2...

Happy 2nd Birthday

Ava Reese!

1 day old

1 year old


2 years old

Let's Count...

When you're trying to teach little ones new things, you never quite know they are getting it until one day they surprise you. We've been working on numbers and letters for a while and the other night while playing Hide & Seek, Ava suprised us both by counting all by herself. It was so much of a surprise I came out from my hiding place whie she was counting. Many times she'll be walking down or up the stairs and she'll say "1, 7, 9, 11" and I always joke, "you're missing #s 3 & 5." But there is no doubt now, she knows what she is doing.

(video is a bit rough, but the camera was acting up and actually shut off before Ava could finish...)

Ice Cream vs. Rita's...

Ava had her first ice cream cone a few weeks ago. It didn't go so well:

She took one lick and pushed it away saying "no!" So we thought a cup might be better, that lasted all of two bites.

Who doesn't like ice cream? It's a summer favorite... or if you're us, an all year favorite.

So yesterday while we were out, I thought I'd try something else. Around here, Rita's is a big deal. People stand in long lines on the first day of spring to get a free cup, and we're all sad when October rolls around and the shop closes.

We had talked about getting Rita's sometime soon, but I figured it would be easier for me to grab some and bring it home rather than pack us in the car after dinner sometime. I had no idea if Ava would like it, but I assumed she would... then again, I also assumed she'd like ice cream.

We went to the window and the girl asked if she could get us a sample. Raspberry is what I wanted so we had a sample of that to see what Ava thought. Ava took one small sip, then a whole bite. Seconds later she was holding the small cup up to the girl and asking for "Mor, Mor!"

We got a quart of Raspberry to bring home, and Ava and I enjoyed some outside where we could rinse off in the pool after we were done. So glad we found a summer treat that we all enjoy.

Yumm!

And one shot of our water baby... we had the whole pool to ourselves today, and had a blast.

August...

It's still August right? Yesterday on our morning walk, I found myself asking this question. Ava and I usually take walks around our neighborhood and a couple others close by, and until this week, I hadn't noticed what was changing... already.


Look at these leaves, can you believe it? Fall foliage in AUGUST!

This last tree doesn't have much color yet, but it's still there (right side of the tree). And when we went back by there today, there was even more... wish I had my camera then.

Some of the leaves are starting to drop already (pic below). It's sad, Fall is our favorite time of year, and it looks like we won't have the gorgeous colors for very long. I guess the hot temperatures and dry weather is to blame.

After our walk yesterday Ava and I spent a few minutes* outside playing. It has been so hot, we can't stay out for too long. But, Ava has enjoyed playing on her swing set, she is determined to master the rope ladder eventually.

the slide...

We are on the downhill slide, rounding out Ava's second year. This past weekend we went to Morgantown so Nathan's side of the family could throw Ava a party. It was nice since we aren't having an official party this year (*trying to save some money*). Nathan's Mom asked me to make the cake so I decided to try out my cupcake mold. I thought it turned out pretty well - definitely could have used different colors, but I hadn't originally planned on using the chocolate icing... that was Nathan's idea, he liked the look of the star.

Anyway, we aren't the only ones doing some sliding...

the cake went from this:


to this:



oops! Actually it made me quite mad. We took extra precautions to keep the cake from shifting and it ended up happening anyway. Maybe a sign of what is to come? Terrible Twos? At least it tasted good.

The day was full of unwrapping and playing with presents, pictures, eating, a bit of wrestling (as always!), and we even threw in a bump on the head to make it extra special.

Ava's 2nd Birthday shirt
the front says "Birthday Girl"
helping Grandpa with her new playmat letters

"blowing" her party favor

with Daddy, after she got her bump on the head...

can you see it? It's up over her left eye at her hairline.

time to blow out the candles

checking it all out

yum!

just like last year, she didn't eat much.

Ava received a car load of presents - literally. Looks like it's time to pay off the Mazda and trade in Nathan's car for something bigger.

Mrs. Potato Head

Indie (the green/pink Great Dane - named after Aunt Melinda's Great Dane), and new books

the main attraction - Duplo Legos!

3 different sets!

playing with Uncle Todd

After playing for a while, Ava went exploring and found Aunt Kristi and her army gear. Of course as soon as Ava saw Kristi's boots, she had to try them on.

and the jacket too...

We had a really nice time and were so glad we got to see Kristi, Melinda and Todd. It's been quite a while since we were all in at the same time. We'll have more pictures of Ava and her birthday festivities as her birthday rolls around at the end of the month. We are planning on getting a cake and having our own celebration here at the house.