Mommy needs to eat too!!

When I sit down to eat I always have 2 pairs of eyes on me. Ava and Luca stare me down and look like they want to share whatever I'm eating.

1st Yukon Potatoes

Last week Ava tried yukon potatoes. She ate them with no problem and by the end she was shoving my hand with the spoon into her mouth. Ava is a good eater and so far we haven't found anything she doesn't like. This makes Luca sad because he is always hoping to finish what she does not want.

Giant Bubbles

Last night while Rich was giving Ava a bath I decided to blow some giant bubbles for a little entertainment.

Good Morning

I love going into Ava's room in the morning and seeing her cute little smile. Ava loves her sleep and when she has had a good nights sleep she wakes up happy, smiley, and so loving.

Hanging with the Jensens

On Sunday we went to Woodland to see Rich's sister's family. We enjoyed playing "Apples to Apples", watching some of Nathan's Bionicle home movies, and eating a yummy roast dinner. I was amazed at how talented and imaginative Rachel and Nathan are. Rachel showed us her many swimming ribbons and her award winning artwork. Nathan showed us the Pokemon story he started writing and his home movies. Before we left Nathan gave Ava an airplane ride, a small beach ball and made her a paper hat. Ava is lucky to have such wonderful cousins.

Nathan says the funniest things...
Before leaving Nathan really wanted to give Ava something. He said he wanted to give her a stuffed animal and would go see what stuffed animal he didn't want anymore. When he came back he was empty handed and said, "None of them wanted to go." We said, "None of them wanted to go?" and he replied, "they said no." It was too funny.

Learning about animals

I have always liked animals and can remember wanting to learn about them as a child. I use to read Zoobooks and other animal fact books. Since this is something I enjoyed as a child I have been sharing my interest with Ava. I know you probably think I'm crazy, but we have been reading to her and talking to her about all kinds of things since her birth. The other day Papa Harry gave Ava two new books. One book is about jungle animals and the other is about farm animals. They both are fun to share with Ava because we teach her about the animals and the sounds they make.

While looking through "Animals in the Jungle" we came across of couple of animals I don't think I have seen before. Since I am a curious person and like to do research I looked them up on the internet. We were surprised to see the Basilisk is a lizard that can run across water and not a giant snake that tried to kill Harry Potter.To learn more about this amazing lizard click here.

"HAPPY" 4th of July

Ava loves to blow raspberries when she is tired and/or frustrated.

The 4th was a pretty lazy day for us. We didn't do much, but it was nice. I didn't feel great and Ava was crabby, so doing nothing worked out.

Ava has been crabby and sleeping quite a bit the past couple of days, so I think she is growing again. She also has been drooling a lot more, has a rash that comes and goes around her mouth, and a small white spot on the bottom right side of her gums, so Rich is convinced she is cutting a tooth...we shall see.

This video sums up how Ava was feeling on the 4th.

Two for One

I got a two for one deal last Monday. It all started when two drivers almost ran into each other and then stopped in the middle of the freeway. I thought they would go but they didn't and I wasn't able to stop in enough time. They were both in my lane, so I ended up hitting both cars at the same time. Nobody was hurt and it was mostly bumper damage. Now I'm stuck...really Lisa is stuck...waiting for my car to get done at the auto body shop.

Snapshots

We think Ava is the most beautiful baby in the world and we love her so much that it is hard not to take pictures of her all the time. We have been trying to take a picture of her everyday for a special "365 days of Ava" book we will make after her 1st birthday. So far we have been doing well and only missed a couple of days when we (mainly me) weren't feeling well. We have so many cute photos that I just wanted to share a few.

Ava likes to cover her head...sometimes she uses her burp rag and sometimes it is her bib.

We call this Ava's Elvis lip.Ava loves her elephant mirror.

Backyard Fun

We bought a kiddie pool a few years ago and each summer we get it out to help us stay cool. Even though we have had a pretty nice summer so far we decided to go for a dip in the pool on Friday. We brought the whole crew out in the backyard and had some fun. This was the first time Ava has interacted with Mo (our tortoise), so it was interesting to see her reaction to him. She was curious and kept reaching out to touch him. While Mo wondered around the yard eating grass we got into the pool. The pool is only a couple feet deep but we still put Ava in her floating lily pad. She seemed to have a good time and even Luca hopped in the pool with his ball a few times.

Folsom Zoo

Rich had today off for the 4th of July, so we decided to go to The Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary. This is a small zoo that is the home to rescued animals that can not be released back into the wild and illegal pets that were confiscated. They have a variety of animals from monkeys to birds to mountain lions.

When we arrived Ava was pretty tired, so we weren't sure if she would enjoy it. She did great, but was not that interested in the animals. She did notice the tiger and bear because they were moving around. Many of the other animals were resting or hiding, so they did not get her attention. I thought it was funny that Ava was most interested in watching all the other people at the zoo.

I thought this sign was funny. I actually only saw 3 wolves, so I guess that means I am elk jerky.There are a lot of peacocks running around the zoo making all kinds of noise. We even saw a mommy with her two babies. One of the babies is a white peacock.Rich is holding Ava so she can get a better look at the black bear.Ava checking out a black tailed deer resting near the fence.Those bear cubs look familiar...oh that's just Rich and Ava.Mommy and Ava checking out the tiger.

First Squash

This week Ava ate her first crooked neck squash. It was from our garden and she enjoyed it. So far she has liked everything we have given her, but I think sweet potato is her favorite.

Father's Day Fun

My first official Father's Day was great. Ava and I had a good day together. We started out the day with presents from Ava and Lisa. I got a cool tie with pictures of Ava on it. Lisa also made a shadow box with memories from mine and Ava's birthday.

Then we went to Gridley to see my dad and grandpa. We gave Papa a tie just like mine. We had lots of fun with Ava's cousins.

I waited a long time for this day and it was worth the wait.

Ava Giggles

Ava is happy, smiley, girl, but she doesn't laugh a lot. She does laugh from time to time, but we usually aren't ready to get it on video. Tonight she was laughing like crazy and kept it up even after Rich started to video. Please enjoy our cute little girl giggling.

Mormon Messages on YouTube

Today I was checking out lds.org (LDS Church Website) and came across a Mormon Message video that is on YouTube. I watched the video about being a father ("A Father Indeed") and got a little weepy-eyed. I then clicked on the YouTube link with more Mormon Messages and watched a few. The short video clips are great. They teach about the church, our beliefs, and are truly inspirational. I know there is a lot of bad and incorrect information floating around about the LDS Church, so it is nice there is some good and true information too. I am happy the church put out these short clips and I became a subscriber to the Mormon Messages to be updated about any new videos. To check out the Mormon Messages go to: http://www.youtube.com/user/MormonMessages

A Message I Recommend
The video entitled "Sunday Will Come" also made me a little weepy-eyed...okay, okay, I actually cried. I remember this talk given by Elder Joseph B. Worthlin very well. It touched me then too and gave me hope in a time of darkness. Even though I wasn't grieving the loss of a loved one at the time I was going through a tough time with the adoption process and this talk gave me hope. It reminded me that even though I am experiencing pain for the moment one day it will be gone. One day if I endure my trials well and continue to have faith I will be reunited with my family and be able to live with Heavenly Father forever. That testimony helped me through some tough days. Now, I have been blessed with my beautiful Ava and soon we will be sealed in the Sacramento Temple to be a forever family...I truly feel like my Sunday has come.

NorCal Cousins

For father's day we went to Gridley to spend the day with Rich's family. During previous visits Ava has not interacted with her cousins very much, but this time was different. Ava had a great time with her cousins and I think they enjoyed her too.

Homemade Pretzels -- Take One

I really like soft pretzels and often eat them as a snack. I like the ones at the mall (Pretzel Time, Auntie Anne's Pretzels, etc.), but settle for the frozen pretzels since going to the mall isn't convenient. I have been thinking about making pretzels at home and this week I started the quest for a delicious homemade soft pretzels. I figure if I make them at home I can save money, control the ingredients, and freeze some for impulsive snacking. My first try was okay, but not exactly what I am looking for. Now I plan to look for a new recipe and try again.

Ava's New Trick

This month Ava has been working hard to sit on her own. We have been practicing since the beginning of the month and she has been getting better each day. Now when she is on her back she uses her elbows and does mini-crunches trying to sit-up. She isn't strong enough to get into the sitting position on her own, but when helped she can sit for quite a while.

6-9-09

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6-22-09

Bad Habit

This past week Ava has discovered spitting. I blame Rich and I for teaching it to her, but there is no going back now. When we read "Polar Bear, Polar Bear", by Eric Carle Rich would make an elephant trumpeting sound that Ava has started to imitate. At first it was kind of cute to know she was copying her dad, but the first time she did it while eating carrots I was not as excited.

1st Sweet Potato

On Saturday Ava tried sweet potatoes for the first time. She seemed to enjoy them and last night she woofed down her potatoes.