Balloon Races

Every year my sister-in-law (Billie) and I have a tradition of going to the Great Reno Balloon Races every year. We started (we can't really remember) either the year before my nephew was born or the year he was born. Last year was the first time we didn't go together but with good reason! My sister in law had just given birth!
This year was great! We added another family to the mix and we had a big group watching the balloon races! We added the Markos and my friend Cheryl and her baby Addison came along too! It was nice. We had a good time.

This was Ava's second year going to the Balloon Races. I'm sure she couldn't see a thing last year! She was only 5 or 6 weeks old! This year she really enjoyed the Balloons! She kept saying "duh duh" for the balloons.
Ava also enjoyed playing with Billie's sister Dru. Ava also enjoyed the company of her other friends, Tasha, Thea and Addison!


It was a great time! I had no idea it would be such hard work with a little baby though! Getting all the stuff together. Before it was fun, we just packed up and went, but now there are other things to think about like the stroller and blankets and being warm enough! It was a lot of fun though and I can't wait for next years adventure!

13 months!!!

Ava is 13 months and is walking like a champ!
Our newest challenge is keeping Ava away from the cat food and away from the cats water dish. She likes to snack on the cat food and play and splash in the water dish if we aren't fast enough or turn our head for a quick second. Phil thought he was smart and put the kitchen chairs so that she "couldn't get" to the cat food/water but about 30 minutes later she learned that she could crawl under the chair or just bend down slightly and walk under the table to get to her destination!
Yes...its been a fun day.
On top of all of Ava's new accomplishments of moving around by herself, she is getting teeth! Lots and lots of teeth! Last week she got a molar. She has two more teeth coming through and three more teeth have "dropped" so those will probably come in about a month or so. Ava is a champ though! She is taking the teething so well. She still has most of her sunny disposition. She is just slightly more crabby, doesn't eat, wants her bottle and doesn't nap on her scheduled nap times and ANYTHING that touches her head sets her into a frenzy. Good thing it only lasts one or two days.
Over the weekend we went to Ava's cousin's first birthday! It was a lot of fun and Ava had fun playing with all the kids! She loves being around people! Juno seemed to have a lot of fun at her party too. She loved her cake! What a cute little girl she is! Her parents are lucky to have her and her big brother! They are a great family!


Someday I plan on writing about our trip to LA. We had so much fun I want to take more time to write about it!