Home Again

Ava and Scott treked to Appleton last week for a day and a night to visit Grandma and Grandpa. While Scott enjoyed some spats of free time reading Dan Brown's Angels & Demons (think an episode of 24 mixed with The Da Vinci Code) and perusing Chimera, a mega game store, Ava settled into some seriously fun time with Gamma n' Bumpa.

Of course, no visit to Appleton is complete without a trip to the glorious buffet at Min Du restaurant. This tiny eatery boasts some of the freshest and most authentic Chinese food around town, and it's run by a family that absolutely adores our daughter. Scott's parents eat there frequently, and Ava is always a topic of conversation. Over the past year, the family has given us a number of gifts from China, such as moon cakes and a Chinese children's DVD.

Pictured (l-r) are the son, cousin and mother. You might already recognize the little girl.

The bottom picture is Ava playing on the http://www.kneebouncers.com/ Web site. It's a game site for toddlers -- press or smash any button on the keyboard to trigger all kinds of on-screen hi jinks. It's never too early to start playing video games.