A Visit to Kansas
After a not-so-bad two days of driving, we got to spend a lovely week in Kansas visiting my family.
For the first couple of days, we had a pretty tired baby on our hands. That’s not such a problem, though, when you have plenty of adoring arms to cuddle you during a nap. Turns out Uncle Wes makes a great pillow and a baseball game on TV is the best lullaby on the planet.
Then, when it’s time to finally get down to the business of playing, you find that those adoring arms are attached to adoring people who are willing to entertain you at just about any cost.
Nothing like having a Grandad who has been professionally trained to run little kids ragged and teach them how to have fun!
Ava sure got used to having a delighted entourage.
We did lots of fun stuff during our trip. The above picture was from the park where we fed the ducks. Ava spent a lot of time playing in a HUGE ball pit in my parents’ living room…
…and we even got to go see a very cool model train. That visit was pretty awesome for Daddy, too.
Grammie & Grandad even have a baby-sized dog for Ava to play with. She could say “Yankee” nearly immediately and spent a lot of time loving on this little dog.
In the end, this was a great trip. It’s so nice to get to spend some quality time with our family and we were so glad Wes could be there for so much of our visit. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for playing host and for entertaining Ava so well!
Petrified Forest
One of the best things about driving to Kansas was getting to stop at this super cool place along the way. The timing was perfect for the picnic lunch we had packed and it was a really great place to stretch, relax, and regroup.
As we were finishing up our lunch, we heard the thunder start to roll in. Probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch a thunderstorm roll in over this beautiful desert landscape. It rained for the remainder of our drive to Albuquerque that day. A week later, as we drove back, water was still standing in puddles in this area from the storm. Very cool. We *heart* national parks.
Matt Turns 29
A little over a week ago, Matt had a birthday. We were on the road on his real birthday, but got to do some celebrating the week before, the day before and the day after. 
I think we got it covered.
On the Friday before, Matt and I had a whole date day to celebrate. We went to breakfast at the Bellagio, to see the new Star Trek movie on the IMAX and then to dinner at the Melting Pot with the Hoffmans. Amazingly fun times.
Then, on the birthday eve, we went to a Las Vegas 51s baseball game. We were able to meet up with lots of other friends and had a joint celebration of Matt & Dave’s birthdays.
Since we were leaving on his actual birthday, Matt got to open his presents early. The following is separated by about a week, but really shows that the kid’s got a really one track mind. It’s all about putting a tent in the house. Oy. Good thing I think he’s great. Happy Birthday, Matt!
Happy Birthday, Matt!
So, after we got back from our trip on Saturday, we just had to put the tent up in the living room.
In the end, the tent was a big hit and we had a great time playing in it. Can’t wait for our first camping trip with it!
Going on a Mission…
Because of Ava’s nebulizer treatments, we had to hook her on TV to keep her still. As I’ve mentioned, we ended up with Little Einsteins. Who knew that an on-a-whim purchase in Kmart would end up so dramatically affecting our lives??
Anyway, these cartoon characters are powerful. They hold the attention of our 18-month old like you wouldn’t believe. Serious zombie eyes. But, now that she’s not on the meds anymore, she can actually interact with the show too. She sings along to the intro and closing songs (video of that as soon as I can catch it!), pats her lap to give Rocket more power and can pat to a beat all the way to presto. I guess if she has to be hooked on something, it might as well be something she could learn a few things from.
Ava and Grace watched Little Einsteins a couple of weeks ago during a nebulizer treatment. Grace was just as enthralled as Ava. I think we’ll be seeing a lot of Little Einsteins in the next few years!
Random Happy
Just a few fun photos of happy times this spring. It’s time for the pool, for date days to celebrate birthdays and lots and lots of sunshine!
