us. She drove around the block, came back, and asked if we would like her to take a family photo. We of course jumped at the offer and were appreciative to this kind stranger.

Ava with her friends Tessa and Ellie.

Ava with her buddy Andrew.

Pumpkin Patch in Photoshop

Original

Photoshop

Original

Photoshop