Hi there. Our little smiley face is now 83 weeks old.
Our week started with a weekend getaway to San Pedro. Dan was planning on sailing all weekend and I really needed to make a trip to Ikea to get Ava a table and chair set. But once again, Dan’s plans got foiled and his sailing weekend was a bust. Poor guy. But luckily my plans were still on track… so David, Ava and I left our sad Dan at the house to work while we drove to the local Ikea to look for children’s furniture… and to test out some merchandise too. Ava insisted on trying every chair, toy, bean bag, and rocking horse out in this place. And when all her ‘test drives’ were complete…
…her Uncle David threw her into a bin of teddy bears. Who needs an overpriced ticket to Disneyland to have fun? Not us! Oh and I should mention that Ava started to sing her first song. It’s David’s song from Novi Split’s second album. It’s called Julie and during part of the chorus, Ava repeats ‘Let go’. At first, we thought it was it was a fluke but the next day it happened again.
And our Friday Fun Day didn’t stop there. Mikey and Nicole stopped by too. It was Mikey’s birthday so Ava insisted that we go Acapulco’s for some peetchers of margaritas and some dancing too.
On the way home, David needed to stop by the local army surplus store for some supplies for his Yacht Rock party. Here is Ava and her Deets trying on some sailor hats.
And while we were there, she also tried on a Russian hat. I think her “it’s frickin cold here in Siberia” impression was pretty right on.
And then it was back to the house, where David got to try on his party outfit and Mikey got to enjoy his birthday present from us… Karlovačko Beer from Croatia… well, actually from a Croatian market down the street if you want to get technical.
And did Mikey like the gift? See for yourself. Would you ride Ava’s new mod Ikea rocking horse if you didn’t like the beer I bought you?
The beers weren’t just a gift for him… they were also for us. (Smart gift, huh?). And when I say us, I am including Ava too. No, no… not the drinking part, you sillies. Take a look for yourselves. I think she might have stumbled upon a great new recycling program idea.
On Saturday, we stopped by Nona Dinka’s place for a visit. Ava steals Rocky’s bird toys each time we are there. And this time was no different. But at least she thanked him this time for sharing by feeding him some treats. And what are Rocky’s favorite treats? Snap, crackle and pop! I love Nona Dinka’s face is this picture.
We also made a trip to Bogdanovich Park. I’ve been a million times to play on the bubbles with my little brother, watch my Dad play balote and take puffy paint t-shirt decorating classes (don’t ask), but I haven’t been to the playground in years. So, Carrie, Dan, Ava and I made short drive to the park to pass some time. Playtime didn’t go as smoothly as we had anticipated. We didn’t factor in the sand plus sandals combination. It did not work. Ava didn’t enjoy the feeling of sand in her shoes and letting her go barefoot wasn’t really a choice. Who knows what kind of blades and needles were thrown into the sand? Those puffy paint t-shirt decorating students are rebels. You heard me. Rebels.
But things started to to turn around once Dada held her on the swings…
…and introduced her to a basketball hoop.
We are so spoiled with the weather in Ventura that we forget how warm summers can be in LA. It was so hot that we had to eat ice cream! Poor us. 
And wear sunglasses too. Oh, the tragedy.
Another reason for Ava’s visit this weekend was to wish her Nona and Dida a Happy 35th Wedding Anniversary! Yeah!!
Daycare is still going well for Ava. She stopped crying at drop off times and seems so happy when we show up. I asked the teacher for a status update on her and the teacher says she spills her milk when she is done drinking it… and still steals other kids’ food. Hmmm. Anyone know of a good manners book?
And every time we walk into the classroom to pick up Ava from daycare, we are greeted by Ava R. Then our Ava comes over to say hello and then quickly runs off to show off the toys she likes in the room. She also can name most, if not all, the kids in her class. Max, Marcus, Ava R, Mali, Cassadra, Emma. We mention all her friends names before we drop her off. I think it gets her excited for school and it helps make her face not melt when we say byebye.
Our YouTube obsessed Ava sort of disappeared since we got back from Croatia. But while she was sick last week, we showed her some baby videos to help cheer her up. And now every time you sit at the computer, Ava yells baby and gore (up). Welcome back our YouTube obsessed Ava. We also show her videos and pictures from this blog… so she remembers places she’s been and people she’s met. When reviewing some older Croatia pictures, she recognized Noah, Bobby and some other people. When we scrolled past a picture of feet stained by black dyed flip flops, she screamed out Mahky! We died laughing. Seriously. The picture was of Mikey’s feet from the ankles down, and she recognized them. Hehe.
Ava’s vocabulary grows by the second. She started saying hummingbird and guacamole. Not kidding. And Ava’s drawing skills are improving too. She usually asks us to draw Dora and Boots for her. I pass it off to Dan. My Boots drawing is so ridiculous that Ava can’t identify what I drew for her. My specialties are snails. And this week, it appeared that Ava was trying to draw a snail too. Check it out. Looks like snails are OUR specialties now.
Ava finally has a table and chair set. It’s a miracle. A summertime miracle. Now she has a place for tea parties and barnyard fun time. Neigh.
The Ikea trip was just for the new set but of course I got suckered (as Dan likes to call it) into buying a few more things for Ava. I couldn’t help it. It was so much cheaper than the stores around here. Looks like Ava didn’t mind that I got suckered into buying this rocking horse thing. (I’m not going to mention the step stool, tunnel, tent, or power adapters. I’m no sucker.)
No daily walk would be complete without petting one of our neighborhood cats…
…and now Ava also started to do ‘this’. Not sure how to explain ‘this’. Well, I guess I can call it upside down peek-a-boo. Hmmm, that sounds good. Yes, this is upside down peek-a-boo and it slows us down sometimes. But it’s a reminder to take things slowly with Ava and enjoy the little things more… because life is going by way to fast. I still can’t believe that she’s 19 months old. Oh, and if you see her like this, make sure you bend down and say hello to her… or she’ll stay stuck like this forever… and you’ll miss her giggle.
And during our walks, Ava likes to sit on our neighbor’s wall. And once Ava does something, she asks for us to do the same. Mama? Dada? Sjedi (sit). This happens with everything we do. Mama, Dada, tent. Mama, Dada, hat. Mama, Dada, everything.
We don’t mind listening to her commands. Not one bit.
While Dan was away for a business trip, Ava and I entertained ourselves with a trip to the pet store. I was going to show her mice, and fish, and dogs. All kinds of fun things. And I did. We had fun looking at those animals but she was a bit more focused on why ‘Yoda’ was stuck in a glass cage…
…and why Uncle Buddy (as she started to call him) was behind the glass too and why he had clones.
I told her that Yoda and Uncle Buddy were safe and sound at home. And what did Ava say to that? Thank you Sweet Baby Jesus. Hehe. Not really but it would have been so sweet if she did. Maybe some day. 
