Best Mother's Day Ever

Celebrating my second Mother's day with my mom and my daughter, as well as Josh and my dad, was wonderful.  We celebrated my wonderful mother's birthday, too.

We spent some time at Deanna rose farmstead, checking out all the animals.  We have been there probably half a dozen times before, but it just never gets old.  And it was my mom's first time visiting the farm, which made it even better.  After checking out the chickens and baby chicks, Ava rang the cowbells for awhile.  Always one of her favorite things to do there.

First were the animals in the barn...calves, ducklings, and a large milk cow.

And we were off to see the baby goats!

She really wanted to get down and see them...

...but she really wasn't so sure about them.

 Grandma Patty and Ava enjoyed swinging for awhile...

And it was off to the ducks, or "quack quacks" as Ava says.  She LOVES ducks.

 And we headed over to the little stream, to see the huge goldfish.

And do you notice anything different about this last photo?

No pink bow.

While watching the goldfish swim, she yanked the bow out her hair and threw it into the water.  And then she squealed with delight.  She found it hilarious.

Next stop to complete our perfect Mother's day, the zoo.  We all had a wonderful time there, seeing all the animals.  Ava kept us entertained with her version of the animal noises, and loved pointing each one out to us, too.

Grandma and Grandpa Pasek with Ava

We went straight to watch the sea lion show.  The zoo was super busy, so Ava watched the show from the shoulders of Grandpa Pasek and her daddy.

The moms and the beautiful Ava.

 We took the long walk to Africa, and checked out the elephants.

Before we left the elephants, one decided to do his business.  For the rest of the day Ava would insist "He pooped.  He pooped!" until I finally would say "The Elephant pooped?"  She'd answer "yeah" and sit back down in her stroller. Evidently, it was a big deal.

Watching the monkeys.

Pointing out the leopards.

Loved the meerkats, and so did Grandma Patty.

Ava found a piece of wood that she insisted on hanging from...

Rhinos.

Grandpa pointing out the animals.

Ava enjoyed some potato chips with her lunch....and thought Grandpa would like some, too.

What a beautiful, blessed Mother's day!!

Playdates with the Indellicates

We have had some wonderful outings with one of some of our favorite people lately - the Indellicate family.  Liz and I met briefly in medical school (she was two years ahead of me), and we realized we went to the same church.  We spoke a few times at church, and somehow just became friends.  My last two years of medical school sent Josh and I to Joplin, and through a crazy series of events, Liz ended up there as well for her residency.  It was a wonderful blessing to me to have her there, and we became good friends through all of life's craziness.  Since that time, we have both finished residency, started our "big kids jobs," and became mothers.  And now that we live less than 5 minutes away from each other - bring on the playdates!

The first stop - Wonderscope, the children's music not far from our house.  They love running from room to room exploring everything it has to offer.

The perfect secretary duo.  Will said "I am checking, Ava!"

And they're great vets, too - brushing the pet dog.

Playing in the water.

Shopping fun.

Out to lunch at our favorite post-church spot.  Yum, Jason's deli.

She's probably wondering where her chips are.

They introduced us to the wonderful world of pizza - Spin! Pizza!  They have gluten free crust and dairy free cheese & gelato!

Ava, Liz, and Will at church.

Playing at church.

 Next stop, the zoo.  Ava's first trip to the KC zoo.  Soooo much fun!!

First stop, the seal show.  Ava and Will were mesmerized!

Watching the elephants....Ava does a mean elephant impression, complete with an elephant trunk.

Snack time!

Watching the monkeys.

This is Ava trying to call the leopard over - "here" she says.

 Watching the gorillas.

Tram ride!

 And off to the playground after our picnic lunch...

Pointing out the beautiful birds.

Finally watching the polar bear Nikita.  Swimming, flipping, and playing in the water!

And they are OUT!  Proof that we had a great morning!

Bonus video of Ava and Will playing tag!