July 4th

Even though she isn't yet two years old, Ava is very patriotic and enjoyed her second Independence Day by getting dressed up in red, white, and blue, and waving her flag.

Even the Founding Father's took time out of their days to have some fun, and Ava honored them by playing outside and enjoying a popsicle.

Strawberry Picker in Training

Most people think of Irvine as a giant suburb - which it is - but Irvine was once ranch and farmland, and some of Irvine's agricultural heart remains.  At Tanaka Farms - a family owned, organic farm - you can take a guided tour of the farm and try some of the fruits and veggies grown there.

The tour starts off on wagons pulled by a tractor, and our guide explained how the farm works and what was grown on the farm as we drove around.  We stopped several times to try out some of the fresh produce including lettuce, purple carrots, onions, and tomatoes.

Our main purpose in coming to Tanaka Farms was to pick the strawberries.  Each older child and adult gets a basket, and as our guide said, you can fill your basket and you can fill your tummy.  And boy did we fill our tummies.

 

The farm is now onto watermelon picking and in the fall they offer pumpkin picking.  We will certainly be back. 

Family and Friends

One of our favorite weekend activities is visiting with family and friends.  In the last couple months Ava we've seen lots of friendly face - both old and new.  We don't always have our camera with us, but here are a few of the people we've seen.

We saw Grandpa Cruz up in Northern California at our Cruz family reunion.

Great-Grandaddy lives in Northern California and has a big back yard that is perfect for running around and playing.

Grandma and Grandpa stopped at Grammy and Poppy's house in Torrance as part of their California roadtrip, so we got to take a big group photo.

Our friend Carly visited from New York, and we met at the Santa Monica pier.

And, of course, Ava's best friend is the one she sees every day . . . Mommy!

Happy Mommy Day!

Ava had a very fun Mother's Day this year, spending the morning with Grammy and then spending the afternoon at Auntie Lizzie's house with Mommy, Grammy, and Great-Grandma (and lots of other mommies too).

After coming back home, Ava got soaking wet and changed into some casual clothes so that she and mommy could play in the back yard.

Yo Gabba Gabba!

One of our favorite things to do every spring is to go to the Festival of Books, which is held at UCLA.  The Festival of Books is the largest book festival in the country, attracting scores of authors and readers, and more than 130,000 book lovers each year.

This year, the Target Children's Stage presented some of the stars of the children's TV show Yo Gabba Gabba!   Yo Gabba Gabba! is a semi-educational show that teaches kids about colors, sharing, being a good friend, and music.  The name of the show is derived from the Ramones' chant Gabba Gabba Hey, and musical guest have included Jack Black, the Shins, and Sugarland.  

DJ Lance Rock and Brobee were on hand to teach the kids some new songs and dances.

This was Ava's first visit to UCLA, and after the show (actually during the middle of it) we went to the Murphy Sculpture Garden where was a quiet oasis compared to the hectic pace of the festival.  Ava climbed all over the sculptures, up and down the steps, and through the bike racks.

Springtime Fun

As the weather gets warmer, we spend more and more time outside.

Ava has her own car now - a Cozy Coupe with a personalized plate from Hawaii.  While Ava's legs aren't really long enough to propel herself yet, we do make a morning run to the driveway and push her around the neighborhood. 

Ava has also been playing in her water table, and when she visits her grandparents then she gets wet just by playing with the hose.

Team K Comes Back to Orange County

When we started our blog last year we were inspired by our friends at Team K (Steph, Greg, Hania, and Amelia).  After a long time away from Orange County, Team K recently came to visit, and we met up at our favorite beach - Crystal Cove - and at breakfast at one of our favorite restaurants - The Beachcomber.

The Beachcomber is right on the beach, and all the girls enjoyed eating on the deck outside.

While breakfast may have been the main event for the adults, playing in the sand was the main event for the girls.

The last time we saw Amelia she was just a little baby, but now she's able to run around just like Ava, and the two of them were able to share sand toys without too much trouble.