Beautiful girl.

We had a big tailgate party to go to this weekend before our game and since it was work related and Ed was going to be busy schmoozing, I talked Ava into coming with me so I'd have someone to hang out with. Best decision ever. She had so much fun! We got there in time to split a plate-size steak and Ava got a Diet Pepsi (super treat!) and she did some good schmoozing of her own. Then we went to the game--it was sunny and beautiful for the first half and she was just so happy--she loved all the rituals and cheering and high fiving with strangers. Halfway through she said "Thank you so much for bringing me--I'm having so much fun!"

And speaking of Ava, I've been meaning to say how awesome she is. I just got an unexpected compliment about her and I thought, I know--she is amazing! She has such a tender heart and she's had to learn about some big things this year and I've been so proud of how she handles things. One of our favorite things to do is hang out in her bedroom and talk--sometimes she'll start to tell me something and then she'll say, "Wait! I'm going to save this to talk about with you later!" She's got an impressive ability to read people and she's so full of compassion. It's a privilege to be her parent.