Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Ava Turns Two! August 21, 2010



In the midst of the China prep hustle-bustle to bring Maia home, something wonderful happened in late August. Miss Ava turned TWO! She can now proudly hold up two fingers and "catch" the others with her thumb after much practice. :) She is an adventurous, curious, loving, compassionate, energetic, brave little two year-old! Everyday is full of wonder with Ava. :)

She's had the nickname of "little monkey" for quite some time now, as she's curious about just about everything and loves to climb and swing. She's our on-the-go, non-stop busy toddler most of the time, and there's never a dull moment when she's around. She absolutely loves monkeys and all things Curious George, so I thought it would be fun to throw a Curious George party for her and all of her "monkey" friends. We celebrated August 21st and spent half the evening outside doing her favorite activity - playing in the water! We set up a Scooby Doo sprinker splash pad, two kiddie pools and Clownie from the 70s! He's just as much fun as I remember him! The hat still goes up, and her friend, Sam Arendale, loved jumping through the water stream and seeing if the water would catch the hat.

I decided to try my hat at making a Curious George cake for Ava, which, given my history of cakes falling and literally catching on fire, was quite a feat! I'm proud to say that it stayed together, tasted pretty good and actually looked like Curious George! Ava came downstairs and looked at it and said, "Curious George," and I knew my cake labor had not been in vain. :) I had a ball making it for you, sweet Ava.

She had her very own bowl of homemade vanilla ice cream with it and decided to forget the spoon and stick her face in it! She had a great time with family and her little buddies, Sam, Sera, Caden and Grace! Thank you all for celebrating her life with us!

Her birthday morning started with a new little play kitchen. She loves to help me cook, and we thought she could rustle up a few meals of her own. :)



Rinsing her fruit and veggies...



Yum, I like watermelon.



Opening Itsy bitsy spider card from Grandma and Granddaddy.



Sharing some fruit with buddy, Sera Arendale.



Amy and Caden Jones come to help us celebrate!



Ava playing in Clownie. My favorite backyard water activity when I was little.



Sam Arendale enjoyed Clownie, too.



Grace Butterworth checking out the Scooby splash pad.



Ava, Caden Jones and Sera had a ball in the pool together!



All smiles with Mimi celebrating with Ava in the backyard.



A wet swimsuited Ava climbs in Papa's lap for a birthday hug.



It's time to light the birthday candles, Ava!



The party scene in the kitchen. :)



Oh, boy, my very own bowl of homemade icecream...



No spoon for me!



The Butterworths, Uncle Lonnie, Papa, Daddy and family friend, Tony.



Aunt Syd, Aunt Jill and cousin Katie watch Ava open her presents.



Cousin Wes in the "kitchen" with Ava. :) Wes makes a mean hamburger.




This is sure to be an active and adventurous two-year old year!



Happy 2nd Birthday, Ava! We love you, sweet pea!

Mommy and Daddy

1 comment:

Debbie Sauer said...

Happy Birthday precious girl! Blessings