ZING ZAng zOom

We went to the Barnum and Bailey/ Ringling Brothers Circus a few weeks ago. It was SO much fun! I wasn't sure if Ava was maybe too young but she wasn't. Ava LOVED everything. We arrived early for the preshow where we got to meet some of the performers and see the elephants do some tricks.
Here she is with one of the clowns.

After the pre-show the stage was so packed with people it took forever to get back to our seats. So Russ sat down on one of the risers and I snapped a couple pics of Ava being her cute little self

The whole show Ava's full attention was glued to the stage. She loved the music and movement of all the excitment of everything going on. We had a blast. I think we will make this a tradition and go to the circus every year. I found coupons for the show. SO our tickets were $4 each and Ava was free. Well after taxes and fees it was a bit more than that. But still it was way cheap.

Our little Fam>>

While I was taking pictures she keep trying to turn around to see the stage like she is doing in the pic below. I was pretty impressed with how well the show kept her attention.

FALL.. in love

Another one of our Sunday walks. The canyon is just SOO beautiful. I lOVE the fall. I'd have to say I think it is my favorite season, or at least a close second to summer :

Feels like FALL..

At first I was sad summer was ending, we really had SOOO much fun. But Sunday we went for a drive and a little hike at Cascade Springs up AF canyon. It was perfect FALL weather. Just chilly enough that we needed sweaters and the air was crisp and fresh. It had been raining all morning and when we got up there it just cleared up and was beautiful. But by the end of our walk the dark black clouds returned and started POURING with thunder and lightening. Luckily we were back to our car by then so it just made for and interesting ride home.

We couldn't seem to get one pic where we are all smiling and looking at the camera. She's smiling in this one, but not looking at the camera.. haha

Ava was so interested in the water, as you can see from the pic below. I think the sound drew her in.

Now that summer has ended. I am excited for the fall and especally Ava's first winter! I can't wait to play with her in the snow and go sledding.

VEGAS

The trip to Vegas was a bit last minute and random. But we really wanted to take a family vaycay somewhere hot where we could soak up the sun and Russ needed a break from work. It was so much fun and Ava LOVED it. There are so many interesting people and things to look at in Vegas. So she was constantly entertained.

Ava LOVES water and so she really enjoyed being at the pool. It was so hot and it felt so good to get in and splash around. Ava drew so much attention to herself everywhere we went. I wouldn't have thought of Vegas as a baby friendly place, but EVERYWHERE we went people would fuss over her and complement her, ask to hold her, stop to talk to us. It was so crazy! But of course I loved it. I mean who wouldn't love a million people telling you how cute your baby is :) And Ava loves being the center of attention so it worked out perfectly.

Our second day in Vegas we were hanging out by the pool laying out. We would bring Ava's stroller and she would take her midday nap laying in her stoller at the pool while we would relax and lay out. Ava was shaded from the sun in there but it was still pretty hot. Anyways these 2 nice Canadian guys came up to us and asked if we wanted to use the Cabana they had rented for the rest of the day. They were leaving early and thought it would be nice since we had a baby. I was SO happy they offered. The cabana rentals are over a hundred dollars a day so we really scored getting it for FREE! The cabana had a fridge with snacks. And there was a ceiling fan inside making it nice and cool. It also worked out perfect for Ava's nap. We really got the VIP treatment. It was great. Below is Russ in front of our cabana using the mist machine. It was funny how Ava reacted to it.

Me and A in front. :)

We visited the M&M store. It was funny because by the time we got there Ava was sound asleep and nothing we did would wake her up. Finally later on our way back she woke up and we stopped by the store again for her. She loved it, all the bright colors. I thought the big M&Ms would scare her but she actually like them. She was so amazed by them I think.

I love this one. She put her hand out to shake her hand. I was so cute that she did it on her own!

We bought her the stuffed animal green one. She loved playing with her.

Our last day at the pool. She was being so funny, splashing and playing. I didn't want to leave. I had way to much fun. But then again..it always feels good to come home too.

The rest of the pics were taken in the shops near the Venetian Hotel. Here was Humpty Dumpty. Really random ... But she was pretty excited about it!

I was SO sure she would cry at these wax figures but she didn't.. She is getting braver. Not that she needs to love blue people...I'm not friends with any smurfs haha