Tea Party!

There's a sorta annual tea party for younger kids in our neighborhood in the Serenity Garden  This year, Avi was old enough to go!  It was a lovely little afternoon party!

 Hannah carrying a cake to the party.

 Everyone around the table (while Mila sleeps in the Ergo on Maren).

Avi hugging Millie.

Avi got all dressed up and put on (stick-on) earrings for the first time!

We brought our own cups - Avi's matched her outfit!

Everyone must get dressed up!  Eden, Hannah, Naomi, Kendall, Rachel, Gianna. Front Row: Millie, Avi & Helena.

Interview with a Preeschooler

Who's your best friend? Halle, Millie
What's your favorite food? probably fries and ketchup
Favorite drink? probably a vanilla one (she's never had a vanilla drink that I know of!)
Favorite color? blue (her favorite color was totally pink, don't know why she said blue!)
Favorite song? round and round
Favorite book? um probably Sing Along Adventure book (Dora's the Explorer)
Favorite game/toy: monkey preschool iphone game & her stuffed animal lady buy
Favorite movie: Dora (she's never sat through a full movie yet, Dora is a 20 minute show she watches)
Favorite thing to do: wave to daddy, wave to mommy when she comes back to my house
Favorite animal: giraffe
Favorite thing you learned in school? : play with playdough
What can you do best? play with this baby
If you could go anywhere right now, where would you go? to Macy's!
What do you want to do when you grow up? ~play with my friends
Three words that describe you?  "ava"
When you were little, you used to...? play with my friends
If you had one wish, what would it be?  play with Macy
What makes you sad? When my friends take away my toys.
What makes you happy? When my friends don't take away my toys and when we share

Aveah Dove, September 2012

Thank you, Mila.

Mila, you are such a good little baby.  Everyday, numerous times, I say to myself and others, Mila is such a good baby!  You just are so easy and fun to be around.  You hardly complain, you sleep great, you eat good, you are fairly predictable, you smile and flirt with everyone you see, you converse with people, you tolerate your 3-year-old sister wild toddler ways, and you love being carried around in the sling or in the ergo baby.  Thank you for making this supremely special time in my life (having an infant)  and even more gratifying experience for being the cool person you are.

Thank you, God, for Mila's personality.  She's awesome!

Family Time

Walking to the farm stand.  Maren, Mila, Aryn, Finn, Paul, Brant (playing the guitar), and Avi (leading the way)!

Finn and Aveah.

Aveah, Michael, Alan, Jeannette, Maren, Mila, Pap-Pap, Nana.  Michael paternal family came over for a day visit in August this year.

Bath Time for Mila

Mila's first bath went much like Avi's - she didn't like it too much!  It was so cool - Avi helped me bath her.  It think Mila was about 3 weeks old when we gave her the first bath - she smelled so good (that amazing newborn, fresh breastmilk smell).

A bath with Sitti at age 3.5 months. Mila LOVED this bath!!

The Sayings of a Three-Year-Old

I'm a ballerina, but I fart.

You're my father, mom.

Said slowly while Avi sat on the living room rug stringing big beads on a string: I'm working harder on your necklace. I'm working. I'm working. I'm making you a necklace cuz you wipe my butt. I'm working.

Upon seeing palm trees: Those trees are pineapple trees.

While getting undressed to go swimming: Can I take my butt off?

Avi hanging out with the big kids (Nicolas and Eden) at Tierra Nueva outdoor movie night. 

Taking a bath.  She loves floating in the water and she's more and more insisting on washing her own hair and body now!  She's growing up!

Social Smiler

Around 2 months old, Mila started smiling like crazy.  At first, she would smile like that mostly for her dad.  Then she started smiling at everyone.  A few weeks after she started smiling, we get these email noticifcations about what your baby should be doing this week", well it said "your baby may be smiling soon - this is called social smiling"  If it's called social smiling, then Mila is the biggest socialite around! She loves to smile!  She first opens her mouth really big as if surprised, then because she's really pleased she can open her mouth so wide she turns up the corners of her mouth into a smile, then her eyes crinkle into cute half moons and everyone nearby goes "Awwwww..."

Now at 3.5 months she's beginning to "bubble" on demand. She again first started doing this for Michael.  She would smile and blow bubbles while looking at him.  She's such a happy little baby!  We love interacting with her so much!

Mila, today, me and you were playing, and I started to make silly faces for you and you thought that was hilarious!  It  is so fun that you are only 3 and half months old and starting to joke around and play.  Babies are amazing!

Wishing Avi

(This is an old post from when Avi was younger - about 2.5 years old.  This was during our trip to Yosemite at the Ahwahnee hotel.)

What do you wish for? This was her first time every ''wishing'' for anything...  First penny: "Fish." Second penny: "Diamond"(!) Not sure if she meant the shape or the jewel - probably the shape since she was learning shapes!  Third penny: "Triangle"  Fourth penny: "Tree", then "Car - a red car to match my Prius"

I love not knowing what will come out of her mouth next - she is a beautiful, fun, exciting mystery to me!