Donna Reed sleeps in the room down the hall.

And she looks (and cooks) suspiciously like my daughter.

There is nothing I enjoy more these days than cooking with Ava, and to my endless delight she seems to feel the same way.  She sits on the counter, carefully scooping, measuring, counting, and tasting until whatever delicious treat we're making that day is in the oven.

This particular day's confection was a batch of oatmeal cookies.  Those are healthy, right?

In case you were wondering, these were even tastier than the rice krispie treats.

It was corn-mazing!!

Sorry for the corny title, but what else do you call a post about a corn maze?

Choosing to spend the better part of an evening lost in a field of 8 foot stalks of corn with a 2 year old was - to say the least - a bit of a gamble.  No toys, friends to play with, or cartoons to watch, and only the sad little selection of snacks we had packed in Ava's backpack to sustain us.  But, as happens more often than not, our sweet girl took the whole thing in stride and assisted us in kicking some corn-maze butt.

We even let her lead the charge for a while. We did eventually have to stop that, or we'd probably still be in there.

But she did a great job of helping Andy decipher the clue sheet they gave us on the way in.

The answer to each corn-related question was designed to lead us to the next numbered post. Since my knowledge of corn is restricted to the fact that it's yellow, and - contrary to popular opinion - has absolutely no place in a burrito, we had to defer to Andy for most of the answers. 

Ava was riveted by Andy's explanation of the little tassel thingy at the top of the stalk.



Hey, Dad, found one!

We finally made it out, alive and well, and celebrated our victory with a post-maze pony ride. 

I'm pretty sure she had a little crush on the cowboy.

Here's hoping your weekend was as a-MAZE-ing as ours!

(I'd like to promise you that the next post will be free from puns and corny jokes, but we all know I'd be lying.  Sorry.)

Florida, Part II: Disney World

“Laughter is timeless. Imagination has no age. And dreams are forever.”

― Walt Disney

I love Disney World.  The rides are thrilling, the parades are magical, and the ice cream shaped like Mickey Mouse's head is just about the most wonderful thing I've ever tasted.  I've been there countless times, and yet I still get butterflies in my stomach when I see Cinderella's castle peeking up over the trees from the windows of the Monorail.  And since I was lucky enough to marry someone who also refuses to grow up, you can imagine how excited we were to take Ava to the "Happiest Place on Earth".

Now, anyone out there who's ever had a toddler in their lives knows that any given situation - even the ones that are seemingly guaranteed to make a kid happy - can go any number of ways.  Will you be rewarded with smiles and laughter, punished for your efforts by an epic temper tantrum, or simply met with an indifferent, befuddled stare?  We walked through the gates, held our breath, and awaited the verdict...

Our timing couldn't have been better. A parade was underway, and whose float should be going by at that exact moment, but Mickey and Minnie Mouse.  Our girl was hooked.

We didn't want to lose any momentum, so once the parade was over we hot-footed it straight to Fantasy Land for some rides.  First up?  The Teacups, of course!

Ava loved it.  The faster that silly cup twirled, the bigger her smile got.  And for the next 4 days, girlfriend's life was good.


Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride



Ava and Grandma Sally checked out the fish tanks while we waited for "Turtle Talk with Crush" to start.

We were even lucky enough to score a meeting with Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog (Ava adores that movie).  She was about to wrap it up for the day when the security guard took pity on us and gave us one of the final spots in line. 

The rides and parades were great, but it was something else entirely that threw the whole trip over the top. Thanks to Grandma Sally's insatiable love for ice cream - often in lieu of an actual meal - Ava got to indulge her sweet tooth at least once a day. 


Mickey Mouse's head = Chocolate-covered heaven.



Yup, that's lunch. 

 One of the coolest attractions was the Nemo musical at Disney's Animal Kingdom.  Ava actually sat (relatively) still for the entire 45 minute production, clapping, laughing and waving at all the right times. 

That was our last day at the parks, and our sharp parental instincts told us Ava had finally had enough.  

A big thank you to Grandma Sally and Grandpa Mac for helping to make this whole experience so incredibly special.  We love you guys. 

We're going to make this an annual thing, right??

Florida, in two parts.

The biggest problem with wonderful experiences is that they must eventually come to an end.  But if you're lucky - as we are this week - you're left with sweet stories to tell, pictures to share, and memories that stick with you long after your plane makes it safely home.  Our recent trip to Florida delivered all that and more. 

Since our trip was divided into visits to two different cities, spending time with 2 different sets of grandparents, I thought I'd break it up into two posts.  So sit back, relax, and enjoy a little visit to the sunshine state....

Florida, Part I: Palm Beach
Besides, of course, spending some quality time with family, I had one goal for this leg of our journey: get my girl to the beach.  I grew up completely in love with the warm, salty smell of the air, the sound of the waves lapping against the sand, and the irresistible feel of the sun on my shoulders.  And the sunsets?  Oh my.  If you've never seen it in person, grab your bucket list and add "Sit on the sand and watch the sun disappear into the ocean".  You won't be sorry.

You should probably know that I didn't inherit this love from my dad.  He's more of a lounge-by-the-pool-after-a-nice-golf-game kind of guy.  But despite his aversion to sand in his swim trunks, he gamely suited up and drove us to the shore so his granddaughter could have her first date with the surf. 

She loved being close to and watching the water (as long as she didn't actually have to sit in it.  Girl knows what she likes.)

And was completely content to sit under the pier scooping sand into her brand new beach bucket.

It was the perfect day.  Thanks, Grandpa.

My obsession has now been successfully passed on to the next generation.  Next stop: shoe stores.

The beach was amazing, but only a small part of our 4 days in my childhood summer vacation spot.  There were cuddles with Grandpa, and afternoons by the country club pool...

And meeting her aunt, uncle, and cousins for the first time.  It was so great to see them again - it's been way too long.

My step-sister Jen (yup, she's a Jen too) and her husband Mike

My niece Katie and nephew Aaron

How gorgeous is this girl??

It was a lovely 4 days that went by too quickly, and we will be back for more sun, sand, and fun.  Thanks, everyone, for everything!  We miss you already!

Stay tuned for Florida, Part II: Disney World!

It's a Birthday, Baby!

I love birthdays.  Yours, mine, Ava's, even Mina's.  I love to drape the house in balloons and "Happy Birthday" banners, gather together a house full of fabulous people, and shower the guest of honor in presents and cake.  How can you top a day like that?  And I'm hoping to pass the love of all things crepe paper and frosting on to my girl.  I think we're off to a good start.

We started on the day of her birthday. First, Dad put up her brand new basketball hoop so she'd have a cool new toy to play with as soon as she woke up.  Then, we spent the morning at Monkey Bizness with Ollie, took a family trip to Chuck E. Cheese that evening, and topped the whole thing off with giant chocolate cupcake. We'll call that Birthday: Phase One.

Yup, she's dunking Nemo.



Check out that smug look.  Girl was killing it as Skee Ball and she knew it.



Chocolate.  Nuff said.

The weekend brought on Birthday: Phase Awesome.   (You've already seen some of the fun.  Remember those super cool pony rides?)  Braydon came all the way from Iowa, bringing Aunt Lisa and Grandma and Hoppa Lundstrom with him (thanks, buddy).  Peyton came from Houston, and was nice enough to buy tickets for Sammie and Aunt Brandy too.  And, of course, all of Ava's local pals showed up to make her feel special.  It was wonderful watching our sweet girl get so much love on her day. 

The gang gathered to sing a little "Happy Birthday"

Mmmm, cake...

I am LOVING this table.  Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Brown! Cool doodle-paintings are courtesy of Aunt Marianne. 

Aunt Lisa tried to teach Ava some baseball.  Doesn't look like she quite gets it.

A little art work "al fresco".

The party was a hit, and Ava had a ball. I think we can top it though - next year I'm totally renting a bouncy house. 

Happy 2nd birthday, sweet girl.  We love you.