family stay-cation.

last weekend we had a fun little family stay-cation. my brother's family came to town and we had a great time with all the sweet children.

thursday was a disney day. it was so hot, but we had short lines and got to enjoy a lot of rides at both parks.

friday was a beach day. Ava has been to the beach before in long beach. no waves and she's never been in the sand. friday was her first real beach day.... she was not so happy with the sound of the waves or the feel of the sand. (that and she was tired).

she relaxed with gramma while i enjoyed the waves with Brian, Matthew, and Elizabeth.

Saturday was a relaxation day. no pictures of that.

Sunday was baby Benjamin's blessing at church, followed by a party at Mike and Janica's. Ava had fun playing with the big kids.

and i totally stole this picture from Michelle. i can't get enough of it. it's so sweet. This is my Grandma Lowe with my newest nephew (her great grandson), Benjamin. 

it was a great weekend!

walker.

so, last week, Ava came in to visit RailPros. She took her first steps at RP and my heart melted. everyone kept asking for pictures and videos, but when i would get my camera out, she would sit on her butt. 

this evening, she finally let us catch it on camera, and i think she's pretty fond of it because she won't stop! 

and this time... i have proof!!!

We got it from a couple different angles because we were both trying to get it! 

watch out, world....

easter festivities

we had a great Easter this year. We hosted it at Casa Medina with an early dinner on the back patio and an egg hunt. it got a little could and dreary, so we couldn't stay outside too long. i meant to get pictures of all the festivities, but i was busy socializing, playing, hosting, and such.

Janica snapped a couple pictures during the egg hunt:

allyson made out like a bandit! :) 

emily did pretty well, herself, too!

she was pretty proud of her eggs! 

the Easter Bunny may have gone a little overboard with the eggs, but we had a great time!

after all the hub-bub, we had a fun little photoshoot with Ava... but she was kind of tired. she was a good sport, though and we got some cute ones:

she loves the mirror!

playing outside

mommy and ava

life with ava...

it's like a dream

a very beautiful dream

a very happy dream

you can see that she's losing her patience...

my loves <3

we concluded our evening with The Walking Dead. 

hope you and yours had a wonderful Easter Sunday! 

springtime and smiles.

Ava is enjoying springtime.

checkin' out her twin sister in the mirror. :)

proud of her skills.

don't mind the laundry basket in the background.

She's gotten quite possessive... of anything, regardless of if it is hers or not. this is her reaction to me taking away a highlighter. even when she's sad, she's so cute! 

for those of you who think she never frowns... 

After dinner the other night, we finally went up the hill in our neighborhood and did some exploring. We found a great park: Barcelona Park. 

is that your happy cat shirt??

she likes the slide as long as i can help her. :) 

seriously? so happy!!! 

she is SO CLOSE to walking!

this one makes me laugh... she's contemplating the meaning of life. 

she loves to push around her stroller. 

I hope you've been enjoying this beautiful season too!

my girl likes to party all the time.

we have such a fun, happy, playful girl and we have been enjoying every minute with her. every day is like a party! 

Friday night's party involved stretchy pants, pizza, and this:

Sunday afternoon's party was a party at the park: 

tonight's party was full of squeals and giggles and this: 

the happiest place on earth.

a couple of weeks ago, we went to Disneyland with Shaun and Ashley. it was a great trip! we stayed for about 8 hours and enjoyed tons of rides in both parks. i didn't get as many pictures as i had hoped, but i got these cute captures:

pigtail princess.

Shaun, Ashley, Ava and Mickey! 

minnie mouse sweatshirt.

family fun.