Looking back on Summer 2009

This summer was the best. Daddy was home every day. His company was shutdown, which left him out of a job. It might not have been so good for him, but it was great for my brother and me. He was home every day during the summer so we had a lot of fun! We went to the Zoo in Toledo, Ohio, twice. We made it thru the first half the first day. We saw a bunch of animals and it was a little hot, so some animals weren't out in the open. You had to do a little searching because they were lying in the shade. Behind me is a rhinoceros. They have 2 big horns on their noses.

The second time that we went to the zoo, we started at the fish aquarium and explored the second half of the zoo. I like the aquarium. There were all kinds of fish and snakes and turtles in there. I liked getting really close to the glass on the fish tank. When this fish saw me, it swam right up to the glass and stared at me. I stuck my tongue out at it, but the fish didn't stick its tongue out back. It was really neat though.

This is just a statue of a gorilla. Don't worry, it isn't real. The real gorillas were sleeping and the big male in the exhibit just sat there with his back turned to us, so we couldn't get a picture of him. Besides going to the zoo, we also went on vacation at Higgins Lake, went to the beach for a couple of days on the west side of Michigan, and we also had our annual weekend in Lake City with my Aunt and all my cousins. It was a great summer. If you ask Daddy, he will say the same thing. He will say, "I was laid off at the perfect time (May). The weather was great and I was able to spend the whole summer with my family instead of going to work."

My First Wedding

This summer, I was in my very first wedding. Aunt Mindy (Gena's sister) got married to Uncle Mike. He is a really nice guy and I like him a lot. I was the flower girl. I got to wear a pretty white dress with a big red bow on the back. The wedding was at a park along Lake Erie. It was a great day. The sun shone and it was a little warm. Thankfully there was a breeze or it really would have been hot.

The wedding and reception were both right at the park. Mommy and Aunt Heather also stood up at the wedding and Mommy sang. It was a really special day. I loved being in her wedding.

West Coast Michigan Beaches

This summer, we did something a little different since Daddy wasn't working due to being laid off. We took a short overnight trip to the beach. We drove to Grand Haven, Michigan with our friends the Sampsons and spent 1 whole day at Grand Haven State Park just laying on the beach and playing in the sand. The first day was very sunny and warm. There was a breeze coming off the water that was a little cool, but as long as you were in the sun you didn't get cold. When it was getting time to eat supper, we drove to Holland, Michigan and stayed in a hotel for the night.

The next morning, we drove to Holland State Park and hung out at the beach there for most of the day. The weather wasn't quite as good the second day. It was cloudy, windy, and a little chilly, but a good day anyway. We had a picnic on the beach and played in the sand and water again. We headed back home in the later afternoon. We stopped by our usual restaurant with the Sampsons, Cracker Barrel, for supper on the way home. By the time that we made the 2 1/2 hour trip across the state, we were all very tired but glad that we got to hang out on the beach for a couple of days.

My 3rd Birthday

On July 17th, I turned 3 years old. Mommy made a cake for me and put 3 candles on it that I had to blow out. We had a fun little party with our friends and some family over. It was really cool. It was also another milestone for me because......it is the last time that I get a paci. Mommy and Daddy tried to take it away when I was 2 years old, but I just wasn't ready. Now that I turned 3 and I am a big girl I don't need it anymore.

For my birthday, I got my friend Anthony and my buddy Christian and we went to the Candy Store in Wyandotte. It is a store that has nothing but candy in it. We all got 5 dollars to spend, which bought us a bunch of candy at the Candy Store. Most of the candy was wrapped individually so they only cost a few cents a piece.

After we bought our candy, we went to the park along the river. I like this park, they have a lot of fun things to play on. Anthony and I like to peek thru these windows. There are several slides and different ladders and tunnels to climb on and thru. The best part is that I was with my friends.

My birthday was great! We ate cake and ice cream, went to the Candy Store and then went to the park to play. It was such a special day.

July 4th, 2009

This year for July 4th, we stayed at home and had a picnic with our friends the Bobbitt's. We went to a park in Riverview and had a picnic, then went fishing. This was my first experience going fishing. I had never gone before. It was really cool. Daddy put a worm on the hook for me and then casted the worm out into the water. Then we sat on the bank and waited for the bobber to go down, which means that a fish is taking the bait.

It wasn't very long and the bobber went down. Daddy gave the fishing pole a little jerk and then handed it to me. I had caught my first fish. It was huge. I reeled it all the way to the shore. This thing was a monster. I could barely hold it up. I wasn't going to touch it though. It was all wet and slimy. Daddy took the fish off the hook and let me pet it a little before we tossed it back into the water. It was the only fish that we caught.

In the same park, is a fire station. This is where firemen and fire trucks are stored. Uncle Jerry took me over the fire station and we got a tour of the fire trucks. The nice firemen opened up all the doors and let us climb inside the fire truck. Mommy took a picture of the Bobbitt's on the bumper of this truck. It was really fun.

The big, red fire engines were really cool. They had lots of doors on them and they were all shiny. They were so clean and shiny that I could see my reflection in them.

The firemen let us crawl inside the cab of one of the fire trucks. We felt like real fire men. We spent lots of time at the fire house. They even gave us cool firemen hats to wear. But, after a while, we seen all that we could see and then we went and played at the park for a while. We swung and went down the slides and then the Bobbitt's came to our house and we grilled ribs and relaxed the rest of the evening.

It wouldn't be July 4th if we didn't see fireworks. On Sunday, Grandma came over and we went to a local place and watched the fireworks. They were really neat and we were able to get really close to where they were shooting them off.

Here Mommy, Evan and I were enjoying the fireworks while Daddy took a picture of us.

Our Summer Vacation

This year for summer vacation, we went to Higgins Lake State Park. It was only my 2nd vacation since I am only 1 year old. Yes, Mommy and Daddy took me on my first vacation last year when I was only a few months old. We spent 4 wonderful days swimming and hiking and just hanging out.

This was our campsite, where we set up the tent. It was right on the edge of being in the sun, not to far from the bathroom, and not far from the lake. I thought that I did really good this year. The first morning, I woke up before it got light and wouldn't go back to bed. I was a little scared since it was so dark. Once it started getting a little light. Daddy took me for a walk, which I fell asleep on.

Every morning, we would get up and eat breakfast in our food tent. It was a canopy with screens on the sides to keep out the bugs. The weather was great every day. The sun was shinning and Maya was enjoying a bowl of cereal.

Here I am at the beach. The water was a little chilly since it was June, but it was still fun to play in. I liked sitting in the water and digging in the sand. Mommy and Daddy would take Maya and I out into the water in order to get cooled off. The water was really shallow for quite a ways out. It was over my head, but Maya would walk on her own feet and the water was up to her shoulders. We spent a lot of time at the beach. We walked down the shore and found a part of the beach where there wasn't anyone else so we had a large spot all to our selves.

When we are on vacation, we like to go hiking. Maya loved to run in front of us and lead the way. She was always looking for snakes and frogs. They had a nice hiking trail that we went on. It ran along a lake for a while and then when it circled back toward the beginning, we went deeper into the woods.

Since I was only 1, I didn't get to walk along the trail. I got to ride in backpack. It was a nice ride. It was so nice, that I fell asleep. Maybe because the hike was right during my morning nap and that had something to do with it. I did get to see most of the hike. It wasn't until the end that I fell asleep.

At night, we sat around a camp fire and enjoyed the fire and made smores. I had to go to bed early, so I didn't get to eat many smores. Maya really liked them as you can see from her face. She liked to lick the marshmallow and chocolate off the graham cracker and then eat the graham cracker.

That's What These Legs are For

A couple of days after my 1st birthday, I took my first steps. It was in our living room and the steps were very small, but I took them. Mommy got them on still pictures, so if you would flip thru them really fast, you could see my take my first steps. I decided to spare everyone that momentous occasion and post a video after I had been been practicing for a couple of weeks. This is my preferred mode of transportation now. I hardly ever crawl anywhere now. I am still a little unsteady at times, but luckily I have a nice padded rear end to land on. It won't be long and I will be running.

Another Birthday Party

A few days later, on the weekend. Mommy and Daddy had another party for me. Not all of our family and friends were able to make it, but there was still alot of people there. The weather was great, it was sunny, but with a nice breeze so it wasn't to hot. Daddy put up the canopy that we use when we are camping and put the food under that.

We had all kinds of food. There was vegetable's, fruit, carmel corn and crackers and cheese. Then we had ice cream and cake also. The cake had a picture of me on it. By the time the part was over, most of the food was gone. It was a wonderful day.

The best part, was that I got to smash another cake in my face and make everyone laugh. Mommy and Daddy made my own cake with blue frosting this time. It didn't take me long, and I had it all over my hands and arms and face. Birthdays are GREAT!!!!

I turned 1 year old

On June 2, 2009, I turned 1 year old. This was my very special birthday cake that Miss Cindy made me. They were over for supper on my birthday, because they were not able to come to my party a couple of days later. Miss Cindy and family watch my sister and me when Mommy and Daddy both have to work on the same day.


It was really good. It was a chocolate cake, covered in white frosting with different colored letters on it. It didn't take long for me to figure out that I was suppose to put my whole hand in it. I even grabbed a little bite before the candle was lite and they all sand happy birthday to me.

As you can see, I really enjoyed the cake. Before it was all over, I had it all over my face in all over my hair. I had to get a bath afterward because wipes weren't going to do. I got eat all that wanted from my cake. The best part was that the more I smeared frosting and cake all over my face, the more everyone laughed and cheered. Normally I get in trouble when I do that at the dinner table.

Playing Outside

Last year, my sister got money for a sandbox for her birthday. The only problem was that when her birthday came, Mommy and Daddy couldn't find a sandbox, so this spring they bought one. IT IS GREAT!!! The sand feels cool between my toes, and a little crunchy in my teeth, which I have 4 of now. 2 on top and 2 on bottom. We spends lots of time playing in the sandbox. We build sand towers and then knock them down and build them again. We even bury my sisters feet in the sand so she can pull them back out..

The weather has been perfect for playing outside in shorts. It is a little cool in the mornings, but by afternoon, the sun is shinning and it is nice and warm out. We play outside most afternoon's and evenings. My sister even plays outside by herself. The windows are open and Mommy and Daddy are still checking on her all the time, but she stays right around the sandbox and she is always talking so it isn't hard for them to keep track of her.

There was a lot of cool little yellow flowers in our yard. I got to crawl around and smash them. I have even found these little brown things that are called pine cones. They are all over under our pine tree. They feel funny when I pick them up. Some times, they are soft, but other times, they are scratchy and they don't taste very good either.

I am almost 1 year old. I will turn 1 next Tuesday on June 2nd. It is hard to believe that I am almost 1. I am sort of starting to say some words. I say some words that sound like MaMa and DaDa. I sometimes also say Ba, which means ball. The last few days I have been standing without any help. I would pull myself up on the edge of the couch and then just let go and stand there. Then before I fell, I would grab the the couch again. But, last night......I was playing with some toys..... and I just stood up from sitting on the floor. Then I did it again, and then again. I was standing without the help. Then I got really brave and I bent over and grabbed some stars off the box next to me and then bent over again and set the stars back down. It was great. It won't be long and I will be walking.

Mobility

I have finally have gained more independence. No longer do I need someone to pick me up and carry me to where I want to go. No longer do I need someone to sit me back up when I fall down. No longer are my sisters toys, that are just out of my reach, safe. Life has taken on new meaning. I am independent.

Last Monday was the first time that I crawled. The best part is that Mommy, Daddy, and Maya were there to witness it.

My Big Girl Bike

Last Saturday, the weather was perfect for a bike ride. It wasn't any old bike ride, it was the first ride on my new Big Girl Bike. It was a Dora the Explorer bike. Grandma Lisa got it for me for Christmas and Mommy and Daddy got me the stylish bike helmet, knee pads and elbow pads. I had never ridden a big girl 2 wheel bike before. I wasn't to sure how this was going to go.

It took me a little while to get warmed up to the idea. When I first started out, I kept rotating the pedals backward, which of course applied the brakes. So at least I knew how to stop. Then after a few minutes, I figured out that I just had to pedal this bike, like I pedal my tricycle. After that, it was all over. I was riding up and down the sidewalk with ease. I was going so fast, that Mommy and Daddy had to run to keep up with me. I bet we made 8 trips to the end of the sidewalk and back.

I would race down the sidewalk to the end and then turn my bike around and race back home. I have even masted the cornering capability of my machine. Although, I did push the envelope a little to far once. Good thing Daddy was there to catch me. I figured out the hard way that you have to slow down when going around corners, especially if it is a sharp corner. One lesson I also learned was that training wheels don't help when you make a sharp enough turn. Good thing I had my helmet and pads on.

Funtastic

Funtastic is the cool place not to far from where we live. It is a great place. It has slides, it has big padded steps, and all this other cool stuff to run and jump on. They have cargo nets, and an obstacle course and as you can see from the picture. It is a very colorful place.


We have been there 3 times for birthday parties and a few other times, just to go and have fun. One day, my friends Makenna (red slide) and Faith (yellow slide) invited me to meet them at Funtastic for a few hours of fun. These slides are really fast.

The best part of Funtastic is that everything is padded so it is almost impossible to get hurt. I like to jump off the steps onto some of the other padded blocks. I bounce off and then run to the top of the steps and jump off again.

It's Spring

I found Cheerios

This day I was all cleaned up for Church. I had on my Sunday cloths and my hair was all combed, so Mommy thought she would take a picture of me.
I am not really starting to talk, but I am making a Da, Da, Da, Da and a Ma, Ma, Ma, Ma sound. I also like to scream as loud as I can when my sister is around. Then she does it right back at me and we go around for a while. It makes Mommy and Daddy laugh.

Mommy gave me a hair cut the other day. This was my second hair cut. Mommy got me high and tight on this one. I like it. A few months after I was born, Daddy trimmed my hair to even it out. I was getting long and dark on top and short and light on the sides. So he buzzed the top for me. About a month ago, Mommy gave me my first hair cut. She didn't get it as short as she did this time.

I have 2 teeth now and I have found a new food to eat. It is Cheerios! They are really good. I especially like the multi grain Cheerios. I have been perfecting my pincer grasp for a couple of weeks now. Sometimes, I still get the Cheerios stuck on the back of my hand or on my cheek, or on my chin. They can be a little hard getting into my mouth. For some reason, when I get done eating them, there seems to be alot of those little Cheerios in my bib.

Not Much to Update

There really hasn't been much to blog about lately. Mommy and Daddy are in the full swing of their winter college classes, Mommy is on her last class. That is so exciting. Since we couldn't think of anything to update on, Evan and I thought we would rewind a little bit and talk about what happened in between Christmas and New Years. This year was very busy. We had all our cousins, on Daddy's side of the family, down for the weekend. Now all my cousins on that side of the family are girls and they are all older than I am so I had lots of people to play with.

We played all day long, except for 2 days when Mommy took them shopping. I got to go 1 of those 2 days. The other day, I was too tired from playing and I had to take a nap. One of the days, while they were down, we lost power for the whole day. I think it was a Sunday. After we ate lunch we got the finger paint out, well hand paint in my case. We made beautiful pictures.

As it got dark, and a little chilly in the house, Elizabeth and I decided to get the coloring books and crayons out to do a little coloring. Daddy set up candles, so we could color by candle light.

We had to have a picture taken without the flash, just to get the true effect of not having power in the winter time. It was a little hard to color between the lines.....wait.....I can't color between the lines in the light. I am only 2 1/2.

The worst thing about having 4 girl cousins, and a sister, and a Mommy, is that it left Daddy and I out numbered. Daddy is big and could take care of himself, but my cousins didn't have any pity for me. This is what happens when you have a house full of girls.....you are only six months old.....and I couldn't do anything about it but sit here and look cute. I know that this pictures is going to come back to haunt me when I get older.

After they were done dressing me up in my sisters bunny ears, they did play with me. We would get my toys out and push them around and I would chew on them and they would help me back up if I fell over. I guess it isn't so bad to have girl cousins. I will forgive them for the bunny ears thing.