Lucky's Adventures

Ava was picked to be this week's Superstar in her first grade class.  Being the Superstar comes with a number of perks, the biggest of which is taking home the class mascot, Lucky the Lobster.  The Superstar also has to write in Lucky's journal from Lucky's perspective.  So, without further ado, here is Lucky's description of his adventures with Ava:

Ava's mommy picked us up, and Maddisen too.  At the park I climbed the highest mountain ever!  We pretended cookies were chasing us.  We said, "Run for your life!"

We went to the Habit for dinner.  Ooh la la!  I loved the food.  My favorite drink was the strawberry milkshake I shared with the Cruz family.

I was surprised to see other Build-A-Bears like me at Ava's house.  I made new friends with Minty & Lena.  Minty smells like mint!

We woke in the morning and drove to Dodger Stadium.

We saw lots of numbers outside the stadium including Jackie Robinson's number.

On our tour, we saw a lot of trophies even the World Series trophy!

We got to go in the dugout and onto the field.

The tour was cool!

Next we drove to Chinatown.

We ate at Yang Chow and I used chopsticks.  Wontons are my favorite!

We went to a wishing well and I threw in a coin.

Then we went to different shops and Ava bought a pinwheel.  I didn't bring my wallet so I didn't buy anything.  I had a great time in Chinatown!

On Sunday we went to Redondo Beach.  I felt like I was in Huntington Beach!

Ava showed me a fairyland in a front yard.

We walked along the beach and found two pretty shells.  Ava and I went near the water.

Next, we got a snack.  Ava and I shared a bagel.  Yummy!!!

Later on we had dinner at Vince's Spaghetti.  I had garlic bread which I loved!  Then we went home.

At Ava's soccer practice I kicked the ball.  I watched Ava and her friends play.  They can run fast.

Next we went to gymnastics.  I did a push up position on the bar with Ava.  Ava had to hold me on the balance beam.  Whew, it was a busy day.

I had a lot of fun at Ava's house.  I got to sleep with Ava and all her stuffed animals.

We made muffins for breakfast and I got to eat with Ava.

I even got to rollerskate in Ava's backyard with my new skates.  I wish I never had to leave!

Spring (Training) Is In The Air

Spring brings with it warm weather and baseball.  This, of course, means a road trip to Arizona.  Wanting to be on the safe side, we kept our passports on us the whole time and left our rainbow flags at home.

After just a few hours, we made it to the border where we sprang ahead a couple days early as Arizona doesn't recognize Daylight Savings Time.

As soon as we arrived at our hotel, Ava wanted to go to the pool.  All told, she enjoyed four days of splashing and lounging including countless runs down the floating mats in the pool (aka Wipeout Junior), and many runs down the 165 foot waterslide.

Of course the main point of driving 400 miles (at least for Chris) wasn't just to soak up the sun, but to watch some baseball.  We started off at Maryvale Baseball Park - one of the most quaint ballparks in the Cactus League - to see two teams (the Brewers and Royals) that have no chance of making it to the World Series.  You heard it here first, folks!

What Maryvale does offer is a great, fan friendly experience, Leinenkugel's, and the Famous Racing Sausages.  

In addition to getting signatures from Hot Dog, Polish, Italian, Bratwurst, and (race winner) Chorizo, Ava got autographs from players you've heard of like Rickie Weeks and Alex Gordon, as well as a whole bunch of guys who will never see a Major League dugout.

In between games, we headed to Old Town Scottsdale with its wild west theme, touristy gift shops, and many bars and restaurants.

After baking in the sun for three hours, ice cream from the Sugar Bowl hit the spot.

Ava's favorite game experience was sitting on the lawn and watching the Dodgers (naturally) despite a terrible outing by Josh Beckett.

After a morning session at the pool, we headed to the brand new Cubs Park the next day to see watch a little pre-game training, during which time Ava got a ball from one of the coaches and got even more autographs.

At the game we got an autograph from Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins.  We had to pay for this, but the money (supposedly) goes to Fergie's charity foundation. 

Ava really enjoyed her time in the desert and hopes to come back next year for even more fun in the sun.  

Super Snow Sunday

For Super Bowl weekend, our family headed to Big Bear for a ski weekend.  There was just enough snow for Ava and her friends (and weekend roommates) Josh and Sarah to make mini snowmen, and to throw snow into the hot tub to watch it melt.

Ava, Josh, and their friend Gavin all enjoyed their time on the slopes.  After being confined to the "magic carpet" during her first lesson last year, Ava was able to ride on the chairlift for the first time and made it down the bunny slopes without any problems using french fries (parallel) and pizzas (wedges/snowplows).

After their lessons on Sunday morning, Ava and Josh went down a few more times with Chris before heading home.  

What about the Super Bowl, you ask?!  Don't worry, after a quick drive down the mountain on Sunday afternoon, Ava made it back in time to see Derrick Coleman and the Seahawks win the big game.

Cookie Time

Ava recently joined the Girl Scout Daisies (that's the step before Brownies) and is a proud member of her troop.  She's already earned some daisy petals learning about the earth, how to be a good friend, etc.  Of course Girl Scouts wouldn't be Girl Scouts without selling Girl Scout cookies.

Since most of you are far away, it's probably not practical to order cookies from Ava, but if you want to support Ava's troop in their attempt to reach their goal of being able to adopt a zoo animal, you can participate in "Cookie Share" where you buy a box for $4 and the cookies are donated to our troops and to Orange County's Second Harvest Foodbank where they can be enjoyed by those who would normally be without.  Just email Ava at avalouisecruz@yahoo.com.  

Old Year, New Year

"Better late than never," they always say, so here's a very late entry on some of Ava's December and January adventures.

Christmastime is always a busy season for Ava with plenty of activities such as visiting Santa, riding the Christmas train with friends, baking, and picking out a tree.

This year we spent Christmas in Oakland and had Grammy and Poppy over to our house for an early Christmas celebration.

On the afternoon of Christmas Eve (aka Christmas Eve Day), Ava dressed up to see the Nutcracker for the very first time. 

We took BART into the City after Christmas to see all the decorations in all the fancy hotels and to visit one of our favorite places - the Ferry Building.

In the new year, Ava has been back to her old tricks - fun at school, soccer, gymnastics, and ballet - as well as visits to the Natural History Museum to see dinosaurs and The Olde Ship to watch Chelsea.