Something Not-At-All Wicked This Way Comes

In case you've been living in a deep, dark hole and missed it: Halloween is almost here!! So, as all good parents would, Andy and I spent the day doing our best to prepare for this holiday in a way that's appropriate for a 15-month old. Basically, this means completely avoiding anything that could be remotely construed as scary.

The first thing we needed was a pumpkin to carve a cute face into, so off to the plant nursery/pumpkin patch we went.

As luck would have it, some future costume ideas for Ava presented themselves...

Those were pretty cute, but I think this one is my favorite...

We moved on from the pumpkin patch and headed to Target where we picked up all the plates, napkins, and shiny decorations we could find that were guaranteed NOT to scare the pants off anybody.

Our final challenge for the day was to take our giant pumpkin and carve it into a character worthy of a Saturday morning cartoon. It was hard work, but I think you'll agree we accomplished our goal; by the time we were done I just wanted to give the thing a hug.

Happy (almost) Halloween, everybody. Boo!!!

There's nothin' better than a house full of babies.

I love organized racing events. The air is filled with anticipation, the spirit of friendly competition, and the heady, thrilling feeling that comes with completing a task that most would find impossible. And if you're lucky, some really cool people will travel half way across the country to take part in one of your local races, and hang out in your house for the weekend. And if you're super-lucky, they'll bring some cute babies with them.

Last weekend the Denver Rock 'N Roll Marathon brought us the cool people and the babies. Our thanks to Lisa, Ryan, and Braydon, and their friends (and now ours) Sarah, Corey, and little Reid for letting us hang with them for the weekend. Let's do it again some time!

While everyone was here we enjoyed a trip to the mountains...

(The precious little pumpkin on the left up there is Reid; the handsome guy in the middle is, of course, Braydon; and the gorgeous grin on the right belongs to Ava. I love this picture.)

We dressed up in Iowa gear to support everyone's favorite team. Braydon kept a really close eye on the game for us in case we missed anything; and yes, that's Ava sitting in the dog's bed again...

Oh, and Andy, Lisa, and Sarah ran 26.2 miles. :) Congratulations, gang! You're awesome!

And in case you missed my texts, emails, carrier pigeons, or the skywriting, Ava has officially started walking!! For the last couple of days it's just been 3 or 4 cautious little steps directly into the arms of a waiting parent. But today our brilliant girl stood up, knitted her little brow into a look of sheer determination, and toddled an impressive dozen steps to her high chair.

That girl does everything in her own time, and I can't help but love her for it.

Little Mama

Ava is a girl. No, I have not suffered a recent blow to the head that required a reminder of my child's gender, nor do I assume that you have. So in an attempt to clarify the reason for my seemingly obvious declaration, allow me to write that sentence again: Ava is a Girl. With a capital G.

I think my favorite manifestation of this fact right now is her relationship with Dolly. You see, I noticed from the time Ava was tiny that she had an attraction to any toy with a face. So last week I took her to Toys R Us so she could help me pick out a proper baby doll. As we wandered from isle to isle, checking out what each baby had to offer, Ava reached her little arms out to every one, handling the ones I gave her with a awe I didn't think was possible at 14 months.

Now, I don't know how many of you have shopped for baby dolls recently, but I gotta tell you it's a bit daunting. Actually, the word I'm looking for is "scary". They don't just sit there any more, looking sweet and occasionally opening and closing their sleepy little eyes; they jump at you, playing peek-a-boo with blankets held in their stiff, unnatural arms, or literally begging you to pick them up in voices that must have been recorded for a Stephen King film. In the end I was able to avoid anything that was bound to give me nightmares, and we went home with an adorable, blue-eyed baby that will never move on her own - I hope. And Ava loves her. She holds her and pats her little back, muttering "awwwww....." as she rocks Dolly back and forth.

And I watch my Little Mama with a tear in my eye. I can't wait to see what my Girl has in store for us next.

Dance like nobody's watching

I love that piece of advice, and Ava seems to have taken it straight to heart. She's crazy for music, and anything with a beat sets her little body in motion. Andy and I have been attempting for weeks to get it on film, but up until now that coveted piece of video has been reminiscent of Big Bird's pal Snuffleupagus - everyone but us was pretty sure it was only in our imaginations. The quality isn’t great, and once Ava figured out we had a camera pointed at her she was more interested in playing with that than dancing, but the proof is irrefutable; in her heart, Ava is a dancer.

These particular performances are courtesy of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. Enjoy!

20,000 Leagues Under Denver

Ever had the desire to shell out a whole bunch of money just to walk around a crowded building and look at fish? Well, us either, but Ava's recent fascination with them resulted in us driving downtown to The Aquarium (the capitalization is no accident - that's actually the name of the place) to do exactly that. And yes, it was well worth it just to watch her face.

She marveled at every tank, pointing and repeating the "Oooohhhh!" she kept hearing from the people all around her. Which was cute. Just freakin' cute.

She wasn't sure what to make of the weird, animatronic gorilla in the "rainforest", but frankly, neither were we.

And the skeptic in me was told - just for today - to shut the heck up and enjoy herself. 'Cuz sometimes, she's just wrong.

Being this fabulous is a full-time gig.

Do you ever stop to wonder how much work it must be to be Ava? Constantly being so adorable that it keeps the grandparents, aunts, and uncles coming back over and over again, and ensures the really good gifts on all major and minor holidays? Picking just the right moment to do something precious, pausing for dramatic effect, then laughing and clapping until everyone joins in? Never missing a chance to wave "Hi" or "Bye Bye", even when no one's going anywhere? I mean, those dance moves alone have to be exhausting. But thanks to all of you out there that adore her, I can see in her eyes that it's all worth it.

Anyone out there disappointed in her efforts? Grandma and Grandpa Rankin sure weren't. They stopped in to stay with us on the way home to Florida, and Ava pushed the Cute pedal all the way to the floor. She gamely posed for pictures...

and showed off pushing her walker around - without falling - like it was no big deal.

Of course, it didn't hurt that the grandparents were passing out smiles and hugs like they were candy at Halloween. :)

Since I'm a little behind on posting, and I have a few items to report, I'll add a few mini posts at the bottom here for your viewing pleasure...

Nemo has been found
His big, bright-orange tushy was recently found floating in our toilet. On top of Ava's blankie. In my rush to remove a proudly smiling Ava from the scene and rescue the victim's of her favorite new game, I didn't manage to get any pictures of the crime in question, but I can assure you that both blankie and Nemo survived, and after a (very hot) date with the washing machine, are both as good as new.



This seems like a bit of a step backwards.
It took some time, but Andy and I had reached a point where we no longer had to hose off the high chair every time Ava had a meal. But since she no longer has any intention of letting us feed her, it was time to hand over the spoon. I think the video speaks for itself.

It took some scrubbing, but I was able to return Ava to her original, squeaky-clean state. Here are the before and after shots to prove it.


I'm starting to understand the animosity.
Mina still isn't quite the fan of Ava that the rest of us have hopelessly become. I think I'm beginning to understand the problem. Guess who's bed Baldilocks is playing in here...


Are you surprised this kid is happy?

What? Is this wrong?

Up until recently, I don't know that you would have described our girl as particularly adventurous. That's not to say she doesn't love a good thrill when she comes across one, but seeking them out hasn't really been her thing. Now however, she's into everything and Andy and I are struggling to keep up.

To give you a prime example, the stairs were never of much interest to Ava. It was the daily gateway to sweet dreams, and an avenue that Mommy and Daddy occasionally used to temporarily disappear for who-knows-what purpose. Sad, yes, but since we always came back she never seemed to feel the need to give it much thought. Then yesterday I looked over from the bottles I was washing to see this...



Today I glanced over again and found this...



It appears that we are now venturing into an entirely new frontier. So far Andy has talked me out of covering Ava in bubble wrap, but no one said I can't line all the surfaces of the house with it.

Is that wrong?