Date Nights with Ava

We are so blessed to be able to take Ava out to dinner with us almost every week! Here we are at Joe's pizza in Euless. Ava and Elmo entertained us all! Here we are playing "where's Ava." This is the point where she says "Here I am!."

Ava surely loves her Elmo. And she loves to hug Elmo !
Don't you love this picture?! What hams they both are! Jenni and Ava have lots of fun together!
This was breakfast one Saturday at the Raven. She came in wearing sunglasses. Love those hair ribbons, too. She is quite the movie star!

Here she is hamming it up at Spring Creek. One of the few times I remembered a bib for her! She loves to wipe her hands on her shirt, and apparently on mine if I get too close!
Ava seems to have the hang of balancing a spoon on her nose. I think Sarah can actually do this. I can't. The spoon falls off every time!

Hard to believe Ava is 21 months old this week! She is growing up so fast! She talks up a storm. She is a bundle of energy! She knows exactly where her toys are at our house. Jenni had a game called "Critter in the Candy." It is in the den. Ava and I played it (sort of) once. The next time she came over, she went right to the den and got out the game.

She loves our dogs. She calls Sadie, "See" and Belle is more like "Ball". She says Pop very well, and talks to him all the time at her house on her play phone. She says Rod very well, but very drawn out "Raud". She won't even try to say Jenni or Grammy. She loves to walk in the grass in the front yard. And even better, she can get in her carseat all by herself! Of course, we have to buckle her in!

We usually get Ava a biscuit or Sarah sends a snack with us to hold Ava over until food arrives. This kid can really eat! I just love the fact that every time the food arrives, Ava says "Food!" and is really excited to see it!

Ava is amazingly easy to put to bed. She and Pop read a bedtime story, we all get kisses, and then she goes to bed. Mike put her on our trundle bed for the first time last night. We could hardly believe it, but she just snuggled her Elmo and went right to sleep! And stayed on the bed! (It was our first time without the pack and play.) She's growing up!

Pop and Ava reading her new Elmo and His Blanket book.

I pray that your love for each other
will overflow more and more,
and that you will keep on growing
in your knowledge and understanding.

Phillipians 1:9