Ava and Her Shadow

Ava Walks!

Well, it was just a matter of time. The official winner of the "When will Ava walk?" contest is Grandpa Jim. He guessed a few months ago that she would walk in September. We all thought he didn't know anything about child development...but once again, he was right and we were wrong. Check out the video. (You can just ignore Ken's feet....)

Aunt E!!!

My Aunt E came to visit me last weekend. Well, actually, my Aunt E and Mommy went to New York and then came home to visit me. During the days while my Mommy worked, Aunt E rode the double decker bus all around Manhattan. One night she and Mommy went to see Wicked on Broadway. (I can't wait until I'm big enough to go with Avery and Remy to Broadway!) On another night, my Uncle Adam bought Mommy and Aunt E tickets to a Yankees game. They had such a good time! Here are some highlights from their trip:

Taking the "D" Train to the Bronx

YANKEE STADIUM!!!

Inside Yankee Stadium

Aunt E loves A-Rod! Isn't this a great picture?!

After the game, Mommy and Aunt E decided to stalk the players. Here's Derek Jeter!!

Winnie the Pooh

Ava's Pap got her a new friend. You can see how much she loves her new Pooh bear.

Ava's New Trick

Check out Ava's new trick. She decided to add a new thing to her repertoire last Sunday right before going to bed. It's just a matter of time...

The Photo Shoot

I have new found respect for my family. When we were kids, my mom and her siblings would have a photo taken of all of the grandkids. This was Grandma and Grandpa's annual Christmas gift. Around Thanksgiving we would all get together in our coordinated outfits and the photo session would ensue.

Taking a page out of their book, my brother and I thought it would be a GREAT birthday present for our mom if we took pictures of our four kids when Ava and I came to visit. So much easier said than done. Adam took about 40 pictures and thankfully we got exactly one that we could use. Here's a look at some of the ones that didn't make it.

And here's the winner.

Batsto Village

Daddy and Ava went on a little adventure today so Mommy could get packed for the big trip to Michigan later this week. Daddy always loves the opportunity to get some good shots of his girl.

Happy 4th of July!!

It's Independence Day here in the City of Brotherly Love. We thought that since this is where it all happened that we should get into the spirit. Ava won our little family's "Most Patriotic Outfit" contest. (You'll also notice she is engaging in her new favorite pastime...looking out the window.)

Sprinkler Day!

Thursday's are Sprinkler Day at Ava's School. We all know how much she loves the water, so this was bound to be a hit with her. Having lived in Arizona, I am conditioned to keep her as protected from the sun as possible. You'll see she is wearing a long-sleeve UV ray protective shirt. What you won't see is how much sunscreen I put on her before sending her to school. By the time we got to school and I took her out of the car seat, she had been rubbing her eye so much that she got sunscreen in it. It was all red and puffy and she was starting to get all blotchy...more proof that I will not be winning Mother-of-the-Year this year.

I called at lunchtime to make sure she was doing better. She was. The teacher that answered the phone, Miss Robyn, has a daughter in Ava's class and had just been taking pictures of all the kids outside having fun. She sent me some of the photos of Ava, so now I can share them with you.

(The boy in yellow in the forefront of the first picture is the boy that Ken doesn't like. Apparently when Ken went to pick up Ava from school one day he was pulling Ava's pony tails. Aaaah...the saga of the over-protective father begins....)

Little Dutch Eats Asparagus

Dear Great Uncle Don,

My mommy (you call her Dutch) took me for my second haircut today. It did not go quite as well as the first one. I was a perfect angel sitting in mommy's lap while the lady cut my hair. That certainly wasn't the problem. The problem arose when the nice lady cut my bangs. As you can see, it was a disaster. Of course, as luck would have it, picture day at school is on Wednesday. You will be the only person who receives one of my photos.

Love,

Little Dutch

PS--I LOVE asparagus!!!