Monday, January 14, 2008
mommy's blog
Mommy decided she wanted a place to keep her recipes and gardening ideas..so she is posting them here:
http://eatsndirtyfeet.blogspot.com/
http://eatsndirtyfeet.blogspot.com/
Friday, January 11, 2008
cookies!
My first-ever cookies. Mommy made the dough, and got me started, and then I took over. These stars were yummy!
The holidays
A week after we got home from England, Grandma Joy and Aunt Debbie came to stay. Their flight was supposed to come in at about 7 pm on December 23rd at Milwaukee, but with the horrible wind and snow, they didn't arrive until after 1am...and they arrived at O'Hare! Daddy went to pick them up, while mommy and me waited anxiously.
When they got home, they were very sleepy...we were all very sleepy...so we all got ready for bed.
We were going to go to Chicago the next day to see all the pretty Xmas lights, but the weather was icky, so we stayed home and played. At night, we went to Milwaukee to pick up Grandma and Auntie Debbie's lost luggage and went to eat Indian.
That night, I went to bed...and when I woke up (after mommy prodded me to get up), and went downstairs...there were lots and lots of presents for me!! They kept saying some Santa guy brought them for me...I really just wanted to go upstairs and get more sleep!
I think all of the presents got to me. I didn't even want to open one. I was scared if I opened one, I wouldn't get the rest. Like when we go to a store and mommy or daddy will say I can have one thing. I didn't want only one of the presents and to loose the others. I finally opened a few - a tea set, a Barbie and a train set. I started playing with those, and didn't want to open the rest just yet.
Everyone tried to get me to open them, and I could tell there was a pirate ship in one of the bags (something I have begged for, for months), but it was all too overwhelming.
I guarded by pirate ship:
I opened my Doctor Who toys, and I was so surprised that I was scared. One of the figures, a Slitheen, one of my usual favorites scared me so much. Auntie Debbie chased me around the house with it, and I was so terrified, I would run to mommy for protection. I made daddy put it up on the fireplace mantel to keep me safe. (However, the next day, the Slitheen - or "baby", as I have always liked to call it- became my best friend, and I now sleep with it and take it out to restaurants).
Overall I got lots of fun stuff: the tea set, wooden train set, pirate ship, barbie, a robot dog, princess clothes, dolls, wooden tea bags, wooden toys that match mommy animals with their babies, books and more which I am sure I am forgetting.
My new tea set:
Tea party with Auntie Debbie:
My princess shoes and tiara -- don't I look like a fashionista?!
Daddy trying on my tiara - silly daddy!
Check out my princess earrings, necklace and ring:
Mommy made a huge meal...my favorite was the pumpkin pie!
Grandma Joy, Auntie Debbie, mommy and me:
Grandma Joy stayed for the rest of the week and we had lots of fun playing. I cried at the airport when she left.
For New Years Eve, we rang in the new year with my best gal pal Lily and some of her friends. We had a slumber party there, and made homemade pizzas and played with her new toys. I had not seen Lily in a month so we were so happy to play with each other, and then wake up and have breakfast together!
Ringing in 2008:
BFF:
The morning after:
And we woke up to a snowy 2008!
When they got home, they were very sleepy...we were all very sleepy...so we all got ready for bed.
We were going to go to Chicago the next day to see all the pretty Xmas lights, but the weather was icky, so we stayed home and played. At night, we went to Milwaukee to pick up Grandma and Auntie Debbie's lost luggage and went to eat Indian.
That night, I went to bed...and when I woke up (after mommy prodded me to get up), and went downstairs...there were lots and lots of presents for me!! They kept saying some Santa guy brought them for me...I really just wanted to go upstairs and get more sleep!
I think all of the presents got to me. I didn't even want to open one. I was scared if I opened one, I wouldn't get the rest. Like when we go to a store and mommy or daddy will say I can have one thing. I didn't want only one of the presents and to loose the others. I finally opened a few - a tea set, a Barbie and a train set. I started playing with those, and didn't want to open the rest just yet.
Everyone tried to get me to open them, and I could tell there was a pirate ship in one of the bags (something I have begged for, for months), but it was all too overwhelming.
I guarded by pirate ship:
I opened my Doctor Who toys, and I was so surprised that I was scared. One of the figures, a Slitheen, one of my usual favorites scared me so much. Auntie Debbie chased me around the house with it, and I was so terrified, I would run to mommy for protection. I made daddy put it up on the fireplace mantel to keep me safe. (However, the next day, the Slitheen - or "baby", as I have always liked to call it- became my best friend, and I now sleep with it and take it out to restaurants).
Overall I got lots of fun stuff: the tea set, wooden train set, pirate ship, barbie, a robot dog, princess clothes, dolls, wooden tea bags, wooden toys that match mommy animals with their babies, books and more which I am sure I am forgetting.
My new tea set:
Tea party with Auntie Debbie:
My princess shoes and tiara -- don't I look like a fashionista?!
Daddy trying on my tiara - silly daddy!
Check out my princess earrings, necklace and ring:
Mommy made a huge meal...my favorite was the pumpkin pie!
Grandma Joy, Auntie Debbie, mommy and me:
Grandma Joy stayed for the rest of the week and we had lots of fun playing. I cried at the airport when she left.
For New Years Eve, we rang in the new year with my best gal pal Lily and some of her friends. We had a slumber party there, and made homemade pizzas and played with her new toys. I had not seen Lily in a month so we were so happy to play with each other, and then wake up and have breakfast together!
Ringing in 2008:
BFF:
The morning after:
And we woke up to a snowy 2008!
European Vacation
Sorry it has taken me so long to update. With our trip, and family visiting, and starting back at school...it was hard to get anytime to do it and have mommy give me control of the computer =)
We have been back for almost a month now. It took a week to finally start to feeling like I am in the correct time zone when we got home. I really had no naps at all when we were away, so I had to get back into my nap schedule, which I tried to fight at first, but now accept. We had an incredible time, but I am happy to be back in my own bed, playing with my cats, being back in school and having my own toys.
Mommy and daddy (and me) took so many photos that I am not even going to attempt to put many up here...but here is a link so you can see all of them for yourself.
I think the best way to run through our trip without boring you, is to do it in bullets. I am sure I am leaving something out, but when I remember something I will come back and update.
- I loved being on a plane! This was my very first time. I have seen it on TV and in the sky, but this time I was actually ON the plane! I know mommy is nervous, because she hates flying, but I loved it. And I had my own TV screen..I got to watch Doctor Who the entire trip over! Mommy had brought some new toys to keep me busy on the flight. They were so much fun to play with that I never slept even though it was an overnight flight. Sadly, mommy and daddy didn't get a chance to sleep either, since I forced them to play with me.
- I don't think it helped mommy and her fear of flying that when we got to O'Hare, the plane next to our gate was surrounded by cop cars, and cops waiting at the gate to apprehend someone. Me...I just thought it was all fun to watch.
- Grandma Doreen was waiting for us after we got through customs at Heathrow. I was so happy to see her! She gave me a big hug. I walked all by myself, with my suitcase on wheels, from the gate all the way to grandma's car in the parking garage.
- For some reason I called Grandma 'grandpa' the entire time. Was this not correct? Why would everyone laugh at me when I did it? When grandpa Jerry was visiting, I kept calling him "grandma" and now that I switch I still don't have it right.
- When we got to Grandma's house, in Basingstoke, we were so tired, so mommy, daddy and I took a nap. Then when we woke up Uncle Gary came to visit!! I love my uncle Gary, and was so happy to see him again.
- The first weekend we set off for France. Grandma gave us her car for the visit, so we took it on the ferry...a total barf-o-rama. The weather was grey and rainy, and the boat kept going side to side in an extreme way...so much that the glasses and bottles in the bars were breaking and people could not stand up straight. I thought it was funny and laughed a lot...but then I got sick and mommy got sick. This is my favorite story to tell about our trip. I also love imitating me and mommy getting sick. Daddy was good and took care of us. I love my daddy!
- We stayed at daddy's friend's house in Normandy, they have the most amazing converted farm house in the country. The closest village was 10 minutes away, and is called Neufchatel. It was perfect. Mommy kept saying it was like "Under the Tuscan Sun" but French, and that she wanted to move here. On that Sunday, we went to Paris to spend the day with mommy's friend. I saw the Eiffel Tower, ate a crepe, lots of chocolate and walked down the Champs Elysees. I definitely want to go back to France!
In the village of Neufchatel:
Our first baguette, and a Kinder egg (i love these):
At the Eiffel Tower:
In front of the Arc de Triomphe...yes, the rain followed us to every city:
- Daddy's friends had their own lake and river and daddy and his friend actually caught the fish for our dinner one night!
- I had fun walking around and checking out all the trees and plants and picking bay leaves for mommy. I wish we had a yard like that.
- Mommy refused to take the ferry back because she did not want a repeat performance of the Pukefest winter 2007, and daddy friends actually surprised us, and got us a ticket on the chunnel back...whoo hoo! It is a bit scary though...because you have to drive your car onto a train, stay in your car on the train, while it goes under the channel. But, the good part...only 25 min from station to station, and no motion sickness. I just played in my car seat and enjoyed the ride.
- Mommy, daddy, and I spent a day on our own in London. Rainy (of course), but still had a great time. I loved Borough Market. It was fun to look and smell at all the interesting food there. I even had my own fresh fruit smoothie and some veggies. Yum! We walked all over London. We ended up in Notting Hill, and walked all the way back to the market. Luckily I had a nice comfy stroller to chill out in.
Borough Market: (mommy was told this is the market that Bridget shopped at, in her favorite movie, Bridget Jones' Diary).
We went into the Tate Modern and saw the crack:
- We drove up to Liverpool to visit mommy's friend. They just bought a house off of Penny Lane (think Beatles)...we had tons of fun hanging out with them, and walking around Liverpool.
- My favorite thing...every night we were either with family or friends, and they would always cook. It was so nice to stay in and play. Most the friends we saw and stayed with had kids, so I had so much fun. As soon as we got to someone's house with kids, I felt right at home, and comfortable in going through their toys. And Grandma Doreen had lots of toys for me to play with too. I was never bored.
- Mommy and daddy didn't buy much since the dollar was really bad. Basically...when you saw something and it said 20 pounds...the English see it as we would see $20..but it was really $40 to us. So, we would be eating really average meals and spending like $50 for the pleasure.
- But we did come across something you can't find in the US...Doctor Who toys. We went to Toys R Us and there was a huge section. I was in heaven, I didn't even know where to start. Mommy and daddy bought me a Martha figure and a Tardis and I took there with me everywhere on the trip. Grandma Doreen ended up secretly buying a bunch, and mommy and daddy had to sneak it home. I got them all for Xmas and love playing with them all.
We also went to Hamley's in London, and they had a huge widow display of Doctor Who...I think daddy even loved it more than me!
Hamley's window display:
Toys R Us with Grandma:
- I had so much fun meeting all of daddy's family. I even met some kids of daddy's cousins. It was nice knowing I could play with kids who I am related to. I loved cousin Mitchel. As soon as he walked in I wanted to play, he seemed a bit nervous, but soon I was snuggling up with him. I got to meet some of daddy's uncles, an aunt, cousins, and they were all so nice.
see, Mitchel is to the left of me, and cousin Emma is to his left:
- We toured the area where daddy grew up and we saw the house he grew up in, and his elementary school and high school. Mommy kept saying how it was all so pretty.
- I finally met Grandpa George. I hated that it took so long, but it finally happened. We went to see him on 3 different days for a few hours each. I was very happy to see him, and he gave me cars to play with. I am still playing with them today.
- I was really sad to have to say good-bye. Grandma Doreen took us to the airport. I didn't like having to say good-bye to her. Mommy was in zombie-mode because she hates flying so much (which again, was not helped by the London police interrogating people about some bag they found in the terminal). Daddy had to really take charge.
I was so happy to be on a plane again. I love it, and never once cried. Actually, I started to sing really loud on the plane and made people laugh. The flight home was pretty bumpy...I thought it was fun. Mom did not. And on my own TV I got to watch more Doctor Who and cartoons all the way home.
Grandma Doreen and me looking at cats in her back garden:
Once we got home, it took a week to get back into our own time zone. And then it was Xmas!
I had such a fun time...and really miss my family and new friends. Sometimes when I am playing I make up songs about Uncle Gary and Grandma Doreen. I hope they come to visit soon!
Daddy says we will be back in England soon too!
We have been back for almost a month now. It took a week to finally start to feeling like I am in the correct time zone when we got home. I really had no naps at all when we were away, so I had to get back into my nap schedule, which I tried to fight at first, but now accept. We had an incredible time, but I am happy to be back in my own bed, playing with my cats, being back in school and having my own toys.
Mommy and daddy (and me) took so many photos that I am not even going to attempt to put many up here...but here is a link so you can see all of them for yourself.
I think the best way to run through our trip without boring you, is to do it in bullets. I am sure I am leaving something out, but when I remember something I will come back and update.
- I loved being on a plane! This was my very first time. I have seen it on TV and in the sky, but this time I was actually ON the plane! I know mommy is nervous, because she hates flying, but I loved it. And I had my own TV screen..I got to watch Doctor Who the entire trip over! Mommy had brought some new toys to keep me busy on the flight. They were so much fun to play with that I never slept even though it was an overnight flight. Sadly, mommy and daddy didn't get a chance to sleep either, since I forced them to play with me.
- I don't think it helped mommy and her fear of flying that when we got to O'Hare, the plane next to our gate was surrounded by cop cars, and cops waiting at the gate to apprehend someone. Me...I just thought it was all fun to watch.
- Grandma Doreen was waiting for us after we got through customs at Heathrow. I was so happy to see her! She gave me a big hug. I walked all by myself, with my suitcase on wheels, from the gate all the way to grandma's car in the parking garage.
- For some reason I called Grandma 'grandpa' the entire time. Was this not correct? Why would everyone laugh at me when I did it? When grandpa Jerry was visiting, I kept calling him "grandma" and now that I switch I still don't have it right.
- When we got to Grandma's house, in Basingstoke, we were so tired, so mommy, daddy and I took a nap. Then when we woke up Uncle Gary came to visit!! I love my uncle Gary, and was so happy to see him again.
- The first weekend we set off for France. Grandma gave us her car for the visit, so we took it on the ferry...a total barf-o-rama. The weather was grey and rainy, and the boat kept going side to side in an extreme way...so much that the glasses and bottles in the bars were breaking and people could not stand up straight. I thought it was funny and laughed a lot...but then I got sick and mommy got sick. This is my favorite story to tell about our trip. I also love imitating me and mommy getting sick. Daddy was good and took care of us. I love my daddy!
- We stayed at daddy's friend's house in Normandy, they have the most amazing converted farm house in the country. The closest village was 10 minutes away, and is called Neufchatel. It was perfect. Mommy kept saying it was like "Under the Tuscan Sun" but French, and that she wanted to move here. On that Sunday, we went to Paris to spend the day with mommy's friend. I saw the Eiffel Tower, ate a crepe, lots of chocolate and walked down the Champs Elysees. I definitely want to go back to France!
In the village of Neufchatel:
Our first baguette, and a Kinder egg (i love these):
At the Eiffel Tower:
In front of the Arc de Triomphe...yes, the rain followed us to every city:
- Daddy's friends had their own lake and river and daddy and his friend actually caught the fish for our dinner one night!
- I had fun walking around and checking out all the trees and plants and picking bay leaves for mommy. I wish we had a yard like that.
- Mommy refused to take the ferry back because she did not want a repeat performance of the Pukefest winter 2007, and daddy friends actually surprised us, and got us a ticket on the chunnel back...whoo hoo! It is a bit scary though...because you have to drive your car onto a train, stay in your car on the train, while it goes under the channel. But, the good part...only 25 min from station to station, and no motion sickness. I just played in my car seat and enjoyed the ride.
- Mommy, daddy, and I spent a day on our own in London. Rainy (of course), but still had a great time. I loved Borough Market. It was fun to look and smell at all the interesting food there. I even had my own fresh fruit smoothie and some veggies. Yum! We walked all over London. We ended up in Notting Hill, and walked all the way back to the market. Luckily I had a nice comfy stroller to chill out in.
Borough Market: (mommy was told this is the market that Bridget shopped at, in her favorite movie, Bridget Jones' Diary).
We went into the Tate Modern and saw the crack:
- We drove up to Liverpool to visit mommy's friend. They just bought a house off of Penny Lane (think Beatles)...we had tons of fun hanging out with them, and walking around Liverpool.
- My favorite thing...every night we were either with family or friends, and they would always cook. It was so nice to stay in and play. Most the friends we saw and stayed with had kids, so I had so much fun. As soon as we got to someone's house with kids, I felt right at home, and comfortable in going through their toys. And Grandma Doreen had lots of toys for me to play with too. I was never bored.
- Mommy and daddy didn't buy much since the dollar was really bad. Basically...when you saw something and it said 20 pounds...the English see it as we would see $20..but it was really $40 to us. So, we would be eating really average meals and spending like $50 for the pleasure.
- But we did come across something you can't find in the US...Doctor Who toys. We went to Toys R Us and there was a huge section. I was in heaven, I didn't even know where to start. Mommy and daddy bought me a Martha figure and a Tardis and I took there with me everywhere on the trip. Grandma Doreen ended up secretly buying a bunch, and mommy and daddy had to sneak it home. I got them all for Xmas and love playing with them all.
We also went to Hamley's in London, and they had a huge widow display of Doctor Who...I think daddy even loved it more than me!
Hamley's window display:
Toys R Us with Grandma:
- I had so much fun meeting all of daddy's family. I even met some kids of daddy's cousins. It was nice knowing I could play with kids who I am related to. I loved cousin Mitchel. As soon as he walked in I wanted to play, he seemed a bit nervous, but soon I was snuggling up with him. I got to meet some of daddy's uncles, an aunt, cousins, and they were all so nice.
see, Mitchel is to the left of me, and cousin Emma is to his left:
- We toured the area where daddy grew up and we saw the house he grew up in, and his elementary school and high school. Mommy kept saying how it was all so pretty.
- I finally met Grandpa George. I hated that it took so long, but it finally happened. We went to see him on 3 different days for a few hours each. I was very happy to see him, and he gave me cars to play with. I am still playing with them today.
- I was really sad to have to say good-bye. Grandma Doreen took us to the airport. I didn't like having to say good-bye to her. Mommy was in zombie-mode because she hates flying so much (which again, was not helped by the London police interrogating people about some bag they found in the terminal). Daddy had to really take charge.
I was so happy to be on a plane again. I love it, and never once cried. Actually, I started to sing really loud on the plane and made people laugh. The flight home was pretty bumpy...I thought it was fun. Mom did not. And on my own TV I got to watch more Doctor Who and cartoons all the way home.
Grandma Doreen and me looking at cats in her back garden:
Once we got home, it took a week to get back into our own time zone. And then it was Xmas!
I had such a fun time...and really miss my family and new friends. Sometimes when I am playing I make up songs about Uncle Gary and Grandma Doreen. I hope they come to visit soon!
Daddy says we will be back in England soon too!
Dance Fever
Back in November...mommy and daddy took me to my first dance party. It is called Baby Loves Disco, and it is an afternoon dance party at a place mommy and daddy usually go to see bands play when they have a babysitter.
The music was really fun, and there were tons of healthy snacks and drinks for the kids, and even areas where we could take a nap, or play with toys.
The music was really fun, and there were tons of healthy snacks and drinks for the kids, and even areas where we could take a nap, or play with toys.
Grandpa's visit
Right after Halloween, Grandpa Jerry came for s short visit. I was so excited to see him!! As soon as I saw him I wanted to cuddle.
The second day, we dropped daddy off at work, and then mommy, grandpa and me went to Chicago and went to the Children's Museum at Navy Pier. It was so much fun, and so many different rooms of fun. I think I could have stayed there all day to play!
There was a water room, and we got to wear these fun rain coats. Good thing..because I decided to take a swim! Oops. Not entirely intentional.
After a fun-filled day in Chicago, we went to pick up daddy from work, and then drove to Milwaukee for an Indian dinner. It was yummy, and fun as always. I always love to run around the Indian restaurant.
Next day, Grandpa left to go see Aunt Lesley in Michigan. It was too short of a visit, and I really hope I see him again soon. After he left I couldn't stop talking about it. I miss him!!
The second day, we dropped daddy off at work, and then mommy, grandpa and me went to Chicago and went to the Children's Museum at Navy Pier. It was so much fun, and so many different rooms of fun. I think I could have stayed there all day to play!
There was a water room, and we got to wear these fun rain coats. Good thing..because I decided to take a swim! Oops. Not entirely intentional.
After a fun-filled day in Chicago, we went to pick up daddy from work, and then drove to Milwaukee for an Indian dinner. It was yummy, and fun as always. I always love to run around the Indian restaurant.
Next day, Grandpa left to go see Aunt Lesley in Michigan. It was too short of a visit, and I really hope I see him again soon. After he left I couldn't stop talking about it. I miss him!!
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