Into the Fourth Year II

Ava now enjoys striking poses at will.  Here, she told me that this was her "happy" face.  Then, she said that she was going to show me her "mean" face.  I said, "OK, let's see it."

Not bad!

This was a "parent participation" session at Ava's dance class in mid-November.  I accompanied her for the first fifteen minutes, and then Mommy showed up to relieve me, which enabled me to take these pictures.  Here they're doing a Thanksgiving Turkey Dance.

And here they are encouraging the girls to touch their parent's nose with their pointed toes in order to attain a this particular pose.

Miss Kristin gives Ava some encouragement on her arched back position as Mommy helps some more.

One last stroll through the leaves before they are moved to the curb for pickup.

This detail of the same picture is shown in the actual pixel size...It's not enlarged, just cropped.  The high resolution of all of these pictures means that (1) nice cropped shots like this can be created without any loss in image quality, and (2) looking more closely at shots can reveal interesting things, for example, the fact that I never bring any Kleenex with me when we go outside for pictures on a cold day.  And (3)...Like her Mom, Ava always looks good in hats.

Trading pretend-angry faces with Grampa John before the Thanksgiving meal at Aunt Sessie's.

Listening to Aunt Valerie Jeanne read a Christmas story when she and Cousin Jessie visited the next day.

One of her many, many faces when she sees me point the camera her way.

This was actually Ava's Friday-at-home with me, but we both went in for an hour for her daycare's big event...the annual visit by Santa.  Mrs. Santa was there, too, although the kids didn't pay much attention to her story reading.  They were too focused on her husband, the source of those wonderful presents.  I had to remind Ava several times that morning that Santa wouldn't actually be giving out everyone's desired presents today, but that she could make requests for hers. 

But, things were different this year.  Ava was a little confused as to why Santa didn't ask her what she wanted for Christmas (a Snow White princess dress, as everyone knows), but he was busy with dozens of other kids and only gave out a sticker and a pencil during each kids short visit.  Presumably cutbacks and restructuring have hit his line of work, too.  I promised Ava that we'd write him a letter to make sure that he knows about her request.

 

It reminded me of this scene from A Christmas Story, where Ralphie quickly yelled out his request to Santa (followed by this phony smile) before he was forced down the exit slide.

 

Ava listens to Mommy tell her how important it is to get a good night's sleep and also to take a nap at daycare so that she's all ready for dance class afterwards.

 

Listening to me tell her the same thing a minute later...or is she?

 

She did nap the next day, so she was in good shape for this class.  This was another "audience" day at dance class, where the parents can sit on the floor and take pictures.  Miss Kristen's ability to get all of the girls' attention is pretty obvious here.  I would think that working with a bunch of three and four year-olds would be as tough as herding cats, but she does it well.

(A detail of the bottom half of the picture above) Ava's teacher in daycare told me that, a few weeks ago, Ava played "pretend" with her friends by telling them something to the effect of: "OK, Let's play.  You be the dance students, I'll be the dance teacher."  So, we know that she idolizes Miss Kristen!  Looks like she's not the only one here.

 

All of the girls get to jump on a small trampoline, but not without being held by both hands.  I don't know if the girls were supposed to watch themselves in the mirror as they did it, but they constantly do, anyway.

 

Watching herself, this time as she does the balance beam...with a little help.

 

Quote of the Week:

As we were leaving daycare one afternoon this week, Ava asked me to carry her to the car.  She often asks this--and I often oblige--but I also like to remind her that she can walk by herself sometimes (holding my hand, of course), because that's what big girls do.  But, she insisted that I carry her, and then she said to me, "That's why I have you."

 

Christmas morning at last!  Opening a present, with many more still to go.

 

Later that day at Uncle Mark's.  Mommy and Aunt Sessie help Ava get into her new Snow White dress while lots of others look on.

 

Grampa John with all of his granddaughters once again.

 

Starting to wilt in the evening while making pretend food with play-dough.

 

But rallying later on to put some stickers on her forehead and sing karaoke with Cousin Megan.

 

The Snow White dress now hangs along with the five other exotic dresses in Ava's growing collection.

 

Going to the library means playing hide-and-seek.  Letting Daddy browse the book stacks is simply not allowed.

 

But, Ava can browse the books when the spirit moves her, and something attracted her to this book.  I didn't ask her to make any kind of face here...She just decided to do this for the picture, in part because she sometimes likes to do anything but smile for me...It's kind of a game.

 

Twenty-three minutes until 2006...Will Ava make it?  It's pretty clear that she did, as--like Hilary Duff--she's showing no signs of sleepiness here.

 

Trying to stay up late a few nights later, but it's only about 9:00 here and she's fighting it as she plays an online game on the My Little Pony website.  She's wearing the same Blue Fairy outfit that she wore over two years ago for Halloween.  It was too big then, and it fits snugly now.

 

And--as usual these days--she only lets me get in a few shots before the funny face comes out.  Note how she doesn't take her eyes off the computer screen, though.

 

Watching the older girls through the open door to their dance class.  I wonder what she's thinking....perhaps, "One day, I'm going to dance suggestive moves like that...and then my Dad will probably have difficulty breathing."

 

Looking all grown up (and looking more and more like her mother, I think) during a Friday with Daddy on a January afternoon.

 

She asked me to warm her up before dance class because the waiting room was chilly from all the people coming and going on this January evening.

 

Watching Aunt Renee light the candles on Cousin Morgan's birthday cookie at her 9th Birthday party.

 

 

The party continued into a slumber party for all of the cousins, followed by a trip to the mall the next day where there was a bridal fashion show to watch, and Ava certainly did!

 

This was her first time at a McDonald's playroom.  I'm not sure that it was a success, as she didn't go much farther into it than you see here, and she came down with the flu a few days later, probably from venturing into this germ farm even this far.

 

She made it to the first level, but there weren't many smiles.  Note Ava's pink and blue nails that Mommy painted for her.  They're her favorite colors.

 

One of the few moments off of the couch (to play a computer game) the week that she was home with the flu.

 

Painting on a Sunday afternoon, with her Snow White dress properly protected.

 

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