Thanksgiving in Ruby Hill

We spent a really nice week in Pleasanton, Ca. visiting Brad's Mom, Dad, and Grandpa. We woke up cheerful and filled with gratitude for family on Thanksgiving morning. Ava waited patiently and excitedly for guests to arrive!And the best guest of all.....Hailey!! Hailey can pick Ava "uppa" now and Ava requests it often :)Grandma's table is set. We're ready to gobble up the turkey!

The family's traditional Thanksgiving meal is ready and waiting...

Brad, Grandpa Ayers, and Hailey
Jeff, Doug, Aunt Lynne, and Mike
Little A
relaxing and digesting watching Horton Hears a Who!! (great movie) :)
Thanks for all the hard work, Grandma! And a loving and warm Thanksgiving. We love you.

beautiful flowers on a rainy day

My neighbor, Hsiaolei's, mom came to visit her sweet grandson this afternoon and brought flowers to share with us from her yard! It was so kind of her and the flowers are so beautiful and fragrant. It brightened my day! So, I thought I would share with you :)Ava was happy to see them when she woke up from her nap! Each time we take a trip to Whole Foods Market we stop by the flowers to "give them a sniff" before we go. It's one of Ava's incentives to be good until the end of the shopping list ;)

Here's a little video clip of Ava saying "flower" and smelling/exploring them!

A gorgeous day at Crissy Field, SF

Our wonderful friends, Laura & Jeff, invited us up to San Francisco to visit with them for the afternoon at Crissy Field. It was our first time there and definitely not going to be our last! What a beautiful spot. I could have stayed all day. We enjoyed the warm sun and sand as we looked out at the golden gate bridge and sail boats on the bay. We shared a yummy lunch and caught up as Ava played in the sand. We had a really relaxing, fun day :)

Busy, busy with the sand.
Golden Gate and Marin Headlands
Downtown San Francisco
Bye Crissy Field! Be back soon!

Happy Birthday, Nana! love, Ava

Mama and Ava worked on another video a couple days ago just for Nana's special day! We love you so much Nana and we're thinking of you today! When I told Ava it was your birthday today she offered to share her blueberry with you. I said, "oh, that's so nice, and if Nana were here she would say 'thank you so much'!" and Ava said (for the 1st time) "wowcome" (your welcome).

A new word, on your birthday Nana! Hooray :)

separation anxiety blues: the movie, part 2

Dada has fun distracting Ava by asking her some of the words she knows! At first she seems a little overwhelmed, rubbing her face, like "come on Dada, this is too much for me", but then she plays along :)

Listen for "grandpa"..it's the clearest she's ever said it before!

separation anxiety blues: the movie, part 1

someone should tell Dada that's it's easier if you don't talk about mama while she's away! Out of site, out of mind? Not with Ava. But Dada makes the best of it :)

I almost died when I saw this last night. What a sweet girl. She fills my heart.

the separation anxiety blues

Ava is really struggling these days with being apart from Mama. Nothing will do unless it's Mama. I know, it's just a phase, but it's a tough one. I feel honored to receive that much love from one person and sometimes overburdened. Even though she struggles I continue to go out and let Dada put her to bed 2x/week. In this photo Mama just left to have some time away and Dada is trying to distract Ava by creating movies in Photobooth. Look at those eyes :(

I love the contrast in facial expressions too! Dada is so happy to be with Ava and Ava is miserable. It's funny.

Peek-a-boo!

"Where's Ava?"

It's a common question these days. Out of nowhere, Ava will cover her eyes, or simply just close them, and call out "Mama!?, Dada!?, Hay-ya!?" once she yells our names we know it's time to ask...."where's Ava?" We wait and wait and then she takes her hands away and smiles as we say "oh, there she is!" So let's try it out...

Where's Ava?

Where's Ava? I can't see her....
Oh! there she is! Peek-a-boo!

Ava's new pastime :)

Recently when we've asked Ava if she wants to dance this is what she begins to do...spin! It's a fun new trick she's mastered, though, as you can see in the video, it makes her dizzy :)

There's nothing like a Big Sister

Hailey continues to amaze us in how wonderful she is with Ava. The two of them together are all smiles and laughs. Some of Ava's happiest moments are when she is with Hailey. We are impressed with her willingness to put her own 6 year old agenda aside to help Ava. She is truly a wonderful big sister.

Helping Ava walk safely in the park across the train tracks
throwing rocks in the water
sitting at the creek
look at that smile! that one is just for Hailey :)

A Beautiful November Day in Santa Cruz, Ca

As fall sets in we are usually lucky enough to have one more day warm enough for the beach and it was Nana and Poppi's last day in California. It was 78 degrees on Live Oak beach and we soaked up the sun and fresh air. The beach is one of Ava's favorite places to be!

Ava didn't have to beg for Poppi to offer to fill her sand bucket with water, again and again and again...
Mama and Ava rest in the tent, but no naps were had....it's just too much fun at the beach!
Ava is all smiles right after she shoved another handful of sand in her mouth!
beautiful sea.

And what are you for Halloween?