Can't believe we've got ourselves a 2 year old (again)! I don't remember this age being very easy, but I have a feeling it'll be tougher with little Ava. She's full of sass and stubbornness. I could already tell the tactics we used with Erin won't work with Ava. Ava could care less if we threatened her that we'll leave her if she doesn't listen (worked like a charm with Erin) or if you yell at her and look/sound angry. She's a master at avoiding eye contact and ignoring you. But on the plus, she gives the best hugs and is always wanting to feed people. She acts like a cat randomly (she's the comedian in your family) and she'll always want to be around her big sis. It's the cutest when I find them cuddling and giggling to each other. I just want to nibble on her big cheeks and although often times it's quite exhausting, I love that she thinks I'm the most important person in her world.

A few highlights:

• Ava's quite the talker. She's definitely talking a lot more than Erin was at this age. She picks up on everything.
• She is currently really into baby dolls and Frozen.
• Not the best eater. She's very picky, but she'll eat a ton of the things she likes. Some of her favs: mac and cheese, soups, white rice, yogurt, anything with cheese, all fruits and Chick-fil-A chicken tenders.
• She's a good night sleeper. Never really had to sleep train her. She falls asleep on her own and sleeps through the night. Her naps are a hit or miss. 
• She's been in a "my" phase these days..."my mom", "my milk", "my cloth". It makes Erin a little sad to hear.
• She's constantly on the move. Girl can't sit still. Going to restaurants with her is definitely a challenge.
• She's obsessed with me (mom).
• She freaks out when there's food on her face.
• She wants to do everything herself.
• She copies everything Erin does and says. It's cute most of the time.
• You'll often hear her say: "no thank you", "I don't want it anymore", "stop", :how about...", "more please", where are you mom?", "huh", "cause".
• Her counting at the moment looks like this: "1, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 18". Not too shabby for a 2 year old!

Stats: TBD

We threw Ava a little moon themed party with immediate family. Girl loves the moon!

San Francisco 2017

Our family spent the last few days of 2017 in San Francisco. We originally wanted to visit Texas (Magnolia Market!), but flights were way too expensive so we went with SF. It was Ava's first time and Erin's second.

The first two days of our trip were the easiest and most eventful. We spent the afternoon at Pier 39 the first day and spent the whole day at Monterey our second. We went out to try new restaurants and sight see. We also got to meet up with friends. By day 3, Ava could no longer sit still at restaurants and a good portion of her "fits" started (we've got ourselves quite the drama queen). By Day 4, we were all ready to go home. It's always tiring traveling with little ones (especially when they still need naps), but we made some great memories (both good and bad)!

Once we got home, I realized what a good traveler Erin is. She loves riding on planes, buses, trains, etc. (I asked Erin what her favorite part about this trip was and she said it was the airplane and lollipop. hah). And looking back at all our traveling experiences with her, I realized how easy she was. Minus her huge stranger danger ordeal, she was and still is easy to travel with. Ava is another story. This was Ava's third flight and after our previous flight (you can read about it here), we were a bit hesitant to fly with her again, but decided that an hour flight wouldn't be too difficult. This girl cannot sit still. To start off she was upset she didn't get her own seat and didn't like the idea of having to sit on my lap. We bribed her with some fruit snacks and lollipops but she went through those quick. She squirmed the whole time, kicking and banging at the people around us and made the hour flight feel quite long. She was a little better on our flight back home. Flight wasn't full so she got her own seat, but of course that's when she only wanted to sit on my lap. Curios to see what she'll be like on an international flight. We want to plan a Europe trip in the next year so I'm hoping by then she'll be more manageable or at least be interested in watching something on the iPad for longer than 5 minutes. But on a positive note, Ava is a rock star sleeper! No fuss sleeping in a new bed and new place. Slept through the night (in her own bed) with no issues every night. Hooray!

Highlights of our trip (in no particular order):

1. Sweet Maple -  The millionaires bacon is bomb diggity. A must eat!

2. Boba Guys - Got the strawberry matcha latte. I enjoyed very much.

3. 98.1 The Breeze - I loved this radio station. It's like KOST, but way better!
4. Tartine - The morning bun is my favorite.
5. Dolores Park - Spent several hours at the Helen Diller playground at Dolores Park. The girls loved it. They have huge slides and tons of things to climb. We grabbed some lunch and ate it there. Definitely recommend.
6. B Patisserie - Super yummy chocolate chip cookie.
7. Monterey - Cannery street is such a cute little place. Weather was perfect. Aquarium was nice, but too crowded.
8. Back A Yard - I almost always order white meat if they have that option, but I know almost always it will be too dry. My chicken was quite dry, but their special jerk sauce is money.
9. Larkspur Landing - We stayed at a suite style hotel. They have separate bedrooms and a kitchen. Definitely a plus if you have a kid that needs to sleep earlier than everyone else. They also offer free continental breakfast and free parking. Its not the nicest or fanciest, but I didn't mind it at all.