Will and KG come to visit!

This past weekend we were honored to host the Will and KG family during their annual anniversary trip. Kaitin is only 8 months older than Ava and the two had a blast. Ava was napping when they arrived but when she woke up the two immediately started giggling together about what I can only assume is a private joke only a two-year-old would understand. They were fast friends. It was interesting, however, to learn that Ava has an entire repertoire of phrases that I've never heard before. "Mine", "Leave it alone" come to mind. Her sitter confirmed that she's indeed known those gems for some time but normally has no occassion to use them at home.

Aside from a few turf battles, Ava really enjoyed the company. She's still asking "Where Kaitlin go?". I wouldn't mind if they came back for awhile as many good habits rubbed off on Ava. After months of boycotting a bib she's now wearing one because Kaitlin did. She pulled a bib out of the dryer last night and said "Kaitlin's bib". It actually was Ava's bib but she hadn't worn it in months. Now she loves it. We parents described this as the best kind of peer pressure. Here's a few shots of the fun we had. I just love this photo of Jimmy and Kaitlin. So cute! The girls at the "kid's table". Nice bib, Kaitlin!

Teeter-tottering away.

Here's Ava and I enjoying the awesome sculptures in front of the art building this summer. If you're in Columbia with kids you've got to check it out. Ava loves it!

Daddy reads "M is for Michigan".

Little landscaper!

But Daddy...I was hoping for a picnic table!

Ava needed a little help reaching the sink to wash her hands, something she absolutely loves to do right now. "More shoap please, Mommy?" I asked Mike to build Ava a step. He hasn't really done much carpentry but he thought he was up to the task. Here it is: Unfortunately, when we showed it to Ava she thought it was a very tiny picnic table. She tried to sit at it rather than step on it and then cried when she didn't fit. One look like this from Ava sends just about anyone to Menard's for lumber. Especially Daddy. I told him that obviously he'd have make her a picnic table.

So the next night Mike retired to the garage to try to please the ladies in his life.

Even Mike was impressed with how well the table came together. It's awesome! Ava calls it the "kid's table" and takes many of her meals there. It is made of cedar so we can put it outside when we need the room. So far it has stayed in the kitchen and has been very useful for art projects and meals. Hooray Daddy!

22 months old today

I haven't been posting Ava's monthly birthday updates but I thought I would this month because she has changed so much over the past 30 days! A recap:

Ava's learned to jump! She yells "jump" and jumps all around the house. It is quite a feat of coordination and you can see it in her face as she pulls it all together and leaps off the floor about an inch!

Ava finished her second year of summer reading at the library this month and earned a great book called "Roar" (and then threw a fit that she couldn't ride the giraffe that sits atop the stacks).

Ava cut her first canine tooth this month. She's been drooling a lot!

Ava's been enjoying the company of her meercat this month. He goes most everywhere with us. She's also started playing more with her stuffed animals. She talks to them and offers them sips of her drink. She asks if they are ok when she drops them. I saw her set meercat on the coffee table, cover him with a napkin and say "g'nigh ahdreem".

Ava is now riding forward-facing in the car. She had her first taste of it when we rode in Di and Q's van while they were visiting. After watching a DVD while cruising down the highway forward-facing and next to her cool cousins there was really no going back.

No more movement on the potty front. The incident earlier this month appears to have been a fluke. Or perhaps I spoiled her enthusiasm by making such a fuss.

Her favorite books at the moment are: "Where the Wild Things Are" she calls it "Wild tings are!"; "The Animals of Farmer Jones" (aka "Farmer Jones book"); "Danny and the Dinosaur"; "Baby Blue Cat and the Whole Batch of Cookies" (aka "ma..ma..ma..mama cat" which is a quote from the book); "Michael Recycle" (aka "Recycling" - she has this book pretty well memorized).

Overheard:
"hangaber" = hamburger
"MINE!"
"How 'bout...caroself?" This is in response to any suggestion of an outing other than going to the carousel.

Corn on the Cob

On the afternoon of the 4th, Ava helped me shuck corn. She then helped herself to a (really, really fresh) cob!

Caroself?

Last week we took Ava with us to the mall and let her ride the carousel, something that she's done a few times before. She was quite frightened while on the ride - her hands were wrapped tightly around my neck. Once the ride stopped spinning she was completely in love. We tried to walk away and she screamed "caroself kitty cat!". So we sat for about 1/2 hour and just watched the other kids riding the "caroself". This works out pretty well for Mike and I as it costs $1 each time we ride it. Ever since that day Ava's been asking constantly to "ride caroself". When I walk in her room in the morning she immediately says "uh ride caroself? uh go bye-bye uh caroself uh ride kitty cat?". In case you were wondering ,"uh" or "ah" is her universal preposition. She's also been going to the door with her little pink basket hanging on her arm, pointing and asking to go "bye-bye ah caroself".
So, guess where we're going today as soon as she wakes up?