Put that kid in a helmet

 Poor parenting caught on tape.

Lonely MacDonald

Everyone's always talking about Old MacDonald's animals but few take the time to think about his lonely life on the farm.

Fashion Week

Ava is a girl who knows what she wants.  She certainly isn't going to let anyone else choose her outfits.  We thought you might appreciate seeing the results of her independence. Here are her choices from last week:

Ava's most "Portland" outfit of the week. This owl skirt (handmade by the fabulous Sharon Margaret Weir) routinely solicits compliments, but pairing it with a skull and crossbones tee really knocked it out of the park. Black patent leather Mary Janes complete this ensemble.

A classic look.

A sensible sweater really makes this outfit work. She specifically requested that just one button be buttoned. She's got great instincts.

Retracting statement about great instincts. Many people wouldn't pair an Aran sweater with a spaghetti strapped sundress, winter tights and motorcycle rain boots. This outfit is really all about the details. Naturally, Ava requested her hood be up.

 

Ava got new shoes this day. As you'll see in the next few pictures, she is quite fond of them.

Can't even comment on this one. Too distracted by the Farrah Fawcett hair.

She would wear this dress every day if she could.

Silk-screened tees are hot right now. Ava's never had an ice cream cone but she's pretty sure they're awesome and she's got the t-shirt to prove it. The leg-warmers also deserve mention.

 

Ava's purse is a must-have accessory. She always makes sure she has enough of Brian's business cards in her wallet to get her through the day. We spent much of the morning looking for her cell phone, should Ian or Caleb wish to text her a photo--an imaginary scene she enacts on a regular basis.

Today in Ava

Helen: Ava, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Ava: Able to climb trees. With daddy.

August 2011

The theme for this month was travel. Brian was on the road for work and Ava and Helen jetted off to Boston to visit Ian and her new cousin Caleb. While Ava claims she had a great time on the airplane and she wasn't at all "scaried" during her 15th cross-country flight, the 36 passengers who received earplugs compliments of the cabin crew might beg to differ. There are some who would make the argument that no 8-month pregnant mother should travel alone with a two-year-old, and perhaps we should have listened to those people before making our travel plans. But even with its challenges, the trip and family-time was well worth it.

Ava arrived just in time to experience her first hurricane (if we're being accurate, it was a tropical storm), which she slept through during a rare nap. As always, she was thrilled to see Emily, Tom and Ian, and was head-over-heels for baby Caleb. Ava got in some serious big sister training and soaked in every minute of it--picking out his diapers and outfits, suggesting reasons for any crying spells, and proposing activities to keep him entertained ("Maybe baby Caleb would like tummy time," "You should put baby Caleb in the bumbo," etc.)