Trundle Trouble

This past weekend, Ava's friend Sophie visited us from out of town for a fun girls' weekend.  The girls enjoyed playing together at the park and making potions in the back yard.  

We even took a trip to the Great Park to ride the carousel, run around the playground, and visit the farmers' market.  

We also rode on the giant orange helium (not hot air) balloon, which rose 400 feet in the air and offered views of Irvine.  Not quite the same as the Empire State Building but still a lot of fun. 

At night, Ava opened up her trundle bed as this was her first time hosting a sleepover.  The girls giggled, played, and stayed up very, very late.

The main event - other than the sleepover - was a trip to South Coast Rep to see Ivy & Bean, which was originally commissioned by the renowned Bay Area Children's Theatre.  A number of friends joined us for the show.

After the delightful show, the girls were able to meet the cast for a quick chat, photos, and autographs.

Ava sang songs from the show on her short drive home and Sophie surely sang songs on her flight home.

Return to Fariyland

Three years ago, Grandma and Grandpa took Ava to Children's Fairyland for the very first time.  Ava still returns as often as she can, but as you can see a lot has changed in three years.

Although she's now much bigger, Ava still enjoys the stories, rides, and attractions at Fairyland including the newest attraction - sliding down Jack and Jill's hill.

Weekend Fun

Most people think of Southern California as full of self-absorbed people who spend all their time shopping at the nearest mall or working on their tans at the beach.  While that may be true, we try to make sure Ava is exposed to other, more fruitful activities on the weekends.

One of the more recent additions to the Southern California museum scene is the Space Shuttle Endeavor, which impresses everyone who sees it.

The butterfly pavilion at the Museum of Natural History is a real crowd pleaser.

All the exhibits at the California ScienCenter are fun, but we'll save you from having to view photos of maggots and rotting food.

Visits to the La Brea Tar Pits are a key memory everyone who grows up in the LA-area.

Closer to home, the Discovery Science Center always has new/touring exhibits.

Home Depot and Lowe's have weekend projects where kids can use real tools to build things.

Of course with our warm weather, spending time outside with a picnic (and food for the ducks) is always fun too.

Hallowonderful

Halloween is always one of Ava's favorite "holidays" and the season of spookiness lasts several weeks at our house.

Actually, preparations began several months ago when Grammy and Poppy started growing pumpkins in their back yard.  The pumpkins were successfully harvested, have decorated our home, and will be carved up later today.

Ava has had many chances to get into the Halloween spirit beginning with a trip with her friends to Disneyland to dress up, enjoy the rides, and trick or treat.  

Reconnecting with the earth, Ava's class visited Tanaka Farms where she got to pick her own pumpkin.

At this point we really didn't need more pumpkins, but a trip to the pumpkin patch is always fun for exploring and going on rides.  

How come they didn't have bounce houses and slides at pumpkin patches when we were kids?

Blue Jay Way

In her second year at Brywood - and her first year "in a grade" - Ava is becoming a proud member of the Blue Jay family.  She participates in all the school activities available to her including Dress Like a Pirate Day, Twin Day, the pancake breakfast.  Last week she rode the school bus to Tanaka Farms where the kids picked pumpkins and other veggies, and were able to visit the petting zoo.  

Of course there's more to school than theme days and field trips.  Ava loves her teacher and spends a lot of time on Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmetic.  She seems to learn something new each day and has fun doing so.

Breakfast with Shamu

Ava loves getting up close to the animals at Sea World, and her favorite show is "One Ocean" featuring Shamu, baby Makani, and friends.

As you approach the main stadium you can get a view of the killer whales (orcas) under water.  Usually they swim quickly by, but every once in a while (or if your camera is on burst mode) they slow down enough to snap a picture of them.

Partially visible from the main areas, but still somewhat hidden, is Dine with Shamu.  Thanks to a birthday present from Auntie Hannah, we were able to take Ava to Breakfast with Shamu.  Featuring a full buffet spread, we were able to enjoy our food while being just a few feet away from the whales.

As we ate, so too did the wales.

The whales had time for free play, but also put on a splash-tastic show for us.  It was a lot of fun and we'd highly recommend the breakfast experience to anyone who loves Shamu.