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.

The Baseball Bunch

As the baseball season winds down, we'd like to take a look back at Ava's own year in baseball.  Some of these moments have been represented on our blog (Arizona, San Diego, Worcester, Boston, and New York), but several more remain.

In six years, Ava has been to 9 Major League ballparks and is well on her way to seeing all 30 top flight stadia.  This year Ava has seen minor league up and comers in Rancho Cucamonga and San Bernardino, has played at the new Dodger Stadium playgrounds, watched Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers on the road in San Diego, went to her first A's game, and has received autographs from numerous mascots, current, and former players.

Even though the Dodgers didn't win the World Series this year, there's always next year...