Day 1. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Our village is Grandpa Gary, Auntie Ali, Auntie Angie and me, Grandma Shirley. We are raising Beautiful Ava for 5 days while her Mommy and Daddy go scuba diving in Belize, and we four are just barely enough J. Today we started the day making Rice Krispie bars (which requires a lot of kneading with the hands and eating off the warm Rice Krispie/marshmallow cream. Ava loves them. Then a trip to the beauty salon for haircuts for Auntie Ali, Grandma and Auntie Angie, and lunch at a Claremont vegan restaurant where Ava gobbled spicy quinoa sushi and hand pressed apple juice. She has a very eclectic palate. Home for a nap and a home-cooked dinner with Grandpa Gary.
Day 2. When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. Day 2 was our shopping day at the Montclair mall. All for Ava of course, who, at 2½, is wearing 4T clothes and may grow out of those soon. Grandma Shirley LOVES to go shopping for her only grandchild. We checked out the children’s play area, Penney’s, Gymboree, Gap Kids, and the Disney Store where Grandma Shirley told Ava she could pick one thing for Grandma to buy. Not even a close call, as our girl selected the Minnie Mouse doll (see Minnie on the table in the photo at Nordstrom’s tea room). Found pajamas on sale, shorts, shirts and even a dress, sigh. Macaroni & cheese for lunch, then home for a nap for both Ava and Grandma. Dinner out with Grandpa Gary and the girls at The Press where Ava gobbled the cheese plate and some of Grandma’s enchilada’s rice and beans.
Day 3. Q: How many times can a 2 ½ year old child watch a Peter Pan DVD? A: Almost as many times as she enjoys going to the park. (That would be up to four times a day watching the DVD – we now all know the words to all the songs – and usually once to a local park where she particularly loves the slides.) Also had a coffee (and chocolate milk) break at Starbucks in Claremont today, grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s and home for a dinner cooked by Ali and Angie.
Day 4. Big Bugs and Big Butterflies. Today Ava, Auntie Ali, Auntie Angie and Grandma went to the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden in Claremont to see the “Big Bugs” (wood and reed sculptures of 8 wonderful bugs by artist David Rogers– including a spider, ladybug and dragonfly, ant in photo below) and the Butterfly Pavilion where beautiful Ava watched beautiful California native butterflies on shrubs and flowers. Lunch at (air conditioned) McDonald’s to follow on a hot, hot day.
Day 5. Today Beautiful Ava went to Grandma Elda and Grandpa Jay’s house for the last half of Mommy and Daddy’s trip. Things Ava liked at Grandma Shirley’s: watching the Peter Pan DVD, playing on the slides and sand box at Higgenbotham Park, watching the Peter Pan DVD, putting stickers on “Maggie the dog”, watching the Peter Pan DVD, blowing bubbles, watching the Peter Pan DVD, hard boiled eggs, watching the Peter Pan DVD, raisins, watching the Peter Pan DVD, Rice Krispie treats, watching the Peter Pan DVD, petting cats Brenda and Lucy, watching the Peter Pan DVD, tubby time with Daddy’s old tubby toys (Tupperware cups and ducks), watching the Peter Pan DVD, splashing in the blow-up kiddie pool on the patio, and watching the Peter Pan DVD.
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