Carrots!

Mike harvested the first crop of peas yesterday and Ava went crazy!
She yelled "carrots!" and proceed to shove them in her mouth, pod and
all! I even had to stop her several times from eating the stems. She
was going wild. Perhaps she was a bunny in a past life?

I'm still not sure why she called them carrots. She knows what
carrots look like.

Ava's Gasses

Ava fell in love with these "gasses" at Target the other night. Her
face when we put them back on the rack was a loook I won't soon
forget. I've no doubt I'll see it a few more times.

Cute. Captured.

Lots of cute happening...it's difficult to catch it all on film. Here's a little taste:

Ava has "hat on". She often orders everyone in the house to wear hats. We obey, of course.

Wearing flowers from our yard.Nap time.Awake time.Finally, this last photo really isn't good but I got a big kick out of Ava's summary of it. She often askes to see the photos on the camera. When she saw this photo she said "Ava horsey ride it socks."

Our walks

Every day after work, Ava and I take a walk around the neighborhood. It's probably my favorite time of day. Often we're gone for a hour wandering around but never really getting very far. We look at worms (she calls them snakes), rocks (she calls them shells) and bugs. We look for shapes and sit on them. We pick flowers (dandelions and clover). We run. We march. We sing.

Today I brought my camera to catch some of the fun.

Ava is bejammied and ready to walk. She carries a basket, a gift from a neighbor, in which she puts the treasures (snakes, shells and flowers) that she finds.

Circle. She's waiting for me to sit. She sits and says "Mommy sit, circle.". I get funny looks from the homeowners but I do it anyway.

Rectangle. "Mommy sit."

Bark!

Flower!

Emily's Graduation

Emily graduated from college this past weekend! We attended an honors ceremony on the Quad in the morning and then another ceremony in the afternoon for the College of Education. She's newly employed as a 3rd grade teacher. No doubt she'll continue correcting my grammar as a freelance gig.

The three sisters, in order of the number of grey hairs on the head.

Ava with her Auntie. We ate at Blue Moon Cafe, where all three of us had our first jobs, between the ceremonies. I worked there when it first opened as a Zesto's and the blondies worked for Blue Moon.

Emily with her TALL boyfriend, Matt. Emily's on her tippy toes in this photo!

Down on the Farm II

You may remember last year I blogged about the Parents as Teachers annual "Down on the Farm" event. Here's a reminder in case you've forgotten: I'm sorry to belabor the point but geesh! Has she grown up, or what? I just can't get over how much Ava's grown in a year!

I'm impressed with her natural riding ability. Look at that form! Ava definitely is a fan of horses and riding. When we went to see the cows at this event she said "Cow! Ride it.".

Mike and I observed Ava very closely during this event. We were a little sad to see that she wasn't really being herself. We're used to her chatty, outgoing, silly self at home. At this event, full of activities she would have loved in our backyard, she was timidly observing but participating very little. Perhaps it is just a phase, or maybe it reflects the stage of development she's in but we started to worry that she might suffer from a level of shyness that prevents her from partaking in fun activities. Mike and I were both terribly shy children who look back and realize that we missed out on lots of fun! We don't want Ava to miss out on anything! But at this event I could sympathize with her feelings! There were hundreds of people. It was crowded and overwhelming. Still feeling a little timid...Eventually, she started taking part in a little fun by painting with a Q-tip, and peering in at a couple of mice.

"Anyway, enough of this giant hairy spider...how about moving over there, daddy."

Ava tosses the hanger aside in favor of an easier way to fish.

Garden Helper

Lots in bloom at the Barbaro house. I've been eating my way through a delicious spinach crop and the flowers are in their glory.

We've had the honor of Ava's assistance in raking, pruning and digging the the dirt this season!

She's gotten a little dirty...

Tuckered out from all the work!

LASIK

I had LASIK surgery on Friday with Dr. John Doane at Discover Vision in Leawood, KS (suburb of KC). It went very well and very fast. It was easier than going to the dentist! Prior to the surgery I had about -4.00 in each eye (nearsighted) so things were very blurry. The day after the surgery they tested me and I had 20/20 vision and I could see for the first time without glasses since I was in the 8th grade 19 years ago. I am very happy so far, 3 days after. My eyes are still quite dry and I still see haziness around lights but that is very common and should go away in the coming weeks. It's truly amazing what science can do and I am really happy with Dr. Doane and his staff.

So if you like watching surgeries on Discovery Health Channel then I have a video for you. If not, then you probably don't want to watch it. The video is of the LASIK procedure being done to my left eye. You can see the flap they cut in the cornea and the laser being applied (small dancing red lights) and then the flap being replaced. Very quick, efficient, and painless.

This pic is of the first laser that cuts the corneal flap:

This is me a few hours after surgery resting my eyes:

Erin, Ava, and me in Kansas City (look ma! No glasses!!)