Luca

Since having Ava our blog has been practically devoted to her, so we thought Luca deserved some face time. Luca or "Cuca" has Ava calls him has been so wonderful for her. She loves him so much and he is so good with her. Luca is a kind and gentle dog with a protective streak when necessary. Ava loves to snuggle, hug, kiss, and climb on him and he lets her. Luca has never growled or been grumpy toward Ava. If he is annoyed by her, he just gets up and walks away. We love having Luca in our home and are grateful Ava loves him too.

Ava throwing the ball down the hall for Luca. They have been playing together a lot more recently.

Ava giving Luca the almost empty peanut butter jar.

*Luca is a rescue dog from Second Chance Cocker Rescue. He has been so good for us and we are grateful for this wonderful rescue group. If you are thinking about getting a dog think about a rescue group or adopting from a city shelter. If you are thinking more specifically about getting a cocker spaniel check out Second Chance Cocker Rescue.

Ichi Maki

We finally convinced my parents to go to Ichi Maki, which is my favorite sushi restaurant. I actually don't get sushi, but I love their beef terryaki box with dumplings and sticky rice. Rich and Ava like to get sushi and this time my mom joined them. My dad stuck with me and had a terryaki box.

To start our meal we got the traditional miso soup and the waitress gave Ava some tofu in miso. She gobbled up her tofu. We also got edamame and something called a cannonball. Rich loves to order this appetizer which is a spicy salmon and crab cake. Ava was begging to try some, but we thought it would be too spicy. Rich finally gave her a little bit and she loved it. She kept signing more and did not seem to be bothered by the spice. I was amazed and proud of her sophisticated palate.

When it came time to order the meal Rich ordered the sushi for him, Ava, and my mom to share. The only thing my mom requested was soy-paper instead of Nori (seaweed). They ate one roll with deep fried shrimp & eel; another with cream cheese, deep fried shrimp, & tuna; and the third was deep fried shrimp & avocado. They all enjoyed their sushi and we enjoyed our terryaki.

Ava chowing on her tofu

Rich enjoying a cannonball
Ava trying part of Daddy's cannonball

Ava wants more of Daddy's cannonball

Papa sharing some of his terryaki with Ava

Daddy giving Ava some fish eggs which she ate and liked

I'm Crafty, I'm Just His Type

The title of this blog is taken from the Beastie Boys song because we have been singing it around the house lately. Over the past several months I have been feeling crafty and needing an outlet. I'm not as artistic as some of my family and not as patient as the rest, so I have opted for easy yet fun crafts.

First, I started making hair barrettes and bows. I thought it would be a great way to save money on cute accessories for Ava, but Ava doesn't agree. She still loves to play with her hair and usually pulls everything out before we get where we are going...Oh well I still think they are cute.

These (except the panda) are felt covered barrettes. I got the ideas off of several websites and thought, "I could do that." Buying the supplies was much cheaper than paying $3-$5 for one barrette. Now if Ava will just wear them for longer than 30 minutes I would be so happy.

Next I decided to make dresses for Ava. This idea came because I found the panda material and Ava went crazy for it. I thought it would be a cute dress, so I enlisted the help of my mom. There is no way I could of done it without her help. I think the dresses came out really cute, but they are just a little too big. That just means Ava can wear them longer.
After making the dress I saw this cute felt purse on the Family Fun website and thought it would be a cute accessory. It was easy to make, but not too sturdy. I gave it to Ava to look at and she practically pulled it apart. I had to put it away until she is a little older and knows how to be gentle.

Finally, I got into beading. I participated in an activity at church where we learned to make necklaces and bracelets. It was pretty easy and really fun. I enjoy being able to make jewelry that is unique and matches certain outfits. These are the first few things I've made. This is something I really enjoy and plan to keep up in my spare time.

Goodnight Tickles

Before bed we usually read the same couple books. One of them is called "Fish Kisses". This video is usually what happens as we read the book.

Keeping Up

Our blog is our journal and at the end of each year we convert it into a book. We just recently finished our 2009 blog book and I'm happy to have all the stories and memories preserved (especially since it was Ava's 1st year). Now that Ava is older and more active it is harder to keep up with our blog, but I'm determined to continue to preserve our family memories and special events. To help keep up with our ordinary daily activities here are some photos and short stories.

In July Ava turned 18 months and a lot of changes came with it. She moved out of her baby tub and is now taking a bath in the big tub. Ava loves playing in the bath especially with her monkey bubble wand and a cup. In July Ava also graduated from her high chair to a booster seat at the table. Now we just have to tackle potty training. We bought a toddler potty chair to get her use to it, but she is not quite ready for the training.

Ava likes all kinds of foods. In this picture she is chowing on a dill pickle at Jack's Urban Eats. Within this past month Ava's eating habits have really fluctuated and she has become fickle with her likes and dislikes. One day she will eat broccoli and then the next day she hates it. She has recently discovered a love for grapes.
Ava has a couple different duplo sets. I have to admit initially we got duplos because I thought they would be fun to play with. Fortunately Ava thinks they are fun too. She likes to dump out the blocks and mainly play with the animals or direct me on how to build. I can't wait until she enjoys building too. In this picture Ava is holding a monkey and saying "oo, aa, oo, aa".

Ava has never seen Toy Story I or II, but she loves Buzz Lightyear. It might have something to do with the fact that I love Toy Story and have several Buzz Lightyear things. When she sees Buzz she gets excited and says, "Buu, Buu". I bought this fabric before Ava was born. It is a Toy Story fleece that I plan on making a blanket out of. Now that I know Ava loves Buzz I decided to wash it and get going on the blanket.

On many Sunday mornings Rich takes over getting Ava up and feeding her, so I can get ready and have a break. Ava enjoys this special father-daughter time because she gets to eat delicious breakfasts like bread smothered in Nutella.

Ava truly is my daughter and we share a love for shoes. She loves to put on our shoes and walk around the house. Since Ava discovered my grandma's high heels she plays with them all them time.

When I see Ava wear these shoes it warms my heart and makes me think of my grandma. She was a special lady and these shoes remind me of her. When I was little and visited my grandma I always played with her shoes. I loved trying all her shoes on, but these ones were my favorite. I don't think I would ever wear them out in public, but I always thought the beaded rose was so beautiful. I am so happy that Ava has her great-grandma's shoes and loves them the way I do.

Ava loves Luca!! She likes to snuggle and pet him. She also likes to boss him around. When we give him a treat we make him sit and Ava tries to do the same thing. She also likes to throw his ball and if he doesn't chase it she will tell him to go get it. It is funny to watch her imitate the things we do.

Fun Video Clips

At the beginning of this video Ava is counting. When ever she goes down the slide or we are about to do something else fun we count to 3 and then go. Ava has picked it up and likes to join in. After counting and climbing off the box she does something I often want to do...confiscate Rich's iPhone. It is a handy tool, but sometimes it gets used a little too much.

This is Ava making some of her animal sounds. I know I probably think it is more adorable than you because I'm her mom, but she is just so cute.

Last month Ava discovered she enjoyed pushing shopping carts. It is a good way to let her have some freedom without having her run away. It also helps wear her out.

Cousins Get Together

A couple weeks ago the Oregon cousins came down, the So Cal cousins came up, and we all met in Gridley. We had a blast and it was great to see Ava enjoying time with her cousins.

Cousins Hi-5

Marlee holding Eli, Lily, Ava, Bella, Zoie, Kobie, Parker, & Ian Cousins being silly Ava watching her cousins enjoy the "hot pool" Ava didn't like the bubbles in the "hot pool" Marlee Ava finally decided to jump into the pool Yeah!

Cousins feeding grandma's Koi

Zoie & Bella

Baby Eli

Oregon Bowlings

A couple weeks ago we had visitors from Oregon. Rich's brother, Doug, and his family came to stay with us for a couple days. It has been a year since we've seen them so it was great to hang out. We especially enjoyed watching Ian and Marlee play with Ava.

Ava and Ian playing air hockey.

Marlee helping Ava down her slide. Marlee is such a sweet and loving cousins.
Ian thought Ava was having so much fun he decided to give the slide a try...Funny guy!

Ian launching the bubble rocket.

Ava enjoyed a "few" blackberries. Okay, okay, she really had a lot and we had to stop her from eating them. The berries are so juicy she got it all over her mouth and fingers.

Ava- "I LOVE BERRIES"!

In the Kitchen

I have now completely given up on my food blog, but I still want to record the foods we try. Since this blog is our journal and I turn it into a blog book each year I've decided to post mine/our creations to preserve our love for food and trying new things. Here is what we have made over the past few months...

Pizza Dough Doughnuts

I got this recipe from Giada DeLarentiis (Food Network) and thought it was going to be great. We were pretty disappointed. I'm sure part of it was due to my poor doughnut making skills, but I just don't think the dough was right for the application.

Banana Muffins

I made these to use up some bananas and because Ava loves muffins. Ava helped make them and enjoyed the reward of licking the spoon. Ava is a good kitchen helper and will pull over a chair to stand on to offer me help. Sometimes she gets made when I don't let her help with things that are too dangerous.

Asparagus Tart

I had never made an egg tart before, so this recipe intrigued me. I wasn't sure what we would think about it, but it was a big hit. Ava loved it and woofed it down.

Cornish Game Hen with Rosemary Cream BiscuitsPeach & Blackberry Cobbler

(both from our garden) Veggie Spring Rolls with Apricot Sauce

There are 2 sizes. The bigger ones are made with spring roll wrappers and the smaller ones are made with won-ton wrappers. Everyone in the family enjoyed these. Rich made and ate the sauce. Watermelon Sorbet