Santa's Little Helper

This past weekend we got to put up our Christmas tree, yeah!! And this year was especially special because Mama and Daddy let me help decorate the tree! It took a little bit for me to figure out how the ornaments hooked on, and lots of times I asked Daddy to put them on for me. I was such a helper I'd even bring Daddy bunches of ornaments at once. I would have brought him more except Mama was being slow on unwrapping them. In one of the boxes we found a Santa hat that I just had to wear. Oddly enough, Daddy didn't get the camera out until I put the hat on...

Here's a shot of me working diligently to get ornament number 4 on the same branch.

And here's a close up so you can see my intense concentration...

Aren't I stylin' in my Santa hat?

Daddy and Mama found it amusing that I put this mitten on since it's actually a Christmas ornament...
And, when it was all done and we'd admired our tree, I found the Nativity and decided it needed some rearranging.

Wrapped in Daddy's Arms

We spent Thanksgiving with Grandma C and Grandpa D at their house. I took my nap and when I was woken up all I wanted to do was snuggle, so Daddy let me lay on his lap for a while. Here I am making myself comfy...


And here's a close up...
I think I could just lay here all day.

What Daddy and I Do when Mama isn't Around

Okay, so really Mama was around when Daddy and I started this, but the title sure sounded funny! I had wanted to play my Giggles game on Daddy's computer, but he forgot he hadn't put it back on his computer. Since I had been having a rough night, Daddy decided to let me try one of his games.

Here I am getting the basics of the controller...


And checking out what I'm doing with Daddy's help...


And going on my own!

Happy Halloween!

Here I am in my awesome Halloween costume!


Mama says she's adding this picture so you can get a better idea of my whole outfit, though she really doesn't care for how the picture turned out.

Tomorrow we get to go trick-or-treating and I can't wait!! I've been asking Mama since the beginning of the week if it was time to go or not and its finally here. Daddy says we'll have to take more pictures and see if we get a good one.

More Fall Fun

Daddy loves this picture of me. He says I look so serious. I'm just concentrating on my leaf soup recipe.



And Mama likes this picture of me. She says I'm really cute waving bye-bye.

Fall and Leaf Soup

The leaves are falling... the leaves are falling!!! And I must say, I just love the way they crinkle when I walk on them. Oooo!! I found a spot where the leaves like to congregate as well! At the bottom of our driveway is the leaf spot to be! When Mama can't find me, she knows to look there since I'm probably gathering leaves for "my world"-famous Leaf Soup! I take a little dirt, a few rocks, some green stuff from the driveway, and a whole lotta leaves. Then I mix it up real well with a stick and voila! Leaf Soup. I try and make some everyday.

Oh, and here's a picture of me sporting my signature "I'm not going to cooperate while Mama takes a picture" look.

Cleaning Dishes

So I figured it was about time I started helping out around the house a little more. Mama and Daddy say I am such a good helper I thought it was a good time to branch out and try new tasks. I pulled the bench from our dining table over to the sink and climbed up. Mama happened to have a bowl ready, so I reached and reached and REACHED till I got the water turned on. I then grabbed the scrubby and decided to start washing dishes.


Alright... so while Mama and Daddy say I'm a good helper, they think I'm not ready to do this on my own yet. You see, I had so much fun just playing in the water I totally forgot to do any washing!!

Daddy's Birthday Cake

On Daddy's birthday I got to help Mama make his birthday cake. At first, I thought Mama wasn't going to let me help like she said I could. See, I'd decided right after Mama helped me wash my hands that I wanted to go dig in her spider plants. Needless to say, Mama wasn't very happy about that choice. She told me if I couldn't stay out of the dirt I couldn't help her with Daddy's cake. So, I gave Mama my pouty face and told her I wanted to help.

Mama let me pour the water in the mix and then I got to help with the eggs! Mama showed me how to crack the egg on the side of the bowl and then how to open the shell. I think I'm going to need more practice as I totally pulverized the shell!! Mama thought it was pretty funny and said we needed to let Daddy know why he might find some eggshell in his cake.

Then I got to help Mama hold the mixer while we mixed up the batter!! I remember just like Grandma C showed me and I kept my other hand out of the way.

When we were done mixing, I had to check out the batter. It was delicious! Here's a serious looking picture of me with the evidence.


Of course, I had to check out the icing as well!! I think that was the bestest part... I kept going back for more, and then when we were done with the mixer Mama let me have a beater to lick the icing off of!!

Getting Grandpa

Here's the video of me getting Grandpa D in the water fight!

Picnic's and Fun

Wow, what a blast we had on Labor Day!! Mama and Daddy invited the family over for a cook out and I had so much fun! Before everyone got here Mama and I blew up my new swimming pool (Daddy was trying to fix the air pump and get the tents up). That was a lot of work... it made Mama light-headed.

Here I am with cousin M eating our lunch.


After we were done eating we did some playing. Here we are trying to be sneaky going down the hill. Unfortunately Grandma C foiled our plans and we had to come back up the hill.


Later cousin M and I decided it would be fun to check out Grandma R's keychains. She's got a key ring that looks like a frog and ribbits! That's my favorite one.

After a while we got into a water fight with Daddy and Uncle B. I mostly had fun with that, though I wasn't so keen when I was getting hit with water. Uncle B got soaked, though!! I eventually thought it would be fun to bring in the other bystanders and I got Grandma R real good! Of course, she decided to return the favor and get me, which I didn't like at all.

Stay tuned for a video of me getting Grandpa D!!

Going for a Boat Ride

Uncle B has a boat that he's been working on FOREVER! Well, he finally got it going and Uncle B and Aunt A invited us to go out on it. We got there before they did, so Mama and Daddy took me into the water. I didn't like that part very much. I would have very much liked to have played in the sand, but Mama and Daddy wanted to go in the water. I clung to Daddy, though. And, as soon as I would get used to the water, a boat would come by and make waves!! Mama tried to show me how to jump really high with the waves, but I wasn't buying it. Then Daddy pointed out the fishies, which kept me occupied. I eventually pulled out my wild card... I told Mama and Daddy I needed to go potty!! So, Mama took me to the potty and we saw Uncle B on the way out. That's when we went on the boat!!

Here I am helping Uncle B get a rope he couldn't reach.



And here I am wearing my spiffy life jacket as we were getting ready to push off.

At first I didn't know what to think, but eventually I started to have fun. We even stopped for a while and Mama and Daddy made me go swimming, which I didn't like until Aunt A threw in the raft and cousin M and I were playing on it.

Mama and Me

Well, Grandpa D has been asking when Mama would do an update. Here's a picture of Mama and me that was taken at Cousin K's bridal shower.

Little Explorer

I was playing in Mama and Daddy's room while Mama was folding the laundry. I crawled over to Mama's side of the bed and grabbed the mask Mama wears when she's sleeping. At first I just held it up to my nose and pretended I was wearing it, but then I decided to see if I could figure out how to wear it like Mama does. I tried a couple different ways, but then voila! I figured it out.


Mama says I am such a smart cookie to figure out the right way to put it on.

Laughter, the Best Medicine

Mama decided to share some funny things with you that I've said (and done) recently.

• One day when we were out shopping I noticed a man wearing a hat. I started jabbering and Mama asked me what I was saying. At first I just repeated it, but when Mama didn't understand I pointed to the man and said very loudly "Indiana Jones!" Mama started laughing and told me that it was just a gentleman in a hat. Well, I *thought* he looked like Indiana Jones.

• The other night Mama and Daddy where talking about something and Daddy told Mama "Here, let me pull a rabbit out of my butt." I didn't know Daddy had a rabbit in his butt!! I was sooo worried that I jumped up and started trying to look at Daddy's butt. At this point Mama and Daddy start laughing, but I'm really worried. I started pointing and told the rabbit to get out of Daddy's butt. That's when Mama really started laughing. Daddy and I thought she was going to fall off the couch she was laughing so hard. I don't know what happened to that rabbit, but I haven't heard any more about it.

• This last one isn't so much something I said, but what I was doing. When we went to cousin K's wedding, I was playing with another cousin (I didn't know I had so many cousins!!). Cousin F is younger than me, but she was so much fun. I would get close to her face and she'd start laughing, which got me laughing. Then I'd back up and cousin F would stop, so I'd get close to her again until she started laughing and I started laughing. We were having so much fun just laughing that we did this over and over.
  

Trials & Triumphs: Potty Training

Well... it's finally happened. I'm turning into a big girl so Mama and Daddy say it's time for me to learn how to use the potty. At first I thought it was great fun since I got to sit on the potty chair when Mama was going potty. Then after a while Mama said I needed to take my diaper off and sit on the potty seat. I wasn't too sure about that. But, Mama and Daddy put some books in the bathroom and let me look at them while I waited.

After a while I started to get the idea that I needed to go potty in the potty, but I didn't always want to in the beginning. When we went out I'd wear a pull-up, but I wouldn't tell anyone I needed to use the potty and I'd just go. Mama and Daddy weren't happy with me using a pull-up like a diaper, so we got me some training pants for during the day (I still use a pull-up at night, though). I didn't know I was supposed to wear them as hats until Mama showed me.

I've had some major mishaps along the way:

• At first I ran around the house with nothing but a shirt on. Towards the beginning I had an accident in the kitchen. Mama told me to go sit on the potty, but instead I slipped in the accident and fell down. I hurt myself a little (that kitchen floor is hard!), but I think I hurt my feelings more. I'm glad Mama was there to hold me until I felt better.

• Another day when I was also running around with nothing but a shirt on, I was playing in the living room and felt the urge to go. Mama was checking her email and noticed something go flying as I ran past but didn't know at first what it was. When she looked closer she realized I had needed to go poo-poo since it was a ball of poop that must've popped out my bottom as I went running past!

• This is a mishap for Grandma C!! I was visiting Grandma and Grandpa one day recently and Mama told them when she dropped me off that I might need to use the potty. Well, Grandma helps me out of my shorts and undies and has me sit on the potty. Mama was right and I went potty like I was supposed to. After all the fan-fare, Grandma lifts up the lid to take out the cup and realized she left the cup in the bathroom!! So, while I did a FANTASTIC job if I do say so, Grandma dropped the ball this time. I still love you, though, Grandma C!

And despite the days of despair, I have had many triumphs! I'm getting really good at making it to the bathroom and hardly have any accidents now (as long as I'm not wearing anything). I've even started letting everyone know when I need to use the potty (or just want to check out the bathroom) when we are out so I've gotten better at not having accidents when we're not at home. I think I'm finally getting the hang of this! Wahoo!!

More Zoo Adventures

Okay, so Mama is a little late updating. This was our trip to a zoo in a different city on the fourth of July. At first I was upset because I thought we were going to the zoo in our city, but turns out we were going to a different one. I got to see so many different animals here, including a chicken! I was so egg-cited to pet it, too.


We discovered camel's, and Daddy took me for a ride. Here we are waiting for Mama to take a picture.


Here I am watching the bear (and Daddy says it lookes like the bear is watching me, too, but he's really not).


I was so tuckered out by my trip to this zoo that I feel asleep while eating my snack in the car! Mama says she tried to get a picture of me with my graham cracker up by my mouth, but then I moved before she could take the picture.

Berries, How I Love Thee

After banana's, my favorite fruit is perhaps berries. I love strawberries (just like Daddy!) and blueberries (just like Mama!) and blackberries (Mama likes these, too, but probably not as much as I do!)

Here is evidence of my latest conquest... blackberries!


On this particular day, I insisted to Mama I wanted blackberries. Mama didn't want to give them to me because she said I'd get messy and we were going to be going out soon. She tried to offer me blueberries instead, but I refused. Well, Mama took my shirt off and gave me some blackberries. As you can probably guess, I thoroughly enjoyed them.

As a side note, later that day Mama was doing some cleaning so she moved the bench from our table over by the kitchen sink. I climbed up there and discovered the blueberries Mama had draining. Needless to say, I had to help myself. I couldn't let those poor blueberries sit there all alone. Did I mention I LOVE berries?

Camping in My Room

Since I sleep in a big-girl bed now, I don't always sleep there. Mama has found me in various spots around my room. On this day she managed to sneak in on me (sometimes I sleep in front of my door so I know when I can get up!) and gathered evidence of my camping out. I do look comfortable, though.

My Zoo Adventure

I FINALLY got to go to the zoo and see the animals. Mama and Daddy tried to take me one day, but we got there too late and the zoo was already closed. I, of course, threw my customary tantrum, but Mama and Daddy promised we'd come back another day. I am soooo happy!


Here I am riding the bronze tortoise. I had to wait my turn, though, since there were other kids here ahead of me. Once it was my turn, though, look out world - here I come!


After we rode the train (choo-choo!!) and looked at some animals, we went and saw the giraffes! Daddy got me a giraffe cracker so I could feed one. Did you know that they have looooooooong tongues?!? It scared me at first, but after I fed the giraffe a cracker I was upset because I didn't have more to give him. Oh well, maybe next time.

The Monster Under the Bed

I am getting so big. In fact, Mama and Daddy put me in a big girl bed a couple months ago and I don't even use the guard rail anymore. Yippee!

One day I was playing with Fudge's scrunchie toy and I lost it. I thought it had gone under the bed so Mama and I were trying to find it. Mama was looking from the side and I was at the headboard and decided to crawl under the bed. I belly crawled under there and Mama took this picture.

Hmm... now I see why the cats like to hide under the bed!

Summer Fun

I think I am so stylin' in my new swim suit. It matches my eyes, don't you think? Mama and Daddy filled up my swimming pool for me so I could cool off. At first I wasn't too sure of the cold water, but once I got used to it and Mama got me some toys to play with I was fine with it. I kept slipping around in there, but eventually I did find my water legs (or knees). I sure hope I get to do this more often!

I love Ice Cream!

Summer just wouldn't be summer without ice cream, would it? Like Mama, and Grandpa D, and Great-Grandpa N, I have a sweet tooth. You'd better believe I don't pass up the chance for ice cream, even if it means mooching off of Daddy. I can even hear the ice cream truck when no one else can. Here I am with my ice cream goatee (and I even have some one my nose!).


Yeah, and here I am trying a new way to eat the cone. By the way, I wouldn't advise eating it from the bottom. When the ice cream starts to melt it goes everywhere!


P.S. Mama says she's discovered how to make posts show up later, so while we missed June, she's already got several posts lined up for July.

Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day! We celebrated today by having a cook-out at Grandma R's house. Uncle B, Aunt A, cousins M and B were there as well as Grandma C and Grandpa D! I played outside with M and B. We jumped on the trampoline and played in the sandbox mostly. I was pouring sand on my hair and then M was putting sand on me, too. I did have to have a time-out (twice!), though, because I kept throwing sand at M.

When we got home I had to take a nap, which I wasn't too fond of. However, Mama says I went to sleep fairly quickly so I must've needed one. After dinner Mama, Daddy, and I went for a bike ride and I got to play on a playground. We came home and talked with Mr. L and Ms. T next door for a while before Daddy gave me a bath. You shoulda seen all the sand that was in the bathtub!

Here's a picture of me in Mr. L and Ms. T's yard. I just love my headband and so does Mama!

Loving the Park

I'm so happy the weather has finally gotten warmer (somewhat)! Mama and I go for bike rides and we've even been hanging out at some parks. This is a new one for me. It's over by Grandma C and Grandpa D's house. It's got slides and swings and climbing things and did I mention slides?

Here I am trying to ride a dragon. Well, maybe its an alligator, but we're not quite sure. I even climbed up all by myself! Mama says I just need to gain a few more pounds and I should be able to make him move.


I like this slide. It's kind of small, but its made with these rollers that feel funny. I just have to be careful not to get my fingers caught. It's a good thing Mama's around to kiss it better when I do get them stuck, though!


I'm getting ready to go down the BIG slide! This one lets me go really fast. Mama was trying to get a picture of me actually going down it, but I'd go so fast that by the time the camera snapped the picture I was at the bottom already. She says we'll just have to settle with me getting ready to go.

Cheesin' for Mama

Mama found a really neat spot to take some pictures at. I was even being a good sport and saying "cheese" so Mama could take the pictures. She says to ignore the orange blob on my shirt as I decided to spill my orange juice down the front of me before she took the pictures. There were even some ducks who were nice enough to pose with me!

Tantrum Caught on Tape

I can't believe Mama took this video of me! There I was having a quite colorful tantrum, and Mama pops up with the camera.



As with all my tantrums, I can't remember now what I was even upset about. Mama, however, has told me she's keeping this video in case she ever needs leverage when I'm a teenager (or just to embarrass me in front of my friends!).

Undressed Oranges

Mama says she just has to share this with everyone. This morning at breakfast Mama was peeling an orange and as she was taking the peel off I said "nakie orange!" I thought Mama was going to fall off the bench laughing. I'm not so sure what was funny, because I was only stating the truth... the orange is nakie without its peel!

Mother's Day

Ah, well, its been some time since Mama had anything to add to my blog. But, we did get this nice picture of Mama, Grandma C, and me on Mother's Day.


I told Daddy we really needed to take Mama out for breakfast, since this is what she's been wanting since her first Mother's Day and until this year it hasn't worked out. I even got to share Mama's pecan pancakes with her. Yum!!

Summer Fun

With the warmer weather Grandpa D, Grandma's C and R, Daddy, Mama, and I had a cook-out! I got to play outside and have lots of fun. When it was time to eat I had a hot dog, some kidney bean salad, and little bit of Mama's hamburger. The food was okay, but I liked playing more. Daddy made a sand castle in my sandbox and I got to stomp it down! And I played with my giant ball, then I tried to help Mama blow bubbles. Unfortunately I kept sticking the bubble stick too close to my mouth and got the soap on my lips. YUCK!!