Cheap Blue See

A week ago, on Friday the 13th, mommy and daddy took me to an interesting place. We drove over an hour on Wisconsin country roads (and passed at least 3 Wal-Marts) to get to some small (and a bit scary) town, Beloit, WI. They were having what they call River Fest, and we went to see Blue Öyster Cult and Cheap Trick.

I think my favorite thing was the people watching, it was pretty unbelievable. It seemed like mommy and daddy did more of this than watching the music. My second favorite thing was the elephant ear (mommy always has to get these whenever we go somewhere they are available), I tried to take a picture of it, but I was distracted by my feet:



Then I turned the camera around and took a self-portrait (note elephant ear on face):



Daddy made sure I had my ear protection so I could really get into the music.



Note the interesting Beloit hair on the right (I was trying to be subtle so mommy & daddy could get a photo of the evidence):



I had a lot of fun, and Blue Öyster Cult even sang a song just for me, Godzilla...how did they know about my passion for dinosaurs??

They had fireworks afterwards, but we wanted to make a quick getaway so we tried to leave before they started. But as we walked out, we walked by a bunch of children amusement rides. Mommy kept saying how dirty and unsafe they looked, but I insisted I needed to try it out myself! Daddy got me one ticket, and I went on the merry-go-round with mommy. I really wanted to go on the horse that went up and down, but I thought it was too scary once mommy put me on it, so mommy and me sat on a bench and went around in circles. It was so much fun...I waved to daddy every time we passed him. Of course I wanted to do more after, but mean mommy & daddy made me leave.

I think I fell asleep in the car right away....I was sleepy. Good thing, because I think mommy & daddy got lost on the way home.

My new toy!!

I now have the luxury to get driven all over town in this:



This morning we rode to a yummy brunch place where ate outside, and I got to make a mess with the syrup and sugar while mommy and daddy tried to eat their food.

vacation!

Last weekend we went on a mini-vacation to Door County. We stayed at a really nice bed & breakfast, called the Eagle Harbor Inn, it looks much better in person than on the web site. The food there was really yummy, we ate full breakfasts on the patio every morning. Well, I would walk around, and mommy & daddy would eat breakfast.



We saw this rainbow as we drove in the first day:



The first day there, we went to Peninsula State Park and mommy & daddy brought their bikes and rented a bike trailer to take me along on a 10-mile bike trail through the park. At first, I was scared to get in it...but once mommy pretended to leave without me, I was convinced. It was really fun, I got to go up and down hills really fast. We stopped so I could play on a playground, and stopped at a beach, and I even got a chance to take a lazy nap, while mommy pulled me around.

We also went swimming in the pool at the hotel, and walked on beaches. I loved chasing the "fu-flies" (butterflies) on the beach. They would never sit still though, and made me do a lot of running. Daddy took a lot of video of me, but of course it is still on the video camera.



A nature preserve...this is walking to it, from the beach:



I would never stand still, I didn't want mommy to get too good of a picture!





On our last night there it was mommy's birthday, so we went to dinner at a really nice restaurant called Mission Grille. It was mommy's choice, and she kept saying how much she loved it, and how everything was so good. But, I did not want her to enjoy her time too much and forget about me, so for the first 45 minutes I walked around, and refused to sit. We were sitting outside, so I kept going inside, and trying to see what was going on in the kitchen. Finally at the end, I decided to sit at our table, and ate most of our shared berry cobbler dessert.

This is across from our bed & breakfast. The day was overcast, but the water was actually clear and blue:



If you look carefully, you can see the little town, of Ephraim, that we stayed in:



Mommy and daddy kept saying how their favorite part about Door County was that there were no chains. No Starbucks, no McDs, no strip malls, no hotel chains. It was really nice, and I know mommy is already talking about how she wants to go back up there when the leaves are turning. I want more yummy ice cream and cherries. I can't wait to go back too!

Look how much we have grown!!

Last Sunday, mommy, daddy and me went to visit my friend Ben, and his new twin brothers, Theo and Sammy. They are only 5 weeks old. Benny and I have been friends since the beginning. Our parents knew each other before we even came along.

Thought it would be fun to look at some pictures of our friendship through the years...all 2 of them!

At 5 months old, while we were at a Rufus Wainwright concert at Ravinia (I am going again this summer too!)



Last May 2006 at Ben's house with some of our other friends:



And this past Sunday:

new class

I just had my second week at my new class, here in Kenosha. It is called Sprouts, and either mommy or daddy, or both take me for an hour and a half every Thursday morning. It is walking distance, so we get to walk, or take the stroller.

We were on the waiting list since winter, and we finally got in. And I keep hearing daddy say how happy he is, because it is FREE.

The class is really fun. When we get to class, we are able to play with any of the toys in the room. Then we all sit down and sing a "hello" song, and put our name tags up on a board. Then our teacher, Mrs. Eddy reads us a book and then we talk about it. Afterwards, we all wash our hands, and go to the table to have a snack. Last time it was yogurt and graham crackers. Mrs. Eddy makes us say 'please', and me being so shy in front of people am scared to say it. Of course, at home, I have no problem with this.

After our snack, it is time to do arts & crafts. Last week, I glued heart felt shapes on a paper fish, and this week, I got to take it home. Mom wanted to put it on the fridge - she acted so excited about it, but I decided I would rather take it apart.

After art, we played with a discovery table which was full of water and things we might see at the beach. After this, we play in another room with big toys, like tricycles, a trampoline, big mats to jump on, hullahoops, balls, and more!

Then finally, we get in a circle again, and sing good-bye to everyone.

I can't wait until next week!!

Owie...double owie!!

I got through 2 years without shedding more than a pin prick of blood. That streak ended last week.

I was home for my weekly day-with-daddy while mommy goes to work. He was getting me some lunch, and I decided to close the basement door, as I normally do. I hate to see the door open...and I have to keep myself safe. But while I was doing that....I slipped and fell down 2 stairs onto a small pile of mommy & daddy's shoes on the landing. Daddy came to rescue me. I had lots of blood coming from my bottom lip. Daddy was scared, but realized it was just a small wound, but produced lots of blood. It was even all down my shirt.

When mommy got home she seemed really worried too. I don't think she liked seeing the bump on my swollen lip. She didn't even take a picture to document it, which seems really unlike her.

The next day, we went to watch daddy sail. There were lots of other kids there. They were older than me, and were riding skateboards all over the place.

It looked really fun, so I thought I would try skate boarding too. It seemed too wobbly to stand on it, so I sat on it, and scooted around the yacht club. Daddy even helped, and pushed me. I was having so much fun.

I decided to do it on my own, and pushed myself with my feet...but I got too excited, and fell forward. This time, I missed my lip, but hit my chin and nose. Ouch...it made me cry.

I looked very injured at my music class the next week.

A week later, and I am feeling much better. My battle scars are almost gone. And I am now having fun with my Uncle Gary visiting. He is here until June 27th.

I want it My way!

now that i am 2, i think i deserve to have things done the way i want. this that i demand from my parents...

- eat my lunch outside.
- take many toys with me outside while i eat lunch.
- run around between every bite (why does mommy get so frustrated with this?)
- to have Good Night Moon read to me several times before bed.
- to have all my favorite toys with me when i take a nap.
- to have kitty or bunny cookies near me at all times.
- to have my hair untouched...i like it wild!

- to not wear anything i have not seen before.
- when i say "sit down" i expect mommy & daddy to do as they are told.
- when i say "i do", they have to let ME do it.
- when we go for walks, and i get tired of walking my baby's stroller, mommy or daddy must carry it the rest of the way.
- i will eat when and where i want.
- i will undress where and when i want.
- when i wake up in the morning and i want to play, mommy & daddy need to be ready to play too, no matter what time, even if i want to go back to sleep 5 minutes later.
- i want some of the letters they take out of the mailbox everyday too!
- on opening everyone's mail, even if it is a federal offense.
- i insist on using check books as my coloring books.
- to have use of mommy & daddy's cell phones at my command.
- when i have dirt or something suspicious on my hands, i expect them to clean it off asap, without me having to lift a finger.
- when i want to watch a cartoon, i want to watch it now!
- when i want a blanket on me, i can't be bothered to do it myself, so mommy & daddy must do it for me.
- and i expect to be able to amend this list whenever i want!