Fun at the LA County Fair

Last Friday we decided to take a trip to the LA County Fair. I loaded up the kids in the car and met Peej at the train stop near the fair, and we had a great evening of fun. First we saw Captain Jack Sparrow at the Pirate exhibit, where Avery was able to search through the sand for buried treasure. She found three "gold coins" and Cap'n Jack gave her a fourth. She wasn't too thrilled to be in a photo with him, but it's better than her reaction to Santa last Christmas!

Then we went to Avery's favorite spot: the Princess House. She dressed up in a princess dress and crown and colored pictures and did princess "chores" in the kitchenette.

Then we were off to the Winter Wonderland exhibit, where they had a hill that kids could sled down. The video is not great, but you can catch the gist of the sledding experience. Avery was uncharacteristically FEARLESS and went down on her stomach twice! And they say there's no snow in Los Angeles in September!?!

We went to the Big Barn next with lots of farm animals and a petting area. Avery liked to come up to the animals from behind, which luckily didn't frighten them, and then she'd pick up some wood shavings from the ground and put them on the animals' backs. She's lucky she didn't get kicked or bitten or chased...

To finish up the night, we did a couple of rides at the amusement park area. Avery chose them: the Carousel and the Bumble Bee

What a great trip to the Fair! We didn't get kids in bed until at least 11:30 pm, but it was worth it. From the photos, you'd think Alex wasn't even there---he slept in the stroller practically the entire time. Of course, Avery keeps asking when we're going again. Not until next year!

The Spelling Champ

Lately Avery has been very interested in putting letters together and forming words. I think she's doing remarkably well for a 2 1/2 year old. She loves the Leap Frog videos "Letter Factory" and "Talking Words Factory", which has helped her realize that letters make a sound and come together to create words. She can spell her name, as well as words like "cat," "dog," "mom," "dad" and "stop." She also likes to point out letters and ask me what word they make. Imagine my surprise when I heard her say, "Mama, what does T-O-B-A-C-C-O spell?" Thanks a lot, Mr. Tobacco on the corner where we turn to go home. Never thought I'd have to explain the dangers of smoking to a two-year-old.

ballet night

P J loves to put on classical music and dance with the kids. Here's some of Avy's "ballet moves". So cute.

Pay no attention to my practically slurred speech in the background... I must not be getting enough sleep these days.

Baby Smiles

Alex just started smiling, which is a huge milestone. We're so excited to see him respond to us.

Avery wanted to get in on the smiling action too, so I'm including a great one of her. You can see her chipped front tooth that she got this summer in Houston as well. Gotta love 2-year-olds.

A Day at the Beach

We finally made it to the beach a few Saturdays ago, and had a super time! Avery especially loved digging in the sand. She even jumped the waves with PJ and me and wasn't even scared.

Arrested DeSesame

There was the most hilarious episode of Sesame Street on this morning, I just had to share. Yes, yes, Sesame Street is among my favorite shows, even as an adult. Anyway, the episode started with Will Arnett from Arrested Development showing up as "Max the Magician" and doing magic tricks involving addition, subtraction, and division. Max the Magician was essentially "Gob" from Arrested Development, complete with the theme song and everything. Here's a clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qclBGpRt0b4

Here's a fun montage of the orignial character from Arrested Development
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDJHPB2o-gQ

Arguably as good as the spoof "Meal or No Meal."

Huh-larious.

The Past Few Months

So, life got pretty crazy for us in April or so when we decided to leave Cincinnati to take the job at USC, knowing we'd be having a baby in mid-July. Oh how Avery would miss the snow!!I wanted to finish my lecture recital before moving, which meant singing at 33 weeks pregnant! It was tough but worth it. Now I just need to write that blasted document and I'll be done with the DMA! This is me merely days before delivery. I was able to go to Utah for my sister's wedding in April all by myself, and it was great to visit with the fam.

Then in June, we packed all of our belongings and headed on an airplane to Houston. I stayed there with Avery while PJ went to California to find us a house, car, cell phone plan, computer, etc. and start his new job. My dad delivered baby Alex on July 18, after a very routine pregnancy and labor. A good sleeper from the start, Alex continues to be an angel baby. The picture below documents his need for blue lights, due to the jaundice he incurred after sleeping through all his feedings. He has finally learned to wake up to nurse, and consistently sleeps 8 hours a night. He only cries when he's in pain, and he is sweet and cuddly and soft and wonderful. Avery kind of ignores him, but she treats him quite gently when she decides to give him any attention. He was much loved by his cousins in Houston.

Avery is potty training, and doing pretty well. I could go on an on about our experiences in this department, but I'll leave that for a future post. She seems to have adjusted really well to all the change this summer. She misses her cousins and aunts and grandparents, but she likes the new house and car and new parks and libraries to explore. PJ's job is going well. He hates commuting but enjoys what he does and who he works with. We miss Cincinnati and the friends we left there, but we know this was the right choice for our family.

Let's Try this Again

So, it's been like 9 or ten months since I wrote my first and only posting to this blog. Lately I've been more inspired by my friends to get serious about this whole blogging thing. I'm still figuring out how to use this, so be patient. But I'm determined this time.

We are in such a new situation now: new job, new city, new apartment, new baby....the list goes on and on. There's a lot to report and some fun pictures to share. Of course, right now one of my "new" items requires my attention---baby Alex needs to eat. So I will continue this later.

Stay tuned...