A quick weekend away...

We decided to make a quick trip to the beach on Saturday.

The weather was beautiful the entire drive there.
(Not so much once we arrived)
As we were about 20 miles from the house Ava
announces "Mommy I have to go potty."

I think she saw the fear in my eyes as there was really
no place to pull over to go. She looks at me all
disappointed like and says "You didn't bring my little
potty, did you?!" I explained to her that only babies
use those little potties, she is a big girl now. I looked
back at her and said "Ava can you just hold it?"
She looks all around the backseat and says
"Hold what Mommy?" : )

She did make it, thank goodness.

Ava was very happy to be back at the beach house.
She switched right into entertainment mode,
running around, dancing, singing, making everyone laugh.

She loves this one stool we have there, it is really high off
the ground and she likes to jump off of it into the beanbag
chairs. She got it in her head she wanted to jump onto the
hard floor too. I told her she could only do it when someone
was holding her hand. Soon after she calls me over and gets
up on the stool. She says "Mom, watch me, DON'T SAY
ANYTHING, just watch me!"

Apparently Auntie told her she could.

Uncle Chris, making Ava tall.

Next Ava got a hold of the camera...

Her first shot, eyes closed, looks like Grandma happily sleeping.

That's better!

Auntie!

Next she wanted everyone to open their mouth,
like this...

Ava got Auntie first,

then Grandma,

and finally Ryan, Jessica's roommate.

This was our first time meeting Ryan,
Ava was able to quickly get him with the program,
here he is reading books to her.

After all that playing Ava was exhausted.
She begged to sleep in the beanbag chair.

In normal Ava fashion she quickly ditched her jammies.

Her plan of sleeping in that beanbag only lasted
so long, she eventually crawled into bed with me.

I tell you this child has an amazing ability to make
a king size bed feel like a twin.
Neither one of us got any sleep.
She kept crawling all over me trying to convince me
it was morning time, time to get up!

The next day she told Grandpa John that he was
not allowed to go to the beach because it was raining.
Little did she know her reverse psychology was the
perfect way to get a beach trip going!

Grandpa John

We had a quick breakfast when they returned,
Ava must have been hungry from all that playing
and no sleep, she ate 4 plates of pancakes & fruit!!

And then she was out!
She slept the whole way home!

Sadly, being the driver, I didn't have this luxury...