Weekend Away

For the second time, Ava spent a weekend in Eau Claire with Grandma and Grandpa (and Great-Grandma Lois, too!) Despite some new-found separation issues that had been going on prior to the weekend, Ava had a great time. Joe and I enjoyed a quiet weekend at home, too. I actually found myself quite bored on Saturday, while Joe was studying. I guess the novelty of being alone in my own house wore off pretty quickly this time around!

Anyway, Cheryl sent some pictures for me to share:


Making pumpkin cookies


Hanging out with Uncle Ben and Katie


Nature walk with Great-Grandma Lois, Grandpa...


...and Grandma!


Swinging at the playground with Great-Grandma Lois

We met halfway for lunch on Sunday, and again, Joe and I got a ton of hugs and kisses...approximately one every three minutes, I would say. It was so clear that she had had a great time; made even more clear when she asked me the next day when she could go stay there again!

New Motor Skills!

Ava surprised me this week with her newfound abilities to hopscotch...


...and wink...

...both eyes!

Oh, and she's been really interested in letters and words, and I couldn't help but put together a word with some of her most familiar letters...ask her who she's voting for this year!

Flower Girl!

Ava got to be a part of John and Cassie's wedding this weekend, as one of the flower girls! She had a pretty good concept of what this meant, as she got to do it for Emily and Danny's wedding last year. Still, it's always a gamble with a two (now three) year-old! Everything went really smoothly, though, even though the ceremony was smack in the middle of naptime! It ended up working out perfectly, since she was able to go back to Oma & Opa's house for a late nap after the ceremony and could then stay up later for the reception. Here are some pictures from the day...


Ava and her "co-flower girl," Natalie. Natalie will be five this fall, and she and Ava became fast friends!


Passing the last few minutes before "showtime!"


Posing for some pictures. I have to give her credit for her patience with all of the poses & shots. By the last ones, though, the smile was getting a little goofy-looking!


Showtime!


Having a blast at the reception! Ava, Natalie, and another new friend named Savannah, danced like crazy. Ava was so tired by around 9:30, and that's when we headed back to Oma & Opa's. As I buckled her into her carseat, she said: "I want to stay at the wedding all the day long. I want to take my nap there. I want to have lunch there..." And it went on a bit from there, but suffice it to say, she had a great time! :)

Big-Girl Bike!

Here's Ava enjoying her birthday present from us...she loves it!

Biking around the path at the park

Heading to the playground

Back home!

Happy Birthday Ava!

We had a fun-filled day of birthday excitement on Saturday! Mark, Cheryl, Bud and Twila came for the first half of the day. Ava was thrilled with her new dollhouse, Princess tent and matching sleeping bag. I think the tent will remain up in the playroom for a good long while! We had a yummy lunch at the Olive Garden. As usual, Ava finished her entire bowl of macaroni and cheese, at least one bread stick, and even some birthday cake today!
After Ava's nap, Oma and Opa arrived to spend the rest of the day with her and sit in on her birthday party at The Little Gym. We invited ten of Ava's friends, and they had a blast running and playing in the gym. Emily and Sarah were there, as well as neighbors Lauren and Lindsay, and a bunch of friends from moms' group: Gavin and Noah, Megan, Lexi, Kathryn and Ava. Sadly, Samuel was in California for a wedding and couldn't make it.
Ava was so exhausted by the end of the party, that when we drove home and pulled into the garage, she declared that she just wanted to snuggle with me in the car for a while before we went in. She wanted to listen to me talk about the day, and after a little silence, she looked up at me, and said, "Mom...you're the best." It was clear that she had thoroughly enjoyed the day!!!

First Day of "School"

Since Ava misses the age cut-off for preschool (she had to be 3 by September 1st), we're doing a "Parents' Day Out" program one day a week, instead. Today was Ava's first day, and she was definitely excited to go, even though she really didn't know what to expect. Since the day goes from 9 til 2, she even got to pack a lunch! (I picked her up early, however, so she could come home for naptime...really don't want to mess with that routine yet!) Ava felt pretty comfortable there when I dropped her off...just said her good-byes and started playing. More telling, though, was that she was all smiles when I came to pick her up and even requested that I pick her up a little later next week, so she can watch the "movie" with the other kids! My friend, Hilde's, little girl, Sarah, is also in Ava's class, so I'm sure it helped to have a familiar face there.
You're probably wondering what I did with all of this new-found time on my hands. In the future, I'll probably make it grocery shopping/errand day, but today I enjoyed myself with a trip to Target, reading the paper at Caribou and a yoga class at the Y! Needless to say, Ava and I are both looking forward to next Tuesday! :)

State Fair

After going back and forth about whether we'd go to the State Fair this year, we decided to make a trip Saturday morning, and I'm glad we did. It was a short and sweet visit, but we packed a lot of fun (and food!) into it. One of the highlights for Ava was taking the park 'n' ride bus...it was really the first time she'd taken a bus, and she thought it was pretty cool. And, like after the Washington County Fair, all she talks about when asked what she did at the fair, is the Ferris Wheel. This time Joe got to take her...if you look closely, you can see her looking out of the basket (toward the bottom)...I'm pretty sure I shrieked when I saw that from below! Ava went through the ride tickets fast...she really liked them all, and she's gotten big enough that we don't have to join her on them, so that's a bonus!

Here's a picture of Joe and Ava riding the bus back to our car!