Gimme five.

Up high.

Down low. Too slow?

Oh snap!

Hi there. Our cherry eating Ava is now 179 weeks old!!!!

We finally made it to Nona and Dida’s house this week. First thing on the agenda? Bake some cookies!

Next? Give Nona that authentic Graceland t-shirt she has always wanted. Ava totally picked it out. Pink hearts, of course.

Next? Some Nathan time. These two sure did miss each other while we were gone.

And then? Wash the car with Dida. This kid loves helping.

We also had a special treat in store for Ava. Toy Story 3!!!! I swear she was excited. It’s tough to take a picture in a dark theater!

I spy with my little eye…

… Anthony’s Graduation Party!!

How cute is this photo!

Nathan wasn’t there to run around with so Mila and I had to fill in. And I think we did just fine playing “you cant catch me!!!”.

Then the music turned on and someone got to show off her fabulous dance moves.

Look who showed up at the end of the party? Nathan! After wearing themselves out…

… they actually sat down and quietly played legos. WHAT?!?!

On Sunday, it was Father’s Day and got we spent some time visiting Dida Slavo.

But today we also drove down to San Onofre State Beach for some Airstream camping.

Happy Father’s Day, Dada!!

It feels so good to be back in the Mish!

First order of business? Call Nicole because we forgot to bring marshmallows. Doh!

The nice thing about this Airstream trip is that the kids were not alone. Nope. Plenty of kids to play with this time!

Then we were off to the beach with the whole crew.

And the kids sat quietly for a split second…

… before they went NUTS!

A little while afterward, Ava sat on me and snuggled. This has happened in a very loooong time. Hmmmm.

Turns out she was sick. High fever. For 5 straight days. Poor thing. So the remainder of the trip was spent resting as much as she could.

And flying her princess kite.

Ava also got to spend some time with her Grandpa…

… and watch her Aunt graduate too. (Please ignore that person’s butt to the right.)

Bye!

Our little Mila is now 42 weeks old!

And since I am behind AGAIN in blogging…

… I will add a few of my favorites to the start of the post.

Ok.

Let’s get this post started.

Our week began at Nona’s house. Mila got a quick lesson from her big sister on how to ride the circus bike and especially how to make a toy explosion.

She was very calm in the early mornings when it was just the two of us. But when the rest of the crew awoke and when we got visitors, she shrieked at everyone.

She was even scared of Deets! But they started to bond after watching Toy Story 3 for the first time.

Then it was off to celebrate Anthony’s graduation. And of course everyone wanted to hold this cutie pie. But she was on the verge of losing it.

Mila is a calm and happy baby so far…

…if Mama is around.

Can you say attachment issues?

Mila got to show off her new solid food eating to everyone.

Mila got the chance to visit Dida and the Nonas this weekend too… and even got to meet Rocky.

It was Father’s Day on Sunday… so it was Dada’s choice of what he wanted to do. And he chose to go camping at the beach with his favorite 3 ladies.

Happy Father’s Day, Dada!!!!!

Then it was time to see how she would do on the sand again?

Hmmmmm.

Let’s eat it!!!

Mila also got the chance to watch her Aunt Catherine graduate high school. Yeah!

Then it was back to the campground.

Surf’s up, dudes! Later!!

Hi there. My little Ava is now 41 months old!

And what was she doing at the exact moment  she turned 41 months old? Playing dress up at Grace’s house. Say hello to Fancy Nancy.

One of the things Ava missed while on our road trip was school. Specifically her buddy Ava R and her new favorite teacher Miss Katie. Here she is with her new Tinkerbell backpack, ready to start her day.

And here she is a pick up time. Hanging out with TWO boys. I guess her buddy Ava R played hooky today.

And when I asked her to grab her things because we were leaving. She did this. And said ‘no’. I think this was the first time she didn’t want to go home with us. Sniffle sniffle.

Ava quote of the week has been “I’m so happy to be home!“. Dan and I might be sad that our trip is over but this kid sure is not. And when we ask her if she wants to go camping again, she says yes… but adds that she wants to bring Ventura with us next time. And when we asked her how to bring Ventura, she told us “just push it“. PUSH IT REAL GOOD. Sorry. Couldn’t resist.

One of the things Ava is sad about is the color of her skin. She doesn’t like being “so dark” and asks why Mila and I are light. So during the trip, I purposely sat out in the sun just to catch up to her while she piled up the sunscreen.

It sucks that kids are aware of differences by this age and want to be different than who they are. Breaks my heart.

I am soooo not looking forward to junior high. Ahhh.

For the past few months we have been sightseeing crazy. But not this week. This week we are trying to take it easy and let Ava pick our activities to help her settle back into her old life. So on Saturday, tamales at Farmer’s Market it was.

And reading all the books that we had to leave behind.

Oh and let’s not forget Trader Joe’s. She loves sitting at the kid’s table and adding her art to the wall.

And the clubhouse of course. Look at those hula moves.

But we did do one new thing in town. We got lured into a new cupcake store thanks to free samples. Yes, it worked. Big time.

Ava never naps anymore… unless it is in the car… and with her bling!

We have some clean-up to do around the house and Ava was kind enough to help with her new “rack“. I can’t get her to say rake. Rack rack rack.

And look at this miracle. She started to draw people… WITH BODIES! No more circles with arms and legs. This is me, Mama Marlene.

And this is our family. Her first family portrait. I’m in blue and somehow ended up with a clown nose. She had me draw Mila. Don’t laugh. Ava is in pink, of course. And sorta looks like Lola from Lola and Charlie. Dada is in red and resembles a tight rope walker. And that green thing is Yoda. Yes, she is a head on a stick… and don’t ask what that thing is next to her. Her tail? Yes. Let’s stick with that answer.

And then we had another request to go to school again. I guess we are no longer fun to hang out with!

Oh and if think Ava doesn’t know how to hulu, you are so wrong. She is also trying to convince us to take her to Hawaii. (Dear Ava, please take  those sweet eyes and work on Nona and Dida. Can you say timeshare? Love, Mama Marlene)

Alright, time to resume our drawing lessons with teacher Ava. Bye!