Butterfly Pavilion and Aquarium

This week Ava and I went to the Butterfly Pavilion. There were many beautiful butterflies, but I was busy chasing Ava around so I didn't get too many pictures. :)

This weekend, we went to the Aquarium.

Ava saying, "cheese" for the camera. (This is the first time I have captured her actually saying "cheese" for me.)

I'm not sure why there was a tiger at the aquarium, but we were able to get up close and personal with it!

Ava wasn't too sure about these "holes" in the ground. She would stand on the edge, count to 3 and jump. Like she was jumping into a pool. :)

Ava's favorite part of the aquarium had nothing to do with fish or sharks. It was the bounce house. She loved jumping up and bouncing on her bottom.

Horses, Birds, Piggies and Snakes!

Last week we took Ava to the mall to ride the carousel.
We also went to the Denver Zoo. Check out her silly face in this picture.

Her favorite part of the zoo? The birds.

Ava and I went with a friend to the Botanic Gardens.

Ava's first "piggies." They are a bit short. :)

Check out this snake that Ava almost stepped on!! It scared me to death. Ava was running ahead of me on the sidewalk on our way home from the pool. I noticed this snake when she was approx. 3 feet from it. Heart racing, I quickly grabbed her before she got any closer. Turns out it's not poisonous, but still, scary!

Western Adventures

For the past 5 weeks, Ava and I have been doing a lot of traveling!

Our itinerary:
3 weeks in Boulder City, NV
2 days in Denver, CO
4 days in Moon Lake, UT
4 days in Farmington, UT
1 day in Cedar City, UT
3 days in Boulder City, NV
Then back to Denver, CO

You've seen pictures from the three weeks in Boulder City. Here is the rest of our traveling journal.

We enjoyed camping at Moon Lake, UT with Justin's family. Ava loved the dirt. Justin loved fishing.

Justin and Nate (his brother) with their prized catch.

Ava and Grandpa Hawes
She's telling us what a bear says, "Raar!"

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After camping, Ava and I headed to Farmington with Justin's family. Once again, Justin had to go back to work in Denver. Too bad.

Feeding the ducks and geese with Grandma Hawes.

Ava loved Grandpa and Grandma's backyard.

She especially loved it when Aunt Brooklyn played with her.

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We spent one day in Cedar City, UT at my cousin's wedding. Ava was more interested in throwing rocks outside the church. That's my little tomboy. ;)

She did enjoy some dancing at the reception.

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Last but not least, we spent a few days with Grandpa Graff and family before heading back to Denver.

Ava loved playing with Grandpa Graff's quail chicks. Now we are back in Denver. Justin is on a work assignment for the summer. We'll head back to DC in late September.

For now, we are enjoying our temporary home. Many more posts to come about our Denver adventures, so stay tuned!