A Visit to the Omaha Zoo....

Ava was scared of petting any animals Ava and Daddy in front of the zebras

Daddy and Ava in the indoor desert

We spent this past weekend in Omaha. We did a little shopping at the Nebraska Furniture Mart and also took Ava to the zoo. Ava did well in the car on this trip and slept through the night at the hotel. It was a little bit brisk at the zoo when we first got there, but the sun came out and it warmed up. Ava did a lot of pointing at the animals and talking about them even though we couldn't understand her. She seemed to enjoy being outside and seeing all the different things. It was a great workout for Mom and Dad up an down the hills with the stroller. Brad had never been there and I haven't been there since I was in elementary school, so it was fun to see it.

Spring is Here...

First Day in Shorts!

Ava loves the rocks!

Cuddling by Daddy (just for a second)

April has brought warmer weather which has been very welcomed. We had a rare day of 75 degrees so we hauled out the shorts and sandals and played outside. Ava enjoyed getting to explore all around the yard. We don't really need very many toys at this point because she is quite happy just running around looking at everything. She enjoys looking at the rocks around the house and rearranging them. We've been out for several walks and she seems to really enjoy her time outside. It should be a fun summer for her.

Easter 2009

Grandpa Glenn, Grandma Chris, Great Grandma Flo, Mom, and Ava

Great Grandma Flo, Grandma Chris, and Ava

Ava in her Easter dress Ava enjoying the "kissables" in her Easter eggs

The Easter Eggs were hidden

We greeted Ava on Easter morning and then brought her to the living room for a little Easter egg hunt. Instead of so much candy, the Easter bunny brought Ava a table and chairs. She did enjoy the kissables inside the plastic eggs "hidden" so well. It didn't take her long to figure out how to open the eggs, or that it was to her advantage to find more to get more candy. We had to bring the eggs to church where we hid goldfish in them. It was a great surprise each time she'd pry an egg open and find another goldfish. The fun seemed to never end.

Both my parents and Brad's parents along with Brad's brother Joe and my Grandma Flo came to our house for Easter dinner. We enjoyed ham with all the trimmings and some great desserts. It was great to get everyone together.

Some fun pictures of Ava 17 months....

Such a grinner

Ava playing with the clothes in the dryer

Ava's favorite pass time when the dryer door is open is to remove all the clothes, piece by piece. She will attempt to wear as many of them as she can at once. You may even catch her throwing her leg up to try to get into the dryer to get the clothes in the back she can't reach.

An Adult Get Away.....

A shark in the aquarium

At the aquarium at the MOA

Brad and I escaped to the twin cities for a long weekend to celebrate my 30th birthday. It was our first trip away from Ava. We had a nice relaxing weekend. We each got a massage and I also got a manicure and pedicure which was wonderful (wish we could do that every weekend!) We went to a movie, enjoyed dinners at sit-down restaurants, and did some shopping at the Mall of America. While at the Mall of America, we visited the aquarium there which was really cool. We did have to hit some bad weather on the way home, but we made it safely. Ava stayed with my parents while we were gone. I don't think she missed us all that much as Grandpa and Grandma were paying lots of attention to her. She didn't nap as much as usual for Grandma, but I think she did pretty well overall. We enjoyed our time, but missed Ava and were glad to be home.

Ava is 17 Months....

Ava "cleaning" the fridge like Mom Cuddling by Daddy

No, I am not getting into anything

It seeems with each passing month, we see more of Ava's personality develop. A favorite thing she likes to do right now is hide. She will randomly disappear into a distant room and slip behind the door and be as quiet as she can. Sometimes, it takes several minutes to find her. She has not mastered how to open doors yet, but she works on the door to the garage alot and I think the time is coming. Great, another place I can look for her! She also loves to run around the ottoman in the living room, be chased or chase Daddy around the house, and sit in the corner and page through magazines. We also spend quite a share of time playing peek-a-boo around and behind many household objects. She never tires of this!

Hopefully, the weather will improve and we can start playing outside on a regular basis. Ava loves it now for short periods of time and it is freezing! Someday we will have spring....

Ava being silly....

Ava loves to have water poured over her head

Just some pictures of Ava being silly and thoroughly enjoying her bath! It seems that I get more water on me than she does!