"I Be Two"

Ava's birthday started a couple days early as our friends Becca and her daughter Sophie came to visit from Oakland. Ava and Sophie had fun together playing in the pool, holding hands, and eating yogurt.

On the morning of Ava's birthday, we went to our patio where Ava was surprised by her new playhouse.

Ava got to open presents too - including several dolls and lots of books.

For months we worked with Ava to teach her that she was one year old. As she approached two years old we had to start teaching her that she wasn't going to be one anymore, but that she'd be two. Ava thought it was funny to continue to say she was one despite the fact that I tried to teach her that two was cool and one was yucky. Just as her birthday approached she started to say, "I be two." And without prompting, she said it as she ate her birthday cupcake.

Ava's Winnie the Pooh themed birthday party was held the following day and her little friends had lots of fun playing inside and outside the house, fishing, coloring, and splashing in the pool.

Abby baked and frosted Ava's cake (for the adults) and cupcakes (for the kids).

After everyone left, and after a short nap, the birthday girl decided to play in the pool with all her clothes on and had a great time doing so.

The County Fair

As you would expect, Orange County has its own summer fair complete with animals, rides, and junk food. this year the fair's theme was "OC Super Fair." Despite the lack of creativity in the theme name, Ava would agree that the fair was indeed super.

In addition to mega-produce like lemons as big as your head and pumpkins too big for anyone to carry, we were able to find a super orange.

Our first stop was the farm area, which featured cows, sheep, chickens, pigs, and some more unusual animals such as a watusi and llamas.

While the fair is known for its cornucopia of deep-fried food - including snickers, twinkies, avocados, and something called a zucchini weenie (a hot dog inside a hollowed out zucchini, which is battered and fried) - Ava opted for roasted corn, a frozen banana, and dippin' dots.

While older kids would have wanted to go on rides, Ava was more than happy to get in touch with her inner farmer and played on a John Deere tractor. I'm not sure if this means we'll have to buy her a tractor to ride on next year or just keep taking her to the fair.

You Belong in the Zoo . . . The San Diego Zoo

Less than two hours from our house is the world famous San Diego Zoo. Since Ava loves animals so much, we became Zoo members and headed down to check out all the zoo has to offer.

We didn't dress up like animals, but Ava got a chance - with some help - to put on an African mask.

One of the great surprises we had was being able to come face to face with turtles and fish.

The zoo has a wonderful gorilla area where you can get up close and personal with the gorillas from a number of viewing areas.

Ava thought the gorilla sculptures were just as exciting as the real gorillas.

The newest exhibit at the zoo is the Elephant Odyssey where you can learn about the animals that lived in Southern California during prehistoric times and how they are related to current animals. Of course the highlight of the exhibit is the massive new space the elephants have to roam and play.

The Great Park

Long before Ava was born, Orange County was home to the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. The City of Irvine annexed the Air Station after it was decommissioned and is in the process of turning over 1,300 acres of it into a park. Not just any park, but the "Great Park." Until it is completed, the Great Park has occasional events such as a summer concert series and open houses. We recently visited for the park's anniversary event which included lots of food, music, military aircraft, and (most importantly for us) a petting zoo.

Despite some trepidation, Ava enjoyed feeding the donkeys, goats, and rabbits and still talks about feeding them carrots.

Ava ended her trip with a nice treat for a hot California day - frozen apple juice.