During the heat wave last Sunday, we enjoyed  a little vanilla ice cream on a living room picnic.
Grandpa was very handy and Avi was only too happy to help out. . .it turns out his parents are not so handy. . .

So, Avi has a thing for older women.  This beauty is 5 years old and their mutual love was precious.
Avi gets to know his first cousin, baby Austin, from Grandma's arms.
Have we mentioned that Avi wants nothing more to do with high chairs or booster seats?  Meals are also best eaten while perched on the couch or a parent's lap.

There is so much to keep up with lately and I have been a little slow to take it all in and write it down.  I want to keep track for Avi and for our future family, as well.  

Finally, I downloaded photos from our trip last weekend.  My mom picked us up and we headed down to Santa Ynez for my nephew's baptism.  It was just Avi and I because Leeor had to go on a conference with the Youth Court kids.  Our family of 3 hadn't been apart from each other in awhile and it threw us all for a loop as we went our separate ways Thursday morning.  

Avi slept while I got to chat with my mom and it was a really nice drive down the 101.  Only when she took us to our hotel in Solvang and I turned on the TV did I learn that Michael Jackson had died.  What? Even though I didn't get the details (Avi was eager to hit the pool), it made sense to me.  He was 50.  He had been ill for so long.  I didn't give much more attention to this as we were soon headed over to my brother and Tina's house to meet baby Austin.  We were so excited.

Was Avi really that small and floppy?  I felt nervous to hold my fragile nephew--newborns are so fragile! How quickly I had forgotten.  He was sweet and sleepy and delicate.  Avi was in love.  He was also jealous and unaccustomed to being the primary object of Grandma's affection.  I felt anxious, too, because I remembered how I felt hosting people at our house for Avi's bris.  As a new mother, I didn't really feel up to it but my family took care of everything.  I couldn't imagine hosting multiple people for the weekend, not to mention a large, catered, backyard party.  

The weather was perfect.  I realized that it was like a mini-vacation; we stayed in a nice hotel in the heart of Solvang (I tried vainly to sneak Avi past the pool but he was so thrilled by it that every time he would begin his refrain of "pool! pooh! poooohll!), Avi and I ate out together one morning and we napped all afternoon in the cool darkness of an air-conditioned room, no responsibilities beyond ourselves.  Nice.  I remembered when he was only 3 weeks old and we stayed in a nice hotel in San Diego while Leeor worked on a case with his firm.  It was plush and decadent to get coffee out every morning (though I love my ritual of grinding the beans with Avi) and I haven't done that since we were in New York in December.  

Then my dad drove us back up to San Francisco and we stopped in Monterey along the way to see Saba and Safta, as well as to place a counter offer on the house.  It was a quick visit but we managed to stuff ourselves with homemade hummous and soup and Avi stretched his legs before we hopped back on the road.  

It turned out to be a late night but well worth it.  I haven't seen my dad since Avi was born so it was a treat to hang out together.  We walked to our local market and bought beautiful, grass-fed filet mignon, which my dad cooked up expertly while Avi and I read books and he tried to swipe my glass of red wine.  He stayed up til almost 11 while my dad recounted tales of his post-Vietnam days on Treasure Island . . . which he could spot from our balcony and jogged his memory.  I hope he writes it all down someday.

It was really special to have the time with my parents and brother, especially with Avi at this fun, interactive stage.  I loved travelling with him and can't wait to go on a trip with our family of 3 in a couple of weeks . . . Leeor was definitely missing from our experience but the time apart allowed me to appreciate him even more than I do.  And believe me, he missed us dearly while he was hanging with his teen team in Long Beach.  However, I do think he's going to be the one with all the answers when Avi is that age.  Good thing, because at this rate, I am going to burn out pretty soon.  The holiday weekend at home will help me recharge, and I hope everyone has a safe and celebratory 4th of July with their families and friends.