lewis and clark had a journal. you, beth-annie, have a diary.

Thursday, July 31, 2008
Ketchup.

This bunch of Ava pictures won't get my blog completely caught up, but it'll be close. They span a time period from March to July.

On our first trip to our temporary apartment, we crammed so much into the car that Ava was packed in there like a little bitty sardine. She didn't seem to mind, though. (March)

Aw. Ava love Daddy. (This was taken at the apartment.) (March)

Say it with me, now: Obligatory close-up. (April)

This picture? Awesome. (April)

Somebody doesn't quite have the hang of the sunglasses thing yet. (April)

Ava's first Cubs game. She got a free Cat in the Hat toy. (April)

You wouldn't know it from Daddy's short slveeves, but it was cold. (Daddy's crazy.) (April)

Yes, she did this all on her own. All. (May)

This (at the Story City Antique Carousel) wasn't her first carousel ride, but it was the first where the horse went up and down. She took it pretty well. (June)

Ava and Benji play nice together in the pool at Grandma's house. (July)

I have no idea what's going on here. But it sure looks funny. :-P (July)

This was Ava's third (I think) Cubs game. (July)

Mmmm... forbidden hot dog... (Not really -- it actually was hers.) (July)

Ava briefly got her own seat when Mommy and then Daddy left to get food. She seemed to enjoy that. :-)

beth, 11:14 PM || We are 3 comments. Read us!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008
This is why I usually prefer driving.

It is not nice of an airline to go and change their flight schedule so that your 85-minute layover is now a measly 35 minutes. And there's not a thing you can do about it.

I suppose next they'll change the schedule so that the connecting flight departs before our first flight arrives, and they'll still expect us to somehow make it. With a toddler. Gee, thanks.

beth, 4:35 PM || We are 8 comments. Read us!

Friday, July 25, 2008
Easter was how many months ago? (Four. The answer is four.)

Obviously Ava has changed a lot in her behavior and development since she was five months old last Easter, but I didn't realize until I went back and looked at old pictures just how different she looks. She doesn't have that chubby baby face anymore! Though her hair doesn't look all that different (well, maybe a little). :-)

Ah, the days when we could sit her in a chair and she couldn't do anything about it. :-P

I think she looks very different. But the dimples? Yup, still there.

This is what happened this year when I tried to get her to sit for a nice picture. She was having none of it.

I don't know what she's doing with her shoes, but she sure seems concerned about it. :-)

We were at Grandma and Grandpa P.'s house, so Grandma scattered
some goodies around and gave Ava a bucket to collect her loot.

She was pretty good at spotting things as long as we pointed her in the right direction.

Putting in or taking out? You decide.

Instead of candy, some of the eggs contained little toys like the Elmo she's raising in triumph.

The plastic egg halves (like the orange and blue ones behind Ava) have holes in them (to let
the toy animals inside breathe?) and so have proven to be fun pool toys this summer.

beth, 11:47 PM || We are 9 comments. Read us!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Name that tune.

Ava has started singing songs she hears often, like the Alphabet Song and Jesus Loves Me. Sometimes it's pretty obvious what she's trying to sing, and others it's a bit more cryptic. Yesterday I noticed her singing a new song for the first time. Can you tell what song she's singing?

beth, 11:48 PM || We are 17 comments. Read us!