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My first Father’s Day has been a great one. Jessica got me copy of the Gracie Jiu–Jitsu hardcover book by Helio Gracie, and it was even signed by his grandson Rorion Gracie. She also got me a Gracie t–shirt, sticker and poster. Rick was extremely generous and got me an awesome sound system for our Tv. It was from him and Ava. I never expected something like this but appreciate it so much! Last night Rick, Ava and I had dinner at Azul while Jessica was working. She was busy serving a private wedding party but was also able to take care of us. We had an outstanding dinner and enjoyed all the attention that a beautiful 6 month old baby brings. Today Jessica and Rick were busy painting the headboard that they built together on Friday. I’ll have to post a photo of it when it’s finished. It’s quite impressive. I’ve been busy with homework all day but took a break so the four of us could go for a walk around Lake Murray. It’s a gorgeous, 85 degree day so we really enjoyed getting out of the house. After our walk we went to Costco to pick up groceries. Tonight we’re going to have a nice dinner and enjoy the final round of the U.S. Open as well as game 3 of the NBA Finals. I couldn’t have asked for a better day.

Yesterday Rick flew in from Iowa to visit us for the weekend. We took it easy last night, got take out from a local Italian restaurant and watched game 2 of the finals. Today I came home from work to find Rick repairing our washer and dryer, the Durango was as clean as I’ve ever seen it, and they had built and painted a really cool new headboard for our new bed! Jessica also found a new dresser for our bedroom. Busy day! Tonight we’re probably going to get take out again and watch a movie. Not sure exactly what the plan is for the weekend but Sunday is Father’s Day and we have game 3 of the finals that night, so it should be fun. I’m sure we’ll have some new pics of Grandpa with his baby girl soon as well.

This week I received my first stripe on my white belt in Gracie Jiu–Jitsu. I got it pretty quickly considering I’ve only been studying since the day before Jessica’s birthday. As a white belt, you receive a stripe every twenty classes, with a maximum of four stripes. After receiving two stripes you are eligible to test for your blue belt but you have the option to wait and continue on as a white belt if you prefer. Once you get past white belt the stripes come much slower. I think I heard someone in class say it takes about a year and a half to get each stripe. There are far fewer belts in Jiu–Jitsu than in the traditional martial arts but they mean more because they take so long to get. There are lots of Karate and Tae Kwon Do schools in Southern California that advertise "the quickest path to black belt," something like three or four years, but Gracie Jiu–Jitsu is the exact opposite. We’re known for being the longest path to black belt, as in 15 to 20 years on average. I’m hoping to attend at least one class this summer at the original Gracie Academy in Torrance, CA and get to meet some of the family members that run the school.

Unfortunately Jessica is working doubles both days this weekend so I’m home with Ava and the dogs doing homework while Ava naps and watches the Baby First network. I made fun of Jessica for singing some of the baby songs they play on Ava’s channel but just now I caught myself singing the "Shushy–bye" song to her while she was falling asleep. Ridiculous. We got quite a few good pictures last weekend during our trip to Vegas and a few after returning home. Our little girl is getting big!

Playing with Grandma’s iPad

Always trying to eat those feet

Sleeping like a baby

Hanging out with Leo

Our little Hawkeye

With my instructor Matt Becker after getting my first stripe

Today we’re heading home to San Diego after a great weekend visiting family and friends in Vegas. We left San Diego on Thursday evening after I got home from work and made great time on the drive over. Ava never made a fuss the whole way and the dogs were good too. Friday I had some homework to do, then Jess and I went out to look at Harley’s and then ended up down on the strip walking around and sharing a half–yard frozen strawberry margarita with a blinking "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign. Needless to say we got a lot of funny looks from people but it was fun. That night we met up with our friends Devin, Eve, Brian, Suzan, Tiko and Tina downtown for some beers. At the end of the night we found ourselves at a Japanese steakhouse called Musashi and were entertained by the chef as he juggled utensils and flamboyantly prepared our meals.

Yesterday I started off with more homework, then we had a BBQ at Mom’s house. Denny made it over and so did Bob and Mandi. Denny is recovering nicely from his neck surgery and seemed to be doing really well. My Mom had a ton of food prepared but that didn’t stop Uncle Bob from bringing over a bunch more food. It was quite the spread. After lunch we took Ava to the swimming pool and let her float in the water for the first time. She seemed to really like it and never made a fuss. Of course grandma took lots of pictures. Last night we went out with friends again, except this time Bob came along with us. We started out at a dive bar and watched a rockabilly band for a bit, then went to our favorite hookah bar called Paymons. It’s always a tradition for us to go there when we’re in Vegas. We finished the night off at Big Dogs, which is where I first met Denny and Linda about nine years ago.

This morning we are packing up and getting ready to head home, but first we’ve got Bob and Mandi coming over to make breakfast. As always, we’ve had so much fun visiting everyone and look forward to coming back. We’ve got Shawn and Kim’s wedding here in early September, then Devin and Eve’s wedding in late October, so we’ve got two visits to look forward to. Hopefully our Vegas friends can make it out to SD this summer for a visit as well! This was a great weekend.

It’s hard to believe that our little girl is already six months old! These past few months have flown by very quickly and Ava is growing so fast. She’s close to crawling, and can actually scoot backwards already. She’s happy all the time, sleeps great at night, and loves to play on her activity mat. She’s been eating real food for a few weeks now and seems to be getting better at the concept of eating from a spoon. It’s still adorably messy but she’s getting there. She has had a great week with Mom and Grandma and even went to another photo shoot yesterday. Apparently she didn’t feel like smiling for the camera but was more than happy to oblige today for her "official" six months picture. Tomorrow morning Amy is flying to Indiana to meet up with Tom and go to the Indy 500. Jessica has to work brunch this weekend and I’ve got a bunch of homework to do so it won’t be the most exciting holiday weekend ever but I’ll take it. Next weekend we’ll be in Vegas so I’m looking forward to that as well. I’m sure before we know it we’ll be celebrating Ava’s first birthday.

Today Grandma Amy flew in to spend the week with us. This is her first time seeing our new house and her first visit with Ava since Colorado, so it should be a good week. It’s hard to believe that Ava will be six months old this Friday! It seems like just yesterday that she was born. Amy will be with us until Saturday, when she and Tom do their annual trip to the Indy 500. I’m hoping we’ll get the chance to go with them sometime in the next few years. Now that I have a normal work schedule I can do normal things like celebrate Memorial Day, although not this year since Jessica will be working and I’ll be buried in homework. We don’t have any plans for the holiday weekend but we will be in Vegas the following weekend so that should be fun. Back–to–back 3 day weekends sounds especially amazing right now, mostly due to the wrapping up of a project for Mattel that has been an absolute nightmare. I’ve been on it for nearly 3 months and can’t wait to get started on something new. I may never buy Ava a Barbie doll because of this project 😉 I found out today that my next project will be just about as difficult as Mattel, only with about half the time to complete it. I’m sure we’ll make it through somehow. Here’s some new pictures of our beautiful baby girl.

I’m very fortunate to have quite a few amazing women in my life who also happen to be mothers, and today is their day. This Mother’s Day is extra special for us because it’s Jessica’s first. I’m thinking a lot about my Mom today. She had surgery yesterday and is beginning her recovery, which I hope is quick. Jessica’s Mom we be coming to visit us soon and get to see our new house for the first time. She won’t believe how much Ava has grown since Colorado! Shortly after Amy’s visit we’re heading to Vegas to stay with my Mom and vacation with Joel and Melanie for a weekend.

Unfortunately Jessica is working brunch this morning (one of the busiest days of the year) so I’m home with Ava. We’re getting ready to go to the grocery store and pick out a nice meal to make for Jessica when she gets home. Yesterday we had a great full day off together and went to the beach with Evan and Natasha. We drove up to Del Mar and took the first parking spot we found. Unfortunately that meant walking about a half mile with all of our beach gear and Ava in her carseat. Needless to say there was a small parking lot right next to the beach entrance with several available spots. We spent the next few hours playing frisbee, boogie boarding, and just hanging out. The weather was nice and the water was surprisingly warm. We got to setup our beach tent from Joel and Melanie for the first time and Ava seemed to love it. She was in there almost the entire time and never made a fuss. I definitely got too much sun and looked like a lobster last night. After the beach we picked up Mexican food and went back to our place to watch "3:10 to Yuma." Love that movie.

I want to send all our love from the three of us to: Sherri, Amy, Dana, Lora, Brenda, Kristy, Lauren, Heather, Sydney, Aunt Norma, of course my Mom, and all the other Mom’s we know and love. Wishing you all a very happy Mother’s Day! Enjoy the latest photos of Ava.

Ava’s first Mother’s Day

Ava’s ready for her first day at the beach!

Last night Jessica and I, along with my friend Jaime from work, went to see Adam Carolla and Dennis Prager at Spreckles Theater in downtown San Diego. I’ve been a big fan of Adam for a long time and listen to his podcast everyday at my desk. It was a really interesting show that was equal parts family, religion, politics and comedy. Each one of us enjoyed it very much. Our friends Evan and Natasha babysat Ava again and had a good night with her. Before we went out I made gnochhi with salmon, asparagus and broccoli for everyone. We lucked out and found free street parking downtown, even though it was Cinco de Mayo. We stopped by a cool little restaurant/bar and had a drink before the show. The show itself was really interesting and entertaining and we all walked away somewhat enlightened and laughing. Afterwards we went up to Hillcrest for drinks and appetizers at my old bar, The Tractor Room. I hadn’t seen my old co–workers in several months so it was great to get caught up with everyone.

Unfortunately Jessica threw out her back yesterday morning while trying to spit out a piece of breakfast that she was choking on. At first it was kinda funny but once I realized that she was really choking I got pretty worried. We had plans to work out and take the dogs for a walk yesterday afternoon but that all went out the window once she hurt her back. Regardless we had a really fun night and spent the whole day today relaxing around the house.

Our beautiful baby girl is all smiles these days and is growing so fast. She’s sleeping more than normal, probably because of all this rapid growth. When she’s awake she is as happy as can be. She’s also getting really good at entertaining herself. Today she laid on her activity mat for a couple hours, wide awake, and never made a peep. She was happy playing with her toys and staring at her bib. Jessica continues to take daily photos of her. Here are some recent good ones.

Today we celebrate Jessica’s birthday! Unfortunately she has to work lunch but will be home around 6:00pm. Once she gets home the three of us are heading over to Evan and Natasha’s place for a BBQ by the pool. We might be swimming or getting in the hot tub depending on how many people are there and how warm it still is. We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day today; it’s absolutely perfect out. We started off the morning by opening her presents from Ava and I – mainly a pair of tickets to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers this September. She had mentioned wanting tickets a few times but I don’t think she expected me to get them. It’s at the Sports Arena, where we saw Eric Clapton last year. We’ve got nice floor seats that are very similar to where we sat last time. We also got her the new album by the Chili Peppers so she can get to know it before the show.

After presents we took the dogs for a walk around the neighborhood. Ava seemed to enjoy the ride in her stroller and stayed awake the whole time. Once we got back I ran to Costco to grab a few things while Jessica got ready for work. I always talk about how every time I go to Costco I end up buying something that I hadn’t planned on. Last time it was an avocado tree, and this time it was a tv for our bedroom. I got a 32″ Vizio HDTV for $275. I can’t believe how cheap they are now! It’s not a big tv but it’s perfect for the bedroom. Once I got home I made an Italian sausage and baby portabella scramble with roasted fingerling potatoes for the two of us. As always I made too much so the dogs got a nice treat for Mom’s birthday.

Tomorrow morning we’re going to a live bluegrass brunch at a little place in North Park. We’ve never been before but have heard good things. Should be a fun way to spend the morning. Not sure what the plan is for the rest of the day but I’m sure it will be fun and relaxing. I also have the exciting news (at least for me) that I joined a new martial arts school yesterday – the Gracie academy in La Jolla. I first saw it on Wednesday when walking to the office. As it turns out the place is only about 4 blocks from my office and they teach Brazilian Jiu Jitsu the Gracie way. The Gracie family invented Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the 1920’s and have honed it into the single most effective form of self defense in the world. My friend Jaime at work decided to come with me yesterday for a free ten day trial and we had our first lesson. Both of us loved it and plan on signing up as soon as the trial ends. The people at the school are really great and I’m excited to have the opportunity to study there. I’m already very busy in my day to day life but I think this will be nothing but good for me in many ways. To see more about the school, visit: www.graciejiu-jitsulajolla.com

Today our baby girl turns five months old! She’s growing faster than ever and developing her personality. She loves to smile for anyone, can hold her own bottle at times, can pick things up, and occasionally roll over. We expect her to be crawling and getting her first tooth in the next couple months. We have a big weekend coming up as we get to celebrate Jessica’s birthday. We’re going to a barbecue Saturday evening at our friend’s Evan and Natasha’s place, then getting up Sunday morning to go to a live bluegrass brunch. Not sure what else is on the docket for Sunday but I’m sure it will be a fun day. Here’s a few recent pics.