The Danes of Morrisville

December 14, 2009

December Notes

It has been wet and cold this week. We are starting to get cabin fever. I know Ava wants to be outside, but I need to get her a snowsuit first. We drove to a museum to get out of the cold, but it was closed for renovations. We walked on the grounds instead. So very cold, but we managed it. We are still car shopping. What a lot of work. Ava and I test drove a 2006 Toyota Highlander today while Rex was at work. The salesman didn't tell me about a wreck on the CarFax report until after I drove the car. Good thing I asked for the report. I didn't really like it too well anyways. Now that I know that, I guess it wasn't a total waste of time. We will try again tomorrow.

Rummikub...Ava makes her own rules.

Crawling at the Durham Southpoint Mall indoor play yard.

She likes games.

Afloat in a boat.

Loves bath time.

Funny face.

Likes to suck on the washcloth.

Shopping for cars on Saturday. The ones we came to look at were sold by the time we got there.

LOVES her Daddy.

So sweet.

So cold and rainy, but out for a walk anyways.

The NC Museum of Art trail. In the background, some art.

Daddy and baby in the rain.

Me, making baby laugh.

I see a little red nose.

A fancy art installation/shelter.

A hawk in the rain.

Daddy, Mommy, Ava at the Southern Oaks clubhouse.

Click on the links below:

Baby Climbing

Baby Cruising

December 07, 2009

Milestones

In addition to crawling, baby girl is pulling herself up on to her knees and sometimes all the way up. She pulled herself up in her crib last night and didn't know how to get down. She sometimes topples over, but she is generally unscathed. (for now.) She was very patient this weekend while Mom and Dad went car shopping. We have only been to two dealerships so far, but we plan on spending the month looking. We will be sure to post pics of our new ride when we get it.

Now that she can sit up, Ava rides in the shopping cart like a big girl.

Stop taking pictures Mom. Let's get this show on the road.

Ava and Emerson like an 8 minute video on YouTube called "Mr. Happy."

"Hey, down in front." Ava gets a little excited and climbs on to the computer. Good thing we found a key lock program.

We went looking for cars on Sunday, but the dealerships were all closed. We went to the mall and found a merry-go-round instead.

Round and round.

So much to see.

Hi Daddy!

The mall can be a little overwhelming.

Climbing up on things now.

Beautiful, blue-eyed baby.

A closer look.

Video Links:

Baby tickles

Climbing up

November 29, 2009

Thanksgiving in Highlands

Up to the Appalachians again to see Cousin Sarah. Ava did great on the way there. We stopped a lot, so the normally 5.5 hour trip became 7 hours. When she got tired of her car seat, we would stop in the nearest town. We saw parts of NC we would never have otherwise and we had some interesting meals. Thanksgiving with Sarah (and her friends) was very nice. Ava loved exploring Sarah's house and she crawled everywhere, grabbing at anything breakable. That kept us on our toes. The main object of her desire? Tobias the kitty of course. Whenever Tobais came in to the room, she would squeal with delight, which sent him off like a shot. We spent 2 wonderful days in Highlands with Sarah. We left on Saturday and visited Asheville, NC on the trip home. We took lots of pictures!

It was cold in Highlands. We had to bundle up.
_

Fuzzy and warm. A walk to the top of Holt Knob.

Part of the Thanksgiving crowd.
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This dog's name is Jazz. He looks a bit menacing peering through the the cat door, but he is really sweet.

This is as close as Jazz ever let Ava get.

Mommy and Ava on Thanksgiving day.

Crawl, crawl ... find something interesting on the floor to eat, mom takes it away, crawl, crawl. (repeat)

I like the furry guy who crawls like me.

The fire was so cozy.

Tobias.

Jump, jump, jump.

Pause.

Handsome Rex.

Thanksgiving still life.

The spread. So much to be thankful for.

A pretty hawk.

Mt. Whitesides.

We just happened upon Santa while visiting a park one day. We (the adults) were happy with our good luck, but Ava was pretty non-plussed about the experience.

4 weeks to Christmas.

Out for a hike.

Jumping for Sarah.

Kisses!

Ava's things took over Sarah's front room. Tobias (almost hidden by toys) looks on with disapproval.

Mom, Dad, Ava.

Sarah, Mom, Dad, Ava.

Discovering the piano with Cousin Sarah.

Ava plays the piano with her thumbs.

A giant fire place at the Grove Park Inn, in Asheville, NC.

A pretty view of the Smoky Mountains from the inn.

There are terraced gardens around this historic inn. It was like a North Carolina version of Machu Picchu. (Asheville elev. 2134, Machu Picchu elev. 7710)