Ava's First Halloween

For Ava's first Halloween her Bonus-Grandma Jan made her an incredible costume as our house cat, Scooter.


Apparently the fake fur was troublesome to sew: so much of it became airborne in the process that Jan had to wear a surgical mask and goggles to keep it out of her eyes and nose.


Being that both Ava and Scooter are high-energy personalities, it seemed only fitting that Kristi and I should team up as her handlers. Jan made us some very official looking patches to put it all together. (Jan basically made costumes for all three of us this year. Thanks Jan!)

Two New Ava Videos

Ava gets her first taste of "solid" food in the form of Rice cereal. She's not impressed:




Ava's trying really hard to work out the mechanics of crawling, and she's almost there!



We've also got several new pictures in our picture section - don't miss them!

Slight Blog Change Notice

This blog was originally started with the idea of being a place I could post about various projects I've done, ideas I've had, and news of general interest about my family. I also included a lot of content and products that other people have created because I thought they were clever or funny or, preferably, both.

You may have noticed that since our daughter, Ava, was born this has turned into the "News about Ava" blog (to the great joy of her grandparents). Very little clever or funny stuff has been posted here for some time.

This post is to announce a new feature for this blog called "Things Brian Thinks Are Interesting". It's a separate section, generated through Google Reader, where I will share all the clever and funny stuff that other people have created. You can access it by clicking the link in the right side-bar labeled, "Things Brian Thinks Are Interesting". There is a separate subscription link for that stuff on that page.

The main blog will continue to be dedicated to news about Ava, and possibly the odd project or two that I might have time to do once Ava moves away for college. (Be sure to stay posted for that!) Our annual Christmas cards will also be featured on the main blog page.

I will also try to be better about posting more pictures on my blog, but for the full picture feed you can always click on the "Our Pictures" link to the right as well.

Thanks for the interest!

Rolling Over! Laughing!

Ava learned to roll over from front to back at 5 weeks, and just in the last few days she's completed the journey by rolling over from back to front at 4.5 months!



And then just last night, to our great joy, she started LAUGHING! For REAL!



This makes me realize; I'm good with where she's at right now. I don't need her to grow up any more: I'm not really that interested in the walking, talking, driving, dating... I think we can just stop right here with the laughing. That's a good place to stop, don't you think?

Ava Baby Talking

Ava is really starting to experiment with vocalizations. In this video, she really gives me an ear full.

New Ava Videos

Ava helping lift herself up and lay herself down as Kristi and her play the Up and Down game:


Ava and Lily "girl talking":

Vow Renewal and Ava's Dedication

Two weekends ago, on the 19th, Kristi and I threw a little party to celebrate a bunch of things:

• Kristi and I have been friends for 18 years.
• We've been married for 10 years.
• We now have a beautiful daughter, Ava, that we dedicated to God.

But the party ended up being a celebration of something else that we hadn't intended; something that, it turns out, is just as valuable and precious and the list above. It was a celebration of our friends and family.

• Andi took it upon herself to spend untold hours coordinating the preparation of the event, and also worked her magic baking scones and cupcakes.
• Nick gave us the best part of a day building a large cross for our centerpiece.
• Taylor brought his camera equipment and took amazing pictures of the event.
• Jan saved material from Kristi's wedding dress for 10 years, and with it made a beautiful christening dress for Ava.
• My Dad lent us his truck to pick up the chairs and tables.
• Ray, Lewis and Devon helped load the chairs and tables into the truck.
• Roger returned the chairs and tables for us on Monday morning.
• My Mom made hors d'oeuvres for the spread.
• Karyn and Megan took turns wrangling Ava so Kristi and I could stand up for the ceremony.
• Rick brought sound equipment so we could have music and everyone could hear.
• Mark brought his camera and filmed the ceremony.
• Dave flew in from Michigan to officiate.
• And so many people drove hours from Lynnwood, Spokane, and elsewhere to support us.

What an amazing tapestry of love and helpfulness; what a testament to the value of relationships! Thank you, everyone, who came and helped and supported us, and who continue support us each day! You are our true treasure.