DC Again

We have been away a lot lately. We just got back from Washington, DC. I think it must be Mommy and Daddy's favorite place to visit since I have already been there 4 times now and I'm not even 2. I like it there, though. We got to see my friend, Drew and his Mommy and Daddy. And this time, I got to see lots of cool animals at this place called the Zoo. Mommy says I've been to other zoos before, but I don't really remember them. I got to see real live lions and alligators and elephants. There was even a giant black and white bear. It was so much fun to talk like the animals. I even learned a few new ones, like the monkey and tiger. I also went to Auntie La's school. She didn't get to sit with us. She was down below sitting with a whole bunch of other people wearing funny hats and dresses, and it was boring because I wasn't allowed to talk. It was also really scary when there was lots of loud noises and clapping, so Daddy and I went for a walk instead. That was better. At the end of the trip I was pretty sick and didn't feel good at all, but I had lots of fun before that. Here are some pictures from my trip.

Stop and Smell the Dandelions

I have been sick with a fever and cough all week, but Mommy finally let me outside to play today. It was such a beautiful day! It was so warm and not brrrr at all. There were these really nice yellow flowers all around, and Mommy said I could pick as many as I wanted. I couldn't decide if they smelled very good or not, so I had to keep smelling. All I got for it, though, was a bright yellow nose. I thought maybe tasting them would help, but Mommy kept making me spit them out. They didn't taste very good anyway. It was so much fun to be outside, though. I hope it stays like this.

Easter Part 2

When I got over to Madelyn's house, it was just like the day started all over. The Easter Bunny had laid eggs all over their house, too. Madelyn and I had to find them, but just as I got used to the idea that I wasn't supposed to throw the eggs, all of a sudden it was okay again. I give up! Anyway, we had lots of fun over there. I got some really cool puzzles, and Madelyn got a baby Abby Cadabby doll. She was lots of fun to play with. You could put a bottle in her mouth just like a real baby! The best part was when we threw the grass stuff around. Madelyn and I put it on eachother, Grandma, Mommy, Aunt Kelley, and even the dog! It was so fun. We made a huge mess. Great-Grandma Barg came to visit, and after I went back to Nona's to have a nap, we all had dinner. It was such a fun day. I hope the Easter Bunny comes again soon.

Easter Part 1

I had a really fun Sunday last week. Everyone kept calling it "Easter." Have you heard of it? Apparently, a giant bunny (He's actually pretty scary; I saw him at the mall) lays eggs all over your house, and you have to go find them all. I am a little confused because Mommy says that only birdies lay eggs, not bunnies, but I guess maybe because it is a really big bunny it can lay eggs. I don't know. Anyway, Madelyn had eggs all in a basket at her house and it was lots of fun to throw them across the room. People would clap and say things like "good throw!" But when I tried to throw these eggs, no one clapped. I had to put them all in a bag and couldn't play with them or anything. It was very confusing, but I had a lot of fun finding them all anyway. That bunny was in some pretty strange places to be laying eggs, though!

Afterward, Mommy showed me that the bunny had left me presents, too! Probably to say sorry for laying eggs all over the house. I think maybe he should wear a diaper. Mommy says I have to wear a diaper because I'd poop all over the house if I didn't. I bet its the same thing. But anyway, he brought me lots of cool things. I got stuffed bunnies, and a Thomas the Tank Engine video, and a Blue video, and Elmo Live, and this awesome orange sippy cup with my name on it. That was my favorite part! Elmo was pretty cool when he was in the box. I love Elmo just as much as the next kid, but he was pretty scary when they let him out. He started talking and moving and telling silly jokes and stories. I'm used to Elmo in the box, not out of it. Mommy and Nona and everybody thought he was great, but I'm still not so sure. The worst part was that he had to come home with is! And for some reason, he is just hanging out in front of the snacks closet right now. I think he must sleep there because he's there when I get up, and he's still there when I go to bed. I sure wish he would move so I could go over there and try to sneak snacks. Until he does, though, I'm too afraid to go over there.

After that, Mommy put me in this rediculous outfit and brought me over to see Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Kelley and Madelyn. I'll tell you more about that in another post, though. There are already too many videos in this one.

Dress Up with Madelyn

I have lots of pictures from Easter that I want to show you, but right now I just have time for these. Me and my cousin Madelyn played dress up at her house last week. It was lots of fun. I got to be Snow White! Daddy didn't think I should wear the skirt, but I don't see why not. Madelyn was and it looked like fun. I like dress up!

Willy Was A Whale

I have lots and lots to tell you about my week at my Nona's house, but I just wanted to share this with you for tonight. This is my very most favorite YouTube video. They play it on Noggin sometimes, and I love to dance around to it when it is on TV. But when it is not on TV, I can watch it any time I want to on Mommy's computer. I love to listen to this song over and over and over again. It is called Willy Was A Whale by Justin Roberts. I hope you love it as much as I do.

Baby's First Kiss

Looks like Jack has a new girlfriend. Little Ava is a slightly older woman (20 months) and quite a cutie, even though you can't see her very well here. He is going to have to up his game, though. She has been spied holding hands with both Max and Greydan on separate occasions.

Akron Falls Park

Yesterday, Mommy and Daddy took me to a place called Akron Falls Park. They put me in that Baby Bjorn like I was a little baby and wouldn't let me run around at all. They said it was too dangerous, but I think it looked like fun. We saw 2 waterfalls. This one was pretty cool. There were duckies in it, and we got to see lots of doggies. The other one we couldn't really see very well, and we had to go through all these prickly trees to get there. I also couldn't see very much on the walk there because Daddy kept putting his hands in front of my face. We got to bend down a lot, though, and that was kinda fun. My favorite part, however, was the slide. They had a really cool twisty slide and Mommy and Daddy let me go down by myself! It was awesome! I can't wait to go on a slide again.

The Whole Roll

I was just thinking to myself, "Gee, I wonder what it looks like when you unroll a whole roll of toilet paper and put it all in the toilet all at once." And since Mommy is always trying to get me to do things for myself, I thought I'd try to find out by myself. I just watched her replace the roll, so I figured now was the best time. This is what it looks like in case anyone else was wondering that same thing.

He can do it himself!

Today we had one of those days where we were both exerting our independence all over the place. First up was Jack. I was trying to get us together for our playgroup, when I suddenly noticed that Jack was not watching Franklin like he was supposed to be. I went looking around, and where did I find him? Shopping for Elmo Live on Amazon.com! He found his way to the computer, climbed up into the chair, and then managed to click on and open an email from Amazon. Then, he scrolled down to Elmo and managed to double click on the Elmo Live doll to open up the website. Lucky I got there when I did, or he may have charged Elmo to my credit card. He did find a great deal, though. Elmo was $65 at Christmas, but Jack found him for $38. He was very excited to show me what he had done, too. I realize he's been blogging for months now, but this is a whole new kind of computer savy. :)

Next, I exerted a little independence of my own. We went to a MAC group on Grand Island where I paid a very lovely woman exactly $1 to watch my child for 2 hours while I went to hang out, knit, and chat with the other moms in another part of the church. Apparently, after Jack has been going a little while, I'm allowed to leave and run errands or go for a walk if I want. They just have to get used to eachother first. Isn't that crazy? Apparently, there is a grant that pays her actual money to watch these kids, so my dollar is more of a donation to the church than anything else. Either way, it was great. Jack, however, screamed and cried when I walked out the door. The other Amy told me to turn around and walk away, and somehow I managed. It was hard, but I think it'll be good for him. And once Graydan showed up, he was fine.
Then it was Jack's turn again. This picture doesn't look like much. He's trying to buckle himself into his highchair. Awww, cute, right? Well, what if I told you that I had left him on the couch watching Miss Spider while I was in the kitchen doing some dishes? I looked up just in time to see him climbing over the tray after having climbed up the front of it. That tray doesn't come off. Apparently, it was lunch time. And let me tell you, he ate better than he has in days.

Finally, was my turn again. This time I left him with our friend Jamie while Mike and I went to get approved for a mortgage. That was exciting. I can't wait to start looking at houses! And Jack did really well with Jamie. She said he pretty much just ate the entire time we were gone, but considering he hasn't eaten much in days, that's probably ok. It was a big day, but I get the feeling we're going to be having a lot more of these "I can do it myself" moments.

My Red Tower

I built a really neat red tower with my legos today. My truck has places on the sides for the legos to fit, and I like to build towers there and see how tall I can make them. This one was really tall. I ran out of red, and was considering using orange, but then I decided I liked it better just how it was.

I'm 18 months old!

I turned 18 months old yesterday. Mommy made me a crown and chocolate cupcakes (because Mommy and I both LOVE chocolate!), and we even sang Happy Birthday and I got to blow out the candle. I actually got to blow it out twice - once at the beginning of the song and once at the end. Mommy and Daddy even gave me a present. I got new Haba blocks that look like silly zoo animals. They are really funny. Uncle Lukey came over to help us eat cupcakes, and it was lots of fun.

And on the harmonica...

My Daddy has lots and lots of neat instruments. He has guitars, and lots of things to bang on. He even has a giant frog that makes a frog noise. But the one I like the best is his harmonica. You blow out and suck in, and it sounds so nice. I'm getting pretty good at it, too! I just love to rock out on that harmonica.

6 More Waterfalls

Today was a much nicer day, so Mommy and Daddy took me out for another long car ride. We saw 6 waterfalls. We would have seen 3 more, but the scariest, most grossest thing happened. We were riding along, and all of a sudden the banana I had just eaten started coming back out of my mouth! It was awful! I couldn't stop it, and Mommy made Daddy stop the car. She took me out and set me down on the ground and I was sure she was going to leave me there, so I screamed for Daddy, but Mommy just kept pulling my clothes off. Daddy finally came to save me, though. I didn't want to go back in the car, but I finally got back in my seat. We were almost to the next waterfall, so we stopped at that one, but then Mommy and Daddy took me home on the Thruway instead of all those twisty, windy roads. And when we got back, Nona and Papa came to visit me! That is always lots of fun. They said they might come back next weekend, too. I just hope Mommy and Daddy don't take me on any more car rides like that.

3.14 Happy Pi Day!

Today was Pi Day. I'm not really sure what that means except that I have to wear this shirt and Mommy makes a yummy chocolate pie. I had to wear this shirt last year, too, but it is getting a little small on me now. I hope it doesn't still fit next year! Uncle Brian came over to play and we had lots of fun! He spun me around and around until the whole room was still spinning around and around even when I finally fell over. He also pulled me around in a laundry basket, and chased me around, and he and Daddy threw me way up high in the air. I like when Uncle Brian comes to visit.

200 Waterfalls

So my Daddy has this book called 200 Waterfalls, and we took it on an adventure yesterday. The big surprise was that Daddy finally turned my carseat around so now I can see out the front window. Mom said I finally reached the weight requirement for my chair, and since my feet were hitting the seat it was probably time whether I was tall enough or not. Riding forward was fun at first; I kept telling Mom "Wow!" But later I decided it wasn't very comfy for sleeping, so I'm not sure how much I like it anymore. We took it on a long car ride to see 2 of the 200 waterfalls. The first one was called Mill Pond Falls. Here it is with me and my mom. It was really cool! There was lots of muddy water, and it sprayed in my face and got us a little wet. Mommy didn't really like that, but I thought it was fun. See how happy I am? And there was this really cool, old building across the street that looked like it would be lots of fun for Hide and Go Seek, but Mommy wouldn't let me play in it. The second waterfall was far away in a town called Medina. They were the Medina Falls. I had to take a really, really bumpy stroller ride along a great, big, empty ditch that Mom said was really the Erie Canal and in the summer would have lots of water and boats, just like in Seneca Falls. When we finally got there, I couldn't see that well because the waterfall was way far down below where we were. Mom said that a creek was running underneath the big empty ditch, and that it was really cool even though I probably didn't understand why. She was right about one thing: I didn't understand. I was bored and chilly, and I let her know! I hope the next time they take me on an adventure, they wait until the weather gets warmer. Waterfalls sure are fun, though!

Ride 'em, cowboy!

This is the rocking horse I have at my Nona and Papa's house. It is the one my Mommy had when she was a little girl. I guess Papa had to fix it up a little because the squirrels thought it was a tasty treat, but I couldn't tell where. It is fun! It goes back and forth and back and forth, and I can make it slide across the carpet, too. I guess I'm still a little short for it, but I don't care. I just like to ride. Giddyup!

Just call me Harold...

Mommy finally fixed her computer, so now I can show you a cute picture. That's me in the bath. I love love love taking baths. They are so much fun! I have so many great toys in the bathtub that Mommy won't let me play with in the living room. She even lets me color on the walls! The walls are so much better than those little pieces of paper she gives me. I like my tub crayons better, too. They are shaped like animals and they write so nice. The purple one is my favorite! Look at the pretty drawing I made with it. Mommy was calling me Harold, although I don't really know why. She was also calling me "Auntie La Baby," but she usually just does that when I'm being what she calls "dramatic." This time, though, I think it was because I was using purple. My Auntie La just LOVES the color purple. It's a nice color. It definitely shows up better than yellow.

Christmas Card Rejects

The picture that we ended up using for our Christmas card was the one picture of our whole family that came out alright from the ENTIRE YEAR. It was taken at Mike's graduation, so I figured it was alright for a Christmas picture. I did have visions of something a little... Christmasier, but Jack was not really into cooperating for our little photo shoot. We did end up getting some very cute (non-card-worthy) shots, though, so I wanted to share those with you today.

Big Shoes (and socks) to Fill

I know, I know... and trust me, we have PLENTY to share. There was Christmas, and New Years/DC, we've been sledding, Jack has some new tricks, and there are a few of you still waiting on Cloth Diapers Part 2. All in good time, my friends. The computer is no longer in the living room, so it is taking me a little longer to get things posted these days. But here are a few pictures we thought were cute in honor of what has to be THE MOST disturbing Sesame Street I've ever had to watch - the one where Neil Patrick Harris plays the Shoe Fairy. Or maybe it was "The Fairy Shoe Person." Either way, you have Barney Stinson (or a grown up Doogie Howser, MD for the uninitiated of you) playing, yes, a Shoe Fairy. I'm sure there are plenty of reasons why he agreed to do it, although I think it might give in to the stereotype just a little too much, but I still find it disturbing. He puts shoes on monsters' (and people's) feet, and then the possessed shoes force them to do things like mop, run, and pirouette (the word of the day!) Am I the only one who finds this rather upsetting?

Oh, and that picture was taken just a few days ago. A few of you may recognize it as being a Halloween shirt, and I do realize that Halloween was months ago, but the shirt still fits. So we still wear it. :) My guess is that Carter's 18 months will fit him for a long time to come.