San Diego Weekend

Living in Orange County, we are just a hop, skip, and jump away from San Diego.  We decided to take advantage of that by heading south for the weekend.

Our first stop was Old Town San Diego State Historic Park where we were able to learn about the Mexican and American settlers who came here in the 19th century.

After meeting friends for some food and drink, we headed to Petco Park to watch the lowly San Diego Padres lose to the Colorado Rockies.  Despite the terrible performance from the home team, Ava enjoyed the game, especially the visit from the Swinging Friar and our free Chase Headley bobbleheads.

The next day we visited the world famous SeaWorld where we saw old favorites like polar bears and penguins.

Ava was also able to experience new treats like getting up close and personal with the dolphins and watching Baby Shamu.

Flower Girl

Last Friday, Ava had the honor of being a flower girl in Auntie Rita's and Uncle Matt's wedding.  Ava loved being part of the wedding party and dressing up.

The wedding gave Ava a chance to see lots of relatives and spend some time with Grandpa Cruz. 

Izzy, Leilene, and Ava all did a great job tossing flower petals as they walked down the aisle. 

As Rita and Matt left the ceremony, Ava and all the other guests filled the sky with bubbles. 

Of course, one of Ava's favorite parts of the wedding festivities was the reception, where she got to eat cake and danced up a storm.

Spring Break in the Sun

For Ava's first spring break, we took a brief road trip to Scottsdale and Phoenix where - despite being in the middle of the desert - we spent most of our time in the water.

While Scottsdale is known for its golf courses, we stuck to the putting green.  We've got some work to do before challenging Tiger and Lefty.

Of course we spent time in Old Town Scottsdale where we got to experience a bit of the wild west and gorge on ice cream at the Sugar Bowl.

Even though we missed the Cactus League season, we were able to catch Opening Day for the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.  In between the pre-game ceremonies and visits to Baxter's Den we cheered along with the locals to a 6-2 win over the Cardinals.

Back in the heat of the desert, we took a short hike in Papago Park to Hole in the Rock where we enjoyed great views and managed not to fall down the mountain.

Staying in Papago Park we visited some of the many animals at the Phoenix Zoo where Ava had her first camel ride, and came face to face with monkeys and orangutans.

Before heading home we made a quick stop at the Penske Racing Museum where Ava got up close to cars driven by Al Unser, Helio Castroneves, and even Brad Keselowski. 

Hanging with the Grands

Ava loves spending time with her grandparents.  She recently had the chance to eat with four grandparents all at once, a rare treat.

Just a couple weeks ago she went with Grammy and Poppy to see a live production of The Gruffalo in Torrance, complete with pre-show arts and crafts and a post-show visit to the Japanese Garden.

More recently, Ava enjoyed a visit from Grandma and Grandpa, which included baking hot cross buns, and a trip to the Huntington to see the gardens as well as Pinky and Blue Boy.