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.

Cheerios & Pears

After Ava's last doctor visit we got the okay to start giving her Cheerios or baby puff cereal. Over the past week we having been giving her some Cheerios or Puffs and encouraging her to pick them up using the pincher grab. Sometimes she will use her forefinger & thumb, sometimes she will use her forefinger & middle finger (scissor motion), and sometimes, like today in church, she will just lean forward and chomp them right out of my hand like a cute little baby bird.

HMMM...I'm not to sure about this. What are these weird things??

A few Cheerios later...not bad...actually they are pretty good!

On August 5th Ava tried pears. We thought she would probably like them, but we found she LOVED them. She gobbled them down quickly and wanted more. She opened her mouth wide and practically begged for them.

I LOVE PEARS!

Moms & Cousins at the Sac Zoo

While Rich's family was in town the moms, grandma, and cousins went to the Sacramento Zoo. It was a wild experience and I felt like we belonged there...we were a herd of strollers. Ava napped most of the trip, but I enjoyed the animals and watching the other children get excited.

Nathan helped getting Ava ready for the day by putting on her sunglasses and hat.

We took this picture in front of the Koi for daddy...we missed him since he had to work.

There weren't enough strollers for everyone, so Parker and Zoie shared for a little bit.

Ava taking a nap in her stroller.

Ava wasn't the only one that took a nap. Her cousin Ezra slept a little too...so CUTE!

Kobie donated money to help build the new giraffe enclosure.

Funny story: Kobie asked me what the box was for, so I told him people could put money inside to help build the new giraffe enclosure. He got excited and wanted to help so I gave him some quarters. After he put the money inside he said, "okay, where do I go to help?" It was so cute. Kobie thought by making a donation he got to literally help build the enclosure and was ready to work...what a great kid.

Most of the girls riding a crocodile. (Bella, Parker, Rachel, & Zoie)

Nathan and Sherrie the kangaroos...I like that Sherrie is the baby.

Baby Blessing

On Sunday, August 2nd Ava was blessed in church. Rich was joined in the circle by Papa Bruce, Uncle Dave, Uncle Steve, and Craig Norman. After church we had our family and friends over to our house for food and visiting. It was a great day and Ava looked beautiful in her white dress. We are lucky to be blessed with a wonderful daughter and loving family.

1st Peas

On July 22nd Ava tried peas. She ate them but didn't love them. She also made a pretty good mess. During bath time Rich found peas all over her and by the end there were peas floating around in the tub.

Hard to say Goodbye

Before Bob, EmmaLee, and Ezra went home to Boston they came for one more visit. We spent a little time at home doing Wii fit and then went out for dinner and dessert. It was a lot of fun and we will sure miss them.

Ava was really tired and Ezra was full of energy. The two of them have enjoyed interacting, but have been on opposite schedules the entire visit. When Ava is awake and happy Ezra will be tired. And when Ava is sleepy Ezra will be wide awake and super smiley...Ezra has the cutest smile!

Ava was so tired that she kept leaning on Ezra's shoulder. It was so cute and I hope they will be best buds as they grow-up.
Bob is such a good dad and uncle.

Family Reunion -- Sunday

Sunday morning we got up went to church and then headed to Gridley for some more family fun. We spent the day at Rich's parents talking, eating, and listening to stories about Rich's parents. It was a great day except when we had to say goodbye to Doug and his family. It is always fun to get together, but hard to say goodbye. And now that we are all older with families of our own it is harder to get together.

Cousins: Bella, Kobie, Rachel, Ava, Marlee, Ezra, Nathan, & Ian (on the couch)

Jessica with Lily & Anne with Parker (on the floor)

Even though we took a lot of cousin pictures we didn't get one with everybody looking. I'm not surprised and I love all the different expressions.

Cousins making funny faces.Sleeping Beauties (Bella & Zoie)

The boys (Nathan, Ian, & Kobie) being crazy.
EmmaLee making 2 pans of rice crispy treats. They did not last long in a house full of Bowlings.

Bowling Family Motto: "There are 2 kinds of people the quick and the hungry."

Rachel, Ava, Ezra, & Uncle Steve trying to stay cool in front of the fan.