Our Almost 2-Year-Old

We have been really bad at blogging for the last couple of months. It is crazy how fast time goes by and how busy a very active toddler can keep you. We haven't had a chance to download recent pictures from off our camera and sadly there aren't that many on it anyway as Ava has recently decided that she prefers running everywhere to sitting still for a photo op. We also have been busy finishing our basement, adjusting to Larry's new job, watching BYU football games, getting well after Larry and I were both terribly sick, entertaining family from out of town, and visiting the Olsen's fabulous new home up in Preston, Idaho. To motivate you to keep checking our blog, I am putting up some of my favorite pictures of Ava from August that didn't make it into any of our previous postings. She is sitting at the piano, one of the few places where I can actually get a picture with her staying semi-still.

Here Ava is practicing her kissy face. Although she has never been an overly cuddly child, Ava loves to give kisses. Hopefully this love of kissing does not continue into her teenage years!

Here is Ava at three months. Back then she had already mastered puckering her lips, but was much better at sitting still for the camera.

Hopefully we can start making more time for blogging. Stay tuned!

Seth & Sophie

Ava loves playing with her cousins. For the last couple of weeks, she has been able to spend Monday mornings with her cousin Annissa. Ava and Annissa are only a week apart and are already great friends. Ava also gets so excited every time she sees her cousins, Luke (Gook), Seth, and Sophie (Baby). A few weeks ago, Seth and Sophie came over to our house to play. Ava had so much fun playing with them. While Sophie was napping, Ava and Seth decided they wanted to read some books down in Ava's little room under the stairs.

Here they are both deeply enthralled with their books.

Then, Ava, who totally looks up to Seth, decided that maybe his book was more interesting.

Once Sophie was up from her nap, the three cousins shared their favorite treat, rainbow goldfish.

Ava loves little Sophie. Here she is trying to steal a kiss, which Sophie would have nothing to do with...

...so Ava settled for a hug while Sophie, completely aloof, kept eating her goldfish.

Ava is so lucky to have such great cousins.

Cougar Courage

BYU's football home opener was the same weekend that Larry's mom was in town, so we of course all went to see the game. We unpacked Ava's BYU cheerleader outfit she wore to last year's home opener and it surprisingly still fit her (albeit much more tightly). With so much on the line for the cougars this season, Ava was visibly nervous.

Nala reprised her role as a "cougar" for our pictures. We thought Nala's presence would reassure Ava, but it was no help.

However, then Ava gave Nala a hug and her courage was bolstered.

So much so that she flexed her muscles for the next picture.

Our collective apprehension of course proved to be misplaced as BYU went on to win the game with authority. Two weekends later, Ryan and Kelly flew out from North Carolina to see BYU's second home game against UCLA. The Cougars won that game handily, 59-0. Here's a picture of Jamison, Ryan, Kelly, and Larry at the game. As of today, BYU is 5-0 and ranked #8 in the country.

For those wanting to take a brief stroll down memory lane, here's a picture taken during last year's home opener of Ava with Grandpa Furr. You can read the blog post here.

We're guessing the outfit won't fit her again next year, so we've begun collecting donations for the Buy Ava a New Cheerleader Outfit Fund (BANCOF). Operators are standing by.