Gus and Nicole come to visit

My friends from Chicago came to visit with their son Ronin who will be 6 in September. Gus and I used to work together at a bar in Chicago where I worked during grad school. It was a great group of people that I worked with and there are about 7-8 of us that still keep in distant contact! My memories at Tavern on the Pier were all really great memories! Ronin likes babies and he took to Olivia right away!

Here we are at Seaworld for the day and this pic was taken right before Abbys ride in the new sesame street area
during the ride

after the ride

Brads turn next to ride the fish ride--look at how uncomfortable he is, he is just to big of a human being to be on a kiddie ride!

druing the ride! can you tell how bored Ronin and Bella are?

elmos flying fish ride!

Nicole and Ronin

it is soooo scary-can you tell!!!

Shamu x 2! great pic Gus

Ok there is a sequence of these pictures because they are truly amazing to me. This is the Atlantis ride at Sea World, and it is a straight drop down. This was bellas first time on it (she is just 4 years old and maybe a couple of weeks old). Look closely at who is in the front seat! Yep Isabella and Ronin and they are by themselves!!!

here they are going over the big drop!

I can see fear in bellas eyes but she toughed it out!

they got soaked at the bottom!

and the reaction I was necessarily expecting--laughter!!!

Ava missing her nap and we are trying to get her to sleep unsuccessfully in the stroller!

sleepy bella

daredevil kids!

daddy and olivia at seaworld

Olivia loves this carrier and just kicks her legs like a wildwoman and coos the whole time!

the blue tongue kids after eating cotton candy. My girls have never had it before and just the other day I had cotton balls out and Ava heard the word cotton and started trying to eat them. She thought they were cotton candy!

I love this pic, Ronin was pouting about something with his arms crossed so Ava assumed the same position. She started out behind him but kept inching closer to him to be right next to him.

Her mentor!!!

Ava in front of our house on the skitter

Bella and ronin

Ronin got in the dolly stroller and bella pushed him through the streets!

Cute kids!

The good news and more

We got great news at the beginning of the month, Ava who previously had kidney reflux, is now reflux free!! yay no more medicine. We also found out Olivia does not have it either. So it was definitely a really good day! Here Ava is inhaling her celebratory cupcake! she loves sweets-then again who doesn't???!
Our sweet 5 month old. Her 5 month stats from the M.D. visit: 16.4 lbs and 27.5 inches long.

this again is classic Olivia, she is sooooo strong and loud when she gets excited or really wants something (usually food)

this monkey was a riot, he actually would stick his hand out of the cage and shake peoples hand. He was talking loudly and swinging everywhere, I think he was trying to perform for the audience.

Ava loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and takes the two pieces apart and licks off the jelly and peanut butter before eating the bread. Can you tell she is my really goofy kid!my crazy Ava!

Ava and mommy at the zoo!

Granddad and Ava looking at the elephants at the new elephant odyessy at the San Diego Zoo

Daddy and Ava enjoying the zoo.

I love facebook and I have now been able to meet up with 3 friends from out of state whom I haven't seen in 15-20 years. all of them happen to be visiting San diego and it has really made me appreciate that we live where people vacation. Here is Bella with my friends Paula and Kirk's (from high school) littlest child Sophia. These 2 hit it off immediately and got an extra special treat to stay up late and play so their parents could hang out longer. it was about 11pm by the time they went to bed.

Isabellas turns 4!

Well we celerated Bella's birthday twice, once at home with grams and granddad and the immediate family and once as a last minute party at brads parents motorhome. Bella's first cake on her b-day
our birthday girl

ava with the evil sugar look

bella enjoying her cake

the 2nd cake made by a friend/coworker of mine, thanks again karen!

her sparkly candles

this game was so fun, it had a water balloon inside and a timer and it would pop the water balloon and get whoever was holding it wet! It was basically hot potato with a water balloon.

Dominic and Sam playing dollies!

aunt Pam shuffled some of the kids to and from the campsite to the park! the kids loved it!!

micah enjoying cake-so cute!

A big Bella sandwich!

and another!

the girls watching a movie at the motorhome!

it was a nice night for a campfire, Olivia and daddy are enjoying the warmth.

we got this skitter for Isabella for her birthday, and just as I thought, Ava loves it. She has hit her "2's" and everything is "mine" well this infuriates Bella and they constantly have arguments over the current toy they are playing with and who it belongs to.

Ava is so funny, her "terrible 2's" are so funny we just laugh at her. This is a common occurrence, her placing something (toy, sippy cup, etc) between her legs and walking with it as far as she can before it drops. she is pretty good at it!