We celebrate Jack turning ONE on Fiesta Island...

First Homemade Mother's Day Present from Ava!

So today when Ava came home from school I got my first homemade mother's day present. She covered a terracotta pot in clay and then placed stones on it. Then planted a flower! I LOVE it, and will cherish it forever :)

She also made a watercolor tissue painting for my card.

Jackson is on the move!

Jackson has discovered that he can get around pretty well these days... scooting along. Today he made it about 15 feet to get to Indie :) Here are a few photos of him testing out his arm strength.

Sea Life Aquarium and Legoland

So today we headed to Carlsbad to see the new Aquarium, Sea Life, that opened next to Legoland. Ava was actually excited to see the "fishies" and kept trying to reach out and grab them. While we have thought about going to Legoland before, for the cost ($73!) we wanted to wait a few more years for the kids to be able to ride the rides, and get our monies worth. But today we realized we could get a "shopping pass" to enter for free for an hour! So we got to go see what we really wanted to see anyway, the mini cities without having to pay the entrance fee. They still had the inauguration set up in the DC city, which was very cool. Then we stopped and got fresh strawberries on the way home. It made for a very nice day :)

Coronado Island and Pizza Playdate; A good day!

This morning I drove over to Coronado Island to meet up with some Mommy Friends. It was the perfect day to get in a nice walk along the water and stop by the playground for Ava to blow off some steam.

When Michael got home from work we headed to Tierrasanta, to Round Table Pizza for a Pizza Playdate. We met good friends Carma (Aiden and Nadia), Janis (Jack), Donna (Autumn), Joyce (Joshua) - it was a nice Friday evening where the kids all got to eat pizza and play with their friends and the parents got to have some adult chat out.

Whale Watching... a seasick adventure

So this morning we headed down to the harbor and boarded a boat for a true 3 hour tour. It is the last few weeks of the whale migration and we thought spending the morning on the water would be a fun family day. We joined our good friends Donna, Neil, and Autumn for our day.

When we first arrived on board Autumn and Ava were excited to see each other and were holding hands running around the deck of the boat. However as we started to head out of the bay and into the ocean the waters began to get pretty choppy, and both girls started looking a little pale. was worried, but tried to stay positive. We saw some dolphins that were following the boat as we headed out. I Then we hit a storm and the winds picked up, the swells got much bigger, and it began to rain! We took cover in one of two covered cabanas on the top deck, since being on top is suppose to be less likely to make you sick. Ava started to doze off hugging her Daddy, and a few moments later the trip took a turn for the worse. Ava got sea sick... all over Michael! I grabbed a seasick bag, and caught the tail end of it, but it was really too late. Michael was such a good sport and gets the prize for the day. He had fortunately dressed in layers, and after we used a full container of wipes and removed Ava's sweatshirt and Michael's top layer he let her lay back down ON him wrapping his coat around the front of her. Truly showing what a great Dad he is, and how much he loves his little girl.

Just when she fell back asleep we of course find, what the tour guides said was the largest group of animals they had ever seen, about 6 whales and hundreds, and hundreds of dolphins! Michael stayed put, and never got to see any of them.. I went to the rail and took some photos (which Ava LOVED when we showed them to her later).

It was a rough day. But Michael earned his official Dad badge today.

Ava Turns Two!!

We feel very blessed that today Ava celebrated as she turned the big T-W-O! with her closest friends and family. This included Nana and Grandpa Prosser and Aunt Erica, who all flew in for the occassion. Her favorite band, Hullabaloo came to preform a live concert including her current favorite song, "Blah, Blah, Blah". We also had a inflatable jumper for the kids to play in. We had a theme around her favorite book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, with her cake made of 40 green cupcakes and a large red 6" head, with two candles for the antennas. Her friends and family spoiled her with gifts. --photos to be added soon!

Ava's First Day of School !!!

My baby girl started her first full day of school today. We have done two play dates at the school, and she seemed to love the teacher and the school, so I was feeling good about the transition. But this morning when I was packing her lunch I couldn't stop crying... I have been with her everyday for 2 years, and missed her just thinking about it.

I think it is going to be a very good thing for her and me ... But I miss her TERRIBLY! I know it will get easier, but the first day was hard, I didn't know what to do with myself! She jumped right in and had no problem transitioning ... Went right up and started playing, sang at circle time, played outside with the other girls (there are 3 other girls within 4 months of Ava's age, all very sweet) ... And when I finally decided to leave (about an hour or so after we got there) she ran over and said "lub you, bye mommy" then told the other kids "mommy will be back" and went about her business!! So I got to the car, but then started crying... I called Michael and he reassured me how good this is for everyone and to go enjoy my day with Jackson... So we went out to lunch, then came home and took a nap together... I just got an email that the teacher sends during their nap, the "daily digest" with pics of what they have been doing, the craft they did with stamps (Ava made a turtle :) so that made me smile.

Dad picked her up, covered in marker and paint badges of the fun she had. It was awesome to see Michael and her walk towards the house holding hands in the middle, and lunch boxes/bags in the other.

I guess this is the first of many "fly off the nest" experiences I will need to let my babies try, and it will help build them into the confident, independent people I hope they will become.

Pictures to come soon...

Welcoming Home the Troops!

Today we all got dressed in Red, White and Blue and headed to Miramar Air Base to Welcome Home Marine Batallion MTACS-38, including our good friend Lloyd who has been serving in Iraq for the last 7 months! It was a great experience for all, as we stood on the flight line just feet from where their plane landed.

Ava's 2 Year Appointment - What a BRAVE little girl!

Ava had her 2 Year Well Child visit today. She had her measurements done, and we were told she is growing perfect at 24.6 lbs (30th percentile) and 34inches (60th percentile). Her language skills were marked off the charts - the average number of words for a 2 year old to speak is 45, they stopped counting for her at 200!

Then came time for shots, Mom's least favorite time, so she was glad Dad was there to hold her. Well the nurse came in, and got the 3 needles ready, and then.... NOTHING... not a peep, not a sound.. in fact Michael and the Nurse both said they thought she never stopped smiling! Everyone was amazed!

One hurdle down, but the big one was still to come, we had to head down to the Lab and get her blood drawn. She had this done once before, but it was from her foot then because she was so small. This time it was a full vial from her little arm.. again Mom was very glad Dad was there for this too. And again, our little Ava amazed us... not a tear shed! We did get the bottom lip pout, but we think that was more because of the band tied so tight around her arm than the needle. So, so proud!!

Preview of Jack's Big Photoshoot

So as some of you know, our little Jack is going to be the subject of the stock/example book for a local child photographer, Josh Spicer. He saw Jack's photo on facebook and asked if he could use him for a 20 page book that will be on display at 22 different children boutiques and stores in San Diego and Orange County. He of course is doing the photo shoots for free, and then will provide us with a free copy of the book and give us a cd with all the photos on it for our own use.

Saturday we did the first half of the shoot at home. We will be finishing it next weekend, but the photographer, Josh Spicer, posted a few pics from Saturday as a little preview...

Amazing things kids say...

I just have to share this here. This morning Ava came into our room while I was getting ready, and Jack was asleep in the co-sleeper. She climbed on the bed, leaned in and gave Jack a little peck on the lips, then put her head on the pillow and pulled the blankets up. Then here is the best part, she said, "Mommy. Let's cuddle." I just melted, and of course jumped back in bed and we cuddled for maybe 3 or 4 minutes until she jumped up and said "Milk? Mickey?" and my moment was over. We then went down stairs and watched Mickey Mouse and had some milk, but I had to share my happy moment this morning.

Preschool..???

So today we went to see a preschool that a few people have recommended. I have heard nothing but GREAT things about it. It is an arts based school with music and art projects everyday. Well we went and met the owner/teacher and she was amazing. When we arrived she was doing Yoga with the kids, and took us outside to see the hand prints and picture frames they had made that day. Then stopped by to see the school pet, a bunny named Thumper. Michael and I were both very impressed and really, really loved everything about it. So.... we decided our baby girl will be starting preschool 2 days a week next month!! Eek! But I am very glad we found a place that we are so comfortable with and that Ava just seemed to be excited to see and took right to the teacher.

Made me smile today when...

Just a quick entry about something that made me smile today. Ava said "lub you" (love you) then I asked her "how much do you love mommy"... expecting the usual response of "thiiiis much" holding her hands out like Elmo does, but instead I was told "Whole Bunches" :) She must have seen how happy I was to hear her say that, because she has repeated it all day.

Dog Park

This morning we met our friends Donna and Autumn and their four legged friend at the dog park this morning. We all had fun and Indie got some exercise. Ava and Autumn had a blast chasing the dogs around and then both "walked" their dogs to the car (held on to the leash between the dog and Dad). We are going to try and make it a regular thing and check out all the dog parks in San Diego.

Ava's First Haircut

Ava went for her first haircut today! We had to do something about the baby mullet that was beginning to form, so we took her to get some shape and a trim today to Little Locks in La Jolla. Little Locks is a kids only salon with each chair being a cool "ride in" theme and kids shows on tvs in front of each station. She had her hair cut by Joy as she sat in a blue angel airplane chair! Ava did great, and Joy was really fantastic with her. First Joy read her a book, then took a water bottle and sprayed her hair, and "messed it up" and spiked it straight up just to be silly with her. They gave us a little certificate for her First Haircut and of course gave us a "lock" of hair for her babybook. And , Yes, we took photos and will post them soon...

Jackson starts swimming

Jackson started swim class today! He took to it just as well as Ava did when she started and loved the water. He giggled and laughed the whole time. Dad had to work today, so Mom took both the kids, so no pictures this week, but we will have some posted next week.

What a great Hubby!

Just had to give props to Michael today. Around the time Michael gets home from work there was a knock at the door, and Michael was standing there with a big bouquet of flowers (calla lillies, our wedding flower), with a grin on his face. There was no special occassion, or reason.. just because. It really made my day :)