Go, Go, Goers!

My parents gave us a stool that someone had made for me when I was a small child. Ava has taken to using it as her chair, with the glider as her desk. We think it's time to get her a real table & chair set! We're trying to fit in as many outdoor moments as we can before summer departs. We live right down the block from a newer elementary school, which has two playgrounds. We decided to take a trip down there one night last week after dinner. She had so much fun running and crawling through the equipment, but I think the best part was the slide. Now that she's big enough, we can let her go down the slide on her own... wheeeeeeee ! I love how the sunlight highlights her dimple...priceless! Daddy thought it would be fun to squirt her in the face in tub. Apparently she liked it - she kept trying to drink the water as it hit her mouth! Ava has been with Grandma Deb since last night. I went to a couples shower for a good friend, and Scott was up north working on our land....

Last weekend we had perfect weather for Ava to take a quick dip in the pool. Since the weather this summer has been so odd...and it's almost September (??), we don't know how many more times she'll get to go into the pool. We never made it to the big kiddie splash pool in SSP ...we'll try harder next year! Daddy thought it would be fun to soak her...she liked it! I love the little, well, BIG, belly on her in this picture. This fishy water toy from Debi has been a hit with Ava all summer. Ava was being silly with her little blankie one day... She loves to carry around any article of our clothing that she finds on the floor. So, I thought it would be fun to dress her up in a pair of my CLEAN socks. This could be a new toddler trend, Ava...! Our garden finally produced a ton of red and yellow tomatoes, plus banana peppers, green peppers, and jalapenos, so Scott has been a canning fool the last few hours. It's so much work, but there's nothing better than eating h...

Ava officially has her top 4 teeth breaking through...she's been doing really well with it, but I'm worried that she's discovered chewing Mama's shoulder. Sometimes she'll snuggle right up to me, and when she's done, I'll have slobber all over my left shoulder. I have felt any nips yet, and I hope I don't! Last night Ava was making some really funny faces - perfect pic op! But, between my camera, and Scott's phone, she started getting a little impatient with the flashes, posing, and smiling... Look at those sharp pearly whites poking through...! This is a weird little face...the appearance of teeth has made Ava making some really odd faces. Uh-oh, another picture? (with Daddy's phone...) I think we're headed for a meltdown... And we're officially there! Anytime the orange red-eye light from my camera comes on, she smiles, squints her eyes, and poses. What a little ham!

One of Ava's birthday presents was a cute outdoor chair from Grandma Deb and Grandpa Whitey. However, it has been on back order for several months, and it finally showed up this week. It's got an attachable umbrella plus TWO storage pockets for all of the things a toddler on-the-go might need...and she loves it! She also loves to play with the dogs' outdoor water bowl , as well as Spanky's tennis ball. I try to remember to dump the bowl out before she gets to it, but every once in a while, she ends up getting soaked! Ava's also a big fan of books...here she's running around holding a book about a sleepy beagle (how appropriate.) I'm hoping that she'll enjoy reading as much as I do! And when she tires of books, she likes to pick up my shoes and carry them around. Yesterday, she opened our closet door, took out my orange shoes, closed the door, and proceeded to run around with them. Ava might end up loving shoes...just like her Gramma Karen! For some r...

I'm having a hard time believing that it's already August - where did the summer go? I hate to admit it, but as fall comes closer, I do love the thought of cool nights, warm sweaters, apple orchards and bonfires. AND, new clothes for Ava! (I might have an Ava-clothing-obsession...!) Exciting news...the top teeth have made an appearance! All 4 of the top teeth are visible under the gums, but only the top left (looking at Ava) has poked through. Way to make us wait for 13+ months, Ava, and then pop all of them out at once. I just can't wait until she can bite (food, that is...not people or dogs) and chew! Last Sunday, we had potato sausage and sauerkraut for dinner. Ava's first experience with sauerkraut was priceless! The look on her face was indescribable - and even after that, she still ate it! The only thing she spits out on a regular basis (she always tries it, so I give her credit) is tomatoes. We picked our first tomatoes from our garden yesterday, and even though...