Saturday, May 31, 2008

More Birthday Celebration Time With Grandpa!

Today we met Grandpa & Bebe at Pappadeaux to finish celebrating Grandpa's birthday. I had my first taste of corndogs and boy they were yummy - you know I loved them when I ate them before my french fries! It is getting a little harder for me to sit at the table though - there is way too much to do - people to visit, people to say "no" to, tables to run under, and highchairs to push around for me to want to sit for too long. Plus I must say I've been a little disagreeable lately ("crotchety" might be an appropriate description), and much to Mama & Daddy's delight, most questions I'm asked are answered with a head-cock and a soft but firm "no". For some reason they find this a bit taxing, but I am just expressing a preference! Hmmm, maybe I AM being a little hard to please, but hey, I'm almost 2 and don't they tell parents to expect something called the "Terrible Twos"? Here they are! But anyways, back to Grandpa's birthday - after eating a yummy dinner, we headed to the park. I got to ride around (mostly upside-down: see video below) on Grandpa's shoulder and then got to play on the playground for the rest of the time. I hope celebrating all of my family's birthdays will be this much fun! Happy Birthday, Grandpa! I love you and Bebe lots!!!!


Coloring and Laughing with Daddy:




I love lemons, even if occasionally they surprise me with how sour they are!




Checking out the lobster tank with Bebe:




Grandpa even helped me splash around in the fountain outside:




Riding on Grandpa's shoulder - he makes a fun ride!




Swinging with Mama:




It was bedtime at this point so I wasn't excited about taking a picture, but at least I made Bebe laugh!

Monday, May 26, 2008

Horton Hears a Who and a Haircut

Part I: The Movie
Since we all got an extra day to spend together this weekend, we thought we should do something super special. Lucky for me, Horton Hears a Who is at the dollar theater next to our house, so can you guess what we did?? You got it - I got to go to my very first movie!! This was an extra exciting adventure for me because I've actually never watched more than 30 minutes of anything on TV at a time, so getting to go to a theater, eat goldfish and watch a full movie on a screen that was as tall as our house about knocked my socks off! I couldn't take my eyes off the huge screen and laughed at silly Horton the elephant and even had to bury my head in Mama and Daddy's shoulders during the scary parts. At the end when there were just words on the screen, I still didn't want to get up out of my seat. I finally realized that it was really over when people started coming in sweeping the floor and the lights came on. I took that opportunity to run up and inspect the huge screen a little bit closer. I can't wait for another fun movie to come so we can go again! Thank you Mama and Daddy - I love you!


Whoa! This screen is humongous!!! (and one last shot of my long hair)



Part II: The Haircut
And then it was time for a haircut - again. Lucky for all of us, we've got a formula down that keeps me pretty happy: lollipops and puzzles. I got to have 3 lollipops in a row while working on some puzzles. Before I knew it, the floor was covered in hair (too much of my hair, according to Mama). What do you think?




This is about the time Mama had to start fighting to keep her tears under control:




All grown up (if you listen closely, you can hear Mama's tears hitting the keyboard):



Wheeeeeeeeeee! Happy Memorial Day! God bless our soldiers!!

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Fun With the Sena Family

This morning Aunt Lucy and Uncle Jeremy invited us all to their church. On the way there, I kept asking Mama for my "Bibee" to read (this was my first time saying this - what timing!). Once we got there, I got to ride cars and play with airplanes with some new friends in the nursery while the rest of my family went to listen to the sermon. Afterwards, we drove around for what felt like hours while the silly adults tried to decide where to eat lunch. We ended up at a Mexican restaurant (the story of my life!) and had a yummy lunch. I was quite pooped after all of this action and so we went back to Uncle J and Aunt Lucy's house where I took a long nap.


When I woke up, I was greeted by their fun dogs, Denia and Guapa, and I even got to finally pet Bunny! I was in a terrific mood, especially compared to yesterday (amazing what air conditioning and good sleep will do for your mood!) and loved visiting with my sweet Aunt and Uncle. We laughed, ran around, played with the animals and I showed them some of my favorite books (I read my "Bibee" several times and introduced my poor deprived Uncle to Dr. Seuss's "There's a Wocket in My Pocket"). I sure do love my Jeremy and Lucy - they are truly our family and we are all so blessed to have them in our lives!


Snuggling and reading with Uncle J:




BUNNY!!!!!




"Mama, make him come back out from under the bed!"

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Beautiful Day, Moody Boy

Mama and Daddy had this fun-sounding plan to take me to Centennial Park for the afternoon, but I woke up on the wrong side of the crib and just was not in the mood to be social today (or maybe Mama's rotten mood rubbed off on me. When Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. There is a reason for that saying!). I was hot and sweaty, and admittedly acted like I had a corn cob stuck in my diaper for most of the day. I managd to eek out a few smiles (much to the shock of my family!) when I got to run up and down the walls of the fountains, when we watched everyone flying their kites, and when I got to play on the playground. Oh well, here are the few pictures Mama managed to take when I was being halfway cooperative. Thank goodness my sweet family loves me even when I'm not at my best! I really do love you guys, I'm sorry I didn't do my best to show it today!


The family that loves me even when I'm being a bit of a pill:




Running the walls to blow off some steam (is that a SMILE???):



Could I BE any more chill?

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Outdoor Fun with Bebe

Yesterday my sweet Bebe came over and spent the day with me again! We had so much fun together and besides for eating nearly everything in the kitchen (something about playing and laughing with Bebe gets my appetite going!), we played outside for most of the afternoon. We are trying to be outside as much as possible now, because I hear summers here can be nasty hot so pretty soon we may not spend much time outside, unless we are in a pool! Thanks for sharing such a fun, happy day with me, Bebe! We all sure love you!


Do I need a helmet for this game?




I love to help clean up (I haven't discovered that chores aren't fun yet - Mama and Daddy better enjoy this while it lasts!):




Love you, Bebe! Here's a kiss! "MmmmmmAAAAH!"

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Way to Go, Daddy!

Saturday we went to see Daddy do his first triathlon in Peachtree City. He has been working so hard for the past 6 months, training almost every day and eating really healthy (I don't know how he has been able to turn down things like ice cream, pizza and brownies in favor of boring salads and chicken!) - me and Mama are so proud of his dedication, drive and incredible attitude during all of this. Jeremy, Lucy, Bebe and Grandpa came to cheer him on and to let him know how proud they are of him too! We are all lucky to have such sweet family and friends that love us all so much! We love you Daddy - thank you for always being such a wonderful example to me! I can't wait to do a triathlon together in a few years!!


Grandpa and Tiger kept me entertained on the long drive to Peachtree City (thanks to Bebe for taking these pictures!):




After seeing Daddy whiz by on his bike, I got to have a little fun of my own!




Daddy's Cheering Section:




Way to Go, Daddy!!!!





As proud of I am of Daddy, I can't take time out for a picture when there are hash browns to be eaten!




Whew! Me and Grandpa need some sleep after all of that hard work!

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Helping Grandpa Celebrate His Birthday!

Friday after school we met Grandpa and Bebe and some of their friends at Mimi's Cafe for dinner to celebrate Grandpa's 58th birthday. Friday nights are always a tough time for me after slaving away at school all week, so I wasn't really in the mood to be as social and delightful as I am usually, but I still had a good time. For one thing, I got to have my first taste of spaghetti, and wouldn't you know it, it was a huge hit!


Most importantly, Happy Birthday to my fun, funny, snuggly, kind Grandpa! I love you!


My First Taste of Spaghetti:




Happy Birthday to Grandpa!

Monday, May 12, 2008

Mother's Day Part II: My Mama!

Even though I still had this stubborn cough and a fever that just won't go away, Daddy and I worked hard to make Sunday a special day for Mama. I helped Daddy make Mama breakfast in bed with cheese biscuits, scrambled eggs, bacon, kiwis, strawberries and OJ, even with a flower in a vase on her tray (this was my idea)! Daddy and I also picked out some very pretty purple flowers for Mama and we are sending her to see Indigo Girls at Chastain with Aunt Kelly in September - in box seats! I also chose a wooden plaque and blue and purple paint and hand-painted a masterpiece for her on it - which she LOVED! We treated her like a princess all day long - Mama never had to lift a finger (except to pick me up). She wanted to go back to the zoo and have a picnic, so Daddy and I bought some fun picnic food and set out for the zoo after my nap. By this time I was feeling pretty rotten, so I still haven't gotten to have "the fun zoo experience", but that's why we have a family pass, right? I mainly wanted to cuddle (which I think Mama and Daddy pretty much love) but did perk up when they let me pick out a Panda bear that was as big as I was and when we ended the day by playing on the zoo playground. Mama kept saying she feels like the luckiest lady in the whole world to have been chosen to be my Mama, so I think we succeeded in making this a super special day for her! I love you, Mama!


Panda (aka Laila) Love:



I even got to pet a goat! But peee-yeww, they smell worse than Molly and Hudson after a run!



Fun at the playground - the school bus and the see-saw were my favorites - I kept yelling "bus, bus!" and would run with great urgency to drive the bus again:

Click the "play" button below to see just how much I loved the see-saw!



Did you know that a chocolate cookie sandwich cures coughs and fevers? Try it!




Happy Mother's Day Mama! I love you!!!

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Mother's Day Part I: The Grandmas (cont.)

After my nap, we went and met Bebe and Grandpa at Seasons 52 for an early Mother's Day dinner. I sensed that this wasn't exactly a "kid-friendly" place when they didn't have highchairs (whoops Mama!), so I was on my very best behavior. Bebe walked around the lobby area with me and we looked at all the plants and flowers, the fire pit, and discussed the upcoming presidential election until the food arrived. Then I got to eat the fanciest food of my life so far! Flatbread pizza, lemon grilled chicken, "pearl pasta" (what the?), and polenta. Afterwards, we walked over to Perimeter Mall and got ice cream and cookies, and I got to re-visit the ice cream ride again (click here to see pictures from my first ice cream truck experience). What fun it is to celebrate special days with people I love so much!


Bebe always keeps me entertained!



Driving my Mystery Machine up and down Bebe's arm is always fun:



Happily eating in Daddy's lap:



Me and Grandpa:




Oh the ice cream truck:



I love my sweet Grandpa and Bebe!