avablog

I’m sure you’ve been waiting impatiently to see pictures from our recent trip to lovely Isla Mujeres. Well, I’m hereby rewarding your lack of patience! Enjoy!

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“Gosh,” I hear you saying to yourself, “I wonder what Ava and Emmett look like these days.” I’m glad you mused. These shots are from our trip to Sass Family Farm last weekend.

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Apologies to Neil Diamond.

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There she goes. Whenever I look at one of these momentous shots of my girl, this is really all I see:

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When I saw AGP this morning, sitting on the porch swing with the morning sun shining through her side pony, I had to force her to sit for a portrait. Sometimes when I look at yet another picture of either of the kids, I wonder why I never get tired of looking at pictures of [...]

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We had a nice weekend in Decorah at Nordic Fest (no matter what Rachel tells you!). It was fun to see Baby Tristan and to sample Norwegian delicacies. I think we might go back next year, especially if they can get Michele Bachmann to appear in the parade!

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Big news out of The Ranch in the last 24 is that ECP expressed interest in — and did then subsequently use — the potty for #2.

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By Ava, done using one of the myriad free doodling apps for the iPad.

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Emmett’s seemed like a pretty steady little guy, really, temperament-wise. But lately he’s becoming more physical and more obstinate at the same time, which is a frustrating combination.

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Good ol’ Ben let me borrow a nice lens over the weekend. I promptly availed myself of the new glass by shooting one of my favorite subjects ever: Thanks for the loan, Ben! And thanks for the awesome genetic material, Leah!

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I wouldn’t trade these two for anything. Not even for a MacBook Air and a Canon 1DMKIV with an 85mm f/1.2L. Really! Honest! Luckiest. Dad. Evar.

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Ava finallylost her first tooth last night. That thing’s been hanging on by a tiny strip of gum (I think I’m getting ill) for a couple weeks now, but last evening Ava had finally had enough.

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My ongoing mission to get photos of the kids together bore fruit today at the Iowa City Fire Department. Thanks to Cpt. Hickman for showing us around and for letting the kids sit on the bumper for this shot! Such nice people at the FD….

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It seemed like it thundered steadily all night last night. Ava typically awakens after one or two good booms (Emmett does OK, so far), so last night I stood at the bottom of the stairs and listened between claps for sounds of her crying in her room. Nothing came. Minutes went by, and I waited. [...]

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I don’t have nearly enough pics of the kids together. I’m doing what I can to resolve that situation, and here’s proof: They’re so cute together. This morning, before we left for work, Ava and Emmett played together on the front walk. Ava did chalk drawings of excavators (for him) and puppies (for her), and [...]

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Ah, Arts Festival. What better way to enjoy it than by jumping in a bouncy castle?

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It was a nice weekend to sit by the wading pool and blowing bubbles. Here’s a shot of Ava, doing both.

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It’s too early to tell, but Leah may have pulled off the improbable by getting Ava to agree to going to bed by herself, without one of us lying with her until she falls asleep.

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For the most part, Ava and Emmett get along well. Mostly because Emmett’s good natured enough to let much of Ava’s nastiness roll off his back. He likes to get up on her bed in the morning and jump on her while she hides from him under the covers; he doesn’t yet understand “irritated.” Sharing [...]

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We’ve been getting only the spent remnants of the storms that pounded Missouri and Kansas, but we did get a short burst of hail the other day. Ava and Emmett ran around the neighborhood, picking stones out of the grass wherever they could find them. Some of the pieces were pretty big!

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