Summer

{Summer}...

I pretty much want it to never END!

We've been having so much fun this summer and Ava is learning new things every day, I swear...

She is starting to use a fork. You can see the wheels turning in her head and she tries really hard to get the food on the fork and then to her mouth. I usually help her with getting the food on the fork, and then it usually falls off the fork as she is putting it in her mouth. She even will pick up the food and put it ON the fork. Too cute! I love that she is starting to show interest. She still loves to eat and her favorite foods really haven't changed! She still loves CHEESE, Cottage Cheese, fruit, pasta salad, etc. I was afraid she wasn't going to be a big meat eater but she has recently began to eat more meat. She seems to like ham and turkey (ok) and she even ate some salsa chicken (crockpot recipe=YUMMY!). She loves corn dogs, which I'm not a huge fan of her eating but unfortunately a lot of restaurants really don't offer the healthiest options for kiddos (and we wonder why our country is obese???). For example, tonight we went to Buffalo Wild Wings and we got the mini corndogs but before we fed her those we gave her some grapes, cottage cheese and raisins. At least that way she had some healthy items. =)

She has also started to put the rings on the stacking toy ring (what is that even called?). She can put them all on pretty well! Not necessarily in the correct order, but hey, pretty good job Ava!

She has this little monkey (looking) toy that I got at a garage sale (imagine that) that came with these cute little balls. Some are clear with little rattle-y things inside and you put them in the mouth of the monkey and he says 'yum yum yum' etc. She LOVES putting them in where they go! So fun.

She can shake her head yes and no. Pretty cute. And I'm pretty sure she is actually saying "no, no, no" though it sounds like "no-oy, no-oy..." It sounds more like an actual word and not just the "n" sound.

Overall, you can tell she is understanding more and more every day. When you say, "Ava, do you want to take a bath?" She will go over to her chair (which blocks the stairs...LOL) and wants to go upstairs.

If you ask her if she is hungry, she will go to the kitchen, etc.

She stillllllllllllllll loves doggies and birds are her second fave. She loves to sit in her high chair and watch out the window for birdies (I really should get a bird feeder, I guess) and she loves to listen for the neighbors ever-so-annoying barking dog! :)

Loving life! and DENYING that it is AUGUST!