Jenny's first day of first grade

Today was Jenny's first day of first grade at Washington International School.  She was so looking forward to it that she picked out her outfit last night.  She was excited when I woke her up this morning.  Rachel took her over to school and snapped these photos.  There are a few good ones of Jenny by herself plus Rachel holding Jenny.  Then there are some good ones of Jenny with her friends in the classroom.  They look so happy!  It was a great first day and Jenny is happy to be back in school.

J.

Daddy and Ava on a beautiful Sunday

Here are two photos that Jenny took of me and Ava on Sunday when we were enjoying some nice weather on the back deck.  I think Ava and I have matching marks on our faces!  Ava's is from when she bonked when we were in CA.  I don't know what mine is from!  I like both of these photos because they really show how nice the scene was.  Perfect day and great time with my girls.

J.

Last batch of CA photos

Ok - here's the last batch of CA photos.  They include a nice one of me, my dad, and Ava sitting outside next to the old computer that he rescued from being thrown out (it was in a pile of junk that was going to the dump).  And there are two nice ones of my dad holding Ava.

As great a time as we had visiting CA, we are all happy to be home.  It was just beautiful driving across the Key Bridge into Georgetown as we were driving home from the airport.  We ordered take-out Chinese food and had a quiet evening at home (the girls were both exhausted).  Tomorrow, we will have a quiet day to rest up before Jenny starts her first day of 1st grade!  So much to look forward to.

J.

Sixth batch of CA photos

I really like this assortment of photos. It starts with a cute one of Jenny and Ava playing in a cardboard box (so much for fancy toys).  Then there is a good one of Jenny reading with my mom.  Then there is a nice series of photos of Rachel with the girls -- some taken in my parents' living room and some taken outside on the deck overlooking the creek.  It is such a beautiful place and that comes out in these photos.  Plus, my girls are so beautiful!  The last one is of me holding Ava on the back deck. I have a lot of fond memories of that deck.  And it was fun being out there with Jenny enjoying the view and looking for golf balls (the deck is near the Stanford University Golf Course and we get the occasional stray ball in the back yard).

J.

More CA photos

Here are some good ones of Jenny doing a gardening project with my dad as well as a series of Jenny playing the piano and Ava trying to climb up the piano leg.  Jenny and Ava spent a lot of time this way.  Except for the noise (Jenny was mostly banging on the keys), the girls had a nice time.  The girls were non-stop action and it was hard to keep up with them!  Luckily, my parents were always up for chasing them around and thinking up good projects with them.

J.

Fifth batch of CA photos

I love the first photo below of my mom feeding Ava while Jenny helps out.  There are also a few good ones of the nice lunch we had in Ladera (a town just up the road from where my parents live and where I grew up).  We were having such a nice time.  I especially like the one where Rachel is putting Ava on my head!

J.

Lunch at Stanford Shopping Center

Several times while were were in CA we visited the Stanford Shopping Center and just hung out -- either having lunch, buying a few things in preparation for the coming school year, or just wandering around. Here are some photos of the lunch we had in an outdoor cafe.  We are just so relaxed and happy to be there.

J.

Third batch of CA photos

I kept finding more CA photos that I really liked so I have posted some more.  These include a few really nice ones of my mom with Ava as well as some of Ava by herself.  Such a cutie! The couch Ava is on is really comfortable -- I slept on it a few times during this trip!

J.

Second batch of CA trip photos

Here are more photos of our California trip.  They include a few good ones of Jenny baking cookies with Grandma Theda.  They also include Grandpa Oscar holding Ava in the living room. Jenny loves to cook with my mom and they did a lot of it on this trip.  They baked two batches of cookies and Jenny helped my mom cook amazing dinners every night.  I think I need to go on a diet after eating so well!

J.