Archive for the 'trips' Category

Ava: 159 weeks old…

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

P1170786

Hi there. My silly Ava is now 159 weeks old.
P1170787

So this is the week that we said good-bye to our house.
morning knuckles

But not before one last farewell breakfast with baby Cole. This is the first time Ava ate with just Cole and no Grace. We sat her on the opposite side of the table. Then we noticed her staring at him and we asked if she wanted to sit by him and she immediately relocated herself.
breakfast with baby cole

They spent the morning talking about what was on their shirts. Cole was busting out his new word “robot”.
showing off their shirts

Then it was off to Nona and Dida’s house where she played with Nona Dinka. Ava usually calls around the house for Nona Estera by just screaming Nona. And when Nona Dinka answers Ava, Ava started getting upset because she meant Nona (Estera) not Nona Dinka. How confusing!
ava playing with nona dinka

And we were there for a PARTY!
ava

A party for the Nonas where they took turns putting on lipstick? Nope.
ava with the nonas

A party for Nathan who actually ran away from a hugging Ava? WHAT? Nope.
nathan and ava hugging.

A party for Dida? YES. The big 6-0.
P1170895

She had been looking forward to this party for a long time. And when the party was over…she was not ready for bed.
running ava

She ran and ran and ran with balloons.
P1170922

Thanks for entertaining us all, little one.
P1170915

On Dida’s actual birthday, he got a special piece of artwork from Ava.
bday picture for dida

On top of a special song that she showed him on the computer.
P1170984

Then it was off to dinner where she finally figured out how to connect the dots!
P1170987

And ran to Dida’s lap when it was time to blow out the candle and eat the cake.
P1180005

The next morning we were off for some breakfast at Carrow’s where this kind man gave Ava a bear. And this is the not the first time it has happened either at this restaurant!
another bear at carrows

Then we were off to visit Dida Slavo who didn’t get to make it to the party. Awesome optical illusion sweater, Dida Slavo!
dida slavo and ava

And then we packed up the car and Ava finally gave Nona what she wanted. Her turn for milky knuckles. It’s been awhile!
milky and nona knuckles

Bye Nona and Dida. See you in a couple months! Sniffle sniffle.
bye nona and dida!

We spent the night just across the Arizona border and woke up to this. Cinnamon rolls. Ava resisted them at first. Then did this thing where she barely licks the new food and announces ‘I like it!‘ with a big surprise on her face.
cinnimon buns.

Oh and then there was this claw game. She was sooo excited about it. She was going to win the animal of her choice… just like her favorite movie Toy Story.
hi claw game. which one do i want?

Yeah, I can’t wait!
so excited for claw game.

And when I didn’t win, the sad lips came out.
sad that we didn't win anything.

And then the tears. Oh the tears!
no!!!!!!!!!!!

Nooooooo!!!!
crying about claw game.

It took some time but she got over it. Because she had Jessie the Cowgirl and were off to a new place.
ava and jessie the cowgirl.

Here we are at the most awesome pizza place in Mesa, Arizona. This whole room is a big ass organ. This dude plays songs while you eat. Look at the crowds of seniors! Ava loved it. Especially the songs with the dancing cat puppets and the “shiny planet” (a.k.a. disco ball).
P1180105

Good job, organ dude! Bye!
clapping.

Mila: 5 months old!!!

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

P1170795

Oh look at her! My little Mila is now 5 months old!
P1170796

And what was she doing at the exact moment she turned 5 months old? She was hanging out in her exersaucer while we finished packing for our crazy road trip.
mila 5 months old exactly!!!

So what’s new this week? Ummm, can you say super duper separation anxiety? Poor Nona Dinka. She tried and tried to get her to calm down.
P1170803

But it took Dida’s magic touch to calm her down. (Magic touch = TV.) Hehe.
P1170815

But the following day, Mila thought Nona Dinka deserved a treat so Mila let her hold her while she took her 45 minute nap.
P1170835

We were at parents’ this weekend to celebrate Dida’s 60th birthday. And as soon as the party started, Barba Frank was there to play with all the kids.
P1170848

And Nona Vinka was there to squeeze her.
nona vinka and mila.

Happy Birthday Dida! Mila was wondering what the hell Dida was wearing?!?!
happy 60th birthday to dida

And after we sang, Mila stuck half of her hand in her mouth and passed out on Carrie. Welcome to the tired arms club! As you can see, I got a vacation today!
P1170906

Yes I told you all that I would never dress my girls in the same clothes… but I never said I wouldn’t coordinate!
P1170920

As soon as it is diaper changing time, Mila is all smiles and immediately reaches for those cute toes.
P1170923

In the morning, it was time for some relaxation. Mila got an invitation from her big sister to join here in the Dora tent.
P1170934

And was even propped up by her big sister too.
P1170935

Yup, I’m one lucky lady!
tent

Then it was time to put some real clothes on and head out for a birthday dinner.
P1180001

And visit a few more people before we head out of town. (Ava took this picture all by herself!)
nona vinka, mila, marlene

Before we knew it, it was time to get in the car seat and hit the road. We are planning on driving to Florida and back…
ready for a nap.

…and we have no idea how long it will take!
P1180085

Yeah! BYE!!
us girls. organ stop pizza.

Mali Mish.

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

Mali Mish.

It means ‘little mouse’ in Croatian. And it is also the name of our Airstream.

In case you didn’t know, we are on the road now.

Doing silly things like this.
oh yeah!

And relaxing like this.
lounging.

Probably for a good couple of months. If you want to see what we are up to, you can go to www.malimish.com. We also have it in ‘our links’ over there on the right.

We are trying to blog daily on MaliMish.com (and trying to catch up on this site too! Don’t worry.)

Thanks for reading.

Bye!!

Ava: 155 weeks old…

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

snow bunny.

silly.

Hello there. Our little snow bunny is now 155 weeks old!
ava.

And enjoying the sled again. Finally!
happy sledding.

And pushing imaginary babies on the swings with Nona.
pushing imaginary babies.

And throwing someĀ  mean snowballs. Watch out Nona!
snowball.

On New Year’s Day, all Ava wanted to do was to call Deets on the phone. I think this may have been the first time she really talked to someone and answered with appropriate yes’s and no’s instead of head nods.
talking to deets on phone.

Then it was time to rebuild the melted snowman from our last trip with a new and improved party snowman.
nona, dida, ava, snowman.

Yeah!
laughing.

Ava also spent some time taking a walk on Dada’s shoulders. Good thing Dada didn’t shave his head shorter or else she couldn’t hold on like this.
hitching a ride.

Do you see what I see?
did you hear that?

I can’t believe it!
cheese.

A ladybug in the snow. Hello there!
hi ladybug!

Yeah again!
raise the roof.

We also spent time at the park… where Dida was bragging how he was only wearing a thin track suit because he was tough. But then a dude in a wife-beater tank showed up and Dida said ‘Wow. I thought I was a macho man. I guess not!‘. Hahahaha. Macho man!
macho man!

Then it was time to go back home but not before stopping by San Pedro again. For some BBQ chips?
ava eating chips.

For little toasts?
nona and ava eating toast

Nope. To see cousin Chris who was in town for a few days.
chris, ava, mila, dan

And Ava got to play with Deets’ favorite toy growing up. The Garage. And wanted to be the pink car. Surprise surprise. Yes, Deets had a pink car.
playing garage together

And Ava enjoyed making funny faces in the mirror too.
funny faces.

Then it was time to go to the doctor for her 3 year check-up. She weighed in at 36 pounds (90%), was 37.25 inches long (50%) and her head was 20.4 inches around (98%). And this time she had to pee in a cup for the first time. So I took her into the bathroom, held the cup for her and she totally missed and got it all over my hand. I guess it wasn’t her aiming but my catching abilities. Ava also had to get her finger pricked for a blood test. The results were not good. So she had to get a 2nd finger pricked to see if her test scores were really that bad or if the machine was acting funny. It ended up being just the machine. Thank goodness. But you know what was her biggest concern with her finger pricks?
P1160317

She asked me how she was supposed to eat. HAHAHAH. Because she knows that needles equal ice cream and she didn’t want to miss out on not eating any because of these band-aids. HAHAHAH.
P1160311

Back at home, Ava has been busy feeding her baby Mariana the bottle…
ava feeding her baby

… and nursing her new baby Ariel.
P1160462

She has also been playing doctor with her little sister…
P1160354

… and drawing smiling spiders.
first spider

She was super pumped up this week to go to the post office to mail her birthday invitations.
P1160406

So if yours came with a crooked stamp, you now know why.
P1160404

We also spent some time at the park and it appeared that Ava missed making snow angels.
sand angel

Ava has really been dancing a lot lately. And added some new moves to her repertoire. And when this commercial came on the TV in between her shows, it all made sense to me.
dance moves

Ava likes to show us how tall she is now. Since she thinks she is so big, we took her back to the clubhouse one more time before her big birthday party in order to see if she would go down the slide by herself and not freak out when she was up on the play structure.
P1160502

And it was a miracle. She actually enjoyed herself. Just in time too. Phew!
P1160519

At home, Yoda loves to beg. She took over begging for food shortly after Rudy left us. If you ever come over and see tiny scratches on this side of the dining room table, you now know why.
P1160554

And Yoda is now starting to beg next to Ava too.. who couldn’t be happier to throw food onto the ground.
P1160556

Alright. Time to watch this little green frog puke out bubbles. (See Deets. It totally works!) Bye!
frog bubbles

P.S. Things Ava said this week… ‘Oh man’ after I asked her to eat her food. ‘No, ochie Ava’ after she fell and I told her ‘Ochie Mama’.
And she told me that ‘Dogs can’t fly like angels?’ when thinking about Rudy.

Mila: 4 months old!

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

happy mila

Hi there. Our little Mila is now 4 months old!!!!
P1160294

And what was she doing at the exact moment she turned 4 months old? Snoozing in my arms at Teta Jadranka’s house.
exactly 4 months old!!!!

This week started off with us saying ‘Happy New Year’ and with Mila laughing up a storm with Dada.
mila had her first laugh with dada the night before on new year's eve!

And lots of standing. Her favorite pastime.
standing mila.

We were still up in Arrowbear enjoying all the snow. Mila got to ride in a bus that Ava was kind enough to drive for us.
bus.

And when she passes out in the baby carrier, she sometimes stays asleep when I pull her out.
passed out.

Look who finally woke up!
P1150991

I started to stop swaddle Mila this week. She keeps waking herself up every time her arms twitch.
no swaddle.

But she figured out that if she keeps her hands together, no more annoying arm twitches.
asleep.

And sometimes, she just shoves a few fingers into her mouth instead.
finger sucking

Where we going now, Mama?
huh?

Home?
ready for a walk.

Bye bye cabin! Bye bye snow!
snow.

One the way home from the cabin, we stopped by to see cousin Chris. Mila’s first time meeting him.
chris meeting mila for first time.

And hanging out with her Nona Dinka.
nona dinka and mila.

Mila is starting to really stare and smile at Ava. Mila loves tracking Ava as she walks around the room.
mila loves ava.

Oh and for those of you addicted to baby fat rolls… here you go!
mila's leg rolls.

We took Mila to the doctor’s this week for her 4 month check-up. She weighed 14 pounds 14 ounces (77%), was 26.75 inches long (99%) and her head was 16.75 inches around (87%).
P1160267

And she got shots too. Oh my!
P1160304

But her big sister there to help make it all better.
P1160289

Look who’s back at home! Yeehaw!!
P1160361

And laughing…
laughing

… and squealing too!
screams

And getting all kinds of hugs.
P1160542

And getting computer lessons too while in the Bjorn. If she turns out to be a computer nerd, we’ll know who to blame (or thank).
P1160549

And look at this. This was Mila’s BIG day.
P1160574

Today was the day she moved into the BIG GIRL ROOM with Ava.
P1160570

Good night, Mila. Sleep tight.
P1160578

I was so sad the entire day because I knew I would be losing my little roommate Mila. But it ended up being all okay. Because Ava was super excited to have a new roommate. And that made me so happy. (Carrie? I see the orb too! I wonder who it is this time?)
P1160579

Welcome to your new room, little one.
P1160580

Bye!
hungry.

Snowball maker.

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

Hi. I’m Ava. I was just walking through this baseball field and found this strange thing.
IMG_3344

Hey guys. Anyone know what this is?
IMG_3383

Ahhhhh! A snowball maker.
IMG_3387

My turn!
snowball maker.

No time to talk Grace. We need to keep working. Take this to our pile.
IMG_3393

Yup. That pile of perfectly created snowballs.
snowball stash.

1, 2, 3, go!
snowball fight.

Dada, prepare for some pain.
IMG_3446

Stop laughing. I’m bringing the pain. Right. Now.
snowball fight.

BAM!!!
gotcha!

Plitvitce Lakes.

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Hi. I’m Ava and my Mama, Dada and Mahky just left (like a year and a half ago!)
IMG_5984

Where are you guys going?
P1060164

Come back please! I don’t think they are listening.
drive

They are driving through the heart of Croatia to get to a place called Plitvitce Lakes. And passing by lots of war torn homes that we don’t see on the coast. Ouch.
P1060037

Why is this lady selling cheese by that tank?
P1060161

Looks like these fools made it there.
Imitating the 'do not do something' sign

Hello Plitvitce Lakes.
P1060058

Look how blue the water is.
P1060111

And waterfalls too?
peep

And ducks!
P1060095

Not ducks! I can’t hear you.
IMG_5994

And brave fishes too since there is no fishing in National Parks? Not fair.
P1060109

Why is Mahky so happy? Oh, he is hoping for a new Facebook profile picture.
P1060118

And Dada? He’s just showing off.
P1060119

And me? I’m just reading my Dora book.
IMG_6034

Oh oh Dada. What’s wrong?
P1060151

You are pretty far up that mountain.
kway

Don’t fall!
P1060150

You three aren’t the only ones having a good time.
3

I am too. WEEEEE!!
IMG_6008

This is the best picture ever, Mama and Dada!
Nice photo of us.

This one is a much better one for Facebook, Mahky!
hap

I hear that Mahky went into a little cave and ran out screaming like me. Like a little girl. Hehe.
P1060122

And what am I doing now? Eating watermelon with Dida.
IMG_6050

Do you how you say waterfall in Croatian?
P1060139

Slap! Hehe. This one is called The Big Slap. Oops. I mean The Big Waterfall.
P1060142

Walk a little faster guys.
walk

I need my 3 amigos back.
Looks like someone is a big girl

Hurry.
IMG_6015

Okay. Back at the car.
Splash Lovers

Stop showing off your sweet ride and come home already!
splash

Fill her up. Do you want to know what this awesome car is called?
SPLASH!

The Splash! Just like the sign says.
signs

Hey! Welcome home guys!!
Dancing Time. Mama and Dada are back from Plitvice.