Update

Since the last post I am happy to report that Ava has given us no cause for spankings (he, he), as she has begun saying Mommy and Daddy!!

She skipped right over the whole Mama thing, and opted in instead for Mommy. (She's been saying Dada for a while, but has abandoned that for the more refined "Daddy.") I've got to say, it does melt my heart. She sometimes gets all confused and calls me Daddy and Jeff Mommy, but she does know what she's talking about when she wants to be clear about it. On the way home from a walk the other day that just she, Jeff and the Puggles went on, Jeff reported that she repeatedly said Mommy (with some force, I might add), with ever increasing repetition as they neared home. Love it!

Ava has become Daddy's girl.  Although she still prefers me at 2am... I'm taking suggestions, any suggestion, on how to switch her to Daddy's girl at that hour... email me!  But I digress.  Here they are together.

A little B-ball.

All cleaned up.

Swimmin'

Jeff's wishing he didn't call her in right about now...

Other than widening her vocabulary to Mommy and Daddy, she's also begun screaming. I mean really SCREAMING, and for no apparent reason at all other than that she can do it. Don't love this so much, but such is life, I guess.

In other important (and random) updates, Ava:

• has seven teeth, working on eight at the moment;
• has become a champ at Sunday School... so nice to sit through an entire message I have to say.  They have the magic word, er, words, in the nursery: gold fish;
• will do the cutest (in my opinion) thing in the world and put her head down on your shoulder when asked; 
• has become completely obsessed with her electric tooth brush; and
• has gone potty (#1 and #2) two mornings in a row on her potty!  (Sorry if that's TMI.  I'm just so stinkin' excited I had to share!)

Oh yeah, and she still LOVES her puggles!

Yes, she's laying on the dog bed.  It's her favorite place on the house, really.  Whatever, she eats dirt. I've mellowed.

But you can't call Ava mellow... especially around bubbles!!!

Probably because she's too cool for school.

Ugh, school... a bunch of my Mom friends just brought up the topic of school the other day.  I know, I know, I can't believe it.  I can't even THINK about it.  Maybe I'll just keep her home with me until she's 30 (Oh, I can hear it now, Mom. You told me so!  I know!!)

I'd just like our days to be forever spent playing, and reading, and swimming, and parking (as in the playground, not lots)... and taking pictures....

I know, she'll need to be socialized... and she'll need to realize that she's not the center of the universe.

Ya think? Look at all those doting family members in the back-

ground!

We were lucky enough to spend a beautiful day down in Mission Beach with those doting family members.... and Annie Fannie.

Yes, there's a leash in her hand.  Annie's a good sport at being drug around.

We're also lucky enough to have some wonderful friends to spend a lot of time with.  Many of our couple friends, two of my dear friends from college, and a dozen wonderful women that I feel I was destined to meet in a Mom's group have kids just Ava's age that she and I can spend lots of time with during the week.  It's such a blessing to be in such wonderful community...

And to ride turtles.

"Wow, Brandon, you sure have your hands full! And, Honey, who let him in here with a CELTIC'S jersey!?!" I can't believe I was just bragging about our great friends!!!" (Te he, just kidding, Brandon.)

I'll leave you with these:

And to answer your question: yes, we do feed her. I promise.