A Very Teary Christmas

December is her, and we continued our yearly tradition of the Santa picture... Ava met Santa in the mall a few weeks ago and now every time we get near the mall entrance she says "Santa? Santa?" with a big smile. So we hoped she might be happy to sit in his lap... wrong! She started getting antsy before it was even our turn and... well the picture below tells the rest of the story. Maybe next year she'll be more open to the idea of sitting on Santa's lap!

Birthday Girl

30 guests, 20 goody bags, 6 dozen cupcakes, and one happy birthday girl!

I've always wanted to have a garden party in our new front yard, and I'm happy to report that it was a total success. Ava had a blast running around the big lawn with her friends, and the grown ups hung out and chatted on the other lawn. Octavio put out a few outdoor games and since our yard is surrounded by hedges, the kids could pretty much run free.

Almost everyone showed up, and we got the last sunny Saturday of the season... whew! How I pulled off 6 dozen cupcakes and brunch for 30 without having a nervous breakdown I'll never know.

I think one of the best parts of the party twas Peek-A-Boo the Clown. I wasn't sure if she was going to be scary or overwhelming for the little kids, but she was the perfect level of energy, sweet and funny, even the parents were entertained! She just sat on the lawn in a corner and the kids all came and sat around her. She made cool cute ballon art, did simple but cute face painting, did a little funny magic show that the kids loved, kept them entertained for over an hour so the parents could relax a little. Peek-A-Boo rules.

portrait of a 2 year old

the cupcakes


the goody bags

cupcake cutie

peek-a-boo

love the outfit!

the piñata

all this stuff is for me??

Birthday girl... OUT!

Happy Halloween

I thought a lot about what to dress Ava as for Halloween. Then I realized, what better costume than a Queen Bee?! So, here is a sneak peek her official Halloween card. I had a lot of fun designing this and she looks soooo adorable in her little bee costume. I tried to get her to wear a crown, but she drew the line at the antennae...

Ava's 2nd Birthday Party

Ava's 2nd birthday is coming up! We were not able to celebrate her first birthday, so this will be her first real party... Just a small gathering of closest family and friends. The theme is pink & green polka dots, and cupcakes of course!

Visit from the Camargos

We had a short but sweet visit from our good freinds the Camargos. Here are Ava, Ava and Aidan.

Little Artist

She loves to draw and scribble... we are trying to teach her to only draw on the chalkboard or on a coloring book, but she has also taken a crayon to the hardwood floors, walls, blinds, coffee table...)

100% Organic

Octavio and Ava had a sticker fight at the supermarket. Octavio won :)

Ava at 20 months

For Father's Day (I know, that was already 2 months ago...) we had some professional shots done of Ava, courtesy of the fabulously talented Jenny Lee. I especially love the details of her hair and the rich colors. She managed to capture some great expressions, even though Ava was grumpy and tired....