DeWolfe Park

On another wonderfully sunny day when it was way too warm to stay in the house, JP and I took Ava to DeWolfe Park in Bedford. There's a great playground area there with a jungle gym in the shape of a boat! Ava just loved running around, climbing on everything and making friends with just about everyone she saw. There were lots of families there that day and she loved seeing all the kids playing. She went up to a little girl about her age and I said, "Ava, say hi to the little girl". She waved to her and then leaned in to give her a hug and a kiss!!! Oh my! Lots of fun outside this summer now that she can climb the steps with just a little help from Mommy and Daddy!

Shubenacadie Wildlife Park

During JP's week of vacation we ventured out to the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park. The weathe forecast was calling for a HOT day so we left the house early in the morning in hopes of seeing some of the animals before they took cover in the shade. We were excited for Ava as she was only 3 months old the last time we took her there. Needless to say she had a terrific time and was thrilled everytime she saw an animal. The deer, peacocks and ducks were definitely her favorite (probably because she was able to get closest to them). Everytime she saw the peacock she exclaim, "Bir, Bir" which is her way of saying bird! We were even fortunate enough for the deer to come up and let us feed him. The video is so adorable!! We ended the day with a picnic lunch and headed home after a fun-filled day!!

Tickle, Tickle, Tickle!

Okay, so this is by far my most favourite video that we've taken of Ava! She is super ticklish and loves when I hold her on my lap and dip her backwards to be tickled. There's not much else for me to write, as I think the video says it all!! We love you Ava!!!! xoxoxo....

Ava's First Time at the Beach!

YAYYYY!!!!! The sun finally came out so we quickly took advantage of it and decided to take a trip down to Hubbard's Beach with my friend Tricia. It was Ava's first time at the beach so I was super-excited to see what her reaction would be! When we first got there I got her settled on the blanket with lots of beach toys to keep her occupied. She spent some time exploring the sand and trying to figure out why I'd let her sit in dirt! She was great though, not trying to eat any of it, as I thought she might. We headed towards the ocean so I could dip her toes in the water, but she was NOT having any part of that, let me tell you!! Every time the tide would come in she would cling even closer to me. She had lots of fun playing in the sand though on a beautiful sunny day! I hope that we get a few more days like this so she can get more aquainted with the ocean...if not, there's always the pool!

Tea Party on the New Patio Set

My mom got Ava the most adorable little patio set for out on the deck. It's been raining non-stop so we had to break it in by having a tea party in the living room with the ever-so-popular Baby! Ava had a blast sitting up like a big girl and pouring tea for her favorite little friend. Hopefully we'll be able to actually use it outside one of these days!!!! We reserved a seat with Alexa's name on it!!!! :)

Ava gets her Ears Pierced!

I'd been dying to get Ava's ears pierced for the last few months, but JP insisted that we wait until she was at least 1 year old. So, on one July afternoon my mom and I took Ava to the mall to get it done before he had a chance to change his mind!!! I called Nicole to let her know and she came with us to capture the big event with her camera.
Let me just say, first of all, that it's a lot trickier to find someone who will actually pierce baby's ears. I checked online and in the phonebook but when searching for "ear piercing" places all I kept getting was tattoo parlors....not exactly what I had in mind! I could just imagine Ava's expression when some guy with snake tattoos all over his arms came at her with a piercing gun in his hand!! Once I spoke with the manager at People's jewelry store and set things up with her I felt a lot more confident that this would go okay.
We arrived later on that afternoon with Ava safely strapped into her stroller, holding her precious Baby for comfort, and I picked out an adorable pair of white gold "diamond" studs for the little princess. After signing a consent form and receiving instructions for after care I high-tailed it out of there before Ava could see the tears starting to form in my eyes. I wanted to get this done, but I was too afraid of seeing her upset...I do the same thing when she gets her needles at the doctor's office (yeah, I know...I'm a great support system for her!!!).
So, according to Nanny and Aunt Nicole Ava did exceptionally well and didn't even cry when the first earring went in. She wasn't too keen on having random strangers touching her though so the second one was a bit trickier. Luckily, she was distracted enough with a cell phone that they were able to finish up quickly. We celebrated the event with a smoothie at Pete's Frootique! I was so glad that we did it and I think she looks just precious!! It's been a few weeks and she doesn't even seem to know that they're there. We clean them every day and so far no infections. Here are a few pictures for everyone to enjoy! Remember: CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO MAKE THEM LARGER!!!

Ava Barefoot in the Grass

Last night we took Ava outside to play in the front yard since it was so nice out! We took her shoes off and let her run barefoot in the grass for the first time. She wasn't so sure about it at first and I think it was a little ticklish for her liking. It didn't help matters that JP at the sprinkler going at one end of the yard so when she ventured over her feet got a little wet! Once she was able to navigate herself along the flat areas she had a ball! Again, these pictures aren't really the best since she absolutely won't stay still for very long to have her picture taken. I tried my best, and you'll be able to at least get an idea of what she looked like.